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Comment & Analysis
Comment & Analysis headlines with summaries.
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The end of Newshub: Slippery slope gets steeper for NZ journalism and democracy
Opinion - If journalism in Western democracies has been on a roller coaster of late, in Aotearoa this week it threatened to come right off the rails.
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Unintended consequences of vaccine mandates must inform future pandemic policy
Analysis - Now the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic is over, we have the luxury of being able to reflect on what worked well and what did not, researchers say.
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Luxon's criticisms of spending come back to bite
1 Mar 2024Analysis - National's Tama Potaka could have been mistaken for giving advice to his own leader when he told Newshub on Friday morning "the New Zealand taxpayer is not a free ATM card".
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Covid-19: A pandemic that will not go away
27 Feb 2024Analysis - February 28 marks four years since Covid-19 was first reported in Aotearoa New Zealand. Many of us are probably surprised this virus is still causing a pandemic.
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Luxon, at last, does his own thing, for his own party
23 Feb 2024Analysis - Christopher Luxon comes out from under the shadow of his coalition partners, and the sudden death of Efeso Collins brings Parliament to a standstill, Peter Wilson writes.
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Joining AUKUS could boost NZ's research and tech spending, but at what cost?
23 Feb 2024There is little doubt the National-led coalition is showing greater interest in the AUKUS security agreement, with Australian officials due to visit later this year to brief the government, Sian…
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Climate change is fanning the flames of NZ's wildfires
23 Feb 2024Last week, wildfire burnt through 650 hectares of forest and scrub in Christchurch's Port Hills. This is not the first time the area has faced a terrifying wildfire event.
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Terrorist discussed mosque attacks a year earlier - new research
21 Feb 2024Analysis - Up to a year before he attacked two Christchurch mosques, Brenton Tarrant posted publicly he planned to do so. Until now, these statements have not been identified.
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How people can change their minds about conspiracy theories
19 Feb 2024Analysis - Many people believe at least one conspiracy theory. And that is not necessarily a bad thing - conspiracies do happen.
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Axing the fuel tax reveals lack of a real Auckland plan
14 Feb 2024Opinion - Shifts in funding priorities are part of politics, but the latest U-turns bring into sharp focus a lack of direction on infrastructure including by previous governments, writes Timothy Welch…
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New Zealand is reviving the ANZAC alliance – joining AUKUS is a logical next step
13 Feb 2024Analysis - In envisioning a more central role for the ANZAC alliance with Australia, and possible involvement in AUKUS, the new government is recalibrating NZ's independent foreign policy, Nicholas…
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Parliament brought to standstill by a tsunami of collective grief
21 Feb 2024Analysis - The death of Fa'anānā Efeso Collins has inspired politicians of all stripes to a rare moment of unity, Political Editor Jo Moir writes.
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Grant Robertson, the consummate political partner
20 Feb 2024Analysis - If any Labour MP were asked to name a colleague they would struggle to do without, it's Robertson that would spring to mind.
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Unanswered questions why forestry giant lost environment label
Analysis - Following a tip that Ernslaw One, a huge Malaysian-owned forestry company, had lost its badge of environmental sustainability, Eloise Gibson goes on a quest to find answers.
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Albanese follows Ardern down the aisle
16 Feb 2024Analysis: When Jacinda Ardern wed long-term partner and fishing enthusiast Clarke Gayford last month, the nuptials made global headlines.
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A new virus-like entity has just been discovered - 'obelisks' explained
Analysis - Biological entities called obelisks have been hiding - in large numbers - inside the human mouth and gut. But what exactly are they, and what do they do?
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Let's put down our chisels and let Te Tiriti O Waitangi evolve
7 Feb 2024Analysis - History is a living thing. But there are many eager to get out their chisels and carve our history into stone, Tim Watkin writes.
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Seymour promise reveals tension at the heart of government
29 Jan 2024Analysis: In Seymour's state of the nation speech, he reminded New Zealand of the insightful political mind behind the political persona we've seen through the Covid years.
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Nato says Trump comments 'undermine all of our security'
12 Feb 2024Analysis - With nine months still to go before the next US presidential election, the Republican party favourite is sending eyebrows and blood pressure skywards in NATO capitals with his provocative…
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Seymour's bill still front and centre despite National's attempt at a reset
Analysis - The Treaty Principles Bill is still in the spotlight despite National trying to shift attention, Peter Wilson writes.
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The royals and their history of being tight-lipped about their health
7 Feb 2024Analysis - King Charles III has been diagnosed with cancer. In revealing the fragility of the royal body much of the mystique about them as anointed by God fades away.
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Week in Politics: Government's year starts with a problem
26 Jan 2024Analysis - 2024 is already proving it will test Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, writes Peter Wilson.
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Calls to 'clear the air' over any tobacco links in government
2 Feb 2024Analysis - Labour and health academics push for clarity over whether tobacco companies had any involvement with the government's smokefree policies, David Seymour will be at Waitangi to explain his…
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Casey Costello's tough welcome to Parliament
2 Feb 2024The House: Parliament is a tough master of its governments. This week a clutch of ministers made mea culpas. Audio
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