The latest controversies over cultural mandates span vastly different sectors—midwifery, internet governance, healthcare, and real estate—raising concerns that ideology is overriding professional competence and standards. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

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Economy

Health

Briefing for 03 March 2025

The rise of Treaty ideology in NZ’s professional sectors

From midwifery to internet governance and pharmacy regulations, a growing number of industry bodies are embedding partisan ideological commitments to Te Tiriti o Waitangi into their rules.

Critics argue that this is often at the expense of professional competence and neutrality.

Meth use in NZ hits record high, but Ōpōtiki bucks the trend

Despite record-breaking drug busts, meth has never been cheaper or more available, thanks to a flood of supply from Mexican cartels and Asian crime syndicates.

October 2024 set a new record of 39.2kg of meth consumed per week—nearly double the previous high, according to police wastewater data.

“The world is awash with drugs,” said Detective Inspector Tim Chao, who oversees the National Drug Intelligence Bureau, but not in Ōpōtiki.

Satellites reveal world’s worst methane emitters—New Zealand doesn’t even register

A new global satellite study confirms what many suspected—New Zealand isn’t even on the map when it comes to the world’s biggest methane emitters.

The study, which analysed data from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-5P satellite, found that the worst methane emissions come from massive wetlands and fossil fuel extraction sites overseas.

Chris Bishop’s housing overhaul aims to break bureaucratic barriers

Housing Minister Chris Bishop is pushing a plan to slash housing costs and boost productivity. He observed that New Zealand’s economic performance now resembles nations like Poland and Hungary, which endured decades of communist rule, as opposed to Australia and the US.

Speaking to local government leaders, Bishop blamed restrictive land-use policies and infrastructure funding failures for driving up house prices, which now sit at over six times the average wage—double what they were in 2002.

‘It’s like a cult’: Whistleblower says trans activists in US cyber intel agency threaten national security

In the US, a whistleblower has claimed that the National Security Agency (NSA), the US government’s electronic surveillance and codebreaking agency, has been infiltrated by radical gender activists.

In response, US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard ordered an investigation, demanding that participants be identified, fired, and stripped of security clearances.

New Zealand’s defence dilemma in a world shaped by Trump, Putin, and Xi

New Zealand is facing a new geopolitical reality as China flexes its military power in the Pacific, Trump redefines America’s alliances, and Putin waits for the West to falter.

Chinese warships recently staged live fire drills off Australia’s coast, within striking range of New Zealand.

“The point is to show to Australia and New Zealand that China could cut our air and sea links without any warning,” warned Professor Anne-Marie Brady.

UK trans doctors can erase disciplinary records

The UK’s General Medical Council (GMC) has admitted that doctors who change their gender can have their disciplinary histories wiped from public record.

By issuing trans-identifying doctors with new registration numbers, the GMC effectively severs any connection between past sanctions and their new identity, preventing patients from discovering prior complaints or suspensions.