The government has overhauled Whānau Ora, ending contracts with the three original commissioning agencies, including the John Tamihere-led North Island agency. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

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Briefing for 11 March 2025

Whānau Ora shake-up: Tamihere-led agency among three losing contracts

A major overhaul of Whānau Ora will see the three original commissioning agencies lose their contracts, including the John Tamihere-led agency for the North Island.

The government has awarded contracts to four new agencies, with Ngāti Toa and Ngāi Tahu confirming they are among the successful bidders.

Interest.co.nz misrepresents its own publisher’s words in false attack on Centrist

Interest.co.nz has launched a misleading attack on Centrist. In a piece on copyright enforcement, Juha Saarinen falsely claims Centrist republishes “whole articles” without permission—articles he describes as “stolen” and “illegal.”

Yet Interest.co.nz’s own publisher, David Chaston, acknowledged the opposite in an email to Centrist: “We know we can’t stop you summarising on a ‘fair use’ basis, or using links. You have every legal right to do so.”

Chaston’s statement is clear: Centrist is not breaking the law, nor acting dishonestly. His request for removal was based on personal preference, not legality.

Richard Prebble resigns from Waitangi Tribunal, sparks backlash from cultural elites

Free speech advocate Ani O’Brien says elites are branding Richard Prebble an “extremist” after he resigned from the Waitangi Tribunal, calling it a move to turn the Treaty into a socialist manifesto.

O’Brien calls this elitist gatekeeping.

His past stance on Treaty settlements was echoed by Helen Clark’s Labour government, which set a deadline for historical claims in 2008.

Yet Clark is no extremist.

Chris Hipkins overtakes Luxon as preferred PM in latest Taxpayers’ Union-Curia poll

Labour leader Chris Hipkins has overtaken Christopher Luxon as New Zealand’s preferred prime minister, according to the latest Taxpayers’ Union-Curia poll.

The Taxpayers’ Union called the results “more bad news” for the coalition government, warning that unless it delivers meaningful economic growth, support will continue to slide.

NZ’s ‘worst mayor’ calls police on rogue YouTuber over public meeting filming

A viral video, racking up more than 100,000 views in a day, shows South Waikato District Mayor Gary Petley calling the police on a YouTuber for filming a public council meeting.

In the footage, Bruce Simpson of the Xjet YouTube channel, arrives at the council chambers with a camera, only to be told he cannot film without permission—despite the fact that the council itself records and controls its own footage.

“Why do you need to film Mr Simpson?” asks the mayor.

Man Up stages Pride protest, says it’s standing for families

Destiny Church-linked group Man Up staged a protest at the Wellington Pride Parade, briefly blocking the event with a haka. At the same time, police maintained a separation between the group and parade attendees.

The demonstration follows backlash over previous Auckland Pride protests, including an incident at a drag event for children.

NZ Herald dismisses Winston Peters’ anti-DEI bill as a distraction

NZ First’s push to remove diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) mandates from the public service has been slammed by the NZ Herald as a pointless culture war imported from the US.

The editorial argues the bill is unnecessary, politically motivated, and ignores real issues like the economy, cost of living, and healthcare shortages.