Despite the Treaty Principles Bill demise, polling from Curia, Verian, and others shows roughly two-thirds of Kiwis back the Bill despite claims to the contrary. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

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Briefing for 11 April 2025

Media, MPs out of step with voters on Treaty Principles Bill – data deep dive

Despite widespread claims that New Zealanders oppose the Treaty Principles Bill, detailed analysis from theFacts.nz suggests the opposite:

Robust polling consistently shows ~2:1 Kiwis support the legislation, despite 90% of public submissions opposing it, and most media have failed to explain the gap.

Chhour: Race should never come before child safety

Children’s Minister Karen Chhour says repealing section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act is a long-overdue fix to a policy that puts ideology ahead of children’s welfare.

“Children’s lives are not lived in theories or in the comfort of academia or privilege,” Chhour said. “Safety must come first every single time—and sadly that has not always been the case.”

Treaty Principles Bill: ‘Cremation day’ as Parliament buries it for good

ACT’s Treaty Principles Bill was officially torched in Parliament this afternoon, with just 11 votes in favour and 112 against.

National confirmed it would not support the bill past its second reading, killing off an ACT proposal that aimed to redefine how the Treaty of Waitangi is interpreted in law.

'Distance is no longer any protection': NZ commits to $9B defence upgrade

New Zealand’s National-led government is doubling defence spending over the next eight years, aiming to modernise its navy, upgrade surveillance networks, and strengthen regional deterrence in response to rising global instability – especially from China.

“This is the floor, not the ceiling,” Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said, unveiling the $9 billion commitment, which lifts military spending above 2% of GDP by 2033.

‘Thx’ feels cheap: study finds shorthand texts erode sincerity

In The Conversation, researcher David Fang reveals findings from experiments showing in controlled trials with more than 1,000 participants aged 15 to 80, those receiving fully spelled-out messages rated the sender as more authentic and worth replying to.

Even abbreviations like “brb” or “idk” chipped away at perceived effort, especially in personal exchanges.