| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | |
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1 | Opinion Tracker — Whanganui Chronicle (opinion content - syndicated NZME / NZ Herald) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
2 | One row per politically substantive opinion/comment piece. Non-political pieces are no longer logged (kept early ones as examples). Election-year tracking, 2026. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
4 | Date (Chronicle print date) | Original source outlet | Section | Author | Stated affiliation / lean basis | Lean (L/R/Unclear) | Article title | Source URL | Notes | Intra-alignment critique? | Affiliation-based/ Content-based | |||||||||||||||
5 | 22 Jun 2026 | BusinessDesk | Business | Patrick Smellie | BusinessDesk business/economics journalist; former press secretary to the founder of ACT, Roger Douglas (1980s Labour govt, but architect of right-wing market-liberal reforms) — no current party tie | Unclear | KiwiSaver-at-birth pension reform proposal | https://businessdesk.co.nz/article/opinion/how-to-win-the-election-with-pension-reform | . Track BusinessDesk as 3rd syndication source. | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
6 | 22 Jun 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Opinion | Heather du Plessis-Allan | Herald on Sunday columnist / Newstalk ZB drive host | R | "Labour is going for warm fuzzies over policy substance" | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/labour-is-going-for-warm-fuzzies-over-policy-substance-heather-du-plessis-allan/premium/BTJSQAPFUNEQPFB6WO6LW3OS2M/ | "They’ve nailed the warm fuzzies. But the maths is dodgy-as." | No | Affiliation-based | |||||||||||||||
7 | 22 Jun 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Nadine Higgins | Personal finance journalist — no declared affiliation | N/A | Flood risk / LIM checks before buying a house | N/A | EXCLUDED from tally — consumer/service journalism, no political argument. Logged for completeness only. | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
8 | 23 Jun 2026 | Hawkes Bay Today/ NZ Herald | Opinion | Nick Stewart | CEO, Stewart Group (financial adviser); guest contributor on NZ Taxpayers' Union "Taxpayer Talk" podcast (right-leaning fiscal lobby group) | R | "Hating the rich for the sin of succeeding isn’t helpful" | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/hating-the-rich-for-the-sin-of-succeeding-isnt-helpful-try-this-instead-nick-stewart/premium/EJXBBZS33BFG7NBAQFTUJWKO2U/ | Syndicated via Hawke's Bay Today; also amplified by NZ Taxpayers' Union as aligned messaging | No | Affiliation-based | |||||||||||||||
9 | 24 Jun 2026 | The Conversation | Opinion | Melanie Stowell | N/A PhD Candidate, University of Auckland | N/A | Technostress’: why many older people feel shut out by the digital world | https://theconversation.com/technostress-why-many-older-people-feel-shut-out-by-the-digital-world-283879 | EXCLUDED from tally — non-political health issues | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
10 | 24 Jun 2026 | NZ Herald (business) | Opinion | Benno Blaschke | Research Fellow at The New Zealand Initiative. | Unclear | Government cannot fix housing until it can take its hand off the brake – | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/government-cannot-fix-housing-until-it-can-take-its-hand-off-the-brake-benno-blaschke/premium/4X77U4ASDNDJ5PSBG72MYOH6SI/ | Take housing investment away from the government | No | Affiliation-based | |||||||||||||||
11 | 25 Jun 2026 | Whanganui Chronicle | Opinion - Editorial | Editor | unknown | R | "Stumbling at the Starting Gate" | Eight paragraphs attacking the Greens and Labour (e.g. comparing the Greens' policies to those of Zimbabwe!) vs 2 paragraphs on the coalition partners not getting along. UNSIGNED EDITORIAL — flag separately from signed op-eds in any final tally. | No | Editorial | ||||||||||||||||
12 | 25 Jun 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | NZ Herald (national) | unknown | N/A | burger prices | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/elevating-the-humble-hamburger-to-27-forecast-burger-burgers-downfall-vaughn-davis/LSIMWOJKA5GDBE4IETHAGUXU3Y/ | EXCLUDED from tally —burger prices & another comment on the "Phantom Canoe" | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
13 | 26 Jun 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Ali Adams | unknown | N/A | no political comments 'The secrets to Christchurch’s economic success" | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/christchurch/ali-adams-the-secrets-to-christchurchs-economic-success/premium/UDPWKK3ETNC6JHDMADHBUUCAEA/ | EXCLUDED from tally —no political comments- on AI in clinics not included and Christ Church's booming economy with no political opinion, | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
14 | 27 Jun 2026 | Whanganui Chronicle | Comment | Whanganui Chronicle | unknown | N/A | connection and belonging are so important for mental health | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/whanganui-chronicle/news/why-connection-and-belonging-are-so-important-for-mental-health-shelley-loader/JSWICZJZFBFT7DNWHL75POJLXY/ | EXCLUDED from tally not political | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
15 | 27 Jun 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Audrey Young | centrist journalist | N/A | "Opportunity knocks on door of parliament " the state of the elction | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/opportunity-but-at-what-cost-partys-tax-policy-in-spotlight-amid-poll-surge-audrey-young/premium/VDNLTHXMG5F3BHYLG2WUYDID4Q/ | The Opportunity Party’s tax policy in spotlight amid poll surge with a focus on Labour's faux pas – Audrey Young | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
16 | 29 Jun 2026 | NZ Herald on Sunday (national) | Opinion - Editorial | Heather du Plessis-Allan | Herald on Sunday columnist / Newstalk ZB drive host | R | The battle for the crucial 5% | https://www.pressreader.com/foryou | On the opportunity Party…accusing the Greens for "bad math"… other comments EXCLUDED from tally are on travel and Angus bulls | No | Affiliation-based | |||||||||||||||
17 | 30 Jun 2026 | NZ Herald - The Country, 25 Jun, 2026 | Comment | Jacqueline Rowarth Adjunct Professor Lincoln University·The Country· | "She is generally considered right-leaning" RNZ | R | Farmers are the backbone of our economy and fight climate change the best they can. | N/A - link not found | No mention that farming contributes 50% of greenhouse gases, of which New Zealand is the second highest emitter in the OECD per GDP. (The sole political comment today. | No | Content-based | |||||||||||||||
18 | 1 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Amanjot Singh | Amanjot Singh does not have a formal political affiliation, meaning he does not lean left or right as a politician. He is best known as a high school student, the former head boy of Hastings Boys' High School, and the winner of the New Zealand Race Unity Speech Awards | Unclear | Developing connections with other races and ethnicities | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/the-first-step-to-racial-harmony-is-not-agreement-its-curiosity-amanjot-singh/premium/VRP6FYEJGVDPRHCMLPQKW2YK6U/ | His public profile is tied to social justice, advocating for racial harmony, and challenging stereotypes rather than traditional party politics. While his anti-racism and inclusive messaging often align with progressive/left-leaning platforms | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
19 | 1 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Lifang Chen | Her public statements historically focus on corporate identity and international tech policy | Unclear | it is nice to have cooperation | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rotorua-daily-post/news/opinion-why-local-government-reform-must-protect-each-communitys-voice/EBWUU62QOVCK7BUTN3TAFWQGHY/ | "Perhaps good governance asks for something similar: not uniformity, but harmony; not one voice replacing another, but many voices being heard". | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
20 | 2 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (business) | Comment | Diana Clement | unknown | N/A | avoiding scams | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/how-to-spot-a-get-rich-quick-scam-diana-clement/premium/IOZWGMMKJNF5LP3R3QP772IGYY/ | EXCLUDED from tally not political | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
21 | 2 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Hannah McQueen | unknown | N/A | avoiding scams | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/hannah-mcqueen-rise-in-online-romance-scams-leaves-families-struggling-to-protect-elderly-parents/premium/BDXKGGITIVFMPPLZMX4YIC4KZU/ | EXCLUDED from tally not political | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
22 | 3 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Dane Giraud | Dane Giraud's political slant is defined by classical liberalism and civil libertarianism, | Unclear | Opposition to Hate Speech Laws: "I’m Jewish, and a hate speech law would empower Brian Tamaki, not stop him" | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/im-jewish-and-a-hate-speech-law-would-empower-brian-tamaki-not-stop-him-dane-giraud/premium/XVV4JB6RZZFOPAINX4JJTCEM4Y/ | "We minorities have generally prospered where speech is protected, not because free expression is always pleasant, but because it denies majorities the power to decide which ideas may be expressed and which communities may speak." | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
23 | 3 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Jonathan Ayling | ACT donor -right-leaning, classical liberal and libertarian | R | "At 250, America’s crisis is not power, but purpose" – Jonathan Ayling" | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/at-250-americas-crisis-is-not-power-but-purpose-jonathan-ayling/premium/ADX2V7P6XZCQVCUQY5AM7MCPEE/ | a right-leaning, classical-conservative perspective, focusing on America's cultural and moral decline as the root cause of its current societal challenges rather than structural factors" | No | Affiliation-based | |||||||||||||||
24 | 4 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Simon Bridges | Right- National Party | R | Compulsory 12% KiwiSaver’s a bad idea, despite what the chattering classes say | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/compulsory-12-kiwisavers-a-bad-idea-despite-what-the-chattering-classes-say-simon-bridges/premium/UXEIU7UQF5A35M6I4Q4ZGUVSDY/ | A former National Party leader's editorial against current National Party policy [Intra-right critique: National figure criticising National/coalition policy, not a left-coded argument — coded R for author consistency.] | Yes - intra-party (Bridges critiques National policy) | Affiliation-based | |||||||||||||||
25 | 6 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Heather du Plessis-Allan | Right | R | "NZ First’s revival of Michael Laws feels desperate" | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/nz-firsts-revival-of-michael-laws-feels-desperate-heather-du-plessis-allan/premium/EUXVHEHBL5DCNBRCXFDWX2NN7M/ | it feel like the "past few weeks have been a bit off for NZ First. And that was before the weird Michael Laws announcement doubled down on that feeling" [Intra-right critique: right-wing columnist judging NZ First/Michael Laws tactically, not a left-coded argument — coded R for author consistency.] | Yes - intra-coalition (du Plessis-Allan critiques NZ First/Michael Laws) | Affiliation-based | |||||||||||||||
26 | 6 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (business) | Comment | Terence Harpur | unknown | R | "Politicians urged to back NZ’s small business backbone" | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/election-2026-politicians-urged-to-back-nzs-small-business-backbone-terence-harpur/premium/EJPV6SNUCZEXNM42RUFAPLZDG4/ | Lifting provisional tax thresholds..tax exemptions ..temporary tax suspensions or rebates on commercial fuel | No | Content-based | |||||||||||||||
27 | 7 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Diana Clement | unknown | Unclear | Rising pension bill sparks push for means testing | www.pressreader.com/new-zealand/hawkes-bay-today/20260707/281685441587223 | On the affordability of superannuation, this is a centre-right stance, but from the left, they point out that growth has almost doubling of the economy and we can't afford more superannuation. | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
28 | 7 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Chlöe Swarbrick | Greens co leader | L | Jonathan Ayling’s criticism of Greens’ tax policy is out of line with economists | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/jonathan-aylings-criticism-of-green-tax-policy-is-out-of-line-with-economists-chloe-swarbrick/premium/O5YPGH6GDBBTNAQIRRPQZKBIN4/ | Act supporter and former head of the Free Speech Union, Jonathan Ayling, who drew a bow so long it betrayed his limited economic understanding.' | No | Affiliation-based | |||||||||||||||
29 | 8 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (business) | Comment | Fran O'Sullivan | unclear | Unclear | Coalition politics must not mar Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to NZ to seal free trade deal | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/economy/coalition-politics-must-not-mar-indian-prime-minister-narendra-modis-visit-to-nz-to-seal-free-trade-deal-fran-osullivan/premium/KVO7RQPDWNA53DYV4PLOCZBJ4A/ | No | N/A | ||||||||||||||||
30 | 8 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Toby Moore | Labour Party policy council | L | Is National’s compulsory KiwiSaver really about cutting NZ Super? | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/toby-moore-is-nationals-compulsory-kiwisaver-really-about-cutting-nz-super/premium/4WLL2QXYDNAMRKSPJ2R7XGBSVI/ | No | Affiliation-based | ||||||||||||||||
31 | 9 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Guy Haddleton | center | Unclear | NZ was the third-richest per capita OECD country. Here’s how we reclaim that | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/nz-was-the-third-richest-per-capita-oecd-country-heres-how-we-reclaim-that-guy-haddleton/premium/USXROLQ74JETZJC4TQ6L2U7QNA/ | The pro-business article focuses on economic nationalism, the green transition and funding technology. | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
32 | 10 Jul 2026 | The Conversation | Comment | James Dwyer | unclear | Unclear | China’s submarine missile test looks routine. The real story is the panic it triggered | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/chinas-submarine-missile-test-looks-routine-the-real-story-is-the-panic-it-triggered/CIUTRDHU35FVPN6PGT6XBTOU6M/ | Australian academic and defence analyst write on overreaction regarding china nuclear missile delivery test | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
33 | 11 Jul 2026 | N/A - No partisan opinion pieces on national politics. | Comment | N/A | 3 Comment pieces. One on a rescue cat. Another on being a good neighbour. The third was a relatively politically neutral piece on introducing social media bans. | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||||||
34 | 13 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Jonathan Ayling | Right-wing media commentator | R | "It is not the state's job to feed children" Herald title: "More than lunches, children need parents – | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/more-than-lunches-children-need-parents-jonathan-ayling/premium/AROP45L6UNAGNJ2XZE7LLPXNDY/ | Although most of the OECD provides lunches 9most far beter than us, Ayling suggests that we forego this program and leave feeding children up to impoverished parents | No | Affiliation-based | |||||||||||||||
35 | 13 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Natasha Hemopo | New Zealand nurses' advocate | N/A | "Struggling to Cope" Herald title: "Waikato ED death reinforces why squeezed nurses need more than annual gaming" | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/waikato-ed-death-reinforces-why-squeezed-nurses-need-more-than-annual-gaming-natasha-hemopo/premium/RLMHTWQMGVCD5P5NVFJUB4RWTU/ | A plea for help on our health crisis stipped of politcal content. | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
36 | 14 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Dr Oliver Hartwich | Executive Director of The New Zealand Initiative | R | NZ Needs Big Bold Reforms" Herald title: "Housing affordability and productivity must be tackled to keep NZ moving forward" | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/housing-affordability-and-productivity-must-be-tackled-to-keep-nz-moving-forward-oliver-hartwich/premium/NL5NN6SHZRAIPG7IIFYAATCCDE/ | He's right that the gap is real. He's wrong about what caused it, and silent about who paid for it. - (The other "comment" today is on health.) | No | Affiliation-based | |||||||||||||||
37 | 14 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Richard Prebble | former Act Party leader | R | "Winston Peters holds The Balance of power - for now" (Winston Peters holds balance of power as election remains too close to call – Richard Prebble Richard Prebble Opinion by" | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/winston-peters-holds-balance-of-power-as-election-remains-too-close-to-call-richard-prebble/premium/4WFROCUOYFAIDHSJNKWQMI3H5A/ | "Labour has effectively blown its manifesto….Then there are Labour’s coalition partners from hell." | No | Affiliation-based | |||||||||||||||
38 | 14 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Leeann Watson | Business Canterbury CEO | N/A | "Canterbury must act boldly and seize the moment" | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/business-canterbury-launches-push-for-faster-decisions-on-regional-growth-leann-watson/premium/DGSMODUVORBO5GBHKCXUS76TJM/ | an apolitical article on Canterbury business | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
39 | 16 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (business) | Comment | Vaughn Davis | advertising creative director (owner of The Goat Farm) centre-right-leaning on media/culture questions, but not ideological | Unclear | Trust the media… (The myth of media trust) | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/the-myth-of-media-trust-vaughn-davis/premium/GCUDJDUYJJFS7G6YUZJK6WBAY4/ | ad-industry pragmatist skeptical of institutional messaging | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
40 | 16 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Audrey Young | centrist | Unclear | Henry Shakes up the Political Scene (Paul Henry joins Act: What it means for National and coalition power) | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/paul-henry-joins-act-what-it-means-for-national-and-coalition-power-audrey-young/premium/EVNQQP5Y5NG7BJJD76ZE7LPOZM/ | It's a horse-race piece — Paul Henry's jump to Act, what it means for the National/NZ First/Act coalition balance, polling numbers | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
41 | 17 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Paul Henry | Act Candidate | R | I don't need a job so why am I standing for ACT ? | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/why-ive-cast-aside-my-angst-to-stand-for-parliament-paul-henry/premium/NS747GWIKNEW3CHIPR6KI3GLNM/ | Paul Henry opens up on why he’s standing for the Act Party - and, in the process, resigning from the board of TVNZ. | No | Affiliation-based | |||||||||||||||
42 | 17 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Wayne Brown | Auckland Mayor | R | Stop dancing around Pension Issue (50 years on from dancing Cossacks ad, the pension debate is rife with silliness ) | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/wayne-brown-50-years-on-from-dancing-cossacks-ad-the-pension-debate-is-rife-with-silliness/premium/U4S6JYHPEZF3FJNIFNA6VTNGII/ | 18-Jul | No | Affiliation-based | |||||||||||||||
43 | 18 Jul 2026 | Whanganui Chronicle -The Northern Advocate | Opinion - Editorial | editor (unknown) | Unclear | Clowns Curry remark divert from real talk | https://www.pressreader.com/new-zealand/the-northern-advocate6030/20260718/281651081872670 | right-leaning/pro-trade-orthodoxy piece (other op-ed pieces without politcal content) UNSIGNED EDITORIAL — flag separately from signed op-eds in any final tally. | No | Editorial | ||||||||||||||||
44 | 20 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Heather du Plessis-Allan | right wing media commentator | R | Henry is a class act but he doesn't come without risk (Paul Henry is not without risk but he is a great candidate ) | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/paul-henry-is-not-without-risk-but-he-is-a-great-candidate-heather-du-plessis-allan/premium/QHDMMY56JBDBPDTBWBVXIKB5XI/ | "Henry is the super candidate in an election campaign already stacked with recognisable names." | No | Affiliation-based | |||||||||||||||
45 | 20 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Liam Dann | business center right -centrist-technocratic with a mild pro-market/pro-savings lean | R | Will our economy ever be good enough to lure our kids home? (My daughter moved to Melbourne. Will our economy ever be strong enough to bring her home?) | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/my-daughter-moved-to-melbourne-will-our-economy-ever-be-strong-enough-to-bring-her-home-liam-dann/premium/A6CVT3YJYBGY5EPSP4EMKG44BY/ | Notably, when listing which parties are "ready to pull the policy trigger" on compulsory savings, he names National, New Zealand First and Opportunity — omitting Labour and the Greens entirely, even though this is presented as an uncontroversial, "bipartisan"-worthy idea backed by 70% public support. That's a quiet signal about which political currents he sees as driving good policy. | No | Content-based | |||||||||||||||
46 | 21 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Adam Pearse | mild center-left in framing, not a strong or consistent ideological affiliation - straight political reporter with directional framing | L | New Zealand First not about to let global crisis go to waste (NZ First’s pitch to the ordinary Kiwi battler who’s scared of the world) | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/adam-pearse-nz-firsts-pitch-to-the-ordinary-kiwi-battler-whos-scared-of-the-world/premium/WWVMP6VHDNFANFFGZBWWEENI5E/ | straight political reporter with directional framing" vs. "ideological opinion columnist | No | Content-based | |||||||||||||||
47 | 22 Jul 2026 | The Conversation | Comment | Esther Aigwi et al. | four AUT academics (Doan, Ghaffarian Hoseini, Aigwi, Nkado) | Unclear | NZ parties want to make rooftop solar more affordable. We found cost isn’t everything. | https://theconversation.com/nz-parties-want-to-make-rooftop-solar-more-affordable-we-found-cost-isnt-everything-286534 | reporting on their own research into why rooftop solar adoption lags in NZ despite falling costs — basically an engineering/policy paper in accessible form, published via The Conversation's academic-author model with a disclosed no-conflicts statement. | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
48 | 22 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (national/business) | Comment | Fran O'Sullivan | Head of Business·NZ Herald | Unclear | How can New Zealanders get their share of the AI spoils? | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/economy/how-can-new-zealanders-get-their-share-of-the-ai-spoils-fran-osullivan/premium/6A42OZIPDZBCZJCKRC3ZLMGLDA/ | her solution is a dividend/fund, not stronger unions or public ownership, and her objection to UBI is tactical rather than a critique of capital itself | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
49 | 23 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (national/business) | Comment | John Howard | a Senior Fellow at the right-wing New Zealand Initiative | R | Every trade deal depends on ships reaching us (China missile test highlights New Zealand’s fragile trade lifeline) | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/every-trade-deal-is-a-promise-about-ships-john-howard/premium/QQ4AOSESKJFHHAOHIUFRARDWNI/ | The piece argues directly for increased defence spending, frames NZ's current posture as "free-riding" that "others are losing patience" with, and quotes the US Defence Secretary's "freeloading" line approvingly as the frame for the argument. | No | Affiliation-based | |||||||||||||||
50 | 24 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Jonathan Ayling | Jonathan Ayling right-wing columnist | Unclear | Artificial humanity? I pray not | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/artificial-humanity-i-pray-not-jonathan-ayling/premium/CIMKIBE67BC2RAAA4IQKIQZTEQ/ | Right-leaning (by affiliation) — author is former Free Speech Union CEO and Act Party donor/adviser; piece itself is non-political (AI & spirituality reflection), no explicit policy argument. | No | Affiliation-based | |||||||||||||||
51 | 24 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Andrew Ketels | The Act Party’s chief of staff from 2020 to 2025 and has worked as an advisor to the National Party | R | New Zealand First turns Coalition chaos into political gold (Of the two defiant minor coalition partners, NZ First continues to evade punishment) | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/of-the-two-defiant-minor-coalition-partners-nz-first-continues-to-best-evade-punishment-andrew-kettles/premium/CTQ6QZUWQJFDXDFMWFOCFXYLC4/ | He characterizes NZ First's economic positioning — opposing tax cuts, public service downsizing, and business failures in the regions — as cynical populism rather than legitimate policy disagreement, while simultaneously deriding the "war on woke" and DEI framing as insincere. | Yes - intra-coalition (Ketels, Act-aligned, critiques NZ First) | Affiliation-based | |||||||||||||||
52 | 25 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Audrey Young | Senior Political Correspondent·NZ Herald | Unclear | Nash pays the price but Peters Jones sets disturbing new tone (Stuart Nash paid the price but Winston Peters and Shane Jones set a disturbing new tone ) | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/stuart-nash-paid-the-price-but-winston-peters-and-shane-jones-set-a-disturbing-new-tone-audrey-young/premium/UV2OZKQM5VAELP6XG6UHXC4QKA-2/ | Young lays out documented facts….factual accountability journalism | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
53 | 27 Jul 2026 | The Conversation/Herald | Comment | Richard Shaw | Massey University | N/A | Political center and electoral strategy not a set of beliefs. | https://theconversation.com/nzs-political-centre-is-an-electoral-strategy-not-a-set-of-beliefs-287771 | a meta/theoretical piece about what "centrism" means as a concept — not an argument for any policy position or party. | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
54 | 27 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Richard Prebble | former Act Party leader | R | The Invisible Power behind New Zealand's falling youth crime (Youth crime rates are falling: Deterrence is driving many to have second thoughts) | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/youth-crime-rates-are-falling-deterrence-is-driving-many-to-have-second-thoughts-richard-prebble/premium/ONG3MAFPGZD6DMMZMGC7JR5EFA/ | genuinely right-coded policy argument: crime as a function of insufficient deterrence, skepticism of "progressive" penal reform, and implicit endorsement of the current government's bootcamp policy. | No | Affiliation-based | |||||||||||||||
55 | 28 Jul 2026 | Conversation/Herald | Comment | James Greenslade-Yeats and Tago Mharapara | both AUT researchers | N/A | Doctors moral distress signals system failure (Moral distress: For primary care doctors, ‘doing the right thing’ can feel impossible) | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/moral-distress-for-primary-care-doctors-doing-the-right-thing-can-feel-impossible/ZDFOTCZMZNHHFNEAVNGLGRUXNU/ | academic research report, no partisan framing (the other comment piece was about West Coast weather) | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
56 | 29 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (national/business) | Comment | Diana Clement | Your Money and careers writer for the NZ Herald | N/A | It is time to talk about tokens (How tokenisation could make owning a small piece of something much easier – Diana Clement) | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/personal-finance/investment/how-tokenisation-could-make-owning-a-small-piece-of-something-much-easier-diana-clement/premium/UMQBMM5VKBAGTNW7PVFRXXIZSA/ | It's straight financial-literacy/consumer journalism | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
57 | 29 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Dr Claire Achmad | Dr Claire Achmad is New Zealand’s Children’s Commissioner, a statutory independent office | L | Ranking and rental affordability have a dire flow on for child poverty (NZ’s troubling new OECD ranking in rental affordability has a dire flow-on for child poverty ) | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/property/nzs-troubling-new-oecd-ranking-in-rental-affordability-has-a-dire-flow-on-for-child-poverty-dr-claire-achmad-nz-childrens-commissioner/premium/QBWAZHQZPJBD3AWNTSC676PCG4/ | soft left - it's clear this is about policy substance rather than an ideological agenda from a political operative. | No | Content-based | |||||||||||||||
58 | 30 Jul 2026 | Conversation/Herald | Comment | Mark Kirby | AUT construction consultant | N/A | NZ's 2.5 billion building deficit problem | https://theconversation.com/nz-has-a-2-5b-building-defect-problem-will-self-certification-make-it-better-or-worse-286044 | his critique is technical/quality-assurance rather than ideological: he's not arguing for more or less regulation on principle, he's saying the implementation risks missing the actual problem | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
59 | 31 Jul 2026 | Conversation/Herald | Comment | Finlay Macdonald | Finlay Macdonald does not have a formal political affiliation | Unclear | Jury out on social media bands but here's a better idea for New Zealand | https://theconversation.com/the-jurys-out-on-social-media-bans-heres-a-better-idea-nz-can-borrow-from-australia-288089 | academic authors, but argues for pro-regulation policy over current government's approach; not partisan but not neutral either. | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
60 | 31 Jul 2026 | NZ Herald (national/business) | Comment | Lifang Chen | none | N/A | Butter chicken and belonging | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rotorua-daily-post/news/lifang-chen-butter-chicken-and-belonging/BBERE6HR4VE6JM6LNT5RYHDESA/ | personal essay, non-political, though worth noting that it's thematically responsive to the FTA/immigration controversy | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
61 | 1 Aug 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | James Ensor | journalist - unaffliated | Unclear | PM's comments undercut chance to send clear message (PM's comments undercut chance to send clear message) | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/election-2026-nationals-chance-to-send-clear-message-on-opportunity-undercut-by-christopher-luxons-comms-jamie-ensor/premium/XXOYGEPATRDF7EAWN5UEVZK5BA/ | his is straight political-strategy reporting | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
62 | 2 Aug 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Nadine Higgins | The Prosperity Project host | Unclear | Kiwisaver Tough for self-employed (Why self-employed workers are falling behind in KiwiSaver) | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/personal-finance/kiwisaver/why-self-employed-workers-are-falling-behind-in-kiwisaver-nadine-higgins/premium/X743NRH2ARCWNEMTD3KK5BVISI/ | No party is named as the villain; no ideological language; it's a wonky behavioral-economics argument about KiwiSaver design flaws for the self-employed, sourced from an economist (Eaqub) and a fintech company (Hnry), not advocacy groups. | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
63 | 2 Aug 2026 | Hawkes Bay Today | Comment | Chris Finlayson | Chris Finlayson, KC, was the former Attorney-General under Sir John Key | Unclear | This was not a private text between friends | https://www.pressreader.com/foryou?popupArticleId=281608132236548 | No | N/A | ||||||||||||||||
64 | 4 Aug 2026 | Whanganui Chronicle | Opinion - Editorial | Editor (unknown) | unknown — unsigned institutional editorial | L | Safety first in handling class disruptions | N/A | Takes a position against Act's 'reasonable force' school discipline policy, sympathetic to PPTA president's 'slippery slope'/corporal punishment framing. Clears the 'specific party, specific policy' bar for inclusion. UNSIGNED EDITORIAL — flag separately from signed op-eds in any final tally. | No | Editorial | |||||||||||||||
65 | 4 Aug 2026 | NZ Herald (national) & Conversation/Herald | Comment | Alan Brent and Kevin Page | N/A | "Surrounded by love to the end" and "Data centres don't have to be a burden on the grid" | N/A | non partisan | No | N/A | ||||||||||||||||
66 | 5 Aug 2026 | Herald on Sunday | Comment | David Seymour | ACT party leader | R | Smartphone ban may save childhood | https://www.pressreader.com/new-zealand/herald-on-sunday/20260802/281788520861555 | This is an intra-coalition critique of the National Party social media ban by the right-wing ACT Party's band is superior (….not included the other commentary, the non partisan "Why university friends are often mates for life") | Yes - intra-coalition (Seymour/Act critiques National's policy approach) | Affiliation-based | |||||||||||||||
67 | 6 Aug 2026 | Whanganui Chronicle | Opinion - Editorial | Editor (unknown) | unknown — unsigned institutional editorial | L | New leave law leaves grief in blind spot | N/A | Argues the Employment Leave Bill's 3-day bereavement provision is insufficient and should be extended to 10 days; pro-expanded-entitlement stance. Clears inclusion bar. UNSIGNED EDITORIAL — flag separately from signed op-eds in any final tally. | No | Editorial | |||||||||||||||
68 | 6 Aug 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Paul Moon | AUT | R | Te Reo's complex history (Green MP Tamatha Paul’s claim English ‘a bastard language’ is broadly correct, but her speech had errors – Professor Paul Moon) | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/green-mp-tamatha-pauls-claim-english-a-bastard-language-is-broadly-correct-but-her-speech-had-errors-professor-paul-moon/premium/XYEONPLDMZCZVCQSEMT5ZIICGU/ | Superficially balanced cherry picked fact-check, but corrects the two claims most load-bearing for the case for state intervention on te reo, using selectively chosen counter-evidence (single Welsh decade, personal anecdote); net effect undercuts the Green MP's political ask more than it validates i | No | Content-based | |||||||||||||||
69 | 7 Aug 2026 | Whanganui Chronicle | Opinion - Editorial | Editor (unknown) | unknown — unsigned institutional editorial | L | First's baby bonus may not work | N/A | It directly critiques a named rightwing populist party's named policy by title, citing an academic (Paul Spoonley) to argue the international evidence shows financial incentives don't move fertility rates. UNSIGNED EDITORIAL — flag separately from signed op-eds in any final tally. | No | Editorial | |||||||||||||||
70 | 7 Aug 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Raybon Kan | Raybon Kan is an award-winning stand-up comedian· | L | Winston Peters told me to go back to my country | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/ive-never-talked-about-it-but-winston-peters-also-told-me-to-go-back-to-my-own-country-raybon-kan/JQOTKCD7HBD3RKEOHOBFGX4Q4M/ | He explicitly frames NZ First's polling rise alongside "racist statements" as a problem the media should be pressing every NZ First candidate on. | No | Content-based | |||||||||||||||
71 | 8 Aug 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Jonathan Ayling | right leaning Columnist | R | Having children requires some faith in the future | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/having-children-requires-faith-in-the-future-jonathan-ayling/premium/GE4642WB4JGMHMBW3WN2MLEZWA/ | The core argument is a culture-first, government-skeptical framing of demographic decline — he explicitly argues "no grant can substitute for confidence in the future" and that government economic interventions | No | Affiliation-based | |||||||||||||||
72 | 10 Aug 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Simon Bridges | Former head of the National Party | R | There are things that Luxon does not seem to understand | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/christopher-luxon-doesnt-understand-nz-small-businesses-are-forced-to-worry-about-the-government-simon-bridges/premium/NTX6DWNXKFGVRH4CSOM33LFUQU/ | he explicitly argues for "lower business taxes, rates and compliance," criticizes both the current and previous governments for not cutting regulatory burden enough, and invokes Schumpeter's "creative destruction" approvingly as the ideal (government as "passive observer"). | Yes - intra-party (Bridges critiques Luxon/National) | Affiliation-based | |||||||||||||||
73 | 10 Aug 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Eric Crampton | New Zealand Initiative's right wing institutional/think-tank source | R | New Zealand needs stronger localism like UK | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/what-new-zealand-can-learn-from-andy-burnhams-uk-plan-eric-crampton/premium/SH3JJ5UGW5C4BJHBTCGRQUDM6M/ | NZ Initiative consistently advocates for decentralization, local governance reform, and reducing central government overreach, all standard small-government/localist right-of-centre positions in their published output. | No | Affiliation-based | |||||||||||||||
74 | 11 Aug 2026 | NZ Herald (Hawkes Bay today) | Comment | Stuart Nash | former NZ First candidate for Napier | N/A | Former MP questions if any text is still private | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/check-your-phone-theres-probably-a-text-on-it-that-you-also-wouldnt-want-public-stuart-nash/premium/VG6ATMK2Y5FDPFW6EOBOE5AFCU/ | Nash himself isn't making a left or right case, he's defending his personal conduct and privacy expectations. | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
75 | 12 Aug 2026 | Bussiness Herald | Comment | David Santoro | president of the Hawaii-based Pacific Forum | R | Distance no longer protects New Zealand (Reimagining NZ’s defence partnership with the US won’t compromise a nuclear-free identity) | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/reimagining-nzs-defence-partnership-with-the-us-wont-compromise-a-nuclear-free-identity-david-santoro/premium/ETNREOV3OBFE3F4B6IEX4QQ44M/ | Author is president of the Pacific Forum, a Hawaii-based foreign policy institute whose explicit mission is "to bolster US and allied deterrence in an increasingly contested Indo-Pacific region" — an unambiguously hawkish, alliance-first institutional lens, similar in kind to how NZ Initiative authorship signals lean. | No | Content-based | |||||||||||||||
76 | 12 Aug 2026 | Herald/Rotorua Daily Post | Comment | Lifang Chen | Rotorua Daily Post | L | I am a Kiwi. Where exactly am I supposed to go back to? | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rotorua-daily-post/news/lifang-chen-explores-what-home-means-as-a-new-zealander/premium/EZOES7D5U5EAJKVHBPEGIT5UCU/ | he never names Peters, never uses the word "racist," never calls for accountability — it stays entirely in personal/reflective register, using her own multi-country identity to gently dismantle the coherence of the demand rather than condemning it directly. So it's real critique, but delivered as quiet irony rather than argument. | No | Content-based | |||||||||||||||
77 | 13 Aug 2026 | NZ Herald (national) &Conversation/Herald | Comment | N/A | "The risks that can wipe out your wealth overnight" ….and "AI is reshaping entry level roles pushing a rethink on skills" | Two comments without political content ...one in money management, the other on AI and jobs | No | N/A | ||||||||||||||||||
78 | 14 Aug 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Jacqueline Rowarth | right leaning | Unclear | When food becomes too expensive to produce | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/the-country/news/rising-farm-costs-threaten-the-future-of-food-production-dr-jacqueline-rowarth/NFHUZW5VLNF5PIINZALFLU626Y/ | neutral piece - second Rowarth entry, same pattern as 6/30 piece-farmer-advocacy, deregulation-friendly, climate-policy-skeptical framing | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
79 | 15 Aug 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Richard Prebble | Former leader of the ACT Party | R | Voters should demand a fair deal on Kiwisaver (Compulsory KiwiSaver looks inevitable. We should vote on making employee contributions tax deductible) | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/compulsory-kiwisaver-looks-inevitable-we-should-vote-on-making-employer-contributions-tax-deductible-richard-prebble/premium/PR3AO6MPNBCIVG5OYNET57HHVU/ | He explicitly positions Act as the only party still resisting compulsion 'compulsion assumes the Government knows better than we do how we should be saving' | No | Affiliation-based | |||||||||||||||
80 | 17 Aug 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Nick Clark | Nick Clark is a senior fellow at The New Zealand Initiative | R | Bigger councils no bargain for business | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/bigger-councils-are-no-bargain-for-business-nick-clark/premium/3H56NVMZHBBA3LQHE6ZTXHGSUQ/ | "fix incentives, don't restructure the state" solutions rather than, say, a left-of-centre response that might favor centralization for equity/coordination reasons or stronger regional planning powers. Classic Initiative economic-liberal methodology — treating government structures through a market-competition lens — dressed in careful, hedge-heavy prose | No | Affiliation-based | |||||||||||||||
81 | 17 Aug 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Commenrt | David Cohen | journalist | N/A | Commentary needs more voices like Rod Liddell | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/provocative-uk-journo-rod-liddles-death-reminds-me-what-nzs-political-discourse-lacks-david-cohen/premium/32BDXBIO2RDSFMKJ6NAZ6EZ6XQ/ | genuinely balanced media commentary | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
82 | 18 Aug 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Heather du Plessis-Allan | Right leaning columnist | Unclear | Have Nats blown chance getting back on track (National has made their chances of re-election much worse – ) | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/national-has-made-their-chances-of-re-election-much-worse-heather-du-plessis-allan/premium/EXE7LCNJ5FA6BPVII4ZMMHD7SM/ | There's no left-right substance being debated. But she says "they dare not utter a word about the shambles a Labour-Greens-TPM government would be lest the audience laughs in their faces" (I didn't log the other humour comment column) | Yes - intra-party (du Plessis-Allan critiques Luxon/National leadership) | Affiliation-based | |||||||||||||||
83 | 19 Aug 2026 | NZ Herald (business) | Comment | Liam Dann | business columnist | N/A | Making the most of opportunity (How compulsory KiwiSaver could lead to an Opportunity-National deal) | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/how-compulsory-kiwisaver-could-lead-to-an-opportunity-national-deal/premium/LTRPW7LWJRCWTIXEDA7WCR4KNU/ | Clement's comment n/a But Liam does take a neoliberal stance and agrees with National on this compulsory superannuation stance. | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
84 | 20 Aug 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Opinion | Alan Ringwood | Unclear | The hate-speech plan 'a Trojan horse' likes of that helps the likes of Tamaki (Including religion in hate speech laws is a Trojan horse that protects those like Brian Tamaki) | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/including-religion-in-hate-speech-laws-is-a-trojan-horse-that-protects-those-like-brian-tamaki-alan-ringwood/premium/K456YJ5SVFH5RM7CWM57PJLGUM/ | The Conversation comment is neutral and not included. | No | N/A | ||||||||||||||||
85 | 21 Aug 2026 | Conversation/Herald | Ccomment | Rod McNaughton | Professor of Entrepreneurship, University of Auckland | N/A | How does New Zealand keep the gains from its 133 billion tech boom? (New Zealand creates remarkably valuable tech firms. How can it keep more of the benefits? ) | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/nz-creates-remarkably-valuable-tech-firms-how-can-it-keep-more-of-the-benefits/7COPMECISVDKXBQHEDQQU3XUZE/ | I'm leaving out the pet comment on voting… on tech- t's genuinely non-partisan economic analysis: no party is named, no policy is advocated for or against, and his conclusions are fairly technocratic | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
86 | 22 Aug 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Opinion | Bryce Wilkinson | Senior fellow at The New Zealand Initiative and director of the Wellington-based economic consultancy firm Capital Economics. | R | Fairness means equal treatment not equal results (When is equal unfair and when is it fair? ) | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/when-is-equal-unfair-and-when-is-it-fair-bryce-wilkinson/premium/GNE24N46HZGILKESJDXUOIXFH4/ | property rights over equality -classical liberal/libertarian minimal-state philosophy, textbook New Zealand Initiative territory. | No | Affiliation-based | |||||||||||||||
87 | 22 Aug 2026 | Whanganui Chronicle | Opinion | Shelley Loader | Shelley Loader is the manager of Community House Whanganui. | Unclear | The real measure of public service is improved lives | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/whanganui-chronicle/news/the-real-measure-of-public-service-is-improved-lives-shelly-loader/3OZDMU4SQZDDNDCGCHYJI2MSTY/ | "careful L? or unclear" rather than an L… She's explicitly trying to avoid the binary of "colour-blind bureaucracy vs. prescriptive central diversity mandates and offer a third way. | No | N/A | |||||||||||||||
88 | 24 Aug 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Julie Anne Genter | the Green Party’s spokesperson on infrastructure | L | Fuel volatility reinforces need for electrification (New Zealand needs consensus on energy efficiency and electrification) | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/business-reports/infrastructure-report/new-zealand-needs-consensus-on-energy-efficiency-and-electrification/premium/57U2TCOZCZCJPNE754MD3KFK7I/ | very cautious (Nothing about the existential threats of climate change) she deliberately frames climate/energy policy as pragmatic economic productivity ("more affordable lives," "cleaner air," "less sickness") rather than moral urgency, and explicitly claims credit-sharing with Bishop and Jones rather than confrontation. | No | Affiliation-based | |||||||||||||||
89 | 25 Aug 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Heather du Plessis-Allan | right leaning drive host for Newstalk ZB and a columnist for the Herald on Sunday. | R | What Te Pāti Māori is doing is actually just bloody clever | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/what-te-pati-maori-is-doing-is-actually-just-bloody-clever-heather-du-plessis-allan/premium/ZCOBVG6ZMRC6PPBP3QZUTBOBRE/ | (The only partisan comment today.) soft right: Reads as potential tactical signaling to the right (detailed mechanics, explicit 'could win the election for Labour' framing) rather than neutral or left-sympathetic commentary. Omits that the 2012 MMP Review recommended closing this loophole; National-led governments in power for most of the following 14 years never acted on it. Ambiguous between 'even-handed analysis' and 'veiled coaching of own side | yes | Affiliation-based | |||||||||||||||
90 | 26 Aug 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Opinion/Comment | Greg Severinsen | Dr Greg Severinsen is the reform director at the Environmental Defence Society. | L | New rules could threaten our species landscape (Government’s new RMA laws put Waitākere Ranges at serious risk of development) | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/governments-new-rma-laws-put-waitakere-ranges-at-serious-risk-of-development-greg-severinsen/premium/TA5MSCWMJBC6VN3A47C2LENE5A/ | a direct attack on a specific government policy (the RMA "regulatory relief" compensation provision), arguing it will "gut nature protections," push development into the Waitākere Ranges, and should be "removed from the bills." That's explicit opposition to this coalition's flagship RMA reform | No | Affiliation-based | |||||||||||||||
91 | 27 Aug 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Opinion/Comment | Catherine Beard | Catherine Beard is director of advocacy for BusinessNZ. | R | Breaking up gentailers in New Zealand maybe an own gole | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/breaking-up-nzs-gentailers-may-be-an-own-goal-for-consumers-catherine-beard/premium/CWA3VOW4RJFJPJMGW5O2VUIWJI/ | frames only 2010-18 as evidence of good market design, omitting the pre-2010s privatization history (1990s reforms, 1998 Auckland blackout) that originally motivates structural critique. Consistent small-government/pro-incumbent-investor framing.BusinessNZ advocacy director defends status quo gentailer structure against breakup calls from a genuinely cross-spectrum coalition (consumer advocates, Business Chamber, NZ First); attributes price pressure to a previous Labour policy (oil/gas ban); | No | Affiliation-based | |||||||||||||||
92 | 28 Aug 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Opinion | unsigned | R | Are any of the tax plans serious policy? | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/more-tax-plans-released-but-are-any-of-them-serious-policy-editorial/premium/AX6DS7FOLVAJXMHZCKFEXBNFZE/ | The Succession villain-quote opener, the uncritical repetition of Simeon Brown's "biggest tax grab" framing, and the "parties on the right are broadly aligned... maintaining a status-quo, while the left is divided" line (treating status-quo as neutral, left reform as chaotic) | No | Editorial | ||||||||||||||||
93 | 28 Aug 2026 | The Conversation | Comment | Katherine Jensen | Teaching follow at the Business School of the University of Auckland | N/A | Algorithms are choosing who sees what political ads | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/algorithms-are-choosing-who-sees-what-political-ads-nz-urgently-needs-transparency/W7OAPKWXPREAVB3VR6X3GTGAXQ/ | She never states the obvious aggregate implied by those numbers — that National ran roughly 35+ times as many ads as the Greens in the sample she cites, before even getting to per-ad spend. | N/A | ||||||||||||||||
94 | 30 Aug 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Richard Prebble | Former leader of the ACT Party and minister with Roger Douglas under Labour | Unclear | Split Voting matters with MMP-(Tāmaki electorate: How a National win could leave Nicola Willis and Chris Bishop out under MMP by Richard Preble) | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/tamaki-electorate-how-a-national-win-could-leave-nicola-willis-and-chris-bishop-out-under-mmp-richard-prebble/premium/HLTCR7IYBNF7TJZIWGAWHYKOLU/ | it's arguably one of his most even-handed pieces | N/A | ||||||||||||||||
95 | 1 Sep 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Opinion | Paul Moon | Professor of History at the Faculty of Māori Development at the Auckland University of Technology | L | Caution needed when faced with nostalgia politics (We must be suspicious of an election campaign infused with nostalgia) | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/we-must-be-suspicious-of-an-election-campaign-infused-with-nostalgia-professor-paul-moon/premium/FIETPWGHQZDQ7FPKMITBHQ4AXU/ | Soft Left - 7 of 8 examples target Act/NZ First/National figures (including an implication of ethnonationalist coding in Jones/Peters' rhetoric), while Te Pāti Māori's comparable use of nostalgic imagery is exempted via a sympathetic 'cultural reclamation' label | No | Content-based | |||||||||||||||
96 | 2 Sep 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Simon Bridges | the leader of the National Party from 2018 to 2020 | R | The reform we need to debate (I know from grilling Jacinda Ardern that tax is a potent topic. Corporate tax cuts should be next) | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/i-know-from-grilling-jacinda-ardern-that-tax-is-a-potent-topic-corporate-tax-cuts-should-be-next-simon-bridges/premium/Q23ODKPOVBD2PDU67UHUQRAE6Q/ | Approvingly cites Trump's corporate tax cuts. Bridges doesn't engage with that global minimum corporate tax framework at all in the piece, which is a notable omission | No | Affiliation-based | |||||||||||||||
97 | 2 Sep 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Gehan Gunasekara | a professor of commercial law at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland | L | Ankus 'Moral distance not miles keep us safe' (NZ could be a target under Aukus that compromises Rocket Lab and China trade) | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/nz-could-be-a-target-under-aukus-that-compromises-rocket-lab-and-china-trade-professor-gehan-gunasekara/premium/3Y353Z4V2ZEHHGM3GBQRERGFOE/ | a direct response to Santoro's AUKUS/defence piece — same masthead, same topic, opposite conclusion | No | Content-based | |||||||||||||||
98 | 3 Sep 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Toby Moore | Toby Moore is a member of the Labour Party’s policy council. | L | Industrial policy should we be picking economic winners again? (Should the Govt go back to picking economic winners? Let’s revive ‘industrial policy’ ) | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/should-the-govt-go-back-to-picking-economic-winners-lets-revive-industrial-policy-toby-moore/premium/JJWNMO4NEJFEZA46N7OPCDFTLE/ | he's critical of Trump's version of industrial policy (calling it "explicitly nationalistic and protectionist" with "practically all" the problems critics warn about) while endorsing Biden's version (green transition, Inflation Reduction Act) as the better model — so it's not "any state intervention is good," it's a values-laden distinction between left-coded and right-coded versions of the same general policy tool. | No | Affiliation-based | |||||||||||||||
99 | 3 Sep 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | unsigned | unsigned | Unclear | New Zealand cannot afford to lose volunteers (When communities lose volunteers, everyone pays a price) | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/when-communities-lose-volunteers-everyone-pays-a-price-editorial/premium/252J73DMRFGRJCAINO3OYZHPZA/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/when-communities-lose-volunteers-everyone-pays-a-price-editorial/premium/252J73DMRFGRJCAINO3OYZHPZA/ | notable absences- reflects underlying public funding decisions - volunteers pick up the gap without examining whether reliance on unpaid labour for essential services (hospice care, rural emergency response) | N/A | ||||||||||||||||
100 | 4 Sep 2026 | NZ Herald (national) | Comment | Jonathan Ayling | Jonathan Ayling is a strategy consultant and professional director. Act party supporter and donor | R | Trying to be all things to all people nationalists pleasing none (National risks looking confused trying to be all things to all people) | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/what-does-the-national-party-actually-stand-for-jonathan-ayling/premium/377DKWP4QJBPBDWEPHT3AFEWVU/ | Criticising National form the right -Intra-alignment -small-government ideological argument that National has betrayed. | No | Affiliation-based | |||||||||||||||