Navigation for News Categories
Comment & Analysis
Comment & Analysis headlines with summaries.
-
UK tax hikes likely to be costly for finance minister
27 Nov 2025Rachel Reeves is now the most unpopular finance minister since records began, according to a pollster, and was knocked off her stride by the early release of the key budget forecasts. Audio
-
Move against war hero shows Trump's quest for vengeance is endless
Analysis: The US President's retribution campaign just took two embarrassing steps back and one giant leap forward.
-
Could the latest Ukraine talks actually end the war?
26 Nov 2025Explainer: Meetings in Switzerland. Talks in the United Arab Emirates. A possible Ukrainian presidential visit to the United States.
-
Dead rats and discord: What next in the Peters-Seymour stoush?
21 Nov 2025Analysis: Expired vermin are a built-in feature of MMP, as every party makes compromises, writes Craig McCulloch.
-
Puberty blockers ban: Politicians overriding doctors sets dangerous precedent
23 Nov 2025Analysis: The government's ban on puberty blockers for gender-affirming care prioritises politics and ideology over decades of expert clinical guidance and patient safety evidence. Audio
-
Did Plunket founder Truby King really believe in eugenics?
21 Nov 2025King's reputation has taken a battering due to his apparent association with eugenics - but is that fair, asks historian Barbara Brookes.
-
New index challenges common beliefs about drug use and harm in NZ
20 Nov 2025A common proxy for judging a drug's harm is the extent to which it is linked to dependency.
-
Tongariro at risk of losing its unique biological legacy
17 Nov 2025Analysis: The sight of flames tearing across Tongariro National Park last week was heartbreaking for lovers of the landscape.
-
Will drug testing drivers really make roads safer?
14 Nov 2025Police can now stop any driver, at any time, to screen for four illicit substances - cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA.
-
Two blasts a day apart in India and Pakistan's capitals fray regional nerves
The political shockwave caused by the blasts are a stark reminder of the lingering security issues that fester below the surface throughout the region.
-
Trump's pardons aren't just political; more importantly, they're transactional
11 Nov 2025Analysis: So much of the coverage of US President Donald Trump's pardons is focused on how political they are.
-
Te Pāti Māori purge fails to end the party war
10 Nov 2025Analysis - As the Iwi Chairs Forum fought fruitlessly to keep Te Pāti Māori together last week, spokesperson Bayden Barber offered a warning: a split tōtara is only good for the fire.
-
Why the Pacific Championship final should be a look into rugby league's future
10 Nov 2025Analysis - If you could bottle what happened at Parramatta Stadium during the Kiwis' 36-14 victory, you would be as rich as whoever is flogging Samoan flags.
-
Pharmac wants to trim its waiting list - but no list at all might be better
Pharmac currently has 123 medicines on the Options for Investment list - but is there a better way?
-
Future of rugby league in Australia, NZ and Pacific is here - and it's brown
9 Nov 2025Analysis: The jerseys may be red or blue, green and gold, or black and white - but the game's future is decidedly brown. Audio
-
Can you really talk to the dead using AI?
8 Nov 2025'Deathbots' are AI systems designed to simulate voices, speech patterns and personalities of the deceased.
-
The 2025 election crystallises the Republican Party's post-Trump problem
6 Nov 2025As it was becoming clear that election day was a very bad one for Donald Trump's Republican Party, the president weighed in with his own electoral analysis.
-
If the Trump wall is about to crumble, here’s where it will show first
5 Nov 2025Analysis: No one wants to cross the commander in chief. But voters now get a chance to have their say. Audio
-
We're ill-prepared to combat threat of space terrorism
5 Nov 2025Once the domain of science fiction, the idea of terrorist activity in outer space is now a growing concern among experts.
-
We can all help stop the spread of deadly hornets
4 Nov 2025The discovery of yellow-legged hornets is frightening. They're aggressive, and a threat to people and honey bees. Here's how to help.
-
Why this week's elections may leave America more divided than ever
3 Nov 2025"You are getting two blocs of the country that have less and less in common with each other."
-
Beyond Trump: Luxon's quiet wins in Southeast Asia
Analysis:Christopher Luxon says he used his trip to double down on deepening ties with fast growing economies.
-
Yes, cricket is a contact sport - but we need to do more
31 Oct 2025Early on Thursday, a 17-year-old cricketer died in hospital after being injured in a training session in Melbourne days earlier
-
Trump returns to confront deepening duel of pain as shutdown drags on
31 Oct 2025Analysis: The trophies from Donald Trump's Asia tour won't count for much when he arrives home Thursday, just as the month-long government shutdown takes its bitterest turn yet.
