Dear subscribers
On Monday I mentioned I’d be keeping you more regularly informed about the Democracy Project, so today I want to explain how the paywall works. Each newsletter is free to read up to about halfway. The rest is for paid subscribers, and I list which sections sit behind the paywall at the point where it starts. Much of my newsletter content is free, because I don’t want political analysis and information to be available only to people who can afford it.
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Kind regards
Bryce
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News Briefing: 16 October 2026
GANG PAD VISIT CONTROVERSY
RNZ: Greens’ Marama Davidson doubles down amid outrage over gang visit
Lyric Waiwiri-Smith (Spinoff): When gangs are in the picture, all you get are pot shots
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Mob politics: Coalition seizes on gang pad visit, but National faces its own challenge
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Greens’ gains in jeopardy after Mongrel Mob stand
Audrey Young (Herald): How the Mongrel Mob photo furore damages the left (paywalled)
Jamie Ensor (Herald): National calls out Greens for being open to funding Mongrel Mob to address drug addiction
Derek Cheng (Herald): Did the Mongrel Mob’s methamphetamine treatment programme actually work? (paywalled)
Kerre Woodham (Newstalk ZB): The MP-gang meeting brought back memories of the bad old days
Ani O’Brien: Thumbs Up for the Mongrel Mob. Middle Finger to its Victims.
David Farrar: What NZers think of the gangs
COALITION SCENARIOS AND THE OPPORTUNITY PARTY
Matthew Hooton (Post): Questions for Opportunity’s Qiulae Wong (paywalled)
Toby Manhire (Spinoff): Winston Peters still wants to be the prime minister
Joanne Naish (Press): Luxon says he will work with ‘whoever I have to’ to ensure second term (paywalled)
Lochlan Lineham (Herald): Qiulae Wong says she will call Luxon if National gets most seats, despite leader’s rejection
Derek Cheng (Herald): Act leader David Seymour would work with Opportunity if it kept Labour out
RNZ: ‘Four-headed beast’: ACT leader David Seymour hints at potential for coalition with Opportunity
Nick James (Post): Labour’s Kieran McAnulty says he would rather work with Opportunity than Te Pāti Māori (paywalled)
Anna Whyte (Interest): Labour eye up Opportunity over Te Pāti Māori as preferred coalition partner
ODT: Newcomer brings a little bit of pragmatism to politics (paywalled)
Lloyd Burr (Stuff): The best PM during all of Winston Peter’s time in Parliament? The answer, he says, is ‘astonishing’
ELECTION 2026 – CAMPAIGN AND POLICY
Tim Watkin (RNZ): Holding the centre: Future voters might thank National and Labour for unsexy politics
Fox Meyer (Newsroom): Two paths left: Labour and Greens align on promises, not price tags
Gordon Campbell: On The Political Downsides Of Being Nice
Peter Dunne: Searching For A Political Home
Liam Hehir (The Blue Review): Speaking as a former National voter...
Māni Dunlop (Post): Labour promises $900 million boost for Māori businesses (paywalled)
Henry Cooke (Post): Christopher Luxon walks back commitment to raise minimum wage by rate of inflation (paywalled)
Jenée Tibshraeny (Herald): National won’t back Act policy to give residential property investors tax relief by enabling negative gearing (paywalled)
RNZ: NZ First announces plan to overhaul combat sports regulations
Gill Bonnett (RNZ): Migrant advocacy group says NZ First has adopted its policy
Tuwhenuaroa Natanahira and Adam Burns (RNZ): Labour supporters told to harness ‘hope and rage’; National voters fear ‘handout society’
Henry Cooke (Post): The looming shadow of politicians people actually like (paywalled)
NBR: Labour releases its plan to turn the economy around (paywalled)
Andrew Dickens (Newstalk ZB): Is the Greens co-leadership a thing of the past?
RNZ: ‘Tail wagging the dog’: Developer wants political parties to butt out of carparking rules
Bronwyn Heenan (BusinessDesk): Is there alignment between employer priorities and campaign promises? (paywalled)
ODT: Editorial – Cranky uncle politics (paywalled)
Metiria Stanton Turei (ODT): Holding our breath waiting for the next target (paywalled)
Geoff Fischer: Ten silly reasons for voting.
ELECTORAL SYSTEM AND PROCESS
Nick Clark (Herald): How can we stop overhangs stealing an election? (paywalled)
Nik Dirga (RNZ): Explainer: What are special votes and why they could change the election results?
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): How much does it cost to run an election?
Shamubeel Eaqub: How fragmented could our General Election be this year?
Stephen Winter (Newsroom): How to fix our short-sighted constitutional instability
LEADERS’ DEBATES
Mark Jennings (Newsroom): ‘Jabber, jabber’: New presenters, same old debates
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): ‘I no longer trust these politicians’: Finance debate spells the end of the innocence
Katie Bradford (Herald): Luxon and Hipkins ‘not meeting the moment’
Katie Bradford (Herald): Herald leaders’ debate - Breast cancer advocate, businessman unimpressed by Hipkins and Luxon
Jenni Mortimer (Herald): Ten things you may have missed in the Christopher Luxon v Chris Hipkins leaders’ debate
Anna Whyte (Interest): Luxon and Hipkins agree to bipartisan talks within 100 days of new government
The paywall now starts partway through all Democracy Project newsletters. Please take out a paid sub if you want to support this service and access the full content, including the following sections: ELECTORATE CONTESTS; PARLIAMENT, GOVERNMENT AND JUSTICE; PUBLIC SERVICE CUTS; HEALTH; ECONOMY AND BUSINESS; ENERGY AND RESOURCES; GAMBLING; MEDIA; CARTOONS
