The Democracy Project

The Democracy Project

News Briefing

News Briefing: 7 August 2026

Bryce Edwards's avatar
Bryce Edwards
Aug 06, 2026
∙ Paid

MMP REFERENDUM AND THE ELECTORAL SYSTEM
Bryce Edwards (Democracy Project): Constitutional reform by talkback
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Could Luxon’s ‘captain’s call’ on MMP sink his ship
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): No-one was asking for an MMP referendum
Ryan Bridge (Newstalk ZB): Buckle up Luxon’s going rogue
Adam Pearse (Herald): Christopher Luxon’s problem with MMP is really a problem with National’s identity (paywalled)
Henry Cooke (Post): Christopher Luxon goes off the cuff - again (paywalled)
Dileepa Fonseka (BusinessDesk): Luxon’s referendum on the wrong problem (paywalled)
Grant Duncan: Fancy another referendum on MMP?
David Farrar: It’s too soon for another MMP referendum
No Right Turn: National (still) hates democracy
Jamie Ensor (Herald): National in disarray over Christopher Luxon’s sudden bombshell MMP comments
Jamie Ensor, Adam Pearse and Zeb Tupa’i (Herald): Christopher Luxon stands by MMP referendum next term, Chris Bishop calls earlier comments ‘musings’
Stewart Sowman-Lund (Post): Luxon digs in: MMP referendum ‘will be our policy’ despite party confusion (paywalled)
Stuff: Luxon doubles down on MMP referendum call at public meeting
RNZ: Peter Dunne believes Luxon’s frustration with NZ First, ACT behind MMP referendum call
1News: Peters says Luxon’s call for MMP referendum ‘inexplicable’
Jo Moir (RNZ): Christopher Luxon will call referendum on MMP voting system if elected back into power
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Christopher Luxon says he’ll hold referendum on MMP if re-elected
Adam Pearse (Herald): PM Christopher Luxon says he’d hold referendum on MMP if re-elected
Henry Cooke (Post): Christopher Luxon says he wants MMP referendum - but Winston Peters rules it out (paywalled)
Giles Dexter (RNZ): Luxon catches caucus off-guard with promise to hold MMP referendum if re-elected
Harriet Laughton (Post): National MPs unclear on whether MMP call is party policy (paywalled)
Emma Ricketts (Stuff): The many positions of National MPs after Luxon’s MMP commitment
1News: ‘Absolute surprise’: Peters on Luxon’s call for MMP referendum
Giles Dexter (RNZ): Electoral law expert warns against pursuing MMP referendum alongside four-year term
RNZ: Christopher Luxon wants a referendum on MMP - How does the current system work?
Henry Cooke (Stuff): MMP: How an academic dream from West Germany changed New Zealand forever

ELECTION 2026 CAMPAIGN
Farah Hancock (RNZ): RNZ political donations tracker: National’s war chest climbs by $440,000
Farah Hancock (RNZ): Large anonymous political donations climb to almost $500k so far in election year
Matthew Hooton (Post): Luxon just gets worse and worse (paywalled)
Sam Stubbs (Stuff): ‘Gobbledegook’ or business speak? The origin of Luxon’s language
Simon Bridges (Herald): Christopher Luxon doesn’t understand NZ small businesses are forced to worry about the Government (paywalled)
Reynold Macpherson (Herald): Christopher Luxon’s Rotorua lecture exposes politics of self-reliance (paywalled)
Tim Murphy (Newsroom): What might have been: PM Chris Bishop
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Read my lips: We’re going all the way to November 7
Margalit Toledano (Post): Young voters have the most at stake this election – so why are so many of them not enrolled to vote? (paywalled)
Stewart Sowman-Lund (Post): AI is reshaping the world. Are our politicians ready to grapple with it? (paywalled)
Veronica Schmidt (Spinoff): The Spinoff fires the starting gun on Election 2026
Hayden Donnell (Spinoff): A not-so-wet but still quite whiny week on the campaign trail
Lyric Waiwiri-Smith (Spinoff): The 24-year-old who wears Winston Peters’ ink
Lyric Waiwiri-Smith (Spinoff): One Candidate, One Pint: James Christmas on his angry teen years and ditching National
Lyric Waiwiri-Smith (Spinoff): Cameron Brewer on why being funny is the best skill an MP can have
Brent Edwards (NBR): New Zealand First’s mission to make NZ great again (paywalled)
Herald: Editorial – Are baby bonus schemes worth the money and would job creation be more effective? (paywalled)
Natalia Albert: Immigration Has Lost Social Licence
Samira Taghavi (Post): Why a mock execution is more than ‘political theatre’ (paywalled)

PARLIAMENT AND GOVERNMENT
Audrey Young (Herald): Winston Peters is behaving like a fringe-dwelling thug, not an elder statesman (paywalled)
Audrey Young (Herald): Chris Bishop: Why Parliament is New Zealand’s supreme law-maker
Neil Sands (LawNews): Attorney-General Chris Bishop tells judiciary to leave policy to Parliament
Andrea Vance (Post): Simeon Brown grilled in Parliament over Medical Council appointment of doctor who sells turmeric pills (paywalled)
Lillian Hanly (RNZ): Speaker will not take action over Winston Peters’ ‘racist’ comments
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Unreleased review recommends Waitangi Tribunal keep key power
Anneke Smith (Post): Rare inquiry into officials’ answers on failed $40m IT project reaches crunch point (paywalled)
Jo Moir (RNZ): Microscope on Immigration NZ intensifies with fresh concerns
Layla Bailey-McDowell (RNZ):
Is English a ‘predator language?’
RNZ:
Human Rights Commission calls for human rights-centred, Te Tiriti-based approach to AI

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: SMALL BUSINESS AND THE ELECTION; TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURE; BUSINESS, MARKETS AND REGULATION; LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM AND AMALGAMATION; WELLINGTON WATER AND COUNCIL; ECONOMY AND COST OF LIVING; CRIME, POLICE AND JUSTICE; HEALTH AND MENTAL HEALTH; EDUCATION; CARTOONS

This post is for paid subscribers

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2026 Bryce Edwards · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture