‘I could tell you my adventures—beginning from this morning,’ said Alice a little timidly: ‘but it’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.’ – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll.
Covid-era leaders refuse to Face the Music, but public says: that’s not good enough
Crisis PR is now in full effect, after four former Covid-era Minsters have refused to appear in person to give evidence to the Phase 2 Covid Inquiry to answer questions about their decision-making.
The four key decision-makers sought legal advice from Dentons, before jointly advising the Commissioners that they would not appear. A procedural minute from the Commission notes that, “On Thursday 7 August 2025 former Prime Minister Rt Hon Dame Jacinda Ardern, former Prime Minister Rt Hon Chris Hipkins, and former Ministers Hon Grant Robertson and Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall (hereafter “the former ministers”) declined our invitation, citing concerns …”
Those concerns can be summarised as: appearing in public would break a convention that ministers and former ministers are interviewed by inquiries in private; that any appearance would be performative, after having answered questions in private; and that live-streaming created a risk that the recordings would be tampered with and manipulated.
As a result the Commissioners decided to cancel the full week of hearings, which would have also seen other public figures giving testimony in public.
The backlash was immediate, with not only many high profile journalists slamming the former ministers, but all three coalition partners as well. A wave of counter-spin began late this week with former Prime Minister Helen Clarke, and others, calling the Phase 2 Inquiry a “witch hunt”.
However, a recent curia poll shows that 69% of Kiwis want the key decision-makers to appear in person before the commission, another curia poll shows 53% are not happy with the decision not to give evidence in person, and a petition calling on the commissions to use their powers of subpoena to compel the former ministers to appear has gained over 57,000 signatures, with numbers surging in the aftermath of the announcement that hearings were cancelled.
Read more here, here and here, and here.
Luxon and Albanese signal a cross-border, cross-state Digital Identity Programme
During the Queenstown Australian heads of state summit this week, Australian Prime Ministers Anthony Albanese and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon highlighted deeper collaboration on climate and technology initiatives.
Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to achieving Net Zero emissions, pledging to align policies on renewable energy deployment, emissions reduction strategies, and sustainable infrastructure projects. They emphasised joint efforts to support the transition to a low-carbon economy across the Trans-Tasman region, including coordinated research, investment in green technologies, and shared approaches to climate resilience.
On the digital front, the two governments committed to advancing a harmonised Digital Identity framework. They agreed to streamline cross-border digital verification processes, promote secure and interoperable digital services, and enhance privacy protections. The leaders described these initiatives as vital for boosting trade, facilitating mobility, and strengthening economic resilience in an increasingly digital economy. Both emphasised that responsible technology adoption, including AI and digital identity, would be central to future economic growth, while ensuring ethical safeguards and public trust.
The DIA recently revealed that it was working not only with state-level governments in Australia, but also with the Department of Finance, the agency in charge of Australia’s Digital ID roll out. It’s also working with the UKs Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on Digital ID.
This week, Canada has also approved a national standard for digital age verification, framed as protection for children, but prompting warnings it could be used to expand internet censorship.
Read more here, here and here.
Six journalist killed in Gaza
On August 10, a strike on a tent outside al-Shifa Medical Complex killed seven people, six of them journalists, including five from Al Jazeera and one from Sahaat. The Israeli military claimed that Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif was a Hamas operative. These claims have been widely rejected by his family and international organisations.
This killing is part of a documented pattern of targeted attacks on journalists in Gaza, often accompanied by prior smear campaigns labelling them as terrorists. The Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders, and UN bodies have condemned these actions as violations of international humanitarian law – war crimes. The attacks are viewed as an attempt to control the narrative and silence reporting ahead of Israel’s anticipated invasion of Gaza.
The attacks highlight a systematic effort to isolate Gaza from international media, with journalists being targeted despite wearing press identification. Al-Sharif, known as the “Voice of Gaza,” was celebrated for documenting civilian suffering and issued a final statement urging the world to continue speaking out.
According to the UN, this brings the total number of journalists killed covering the conflict to 242, the deadliest number of media fatalities in recorded history.
Sad day for public protest in UK
More than 450 people were arrested in central London for peacefully protesting genocide in Gaza. Palestine Action, the group that organise the protest, was banned as a ‘terrorist’ organisation in June.
Hundreds gathered in Parliament Square from 1pm on Saturday for a protest organised by Defend Our Juries, holding signs opposing genocide and supporting Palestine Action.
By 9pm the Metropolitan police reported 466 arrests for showing support for the group. There were 474 total arrests, the most in a single operation in at least a decade.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper thanked police and reaffirmed the ban, calling Palestine Action a threat to public safety. Amnesty International condemned the arrests as disproportionate, saying the protesters were peaceful and posed no threat of violence.
“Police action that suppresses participation in peaceful demonstrations breaches their obligations to facilitate protest,” a statement said.
Nationwide protests for Palestine as govt considers recognising a Palestinian state
Thousands of people took part in pro-Palestinian demonstrations across New Zealand on August 16, 2025, demanding that the government impose sanctions on Israel over its war in Gaza.
The protests came days after officials confirmed they were considering whether to join countries such as France, Canada and Australia in recognising Palestinian statehood at next month’s UN leaders’ summit.
Marches and vigils were staged in about 20 towns and cities, with participants waving Palestinian flags, holding candles, and banging pots and pans to symbolise what the UN has called “the worst case scenario of famine.” In Wellington, an estimated 2,000 protesters filled Te Aro Park before marching in a column stretching nearly a kilometre.
This week Prime Minister Christopher Luxon also stepped up his criticism of Israel and its prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying he had “lost the plot”, while Green MP Chloe Swarbrick was ejected from Parliament’s debating chamber and told to leave for the rest of the week after a fiery speech on the war in Gaza.
The coalition will come to a decision about recognising a Palestinian state in September.
Read more here and here and here.
Novia Scotia and New Brunswick bans hiking in first ‘climate lockdown’?
Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have banned hiking, camping, hunting and other human activities in forested areas, with fines up to CAD $28,000 for violations, to prevent wild fires.
Tourism operators reported immediate economic fallout, particularly in regions reliant on outdoor recreation with bookings for hiking, camping and tours falling by 30–50%.
While officials argue the bans aim to prevent wildfires, critics view them as unprecedented restrictions on freedom of movement.
Observers suggest these initiatives may serve as pilot schemes to gauge public compliance with climate-related restrictions, drawing parallels to previous pandemic-era measures.
Concerns over press rights in EU Media Freedom Act
The European Union’s European Media Freedom Act became binding law across all member states on August 8, 2025, but its passage has given rise to concerns that it could restrict the very freedoms it promised to defend.
While the regulation prohibited spyware against journalists and barred coercion to reveal sources, it also included broad exemptions allowing arrests, surveillance, and sanctions if deemed in the “general interest.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the act on social media, calling a free press “an essential pillar of democracy” and saying the law would strengthen protections.
Yet loopholes permitted intrusive monitoring in cases tied to crimes carrying sentences of three years or more, covering offences from terrorism to “racism and xenophobia.”
The act also mandated registers of media ownership, empowered regulators under a new European Media Services Board, and promoted “trustworthy media.” Critics have warned the framework risks entrenching state control over journalism rather than safeguarding independence.
Read more here.
Stay curious …