In this episode of Daybreak – the Prime Minister does an act of kindness, is praised by one of his MPs, and the media go wild; a tragic case of a suicidal 13 year old raising all the red flags and the parents never being consulted; another transgender shooter in the US; the latest political polls and the major (wrong) assumption being made by 1News; ACT want to expand euthanasia laws (as predicted) – but where’s the funding for palliative care; Pauline Hanson makes strong pro-life statements; a new conservative party in the UK; Stuff is called out by the NZ Media Council for failing to meet the fairness requirement and omitting key context; births to under-25s decline to record low proportion – should we be concerned; and a special family-first moment with the Clarke family at the Halberg Awards on Monday night.
Show summary auto-generated by Descript app:
Bob introduces footage from Eden Park on Monday during an announcement about more concerts and possibly a State of Origin event. As rain starts, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon holds an umbrella over the speaker. Bob says it was a “nice touch” and showed humanity. – He describes National MP Nancy Lu’s social media post praising Luxon’s action as instinctive leadership. Bob calls the post “syrupy” but notes it’s election year. Bob says media outlets reacted intensely, including criticism of the post, “fact checking” by Lloyd Burr, and commentary from The Spinoff, which he characterizes as hysterical over what he views as a simple kind act.
Bob revisits a report about a 13-year-old who contacted Youthline and was connected with a counselor, raising red flags including starving herself, suicidal mention, and disclosures described by a parent as two potentially lethal overdoses, daily self-harm, and planned starvation. Bob says the parents only learned of the Youthline contact after the child’s suicide, and that the parent claims the child gave Youthline permission to involve parents/school. He notes a complaint has been made to the Health and Disability Commissioner and argues it raises broader concerns about agencies keeping information from parents. He links this to his claim that schools are being told to keep gender changes secret from parents, calling it a systemic problem.
US shooting and transgender identity angle. Bob discusses a shooting in the US, saying a suspect identified by police had the birth name Robert Dorgan and went by Roberta, with the last name Esposito also mentioned. He says the New Zealand media has not reported it much and hasn’t “gendered” the shooter. Bob argues there is a link between severe mental health concerns, transgenderism, and violence, and claims transgender people are disproportionately represented in mass shootings, referencing other incidents he says occurred in Canada and the US.
One News political poll where both National and Labour drop, the Greens rise to 11%, and New Zealand First reaches double digits. Bob suggests National’s losses are going to New Zealand First and Labour’s to the Greens. He criticizes One News’ projected parliamentary seat allocation for assuming Te Pāti Māori would win six Māori seats despite 2% party vote, arguing the party could end up with fewer seats and noting Labour intends to compete hard for Māori electorates. He notes preferred prime minister numbers show Luxon down 3% (which he says is within margin of error) and Hipkins also down, while Winston Peters is in double digits. He focuses on polling trends, saying National is stuck, Labour has fallen and partially recovered, and New Zealand First shows steady rise; ACT fluctuates and Greens show a small recent lift.
ACT and euthanasia law expansion; Ethos Alliance response. ACT is focused on expanding euthanasia laws by removing the six-month terminal diagnosis limit and removing conscientious objection. Bob cites a media release from Ethos Alliance (a charitable law firm organization focused on religious freedom and conscience issues) saying the proposed changes would breach human rights and remove freedom of choice, potentially forcing doctors and facilities such as hospices to facilitate euthanasia. Examples which could become eligible under expanded criteria, include long-term conditions and disabilities such as chronic heart conditions, frailty, diabetes, renal failure, multiple sclerosis, and motor neuron disease. Bob argues ACT is fiscally but not socially conservative, referencing their voting record on abortion, euthanasia, conversion therapy law, and gender identity on birth certificates, and says if ACT opposes puberty blockers it should move to repeal the conversion therapy law. He reads an example from Canada about a 26-year-old man euthanized in British Columbia (diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and later mental health struggles), saying the parents believed he became “obsessed” with MAiD, “shopped around” for a doctor, and that the doctor coached him. Bob presents it as illustrating a “slippery slope.”
Munich Security Conference exchange involving Hillary Clinton at the Munich Security Conference, referencing a prior incident where she introduced a US senator on a women’s panel whom he describes as a man identifying as a woman. Bob then describes another panel clash with the deputy prime minister of Czech Republic, Peter “Cinca,” who criticized cancel culture, the “woke revolution,” gender revolution, and climate alarmism. Bob highlights a tense exchange where Clinton interjects about women’s rights and gender, while the speaker says he believes there are two genders and others are a social construct, and concludes with a remark about making people nervous.
Australia—Pauline Hanson on abortion and “born alive” babies. Bob says Pauline Hanson’s One Nation is polling well and plays her comments criticizing late-term abortion and claiming babies can survive abortions and be left to die, saying he believes this is happening in Australia and New Zealand. He adds criticism of Australia’s Liberal-National Coalition for not acting like a centre-right social conservative opposition, saying Anthony Albanese benefits from lack of opposition and leadership uncertainty.
UK—new party “Restore Britain”. A new UK political party called Restore Britain, set up by someone formerly with Reform (Nigel Farage’s party). Bob says the platform emphasizes national identity and cultural policy, support for Britain’s Christian heritage, stricter limits on religious legal frameworks, and proposals to ban certain religious practices and garments. He characterizes it as resembling “Christian nationalism.” Bob says starting a party is easy but getting votes is hard, and suggests it’s unfortunate people don’t unite behind Reform, since Farage has profile and numbers. He refers to the founder as Rupert Lowe and says he is a British MP.
Japan—New PM and election result
– Bob says Japan’s new female PM has won a supermajority after calling a snap election. He says she has a positive relationship with Donald Trump, who called her strong, powerful, and wise. He notes she is described as a motorbike enthusiast and heavy metal drummer and says Japan’s politics are male-dominated. Bob says despite traditionalist views, she appointed only two members in her cabinet and suggests she appoints on merit rather than pursuing gender equality targets.
Stuff reprimanded by the Media Council. Bob says Stuff was “blasted again” by the Media Council over a story about a Kiwi beverage franchise, stating the council found Stuff failed fairness requirements by omitting key context, not seeking comment on several serious allegations, and presenting disputed claims without proper balance.
Birth rates, marriage trends, and France’s response. Bob discusses New Zealand birth rate shifts: births to under-25s have fallen to a record low proportion; births to 20–24-year-olds have dropped sharply since 1970, while births to 30–34-year-olds have increased. He attributes delays to lower marriage rates and people delaying children due to cost and careers, saying “30 is the new 25.” He says the median age of Kiwi mothers is around 31. Marriage has declined, and for the first time more children are born to unmarried parents than married parents; he cites that in 1961, 95% of children were born to married couples, now under 50%. He argues research shows benefits of married parents, and New Zealand has a demographic problem with low birth rates and an aging population. France plans to send a government letter to every 29-year-old about family planning “before it is too late,” but notes a rise in abortions in France from 216,000 to 232,000 and calls France “muddled” for promoting births while facilitating abortion.
Halberg Awards—Eroni and Caleb Clarke “most memorable moment”. Bob plays a clip from the Halberg Awards where Eroni Clarke won “most memorable moment” for singing the national anthem at a rugby match where his son Caleb Clarke was playing. Caleb describes hearing the anthem, recognising his father’s voice, becoming emotional, and seeing his father on the screen; he says his father supported him through a low period and the moment highlighted family support. Eroni describes finishing the anthem, connecting with Caleb in an embrace, telling him “now it’s your turn,” and then learning Caleb scored the first try. Bob notes it was striking that a family-first moment won over other sporting achievements.
