From 2021 to 2026 Don wrote numerous articles which appeared at the website Bassett, Brash and Hide, his fellow authors being former politicians Michael Bassett and Rodney Hide. These appear below.
“America First” was long the guiding principle of President Trump’s approach to policy. And his understanding of what putting America’s interests first really means was always limited by his background as a real estate developer with no formal training in economics.
With less than a year to go to the next general election, polls suggest that the current Government could well lose to a Labour-led coalition, despite the mess which the last Labour Government left just two years ago. Is that negativity warranted?
The House believes that the Sun should never have set on the British Empire
Mr President, I speak in opposition to the motion.
At the risk of triggering a torrent of abuse, I can’t refrain from expressing my strong support for the visit which Helen Clark and John Key made to Beijing a few days ago to attend the parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the war in the Pacific.
In recent years, when addressing Rotary and other audiences, I often talk about the five big challenges facing New Zealand – persistently slow growth in productivity, and therefore in income levels; ridiculously unaffordable house prices; the increasing division of our society into those with a Maori ancestor and those without;…
The following is written by Don Brash in his capacity as Hobson's Pledge spokesman
We have big plans for our Māori Ward campaign and had planned to ease into this with our billboards and then go full noise next week.
Having listened to my discussion on foreign policy with Sean Plunket on 10 June, I feel the need to clarify my position.
Let me start by saying that I have a high regard for Sean Plunket.
In June 2025 an Open Letter to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon ran in New Zealand's weekend newspapers.
Almost since I returned to New Zealand from nine years abroad in 1971, there has been a widespread assumption that house prices always go up, if not every single year then almost every single year.
I don't know about you, but I have had a gutsful of the disrespect and disdain Te Pāti Māori show for our Parliament and for all of us.
Until quite recently, New Zealand Governments of both the Left and the Right were keen to maintain a broadly cordial relationship with China, our largest trading partner, and with the United States, our traditional security partner.
Written by Don Brash in his capacity as Hobson's Pledge trustee
This morning, you were meant to open the New Zealand Herald and see a full page ad calling out Christopher Luxon and the National Party for their failure to support democracy, equality, and a New Zealand based on unity –…
The following is written by Don Brash in his capacity as Hobson's Pledge trustee.
So desperate are Christopher Luxon and the National Party to ignore their supporters, they are returning the Treaty Principles Bill from the Justice Committee over a month early.
A few days ago, I read an article by Oliver Hartwich, the executive director of the New Zealand Initiative, entitled “Time for ANZAC 2. 0”. I generally agree with material produced by the New Zealand Initiative, and in particular with articles written by Dr Hartwich. But not this time.
The following is written in Don's capacity as Hobson's Pledge trustee.
You may not have heard of InternetNZ or know exactly what they do. I didn't until I read some alarming news about the organisation this week.
Surely, in a liberal democracy, there are few words more chilling to read written in earnest than the “flawed concept of ‘equality’”.
I didn’t have the privilege of working with Dame Tariana in any substantive way but I developed a very high regard for her integrity and commitment to the wellbeing of New Zealanders, and especially Maori New Zealanders of course.
On the last day of 2024, the New Zealand Herald ran an article under the heading “House prices start to rise”.
I was surprised, indeed astounded, when I discovered that some of my New Zealand friends were enthusiastic about Donald Trump’s winning the US presidency. How could they be supportive of such a man becoming the chief executive of the most powerful country in the world?
It is just over a year since last year’s general election, and nearly a year since the new coalition Government was formed. How are they going?
Copyright © 2026 Don Brash.