The politics of my research work empowers marginalized voices, challenges colonial and extractive orders, and enacts global justice, naturally situated within the progressive imaginations of politics. This research notes the global pattern of the rise of the far-right, organized around political processes designed to entrench the extreme marginalization of those at the margins.
I watch with alarm and deep concern as I observe the digital ecosystem in Aotearoa New Zealand, the increasing presence of U.S. far-right discourse in this ecosystem, the political mainstreaming of the U.S. far-right, and the uptake into policy infrastructures the articulations that mimic the U.S. far-right. Based on this observation and in the context of the present politics of global uncertainty, I am compelled to notice the crucial necessity to preserve the political space of the center right as a necessary bulwark against the rise of fascist tendencies in Aotearoa New Zealand.
At this juncture of global geopolitics where the communicative infrastructure of the far-right is emboldened by Trump in pushing through anti-science, racist, and authoritarian techniques as governance, New Zealand National Party's grip on a moderate electoral base is crucial. A solid center-right is necessary in order to keep mainstream far-right extremity at bay, and above all else to stop the march of the U.S.-style culture wars and Christo-fascist ideologies that are designed to erode New Zealand's democratic fabric. The National Party's ability to provide balanced policies, defy divisive global forces like the U.S.-manufactured war against "woke," and uphold principle-based foreign policy is crucial to ensure a stable political equilibrium and defend the institutions that they have historically helped build.
National Party's history in New Zealand politics—driving intuitional capacities that seek to facilitate economic stability, infrastructure building, and pragmatic foreign policy—makes it a necessary counterbalance against the far-right fringe. National, under Foreign Minister Murray McCully, co-sponsored UN Security Council Resolution 2334 in 2016, condemning Israeli settlements as illegal and reaffirming support for a two-state solution and Palestinian self-determination. That principled position, underpinned by international law, contrasted with the U.S.'s across-the-board alignment with Israel.
Currently however, National's emerging foreign policy risks going towards a disturbing alignment with the globally extreme agenda of the U.S. and Israel, forged in evangelical and Christo-fascist politics that reject Palestinian statehood and prioritize geopolitics over human rights. To be effective, National must reverse course to its past emphasis on international law and the rules-based order, positively promoting Palestinian rights and against U.S.-driven culture wars represented through polarizing language to address such issues, ensuring its foreign policy is consistent with New Zealand's values of fairness and multilateralism.
No less alarming is the American-made "war on woke," a hard-right ideological initiative made fashionable by such politicians as Donald Trump and initiatives like Project 2025, which seeks to dismantle democratic institutions by demonizing progressive values of diversity, inclusion, and social justice. This narrative, cleverly sown in New Zealand by the internet and the outer periphery, attributes blame to "wokeness" for economic and social frustration, eroding belief in institutions like education, media, and public health. The week that I am writing this blog piece, the University of Auckland has backtracked on its compulsory course on New Zealand history, Te Tiriti and Indigenous culture after a campaign launched by ACT party. The ACT party leader David Seymour is celebrating this backtracking as political success.
I detect these resonances in New Zealand's discourse, where anti-trans narrative, anti-Māori sentiment, and opposition to climate policy resonate with U.S.-style polarisation. National must forcefully resist this purchased narrative that puts the institutions of public health, education, and democratic politics on which National has long excelled under siege. By refusing this war on "woke" and moving forward with inclusive politics, National can banish far-right voices and maintain the social glue that defines New Zealand.
The New Zealand National Party has, at its best, made significant contributions to honoring Te Tiriti o Waitangi, institutionalizing te ao Māori, and fostering the Māori economy as a global leader. Historically, under leaders like Jim Bolger, National advanced Treaty settlements, such as the 1995 Waikato-Tainui settlement and the 1998 Ngāi Tahu settlement, which provided reparations and economic foundations for iwi to thrive. These efforts recognized Māori as Treaty partners, embedding te ao Māori principles into governance and supporting Māori-led initiatives in education, health, and business. The Māori economy, now valued at over $70 billion, has been bolstered by National’s policies promoting iwi entrepreneurship and partnerships, such as the Māori fisheries settlements and support for Māori tourism, positioning New Zealand as a global leader in Indigenous economic development. In contrast, the current political discourse, influenced by U.S.-based far-right culture wars, has seen an onslaught on te ao Māori, with attacks on Māori language programs, co-governance models, and academic freedom in institutions teaching Māori knowledge. This performative anti-“woke” rhetoric, echoing Trumpian narratives, prioritizes divisive posturing over substantive issues like economic growth, industry resilience, and institutional efficiency. Rather than strengthening infrastructure or addressing housing and healthcare disparities—issues critical to Māori and all New Zealanders—these far-right influences risk dismantling the very institutions National historically helped build, undermining te Tiriti and the Māori economy’s global standing.
The global rise of far-right forces, fueled by extractive economies and U.S.-style culture wars, utilizes economic hardship and cultural anxiety to serve polarizing purposes. Anti-immigrant politics, climate change denial, and attacks on gender diversity—often subsidized by fossil fuel and mining interests—create a void that the far-right exploits when the center-right loses momentum. By prioritizing evidence-based leadership instead of populist fearmongering, National can cancel out the far-right component and maintain its integrity as a center-right party, avoiding mainstreaming of extremism that thrives on polarization.
National's promotion of emissions reduction targets, if paired with economic policy, has the ability to bridge sustainability and growth while counteracting climate denialism. Through engaging with diverse communities, honoring Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and undertaking science, National can sustain institutions like public health and public education, resisting the chaos of right-wing populism. To survive, National must embrace New Zealand's multicultural future, stepping away from the pillaging industries and U.S.-style culture wars. The party has the opportunity to establish a model of center-right politics that also brings people together, building infrastructures for youth and future generations, and creating opportunities for traditionally excluded communities without appealing to the racist rhetoric. If it fails, the space will be given over to far-right parties who wager on disillusion to push anti-Māori, anti-immigrant, or anti-science agendas that undermine New Zealand's social cohesion.
I hope for the National Party to succeed because their center-right potency is needed to prevent the development of far-right extremism. By abandoning America-made war on "woke," reclaiming their idealistic foreign policy heritage as seen in Resolution 2334, and practicing inclusive domestic politics, National can sustain the democratic institutions which they have helped build. Their success ensures a political environment in which progressive and conservative thinking coexist, retaining the global appeal of Aotearoa New Zealand as a leader, without descending into fascism, safeguarding the New Zealand we love.