On the Government’s plan to ban social media for under-16s, Luxon said he was looking very closely at what Australia had been doing. He acknowledged their approach wasn’t perfect but “you’ve got to die trying” - protecting 70% of under-16s from the harms of social media was better than protecting none. Luxon’s much-touted India free trade agreement is also facing scrutiny as NZ First continues to oppose the deal. Plans are also being laid for India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit New Zealand mid-year, just months before the NZ elections. Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

Source: New Zealand Herald February 08, 2026 20:04 UTC