David Robie

Independent journalism - Pacific Media Watch updates at @pacmedcentre : pacmediawatch.aut.ac.nz

“New Zealand built its prosperity on being pragmatic and (relatively) independent. Today, we are increasingly mirroring the geopolitical posture of the United States, without a formal defence pact to justify it. In a multipolar world, perception matters. Across much of Asia and the Global South, the US-led axis is becoming more contested. NZ has always performed best when it is seen as balanced and trustworthy, and we are drifting away from that position, from independent toward aligned. For a small trading nation in the Pacific, that is not a philosophical shift. It is an economic one. Nowhere is this more visible than in our relationship with China. China remains our largest trading partner by a wide margin, taking around 20-22% of our exports, close to NZ$18 billion annually, nearly double the size of our next largest markets.  Yet at the very moment Asia is driving global growth, we are creating friction. Slower visa settings, regulatory caution and political signalling are all contributing to a quieter message that Chinese tourists, students and capital are less welcome. Meanwhile, exports to the US are rising, but from a smaller base.  The deeper problem is structural: the US largely produces what New Zealand produces, competing on commodities rather than complementing them. It is not a natural substitute. New Zealand’s edge has always been its ability to work with both West and East. We are choosing not to.”

🇺🇸🇮🇷 Journalist Ana Kasparian says the Trump administration begged private satellite companies to hide images of destroyed US bases. The Pentagon was allegedly terrified the world will see how Iran completely humiliated the Trump's military.

CHINA🇨🇳 BREAKS US🇺🇸 SANCTIONS China has blocked US sanctions against 5 Chinese refineries, which were sanctioned because of allegations that they bought oil from Iran. China’s Commerce Ministry said it had issued a “prohibition order” stipulating that the sanctions “shall not be recognised, enforced, or complied with,” calling the order a move to “safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests”. China is now powerful enough to declare US sanctions null and void, and openly declare that it won’t comply with them. The US is quickly finding out there is a new superpower this century, and its measures of unilateral bullying no longer are powerful enough to contain China.

Lawyers say Thiago Ávila & Saif Abukeshek are in Shikma jail severely tortured by the israelis & enduring multiple injuries @gbsumudflotilla

CNN confirms Iran is taking absolute legal control over the Strait of Hormuz. They brilliantly demand the Trump administration and its allies pay war reparations. Washington must face absolute financial accountability for their massive destruction.

So Trump is saying war should continue because scores must be settled for what Iran has “done to Humanity, and the World, for 47 years.” That is a new objective for this war and implies its beginning or end had nothing to do with the nuclear issue. It is also makes the case for every country, especially in the global south abused by colonialism, to reopen the file on their old grievances, and line up to wage wars to settle old scores. It seems most of humanity opposes this war Trump wants to wage on their behalf and may be more interested in talking about other abuses of humanity.

Thiago was kidnapped for one reason: for denouncing Zionist crimes to the world !! Thiago's clarity in identifying and holding the true culprits accountable, coupled with his mobilization capacity, terrifies the two greatest enemies of humanity today: Imperialism, led by the US, and Zionism, led by Israel. This is why we are witnessing desperate acts like those of last Wednesday. Acts of piracy, violence, and abduction are the perfect portrait of Zionist desperation to halt an organized civil movement such as the Flotilla. People power can change the world! Trump and Netanyahu know this, and that's why they fear it. We will not be silenced! We demand immediate answers! WHERE ARE SAIF AND THIAGO? Video recorded on April 11th, at the launch of the Global Sumud Flotilla in Barcelona.

🚨Breaking: The Israeli court just extended Thiago de Ávila’s arrest by 2 more days, after he was kidnapped by the Israeli army in international waters. ​ The hearing for Saif Abu Keshek is starting now. ​ I’m here at the court to show full support for the flotilla activists. ​ The terror state is trying to accuse the activists of membership in a terrorist organization - you can’t make this stuff up. They are represented by @AdalahEnglish Free Palestine🇵🇸✊

Amazing. No words to describe this tune. Emotional and to the point. New Iranian LEGO movie : We Share the Same Pain 💔 😭🥹 via Brick Beat Battalion

Trump thought the blockade of the Persian Gulf would be a silver bullet that would bring Iran to its knees. Instead, it erased the desperately needed pressure release that Trump secured through the ceasefire. Thanks to the blockade, oil prices now exceed the levels seen during the war itself.  In essence, through the blockade, Trump snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. But the incessant search for an escalatory silver bullet that forces Iran to surrender is not unique to Trump. It's a pathology of US foreign policy toward Iran. responsiblestatecraft.org/trump-iran-blo…

Settler violence against West Bank Palestinians is raging out of control. This report is of a schoolboy shot in cold blood. Many are being killed and homes, crops, orchards & infrastructure are destroyed as settlers try to drive people off their land. theguardian.com/world/2026/may…

Global Sumud Flotilla calls on NZ govt to intervene after Israeli interception #asiapacificreport #rnznews #globalsumudflotilla #freedomflotilla #israeliattacks #illegalkidnappings #lawofthesea @PeaceMovementA @JohnJohnminto @palestine @OnlinePalEng asiapacificreport.nz/2026/05/03/glo…

مضت أكثر من أربعٍ وعشرين ساعة على اختطاف المناضلة البحرينية سلوى جابر في عرض البحر، وهي تحاول الوصول إلى غزة، من قِبل البحرية الإسرائيلية، ولا تزال أخبارها منقطعة. سلوى جابر، ذات السبعين عامًا، تمثل وجدان شعب البحرين وضميره الإنساني. تواجه مرتكبي الإبادة بجسدها الأعزل، لتقول إن الحصار جريمة، وإن القتل جريمة، وإن الصمت والحياد خيانة

This is the weirdest statement for any State Department to issue. We can see how Gazans are living. The are struggling with malnutrition, lack of basic medicine and living with rats and sewage. And the US are banging on about the Flotilla being linked to Hamas and trying to undermine Trump’s plan for Gaza by attempting to get a few vital supplies to a few people. Oh gosh, let’s not spoil Trump’s Party. Food and medicine are bad. What is he, some sort of big baby? Unbelievable determination by the US to ensure Gazans stay on the brink of malnutrition. This is criminal state behaviour. I’m sick of seeing kids crying because they are starving.

🚨We are deeply concerned for the safety of activists #SaifAbuKeshek and #ThiagoAvila who are being taken to #Israel for questioning after being arbitrarily detained by the Israeli military after the unlawful interception of the #GlobalSumudFlotilla vessels in international waters. 🚨The two activists were participating in a peaceful solidarity mission aiming to break Israel's unlawful blockade of the #Gaza Strip and deliver aid to Palestinians struggling to survive under Israel’s genocide and unlawful occupation. 🚨They are at great risk of human rights abuses, including torture and other ill-treatment given @amnesty's previous documentation of the abuse inflicted on flotilla activists detained in October 2025 at the hands of the Israeli authorities 🚨It is especially concerning that Saif Abu Keshek, a Palestinian-Spanish-Swedish national, is being detained on suspicion of affiliation with a terrorist organization given Israel's discriminatory laws and persistent record of harassment and oppression of Palestinians under Israel’s system of apartheid. Israel must immediately release them and ensure they are protected while in custody. 🚨Israel’s defiance of international law must end. The ICJ has been clear: Israel’s #occupation is #unlawful and must be brought to an end. States must act now to restore some faith in international law by holding Israel accountable for its violations and crimes.

Η μεταγωγή των 170 απαχθέντων ακτιβιστών για τη Γάζα από τον Ισραηλινό στρατό μέσα στην ελληνική ζώνη ευθύνης προς το αεροδρόμιο του Ηρακλείου. Λες και είναι εγκληματίες. Ντρέπομαι. Σιχαίνομαι. Που είναι οι πολιτικοί οι διανοούμενοι να βγουν να μιλήσουν? ΠΟΥ?

URGENT PLEASE READ The Greek government owes explanations to the Greek people, the international community, and the international humanitarian justice system. Following the illegal, piratical operation in which hundreds of members of the Global Sumud Flotilla were seized by the israeli occupation forces within a Greek search and rescue zone west of Crete and south of the Peloponnese, the Greek government cooperated with the genocidal state to disembark the abducted individuals at a port in Crete. israel has officially acknowledged that two of those detained, Thiago Ávila and Saif Abukesek, are being unlawfully transferred to Occupied Palestine against their will. The Greek government is enabling an international operation of abduction of citizens from third countries and is consenting to blatant violations of international humanitarian law and the law of the sea. The Greek government is acting without restraint, positioning the country as the most privileged ally of a genocidal state. At a time when israel is facing widespread international delegitimization, Greece is disgraced and risks becoming a pariah state in the international community. We will continue the struggle for Gaza, for Palestine, for freedom and for justice. End the illegal siege of Gaza now. Freedom for our comrades.

What does "NZ is considering helping to keep the strait open" even mean? The West seems to have some colonialist fantasy that they will fill the region with warships and control Iran. It will put NZ into Trump's stupid war which 87% don't want. rnz.co.nz/news/political…

Ballroom satire.

New Zealander in flotilla intercepted by Israel has concussion and possible broken rib, says wife | #asiapacificreport #rnznews #globalsumudflotilla #gazafreedomflotilla #gazablockade #israelimilitary #humanrightsviolations #NZpolitics asiapacificreport.nz/2026/05/03/nze…