Midday Report Essentials for 30 July 2026

Welcome to Midday Report essentials with Guyon Espiner. In this episode. China's ambassador has hit back after Foreign Minister Winston Peters told a Chinese-born New Zealand MP to "go back to your own country" in Parliament. Our deputy politcal editor joined me with his assessment. The Education Review Office fears AI is damaging children's critical thinking: but its new report also shows 93 percent of principals are using it: we talked about the future of learning with the Principles Federation Finally, psychedlic therapy for the existential dread of cancer: a New Zealand woman told me about her experience of taking MDMA to manage her mind through a breast cancer diagnosis. Tune in wherever you get your podcasts - or live at Midday, every weekday on RNZ National.