The Race for Tamaki
Normally the seat of Tamaki is won by the right but given a potential vote split, a Teal type response to the right’s culture war campaigns and an outstanding campaign by Labour’s Max Harris anything is possible.
National’s LNG terminal tax is on hold (for the moment).
National proposed building a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal at Port Taranaki. Ostensibly for dry year support for the electricity generators. National were planning to have this signed up before the election. Act and NZ First appear to have quashed that. The outrage of consumers to being taxed yet again by the National government for their piss-poor 1990s energy management broke through?
Unmasking the TaxPayers Union as the Tobacco Protection Union
The most interesting thing so far about Hagers’ Dirty Work book has been revelation of the extent that the Tobacco industry funds the Taxpayers Union and the people operating it. It appears that the organisation should be regarded as an organisation dedicated to killing citizens with tobacco products.
The Right is winning the bullshit media narrative
Last weekend saw a continuation of right wing parties coming out with inane policy announcements that make a media splash without any hard questions being asked.
Government makes Move On Orders Bill less shit
This week the Government reluctantly reversed its intent to allow homeless teenagers to be prosecuted if they did not move to somewhere less safe when required to move on by police.
Does Parliament really need more shock jocks?
Michael Laws and Paul Henry are planning a return to Parliament. Laws as a potential New Zealand First MP and Henry as an Act MP. Does Parliament really need more shock jocks?
Latest poll – too close to call
The latest RNZ Reid Research Poll suggests that the chances of Christopher Luxon needing a new job after the next election are increasing.
Walking backwards off the cliff
The coming oil shock is not just about oil. The future is baked in, and its not good. National’s backward-looking budget will make it much worse.
Dirty Politics 2.0
National has engaged in a Dirty Politics style attack on TVNZ reporter Maiki Sherman in an attempt to cower the media in election year.
Ciao, Brooke Van Velden
ACT Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden announced her resignation today. What did she achieve during her tenure? And how will history remember her?
Labour Gains Ground
Latest poll results show a gain of 10 seats by Labour but don’t forget the voter disenfranchisement laws and NZME’s Editorial Direction is still to come
Fast Track law fails at the first big hurdle
Environmental groups have cheered the draft Panel’s decision refusing to allow Taranaki’s continental shelf from being smashed up to extract rare earth minerals. But how will the Government respond?
What does Labour do about Winston?
Current polling suggests that we may witness something that has not happened before, a one term National Government. But this may mean Labour making a deal with Winston Peters. What should Labour do?
Mr 8%
2026 school lunches are just as bad, but they are also emblematic of Seymour’s spin and facade
How the Atlas Network is shaping your life, even if you’ve never heard of it
Australia’s media covers the nefarious rise and links of Atlas Network in Australia and NZ.
The rise of Winston follows the rise of Pauline Hansen and Nigel Farage
Ten months to go and there is no political party currently countering the sustained rise of New Zealand First.
Management speech mumbo jumbo
Christopher Luxon’s latest State of the Nation speech suggests that over summer he has been spending more on his Spotify summer list than he should have.
What David Seymour did during the holidays
David Seymour has spent some of his holidays meeting Argentine leader Javier Milei and praising Milei’s far right inspired destruction of local Government institutions.
Some random predictions for 2026 …
What will election year 2026 bring to Aotearoa?
Holy feck
The last poll of the political year and it is a doozie. Labour is 8 points ahead of National.
NZ First repeals Foreign Home Buyers Ban Under Urgency, Late At Night, During X’mas Period
PLUS: Brooke Van Velden overturns historic Supreme Court Uber ruling, after Uber lost their appeal unanimously last month
Seymour and the mouldy meal
David Seymour’s campaign to reduce the so called excessive spend on Labour’s school lunches have struck a rather awkward problem. At least for one school recently provided lunches were inedible which basically destroys the whole reason for having them.
David Seymour’s Act Repeals Freedom and Democracy
For all people who believe and stand for freedom & democracy, know thy enemy, who has a name and a platform.
The Coalition of Chaos
Winston Peters is misbehaving big time and shortly after saying assets sales is a tawdry silly argument he yesterday threatened to repeal the Regulatory Standards Act.
The tawdry silly argument in favour of selling assets
Winston Peters has criticised National’s proposal to campaign at the next election on asset sales in a way that makes you wonder how National and NZ First can survive in coalition.
Wrecking the country’s climate change response
If you thought that your contempt for the current administration had peaked let me disappoint you. This week they have taken steps to undermine the Climate Change Commission and the ability of the public to influence future emission reduction plans.
The attempted hostile takeover of Kelston Boys High School
Individual State Schools face the prospect of hostile takeover by groups that may wish to change dramatically the way that the school is run. And Kelston Boys High School is a test case for how the process may work.
New Zealand’s latest tourism promo just dropped
“The Government of New Zild has made a new tourism ad and it’s surprisingly honest and informative!”
It Is Not Enough Only to Change the Government
Everyone on the left can agree that we must change the government. Elliot Crossan argues that if Labour wins in 2026 and refuses […]
Gaslighters of the world unite
David Seymour has complained that New Zealand has “some of the most anemic governing arrangements in the world constitutionally” without acknowledging that his Goverment could change this.
Van Velden pressures ERA to reduce worker compensation payments
Brooke Van Velden has announced the appointment of four new members to the Employment Relations Authority and has expressed the wish that compensation payments to workers will be reduced.
No mandate for this
Partial strike law penalties used on nurses trying to keep themselves safe is emblematic of the wider libertarian playbook within the NZ government
Should Labour attend a set-up?
The Government is accusing Labour of all sorts of bad things for not attending the second week of the Covid-19 inquiry.
Goldsmith’s Voter Suppression Affects 15-20% of Voters
The voters registered about 13 days leading up to and including election day surpasses total ACT and NZ First votes by 140,000
NZ Government is Captured
Winston Peters’ recent “sausage” insults distract From Regulatory Capture in our government. Opinion/analysis by Mountain Tui
Do you want to protect NZ’s sensitive land and assets?
You have 2 days more to submit on ACT’s Overseas Investment Act changes