BHN: Leaders Special: Chris Hipkins, Labour
Chris Hipkins will be on BHN live tonight from 9pm.
Politics
politicans
National Government allocated 80% of all health spend increase to private healthcare
$2.4 billion of a total $3b was given by National to private organisations and doctors. Plus: The talk of the political town – a new model shows how National could win
Luxon couldn’t be more like Trump if he tried
Christopher Luxon, who changed the law to limit special votes, supposedly so the next government could be formed more quickly, has cast a special vote.
Let’s talk about the Opportunity Party in New Zealand
Is Opportunity a Trojan Horse Party? And what scenarios are likely to play out with them in play in Election 2026?
“Government does things not for profit but to build a country”
In the Greens’ fiscal plan policy speech, Chloe Swarbrick lays out what good government is, and lays down a challenge to National’s Minister of Finance Nicola Willis.
Gangs are bad. Crime is not?
Let’s ask this question again – is crime bad and if so, when? Is association with criminals problematic, if so when?
Luxon lies about 54 nurses
Do Kiwis deserve better than obfuscation and deception when it comes to our kids and their health?
If you want to change the Government …
It is crunch time. The next five days may determine who is the next Government.
National wants to supress voter turnout
In recent news Christopher Luxon chose November 7 as election day even though he was told by the Electoral Commission that the date was challenging and that other dates were more feasible.
The Health Crisis and the Election
The quickly developing health crisis the country is facing is providing a major incentive for people to change the Government at this election.
Voting for Opportunity could cement the right wing for another 3 years
Nearly 40% of Opportunity’s voters come from the left. Around 17% come from the right. Can we risk another 3 years of the current right wing Government?
The Opportunity National Courtship
National has softened some policy positions, bringing it closer to meeting some of Opportunity’s five bottom lines. Is Luxon preparing to pull off the post-election flip-flop to end all flip-flops?
Chris Hipkins Is Right
Chris Hipkins is not Jacinda Ardern. His small bore policies may not even reward Labour in 2026 vote share. But 2026 is the right time for the Chris Hipkins school of politics.
The Leader’s debate
Some thoughts on the first Leader’s debate, essentially to agree with Thomas Coughlan that Luxon is leading National to a defeat and this debate did not help.
Who buys the election – follow the money
A site called followthemoney.nz is worth looking at. It is beta site that tracks since 2019, the visible money directed at political parties. It includes declared donations, the broadcasting allocations, some details on the donations over and under 15k and a interesting list of declared donors in 2026 up to the end of September.
Opportunity’s five bottom lines
This is OP practicing what they preach: rebuilding trust in politics. It looks odd because we are so used to Peters’ centrist grandiosity, power-mongering and manipulating MMP while actively undermining other parties. OP are doing something completely different.
Nicola Willis high on a surplus of inflation and unemployment
The PREFU reveals an approaching Nicola Willis surplus based on inflation and fiscal drag. It has nothing to do with economic growth. Meanwhile our young adults are experiencing the joys of very high and sustained unemployment. The same kind of environment that stunted the generation in National’s recession of the 1990s. This time we have a rapidly ageing population. And Nicola Willis in fantasy land.
The Latest One News Verian Poll
It’s only one poll, but it’s broadly in line with other recent polls.
Talking up the left
Do we want a change of government or not?
Peak Trump
Remember when the leader of the National Party made sure everyone could see his MAGA hat in the background? Not even Winston Peters would be so foolish now.
Stanford gets caught out
This week, a video emerged of a senior official telling staff not to document draft curriculum rewrites exchanged between Erica Stanford’s office and the Ministry of Education, to avoid OIA disclosure. Recent changes also suggest education is being politicised in an offensive way.
Government is pathetic on gassing
Over the last three years, our current incompetent government has been running New Zealand into an artificial recession. But they keep blaming the previous government, especially on the oil and gas exploration ban. So over three years how have they done to realise active exploration? Not much. So we now have a typical Shane Jones face saving announcement, typically squandering taxpayers money again.
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.
National’s pro climate change obsession
Despite the Iranian war threatening supplies, the Methanex plant closure creating an LNG surplus for the foreseeable future, and enabling legislation still pending, National wants to rush through a construction contract for the LNG terminal before the next election.
Comrade Christopher and the breakup of Foodstuffs
Christopher Luxon’s announcement that if re-elected National would move to break up Foodstuffs has met resistence from within his caucus, from the Act Party and from some of the party’s strongest and best resourced supporters.
To frigate or not to frigate
The NZ Initiative, who gave us neoliberalism, says we need to buy four to keep one at sea. Just Defence says there are a lot better uses for the money. I’m with them.
War Without Shooting When They Used To Be Allies
We are witnessing a full-scale trade war between Canada and the United States and there’s every sign it will get much, much worse.
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.
New Zealand’s Gas Panic Was Entirely Lies
Anyone remember it was just a year ago that businesses and government politicians were crying about the loss of natural gas availability?
Who is to blame for Air New Zealand’s latest result?
Christopher Luxon has asked Air New Zealand to explain what caused its recently announced significant loss. The answer appears to be a decision made by Air New Zealand while he was Chief Executive.
The Government suddenly wants to limit the damage it has caused to our climate response
After spending all term undermining the Country’s climate change response the Government now wants to improve the country’s ability to meet the Country’s Paris Accord obligations.
Could Kiwibank Buy TSB?
Kiwibank are proposing to buy TSB Bank, before Heartland get it.
Big Hairy Te Tiriti Debate
The debaters for the night are:
David Seymour (ACT)
Casey Costello (NZ First)
Willie Jackson (Labour)
Marama Davidson (Greens)
Also participating is:
Pat & Chewie (BHN)
Paul Barlow (The Collective)
Ripeka Lessels (NZEI)
Nathan Seiuli (Pillar NZ)
Winning the battle but losing the war
Christopher Luxon may have kept the National Party leadership yesterday but National’s chances in this year’s election just became much worse.
Will he stay or will he go?
Christopher Luxon’s decision to call a National Caucus meeting this morning to vote on his leadership may result in him being forced to walk the plank.
Protest against American Imerialism
Anti imperialism protest on this afternoon at 2 pm at Auckland.