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6:00 am, March 23rd, 2026 - 77 comments
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Open mike is your post.
For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.
The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).
Step up to the mike …
Reid Research poll just out on RadioNZ:
Lab 36 Gre 10 TPM 3=49
Nat 31 NZF 11 ACT 7=49
It's going to be interesting. The 5-point gap between Labour and National is good news.
The 2026 General Election is going to be close, the Election and the lead-up is going to be humdinger, get out the popcorn, settle down and watch, should be hilarious.
Time to check on your enrollment. I have voted from the same address for over 40 years. I checked last month and neither my partner or I were on the Electoral Roll. We have had no notice that we had been removed. We have since re-enrolled, but nobody should take it for granted that they are on the Roll
You can check if you're enrolled here:
https://vote.nz/enrolling/enrol-or-update/enrol-or-update-online
Vis-I think you should enquire as to why you were deleted from the Electoral Roll, and then make a post on TS explaining why this happened.
Now we know the reason for the attempt to create a Clayton's scandal, started by his ex -wife presumably out of revenge, in a desperate effort to sabotage his reputation.
Yes and pathetically RNZ this morning were quick to point out that the new poll results were from "before" the Hipkins Claytons scandal……..
All the stats here.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/590348/rnz-reid-research-poll-bleak-numbers-for-luxon-but-no-obvious-successors
Thanks Karolyn. I used the rounded numbers reported by RNZ. When the exact numbers are added together it is Left 49.9 Right 49.4 which would (just) put the Left in government.
A friend of mine is standing as a candidate for Teal sorry TOP who are still languishing on 2%. I wonder which way they would jump if they ever got to 5%.
Just calm down this COC Government National/ACT/NZF has got everything under control.
Jeepers creepers – Chris Bishop has a religious experience!
"People look at a petrol price of three bucks, three bucks twenty, and potentially going higher, and they say, jeepers creepers, now's the time to go electric because the running costs are just so much lower," Mr Bishop said."
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/590328/50m-plan-to-double-the-number-of-public-ev-chargers
So now National are promising to do what they promised to do! Whadda team!
They don't have long though, do they; the
ejectionelection is not far away and their polling is dire.National have lost a lot of support in the past 2 and a half years.
It's only partly doing what it promised to do. From the above link.
The Coalition is hopeless. Because they now give the appearance of having a (action) plan and looking slightly less hopeless, starting at a very low base of EV chargers, they want to be seen as heroes. Sadly, too many will lap it up as the best thing since sliced bread.
How hopeless they really are is well explained in an article of 10 March 2026 in Newsroom:
https://newsroom.co.nz/2026/03/10/govt-looks-to-market-to-reach-10000-ev-charger-goal/
The COC have not and do not have a plan, we need another Covid Enquiry as the recent results are not conclusive.
Bishop just signalled he is running to replace Luxon.
Again?
Bishop is FOS, he has tried before.
"…now's the time to go electric"
And what do we imagine that current increased demand will likely do to EV prices, both new and used? They'll go up.
The CoC's genius in removing the Clean Car Discount was therefore to prevent NZers obtaining cheaper EVs through subsidies, only to have them panic into buying them at higher prices in a crisis.
Imho, the Dame makes some astute observations about getting NZ back on track.
Winston could have done a lot for New Zealand, however he hasn't done 5/8th's of FA, apart from stirring up shit IMHO.
Good Editorial in the ODT today-can't link, I bought the paper, but I will quote a few bits:
"The decision [last Monday] to reject amendments to the international health regulations (IHR) drawn up [for the World Health Organisation (WHO)] after the Covid 19 pandemic….means that NZ became one of five nations (US, Italy, Israel, and Argentina) to reject the amendments outright……our own Ministry of Health has provided no justification for NZ's rejection. There have been no ministerial statements issued…by either Health Minister Simeon Brown or Foreign Minister Winston Peters…..Peters is is on an anti WHO crusade….and is peddling the view that these amendments are a threat to our sovereignty even though Cabinet has been told otherwise."
So NZ is siding with 4 alt-Right states in making its citizens less safe. Well done indeed Mr. Peters-just brilliant (sarc).
Yes, I commented on that too a few days ago, as have others IIRC.
ODT Editorial is here: https://www.odt.co.nz/opinion/editorial/baffling-back-out [pay-wall]
ah didn't see that sorry. Thanks for link.. Good to see the ODT picking up the issue today though.
WP's Pet Project.
With the price of petrol going up, what are AT doing to help and encourage us to use public transport?
You guessed it….closing the railway lines in April!!!!! Thanks AT.
Southern Line: Full closure from 3 to 6 April 2026. Partial closure between Puhinui to Pukekohe, servicing Manukau from 7 to 12 April 2026. Full closure on 13 to 15 April 2026. Partial closure on 25 April, with trains only running until 2pm then full closure on Southern Line. Full closure 26 to 27 April 2026.
Eastern Line: Full closure from 3 to 11 April 2026. Full closure on 13 to 15 April 2026. Partial closure on 25 April, with trains only running until 2pm then full closure on Eastern Line. Full closure 26 to 27 April 2026.
Western Line: Full closure from 3 to 6 April 2026. Full closure on 13 to 15 April 2026. Partial closure on 25 April, with trains only running until 2pm then full closure on Western Line. Full closure 26 to 27 April 2026.
<
p style=”text-align:start”>Onehunga Line: Full closure from 3 to 6 April 2026. Full closure on 13 to 15 April 2026. Partial closure on 25 April, with trains only running until 2pm then full closure on Onehunga Line. Full closure 26 to 27 April 2026.
Jimmy, you’re such a moronic troll.
Yes, it’s bad timing (it always is). But you left out the reason for the temporary closures. You failed to provide alternatives such as other School Holidays or Public Holidays. You didn’t explain anything, you just ranted and feigned outrage. You probably don’t even live in Auckland and use PT there. And the formatting of your copypasta sucked.
With fuel prices likely to go up even higher for longer, it does actually make sense to get these scheduled (planned) operations out of the way ASAP rather than wait & hope (hope isn’t a plan, announced our Prime Guru when he had an epiphany doing his morning dump).
Jimmy, you silly chump. The reason for the closures is to finish the line upgrades for the CRL, which is nigh. Gemini says (based on Greater Auckland posts)
Now I realise that as stupid troll you are expected to only have marginally better forward planning abilities than our current lazy dumbarse PM. But if we assume (like most moderately rational actors are) that the untangling the supply difficulties with fuel will last into next year, then increasing public transport capacity as soon as possible rather than waiting for demand to overwhelm it. Doing it in the school holidays is the best time to do it.
The capacity for demand at peak for rail public transport in Auckland will massively increase as soon at the trains can be run for much longer runs, with fewer turn arounds. With the CRL, we won’t get the cram with people trying to change at Britomart to get from one part of Auckland to another, and we will have more usable stations. Also we can start working on getting a train line across to the North Shore one the CRL is done.
In the meantime, I don’t care. I’m now in Invercargill working remotely. I can get to almost anywhere in this city in 15-20 minutes on a e-bike and it is flat. Might come back to Auckland when they get their transport system sorted out.
Don’t know where you live, but I’d suggest that you get a train set to play with. It seems to be about your comprehension level :baby:
AT avoid impact on commuters and students by doing most of it in Easter+Univeristy+School Holidays.
That's also by a long way the lowest traffic volumes in Auckland. I'm sure you already new that.
Southern Full closure is 3-6 April, Eastern is 13-15. That means services south of Ellerslie always continue.
You may also notice that there are full motorway closures as well, but they happen at night when traffic is lowest.
What we are finding out is the fulfilment of Maggie Thatcher’s comment,”There is no such thing as society”
This government, led by Seymour, is putting all the onus on the individual to cope as best they can. What little intervention there is will be the barest minimum. For show, not for dough.
Smart move, Greens!
"The Green Party is offering its votes to the National Party to get on with passing a sensible and urgent fossil fuel crisis relief package. With the Greens’ and National’s combined 63 votes, no other political party’s support is necessary.
The Green’s proposed package includes:
• Making public transport free for users;
• A Relief Payment for low income people or people who live rurally to help meet additional transport costs;
• A Windfall Profits Tax to prevent corporate price gouging;
• Reversing changes to school bus eligibility and routes, and temporary expansion of eligibility for school buses;
• Reversing the Government’s intended reduction in Total Mobility Support for disabled people; and
• Increase mileage rates to the 23,000 care and support workers to meet their actual travel costs.
We agree with the Prime Minister that hope is not a plan. That's why the Green Party is presenting our plan to support our country through the fossil fuel crisis, targeting support to those who need it most, and reducing demand for petrol."
Hope it makes the news and casts the COC into the shade it usually occupies. Now that the polls show Chlöe Zwarbrick & David Seymour on equal favourability pegging for PM, expect the snotty little ACT leader to fire off personal insults aimed at The Green leader to try salve his tatty ego.
https://www.greens.org.nz/greens_offer_votes_to_national_party_for_immediate_relief_in_fossil_fuel_crisis
Please provide a link next time and please, use block-quotes for large-ish pieces of quoted text (but keep them short & salient). You’re doing well
Curious – I included the link, but it has "fallen off". I'll watch more closely. Smaller quotations from here on in. This action is an admirable one from The Greens. They are being advised well.
Oh sorry, just too late link. And… Action, Indeed : )
Loose links are a pain, like small change in your pocket 😉
The Green’s action is smart, their letter is well-written, and their timing is perfect – not far to go till Budget; I wonder if they’ll get a (formal) response.
And tactical, also utilising age old Divide and Rule. (Although NAct1 are pretty much doing most of the self dividing already : )
IMO Chloe Swarbrick (fully able to swat Rimmer Seymour at any level), Marama Davidson, et al great Positive,Future thinking Leaders.
It's been covered on more than one news website.
RNZ: "Greens offer votes for National Party crisis-relief package – with conditions"
NewstalkZB: "'Sensible and urgent': Chloe Swarbrick on proposed fossil fuel relief package"
Spinoff: "What would a fair fuel relief package look like?"
Great news and thanks, Karolyn. I love how NewstalkZB lead with, "Sensible and urgent…" These are the headlines we need (and deserve). I hope the Government feels pressured to respond. I also hope they reply with the same smarmy, patronising pish they usually employ, through the statements of Willis and Luxon; most readers will not be fooled.
Remarkably similar to the Labour transport package under COVID.
Willis can either do a major public subsidy using Community Service Cards, or a credit downgrade before her budget, but she can't have both. Sucks to be her.
Why does it suck to be Nicola Willis?
She’s über-confident, has no doubts (she knows best), and Fitch has just told her what needs to be done and she’ll do it without wavering or whimpering.
National income is cratering, massive accelerating public debt, national costs are exploding, leader unpopular, no money for budget, no prospect of hope or improvement in sight across remainder of 2026.
So? That’s BAU for National and they don’t suffer from dilemma’s other than: partial or complete sale of state assets, privatisation or PPP, cutting more jobs in Public Service or more unregulated AI, for example. And the polls are still tight as a tank-top.
I've heard "Nicola No-Boats", but "Nicola Show-Boats"?
Show boats: intransitive verb
: to behave in a conspicuous or ostentatious manner : SHOW OFF
Winston Peter's policy of breaking up the gentailers should be meat and potatoes stuff for Labour.
The Stamerite small target milquetoast technocratic centrism of Hipkins will hand NZ First 15%+ of the vote, and along with the rise of Trumpist divide and rule authoritarianism and culture war.
Why hasn't he done it yet? He's been around since Adam was an apple, and in positions of power, yet… is he now gunna?
His adherents seem as kittens fascinated by a wriggling string.
Correct, and the correct way of dealing with increasingly incoherent post-truth populists like Peters and his followers is not to address his falsehoods specifically, since it is almost impossible to keep up with the stream of constructive falsehoods he and his party spount but rather focus on the contradictions and incoherence of their positions.
Any journalist daring to "focus on those contradictions and incoherence" risks a foamy and spittle-flecked tirade from the increasingly befuddled, shout-at-the-clouds pin-striped antique.
And his minions would lap it up, like the afore-mentioned kittens at a saucer of milk.
He was gunna do a lot of things.
+1,000
The Labour strategy of 2 whole policies before the election (repeal Regulation Act and CGT+free doctor visits) simply won't withstand the pressure of a massive oil shock.
Hipkins is a drag on the Labour vote and we should start talking McAnulty particularly if National rolls Luxon first.
Yes, it astonishes me that the response of liberal centrist technocrats to the rejection of their do-nothing managerialism is to offer the electorate an even more timid and emasculated version of technocratic centrism.
The idea that politics takes the form of rational discussion between an informed liberal electorate is absolutely entrenched in the adminstrative class that seems to provide Labour with all its recruits these days, and the party seems utterly incapable in engaging in politics as a visceral and sometimes grubby and populist class struggle for the allocation of scarce resources.
It would also make so much sense for Labour to join with the Greens in their proposal to massively subsidise public transport and temporarily kill off one of those bloated Roads of National Significance instead.
It's such simple politics and it's good politics.
You really think that Kieran McAnulty would make a ‘captain’s call’ and ditch those “2 whole policies”? In any case, only one is policy, or a dual-combined one (https://www.labour.org.nz/our-policies/) and the other one is a firm commitment to repeal an ACT atrocity (https://www.labour.org.nz/news/release-labour-to-repeal-regulatory-standards-act-winston-are-you-in/).
We are close to the time in 2017 when Little recognised he was the difference between winning and losing the election and gave in favour of Ardern, which gave Labour enough edge to push Peters in the coalition deal.
This is where we are folks: push the old National beast over the edge.
Opinion polling for the 2017 New Zealand general election – Wikipedia
If Bishop rises, Labour will have to shift as well and fast.
So close, yet so far aka no, we’re not; which graph or table in the GE-2017 polls link is supposedly showing that cf. GE-2026 opinion polls?
If Bishop becomes the new figurehead of HMS The Coalition, he’ll still have to wrestle for the helm of the rudderless ship with the two Captains.
The metaphor seems to heave no bearing on the above in this thread. I thought ‘beast’ was Peters, then Hipkins, then Luxon, and now it appears to be National!? Your unspoken premise appears to be that Bishop will change National’s fortunes, push out NZ First, take votes away from Labour, and then form the next Government!?
I’ll hold off speculating any further and wasting more time on speculation until I see Bishop announcing a real coup, becoming National’s leader, changing the direction of the Coalition, announcing a new policy portfolio of National, and moving the opinion polls.
[deleted
You must first deal with your outstanding moderation before you can submit any other comments – Incognito]
Mod note
I wasn't aware that I had something to explain.
Given that the search function doesn't work any longer how am I supposed to find when, and what, it was about? Can you advise me, or is there some alternative to use? Weka suggested something like it but I couldn't get any sensible results out of what I tried to do.
That is a real loss by the way. Is it going to be reinstalled?
Funnily enough, I predicted your response in the back-end. It’s scary how well I know your behaviour here that I can make such accurate predictions about it. I’m sure you won’t disappoint me either with your next comment. The Mod note can be found here: https://thestandard.nz/the-oil-crisis-what-would-jacinda-do/#comment-2057561.
I have responded to your note in the original post at
https://thestandard.nz/the-oil-crisis-what-would-jacinda-do/#comment-2059028
I was intrigued by your being able to predict what you would say and have made my own estimate about what you may respond to my new comment. I am curious to see how close I get to it.
Your response was as I’d come to expect from you and I wasn’t disappointed, sadly. For your information, you didn’t do a particularly good job in setting the record straight. Tomorrow, I’ll take it apart and I’ll think it over tonight what I’ll do about your commenting privilege here given that we’re heading into an election campaign – you’ve already given me way too much workload as a Moderator.
On future scenarios:
"Luxon told RNZ the government “hoped” the scenarios didn’t eventuate.
Host Ingrid Hipkiss reminded Luxon of his usual line, that “hope’s not a strategy”.
Asked what the government was asking Kiwis to do to save fuel, Luxon said it would be up to each person on how they navigate it."
https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360954513/luxon-points-hamilton-saturday-night-explain-what-matters-most-kiwis
Breathtakingly witless bumf from a breathtakingly witless Bumf.
(Bumf is not quite right; Luxon was speaking, but it's such an apt word for him; Bumf (or bumph) is British informal slang for unwanted, boring, or excessive paperwork and printed materials, such as leaflets, forms, or advertising. Often derived from "bum-fodder" (historically, toilet paper), it implies literature only suitable for throwing away.)
The witless wonder is the leader of a party that lists “individual freedom and choice” and “personal responsibility” among its values. His baffling answer means he has no clue or that the question should be re-worded and asked in a smarter way (to lessen pressure on a hapless PM and Government without a plan), e.g., what are you personally doing to save fuel (makes him look like one of us and in touch but he can’t lie), or what would you personally do to save fuel, or what do you personally recommend to save fuel, or what are in your opinion smart ways to save fuel (makes him smarter than he is), etc.
"individual freedom" *
*with bail-outs, if required.
Another "word salad" answer.
Luxon represents the cult of greed and selfishness and pigheaded ignorance that DGAF about society. His lack of action means that the rich and powerful will be able to do their usual hoarding and market capture and the rest of NZ will suffer. What a POS
Luxon's list of admirable characteristics would fit on the back of an Air New Zealand boarding pass for a flight to the good ol' US of A.
Luxon and the COC have actually done nothing positive in the past 3 years.
I like the idea of risk-sharing between government and Pharma or even a no-cure-no-pay clause being integrated into Pharmac’s model. It might be a legal minefield and hard to prove compliance as factor, and some Pharma may not even bother marketing to NZ, but throwing big money (personal-private, insurance, tax payer) at expensive treatments (drugs), and not all patients respond equally (some don’t respond at all, some may have adverse events), and not getting a desirable effect-outcome (as claimed or based on reasonable expectation) is like gambling money away at a casino.
https://newsroom.co.nz/2026/03/20/pharmac-owes-it-to-taxpayers-to-fund-weight-loss-drugs-novo-nordisk-boss/#comment-590982
While they are doing ok in the short form pyjama cricket, I feel they are being set up to fail in Australia.
Playing Aussie in Perth and no warm up games is not preparing for success. Drop one of the four tests and at least play a Prime Minister's XI. Short turn around will do them no favours either.
I would love to be wrong…
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/sport/590345/black-caps-to-play-rare-four-test-series-in-australia
It's not too late to organise some warm up games, did they not observe the England Cricket XI disaster in Australia this last 2025-26 Season, NZ should take some learnings from England's Ashes Tour which was an abortion.
From the Live Update today:
Big Fitch is watching you.
Luxon also mentioned the big black Fitch shadow during the presser. Meanwhile the government is surely enjoying a windfall GST intake on rising fuel prices each and every day. That’s money that comes straight out of our pockets when we fill up. But help’s on the way, people, and in a few weeks or so, we hope, Government may actually do something tangible. Till then, tap into your savings or emergency fund. Oh, wait!
https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/12-06-2024/do-you-have-500-in-savings-for-an-emergency-one-in-three-dont-says-survey
The GST "windfall" isa bit of a fallacy, while the GST take on fuel might be up, spending on other items will be down to compensate, and since everyone is preparing for all hell to break loose i don't think there will be much happy spending in the next year at least.
General rule of thumb with GST, take goes up when people are happy, and plummets when they aren't happy. Which accounts for a lot of the current Government's cashflow problems, that don't look like they are going to get better soon.
Fair enough, I was being provocative.
Not ‘might’, it ‘is’ up, that’s undeniable unless GST on fuel is calculated completely differently from other goods & services. According to Gaspy, petrol (91 & 95) has gone up by nearly 34% and diesel by more than 75%.
Yes, because many people already struggle with making ends meet and will struggle even more with the huge increase in fuel prices – they have no discretionary money and no other choice but to cut spending on other things in contrast to people who do have the means to weather this.
The Coalition is worrying about anything inflationary but doesn’t seem to realise that being too tight and too austere will only make things worse, as it has done since it came into power.
I’d say, give Fitch the finger and give New Zealanders some assurance that government is having their backs.
High fuel costs will very quickly suck any momentum out of the economy, quickly leading to a decline in fuel use, along with everything else in and out of the economy. Why I said GST take on fuel might be up, it may not be for long. Willis could / will find herself in a bit of a pickle with not enough revenue to cover expenditure (that's been the case since their tax cuts which were covered by borrowing) again and have to rapidly find some cash, again. Borrowing might be tricky, and raising taxes even trickier. Fun times ahead, maybe very soon. And that's on top of fuel supply issues.
Robertson stayed onside with lenders, and rating agencies, by keeping the economy steaming so had the revenue to support borrowing. This lot have killed the economy along with their revenue, and at the same time borrowed to try and keep the balls in the air. Borrowing to grow revenue isn't a problem, and actually a good thing, provided it works, which is the strategy Robertson followed. Reducing revenue by discounting (tax cuts) then borrowing to fill the hole is a sure fire way of inducing a rather too close relationship with your banker, or ending up in Fitch's naughty corner.
We, and opposition parties need to be articulating that the solution is to increase Government revenue, alongside supporting the economy from the bottom up, to rebuild State, along with, private cashflow and wealth. Also highlight the folly of austerity right when the consequences are right in front of us. National and ACT's reflex will be to sell things, which gives instant cash, but further reduces revenue, compounding the problem.
Going to be an interesting election.