Podcast appearances and mentions of Gerry Brownlee

The Privileges Committee report on Te Pāti Māori's haka last year will be debated and voted on next Tuesday, with Parliament's Speaker calling the proposed punishment 'very severe'. The Committee suggested Hana Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke be suspended for seven days - and co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi for 21 days. Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls unpacked the ongoing issue. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It sounds like Gerry Brownlee thinks that the Māori Party punishment is too harsh. He started Parliament today with the Speaker's ruling and he dropped some pretty strong hints that he thinks that 21 days without pay for Debbie and Rawiri over that haka is too much. He called the punishment very 'severe' and unprecedented because up til now, the harshest punishment has been 3 days, not 21 days. He pointed out that the punishment was only carried by a narrow majority on the Privileges Committee - and that going through with the punishment as it stands will deprive the Māori Party of their ability to vote in the House for several sitting days, and that Parliament does not have to go through with it. He told them that - he said, you don't have to go through with it, Parliament can change the punishment. Now, I can't say I agree with them on this for one simple reason, and that is deterrence. Whatever the punishment is going to end up being, it has to be harsh enough to stop the Māori Party doing this again - or at least try to stop them doing this again - because this is a strategy from them. We need to see this stuff for what it is. This isn't like Julie Anne Genter losing her rag in Parliament in the heat of the moment, apologizing, and then ending up with just a censure and perhaps never doing it again. The Māori Party break the rules deliberately. This is their strategy, so you can assume that they will keep on doing it. And the reason they keep on doing it is because it gets them attention. Attention for wearing sneakers in the house, attention for wearing a cowboy hat in the house, attention for doing a haka in the house, attention for not turning up to the Privileges Committee, attention for leaking the recommendations of the Privileges Committee - the list just goes on. They say this is about tikanga - but it's not about tikanga. Sneakers are not tikanga. This is about breaking rules for attention - it's a PR strategy. 3 days without pay is not going to deter them. To be honest, I don't even know that 21 days without pay will deter them, but it surely has a better chance of doing it. And for the record, a 21-day suspension is not that wild in the UK, where our Parliament derives from. Just in the last two years, three MPs in the UK have copped suspensions of 30 days or more. In 2019, one guy was suspended for six months. Now I don't know that we will ever get order back into Parliament the way things have gone in the last few months, but if we don't try, we definitely won't. So in that context, 21 days doesn't seem overly harsh. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Phil O'Reilly from Iron Duke Partners and Ali Jones from Red PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Is the proposed punishment for the Māori Party too harsh? Gerry Brownlee says it's severe and is suggesting Parliament can still change its mind. What do we make of this? Drug tests have found more workers are doing meth. Do we think we should start testing more workers, even in white collar jobs? A nine-year-old made headlines after being rejected from his rugby grade due to his weight. What do we think of this? Is this a safety concern? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Parliament's Speaker, Gerry Brownlee spoke to MPs on Thursday about the Privileges Committee's unprecedented recommendations for punishing Te Pāti Māori MPs. His response was telling. We decode his comments. Note: A slip of the tongue in this episode causes MP Duncan Webb to be renamed Duncan Green. Apologies. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

A former Speaker of the House is reminding MPs the rules of the House must be followed. The Privileges Committee have suggested three Te Pati Māori MPs be temporarily suspended from Parliament, ranging up to 21 days, for their role in a haka over the Treaty Principles Bill. Te Pati Māori says these suspensions are the longest in Parliament's history. Sir Lockwood Smith told Ryan Bridge members need to think before they ignore the rules. He says the three-week suspension and missing part of the budget debate will hopefully make people take notice. The recommendation will be put to the House next Tuesday and likely pass. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was the last day of school in Parliament yesterday. It happens after MPs sit through urgency, they get restless, excitable, a bit crazy. They were shouting, interrupting, it was a bit chaotic - even Gerry Brownlee finished question time saying this has not been our finest hour. Opposition MPs, particularly women, were up in arms and incensed over the Pay Equity bill for the second day in a row. The question for National is whether this outrage in Parliament will translate to outrage at the ballot box. 33 claims cancelled and must start again. Sure, there's a new legal framework set up with high thresholds for pay equity claims. But Labour is doing it's darndest to create the impression there's not. That this is the end of the road for low-paid workers of the fairer sex. Dutton was emasculated at the polls last Saturday in part because he wasn't well liked by women. The red landslide swept his heartland, handed Albo the win, and cost him his unfortunately named seat of Dickson. In Brisbane's Northern suburbs and across Queensland new residents, young voters, and women broke for Albo. It was a big part in Dutton's down trou. So, the question for National is whether it's just created a problem for 2026? Will women voters give Luxon a swift kick in the gonads next year? The bill creates a risk of them doing so. To counter that you've got the sell the changes. Right now, in the fog of war, they're not getting cut through. The critics, the Jan Tinetti's, are winning the PR war at present. When the dust settles, they need to explain, with specific examples, which of those 33 deals in the pipeline or deals done thus far were bad or rotten and why. Why is it important we save billions? What's it good for? This is not to say all women vote the same or even together in a bloc. Life's not one big sisterhood of the travelling pants. Every woman is different and doesn't necessarily vote on their gender. After all, women didn't show up for Kamala last November, even though MSNBC was basically saying Trump removed your womb. Women ditched Labour after Jacinda left the building and the Nats picked them up. The pay equity bill is a risk to that support, a bit of a gamble - not one that can't be overcome, but you've got to sell your story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gerry Brownlee was a teacher when ‘the cane' ruled the classroom. As Parliament's Speaker, he is reluctant to reach beyond threats and pleas.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

This week the Gals rally against PPPs and acronyms, ask whether Winston Peters is a diversity hire and accuse Chris Hipkins of stealing an MPs wages.   Brigitte delves into the complexities of an obscure Wildlife Act rule and Esther tries to explain how procurement can be sexy.   Yass Queen goes to both Gerry Brownlee and Esther's impersonation of Gerry Brownlee.

Have the standards in New Zealand's Parliament been slipping? Between constant interruptions and heckling, name calling, and a haka towards the end of last year, 2024 was filled with events that drew concern about the behaviour of our MPs. Speaker of the House, Gerry Brownlee, told Tim Beveridge that since there is now a party of reasonable size that wants to make cultural expressions that recognise their voters, they need to ask how that fits in. He says there's a lot of tension surrounding it, and they're looking at ways in which they might formalise some aspects so that there isn't the element of surprise or ambush. Brownlee says that in the end, New Zealand has a very safe Parliament, and people shouldn't lose sight of that. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A regular weekly contributor to the show up until last year, Gerry Brownlee is finishing his first full year as Speaker of the House. Brownlee joined John MacDonald to reflect on his year amid the continuing drama in Parliament. He says has been a very democratic year in the chamber. When elected to the position this time last year, Brownlee said it was his job to protect MPs rights to speak freely. He says he feels he's done this job well, ensuring debate in the house was well facilitated. Brownlee says he's been particularly liberal in allowing MPs to express themselves –particularly in a parliament where there is a balanced opposition and Government. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Speaker of the House has ruled on MPs from Te Pati Maori and Labour - for their role in the haka in the House protesting the Treaty Principles Bill. Gerry Brownlee has referred Labour's Peeni Henare and Te Pāti Māori's Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, Rawiri Waititi, and Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke to the Privileges Committee. Newstsalk ZB political correspondent Barry Soper says the group violated the 'sanctity' of Parliament - and the rules need to be upheld. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Crikey, when I suggested yesterday that it might be a good idea if you've never seen Parliament TV, you could always tune in and see the first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill. Crikey, I expected fireworks but not quite to the level that was on display yesterday. The House was temporarily suspended as the legislation was being voted on, after members of the Te Pati Māori performed a haka in front of the bill's author David Seymour. Gerry Brownlee cleared the public gallery, suspended the House, and once order was restored about 20 minutes later, Te Pati Māori's Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke was “named” for starting the haka with the speaker. Gerry Brownlee called her behaviour appalling, disrespectful, and grossly disorderly. Being “named” is one of the most serious punishments in Parliament. If you're named, you are suspended for 24 hours, and your pay is docked. Doesn't happen terribly often – former National Party MP Nick Smith was named three times in his parliamentary career, but apart from Smith, it really is a pretty rare punishment. Newstalk ZB's political commentator Barry Soper said the behaviour was the worst he's seen in 40 years of covering politics. Former Speaker of the House Sir Lockwood Smith said he too thought it was the worst he'd ever seen. “That would have to be as bad as I've ever seen. I guess, you know my feeling after it was just one of real sadness, you know? Real sadness to see Parliament treated that way. You know, you can't blame the Speaker – I don't think you can blame Gerry at all. I think in the end he had no choice but to suspend the House and let things settle down, have the gallery cleared. I think, you know, some of the rot has started a way back – the whole standard of the place has been lowered in, you know, recent years. And I think you know, this is just when, once you start letting things slip, it just, you know, another inch happens or another centimetre and so it goes on.” Well, the bill isn't going anywhere, but not until there's been six months of public submissions. ACT, National and NZ First agreed to support it to a first reading as part of the coalition negotiations – one of the dead rats they had to swallow to form a government. And look at the latest poll, the major parties have gained. Nationals up 3.9%, Labours up 1.2%, ACT and Te Pati Māori are both down. That says to me we don't like extremism, we don't like political opportunists making hay, we don't like people at the very extreme of politics. For the most part, we want a relatively quiet life. We just want to be able to send our kids to school and know they'll be educated. We want to be able to ensure that we can go shopping and not be mugged, that we can sleep safely in our own homes, that we can drive from point A to point B without falling down a pothole the size of a three-story skyscraper. We all want the opportunity to be able to work, look after ourselves and if the worst comes to the worst, fate deals this a cruel blow, there will be a safety net there. Oh, and it, you know, perhaps if we have an accident, there's a health system that can pick up the pieces there too. The extremism doesn't, for the most part, win votes. I've had David Seymour on here before and put to him that this whole Treaty Principles Bill was a huge part of campaigning and yet on voting day, on Election Day, ACT didn't get nearly the votes they thought they were going to get. National made it very clear they were not going to support the bill. They had to, in the end, form a government to first reading. They didn't want a bar of it. And neither do, I would argue, most New Zealanders of whatever ethnicity you might be. But come back to Lockwood Smith's point when it comes to Parliament, are MPs really role models and exemplars of behaviour we should all be seeking to emulate? Sir Lockwood Smith seemed to think so, that there's a standard within Parliament that needs to be set and maintained for the good of society. I don't think that's true. I think they are representatives of New Zealand and as such, they represent us. And we have become more tribal, less likely to debate an issue more entrenched in our beliefs, if you don't support me, you're against me. Less likely to listen and agree to disagree. What we saw in Parliament is pretty much what you see on social media every day. People yelling at each other, not listening, not debating, just taking a stance and sticking to it, and that's fair enough. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion. Everybody is entitled to put forward a proposition. You can hear the other side out and you can maintain your own position if that's what you wish to do. You can change your mind if you wish. But David Seymour knew exactly what he was doing. ‘Oh, hey, I'm just putting it up there for discussion'. Oh, come on, it was political opportunism. He got exactly what he knew would happen. He's not stupid, he's many things, but he is not stupid. So all we saw in Parliament, I think, is a reflection of what we see just about every single day in social media, on the text machine. We've seen it over numerous different issues. I think this and if you don't think like me, there's no such thing as debate anymore. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you watched Parliament, as I did yesterday afternoon, you could feel it building. Question Time focused largely on the Treaty Principles Bill. There was a growing angst, Gerry Brownlee the Speaker spent far too much time calling for order, it was low rent, which isn't unheard of, but full of needless aggro. Then came the so-called debate. There were 11 speeches, lead off by architect of the bill David Seymour who spoke, as he has through this whole shambolic process, very eloquently. He was followed by Willie Jackson, who also spoke very passionately, until he called Seymour a liar and got booted out of the House. Most of the rest of the speeches were boring and said what you thought they might say, depending on what side of the House the speaker came from. National were in the invidious position of defending their position while not defending the bill. They can blame Christopher Luxon for this because how he let it find its way to the place it has is beyond me. As a coalition deal you either let it ride or kill it before you sign a deal in the first place. But this half-way House is the worst of all possible worlds, and it looked like it, as he was on a plane to South America and the poor sods, he left behind had to do their best. The whole affair, sadly, was not what you might want, or expect, from our House of Representatives. Beyond anything else, we appear to have lost the ability to debate cordially, to agree to disagree, to listen to other views, to be mature, to be adult and to accept that we don't all have to be on the same page. By the time the Māori Party burst into a haka and wrecked it all, Gerry rolled his eyes and suspended proceedings for the day. I caught up with the fall out on Sky TV. God knows what the Australians make of it. This sort of stuff also goes global, so more embarrassment there as well. We look ridiculous. We look like amateurs, we look like petty, little children b*tching at each other. We look like Kamala Harris supporters on TikTok. I think, and hope, we are better than this. That lot yesterday in the House of Representatives is not us. It's not representative. Because if they are, we are buggered. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Experts agree Darleen Tana's days in Parliament are numbered. On Thursday, Green Party delegates voted to ask House Speaker Gerry Brownlee to oust the now-independent MP. Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls says this is uncharted territory for the Party - and it's unclear how this will play out ahead of the next election. "We've seen the polls move up and down over the last seven months or so, with how long this story has been running for. I think it's had an impact on the party, but we're still two years away from an election - so I think they can bounce back." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In sports, you don't argue with the ref. It's a similar situation at Parliament with the Speaker. The Speaker isn't just Gerry Brownlee though. There are four other presiding officers he can rely on to help carry the load.

Gerry Brownlee has been publicly criticised over his inaction, in a move that breaks with Parliamentary convention 

Parliament's Speaker admits he was perhaps a bit hopeful by trusting MPs to behave appropriately. Political reporter Giles Dexter has more.

Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen joined Mike Hosking for Politics Wednesday, and things got a bit heated as the conversation turned to the recent clash in the House.  Mark Mitchell told Mike Hosking that it's sad that Gerry Brownlee had to make that kind of intervention.  He said they're all adults and they should know how to treat each other with respect.  It's a difficult situation, Ginny Andersen told Hosking, as she still needs to be held accountable for the decisions being made by the government she stands behind.  But, she said, she has some questions regarding David Seymour's decision to send his already distressed party member to the press gallery and put her in a situation that was going to cause her further distress.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Speaker Gerry Brownlee is warning MPs against bad behaviour after last week's drama in the House. ACT clashed with the Speaker over wearing party-logo pins, and the Children's Minister broke down in tears, feeling bullied - and her leader later criticised the Speaker. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says today's session was much more orderly. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The ACT Party says its confidence in the Speaker of the House is "falling by the day" - accusing Gerry Brownlee of failing to address racial harassment in Parliament. Political reporter Anneke Smith has more.

A bitter stand off has erupted between the ACT Party and the Speaker of the House.  The party is slamming Gerry Brownlee for allowing opposition MPs to propose removing ACT MP Laura Trask as Chair during select committee hearings on changes to Oranga Tamariki.  MPs reportedly suggested the more experienced Carmel Sepuloni should step in as chair, saying that a Māori or Pasifika chair would be better due to the number of Māori and Pasifika submitters.  ACT MP Karen Chhour broke down in front of cameras yesterday, saying that she's been the target of personal attacks relating to her race.   Seymour told Mike Hosking ACT is becoming increasingly frustrated.  He said that if people want to argue the policy, he's and Chhour are all for it, but the personalised attacks about her race, background, and upbringing are just unacceptable.  Seymour said that they rely on the Speaker to uphold the rules and uphold the standards, and they just don't feel they're getting a response when they raise issues.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The ACT Party's had a stoush with the Speaker of the House - over a party lapel pin. During Question Time, ACT's Todd Stephens was denied his question after refusing to remove the pin, under Parliament rules forbidding party logos. Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls weighs in on the 'pin-gate' controversy. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ACT Leader David Seymour is alleging racism in Parliament over select committee tensions and claims of personal attacks towards MP Karen Chhour.  The ACT Party says its confidence in the Speaker of the House is “falling by the day”, accusing Gerry Brownlee of failing to address racial harassment in Parliament.  Seymour told Mike Hosking this morning they wrote to the Speaker, calling the issues 'serious.'  He says the response suggested there was no issue.  Former National MP and Speaker of the House Sir Lockwood Smith joined Kerre Woodham to discuss how he'd approach such a situation.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Opposition parties are calling on Assistant Speaker Maureen Pugh to apologise for interrupting a rangatira in Parliament.  Pugh faced backlash after she told Te Kahautu Maxwell to stop his brief speech ahead of the planned waiata. Speaker of the House Gerry Brownlee says permission was given for a waiata - but not a karakia. "We can scramble round all the stuff all we like, but Maureen Pugh did what was right, according to the standing order." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MPs are pushing back against the Speaker's ruling on the treatment of a Maori elder in House. Assistant Speaker Maureen Pugh demanded the Whakatohea kaumatua stop - as he tried to introduce a waiata. Speaker Gerry Brownlee has supported Pugh - but Labour leader Chris Hipkins says a karakia's often given before waiata - and he's never seen a Speaker interrupt. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper unpacked the controversy here today.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We talk with the Speaker, Gerry Brownlee, about Question Time, MP porkies, and stepping above the fray after 27 years or partisan politics, to instead become 'Parliament's man'. 

That was some outstanding rage from Julie Anne Genter, wasn't it? It probably won't surprise you to hear she's not at work today, she's working from home - I would be too, if that was me caught on that camera. The Greens have launched a disciplinary process, but I'm not expecting much from that, given how relaxed they seem to have been in the past about dealing with allegations against their MPs. Also, multiple parties in Parliament have now complained to the Speaker, and Gerry Brownlee will make a decision next week on whether he refers this to the Privileges Committee. Frankly, I think he's going to have to, don't you?  Because that was pretty outrageous behaviour. I mean in most professional workplaces, if you went up to a colleague, got your face about 30cm from them, yelled at them while waving a document in their face and then waved your hands repeatedly, I reckon you'd get a written warning - or a verbal warning at the very least. But it would be on your record, wouldn't it?  If you flipped the roles, if that was National's Matt Doocey marching over to Julie Anne Genter and yelling in her face instead of the other way around, there would be calls for all hell to rain down on him. Now obviously, let's deal with reality, let's not pretend women are held to the same standard as men when it comes to threatening behaviour. They aren't - and that's generally because women are not as much of a physical threat to men as the other way around. Rightly or wrongly, that's just how the world works. And I reckon that will colour the judgement of this particular case. But even for a woman, that was pretty wild, wasn't it? That was pretty cooked. Anyway, interestingly, Greens co-leader Marama Davidson was repeatedly asked today if she knows of other instances where Julie Anne Genter has lost her temper - and she didn't really answer the question, so draw your own conclusions from it. But she was probably asked because Julie Anne does have a bit of a short fuse. She's very passionate about her portfolio, she can get cross pretty easily about it. She walked out of a 1News interview three years ago - when you're with her one-on-one discussing transport, she gets quite shouty, even in public. To her credit, I like the fact that she's passionate about transport. It's good to have people who actually care about the things that they're in charge of. But unfortunately for her Parliament, like most workplaces now, has standards. And if we don't want blokes to be doing this to ladies in the House, we shouldn't have the ladies doing this to blokes in the House, should we? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A look at the tactics of primary questions during Question Time, with help from Grant Robertson, Judith Collins and Gerry Brownlee.

Leaders of the Aotearoa Student Press Association say the Speaker of the House is restricting their access to the Parliamentary Press Gallery. The Association's only press pass to Parliament has been held by Victoria University's Salient magazine for more than ten years. But last week a routine request to update the access pass was denied. The Salient's news editor, Ethan Rogacion, says this means they require case-by-case permission from ministers to attend press conferences. But House Speaker, Gerry Brownlee, says he is simply trying to reduce the number of people who can access Parliament without going through security. Brownlee says the students are not being denied access to the press gallery, but declined to be interviewed about it. Rogacion spoke to Corin Dann.

Top stories for Monday 12 February 2024: The Speaker, Gerry Brownlee, has overturned a ban on lobbyists having swipe card access to Parliament. Victim advocates say family violence could get worse if the police pull back from family harm callouts. The Foreign Affairs Minister is extremely concerned by Israeli plans to launch a ground offensive on Rafah. The government's dedicating $63 million to remove silt and debris from Cyclone Gabrielle-affected regions.

The Speaker's role and approach are crucial to Parliament's good functioning. Gerry Brownlee has outlined to MPs what approach he will take in enforcing Parliament's rules regarding Question Time.

Shane Jones says he's going to be taking Te Pati Māori's recent actions to the new Speaker.   Te Pati Māori MPs defied tradition at Parliament's opening ceremony yesterday by swearing allegiance to both Te Tiriti and their mokopuna, as well as King Charles III.  The New Zealand First MP told Mike Hosking that if it's good enough for Winston Peters and himself to follow the letter of the law and swear allegiance to the King, its good enough for Te Pati Māori.   Jones believes they've contravened section 11 of the Constitution Act, and he will be speaking to Gerry Brownlee.  He says he's also unhappy with the imagery the party used to organise recent protests.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's support from the other side of the House for the new Speaker.  National's Gerry Brownlee took up the role yesterday as the new Government and Opposition were sworn in for their first term.   Fellow Christchurch MP, Labour's Megan Woods, told Mike Hosking that Brownlee's love for the business of the House will work in this favour.   She's worked closely with Brownlee over the years and is sure he'll be able to make the switch.    The Police Minister is confident it wasn't a cabinet member who leaked a confidential cabinet paper.   The paper, which was for Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden, was leaked to Newshub and related to the repeal of fair pay agreements.   MBIE has launched an investigation into the leak.   Mark Mitchell told Mike Hosking that that's a good step.   He says if someone isn't being a team player something needs to be done about it.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Issue 1: Chippy's Ceasefire Captains Call Issue 2: Coalition Negotiation Games Issue 3: Xi and Biden's rapprochement and impact for NZ and Issue 4: Grim Economic Christmas for many Kiwis this year It's Politics done unlike anywhere else. The podcast broadcasts from our purpose built studio bunker ADJACENT to Mediaworks studios on YouTube &  The Daily Blog and posted up afterwards on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Rova & YouTubeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National says Labour leader Chris Hipkins' call for a ceasefire in Gaza was a surprise. Hipkins yesterday said he believes Israel's Defence Force's response has been disproportionate and indiscriminate. National's Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, Gerry Brownlee, says calling for a ceasefire has no point if both sides aren't willing to cooperate. Brownlee says National backs negotiating efforts from parties closer to the conflict- and that Qatari negotiators are doing a good job. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The National Party is accusing caretaker Prime Minister Chris Hipkins of playing politics over Gaza after the Labour Party leader called for a ceasefire. Chris Hipkins says he sought an agreement from the National Party over the call but was unsuccessful. National says it supports the goal, but says Mr Hipkins' actions go against a long standing bipartisan approach to foreign policy. Neither Chris Hipkins nor National Party leader Christopher Luxon were available for comment. But National's foreign affairs spokesperson Gerry Brownlee spoke to Corin Dann.

With Gerry Brownlee, Josie Vidal, Shane Martin, and Benedict Collins.

While the nation waits for the next Government to be formed, important events are either underway or coming up and New Zealand risks not having a voice, or at least one that is clear and commanding. The Pacific Islands Forum is happening right now in Rarotonga, and while caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni and National's representative, Gerry Brownlee are there, Sepuloni herself has conceded she doesn't have the discretion to make decisions on the fly. The next big event is APEC next week. World leaders including Joe Biden and Xi Jinping are expected there. Winston Peters says it is 'seriously important' that we are, but the question is, who will go? Executive Director of the New Zealand Business Forum and APEC Business Advisory Council, Stephen Jacobi speaks to Susana Lei'ataua. [embed] https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6340780043112

The Pacific Islands Forum is continuing, with Labour's deputy leader Carmel Sepuloni and National Party foreign spokesperson Gerry Brownlee representing Aotearoa. University of Canterbury professor Steven Ratuva says the biggest issues facing the forum this year is the "freshening up" the 1985 treaty that makes the Pacific a nuclear-free zone, and climate change. Ratuva spoke to Corin Dann.

Pacific Leaders and their delegations are starting to arrive in Rarotonga for the largest annual leaders meeting - the Pacific Islands Forum. New Zealand's incoming prime minister Christopher Luxon has sent National's Gerry Brownlee and Labour's Carmel Sepuloni in his place. RNZ Pacific's Lydia Lewis is in Rarotonga.

Te Pāti Māori wants the incoming and outgoing Governments to use the country's strong international voice to insist on an urgent ceasefire between Israel and Gaza. And they say the government should be prepared to kick the Israeli ambassador out if the fighting does not stop and humanitarian aid corridors into Gaza are not opened.  Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta declined our request for an interview, citing the constraints of the current caretaker government provisions.  While National - which also said no to our request to speak to their foreign policy spokesperson Gerry Brownlee - referred to Christopher Luxon's statement that the government should be speaking for all New Zealanders on the situation.  Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer spoke to Corin Dann.

Once again, we have an interesting insight into polling.   Yesterday we told you about the poll results from TOP and their numbers in Ilam.   Ilam is a blue seat in Christchurch. It was held for years by Gerry Brownlee until the Covid upheaval three years ago when Sarah Pallett, who never thought in a million years she would win it, won it.   Raf Manji, who is TOP's leader, did what Gareth Morgan should have done previously and is standing in a local seat with the outside chance of winning it, thus avoiding the 5% threshold of MMP, which they were never going to get to.   The reality is, despite that, they aren't going to get to it this time. If I was giving advice, I would genuinely look at how they present themselves.   I watched an interview with Raf a week or so back and was bewildered by what he was saying as regards teal visas. At the end of the interview I could not work out who they were, what they stood for and who they would align to by way of a major party.   Yesterday, according to his Raf Manji's own party's polling, which to be fair polled a seriously larger number of punters than this morning's Taxpayers Union Curia poll, was behind the National candidate Hamish Campbell. But not by much.   And the Curia poll confirms it. Or does it?   That is the problem we are starting to see already this campaign - are the polls even slightly accurate? Has polling become too hard?   Are there too many people, allegedly, undecided?   In the Taxpayers' poll Manji, who was a close second in his own poll, is a distant third in this one, behind even the Labour candidate.   If you take out the undecided's he is an even more of a distant third.   In other words, who's poll do you believe?   The margin of so-called era is out the door, out the window and it's a picture of two completely separate races.   As I say, I don't think TOP have a chance, either in Ilam or at 5%. But what they wanted from their poll is the sense they were genuine contenders.   And that is the danger of  polls - who do you believe? How much do they affect the narrative and are they actually accurate, or just a vehicle for spin?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

TONIGHT: National Party MP Gerry Brownlee, Former Labour Party Chief of Staff Matt McCarten and notorious Libertarian, Damien Grant Issue 1: Fast and Furious: The Kiri Allan Saga – will there be a sequel? Issue 2: NZ First Conference vs Green Party Conference vs wake me when I'm dead Issue 3: Debt, catastrophic climate change and the cost of living crisis – the new Trinity of the Apocalypse sweeping the globe and Issue 4 tonight: Angry Co-Governance protests and Posie Parker returning – is NZ Democracy ok, or does it need a cup of tea and a lie down? 7.30pm tonight – it's Politics done unlike anywhere else. The podcast broadcasts live 7.30pm Tuesdays from our purpose built studio bunker ADJACENT to Mediaworks studios on Facebook, YouTube & JuiceTV.live, The Daily Blog and replayed on Channel 200 Freeview and posted up afterwards on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Rova & YouTube See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight a one off ANZAC Day special where we will focus on current geopolitical threats, look at the Ukrainian/Russian war, look at China Vs America in the Pacific and we will ask if NZs Military is up to the challenge. Our guest panel is Former Foreign Minister Gerry Brownlee, Anti-War Libertarian Damien Grant and former NZ Army Officer and Military Blogger, Ben Morgan.   The podcast broadcasts live 7.30pm Tuesdays from our purpose built studio bunker ADJACENT to Mediaworks studios on Facebook, YouTube & The Daily Blog and posted up afterwards on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Rova & YouTubeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What Fareed Zakaria doesn't get about the dollar supremacy debate. Why American exceptionalists can't see Asian arms-racing clearly. Why AUKUS is controversial, in Australia, New Zealand, and across Asia. A Rorschach test on the corrosive US-Saudi Arabia relationship. And what the battle against LGBTQ persecution in Uganda says about all of us.Fareed Zakaria's dollar supremacy debate segment: https://twitter.com/FareedZakaria/status/1640058728752840707 Un-Diplomatic Newsletter: https://www.un-diplomatic.com Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/undiplomaticBen Zala's Tweet: https://twitter.com/DrBeeZee/status/1640598052254924803Matthew Sussex in The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/time-to-grow-up-australias-national-security-dilemma-demands-a-mature-debate-202040F Moudouthe's Tweet: https://twitter.com/F_Moudouthe/status/1638597420035571714?cxt=HHwWhIC88f_qu70tAAAAEvan Laksmana's Tweet: https://twitter.com/EvanLaksmana/status/1640253266507321344

Three Waters, the Covid-19 response and the needs of rural communities are front of mind for Cantabrians as they digest news about the incoming PM and consider where to cast their vote this year. In the last election, Christchurch's Ilam electorate had a shock result, turning red for the first time since it was formed in 1996. Since then polls would suggest there will be a return to type this year. With the decision by Gerry Brownlee to go onto his Party's list and not stand in the electorate seat  the question has to be asked - is the battle for Ilam, which encompasses some of the city's most affluent suburbs, a done deal for National or can Chris Hipkins keep it red? Niva Chittock took to the electorate's streets to find out. 

Episode Three of Behind The Absolute Scenes dives deep into the trials and tribulations faced by the Alternative Commentary Collective for the opening match of the 2015 Cricket World Cup. Plus, Gerry Brownlee's virginity story and the now infamous "Manginagate"...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Three of Behind The Absolute Scenes dives deep into the trials and tribulations faced by the Alternative Commentary Collective for the opening match of the 2015 Cricket World Cup. Plus, Gerry Brownlee's virginity story and the now infamous "Manginagate"...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As you are all aware by now, The Working Group is New Zealand's bestest and greatestest Weekly Political Podcast THAT IS NOT FUNDED by NZ on Air. Despite getting NO MONEY from NZ on Air, our little weekly political podcast keeps hitting number 1! This week Matt McCarten, Gerry Brownlee and the Taxpayers' Union Pope, Callum Purves, to debate the big political issues of the week. Issue 1 – TVNZ Poll shows the Left in a death spiral while the Parties wanting children in ankle bracelets soar – what does it suggest for election 2023? Issue 2 – Hamilton West by-election debate and Poll last nightand Issue 3 – Dr Bryce Edwards column on Social cohesion – are we more polarised and how damaging will that be? The podcast broadcasts live 7pm Tuesdays from our purpose built studio bunker ADJACENT to Mediaworks studios on Facebook, YouTube & The Daily Blog and posted up afterwards on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Rova & YouTube See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National Party Foreign Affairs spokesperson Gerry Brownlee says the sanctions imposed against Russian oligarchs are better late than never.  The government's latest sanctions affect 51 oligarchs and 24 Russian-backed office holders in annexed areas of Ukraine, and extends a 35 percent tariff on Russian imports. Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta declined an interview. Brownlee spoke to Kim Hill.