Podcasts about nz first

A new law has been drafted to ban social media for under-16s in New Zealand. Robbie Nicol joins Toby to answer all the big questions. Which platforms meet the definition of “social media”? How will it be enforced? When will the rules kick in? And is it really a government bill? Winston Peters doesn't think so. We work through some of the objections, from NZ First, Act, the Greens and Labour. (Since this podcast was recorded, Labour has announced it will support the bill on first reading, and urged the government to proceed before the election.)Plus, in How Good, Alex Casey sings the praises of Lynda Topp on Guy Montgomery's Spelling Bee.At Large with Toby Manhire is produced by Te Aihe Butler, Jin Fellet and The Spinoff. Read more at ⁠thespinoff.co.nz⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Government's pushing ahead with banning social media for under-16s. It mirrors rules that took effect in Australia last year - requiring the likes of Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to bring in stronger age verification. If they don't, the social media giants could face fines of up to 10% of their global revenue. But coalition partners Act and NZ First both agree to disagree with it - and Christopher Luxon has admitted the bill won't get a look-in before the election. So, what's the point? Will these measures even work? And what are the risks of getting it wrong? Today on The Front Page, Tech Users Association of New Zealand CEO Craig Young is with us to break down the bill, how age checks would actually work, and what we can learn from overseas experience. Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network. Host: Chelsea DanielsEditor/Producer: Richard MartinProducer: Jane YeeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I have been surprised, and not surprised, by two aspects of the Opportunity Party. 1) I'm not surprised by the media's fascination, 2) I am surprised at the amount of angst shown by people increasingly alarmed at the prospect they may be heading for Parliament and some sort of influence. The media, and especially digital media, sadly require these days astonishing amounts of content for the constant churn appetite that they, ironically, have created and so a shiny new political party was always going to get plenty of attention. But I have never seen the angst this party has created among those who write, text, and talk to me. Small parties have come and gone; Social Credit, Values, the Alliance Party, various forms of the Māori Party, United – they've all had a burst of sunlight. United got the worm and flew for a while but even in its original guise as TOP, they never came close to the noise the Opportunity Party creates at the moment. Here is the good news —unless you are an actual fan of theirs— they will get a level of exposure that will ultimately see them combust. Even Helen Clark on social media yesterday called it fantasy dressed as policy. The leader of the party appeared on Q&A and got roasted. Every time she fronts, as articulate as Ms Wong may be, a new chink in the Opportunity armour is exposed. The latest is this mad board overruling elected MPs. Now, far from being frightening, this is all good stuff. This is democracy in action. There is nothing to be fearful of here. Knowledge is always power and in this case the knowledge is what leads to Opportunity most likely not getting across the 5%. This country is not up for upheaval. We don't want, or vote for, upheaval. We vote for variations of what we get sick of, hence bits of National morph into NZ First or ACT, and bits of Labour turn into the Greens, or Alliance, or United. Opportunity is a lab experiment, hence the media interest and alarmism. They are not serious people. Helen Clark sees it, I see it, Luxon saw it when he ruled them out. By November 7th enough of the rest will see it as well. So relax. As you were. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dom talks with NZ First candidate and former All Black captain Taine Randell about why he's decided to turn his hand to politics, his views and experience in the primary industries sector and his thoughts on the All Blacks first two matches on their current tour of South Africa. Tune in daily for the latest and greatest REX rural content on your favourite streaming platform, visit rexonline.co.nz and follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn for more.

When Christopher Luxon first survived a vote of confidence among National MPs in April, Act leader David Seymour said at the time he was pleased to see the party stable and "drawing a line under any trouble they may have had." Fast forward 4 months, and the Prime Minister's leadership is being tested again. He's survived another vote of confidence. Just like the last one, National's coalition partners, ACT and NZ First, were watching on. ACT leader and Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.

Join Wallace for New Zealand's most explosive 30 minutes of politics. He is joined by panellists Andrea Vance, Chris Carter and Corin Dann. Tonight on The Whip we look at the continuing saga of Christopher Luxon's leadership of the National Party, he's survived another challenge, but can the party reconstruct itself leading into the election? Then, the Whip looks at the latest polls and what they say about where the vote will go. Wallace and the panellists also discuss Chris Hipkin's ruling out of NZ First as a governing partner and, apparently, not ruling out Opportunity. Then, Stuart Nash says he thought Chris Findayson was a friend, Findlayson says that's not the case? How do you work out who is actually a friend in politics?

On today's REX Daily Podcast, Dom talks with NZ First candidate and former All Black captain Taine Randell about why he's decided to turn his hand to politics, his views and experience in the primary industries sector and his thoughts on the All Blacks first two matches on their current tour of South Africa... And he talks with Ben O'Carroll from Bocscan Ltd, about in-lamb results so far on the farms he scans for in the South Island. They also discuss feed levels, El Niño, becoming a new father, cycling and getting into the studio to record a few songs. Tune in daily for the latest and greatest REX rural content on your favourite streaming platform, visit rexonline.co.nz and follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn for more.

In an announcement without warning, Labour's leader Chris Hipkins has finally ruled out working with New Zealand First in any government he leads. Deputy political editor Craig McCulloch spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.

Was Hipkins ruling out NZ First really a decision, or an announcement, or even a story? Peters, of course, ruled Labour out a long time ago. I've been surprised by the number of people who text me telling me not to be so naïve. I'm told Peters is not to be trusted. I take Peters at his word though. He says a lot of random and increasingly clickbait-y stuff, but he doesn't straight up and down deceive. So when you take Hipkins ruling out Peters and add it to Peters ruling out Hipkins, can we assume all the conspiracy theorists can now go focus on something new? The trouble now for Labour is the math. As the Herald's Poll of Polls very clearly shows, there is virtually no pathway to office under current numbers. It's also fair to suggest that as people digest the Opportunity Party, they either reject them because they're mad, or they bleed votes off Labour and possibly the Greens. It's just a reshuffling of the “higher tax and more socialism” brigade. Either way, it doesn't grow the pie. Last week's poll is proof of it. Labour didn't tumble the same way Opportunity didn't double their support. Hipkins is most likely right that the poll is rogue, which is why yet again, we don't trust one-off polls. What the Government have in their favour is three solid, viable parties. The left have two – Labour and the Greens, and the third is a shadow of what it once was or could have been. If they're lucky, they may cobble together a seat or two electorally, but that'll be about it. With National on 30% and two parties at 8% or above, that's government. With Labour on 30% and even the Greens on 10%, they're still 10% short and the Māori Party don't make up the difference. Even though it was never real, mathematically NZ First gave Labour the potential of the numbers and the threat of the possibility. So as we sit here in early August with 88 days to go, short of some level of upheaval, collapse or resurgence for the ages, Hipkins is like a shag on a rock. He's got him and one and a bit options. It's not a government. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's definitively ruled out a coalition deal with New Zealand First post-election. Leader Chris Hipkins says his MPs have unanimously decided they won't work with Winston Peters' party, after comments made by Peters and Deputy Shane Jones were labelled 'racist'. Hipkins says a pattern of behaviour's escalated and he won't put up with the overt racism NZ First indulges in. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says new polling data shows the left-leaning parties are seeing a drop in the polls and the coalition is in a good position to get a second term. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's a critical juncture in the run up to November's election. National will set its party list, meaning those MPs who either aren't standing in an electorate or are unlikely to win an electorate seat will be keenly waiting to see the numbers next to their names. If the current polling trends don't improve, National's in line to lose something in the vicinity of ten or eleven MPs from its caucus. Perhaps even more concerning to the party than the total number of MPs who'd be lost, is the experience under threat. MMP maths always makes this a bit of a tricky equation, but even if the party loses several of the electorate seats it currently holds, very few MPs are likely to get in on the list. Perversely, the party might find itself quietly hoping to lose more electorates in order to protect some of its most senior ministers. In an absolute worst-case scenario, any or even all of Nicola Willis, Chris Bishop, Gerry Brownlee, and Paul Goldsmith could be gone. A result like this would be devastating for National, even if the party is returned to government. Just consider for a moment the influence ACT and NZ First have been able to exert in the coalition this term, and now imagine a significantly smaller National caucus without some of its most senior and experienced Cabinet ministers. The list rankings are surely a bit of a penny-drop moment for members of the caucus. Unlike many of my media colleagues, I haven't thrown myself into frenzied speculation over Christopher Luxon's future at every opportunity, but as many have already noted, this was among his worst weeks as Prime Minister. Some will say his patronising comments to the Rotorua business audience and his off-the-cuff musings in this studio over the future of MMP were simply communication gaffs from a Prime Minister who by his own admissions, isn't always as strong a communicator as some of his predecessors. The problem with that of course, is that communication is such a big part of the job. Not just speaking to media, but speaking to voters, and being aware of how your communication is received. The thing I found most interesting about the Rotorua comments was that the PM apparently lacked the EQ to see that his bland, empty corporatese-riddled answer wasn't landing. Not only that, but his office doubled down. They released the transcript. And only when that garnered even more of a backlash did they pull back and apologise. The same thing could be said of his MMP referendum. It's hard not to be left with the impression that at times he lacks an instinct for understanding how his comments will land. And in an election campaign where those skills are going to be continuously tested, it constitutes a not insignificant liability. As National confirms its list rankings, the question isn't simply if Christopher Luxon can lead the party to an election result that allows them to form a government, it's what that government looks like. And whether the party risks being so diminished in coalition that it's a win in name only. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Politicians across party lines are calling for an end to stop-start infrastructure investments. Labour, National, the Greens, NZ First and ACT met last night at Stuff and Engineering NZ's Big Infrastructure Debate. Anya Fielding reports.

Politicians across party lines are calling for an end to stop-start infrastructure investments. Labour, National, the Greens, NZ First and ACT met last night at Stuff and Engineering NZ's Big Infrastructure Debate. Anya Fielding reports.

Winston Peters has offered up a theory on why the Prime Minister has expressed interest in an MMP referendum. Chris Luxon said he's like to get a public vote on MMP if National returns to power, alongside a four-year term. Peters says there will not be any change to our electoral system - and that National's getting desperate because polling's not looking good. "I've watched their body language and there's a huge stress on them at the moment because of the energy crisis we've got, the fact that we've got delayed recovery...and all those things are stressing them out." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union and former Labour Chief of Staff Mike Munro joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Luxon announced earlier that he was going to hold a referendum on MMP, prompting questions and doubtful comments from Labour and NZ First. What do we make of this? Do we think Luxon is getting desperate? ACT is looking to give pharmacies more powers if they win the election. Do we like the idea of pharmacists treating more conditions and doing things like blood tests? We have a confirmed opening date for the CRL - will we be getting on board? Will this bring people back to Auckland? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Winston Peters is not apologising for comments labelled racist by MPs - including the Prime Minister. Peters last week responded to heckling about vaccination from Green MP Laurence Xu Nan by telling him to go back to his country, saying people there lie like a flatfish. Newstalk ZB reporter Azaria Howell says Finance Minister Nicola Willis has voiced disappointment with Winston Peters' stance. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, NZ First leader Winston Peters made derogatory comments towards Green Party MP Lawrence Xu-Nan. The comments echoed racist stereotypes about immigrants and led to strong backlash from members of the public and politicians across parliament. This is not the first example of discriminatory comments from NZ First politicians this year. Candidate Stuart Nash spouted misogynistic rhetoric about National MP Katie Nimon earlier this year, and Deputy Leader Shane Jones made some derogatory comments about Indian migrants even earlier in the year. While MPs continue to call out these comments, little is being done to actually respond to them, especially as ACT and National continue to support NZ First in power. Also this past week saw the Ministry for Regulation advising that legalising plug-in solar could provide significant benefits. While plug-in solar rarely generates enough electricity to power a home, it can alleviate power costs especially in sunny months, reducing the burden on households and the electrical grid.  For this week's catchup with ACT's Simon Court, News Director Castor asked about each of these issues, beginning with NZ First leader Winston Peters' comments.

New Zealand First has announced a policy to pay parents $5000 a year for the first three years of a child's life, for up to three children per family. Party Leader Winston Peters says the cash will encourage Kiwis to have more kids, and counter declining birthrates. Massey University's Professor Paul Spoonley is an expert in the demographics and social change and spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Chris Luxon's standing by his comments telling struggling business owners to take more responsibility for themselves. The National Party leader told a Rotorua business function on Friday to not rely on the government and "be adult, be adult, be adult", responding to a question about the city's struggling economy. He says the previous Labour government had treated business with a "parent-child mentality" - and that he didn't wait for the Government when he was a business leader. Luxon told Mike Hosking that his government's trying to empower businesses. He says they've partnered with businesses through the fuel crisis, which is different to Labour's approach of dictating to businesses through Covid. LISTEN ABOVE Below is the transcript of the prime minister's full response to the question at the event, provided to Newstalk ZB by his office. "I think that's a negative view, to be honest. Like we're entrepreneurs and business people, and I get it. You know, if you're not retooling and radically disrupting your business, you ain't doing the job. "You know, you have to disrupt yourself aggressively before you get disrupted by global events, and if you keep thinking you want the same business model, the same customer mix, the same margin structure, you know you've got to be retooling and refinancing and rehoming, and that's just the reality of business people all around the world. "So, my job is to make sure I'm setting up the conditions for you to be able to go create that growth. And I think some of the subtext and assumption in your question is that...I think in New Zealand I'll be honest with you as a business person who was... I sat in Illinois for six years in Chicago, and the last person I wanted to ever talk to as a CEO was the government. I didn't sit there in Chicago saying I wonder what the government thinks and I wonder what they're doing to help me for my business? Can I get some grant money to do something? No, no, I'm a business person. "I'm building a kick-ass company that actually has commercially superior returns, great customer experience, and awesome internal culture. That is the job of what makes a great company, not a good one, a great one. And so that was my mentality. "Come home to New Zealand, and there's a parent-child mentality. I have literally sat in boardrooms across New Zealand, and the conversation goes: 'I wonder what the government's going to do? I wonder what the government's going to think?' "Who cares what the government thinks or does? Our job is to be adult, adult, adult. The business leaders, the political leaders, and the community leaders working together, doing things differently. I set up the operating system. You go out there and smack it and go create the road, and the community leaders see the pain, the hurt, the need, and the frustration, and the three actors do different things but complementary things to deal with the challenges and the opportunities. "So I still think there's a little bit of.... okay, so in this chamber, how many of you are actually using Claude or Claude code? Okay great. How many sessions has the chamber run to help you understand that? Is that your number one focus right here, right now? Because that is going to disrupt your businesses, and it's a huge opportunity for you to do exceptionally well off the back of it. "So how do we collectively lift our SME literacy on something like AI as a result? So I'm just pushing back to say my job is to set the conditions up. We're getting spending under control. We're getting inflation back into the band. We're at 2.9 percent, strip out the fuel pieces. We've got growth coming in. And that creates opportunity."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A sociologist believes New Zealand First's latest policy won't tackle falling birth rates. The party's announced a Kiwi Kids Fund, which would give citizen families $5000 a year for the first three years of a child's life. The grant would be limited to a family's first three children and would be tax free and not means tested. Massey University's Paul Spoonley says fertility rates are low, but this won't fix that. He says it's a concern, but the Government doesn't have the ability to change that. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Monday the 3rd of July, policy announcements up the wazoo and a chat with Dame Noeline Taurua after a redemption gold medal at the Commonwealth Games. The Prime Minister defends his business comments in Rotorua, responds to NZ First's plan to increase the birth rate and talks fast-track projects causing angst. Jason Pine and Andrew Saville talk the value of the Commonwealth Games, the Warriors win and whether the NPC was a success over the weekend. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are about 97 days until we vote in the general election. I hope most of those days are better spent than with this week's spite and showboating. Winston Peters has spent decades proving he can bluster his way through most controversies, but his performance in the house has brought his role as Foreign Minister under scrutiny. Let's be clear, neither Peters nor the Green MP Lawrence Xu-Nan covered themselves in glory in the House this week. Their exchange during a public debate where Peters told Xu-Nan to "go back to your own country" was attention seeking and designed to generate headlines as these days viral clips are valued more in modern politics than persuasive arguments and debate. Xu-Nan interjections about Peter's vaccine status were provocative but, considering his position, Peter's response was worse. If Peters was simply the leader of New Zealand First this week, the temptation would be to shrug, roll your eyes and file the skirmish away under “classic Winston”. Political theatre has always been part of his brand, and he probably calculated the exchange would resonate with his base. Election campaigns reward sharp elbows. But Peters is also NZ's Foreign Affairs Minister and spends his time, we would hope, nurturing our relationships with other nations. When your words prompt a formal diplomatic protest from China and make headlines around the world, they stop being just domestic political theatre. China is New Zealand's biggest trading parter, and the Foreign Minister's job is to advance New Zealand's interests, not create diplomatic fires. Ministers often survive offensive remarks, but Foreign Ministers should be held to a different standard because every word can have a diplomatic consequence. Peters knows this better than anyone. Decades of experience don't excuse the lapse, they make it harder to defend. Christopher Luxon's response - 5 out of 10. He deserves some credit for calling the comments “outrageous”, “very offensive and completely inappropriate", and racist, but stopped short of imposing any consequences, and expressed confidence in Peters as Foreign Minister. So, strong diagnosis, weak prescription from the Prime Minister. As you would expect the opposition has called for Peter's sacking, a position backed by former leaders Helen Clark and Don Brash. Everyone is using this spat as a means to campaign. Luxon's told a public meeting on Friday that the answer was "pretty simple." "Party vote National," he said. With three months until the election we can unfortunately expect more provocation, more culture war politics and more headline chasing. This may energise parts of New Zealand First's base, but it risks alienating other voters who are sick of the drama and desperately looking for rational, thoughtful conversations about issues and what matters. There is a reason the Opportunity Party is doing well in the polls. It's not necessarily about their policies - the party also appeals to people who are fed up with the status quo and the same politicians playing the same tiresome games. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you see even Don Brash reckons Luxon should fire Winston as Foreign Minister? Before anyone gets their hopes up, this never going to happen. If the PM cut Winston loose, the government would fall apart. That would kill not only Luxon's current term but his ambitions for a second. MMP is a game of swallowing dead rats. Campaign-mode Winston is the political equivalent of one of those giant New York sewer rats. With the plague. Gross. Unsightly. A pain the arse. But impossible to get rid of. The PM has so far handled the situation well, using the playbook of Jacinda Ardern and Helen Clark to deal with his brain farts. Those calling for his sacking are hypocrites to their party. Carmel Sepuloni sat round the cabinet table with Winston POST two Wongs don't make a White. The faux shock and outrage only make their own leader look weak. If 'Go Home Gate' is so outrageous and egregious, why hasn't Chris Hipkins ruled Winston out? He did so about this stage of the election cycle in 2023. Why not last night? Why not this morning? I text Hipkins today to ask exactly this question. Why not rule him out ever being foreign minister, at least? Guess what? Crickets. Radio silence. Why? Same reason as Luxon. They need him. Or might need him. Luxon, because he's no John Key and doesn't have the arty vote to govern without New Zealand First. And Hipkins, because if he did get enough support to cross the finish line, he'd rather do it alongside Winston Peters than Te Pati Maori. The fact is, Winston can say what he likes and he knows it. His comments aren't popular with most fair-minded kiwis, but then, really, neither are the Chrises'.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former minister for international trade believes comments made in the House by Winston Peters were untidy, saying international relationships need mutual respect. The Chinese Embassy has lodged representations with MFAT over Peters' derogatory comments to Chinese-born Green MP Laurence Xu-Nan. Former Speaker of the House and National party minister Sir Lockwood Smith told Mike Hosking Peters holds the foreign affairs portfolio at all times. He says the dilemma is now Chinese leaders know in dealing with him, what Peters really thinks of them. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Winston Peters is defending his comments, which coalition partners Chris Luxon and David Seymour have labelled 'attention-seeking'. The New Zealand First leader yesterday responded to Chinese-born Green MP Lawrence Xu-Nan heckling over vaccinations, by telling him to go back to his own country. Luxon says Peters has a long track record of inappropriate comments designed to get people talking about him. Newstalk ZB reporter Azaria Howell says Labour has also condemned Peters' comments and called for his resignation. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Auckland councillor Maurice Williamson and former Green MP Gareth Hughes joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Winston Peters is under fire over his comments directed at a Green Party MP - the latest in a long line of controversial statements made by NZ First candidates. Will this put voters off? How disappointing is this? National has backed down on the proposed backyard fireworks ban, sparking outrage from animal welfare groups. What do we make of this - should the Government have stuck by this? More kids than ever are leaving school without the proper qualifications - should we be worried about this? What does this mean for our education system? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Winston Peters has a point - but is making it terribly. In fact, if you've been following what happened in the House yesterday, it doesn't actually make all that much sense. But the bit the media is focusing on is the part where Winston tells Green Party MP Lawrence Xu-Nan to "go back to your own country". I don't like it when Winston does this. It gets personal when it shouldn't be. The fact is, Lawrence Xu-Nan is a New Zealander. End of. He's allowed to ask questions in Parliament as an MP. He's allowed to shout across the House during question time like the rest of the mob, unless the Speaker says stop. He has the same rights to speak his mind as anyone else. That's the beauty of a democracy. Every man and his dog will debate whether this is racism or something else. What it's not is hate speech. Hate speech is what old mate Brian from Destiny Church said the other week, talking about physical violence to groups of people. Back to Winston - he has now embroiled himself in a fight with the Chinese embassy, having a hissy fit at the Ambassador. This should surprise no one. It's Winston being Winston. The metamorphosis from Minister to campaigner is almost complete. His skin is almost shed. A butterfly is breaking free from its chrysalis! But Winston is right about one thing. We're lucky to live here and not China. Opinions, freedom of expression, access to the internet and the right to elect your political leaders are not virtues of their system, but ours. It's an autocracy. The system we hold dear allows Lawrence to ask questions and shout inside our Parliament - but also protects Winston's right to say off-colour comments in return. Taste is an entirely different question and, on this point, I find Winston off-putting. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Green MP told to go back to his own country by Winston Peters says the NZ First leader conducted himself 'carelessly'. After Lawrence Xu-Nan heckled him about his vaccination status, Peters fired back and today said he was 'supporting democracy'. Chris Luxon's labelled it 'attention seeking'. Xu-Nan says it was an attack on his identity. "What is also important is freedom of expression - it doesn't necessarily mean freedom from consequences." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There has been mixed reaction to the government's response to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Covid-19 response, with NZ First calling it "pathetic" and Labour calling it a distraction. But the government has accepted "in some form" all of the 63 recommendations, promising key advice will be made public within five working days in future pandemics. Political reporter Lillian Hanly has more.

National's Erica Stanford has failed to get support from either ACT or NZ First for legislation banning under 16s from social media. She's sounding out Labour, much to her coalition partners' consternation. RNZ's deputy political editor Craig McCulloch spoke to Guyon Espiner.

The funny thing about Christopher Luxon ruling out the Opportunity Party was I already thought he had. Or if they hadn't, I assumed they would, so yesterday as I watched came as no surprise. What possible connection is there between a centre-right coalition that extends out to the NZ First nationalism, to the ACT libertarianism, and the National low tax, classic centrist view of the world, and a party that hasn't even got the 5% and wants to hand out money to everyone, whether they need it or want it or not? The Opportunity Party is the darling of the media who are showing either another form of bias previously reserved for Labour and the Greens, or an unhealthy obsession, driven perhaps by boredom and the light relief of a new game in town. Either way the fact is they have had an astonishing amount of coverage for a group that isn't in Parliament, nor have they produced a poll that gets them there. In other words, we dabble with unusual amounts of energy in mindless speculation. Also playing into the party's hands is this absurd idea, although clever from a marketing point of view, that they remain open to talk to anyone interested. The fact that that isn't realistic doesn't seem to occur to anyone currently knee-deep in their obsession. My broad rule of thumb when dealing with anyone showing signs of life post an election is at least three credible polls that have them above, and preferably significantly above, the threshold, which in our system is 5%. They have no candidate that credibly looks to win a seat so the 5% is their sole route in. And as we have said, there isn't a single poll that has them in that position. So we are, as was pointed out by the Prime Minister, yet again dabbing in a seemingly never-ending pool of speculation and guess work. Labour could well work with them because they are desperate to replace the Māori Party and because they like taxing people, which also dovetails in with the Green's view of the world. This is bad news for Opportunity, who still want you to believe they are centrist when they are no such thing. There isn't a centre right party in the world who has ever spruiked universal incomes. So they aren't on 5% and they aren't centrist or anywhere close. So the Government ruling them out is obvious. It's not a surprise, or a shock, or news. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kathryn, Lianne and Ben discuss recent events in politics including Stuart Nash's resignation as a NZ First candidate. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Ben Thomas and  Lianne Dalziel on the resignation of Stuart Nash as a NZ First candidate and National's paid parental policy.

This week on the Sunday panel, director at 818 Chris Henry and partner at Freebairn and Hehir Liam Hehir joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Stuart Nash has stepped away from NZ First after accusing Napier MP Katie Nimon of being lazy - and copping backlash from all sides of the political aisle. Are we surprised about this? Do we think this is the right call? National recently announced that if they got re-elected, they'd gradually extend paid parental leave to 30 weeks by 2029, with a longer-term goal of reaching 40 weeks. Do we think this is a good idea? Is National taking advantage of the Stuart Nash controversy? There's a new trend - dopamine apps let you fill out a food delivery order or an online shopping cart without delivering anything. But do we think this is a good idea? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour has completely lost the plot over Paul Henry playing a classic radio game on Hauraki. Calling a joke a genuine death threat is bloody ridiculous, especially when Chris Hipkins has played the exact same game himself. Plus, Stuart Nash gets dumped by NZ First before election day, and we break down a mad week in Kiwi politics with Maurice Williamson and Ashley Church. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Friday has arrived, which means it's time for Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson to Wrap the Week that Was with Mike Hosking. They discussed the Commonwealth Games, which have officially gotten underway, Stuart Nash and the comments that lead to him resigning from NZ First, and Labour's response to Paul Henry's answer in a game of ‘shoot, shad, marry' on Radio Hauraki. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the end of each week, Mike Hosking takes you through the big-ticket items and lets you know what he makes of it all. Two Paddocks: 8/10 Sales through the roof, a nice tribute, and good business. Here's to Sam. NZ First: 3/10 Not their best week. $1 billion we don't have to map an area that may or may not have anything in it? That's got "go nowhere” written all over it. Golden Bay Cement: 6/10 Story of the week in terms of intrigue. There's no right or wrong answer, just a fascinating insight into the approach we now take to self-reliance. The war: 1/10 He plays a good poker face when talking about it, but the Trump rhetoric is hollow, the results are non-existent, the cost is up, and the credibility is shot. This is a mess. Ryan Fox: 10/10 Sports highlight of the year. The Open, a Kiwi, and the way he did it is dream come true stuff. A true fairy tale, pinch yourself, patriotic amazing-ness and could not have happened to a better bloke. LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEW See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The NZ First deputy leader is not backward in coming forward on emissions targets. But does he have a selective memory when it comes to some of the policy u-turns of the past? Plus, we get his thoughts on knee pads and Stuart Nash.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand First Deputy Leader Shane Jones says it's a sad outcome for Stuart Nash to give up his candidacy. Nash has resigned - after outcry over revelations he'd called his Napier opponent MP Katie Nimon lazy, for taking leave after having a baby. Leader Winston Peters announced the party has accepted Nash's offer to quit. Jones says Nash did an honourable thing - to avoid distracting from the election. "But look, it's not the end of the life for Stuey, he's got a lot more to offer in a variety of other contexts." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stuart Nash is out of politics for good after another massive, self-inflicted wound. After falling out of Cabinet under Labour and trying to rebuild his career with Winston Peters and New Zealand First, Nash lasted just one week before sending a text to former National minister Chris Finlayson criticizing a local Napier candidate. We look at how Winston Peters acted quickly to force him out, why Christopher Luxon ruled him out of Cabinet, and how Nash repeatedly ruined his own political comebacks through a lack of discipline and poor judgment. Plus, we speak with Mark Hooper, a Taranaki farmer with Federated Farmers, about the government stepping in to halt iwi co-governance agreements with local councils. We discuss what needs to replace these agreements under the new planning rules, the high costs and delays of cultural impact assessments for regular landowners, and why New Zealand needs a transparent, high-trust planning system that works for all farmers and ratepayers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Zealand First has swiftly picked a new candidate for Napier after the resignation of Stuart Nash. Te Kira Lawrence, who was previously announced as the Party's East Cape candidate, will now stand in Nash's place. Stuart Nash resigned from New Zealand First last night, after a text was revealed where he called Napier MP Katie Nimon the laziest MP he'd ever come across, for taking leave after having a baby. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says politics is a 'rough-and-tumble' game, but it's surprising National stepped in over this matter. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Right, is it just me, or is there anyone else out there who thinks it's mighty rich of New Zealand First to force Stuart Nash to resign, given the candidates and MPs they have defended for some of the most outrageous things they have said? Is it not rich that Shane Jones was on the radio saying, "Mm, yeah, sensible for Stuart Nash to have resigned," when he is the guy who referred to the Prime Minister needing to get out the kneepads for Narendra Modi when he visited, and he is the guy who used the phrase "butter chicken tsunami"? Now, I was aware of what was happening about 7pm on Wednesday. What was going on was basically that New Zealand First told Stuart Nash that he needed to quit or be fired. He tried to fight his corner but he was unable to do so and he was basically told that was the end of it. I have to be honest, I was really surprised by this. If this were any other party, it'd be fine, but it's New Zealand First. It feels off-brand for New Zealand First. This is a party that's made a virtue of resisting the wokesters and resisting the mainstream media. And then, the minute the wokesters and the mainstream media get upset at Stuart Nash, New Zealand First doesn't even hold its line for 12 hours. It just folds immediately. I mean, that has got to shake the confidence of voters who are attracted to New Zealand First because they think the party is going to provide some sort of bulwark against the creep of political correctness and so-called wokeness. Apparently not. They will fold within 12 hours. Now, I can only guess at why New Zealand First has folded on Nash and not on Jones. I'm guessing it's because there are more women voters in New Zealand than there are Indian voters. I'm guessing it's because Winston Peters prides himself personally on chivalry towards women and this would actually personally offend him. I'm guessing it's because Nash was already on his last chance after the "What is a woman?" thing and the aggro texts to Todd McClay. I'm guessing it's because Nash was not going to win the seat of Napier anyway so this gets New Zealand First out of an embarrassing defeat by a woman who's apparently distracted by her toddler. Because otherwise, immediately agreeing with the wokesters and the mainstream media does seem like quite a weird thing for New Zealand First to do, don't you think? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stuart Nash has blasted National MP Katie Nimon, claiming she took nine months leave after giving birth - and is the 'laziest MP' he's ever come across. Nash made the claim in a text to former MP Chris Finlayson, who shared it on his podcast. Nimon, who's facing Nash in the Napier electorate this election, says she only took six months away from Parliament, and continued working full time in her electorate. Newstalk ZB reporter Azaria Howell says Nash's comments have sparked backlash, with Prime Minister Chris Luxon labelling the comments 'sexist'. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National MP Katie Nimon says she'd hate women being put off becoming a politician if parents weren't welcome in Parliament. NZ First Napier candidate Stuart Nash sent a text calling opponent Nimon one of the laziest MPs he'd come across, and claimed she'd taken nine months off on full pay. Nimon went on Parliamentary leave last year, days before giving birth. She says she took 10 weeks off, then returned to electorate work, and was back in Parliament after six months. She says MPs countrywide take time off. "We don't want to make anyone thinking that they're doing that job that they can't take time with their family." Nash says he has real respect for any working parent raising a newborn alongside a demanding job. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lara dials in for a chat with Rosetta and Milly about the latest NZ First conference, proposed changes to sick leave, and Paul Henry joining the ACT Party. Whakarongo mai nei!

The Deputy Prime Minister and Act Party leader denies the election will be fought by celebrities more interested in glitz than graft. Plus, he comments on NZ First’s oil and gas policy and why we should make life easier for agricultural drone users.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Childfund CEO Josie Pagani and Sherson Willis co-founder Trish Sherson joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! The big topic of debate is the latest election policy announcements out of NZ First and Greens both focusing on drastically different approaches to energy. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The NZ First leader comments on bird flu, celebrity candidates, being called a clown by a former Prime Minister, and we have our obligatory argument over the Indian Free Trade Agreement.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If anyone on a council at the moment can't understand why so many of us ratepayers are so hostile towards them, sometimes bordering on hatred, can I just suggest they take a look at what's going on with these agreements with iwi? That might actually give them a bit of an idea. If you haven't followed this, Chris Bishop is planning to replace the Resource Management Act shortly and his replacement law will not allow councils to sign any more of these agreements. These agreements are called Mana Whakahono a Rohe agreements. In some cases, and certainly in the more extreme examples, they effectively cede significant decision-making power to iwi. The new law will not allow any further agreements to be signed but it will allow existing agreements to continue. So, of course, what's happening is that councils are rushing to sign as many of these things as they can before the law changes. The Far North District Council is trying to sign five of them, apparently without involving elected councillors in the process. They're reportedly not even allowed to see the detail. I've had a letter today from the Mayor of Carterton drawing my attention to the fact that Greater Wellington Regional Council, which covers Carterton, is doing exactly the same thing, despite objections from two of its constituent councils: Carterton and Kāpiti. Environment Canterbury tried to rush one through this week, then got busted and pulled it from the agenda. The fact that councils are being cynical like this will come as no surprise to anyone because they did exactly the same thing with Māori wards when they knew that, in many cases, their own ratepayers did not support them. But this gets much more difficult for the Government because it, particularly the National Party and ACT, said this co-governance stuff would end. Yet they are allowing it to continue under their new RMA laws by permitting these agreements to carry over. They need to change that law. They need to change it before it becomes law if they really meant what they said. Importantly, if they want to retain the faith of the voters who backed them to end this stuff, then they need to act when they have the chance next week, when the select committee report on the RMA reforms comes back. They need to say that these agreements will be rendered void under the new law and that whatever has been signed in a last-minute rush will count for nothing. This is the Government's big test. It's the chance to prove that what it said about co-governance wasn't just hot air. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's time for our weekly politics catch-up with political scientist, writer, and former deputy leader of The Opportunities Party, or TOP as it was known then, Natalia Albert. Tonight: How much impact will Paul Henry have on Act's electoral fortunes, the politics behind NZ First's attempt to limit voting to citizens and why Labour is still missing in action.