Podcasts about te pati m

Labour's yet to rule potential coalition partners in or out. New Zealand First leader Winston Peters is refusing to work with Chris Hipkins next election, but has not entirely ruled Labour out. On social media, Peters posted a Government of Labour, the Greens, and Te Pati Māori would be a "circus" and a "radical woke show". Hipkins told John MacDonald that they actually ruled out working with Peters before the last election, and he's said since that that's unlikely to change. However, he says potential coalition decisions will be made closer to the election, based on principles and the party's compatibility, rather than the petty personality vendettas that seem to be occupying Peters' time. The Labour Leader is also calling the role of the Minister for the South Island a "PR job." Rangitata MP James Meager picked up the new portfolio in January, alongside Hunting and Fishing, Youth, and Associate Transport. The Prime Minister says he will be a critical voice for the South Island. But Hipkins told MacDonald there would be no need for Meager's role if the Government was actually prioritising the South Island. He says Meager's not doing anything because he has no budget or decision-making ability, and this is just a way of telling the South Island it hasn't been forgotten. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So, Winston has definitively ruled out working with Chris Hipkins. Not Labour, but Hipkins. He had of course already pretty much done this earlier in the year after his State of Nation address, in which called the Labour leadership a bunch of liars and unreformed losers. But this is crystal clear now. He's spoken to Thomas Coughlin at the Herald - it's a firm no, thank you. This is interesting for two reasons. 1) Winston is a political wizard and knows how to read the room and play the game. This is not a random outburst. This is a calculated decision based on the path he thinks will get New Zealand First back to the Treasury benches. By virtue of ruling out Hipkins, assuming he doesn't get rolled and replaced, Winston has reduced his bargaining power. Which is not an outcome a kingmaker takes lightly. The key to his success on the campaign trail has always been as much about what he stands against as what he stands for - immigration and Treaty issues spring to mind. He's decided that in 2026, the punching bag will be a three-headed clown show marriage of the Greens, Labour, and Te Pati Māori. He's read the room and picked his side. In 2023, Winston ruled out Labour before Chippy definitively ruled Winston out. He has yet to do the same for 2026. He's now missed his chance, and any moral high found that went with it. Remember, Hipkins must appeal to a base that despises the anti-woke agenda Winston peddles. This year alone he's labelled him a pale version of Donald Trump, a conspiracy theorist, and spokesman for the tobacco lobby. Hipkins' failure to rule out working with him undermines the high horse he canters around the Parliament. His protestations were sounding a bit hollow. The question for Hipkins this morning: are you willing to rule out working in Winston given he's already done the same to you? Or is there a wee small hope in your head that he might just change his mind and under MMP, an open door is is worth walking through, even if it leads you to the across to the dark side?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Postponement of the Privileges Committee recommendations in Parliament gives National a chance to take the moral high ground. The debate of the suspension recommendations for those who did a haka during the Treaty Principles Bill's vote last year was adjoined after 20 minutes. The Leader of the House Chris Bishop moved the vote until June 5th, to leave this week free for the Budget. Political commentator Brigitte Morten told Ryan Bridge National clearly showed they know how to use the rules of Parliament. She says they've therefore been able to take the high ground and let the Te Pati Māori MPs be there for the Budget. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Government debt is the worst it's been since the 1990s but today, two days out from a Budget designed to fix it, our Parliamentarians be debating a haka. The public largely doesn't care about this stuff. Pocketbook politics always trumps theatrics - except if you're Te Pati Māori. No matter how today's debate over the Privileges Committee report goes, and it could go on for a long time, Te Pati Māori wins. A loss for them in our Westminster system, what we might think of as a sanction or punishment, is to them a badge of honour. Already their well-followed social accounts are beating the drum of discontent. There are some who say that 21 days without pay is too harsh. People are comparing the haka and Debbie's gun gesture to Brooke's C-bomb. They miss an important point. Both the c-bomb and the haka were pre-planned choreographed stunts. The difference between the two is Brooke asked the Clerk in advance of her stunt if she was allowed to use the word. The answer was yes. Te Pati Māori did not. Brooke's stunt did not disrupt a vote being taken in the House. Te Pari Māori's did. Voting is the essence of democracy, where the elected express the views of the electors. It's Parliament's Holy Communion. And nobody's yet said sorry. That doesn't mean the punishment a slim majority of government members voted for is not overly harsh. The Clerk reckons it is. Brownlee clearly reckons it is. The Opposition reckons it is. Does the punishment really fit the crime? Or have standards slipped so badly, the House such a hot mess, that a precedent and a message needs to be sent? The public, largely, doesn't care. The question today is how long will National let this debate drag on with amendments and filibustering before a compromised is reached? Winston and Seymour will be hardliners, of course. As will the Greens and TPM. But for the bigger parties the risk is if you play politics over policy for too long you look childish. The only winners from today's sideshow will be the minnows and, of course, the rest of us. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Parliament's Speaker will hold all the power in today's vote on three Te Pati Māori MPs. The Privileges Committee's proposing 21-day suspensions for the party's leaders, and a seven-day suspension for MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke for their behaviour at last year's Treaty Principles Bill vote. The public gallery will be closed for safety and security reasons. Political Commentator Liam Hehir told Ryan Bridge the punishment is unprecedented but so is the offence. He says the suspension needs to be looked at in the context that these were never before seen actions. Hehir says it's an unusual situation, as the debate technically has no time limit. He says Speaker Gerry Brownlee has the unique ability to regulate how long people speak, tell them if they're repeating themselves and close off debate. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"I've seen some bad times in this house, but this is one of the lowest I've ever seen. When you go to that sort of standard of language, nothing's beneath you after that, is it?" That was Winston Peters yesterday after his coalition colleague, Brooke van Velden, used the c-word in parliament. And I'm with him 100%. He said he was disgusted that the word was said in Parliament, and he was disgusted that the word was used in a newspaper article at the weekend – which is why it came up for discussion yesterday. And the timing of it was interesting, because just hours after the c-bomb went off, it was announced that the co-leaders of Te Pati Māori have been suspended for three weeks, and one of their MPs suspended for a week. This is in relation to them getting out of their seats in Parliament and doing the haka as a protest against David Seymour's Treaty Principles Bill. The part of it that actually got them in strife wasn't the haka, it was the two-finger gun salute given to David Seymour while they were out of their seats. If you were to ask me: “What's worse? The two-finger gun salute in Parliament or an MP using the c-word in Parliament?” I would say that the bad language is way worse. Hands down. And if you were to ask me: “What's worse? MPs doing a haka in Parliament or an MP using the c-word in Parliament?” Same. The bad language is way worse than that too. I'm not defending the Māori Party MPs, because what they did is not the kind of thing I expect in Parliament. At the time, I thought it was a great piece of theatrics, but it's not appropriate. Just like I'm not going to defend Green MP Julie Anne Genter crossing the floor that time to go nuts at Matt Doocey. That didn't meet my expectations of parliamentary behaviour either. Which is why I think that ACT party deputy leader Brooke van Velden has to be hauled over the coals. Even though she, reportedly, had permission from the Clerk of the House. And why I agree with Winston Peters and with Judith Collins who have both been saying since yesterday afternoon that we have reached a new low. That behaviour in Parliament has reached a new low. It's believed that van Velden is the first MP to intentionally use the c-word in the House. This was when she was replying to a question from Labour about the Government's pay equity changes. Or, more to the point, a question referring to the opinion article at the weekend about the pay equity row, where the writer used the c-word. I don't know why Labour even brought it up, when it seems to have been silent about the derogatory nature of the article. I thought the article itself was appalling, but the writer seems to have gotten away with it because her employer is backing her to the hilt. But that doesn't mean that Parliament should turn a blind eye. I wasn't impressed with Speaker Gerry Brownlee's handling of things yesterday. Not once did he interrupt van Velden, only saying afterwards that it might have been better to refrain from using the word. Saying “more discretion” could have been used. The wet bus ticket treatment from the Speaker doesn't give me much hope that standards in Parliament are going to improve. I know people have been saying forever that parliamentarians behave badly but I think Parliament needs to up its game big time. That is where laws are made. Parliament is where we look-to for leadership. And this is probably a bit old school, but Parliament sets the standard for society. Some people say it should reflect society, but I say it should set the benchmark, and our politicians should show us what a civil society looks like. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well, what a to-do. The image of Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters slumped in the House, head in his hands, summed it up really. Brooke van Velden dropped the C-bomb in the house, quoting a Stuff article whose author used the word in criticising the government's decision to amend the pay equity legislation. The coalition's female MPs are angry that Labour MPs, particularly the female MPs, have not condemned the journalist's use of the word, which was used as a derogatory in the article. Judith Collins, head of the Privileges Committee, was on with Mike Hosking this morning, ostensibly to talk about the suspension of three Te Pati Māori MPs for their haka in the House, but during the chat she deplored the decline of standards in the House. “There's a lack of civility now and it's not acceptable, and I feel that the comments of the print journalist in the Sunday Star Times this last Sunday was one of the lowest points I think I've seen in 23 years. That and what happened on the 14th of November in Parliament. It's just the sort of behaviour towards each other that is despicable. So I'd say to Brooke, you know I wouldn't use the word myself, but I did feel that she at least stood up for herself and for all the rest of us, and I am waiting for someone of the left persuasion in our Parliament, one MP, just one, to come out and say it's not okay to attack people just because you don't agree with what they do.” I think she'll be waiting a while. Karen Chhour has been consistently attacked by Labour MPs and Te Pati Māori MPs, really for just for being a Māori woman who has the temerity to be an ACT Party MP. And to be fair, when Jacinda Ardern and her preschool daughter were receiving violent threats —violent sexual threats, some of them very real and credible threats— there wasn't a universal condemnation of the abuse from National and ACT. Certainly Judith Collins, when she was the opposition leader, said she did not want to see Jacinda Ardern threatened when she visited Auckland in 2021 after the three-month lockdown. She said I don't want to see anything happen to the Prime Minister or have her threatened in any way. I think it's not good for our democracy and also it is not right for people to do that to each other, which is true, and good on her for saying that. But at the same time, it's hardly a universal, strident condemnation of the threats that the Prime Minister of the time was getting. We were discussing this before the show, one of our colleagues said politicians need to be better otherwise people will just give up. They'll look at the carry on, they'll read the stories and think I'm not going to vote. I argued that there are House of Representatives – they are us, to borrow a phrase. Abuse of MPs on every level increased in 2022, 98% of them reported receiving some kind of harassment. Women were considerably more likely to face abuse on most counts than male politicians. Abuse increased across 11 of the 12 different mediums, with social media overtaking emails, faxes and letters as the most prominent. That came from us. That's men and women, normally erstwhile, law-abiding, God-fearing people who suddenly became more strident. It was a result of societal factors, of lockdowns, of decisions made that had an enormous impact on people's lives and livelihoods and families. And there will be people who will never forget what happened. It can't be undone. But that all resulted in extremes, in the use of language and the vehemence of our opinions and our tribalism. I had a public Facebook page for years. I think in the in the seven or eight years I had it before Covid, I blocked two people. Once Covid started, I just got rid of it because it's why would you be a sitting duck? When I first heard about the death threats against Jacinda Ardern, I thought, well, who hasn't had them? You know that is not normal. That's not a normal response. The days of Socratic discourse are long gone. So does that mean we have to give up, my colleague asked, that we have no expectations of our MPs? No. But I think before we ask anything of our MPs, we look at ourselves. I was thinking about that this morning. Can I call out the Principles Federation representative and say before you start looking at the government, how about you call out the poor parents who send their kids to school unable to hold a pen and not toilet trained? Whose fault is that? That is the parents. Can I say that? Absolutely I can. Should I mimic her voice while I'm saying that? No, I shouldn't. Talkback's a robust forum. It's a bit like Parliament, people get heat up. We're allowed to have opinions. We should have differing opinions, but before I'm going to ask anything of our MPs, before I ask anything of my fellow journalists, I'll have a look in the mirror and check myself out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

Slam Dunc from S4 Episode 57: We MUST Oppose Congestion Charging! Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/REZILiEmbtg PLUS… New episodes 7pm weekdays! Website: https://www.rova.nz/home/podcasts/duncan-garner---editor-in-chiefInstagram: @DuncanGarnerpodcast TikTok: @DuncanGarnerpodcast

Slam Dunc from S4 Episode 54: Who or What is Skinny's AI Brand Ambassador? Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/y_0OaCb0PCM PLUS… New episodes 7pm weekdays! Website: https://www.rova.nz/home/podcasts/duncan-garner---editor-in-chief. Instagram: @DuncanGarnerpodcast TikTok: @DuncanGarnerpodcast

Today on the show... The hopelessly flawed thinking behind Te Pati Māori's push to pay national superannuation to Māori up to ten years before other New Zealanders. This is why race based funding doesn’t work! And Skinny has launched their new AI Ambassador. It’s a world first and could change advertisements around the world. How does it work? And who or what is this new ambassador? And some Letters to the Editor Website: https://www.rova.nz/home/podcasts/duncan-garner---editor-in-chief. Instagram: @DuncanGarnerpodcast TikTok: @DuncanGarnerpodcast

Politics is rarely quiet in New Zealand, but we’ve seen plenty of upheaval in the last few weeks. Notably, after over a year of protests and thousands of submissions against it, the Treaty Principles Bill has finally been killed off, after being voted down in its second reading in the House yesterday. But things are looking up for the Coalition, with two recent polls firming up support for National, Act and NZ First – even if it remains a tight race between the right and left blocs. Now that trade wars and tariffs have shaken up the global economy, what is the Government going to focus on to keep their re-election hopes alive? And can Labour thrive despite controversies hitting its partners? Today on The Front Page, to talk through the latest in politics, we’re joined by Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls. 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 DanielsSound Engineer: Richard MartinProducer: Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on the show... I break down the latest poll from One News - despite the capitulation by the Greens and Te Pati Māori, this next MMP election looms as a tight one. This poll is one massive warning to National - they will have to fight for this. And Bupa have sent us a statement... and so have the people. Yesterday's episode caused more people to reach out to share their experiences with care homes around New Zealand - Let's dive into it. Plus, some Letter's to the Editor! Website: https://www.rova.nz/home/podcasts/duncan-garner---editor-in-chief. Instagram: @DuncanGarnerpodcast TikTok: @DuncanGarnerpodcast

The Privileges Committee will meet with or without Te Pati Māori. The party's refusing to front up for alleged threatening behaviour towards David Seymour during last year's Haka in the House. Co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi —along with Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke— have all been separately summoned. They say they haven't been allowed to appear together, at a time their lawyer can attend. Constitutional Law Expert Graeme Edgeler told Mike Hosking the committee will meet regardless. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new test for Parliament's processes. Te Pāti Māori MPs are refusing to appear before a Privileges Committee hearing about last year's haka in the House, after being told they can't appear together with their lawyer. Labour MP Peeni Henare appeared before the committee last month, with the committee finding his conduct was disorderly but didn't amount to contempt. He apologised for leaving his seat to perform a haka, but stands by performing it, saying he'd do it again Fellow Labour MP Ginny Andersen told Mike Hosking it will be interesting to see how this plays out. She says Labour believes in taking part in the Privileges Committee process, but this is an issue for Te Pāti Māori and Parliament to navigate. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Te Pati Māori won't attend a Privileges Committee hearing tomorrow - despite being summoned over a haka performed by MPs during reading of the Treaty Principles Bill last year. Te Pati Māori says its request for a joint Party hearing was turned down, and its legal counsel isn't available. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper wonders why the party isn't playing by the rules. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's an old saying in advertising - to be successful you don't sell the sausage, you sell the sizzle. Christopher Luxon may have a great sausage, but he's not selling its sizzle. The Taxpayers' Union-Curia poll released yesterday afternoon had National up 1.7 points to 33.6%, but Labour had moved past it, jumping nearly three points to 34.1%. The Greens fell to 10%, down 3.2 points. ACT went down 2.3 points and Te Pati Māori rose 2.1 points to 6.5%. NZ First went down 1.3 points to 5.1%. So when we translate this number soup into seats in the house, both Labour and National are up three each to 42. The Greens are down four to 12, ACT is down two to 10, NZ First down to to six, Te Pati Māori up two to eight. That would mean the centre left block of Labour, the Greens and Te Pati Māori would have 62 seats to the centre-right's 58 and thus could form a centre-left government. Now, before anyone starts booking a one-way flight to Australia, the only poll that counts is the one on Election Day. And these opinion polls, midway through a government's term, generally show a disgruntlement with the current lot that's in, rather than an overwhelming desire to see the other lot take over. But this is the third poll, in a row, that puts the opposition ahead. And you might know, and I might know that the government's doing a good job of trying to re-establish some semblance of fiscal propriety, that they're redrawing boundaries about what is and what isn't acceptable behaviour within a decent society, and they've taken the first steps towards restoring a world class education system. But you and I also know that we live in a democracy and every vote counts. The lady who called in and wanted taxpayers to buy everyone a house and a car because that would give them a sense of belonging —she wasn't quite sure how to pay for it, but she thought it would be cheaper in the long run than jail terms— her vote counts the same as yours. There is no denying that the three-headed coalition beast makes it difficult to govern. The Treaty Principles Bill has been a divisive distraction, the bloody school lunches are yet another Labour well-intentioned, misguided initiative that has become this government's problem. People still aren't feeling better off, and they're still waiting a long time for a hip replacement. Dissatisfaction, disgruntlement, disengagement, that's all part of the midterm blues. Speaking to the Herald, Christopher Luxon said New Zealanders are going to have an opportunity in 2026, which is not that far away, to make a decision around Chris Hipkins or myself, he said, and our respective governments. My job is to make sure New Zealanders see that they're better off under my Government, we've come through a very tough time, there are some green shoots that we're really encouraged about on the economy ultimately, he said, New Zealanders are going to judge me at the election in 2026 as to whether we've delivered for them on rebuilding the economy, restoring law and order, delivering better health and education. So do you agree that this is the government not being able to sell its sizzle. The sausage is there, but without the sizzle there will be no successful selling story. I could understand why some within National could feel brassed off. We've got the policies, the building bricks, the foundations, to get New Zealand cracking again and that will better everybody. But if people don't believe that, if they don't believe the message, then they go to vote Labour and we're going to get a centre-left government.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Opposition's sharpening its knives, as MPs continue to call out the Government over its school lunches programme. Labour, the Greens and Te Pati Māori weren't pulling their punches in the House today, taking aim time and time again over the issue. Education Minister Erica Stanford has called on David Seymour to explain some of the scheme's shortfalls. Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls says Seymour was noticeably absent from today's meeting in the House. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yesterday Andrew Bayly, the former Commerce and ACC Minister, revealed he had resigned from his ministerial portfolios on Friday night after grabbing a staffers upper arm during a discussion that's been described as “lively”. It comes after a messy public relations failure in October, when it was revealed Bayly had repeatedly called a worker a loser during a visit to a South Island business. He apologised and kept the job, but this was one step too far. The Prime Minister told Mike Hosking he relied on Andrew Bayly to do the right thing, and he did: “Look, honestly, he was doing a very good job making good contributions in two very technical portfolios. I'm sure Scott Simpson will carry that on. But look, the reality is you've got to have some standards, Mike. And you know, I watched the last lot go through a series of Ministers and it wasn't either clear... It was clear in this case and, and importantly, he recognised that he had met his own standards and that's his decision, so I respect that.” There's a lot of people complaining that Andrew Bailey shouldn't have had to go, shouldn't have felt that he had to go, but I can't imagine a situation where I would be touched by my boss during a lively discussion – and we have plenty of them. I cannot imagine him grabbing my arm and saying listen, you're wrong. We have very lively discussions with lots of argy bargy and neither of us hold back, none of us within the conversation hold back. I just can't imagine a situation where I would be held by the arm as a way of stressing the importance of the point that I was making. If my boss ever did, I can't imagine calling for his head. I'd say ‘get your bloody hands off me' or something like that. But if the employee didn't like Bayly and found them difficult to work with, then the former minister gave him an absolute sitter of an opportunity to get rid of him. So Bayly's gone from cabinet, but not from his electoral seat. The leader of the opposition is crowing. Chris Hipkins has accused the Pime Minister of handling the situation poorly, sitting on the information for two days before doing anything about it. Then, having Andrew Bayly himself resigned, not telling the public about it for several more days, then sneaking out before jumping on a plane to escape overseas. Chris Hipkins own words. He added “I think people will see that for what it is”. Nicola Willis, on the other hand, says it's about showing humanity, allowing Bayly to tell his family and come to terms with his professional demise before it became the public fodder it has become. Look, it's just politics. National certainly uses the departure of successive Labour ministers to point to Labour's lack of credentials to govern. There were a lot of them. Iain Lees-Galloway and on we went. Stuart Nash, Meka Whaitiri resigned to go to Te Pati Māori, Kiri Allan – there were a lot of ministers whose careers ended up being in the toilet. So what's good for the goose is good for the gander and all that. If National can make hay whilst in opposition as Labour ministers came and went, then when they're in opposition, they can do the same when National ministers are doing much the same. I really think the hoo-ha about a couple of days is neither here nor there. I don't know what the fuss is about that. Darleen Tana was suspended from Parliament on the 14th of March. She was finally got rid of on the 22nd of October, all while drawing her parliamentary salary. Two or three days I can live with, but Andrew Bayly, I'm sorry, did have to go. Parliament has had a history of being a toxic workplace and you can't have a minister being a part of that if you want to change the culture. For those complaining it's a sign of wokeness and an overreaction, really? I don't recall anybody saying that when Labour ministers were in strife. And I really don't think laying hands on staffers is considered acceptable business practice in this day and age. He had to go, and he has. End of story.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I don't think this counts as breaking news, does it? An inquiry ordered by the Prime Minister has identified significant failures with public agencies' protection of New Zealanders' personal information and management of conflict of interests. The investigation, which focused on public agencies actions, was sparked by allegations last year that data provided to health and social services providers at Manurewa Marae for the census and for Covid-19 vaccinations was misused. Those murmurings were rumbling for some time before the investigation was sparked. It was claimed personal information was improperly used to favour Te Pati Māori and the Māori electorate of Tamaki Makaurau. The allegations have been denied, but the Government wanted assurances that Kiwis' data had been properly safeguarded. Spoiler alert, it wasn't. Among the findings of the report is that the Ministry of Health and Health New Zealand did not have control over data once it was downloaded by providers, had no means for ensuring providers were meeting contractual expectations, and had no safeguards for managing potential conflicts of interest. This really doesn't come as any surprise to me at all. Stats New Zealand was found to have insufficient arrangements to protect the shared data. The findings are so serious for Stats NZ that chief executive Mark Sowden has fallen on his sword and will leave at the end of his current term, something public services Commissioner Sir Brian Roche says is the right thing to do. Waipareira Trust chief executive and president of Te Pati Māori John Tamihere on the other hand, is defending the use of data at Manurewa Marae, saying there's no evidence of any wrongdoing. He says they're being targeted for being Māori, a Māori organisation attracting extra scrutiny over suspicions that Māori were somehow crooked. He said whistle blowers had not been able to provide evidence that data was actually misused. He said every political party used data and Waipareira Trust, which had existed for 40 years, had built up huge data sets. He denied that the census data from government agencies that had been shared with the Manurewa Marae was then handed over to Te Pati Māori. Labour leader Chris Hipkins on Three News last night seemed to suggest that he himself had raised eyebrows but would wait the findings of the police investigation. “I've certainly felt that the election in that seat was unfair and the result in that seat was unfair. I think the fact that our polling booth was held at the Manurewa Marae with very active Māori party presence really did draw into question the result there. It was such a close result.” Just to remind you of the result in the electorate of Tamaki Makaurau, Maurewa Marae CEO and Te Pāti Māori's representative Takutai Tarsh Kemp took the seat from Labour's Peeni Henare by four votes, just four. On recount, that went to 42 votes, because naturally, Peeni Henare said “I've held that seat since 2014. I find it very hard to believe I could have lost it. Oh, hang on a minute, no I don't.” Should there be a by-election? If Te Pati Māori believes they won the seat fair and square, that Labour was being rolled in plenty of other long held seats, would their member be willing to put it to the test in a by-election? Where there's absolutely no hint of wrongdoing on behalf of her party, that here we are fair and square, let's go mano o mano, go head-to-head and let's see who wins at this time. I mean, I suppose the horses bolted. If the data has been misused, and at the moment there are no individuals you can point the didgeridoo at and say they misused that information, but there is a police investigation ongoing. There is no clear evidence that could go before a court, that the data was misused. But if it looks like a rat, smells like a rat, and it's got a long tail like a rat, it does make you raise your eyebrows. You need a definitive answer: was the data misused or not? At the moment we have suspicions, we have rumblings. And while those rumblings continue, then it puts the whole judicial process and the whole electoral process in doubt. I mean, you look at the CEO of Manurewa Marae winning the seat and you think really, did she? Was it fair and square? I don't know. Labour was being rolled left, right and centre. She might just have got lucky. I smell rats. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Kiwiblog contributor and Curia pollster David Farrar and former Labour Chief of Staff Mike Munro joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! The Government has announced some new measures designed to create more competition in the supermarket sector. Do we think this problem can be solved? Does New Zealand need a third operator? The cost of car insurance is going up so much that more owners are looking into third-party insurers to save money. Should we be concerned? Is there a risk more people will ditch insurance altogether? Te Pati Māori's Tākuta Ferris apologised for misleading the House - and delivered the apology in Te Reo. Minister Shane Jones has fired back already - what do we make of this? US President Donald Trump has had discussions with Putin about potentially ending the war in Ukraine - do we think this can work? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two new political polls out show Labour, the Greens and Te Pati Māori would have enough support to form the next government, should an election be held tomorrow, while also suggesting more people believe the country's headed in the wrong direction. The latest 1News-Verian poll found support had dipped for the coalition government who could only muster 60 seats in Parliament, not enough to meet the 61-seat majority required. A combination, however, of Labour, the Greens and Te Pati Māori did reach the 61-seat threshold. And that follows a Taxpayers' Union-Curia poll that also found the left bloc could form a government. Does that mean that you and I, that New Zealanders, want to see a government installed tomorrow comprised of Labour, the Greens and Te Pati Māori? I don't believe so. I think what the polls are telling us is that people want to see action, they want to see results. Like kids in the back of the car on a long, hot summer roadie, we want to know if we're there yet. For those with mortgages and children and businesses to run, it has been a long, tough three years. We're tired of scrimping. We're tired of barely getting by and making do. We're tired of having a knot of tension constantly in our stomachs that comes from living so precariously. The Prime Minister keeps telling us economic growth is the key to turning things around. We're going as fast as we can. But things are changing, things are going to get better. Just like Dad driving the car, he's sick of telling us that yes, we're nearly there but we've still got a nasty, windy bit to come. For God's sake, kids. I'm going as bloody fast as I can, as safely as I can. And what thanks does he get from the whining kids in the back? None. National issued a pledge card in the lead up to the ‘23 election. Lower inflation and grow the economy. Check and in progress. Tax cuts. Check. Build new roads. Yep. Tackle gangs, introduce boot camps. Yep. Lift school achievement. Well TBC but certainly making the right noises and going in the right direction with the new school curriculum. Cut health waiting times, give Kiwis access to more cancer treatments. Don't know about the waiting times, but the new cancer treatments have been signed off. Support seniors and deliver net zero by 2025. So far on track. And Luxon can say for heaven's sake, people, I'm doing the best I can, I'm doing what I said I would do. But then we have all the distractions and the simmering resentments. The Treaty Principles Bill, that ferry debacle, I mean, we used to give Labour gyp for announcements of announcements – that was the king of all announcements of announcements. We've got David Seymour and then we've got the platitudes from the Prime Minister. I don't know how many times he can say I get it, it's tough, I hear you, we're working on it, we've got a really good discussion group coming. Then you see Trump come into office and then with a couple of hours, he does what we wanted the new government to do. They still haven't done it and it's been over a year – Trump does it in a matter of hours. And so we grizzle. And so we moan like the kids in the back of the car. And the Prime Minister, dad the driver, seethes with resentment. I'm going as fast as I can and it'll be great when we get there, you ungrateful wretches. And in the meantime, the opposition parties, who if I'm going to stretch the analogy even further, are the hoons in the lane outside of us, in their unregistered car, not licensed to drive. They toot the horn, give us the fingers and think I wonder when those kids will want to get in the car with us. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two new polls show a shift in the political mood - but National's Nicola Willis isn't too worried about these results. Both the Taxpayers' Union-Curia poll and the 1 News Verian poll - out today - show Labour, the Greens and Te Pati Māori would have the seats to form a Government. Both also have Chris Luxon losing support in the preferred Prime Minister stakes. But Willis says polls move around - pointing out that there are differences between today's two. "Overall, the message that I'm hearing very loudly from New Zealand is - they've been though a tough time economically and they really want to see us focused on making them and their family feel more financially secure, and that's what we're doing." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two new polls show a shift in the political mood - but National's Nicola Willis isn't too worried about these results. Both the Taxpayers' Union-Curia poll and the 1 News Verian poll - out today - show Labour, the Greens and Te Pati Māori would have the seats to form a Government. Both also have Chris Luxon losing support in the preferred Prime Minister stakes. But Willis says polls move around - pointing out that there are differences between today's two. "Overall, the message that I'm hearing very loudly from New Zealand is - they've been though a tough time economically and they really want to see us focused on making them and their family feel more financially secure, and that's what we're doing." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, broadcaster Mark Sainsbury and Ali Jones from Red PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! We're into week one of Parliament for 2025 - and it's been a big week for race issues. Shane Jones made some questionable comments about Green MP Ricardo Menéndez March and Te Pati Māori is claiming Karen Chhour doesn't get the 'essence of being Māori'. What do we make of all this? There's been some teething issues for the revamped school lunch programme - do we see things turning around? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Auckland Councillor Maurice Williamson and Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! The Government is set to bump up some of the speed limits that were reduced under their Labour predecessors. Is this a good call? What do we make of the newest White House Press Secretary? A true Gen Z - she's looking to open the press credentials to bloggers, podcasters and even influencers. What do we think? It's been a big week in Parliament, with one Te Pati Māori MP accusing Karen Chhour of not understanding the 'essence of being Maori'. How bad does this look? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rotorua's mayor says cracking down on illegal trolley use is not an attack on homeless people. Police launched Operation Trolley last week, after complaints homeless people with shopping carts were intimidating the public. Officers arrested 13 people, gave out 19 trespass notices and returned 45 trolleys to stores. Te Pati Māori has called it an attack on impoverished people, but mayor Tania Tapsell says that's ridiculous. "We are incredibly grateful for the police actioning this - and we've tried a lot as a council. By the way, that cost us $5000 per month when we were trying to fix it up." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While The Front Page is on summer break, we’re taking a look back at some of the biggest news stories and top-rated episodes from the podcast in 2024. The 2023 general election was a battle between the two Chrises – Labour's Chris Hipkins, and National’s Christopher Luxon. It was a battle that Luxon ended up winning, thanks to the support of two coalition partners in Act and NZ First. But it’s a match-up that currently looks set to be repeated next year, with Hipkins sticking around as Labour’s leader – and showing no signs of stepping aside. That’s likely because the polls between the coalition and Labour, the Greens and Te Pati Māori remain pretty evenly split. At the end of 2024, we caught up with both leaders a week apart for a wrap of the year. New episodes return January 13th. Host: Chelsea Daniels Audio Engineers: Richard Martin Executive Producer: Ethan Sills See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The COO of Bluesky is Rose Wang who joins us tonight in a pre-recorded interview about the world of social media and how Bluesky is taking a huge chunk of the market place right now. In her first NZ interview, Rose Wang shares what's happening day to day in the Bluesky office. Christopher Luxon spoke with Stuff/Three News on Friday in a sit down interview where he wouldn't commit to keeping military style weapons out of the hands of NZers, says the negotiation with ACT over the Treaty Principles Bill could not have been negotiated any better and that Military academies are not going to lead to abuse and even being asked that is offensive. TVNZ's last poll of the year...we'll lower our standards tonight just to see what's happening in the polls and in a word it's te Pati Māori riding high. EV sales drop. This time last year, more than 17,000 new battery powered EVs had been sold. However, just 5519 had sold to the end of November 2024. ================================= Come support the work we're doing by becoming a Patron of ⁠⁠#BHN⁠⁠ www.patreon.com/BigHairyNews⁠ ================================= Merch available at www.BHNShop.nz Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/BigHairyNews Follow us on Twitter. @patbrittenden @Chewie_NZ Follow us on Bluesky Pat @patbrittenden.bsky.social Chewie @chewienz.bsky.social Emily @iamprettyawesome.bsky.social Magenta @xkaosmagex.bsky.social

The Electoral Commission admits a polling booth shouldn't have operated at a Marae run by a candidate. The Public Service Commission is investigating claims Manurewa Marae misused Census data for Te Pati Māori's election campaign. Its winning candidate for the Tamaki Makaurau electorate - Takutai Tarsh Kemp - was Marae chief executive at the time. Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls unpacks the controversy further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Labour Party wrapped up its conference yesterday, was a big deal because it was the first time the members had got together since losing the election last year. And if you listen to Andrew Little and Chris Hipkins with Mike this morning, you would hear from them that the conference went very well, the party is in good heart and Chris Hipkins is going to lead the Labour Party to victory in 2026. Will he be able to do that based on the promises he made at the conference? This was Chris Hipkins talking to Mike Hosking on the Mike Hosking Breakfast this morning: CH: I think AUKUS ultimately is a nuclear submarine pact, if you look at Pillar 2 of AUKUS it's not something that we think is going to be in New Zealand's best interest to be involved with and you know ultimately we've made the decision that New Zealand's best interests will be best be served through our existing international arrangement, including things like the five country partnership that we have (Five Eyes) and any access to things like new technology should come through that avenue not the AUKUS arrangement. MH: Dunedin Hospital – to what extent will you build it no matter what the bill? CH: We said that we'll build it to the specification that we agreed to at the last election or before the last. MH: No matter what the cost? CH: Well, I mean, bearing in mind that the current government before the election was saying we're going to build a hospital that was even bigger than the one that we were committing to. MH: Yeah, but forget that, this is your promise, at no matter what cost, you were, whatever it was going to be specification-wise, you will pay that bill. CH: We will build a hospital to the spec that we had agreed to before the last election, that's right. So that's pretty much at whatever cost. So, what did you make of it? If you were one of those who are middle-of-the-road voters, you'll go where the policies are, you're not absolutely tribal, you're one of the 30 percenters – you'll go if you think that there is a vision that party has, be they Labour or National. If you like the cut of the leaders jib, if you find policies that resonate with you, you can swap your vote between blue and red. So among the promises: Labour will build the new Dunedin hospital as you heard. Pledge to keep New Zealand out of AUKUS, announced Kieran McAnulty as the party's 2026 campaign chairman. Good idea keeping him close. And promised a publicly owned InterIsland ferry connection, including some form of rail transport. Is that enough to turn dissatisfied Labour and centrist voters away from National and NZ First and towards Labour? I wouldn't have thought so, but I would say I wouldn't have thought so yet. We all know that parties seldom give away their big policies two years before an election, so it is very early days. But there's going to have to be a little bit more forward-thinking than what they came up with at the conference. Willie Jackson when he spoke, criticised the coalition leaders for their respective roles in the Treaty bill. But he did say that there needs to be, an appeal to middle New Zealand. He said that the Labour Party conferencegoers had to remind their friends and fellow members that Labour was not under the influence of the Māori Party. He said working-class Labour values are to work together, not just for one's own interests, but everybody's interests. He said a middle-class New Zealand would support some policies from the Greens and Te Pati Māori, but they'd never agree he said about a Māori Parliament. He said we need to have Māori and Pakeha and middle New Zealand together with us so we can be the next government. Which is remarkably conciliatory for Willie Jackson, I think you'll agree. So they understand they need to appeal to the middle, they need to appeal to that 30 percent, those people that will switch where they see the best policies for New Zealand or for themselves where they see the most sensible and capable members of Parliament will be. And hopefully though, the issue of who is going to lead the Labour Party to the next election is done and dusted. Because we do not want to see a repeat of the David Shearer, David Cunliffe, Andrew Little, Jacinda Ardern shenanigans. Because it still blows me away that Chris Hipkins said, yeah, we weren't really ready for Parliament. After nine years in opposition you're not ready to be in Parliament? What were we paying for? Why were we funding your wages? If you're going to use all of your taxpayer-funded salaries to faff around and spend the time trying to find a leader that is not money well spent, that is not a good return on investment for the taxpayer. So if what they're going to be doing is looking at flaws in the Coalition Government's plan for New Zealand and coming up with a better alternative, if they're looking at bold, innovative ways to grow the economy, to protect vulnerable New Zealanders, to create a more robust health system, great. But if all you're doing is faffing around doing third-form schoolyard politics to choose your leader, that is not a good return on investment. So, so far so good. Chris Hipkins said well, yes, I might be tainted by the last regime, but hey, I'm here for the long haul, I'm basically the best guy for the job, prove otherwise. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shane Jones says Parliament's standards are slipping. The New Zealand First MP and David Seymour have both asked Speaker Gerry Brownlee to consider changes in light of Te Pati Māori's haka in the House last week. Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke was 'named', suspended for a day, and had her pay docked for a day. Jones told Mike Hosking the penalties have historically worked, but we live in a world of Tik Tok now. He says we live in a world where, as a consequence of Jacinda Ardern and Trevor Mallard, the rules have been inverted. “I mean, what the hell's happening to New Zealand?” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister says there needs to be rules in Parliament to ensure there's debate about difficult issues, without it degenerating into chaos. Speaker Gerry Brownlee's confirmed he's received complaints about Te Pati Māori's haka in the House last week. David Seymour and Shane Jones have both asked him to consider changes. Christopher Luxon told Mike Hosking there has to be respect for rules. “You've got to be able to have proper conversations in a Parliament without it just degenerating into, you know, fisticuffs,” he said. “We just don't need any of that.” He also believes just 'a piece' of the mass Hikoi was focused on the Government as a whole, rather than just the Treaty Principles Bill. Police estimate around 42 thousand people joined yesterday's Hikoi, making it one of the largest protests to ever take place in the capital. A large number of signs called out David Seymour, the architect of the Bill, by name. Luxon told Hosking it seemed to be pretty focused on the Bill. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins says he had no problem with Te Pati Māori's haka in the House last week, during the vote on ACT's Treaty Principle Bill. David Seymour, the National Party, and Shane Jones have written to Speaker Gerry Brownlee. They say the Speaker should oversee rule changes at Parliament in light of the disruption. Hipkins told John MacDonald it's worth instead looking at Winston Peters, who he describes as one of the worst-behaved MPs. He says it's wonderful Jones and Seymour have appointed themselves Parliament's hall monitors, but they could lead by example and speak to their own leaders. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are calls for Parliament's Speaker to dish out harsher punishments for things like Te Pati Māori's haka in the House. Speaker Gerry Brownlee's confirmed he's received complaints. David Seymour and Shane Jones have both asked him to consider changes. Former Speaker Sir Lockwood Smith told Ryan Bridge that in recent years, in consultation with the Speaker, iwi present at Treaty Settlements have been able to perform a haka or waiata. He says there's no reason that can't happen, but it can't just be dumped on the House. LISTEN ABOVE See 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.

The Treaty Principles Bill has passed its first reading in Parliament. The first reading was filled with interjections and heckling by Opposition MPs before the vote was cast. Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

A former Parliamentary Speaker says standards of the House have slipped in recent years. During debate around ACT's Treaty Principles Bill, Labour's Willie Jackson called David Seymour a liar, while Te Pati Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi compared the party to the KKK. Former Speaker of the House, Sir Lockwood Smith told Mike Hosking that this is “as bad as he's ever seen the House”. He said it was “really sad” to see Parliament. “The whole standard of the place has been lowered in recent years. “Once you start letting it slip, another inch happens, another centimetre.” Smith argued standards had been slipping in the house for a while. “Parliament is meant to be where people we chose to represent us… they are meant to be the leaders of our communities. “Parliament is the highest court in the land, our most respected citizens.” Smith said Brownlee should not be blamed and he had “no choice” but to clear the House. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Te Pati Māori MP has been suspended from Parliament for kicking off a deafening haka in protest of the Treaty Principles Bill. Opposition MPs and people in the public gallery joined in, interrupting a vote on the legislation and forcing the Speaker to clear the House. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says today's events were a mess. "I've never seen anything like it in more than 40 years of covering Parliament - the Speaker lost control, by no fault of his own." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's been much political play made around outside organisations having the potential to use violence on at risk kids. And really, it's entirely the fault of inexperienced politicians in the Coalition Government that Labour and Te Pati Māori have got any traction on this at all. The PMs ‘I know nothing, I know nothing', when he was questioned about this yesterday on the Mike Hosking Breakfast, the refusal to answer questions on a leaked document, it just makes a vacuum which the opposition can fill with accusations of ‘violence'. In the leaked document, Children's Minister Karen Chhour warns the use of force and detention powers by Oranga Tamariki and third-party staff may be viewed as increasing the potential risk of abuse in custody, particularly in light of historic abuse experienced by children and young people in similar programs reported in the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care report. You bet your bippy it was viewed as increasing the potential risk of abuse. Labour and Te Pati Māori were in their boots and all. However, this morning the Minister for Children clarified on the Mike Hosking Breakfast that restraints are standard operating procedure in any institution, and organisations needed to have those powers outside of the institutions, hence the need to amend the legislation. “Force can be used but only under very strict conditions, and we have regulations to protect that. I would be saying we would use restraints if a child was going to abscond or was going to hurt themselves or hurt somebody else. That already currently happens within certain facilities. The fact of the matter is, if we are going to give these kids a shot, if we are going to give these young people a chance, we have to have the ability to actually put a little bit of trust in them and be able to do things outside of the residence, but we also have to keep ourselves safe while doing that.” Right. So the explanation, as it was finally given, is that the legislation has to be amended because at the moment, and this happened under Labour as well, it happened under any administration, you are able to use restraints for the good of the individual to prevent harm happening to them, and for good of the staff and anybody else that might be in their way. So, if you're going to protect people from the young offender, protect the young offender from themselves, you can use restraint. That has been abused in the past, absolutely, but these children, these at-risk youth would not be there if they didn't already know exactly what violence looked like from a very early age. They have come from horribly dysfunctional homes. They've learnt that violence is the answer, that if there's a question, violence is the answer. Not all of them, but many of them. Even with the use of restraints by staff, I would venture to suggest they're still safer there than some of their homes. Where restraint is not a word, they could either spell or act on. So if you are going to trust the young people to be able to go out into the community, to try and show them that there is another way of living and being, there has to be a safety net around them and around the people they encounter. To do that you need to amend legislation. I do not know what's so hard about that. What's so hard about explaining that? The coalition government got themselves in a complete tangle allowing Labour and Te Pati Māori headlines, allowed them to make political capital because of their own fumbling communications. I think most of us, we understand that if you want to be able to bring at-risk kids out into the community to work or to participate in community activities, there needs to be some measure by which they can be kept safe in the community can too. The use of restraints will be measured and monitored, and if it is abused then all hell breaks loose. Hopefully, the days that saw so many children's lives effectively destroyed under state care are gone because the light has been shone into the dark corners. It doesn't mean there will never ever need to be a use of restraint ever again, but it has to be monitored, it has to be seen. And I think that's what we've got here. All that's going to happen is that the kids will be kept safe, the community will be kept safe within the institutions and outside of them. And if anybody oversteps the mark, by crikey, they will be barbecued, spit-roasted and that's the way it will be. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It seems that when one political scandal ends, another one rises to take its place.  This week, the Green Party ended the saga that has dominated 2024 for them, with MP Darleen Tana formally removed as an MP in the first usage of the Waka Jumping Bill.   As Chloe Swarbrick and her party look to the future, it's now National's turn to deal with an unneeded diversion, after Minister Andrew Bayly was accused of abusing a member of the public at a business event.  And at the same, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters has engaged in a war of words with Te Pati Māori and the Labour Party.   So, to make sense of the latest political ups and downs, today on The Front Page, we're joined by Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent, Barry Soper.   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 DanielsSound Engineer: Dan GoodwinProducer: Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A and broadcaster Mark Sainsbury joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Are the Commonwealth Games done for good? Glasgow has offered to step in and host a scaled-down version of the games after Victoria pulled out of hosting. Is this a sign of the end?  Oji Fibre Solutions is set to close its doors the week before Christmas - cutting 75 jobs. Is this a sign the economy's changing? Amazon is the latest corporate giant to call its staff back to the office for full five-day work weeks again. Is it time we made this a rule for public servants as well? Why doesn't Prime Minister Chris Luxon want to come on Q&A? ACT has also refused to front up on Morning Report and Te Pati Māori won't talk to NZME - is this the right move? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Let's talk politics, specifically the latest Taxpayers Union Curia poll. It showed a firming up of support for the Coalition Government and the parties that make that up, but Labour leader Chris Hipkins has lost support as preferred Prime Minister and the party is languishing. The party vote changes were all within the margin of error in this latest poll, but the preferred prime minister stakes saw Chris Hipkins dropping 6.1 percentage points.   When you compare the previous Taxpayers Union Curia poll, which was in July, two months prior, so comparing apples with apples, National was up 1.4% to 39. Labour was 25.9%, that was up 0.8, but 25.9% is nothing to crow about. The Greens finally saw some downward movement after all their goings on, they seemed to be absolutely Teflon coated, but finally saw some movement down 1.5 on 11%. ACT, 8.8% around about what they got on election night, NZ First, 6.8%. Te Pati Māori 5%, up 1.5.   Now parties do have a hard time after a trouncing in a general election and they generally look to the to the leader as the sacrificial lamb. Get rid of the leader, sacrifice them to the political gods, we can start afresh and we haven't got the bad juju from the previous election. Look at National – they had five leaders in five years before settling on Christopher Luxon. Labour after the Helen Clark years saw Phil Goff, David Shearer, David Cunliffe, Andrew Little, then finally Jacinda Ardern. Andrew Little made the call to resign just seven weeks out from the 2017 election, and history will reflect that Little's call was one of New Zealand political leadership's gutsiest. Cunliffe, Shearer and Little all went when the polls fell too low for comfort, and that was around the 24 to 25% mark.   So here we've got Labour sitting on 26%, that is dangerously close to the knives being sharpened. Again, I think the only thing that's saving him is what saved previous political leaders from both parties: the fact that there is no obvious choice to replace him. When the party's been decimated and all the pretenders to the throne have been turfed out of office, your options are few. Chris Hipkins, when I spoke to him a couple of weeks ago was all Chipper Chippy.    “So you will be leader leading Labour into the next election against Christopher Luxon?” “Absolutely.”  Yep, absolutely. He was confident on-air. He was confident off-air. Looking forward to it. Had a big think, have I got in in me? Yes I have. Didn't really get a chance to do what I wanted to do when I took over from Jacinda Ardern.  She said I can't do it, I said, well, I will, and I'll take us up to the election. Not really me, he said. It wasn't really my party. There was a lot of Sergeant Schultz, I see nothing, wasn't me, didn't do it. But he was there all the way through the last Labour administrations regime, he was there front and centre. So, he might not have been Prime Minister, but he certainly was a key figure in that administration.   He may be the obvious choice at the moment, but is he ever going to be able to lead Labour back to victory? There is a strong core of electors who don't want a centre right Coalition Government. You know you've got a good block of Greens and Labour and Te Pati Māori, and then you've got the swinging voters, those in the middle, those who voted National last time but could be persuaded. Is Chris Hipkins the man to galvanise those voters or is he yesterday's man? Too much associated with the past, with the Covid years? There were some die hards who say they saved lives, who will think that by being there his reputations enhanced. I think the majority say no. When you look at him you see the Covid years, you see enormous waste of taxpayer money.   When he said, oh yes, we want to borrow more and tax more, I almost fell off my chair. You seriously expect the electorate to trust you with more money? You have got to be kidding. So, 24-25% is when the previous Labour leaders have been goneburger, have been asked to look at other options within the job market, perhaps their talents could be better served elsewhere. Labour's on 26%. Is Chris Hipkins the man to lead Labour into the next election or does he need to make room for new ideas, fresh ideas, a new Labour leader?   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To use a Love Island-ism, it looks like Chris Luxon appears to have been a slow burn on the nation since being sworn in as our Prime Minister in late November – but if the latest 1News-Verian poll is anything to go by, we appear to be warming to the man and his leadership.    The poll shows numbers for the governing parties remained largely unchanged, National remains steady on 38%, ACT remained steady on 7%, and NZ First remains steady on 6%.  Labour is up 1 on 30%, and Te Pati Māori is up 1 on 4%. The Greens dropped 2 points to 11%.    But the most interesting thing about this poll was the result for preferred Prime Minister. Christopher Luxon's is up 5 percentage points to 28% in the rankings. Green co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick and NZ First leader Winston Peters also saw small increases.   At the beginning of October last year Christopher Luxon was sitting at 26%, but in the last two 1News-Verian polls, he had dropped to 23% in the preferred Prime Minister stakes.   While the Prime Minister “doesn't read too” much into polls, I imagine the National Party and Luxon will be quietly happy with the movement in this poll.    So, what does this say about where we are at? If you are a small or medium-sized business owner, do you feel like the country is at a turning point? Business Confidence in New Zealand increased to 27.10 points in July from 6.10 points in June of 2024. Is this down to the leadership you're seeing?    While there was an appetite for change at the last election, the polls have revealed mixed feelings towards the coalition and the preferred Prime Minister stakes.    I would suggest that many of us are still viewing the economy and the direction of the country with a sense of caution. It feels like the ship has steadied somewhat, and that is what is being reflected in the poll.    In our household, we're still very conscious of our spending. Notification of cost increases seem to be arriving in our inboxes monthly, so while tax cuts are appreciated, seeing the OCR final drop is a relief, and hearing the Government address overspending within government departments, it feels like we're paused rather than moving forward at a great rate.    It's worth noting this poll was taken before the OCR was lowered last week, I wonder if you take that into consideration and a few more pay cycles with the tax cut, will they make even more of a difference in the next poll?   How do you read this poll? Does it reflect how hopeful we are and changing times or is it more about an increase in confidence in the Prime Minister, his leadership and the way he is managing the coalition? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloody hell. If there is anyone who is entitled to go on a little light trauma induced shoplifting spree, it would be ACT MP Karen Chhour. For those who don't know her background, Karen grew up in the state care system. She was elected to parliament as an ACT Party MP in 2020 with the goal of reforming Oranga Tamariki, having seen rather more of it than most of us have. Before politics, she was self-employed in the New Zealand made clothing industry. She's a mother of four and she's lived on Auckland's North Shore for the past 30 years. So just the sort of person you'd like to see in Parliament: life experience, lived experience, a mum, firm stake in the future of the country for her children, self-employed, hard worker. Exactly the sort of person you'd like to see.   Well, we'd like to see. If you're a Māori Labour MP or a member of Te Pati Māori, oh no, you don't want Karen Chhour in Parliament. Because she might be Māori, but she's not the right sort of Māori, is she? For those people, it's not enough to whakapapa back. You have to be their sort of Māori. Which means that although we have a record number of Māori who have been elected to this Parliament on their merits, most of them got there because they were the best person for the job. There are 33 MPs of Māori descent across all of the six parties. Nine in Labour. Six in Te Pati Māori, six in the Greens, five in National, four in New Zealand First, three in ACT.  You would have to say that's a really good representation across all political viewpoints. But no. To the ones on the left, the ones on the right of the political spectrum do not count. They are simply not the right sort of Māori. And no one, it appears, is more wrong than Karen Chhour.   Former Labour Deputy Leader, the late and unlamented Kelvin Davis said in 2022, Chhour needs to leave her “Pākehā world” and stop looking at the world through a “vanilla lens”. Willie Jackson urged her to cross the bridge, to come over from the Pākehā to the Māori. Labour MP Willow Jean Prime called her a “sellout” during the first reading of the Oranga Tamariki Amendment bill. A comment on social media from Te Pati Māori said Chhour had a “disconnection and disdain for her people”. “If it was done right, she would have been raised mildly, should have been raised being connected to her whakapapa and having a knowingness of her Māori tongue. Instead, she was raised Pākehā with a disconnection and disdain for her people”. “Karen and her experience is exactly why we need Section 7 AA”. Later, a Te Pati Māori MP said Chhour had been made a puppet by her party. What a pack of righteous offensive bigots. No wonder Karen Chhour is feeling under siege.   “I can't control what the public is saying about my personal traits around being Māori enough or not being the right kind of traumatised person. Hearing it from other MP's that shouldn't be allowed. I'm still a person. I'm still a person and I feel like I'm getting that stripped away from me day by day in this place. I've had enough. I asked for an apology, that's all I wanted, and I didn't get one, and that is so disrespectful.”  Yeah, it is. It's disrespectful and it's offensive. And will Speaker of the House Gerry Brownlee do anything about it? Nope. He's not going to go down as one of the all-time greats, is he? ACT Party leader David Seymour says the speaker appears to be giving a green light to racial harassment in Parliament.   So what is Māori enough? Is Dr. Shane Reti Māori enough? Good luck telling Shane Jones he's not Māori enough. James Meager gave a great maiden speech... oh, he's National, so he probably doesn't count. He is Māori, but on the right of the political spectrum, so probably not Māori enough. He said the left do not own Māori. They don't own the poor and they don't own the workers. No party and no ideology has a right to claim ownership over anything or anyone, and Amen to that, James.   I'm not Māori enough to say what is Māori and what is not. I have never in the time I've read about the history of this country known all Māori to think the same way. Iwi aren't united in their views, hapu aren't united, and people within hapu aren't united in their views. People and families aren't united in their views. Who the hell are Te Pati Māori and those sanctimonious mealy-mouthed arses on the left to decide what it is to be Māori and whether you're Māori enough? Surely being Māori enough is having the confidence to know who you are, to decide how you want to vote, to decide which ideology you best think will improve the lot of your people, which is why you entered Parliament. How very bloody dare they. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Regulation Minister says people in Early Childhood tell them they're sick of the amount of red tape and regulation.    Labour, Te Pati Māori, and the Greens have united against the Regulation Ministry's regulatory review.  They claim the Government's making dangerous changes.   The NZEI union is also calling for it to stop.   David Seymour told Ryan Bridge it's the first time the opposition has united around something this term.   He says they say they want to stop dangerous changes but a single change hasn't yet been announced, they're still just listening to people.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister is warning of tough times ahead.  NZIER is now forecasting slower than expected economic growth of 0.2% in the year to March this year and 0.6% in the year to March next year.  Nicola Willis told Mike Hosking that New Zealand has some tough months ahead of it.  She claims the last government "mismanaged" the economy.  Willis is also confident the Government will get to the bottom of data misuse allegations.  King's Council lawyer Michael Heron's been appointed to lead the public sector inquiry into the accusations made against Te Pati Māori.   He's been given scope to look at a range of government agencies and third parties linked to the claims.   She told Hosking that it's important the facts of what's gone down are cleared up and out on the table.  She says the public service commission's been instructed to use its power to ensure the government agencies have taken all the right steps to protect New Zealander's personal data.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marama Davidson's shocking announcement that she has breast cancer, her diagnosis and plan for recovery and return. Willie Jackson appeared on Q&A this weekend and spoke about the accusations made against Manurewa Marae and Te Pati Māori, the results of Labour in #Election2023 and the current Government's policies around Māori. Labour and ACT MPs are open to exploring social media ban for children under 16. Credits. Labour MP Priyanca Radhakrishnan and ACT Party leader David Seymour said this morning they are open to looking into whether New Zealand should increase its social media age limit from 13 to 16 years old. ==================================== Come support the work we're doing by becoming a Patron of ⁠⁠#BHN⁠⁠ www.patreon.com/BigHairyNews⁠ Merch available at www.BHNShop.nz Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/BigHairyNews Follow us on Twitter. @patbrittenden @Chewie_NZ

A hearing at the Waitangi Tribunal continues today, looking at the agreement between the coalition partners that seeks to prioritise English names in the public sector. Haami Piripi ONZM joined Breakfast this morning to look at what some are calling an attack on te reo Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Public Service Commission is to carry out an independent inquiry amid allegations Census data from Manurewa Marae was misused to help Te Pāti Māori's election campaign. Te Pāti Māori have strongly denied the claims. So how do the allowances work, and what are some of the other perks MPs get? The PM, Tim Costly and now Kieran McAnulty have made headlines, what is fair and what is not? ==================================== Come support the work we're doing by becoming a Patron of ⁠⁠#BHN⁠⁠ www.patreon.com/BigHairyNews⁠ Merch available at www.BHNShop.nz Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/BigHairyNews Follow us on Twitter. @patbrittenden @Chewie_NZ

Ram raids are down more than 80% for the month of April, compared to last year. Police have identified 12 ram raids in April 2024, compared to 64 in April 2023. Sixty-four! That wasn't even the highest. There was a peak in August 2022 when there were 86 ram raids. There was a total of 433 ram raids in 2022, 288 in 2023, and 67 in the first four months of this year.   To what can we attribute the drop in ram raids? It would be nice to think that the tougher measures, The Ram Raid Offending and Related Measures Amendment Bill passing its first reading would have contributed. This bill will add smash and grabs to the Crimes Act and give police the power to prosecute ram raiders as young as 12 years old. And who do you think proposed that? It was Labour. They had seen the writing on the wall by that stage. You know the number of ram raids were just beyond the pale and people were absolutely fed up with what looked like inaction on the part of the Labour government, so they were the ones who introduced The Ram Raid Offending and Related Measures Amendment Bill and it passed its first reading with support from National and ACT, the Greens and Te Pati Māori opposed it (In a stunning narrative twist you probably picked that up?).   Or it could be the Kotahi te Whakaaro Programme. You might remember that when we interviewed the police officer involved with that, John Campbell also highlighted that it was a multi-agency approach, a wraparound approach to dealing with young ram raiders. Because these kids are young, and as soon as they got the first report, then they would get the schools involved, the families involved. It was so multi agency and seemed to be working and we had high hopes. I'm pretty sure it got continued funding because it was showing positive results in terms of young people not reoffending after completing the programme. So it could be that.   Or it could just be that ram raids have gone out of fashion. You know, there have been enough of them on TikTok, enough of them on social media, and now they're just not cool. Word on the street, they're not cool anymore. I don't know.   Presumably, there was an end purpose to the ram raids, with the jewellery being targeted. There was conjecture that perhaps the gangs were looking for gold as a way of buy, sell, and exchange - that they would take the jewellery, melt it down, and use it as currency. That was just conjecture. I don't know, but I am just jolly glad that the number of ram raids have gone down because the reduction in ram raids is a reduction in trauma. It's a reduction in upset. It's a reduction in financial loss and the expense of policing these wee oiks. Kotahi te Whakaaro was not cheap, but if it was working, all well and good.   I don't know about you, I have noticed fewer gang patches on the street, less obvious swaggering, but that is only anecdotal. I would love to hear from you as to what your anecdotal experience is. Is the message that's been sent, and you would have to say it started with Labour when it went to The Ram Raid Offending and Related Measures Amendment Bill, they were the ones that introduced it because they knew the public had had enough. Is the general message of ‘up with this we will not put', made so loud and so clear that the gangs have had to pull back a bit from the obvious swaggering, from the we own the streets, we own the stores, we'll do what we like. Or is it just a change in business in inverted commas, direction from them? Or is it simply that ram raids have gone out of fashion? If only murdering babies would go out of fashion.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For their weekly catch-up, Wire Host Oto spoke to Green Party MP Ricardo Menéndez March about the recent March for Nature protests, changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme and the government spending $4 Billion on fixing potholes. He also spoke to Eru Kapa-Kingi from the University of Auckland to discuss Te Pati Māori's calls to establish a separate Māori parliament. Wire producer Rawan spoke with Valerie Morse from Peace Action Wellington about the New Zealand defence force being part of US-led RIMPAC alongside several other countries including Israel. She also spoke with Neeve O'flynn from Greenpeace Aotearoa about the government's recent decision to take agriculture out of the Emision trading scheme.

The Finance Minister says the planned independent inquiry into Te Pati Māori's data use is important for everyone. It's been alleged information collected at Manurewa Marae was used to help the party's election campaign, which Te Pati Māori denies. Minister Nicola Willis says it's important to ensure Government agencies have the proper processes in place to protect people's information. "In this case, the Te Pati Maori allegations, the allegations of Manurewa Marae - they all relate to New Zealanders' personal information."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government has called on the Public Service Commission to investigate claims of misuse of election data. Te Pati Māori's been accused of copying information obtained during Covid vaccination drives, and for enrolling people for last year's census, and using it persuade people to vote for them in the 2023 election. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says the allegations against Te Pati Māori cut to the heart of democracy in New Zealand. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tensions between Māoridom and the coalition Government have been bubbling up since the latter was sworn in last year.  Outrage over the Treaty Principles Bill and cuts to services for Māori has seen multiple protests, mostly recently the ‘Carkoi' rally across the motu on Budget Day.  That same protest saw this animosity take on a new angle, with Te Pati Māori issuing a declaration of political independence and calling for a separate Māori Parliament.   So how serious are these calls, and is there any path back from the precipice?   Today on The Front Page, we discuss the details behind the tension with Dr Carwyn Jones, co-editor of the Māori Law Review and honorary adjunct professor in Māori Studies at Victoria University of Wellington.   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 DanielsSound Engineer: Paddy FoxProducer: Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Politics Central, Otago University's Robert Patman shares his thoughts on the implications of Donald Trump's guilty verdict - and what it means for the upcoming US election. Later, ACT's David Seymour discusses last week's 2024 Budget - and weighs in on Te Pati Māori calling for their own Government. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 30th May, a variety of sectors told us their hopes and wishes for today's Budget.  Assistant police commissioner Mike Johnson joined to discuss how they are going to handle the Te Pati Māori backed protest clogging up major roads.  Comedian Dai Henwood was in for an exclusive chat about his new memoir 'The Life of Dai'.  Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Traffic is being disrupted around the country this morning with thousands of people joining motorcades and hikoi against the Government's positions on Māori issues.  A campaign group named Toitū Te Tiriti (Honour the Treaty) planned a strike today to “demonstrate a unified Aotearoa response to the Government's assault on tangata whenua [Māori people] and Te Tiriti of Waitangi”.  Protesters were expected to meet around New Zealand from 6.30am with marches and vehicle convoys planned along motorways, main streets, and rallies in town centres.  Te Pāti Māori, alongside the Toitū Te Tiriti, said in an online post that the action was intended to “prove the might of [the Māori] economy by disconnecting entirely from it”.  Police Assistant Commissioner Mike Johnson told Mike Hosking that the largest protests are on Auckland's Northern, Northwestern, and Southern Motorways.  He said that while they recognise the right to protest, they are there to minimise disruption and deal with people who break the law.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on the Huddle, journalist Clare de Lore and Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Te Pati Māori managed to raise a few eyebrows over their comments about Children's Minister Karen Chhour, with the party accusing her of having disdain for her own people. Was this out of line? What can we do about Te Pati Māori's comments? The Government has announced the Budget will include $24 million going into Mike King's I Am Hope foundation over the next four years. What do we think of this? Kiri Allan has plead guilty on the day her court case was supposed to start. Is this bad form for a former Justice Minister to tie up all these resources? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Te Pati Māori managed to raise a few eyebrows over their comments about the Children's Minister. Karen Chhour's bill to remove section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act passed its first reading yesterday. Responding to the Bill, Te Pati Māori has said since Chhour was raised by Pakeha, she has a disconnection and a disdain for her own people. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says Te Pati Māori's behaviour towards Minister Chhour was 'out of hand'. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Children's Minister says the word racism is chucked around too much in Parliament. A Bill by Karen Chhour that removes some Treaty obligations from the Oranga Tamariki Act passed its first reading yesterday. It's prompted fiery and emotional speeches in the House, and Labour's Children's Spokesperson called Chhour a 'sell out'. On social media, Te Pati Māori's said Chhour's Pakeha upbringing has given her disdain for her own people. Chhour says it's a lazy argument. "Where it actually disrespects people who are the victims of racism - we need to get back to debating the policies and not the person." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You have to wonder whether the strident critics of the coalition government ever stop and look at the facts. Maybe read the press releases. Listen to the interviews. Do they just see something coming from the office of the Honourable Shane Reti or the Honourable David Seymour and bin it? Hear Christopher Luxon on the wireless and just switch off and go “Oh! Can't come bear it! Let me replay some of the 1o'clock briefings during COVID and restore my equilibrium.”  You know, do they ever stop and think that what they're saying is absurd. Like, this government is racist, and anti-Māori, and wants to exterminate Māori. There's been some hysterical rhetoric coming from some quarters, dangerous and hysterical rhetoric. Two of the party leaders that make up the coalition government can whakapapa back to their Māori ancestry. There are more Māori in Parliament than in any other time in Parliament's history, 155 years after New Zealand's first Māori MP's were elected. And so we've been, you know, mostly have been part of democracy for a very, since we all sort of came together. We now have more Māori representation than ever before. There are 33 Māori MPs across all of the parties in Parliament. Nine in Labour, Te Pati Māori, obviously six. Green, six, National, five! Shock me. New Zealand First, four, ACT, three.   So, when you say we have a racist, extremist government, do you mean they're just not the right sort of Māori for you? They don't think like you do. They don't do the things you want them to do, in your way. Or say the things you want them to say. Well, you know, this is diverse community. Even if you're Māori you're allowed to have a different point of view from another Māori. News alert! Same with women. Same with men. You know, so when you say that this government is racist and anti-Māori, we'll tell that to the 33 Māori who are in Parliament.   Is it really the same with school lunches? We had David Seymour on yesterday around 11:30. So we didn't have much time and we won't take much time, it'll just cover it off a little this morning. But people are so anti the coalition government that even when they keep the school lunches, and even when they keep the school lunches and then extend it to pre-schoolers, so not only have they not scrapped it, they've extended it, the critics are vocal and fevered. Some are even anxious.   This is Haeata Community Campus Principal Peggy Burrows on Heather Du-Plessis Allen last night.   PB: If the government is going to be buying food and the argument is that they have the, you know, the buying power to save money, what does that look like? Does that mean that we're going to get huge cartoons of pre-packaged food and generic food and things like that? And that's not what we have been used to.  HDPA: Yeah, but what's wrong with that, Peggy?  PB: Well, if you have a. Child. That's celiac. Then you have to have a diet that is accommodating a better you have a vegetarian child. If you have a child that has, you know, those sorts of things have to be taken into consideration, I think.  I'm sure they will be Pegs. You know. For heaven's sake, when she talks about saving money she spits out the words like they're anathema to her. Heaven forfend that we keep a close eye on the taxpayer dollar. It's not the government paying for it, it's you, me and her. And you know, news alert, food is pre-packaged. If you go and buy a sandwich from the dairy, it's in a package, it's been made hours earlier. It's pre-packaged. And I'm absolutely certain David Seymour's not going to be serving up lamb chops for all and you don't get up from the table till you've eaten it. You know, everybody understands these days that serving up food involves catering for special needs.   And this is Boyd Swinburn, Auckland University's Boyd Swinburne on the Mike Hosking Breakfast. He has not much faith in the changes.   MH: If you wanna get a sandwich and some fruit in a kid's stomach, that's no bad thing. That's what we're doing. And there are more kids getting it than were previously. BS: Well, that's what he's claiming. But I don't see how I can do it when he so brings the money down.  Claiming he said that about three times, that's what he's claiming. What David Seymour's lying? About being able to produce sandwiches? And I don't know about you, but when it was first discussed about feeding hungry kids at school, I was all for it, but I didn't imagine it would be butter chicken, and vegetarian nachos, and lasagne, and all being delivered by numerous providers right around the country. I thought it would be a no-frills lunch that would feed hungry kids. The sort of lunch that your kids get, my kids get, our grandkids get. There were some providers who were doing a really great job and there were some providers who simply were not. Schools were ordering lunches for ghost kids. Food was going to waste. There was no evaluation on whether the lunches were doing their job or not, other than comments like I feel good when my tummy is full. Me too.   I have no problem with providing a basic lunch for kids at school at all, but my hackles rise when I hear these people going ‘hmph. Government. Looking to save money. What about these beautiful, delicious, nutritious meals that we've been able to offer kids for hot cooked meals? Food from around the world? Just not right.'   Well, you know what's not right? What is not right like are hungry kids, kids who cannot learn because they're starving, that is plain wrong. And if we can fix that, we should. Does that mean we have to offer an extensive, international range of hot and cold food that is designed to cater to every single individual taste we have? We have breakfast in schools that is no frills that has been working for years. Nobody has complained about that and we're now going to have to have an international smorgasbord buffet for these kids instead of the Sanitarium products, the milk, and the toast. That's been working just fine. Nobody's worried about shame about going along to The Breakfast Club. Nobody's been concerned about, what about the coeliacs? What about halal? What about the vegans? Nobody. They've just fed hungry kids. Going about their business.   And on a day when David Seymour said not only am I not going to scrap it, despite the fact I think he really wanted to, not only am I not going to scrap it, I'm going to extend it. There's just been strident criticism. What the Dickens? What is this world coming to? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well, the 1News Verian poll released last night shows that support for the coalition government, after seeing an operation for a few months, has dropped since election night. Hardly surprising. Well, to my mind. Anyway, clearly there were others who were simply gob smacked and amazed, but on to them in a moment.    National, ACT, and New Zealand First have collectively dropped 5 percentage points. According to the numbers from that poll, and based on that poll, the left block would be able to form a government and New Zealand First would be out of Parliament. How many times have New Zealand first voters heard that? So many times, you'll be out of government dead and buried.    The poll had National at 36%, down two points from the last poll in February, Labour jumped to 30%, up two. And the Green Party also increased by two to 14%. Te Pati Māori was on 4%, the same as the last poll. This is pretty much par for the political course. Labour showed a dip after it formed a coalition government in 2017 after three years of heading their coalition government. The first Colmar Brunton poll of 2020 saw National scraping into power and again New Zealand First out of Parliament in their polls.  These snapshots are an indication of how people are feeling, both in themselves and around politics. Christopher Luxon was questioned about it this morning when he was on with Mike Hosking. He said, he didn't say it in so many words, but this is me. He said, it was hardly surprising that people were feeling grumpy. These are his words, he told Mike Hosking, we've got high inflation and high interest rates. People are sick of it. We're making some pretty tough decisions. We need to do that in order to fix the mess. We've been left New Zealand, as he said, would make a call into and a half years' time. And he went on with the usual spiel. Everyone in the coalition government is very focused on fixing the mess that they inherited, which is quite true. They've got a big job. They knew that going in. But people are going to need to see some results and they're going to need to see them soon.   The shocking daylight robbery of a jewellery store over the weekend, all very 2020. The price of everything is still rising, uncertainty in the job market, there's a lot going on and not a lot of it is good for most people. It is not the government's fault, but it is their responsibility. And they are going to need to see some wins within the next three months and they are also going to have to watch their messaging. The accommodation entitlement, the snide tweets from ACT on Twitter over job losses in the public service, the weeks of fumbling and obfuscation from Melissa Lee handling the broadcasting portfolio, none of that has been helpful at all. Sacking Melissa Lee? Very helpful.   I noticed that, I thought that was a really good move. I was up in Hokianga trying to avoid the news and I saw this and thought, damn it, what a great talk back day that would have been because I think that is really decisive, really good. She's clearly not up for the job. She can't handle it. Get. Go.   Brutal, but a good sign to Ministers, perform, or you're out. A good sign to backbenchers that if you perform, you're in. I thought I thought that was a really good move, so the poll was taken over a week and ended on the day of Melissa Lee's sacking, so I'd be interested to know whether that will have an impact the next time around.   But it's polls. You know, as every they're great to have a bit of a yarn about, great to give different media outlets their lead for the day or the night. People can have a yarn about them. Take the pulse, see where everybody's at, they count for nothing until Election Day. You can take some learnings out of them. You can think. OK, well, yes. No, we need to be careful here. We need to be more positive here.   It will give Labour a bit of heart because they have been in the doldrums, and they need to reinvigorate themselves to bring themselves up to a decent opposition. But it's a poll. There's two and a half years to go. A lot can happen in that time.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government is restoring the ability to hold referenda on Māori wards as part of its coalition agreement with ACT and NZ First. It's highly unlikely that National would have acted alone, but as part of the Coalition agreement, as part of the horse trading, they committed to holding referenda on the Māori wards.   Local government Minister Simeon Brown announced the move yesterday, saying a bill will soon be introduced to allow communities to petition their counsel to hold binding polls on Māori ward decisions including those wards already established.    “Most New Zealanders want to have their say and this is what this is all about. It's about saying, well, if a Council wishes to have a Māori ward, then ultimately the public get to decide whether that happens or not. That's the government's position. That's what we're legislating. The last government took it away and we're restoring it.”    So that was Simeon Brown talking to the Mike Hosking Breakfast this morning. Naturally, Labour and Te Pati Māori have condemned the decision. Local Government New Zealand says it represents a complete overreach by central government, (you could also say the same for Three Waters really, couldn't you?), and has warned the coalition government against inflaming misinformation. Others have called the decision racist, a systemic attack on Māori.   But to my mind, there's a really, really easy way to get the result you want when it comes to retaining or ditching the Māori wards. Get out and vote. The 2022 local body elections it was reported that national voter turnout was a record low 36%. You know, there's a number of reasons for that. But 36% of people bothered to vote, and that's averaging it out over the country. Voter turnout in local body elections has declined in New Zealand over the past 25 years, so it was continuing a trend, this wasn't an anomaly. Fewer and fewer people are exercising their democratic right to vote.   So, you can use that. You can galvanise yourselves, you can get organised, and you can get the result you want. And don't give me this because I've had it before ... ‘Ohh, I'm not going to vote man, because the systems against us and it's just supporting an artificial patriarchal construct that goes against the natural rights of humans', and all of that sort of tosh.   This is the system we have. And again, if you don't like it, the only way you're going to change it in a democratic society is by using the system to get what you want. Te Pati Māori has six seats in government, meaning they no longer need other parties to speak on their behalf in Parliament. They can stand up and speak for themselves because their supporters got out and voted, they threw out long standing Labour ministers from Māori seats.    And when it comes to the Māori wards, it's not just Māori who want them, there are Pākehā who want to see Māori represented through Māori wards. Some Maori don't want them. It's really reductionist to say that all Māori think the same way or Pākehā think the same way or Europeans think the same way, all New Zealanders think the same way. They don't. There is a diversity and breadth of views. There's a diversity and breadth of level of engagement with the political system.  So, if people, and that's all supporters, want to keep the Maori Wards, get out and vote. If you want them gone, get out and vote and you'll get the result you want. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's leader is backing the Police union in claims the latest Government pay offer is insulting.   It includes a $5000 pay increase backdated to last November and two 4% salary bumps this year and next.  The Police Association has called it a kick in the teeth.   Chris Hipkins told John MacDonald that the union rejected an offer which his government put to police before the election.   He says National criticised them and said they should treat police better, and then as a new government came back with a worse offer.  Hipkins is also playing down concerns that his party is losing support at the expense of its partners.   In the latest Taxpayers' Union funded Curia poll, Labour fell 2.6 points to just over 25%.   The Greens picked up 2.3 percentage points, while Te Pati Māori also saw a small boost in support.   Hipkins told MacDonald that the left bloc needs to focus its energy on chipping votes away from the Coalition.   He says ultimately, if the left want to form a Government at the next election, it needs to get votes off National, New Zealand First and ACT rather than competing with the Greens.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Look, I feel like we are now at a global tipping point with Israel and I think tolerance is running very short- and probably about to run out completely for their bombardment of Gaza. A lot has happened in just the last few days, even just today, to indicate that this is on the cards now. We've had New Zealand, Australia and Canada putting out a joint statement this morning calling for a sustainable ceasefire, saying that they are alarmed at what's happening to the civilians in Gaza. A few hours ago, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. And in probably the biggest sign that the time is up, Joe Biden, who has of course been Israel's biggest backer globally, has started to pull his support away from Benjamin Netanyahu and warned Israel it risks alienating its allies if it continues. He said that they cannot say no to a Palestinian state, and then he went as far as quite pointedly saying to Netanyahu that he had to change this Government- which I think a lot of people will agree with. A lot of people will blame this Government and the past Governments of Netanyahu for the situation that Israel is currently in. The fact is, these world leaders are basically doing this because they are losing domestic support for continuing to support Israel. You've seen the pressure mount here in New Zealand on the Government. Labour and Te Pati Māori and the Greens have all put pressure on the Government to call for a ceasefire, there have been protests up and down the country as a result. In the states, a poll has found that only 20 percent of Americans think that Biden's approach is going to lead to a peaceful resolution of the conflict. It is not surprising that Israel's running out of runway at all- on this show we said pretty much immediately after the October 7 massacres by Hamas that Israel would only have so long to do what they always do, which is disproportionately punish the Palestinian people before sentiment would change. Sentiment is now changing, the only thing that is surprising is how long the tolerance lasted, how long the runway was for this bombardment. Especially given that the bombardment was never going to work. We all knew that, right? We'd never fully root out Hamas, we'd never be able to get all of those people out of the tunnels, all it ever was going to do was punish the civilians - which it has - and foment anger and probably create another generation of terrorists. And only time will tell whether that's going to happen- but I say it probably will. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Liam from Various Artists joins Lou on The Wire, as Rosetta hangs out in Pōneke. E whai ake nei: Liam   spoke to Te Pati Māori's Takutai Kemp about the parties hikoi last week, their swearing in to parliament, and the government's response to Israel's war on Gaza.  They also had a chat with University of Auckland professor Nicola Gaston about their joint call with other UoA academics to address safety concerns in the university.   As well as professor Micheal Baker, to chat about the recent covid wave that's been hitting Aotearoa.  In our weekly catch up with the ACT Party, Lou spoke to ACT MP Simon Court about ACT's response to Te Pāti Māori's hikoi last Tuesday, ACT renewing their call to abolish the Human Rights Commission, and the outcomes of COP28. She also spoke to Kathryn Bradbury, Senior Researcher at the University of Auckland in the School of Population Health about the recent study released surrounding the percentage of vegetarians in New Zealand 

Thousands of protestors took to the motorways December 5th, in protest against the recent policies announced by the new government. ACT Party leader David Seymour critiscised these actions, calling the tuesday events "diverse theatrics". On our weekly catch up with the ACT Party, Lou spoke to Simon Court about David Seymour's response to the hikoi, and ACT's stance on the policies announced, such as the scrapping of the Māori Health Authority, restoring referendums for Māori wards and minimising Māori language use in public services. Lou then enquired about ACT renewing their call for the removal of the Human Rights Commission as well as alternative measures proposed to safeguard and promote human rights in New Zealand.  Finally, Lou enquired about ACT's stance towards the climate change issues following Aotearoa's new climate minister participating in COP28, 2023's United Nations Climate Change Conference held at Expo City, Dubai.  

About now most of us are on the countdown. The countdown to Santa Claus' brief visit and the end of the year. The countdown to some time off, a chance to stop and reset. Or perhaps it's the countdown to returning home to spend quality time with family. It may just be the countdown to the end of Christmas music for another year.   You get the picture.  But while many of us are ready to slow things down, I enjoyed seeing politicians ramping up in Parliament this week and doing what they do; introducing themselves, dropping insults and throwing dirt and getting on with the policy promises laid out during the election campaign.  And gee, it was an action-packed week.  There were justifications and an embarrassing mistake over the dumping of anti-smoking legislation. Te Pati Māori mobilised Māori to take to the streets for National Māori Action Day protesting the coalitions polices.   There were leaks about the Government's plan for Fair Pay Agreements and Regulatory Impact Analyses - which indicated some legislation may not get the usual level of regulatory scrutiny.  Then there was the drama and theatrics of swearing in MPs, with one new MP's maiden speech earning a standing ovation from all corners of the house. The star of the week, National MP James Meager, joins us shortly.   We also had impassioned speeches about the Israel Palestine conflict, barbs traded about the financial state of the books left by the previous Government, and real concerns about the blow out in costs for infrastructure projects.   All this in one short week.   The Government is moving fast. There's a lot happening and while we're all very keen to clock out, the reality of what Kiwis voted for is just kicking in, so it's important we pay attention to Parliament over the next two weeks.   It felt like a long election campaign and it was great when it ended. I almost appreciated the long lull between election day and the announcement of the coalition Government agreement. But it has been a long time since the 53rd Parliament was dissolved on 8th September - it's good to be back. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With what seems like 24 hours notice, te pati Māori organised a day of action that thousands of people participated in. This is what tpm is saying is the start of three years of protests at, what some are calling, the most racist government in NZ history.

The coalition is dismissing widespread anti-government protests as inconsequential, but others say Māori anger at planned changes is not going to fade any time soon. Thousands turned out on Tuesday for protests - promoted by Te Pati Māori - to oppose the Coalition's policies on many Māori issues. On Wednesday morning the Māori King, Kiingi Tuheitia, has called for a national hui on unity to be held on the 20th of January RNZ Māori News Editor Taiha Molyneux spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

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.

Protesters in Whanganui are celebrating shutting down the courthouse during a national day of Māori action. Te Pati Māori led a march on Parliament this morning and car convoys disrupted traffic across the North Island. It's calling the Government's approach to Te Tiriti - and other initiatives affecting Māori - an assault. Whanganui iwi leader Ken Mair says they'll act again on December 20, and ask all Crown agencies in the region close for the day. He says closing the court today was a challenge to a corrupt system. "And we'll continue to do this, as uncomfortable as it may be, towards those that want to continue to uphold that system." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eyebrow were raised as the Te Pati Māori MPs stuck to the political swearing-in requirements on the same day organised protests and marches kicked off. MPs are legally required to swear an oath or affirmation of allegiance to King Charles, to sit and vote in the House. Te Pati's MPs first pledged allegiance to their mokopuna and Te Tiriti, then the King. ZB political editor Jason Walls says the MPs avoided putting their pride and egos ahead of the people who elected them into Parliament. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Neale Jones from Capital and Infrastructure NZ CEO Nick Leggett joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more!  The National Māori Action Day Protest happened today- did it achieve anything of note? Will Luxon and National feel the pressure? What comes next? The MBIE has begun an investigation into how a confidential Cabinet paper made it into the public domain- is this a bad look for the Government? A number of councils are staring down the barrel of potential double-digit rate rises as part of their long-term plan discussions. Does the system need an overhaul? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Te Pati Māori's challenge to the incoming Government has been heard loud and clear, likely foreshadowing what is to come.    Thousands answered the party's call to protest the Government's incoming Treaty and Te Reo reforms yesterday, while MPs swore allegiance to both their mokopuna and Te Tiriti, as well as King Charles III.  ZB Political Editor Jason Walls told Tim Dower that it sets the stage for the sort of party Te Pati Māori is going to be for the next three years.  Walls says the party's positioning themselves as a thorn in the Governments side on all Māori issues.  But he says it's fair of Prime Minister Chris Luxon to question why there are protests only a week into their first term.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and former Labour Chief of Staff Mike Munro joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Te Pati Māori has called for people to come together to protest the Government's “assault on tangata whenua and Te Tiriti o Waitangi”. Is this setting up another bad week for the new Government? How big will the turnout be? Auckland's City Rail Link is set to cost ratepayers $220 million per year, once it opens up. It's also looking likely the CRL will miss the November 2025 deadline- is this better or worse for Aucklanders? What did we think of this year's Cop28? Is it a bad look to have people coming together in the United Arab Emirates to reduce emissions and fuel use? LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So, a Day of Action called by Te Pati Māori. Organisers promise they'll target busy roads and even try to jam the motorways.  They're talking about gridlock on roads into central Auckland, and gleefully suggesting this will cause millions in lost productivity.  Wow. What a useful and worthwhile objective that is.  Now, this is supposedly about an assault by the new Government on tangata whenua and the Treaty.  That assault as they see it comes in the form of dialling back the extensions to smokefree laws, scrapping the Māori Health Authority, and repealing Three Waters.  It's probably worth mentioning that those changes —with the exception of smokefree— were well flagged up during the election campaign.  And if there hadn't been broad support across the voting spectrum then we'd have ended up with another three years of a rotten Labour government, and its rotten policies.  The people have spoken, and the people want the country back on track.  The people, as I read it, wanted less divisive policy and a focus on reducing crime and tackling the cost of living.  Unravelling some of the smokefree changes was a surprise, but how can you interpret that as an attack on anyone?  Smoking is, after all, a personal choice. Nobody apart from those who sell tobacco is actually encouraging anyone to take it up, are they?  Look, it's a Tuesday, less than three weeks out from Christmas.  The Māori Party perhaps doesn't realise most people just want to get on with things, and can't afford a day off for a protest, especially when they don't really know what it's about.  Stopping regular working people from getting in and earning a crust could be seen as an attack on them. You're shooting yourselves in the foot guys.  Look, I don't expect big crowds out there protesting today, but as we've seen in Wellington, all it takes is half a dozen tossers with super glue to bring a major artery to a standstill.  Work from home anyone? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A prediction that this morning's Te Pati Māori-organised protests could be just the beginning.   They're rallying people from one end of the North Island to the other, against policies perceived to negatively affect Māori.   Political Commentator Grant Duncan says the Prime Minister will have to make a decision on how to handle them.   He told Tim Dower that he hopes Chris Luxon offers an olive branch, wanting to see him listen and be conciliatory.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Helen Clark has dropped a bombshell. Saying that she reckons if Winston Peters doesn't like what he's being offered in a coalition deal with National and ACT, he'll turn around and try and stitch something up with Labour. Now I know the first thing you might say to that, is ‘what about Chris Hipkins saying he would never work with Winston again'? Well, a couple of things on that. If Labour really wanted to get back into government and a deal with NZ First was the meal ticket, one of two things could happen. Hipkins could fall on his sword and step aside. Or they could dump him. The other thing is, let's remember what Chris Hipkins himself has been saying this week since being reaffirmed as leader. Everything is back on the table. So far that's all been about taxation - in particular, the idea of a wealth tax and a capital gains tax. So if everything's back on the table, why wouldn't a coalition arrangement with NZ First be on the table as well? To pull it off, the Greens and Te Pati Māori would also have to be onside. Te Pāti Māori has six seats. The Green Party has 15. Labour has 34. And NZ First has eight seats. Add them all up and you get 63 seats. A majority. National has 48 seats. ACT has 11 seats. And with NZ First's eight seats, you get 67. A slightly larger majority. But what Helen Clark is saying, is that National and ACT shouldn't be taking things for granted and think that they are NZ First's only options. As she points out, in 1996 Winston banged on about not letting National become government again. And then, what did he do after keeping us all waiting for weeks and weeks and weeks? He put National into government again. The way he explained it, though, was that a National/NZ First coalition government was different than a National government. Weasel words, yes. But at least he satisfied himself that he hadn't gone back on his promise to get rid of the National government. This time around, he said NZ First “will not return Labour to power”. In a way, exactly the same thing. In 1996, he said he wouldn't allow a National government to return and claimed that a National/NZ First government was different. He could say exactly the same thing if he went with Labour. A Labour/NZ First/Greens/Te Pati Māori government would not be returning Labour to power. In his mind, anyway. Another thing you might be thinking about this is the likelihood of the Greens and Te Pati Māori having any interest in being in government with NZ First. On paper, both those parties would run a mile. But do you think it's possible, a few weeks down the track since the election, that the Greens and Te Pati Maori are looking at the record number of MPs they've ended up with and thinking that they're all a bit wasted in opposition? I'd be thinking that if I was them. And as for Labour itself. I know it's saying that it's going to use the next three years to “take stock” and “digest” the election result, and rebuild for the 2026 election. But still hold the government to account blah, blah blah. But do you really think that, if it had a choice, Labour would go with three years of digesting and taking stock? Or do you think it would go with another three years in government? Just like if I was the Greens or Te Pati Maori, if I was Labour, I'd take government over opposition any day. Wouldn't you? So I'm not going to write Helen Clark's comments off. And, as Jim Bolger is saying today too - which I see as a bit of a warning for National and ACT - he's saying that the current negotiations could go on for a couple of months like they did back in 1996. He's says Winston Peters is a very experienced and smart political leader. Anybody who goes into with Peters thinking he's a pushover is stupid. That's what former National leader Jim Bolger is saying. But on Helen Clark's comments. I think she's on the money. I agree with her when she says anything is possible. A lot of dead rats would have to be swallowed by Labour, the Greens and Te Pati Maori. But politicians are very good at that. And think about this. If Helen Clark - former Labour Prime Minister and endorser of Labour's election campaign this year - if she's saying that a Labour-led government involving NZ First is a possibility, then I'm listening. She is still very much connected to the party. And if she was convinced that there is absolutely no way Labour would do a flip-flop and get a deal together with NZ First, then she would be saying so today. But she's not.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Labour Party has been dealt a drubbing by Te Pati Māori in the Māori electorates,   In 2020, Labour held six of the seven seats.  Now, that's down to three.  Te Pati Māori's held onto Waiariki, taken Te Tai Tonga, and 21-year-old Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke has ousted Labour veteran Nanaia Mahuta from Hauraki-Waikato after 15-years in the seat and 27-years in parliament. In Te Tai Hauāuru, co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer has secured a decisive victory.  She spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.  

A little bit of politics, because we didn't really get a chance to talk about Christopher Luxon and David Seymour saying yes, okay, if we have to, we will work with New Zealand First.  Commentators have got themselves into quite the lather over that. A sign of weakness, they were saying, being bullied by the media and all that sort of carry-on. And it's not often I agree with the leader of New Zealand First, but like him, I think that the only poll that really matters is the one on Election Day.   Polls have become less reliable than they used to be, with people being mistrustful of giving any information to anybody. It's harder to reach people these days. Those who only have mobile phones, those who live in apartment buildings.   Certainly, the polls are showing that Labour support is tanking, but the Greens are picking up a lot of those dissatisfied voters. Enough to cobble together a coalition of Labour, Greens, and Te Pati Māori? Who knows? Not according to statisticians and Poll of Polls simulations.   But ultimately voters will have the final say, and I think that's what Christopher Luxon understands. He has overtaken the other Chris as preferred prime. But last night's poll also showed support for the main parties and ACT dropping slightly.  It also had TOP doubling its support, so make that what you want.   And as I say, commentators got themselves into a complete lather yesterday over National and ACT saying they would work with New Zealand First if they absolutely had to. But surely that's just pragmatism. If people insist on voting for New Zealand First (I shan't go on, but you know my thoughts about that), then parties have to work with what's voted in. Ruling out New Zealand First would have shown arrogance in the extreme by National.  Christopher Luxon comes from a business background, not a political one, and I think that's a very good thing. I think by saying he would work with New Zealand First if they absolutely had to is being respectful of democracy, the MMP process and the voters. (Although whether anyone who votes New Zealand First deserves respect is another matter entirely. But I shan't go on).   You know my thoughts. What are your thoughts on this? We didn't get to discuss it yesterday and I'd love to hear from you whether you think that is showing respect for the parliamentary process, respect for MMP and respect for the voters. I can't see it as being a sign of weakness, which is what I heard a lot of yesterday. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the last three years Rawiri Waititi has been a relentless force in parliament advocating for Māori. He won back Te Waiariki for Te Pati Māori in 2020, becoming co-leader of the party upon entering parliament and has built a strong profile with his colourful korero in the house. He was born in Opotiki and moved to Tāmaki Makaurau, for his secondary schooling staying with his aunty, Dame June Mariu. Coincidentally he went to Rutherford at the same time as former National Party leader Simon Bridges. Rawiri Waititi joined us for Six and a Song - The Election Edition. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christopher Luxon continually tells media that Labour will need to bend to the will of The Greens and Te Pati Māori, however it seems no MSM interviewer has yet pointed out that if that was the case, then what about National bending to the will of ACT and NZ First +++++++++++++++ Come support the work we're doing by becoming a Patron of ⁠#BHN⁠ www.patreon.com/BigHairyNews⁠ Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/BigHairyNews Follow us on Twitter. @patbrittenden @Chewie_NZ

Labour is confident it can turn around low poll results once it gets into full campaign-mode. The latest 1 News Verian poll has seen the Hipkins-led Labour Party plummet to 29 percent support - far below National's 37. The left-bloc would be unable to govern, even with support from the Greens and Te Pati Māori. Chris Hipkins told Mike Hosking they'll be full time campaigning in a matter of weeks. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Democracy's interesting isn't it? I mean it's our best option, but look at what we got this weekend in the latest mad grab for power. We've got an anti-vaxxer conspiracy theorist revealed as a NZ First candidate (read the Stuff piece from yesterday and weep), and we've got a ruling party announcing no tax on fruit and vege, in a completely pointless policy that even their own Finance Minister hates. It feels like a world gone mad, but then I have to remind myself, we voted for this, and people may yet vote again for it. Democracy in action can be a terrifying ride. I said on Mike's show last Friday that I worry about the Kiwis with short memories who are saying they'll vote for Winston again this time round. My colleague Kerre Woodham put it best when she said, ‘I'm sure there are intelligent people who vote NZ First, but I've never met or heard of one'. To throw a vote to Winston is to waste your vote. The people voting for Winston are doing it because they say he'll ‘get rid of all the Maori signs', or he'll ‘get rid of all the gender nonsense.' I mean those two statements alone give you some insight into the NZ First voter's mindset. But what these people fail to understand is how MMP works. They're voting for Winston like he's going to be Prime Minister, like he's going to have enough sway to move the needle and change things in this country, like the bigger parties are just going to do everything he says. Like he's going to be in government. Think again. Firstly, he's not NZ First he's Winston first. His goals for this country are less about caring about what's right for it and more about what's beneficial to him. He appointed a losing party to government in 2017, ignoring everyone who voted for him, just because he wanted to take the biggest bribe and settle some scores. He abandoned his base, for power. And once there, he allowed that government to implement all the things he now rails against. As Richard Prebble wrote the other day in his Herald column, “New Zealand First was no handbrake. Peters was part of a Government that issued compulsory vaccination mandates and developed co-governance. Only he would have the nerve to campaign against policies he made possible. If history is a guide, then the more Peters rules out supporting Labour, the more likely it is that he will support that party.” All voting for NZ First will do, is split the right vote further and make for a more chaotic outcome, or worse, push a left leaning coalition back into power. For all the people who bemoan the state of the country and ‘that's why they're voting for Winston', they're rolling the dice on no change at all, on keeping status quo – but potentially worse. A coalition of Labour, the Greens, Te Pati Māori and NZ First. Let that sink in for a minute. It's not a vote for change at all. It's a vote for a circus act. For those who're voting for Winston because they ‘don't like Luxon', you either want change or you don't. Think about the party and the policies, not just the person. For those who're voting for Winston because they like him personally, bear in mind he'll be one year off 80 next year and he won't be hanging around. It's more for him about scoring points, proving something, making his mark and then buggering off to go fishing again. So if you vote for him thinking he'll be sticking around, I think you'll be disappointed. When I give my thoughts on Winston, invariably people text me that they're - 'never listening to me on radio again'. I hope that's true. The head in the sand Winston worshippers I can live without.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The new Minister of Revenue returns to her old stomping grounds Inland Revenue launches a pilot programme for the construction industry Is Labour about to adopt Te Pati Māori's tax policy on GST and food?

This week on the Raw Politics podcast: What's eating the Greens, in what should be a big year for them? And Jo Moir tells us how Chris Hipkins came across as our chief statesman on his Aussie trip.The Green Party was supposed to be releasing its final party list on Friday, but it's riven with caucus dissension and gossipy emissions to media. Raw Politics this week hears what's going wrong and how the dirty laundry is awkwardly making the Green Party look a little like the divided National caucus of a year or two ago.And we discuss how the relative newbie Prime Minister Chris Hipkins went on his quick trip across the Tasman ahead of Anzac Day for talks, meetings and awkward photo opportunities with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Jo Moir reveals he seemed slightly off his game initially and Sam Sachdeva refrains from food shaming the PMs over their 'relatable' hot dog sausage eating pictures.We answer a listener question on why Te Pati Māori is possibly seeking celebrity candidates in general south Auckland electorates to boost their party vote numbers.Every Friday, Jo Moir, Sam Sachdeva and Tim Murphy talk through the big issues and scrutinise politicians' performances in a lively 25-minute show aiming to take viewers and listeners inside the actions and motivations of our elected leaders. Moir is Newsroom's political editor, having been in the gallery for eight years also with Stuff and RNZ, Sachdeva is our national affairs editor, former political editor and was a Stuff political writer and Murphy is Newsroom's co-editor, a former member of the Parliamentary press gallery and former editor-in-chief of the NZ Herald.You can watch Raw Politics on YouTube, listen in your favourite podcast app. Send us your burning political questions to jo.moir@newsroom.co.nz and we'll endeavour to find out the answer and explain the issues.

The bad news keeps coming for Labour.  Monday night's 1 News Kantar public poll puts National and ACT in a position to easily form a government. National's up to 38 percent, Labour's down to 33, ACT is up 2 points to 11 and the Greens unchanged at 9.  Stalking his way back to Parliament bit by bit… Winston Peters and New Zealand First are on 4 percent tantalisingly close to that 5 percent threshold - Te Pati Māori are on 2. On Tuesday morning Tova O'Brien spoke to two former ministers, National's Paula Bennett and Labour's Iain Lees-Galloway to break down the latest poll.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kingmaker no more.  Te Pati Māori was sitting in the plum position in recent polls but last night's Newshub Reid Research poll has robbed them of the honour.  National and Act can do it alone. The Māori Party still holds its two seats - on 1.9% and assuming it holds onto an electorate seat. Māori Party Co-Leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer us to discuss. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National and Te Pāti Māori have called for an investigation into Rotorua's emergency housing crisis. We asked Housing Minister Megan Woods to come on the show, but she declined. Her statement basically said Police and a QC had taken a look... and everything's looking great!  Today we talk through this with National's housing spokesperson Chris Bishop, and Te Pati Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Check out our discussion with Annabel Lee Mather (journalist and producer of The Hui), and political commentator Ben Thomas. We'll work through issues with Covid fatigue among top health officials, Te Pati Māori's suggestion to earlier superannuation, and reflect on the stepping down of Ashley Bloomfield.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.