nz first

Categories under nz first

  • No categories

National’s donation reporting problem

Written By: - Date published: 7:19 am, February 19th, 2020 - 25 comments

National’s recent donations returns suggest that a large total of their donations are made in the under $15,000 category, the benefit of which is that the donor’s identity does not have to be disclosed.  Update: The four accused have been named.

What was Winston thinking?

Written By: - Date published: 11:52 am, February 15th, 2020 - 120 comments

It has been revealed that NZ First acquired photographs of its former President and two reporters emerged on the Whaleoil mark 2 site, raising the concerning possibility that Simon Lusk may be involved in helping NZ First.

The problem with opinion polls

Written By: - Date published: 7:38 am, February 14th, 2020 - 77 comments

This week the Reid Research Poll predicted a Labour Green government and the Colmar Brunton poll predicted a National ACT government.  Which one will be proved correct?

Bridges’ many and varied positions on coalition with NZ First

Written By: - Date published: 12:48 pm, February 12th, 2020 - 18 comments

In the past 10 days Simon Bridges has said that National will not go into coalition with NZ First after the next election, to it could consider coalition in the future, to there is no way it will ever go into coalition with NZ First.

Will DPF condemn National for hiding the identity of its donors?

Written By: - Date published: 7:35 am, February 11th, 2020 - 59 comments

David Farrar has called for the suspension of Winston Peters from Cabinet for reasons which would also justify the suspension of Simon Bridges from the National Party.

The MPs go to Waitangi

Written By: - Date published: 9:04 am, February 5th, 2020 - 93 comments

Yesterday the political parties were welcomed onto the upper Marae at Waitangi.  Jacinda Ardern took the occasion to give a stock take of what the Government was doing to address Iwi concerns, Andrew Little gave his speech totally in te reo, and Simon Bridges chose to use the opportunity to politic.

Bridges’ biggest gamble

Written By: - Date published: 3:46 pm, February 2nd, 2020 - 103 comments

Simon Bridges has mimicked John Key and ruled out National working with NZ First after the election.  The difference is however that back then Key ruled out working with NZ First because NZ First was involved in a SFO investigation about the hiding of a $100,000 donation.  This time it is National.

Government to ban foreign donations to political parties

Written By: - Date published: 12:19 pm, December 3rd, 2019 - 66 comments

The Government has announced that it will pass under urgency changes to the Electoral Law to ban overseas donations.

Bridges calls for investigation into National’s handling of electoral donations

Written By: - Date published: 9:29 am, November 29th, 2019 - 24 comments

Simon Bridges’ demand of an investigation into the New Zealand First Foundation appears to have backfired after it emerges that the NZ First Foundation was modelled on the National Party Foundation.

November Stuff Poll; Nats Knackered

Written By: - Date published: 9:16 am, November 25th, 2019 - 95 comments

Stuff have released their latest YouGov political poll. It’s a shocker for the Tories and their current leader Simon Bridges.

 

Hypocrites

Written By: - Date published: 7:37 am, November 22nd, 2019 - 57 comments

National’s attacks on NZ First’s Foundation are hypocritical in the extreme given that it also has a Foundation and has used this foundation to hide the identity of donors who have collectively potentially contributed huge amounts of money to the party.

Hypocrite

Written By: - Date published: 12:23 pm, November 20th, 2019 - 74 comments

Simon Bridges has accused NZ First of engaging in the most significant breach of electoral law in New Zealand’s history. But has not ruled out working with NZ First in the future. And has forgotten about National’s neat partition of a $100,000 donation to hide it from the authorities.

Not a good look

Written By: - Date published: 11:10 am, November 19th, 2019 - 98 comments

There has been recent media exposure on New Zealand First’s treatment of donations and the use of a trust to receive donations and avoid contribution disclosure requirements by making payments loans rather than gifts.

Slapdown

Written By: - Date published: 7:45 am, November 7th, 2019 - 66 comments

Jacinda Ardern has publicly slapped Shane Jones down for blatantly racist comments by requiring Immigration Officials to reverse a policy change that was adversely affecting Kiwis who have recently entered into arranged marriages.

Farmers given a chance. I think National will screw it up for them.

Written By: - Date published: 8:11 am, October 24th, 2019 - 21 comments

One of the less endearing traits of National is their ability to screw almost anything up for short-term advantage regardless how it impacts long-term. Usually this comes from the results of in-fighting within the party. The agricultural emissions deal is likely to get caught again.

NZ First Youth drags party screaming and kicking into 20th century

Written By: - Date published: 8:08 am, October 21st, 2019 - 24 comments

At New Zealand First’s weekend conference the party’s youth wing has forced the party to rethink its ultra conservative view on pill testing services being offered at festivals.

One News Colmar Brunton Poll Oct 2019

Written By: - Date published: 6:21 pm, October 14th, 2019 - 121 comments

The October TV One/Colmar Brunton poll is out. Like yesterday’s devastating TV3 poll result showing National not waving, but drowning, today’s poll confirms that NZ is still heading toward an historic Labour/Green Government, despite the Tories flirting with numbers in the high fifties.

UPDATE: Some weirdness with the numbers: they add up to 101% and 47% does not actually give National 60 seats, so the ‘Poll Says National Can Govern’ headlines are a wee bit optimistic.  TRP.

Fonterra failure and Government failure

Written By: - Date published: 7:38 am, August 19th, 2019 - 95 comments

Fonterra is dragging New Zealand down, faster and faster.  What is this Government going to do?

What is up with NZ First?

Written By: - Date published: 8:37 am, August 9th, 2019 - 105 comments

New Zealand First’s late decision to promote a referendum concerning abortion has caught everyone including its spokesperson Tracy Martin by surprise and is the latest example of last minute changes of position.

Dunne reckons next election will be close

Written By: - Date published: 9:22 am, July 26th, 2019 - 48 comments

Peter Dunne has come up with some 2020 election reckons that ignores current polling as well as National’s leadership problems.

The right wing death threat against Winston

Written By: - Date published: 10:44 am, July 1st, 2019 - 117 comments

Newshub has revealed that Winston Peters has received death threats. And the allegations involve the European far right, the Christchurch attack, the anti UN Migrant pact movement and the National Party.

Pollwatch: 9th June 2019

Written By: - Date published: 4:00 pm, June 10th, 2019 - 27 comments

We had both major polls out yesterday, as noted in previous stories, and boy were the results a doozy! In addition to twice my usual talk about models, we’re going to get into the assumption some people are no doubt already making- that one of the polls is “wrong,” or more technically, rogue. For those […]

The hard change of forestry

Written By: - Date published: 10:41 am, May 18th, 2019 - 98 comments

Forestry is forcing an important tilting point between mitigating climate change and land use, and it’s going to affect the viability of some North Island towns.

Auf Wiedersehen Iraq

Written By: - Date published: 12:49 pm, May 16th, 2019 - 30 comments

The Germans and the Dutch have suspended training Iraqi soldiers citing increased tensions in the area. What do they know that Ron Mark doesn’t? Cabinet is due to  make a decision shortly on our long-planned decision to withdraw, and he seems to want us to stay. Labour’s policy at the election was to withdraw, it should prevail.

@Melulater on Teachers’ Strike

Written By: - Date published: 9:10 am, May 13th, 2019 - 98 comments

Reprinted with permission from the blogsite How Melulater sees it, an important backgrounder to the impending teachers’ strike.

Zero carbon bill – let the battle commence

Written By: - Date published: 8:21 am, May 9th, 2019 - 102 comments

The Zero Carbon bill is already being attacked by farming groups who are clearly concerned at the implications for their industry.  And National is already showing signs that it will play politics with the issue.

Zero Carbon bill announced

Written By: - Date published: 4:44 pm, May 8th, 2019 - 40 comments

The Government has announced that the Zero Carbon Bill will have as a goal carbon neutrality by 2050 and the halving of methane emissions by that time.

National’s bad day in the house

Written By: - Date published: 7:28 am, May 2nd, 2019 - 70 comments

In an unprecedented move yesterday in Parliament Government MPs agreed to Simon Bridges having extra time to harangue them during the general debate.

Climate change is this Government’s nuclear free issue

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, May 1st, 2019 - 50 comments

The results of the Zero Carbon Bill negotiations are due to be announced shortly.  This Government has a political imperative to make sure that the final proposal is resolute.

About the CGT decision

Written By: - Date published: 8:06 am, April 18th, 2019 - 232 comments

With the benefit of hindsight the decision not to proceed with a capital gains tax was almost inevitable.

CGT Dumped

Written By: - Date published: 2:08 pm, April 17th, 2019 - 244 comments

The Government has announced that there will be no Capital Gains Tax. It’s a shame, but it’s good politics.

The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
The site will be off line for some hours.