political parties

Why Can’t The Ministry of Works Just Build Houses Like 1935?

Written By: advantage - Date published: 7:34 am, October 23rd, 2020 - 32 comments

We don’t have a government like the Labour government that formed in 1935.

Show us the plan Labour

Written By: weka - Date published: 10:19 am, October 22nd, 2020 - 154 comments

Labour want to govern based in stability for all New Zealanders, but how does that work when your grand narrative has massive plot holes around ending poverty?

Some consequences of Chloe Swarbrick’s win

Written By: advantage - Date published: 9:49 am, October 22nd, 2020 - 41 comments

What are the lessons to be learned from Chloe Swarbrick’s election night win of Auckland Central.

Will Labour go it alone?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:42 am, October 21st, 2020 - 99 comments

Tova O’Brien has suggested that a Labour Green joined at the hip coalition is not going to happen. So what will the next Government look like?

Will consensus building paralyse Ardern?

Written By: Simon Louisson - Date published: 7:14 am, October 21st, 2020 - 33 comments

Jacinda Ardern aims to bet both ways on our future – transforming Aotearoa to rid us of inequality and poverty, and building consensus. She has won a mandate with her historic, landslide victory but can she do both? My question is whether Labour are willing to do that because of her desire to maintain consensus and not rock the waka.

NZ election 2020: Labour win is a watershed moment in the country’s history

Written By: nickkelly - Date published: 12:27 am, October 20th, 2020 - 47 comments

The 2020 election was more than just a victory for Labour and more than a crushing defeat for the National Party (New Zealand’s main centre-right political party). This result marks a significant watershed in New Zealand politics which will likely have implications long after this parliamentary term.

Left/Green/Indigenous

Written By: weka - Date published: 12:32 pm, October 18th, 2020 - 135 comments

What kind of government might New Zealand have?

Dr Shane is in trouble

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:51 am, October 18th, 2020 - 27 comments

Shane Reti is in major strife in Whangarei and special votes may overturn his slim election night majority. And National may have further problems with its list entitlement and Maureen Pugh and Nick Smith are not safe.

O Winston I love you

Written By: advantage - Date published: 9:25 am, October 18th, 2020 - 50 comments

Some reasons for us to miss Winston’s exit from politics.

Labour crushes election – now what?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:58 am, October 18th, 2020 - 79 comments

Labour’s crushing victory in yesterday’s election and the Green’s strong result means that the Government has a unique opportunity to emulate the fundamental change to New Zealand that the first Labour government achieved.

Your Preliminary Parliament for 2020

Written By: Matthew Whitehead - Date published: 2:33 am, October 18th, 2020 - 58 comments

On the preliminary results, we have our expected MPs. While Parliament may change a little, we now know its shape, and its likely members- with about three exceptions.

Natwatch election night post

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 7:05 pm, October 17th, 2020 - 19 comments

This has been an incredible year for the National Party. Will it implode publicly tonight with a series of attacks on the leadership and campaign by disgruntled MPs or will Judith perform better than expected and minimise the carnage. This post is to follow National’s leadership and MP response to election night results. Stay tuned […]

Pollwatch: 2020 Pre-election rush

Written By: Matthew Whitehead - Date published: 10:46 pm, October 16th, 2020 - 10 comments

We’ve had three recent pre-election polls. While we wait for results on election day, let’s have a look at where things might be headed.

This should have been the climate election

Written By: weka - Date published: 10:35 am, October 16th, 2020 - 30 comments

A new Ministry for the Environment report on New Zealand and the climate crisis is sobering. If you haven’t voted, climate is still by far New Zealand’s biggest challenge, and it’s the Greens that have the plan for what to do.

Jacinda or Judith?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:47 am, October 16th, 2020 - 65 comments

With election day tomorrow those who have not voted already need to decide, do they want Jacinda Ardern or Judith Collins to be the next Prime Minister.

Latest Colmar Brunton – Labour Greens ascendant

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 6:08 pm, October 15th, 2020 - 62 comments

Labour is coming off strastopheric polling but the Greens are looking safer. And National is still on the decline.

About the Greens…

Written By: weka - Date published: 11:05 am, October 15th, 2020 - 74 comments

Here’s the thing about the Greens. They want change. They want change more than they want power. I think that they fully understand that we are out of time on climate, poverty, the environment and now is the time to act boldly.

Backbench National MP proposes radical new tax to address deficit *

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 6:23 pm, October 14th, 2020 - 29 comments

* but I am not sure that all of his caucus colleagues would be happy with the proposal.

Greens: will push for more climate action to match the scale of the crisis

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 10:39 am, October 14th, 2020 - 12 comments

“The Green Party welcomes Labour’s commitment to reduce climate emissions in the next term of Government, but would go further and faster to address the true scale of the crisis.”

Latest UMR Poll – National sinking

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:40 am, October 14th, 2020 - 180 comments

Leaked results of the latest UMR poll suggests that National is under 30% and that Judith Collins campaign techniques are not working. She responded by calling the Prime Minister a liar and fat shaming the population.

How not to campaign in an MMP environment

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:34 am, October 13th, 2020 - 30 comments

A recent series of advertisements placed by National MPs in Auckland seeking electorate votes and not seeking party votes show that central control of National’s campaign and discipline are completely lacking.

2020 election campaign – 6 days to go

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:23 am, October 12th, 2020 - 52 comments

With six days to go to election day the campaigns have reached interesting stages although the underlying trends and events appear to be good for the left.

National’s 2020 election campaign in billboards

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 4:51 pm, October 11th, 2020 - 24 comments

A review of National’s billboards used this year shows what an utter disaster the campaign has been for them.

Labour Increases Protection for Kauri Dieback

Written By: advantage - Date published: 9:18 am, October 10th, 2020 - 10 comments

In an announcement that will probably gain them few extra votes but still warms the cockles, Labour have promised to put Kauri Dieback on the same scale of national disease response as Bovine Tuberculosis and Kiwifruit PSA.

Ngaro goes negative

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:18 am, October 10th, 2020 - 43 comments

National list MP Alfred Ngaro has shown that National’s message discipline has broken down completely by going negative and making some outlandish claims against Labour’s Phil Twyford.

About that wealth tax

Written By: weka - Date published: 6:05 am, October 10th, 2020 - 301 comments

There are some issues to be ironed out, but this is the only thing I am seeing that attempts to resolve poverty in New Zealand rather than tinkering around the edges.

Strong team at leaking

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:43 am, October 9th, 2020 - 56 comments

Another day and another story about National MPs leaking against Judith Collins

When campaigns go bad

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:43 am, October 8th, 2020 - 50 comments

Emma Mellows national Auckland Central Hamish Price

Every day there is a new catastrophe for Judith Collins. Yesterday she had a walkabout from hell when it was revealed on national news that national activists including Hamish Price had been strategically placed to pretend to be ordinary members of the public and say nice things about her for the camera.

The importance of party unity

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:33 am, October 7th, 2020 - 83 comments

If a party wants to become Government there are a few characteristics that is has to have. Fiscal competence is one, unity is another. National currently has neither.

National leaks again

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:33 am, October 6th, 2020 - 62 comments

A highly critical email about Judith Collins written by National Maungakiekie MP Denise Lee has been leaked and indicates that National’s Auckland policy was made on the hoof and without reference to the person in caucus with actual responsibility for the subject.

Paul Goldsmith should stop digging

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 3:05 pm, October 3rd, 2020 - 80 comments

Paul Goldsmith has shown yet again his complete inability to understand how Government finances work by claiming there is a $10 billion dollar hole in Labour’s fiscal plan where there is none.