Election 2023

New Zealanders can soon expect to see a clear picture of what the new Government will do. Prime Minister-elect Chris Luxon has confirmed coalition negotiations between National, ACT and New Zealand First have wrapped up. Luxon says the agreements are before the respective parties for sign off- and he'll reveal his Cabinet and their policies tomorrow. ZB political editor Jason Walls says all eyes w...

All three parties in the incoming Government have agreed on a coalition deal- which will be signed tomorrow. A joint statement from Chris Luxon, David Seymour and Winston Peters has announced negotiations to form a government that will deliver for all New Zealanders have concluded. ACT party leader David Seymour says the new Government will be ready to tackle the 'substantial' challenges impacting...

I think David Seymour has reason to be pretty salty if he isn't given the Deputy Prime Minister’s job. This is not really about whether the job is really a job or whether it's just ceremonial. The fact is- it is a title. And that title implies seniority, it means whoever gets the Deputy Prime Minister role is the second most senior person in the Government. And it would be pretty bizarre if Nation...

Tonight on The Huddle, Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union and Ali Jones from Red PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more!  Nicola Willis has confirmed she won't be the Deputy Prime Minister, and Luxon said she was never in the running. Is this true? Who are our picks for the role? The incoming Government will have to find a quarter of a billion dollar to...

Chris Luxon says he didn't lobby for his party deputy, Nicola Willis, to be Deputy Prime Minister. The role remains one of the last sticking points of Coalition negotiations, with policies and other ministerial positions largely agreed. Willis today said she wasn't in the race and Winston Peters or David Seymour are likely to get the job. ZB political editor Jason Walls says it's looking likely th...

Tonight on the Huddle, former National staffer Ben Thomas 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! Waka Kotahi is under fire for spending thousands on pies for construction workers working on the Mt Messenger bypass project in Taranaki. Is this worth the outrage? The post-election talks have turned to delegatin...

A former Deputy Prime Minister disagrees the role's largely ceremonial. Prime Minister-elect Chris Luxon has confirmed policies have been settled in Coalition talks - and negotiations have turned to ministerial roles. ACT's David Seymour made a public pitch for Deputy, but Luxon has downplayed the role's importance. Sir Don McKinnon was the deputy to Jim Bolger in his National Government, under th...

Again, it's looking pretty positive on the formation of Government today. Here's the update for the day- The policy work is now actually done, all three parties have now reached agreement on the policy agenda for the next three years. This seems like a minor step forward from yesterday, because yesterday ACT and NZ First had reached agreement with National. Today, ACT and NZ First have signed off...

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and current affairs commentator Josie Pagani joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! National's Chris Luxon says his coalition partners have made a breakthrough in post-election negotiations, but Winston Peters isn't on the same page. Who is trying to strongarm who in these discussions? Labour leader Chr...

Chris Luxon says he and his soon-to-be coalition partners have achieved a milestone in Government-forming negotiations. The incoming Prime Minister says the policy element of talks with ACT and New Zealand First concluded last night. Luxon says the last remaining step is formalising Cabinet positions - but the end is in sight. ZB political editor Jason Walls says NZ First and ACT still need to app...

National is celebrating a breakthrough in negotiations, claiming they've agreed to policy deals with NZ First and ACT. Despite what he called significant progress, Luxon wouldn’t say whether it was likely a Government could be formed by the end of the week. Finance Minister-elect Nicola Willis says all three parties still need to sign off on a final deal before the new Government is formed. "We're...

National says Labour leader Chris Hipkins' call for a ceasefire in Gaza was a surprise. Hipkins yesterday said he believes Israel's Defence Force's response has been disproportionate and indiscriminate. National's Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, Gerry Brownlee, says calling for a ceasefire has no point if both sides aren't willing to cooperate. Brownlee says National backs negotiating efforts from p...

ACT's David Seymour says he's no longer gambling on when coalition negotiations will wrap up. Prime Minister-elect Chris Luxon today announced the three parties have reached an agreement on policy. But the leaders of ACT and New Zealand First say they're not all the way there just yet. Seymour says he's closed his account at the TAB - given last week he wrongly predicted a deal was just days away....

So, still no Government. It's not a biggie. Remember, they only started talking after the specials were counted so it's only been a fortnight. But then again, why did they only start talking after the specials were counted? But still not a biggie.   Meanwhile, all those getting stuck into Winston are not using their knowledge of history or politics.   He doesn't have to be in Government. He can sa...

I have never negotiated a merger. And I have never negotiated an acquisition.    But I still think I could teach our incoming Prime Minister a thing or two.   Because here we are into another week of coalition talks between National, ACT and NZ First and, after all the to-ing and fro-ing from the Cordis Hotel in Auckland, we still don’t have a new Government.   But the bit about it all that seems...

National's Nicola Willis and Labour's Ginny Andersen join Nick Mills for Politics Monday. Together they discuss the ongoing coalition negotiations between National, ACT and NZ First, fresh bullying allegations made against Ginny, the state of the Government's books, and pharmacists calling for prescriptions to remain free. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Government forming talks will continue this week, as Chris Luxon's been unable to reach a consensus on a number of key issues this weekend. The incoming Prime Minister met with Winston Peters this afternoon, and has spoken with David Seymour over the phone. Despite insisting good progress is being made, Luxon says there are three final issues proving to be the sticking points. ZB political editor...

This week on Politics Central, Jason Walls recapped the ongoing coalition negotiations and shared his predictions for who will be assigned those top ministerial positions.  Later, Dr Paul Buchanan joins the Weekend Collective to share his insight into the importance of APEC and what we can expect from Biden's meeting with Xi. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the Sunday Panel, ZB host Roman Travers and commentator Irene Gardiner joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the week- and more! Coalition negotiations- are we overreacting to how long this is taking? Was this process ever going to be straightforward or easy? Does it have any reflection on the kind of Government Luxon will lead? The World Health Organisation has decl...

National leader Chris Luxon says coalition negotiations are in the last stages, as talks are expected to resume today. Luxon met with New Zealand First's Winston Peters in Auckland yesterday, and had a phone call with ACT's David Seymour. NZ Herald Deputy political editor Thomas Coughlan says Luxon's private sector experience may not have set him up well for coalition talks. He says politics is ob...

Tonight on The Huddle, Nick Mills from ZB's Wellington Mornings and Auckland Councillor Richard Hills joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! The three main parties have stayed quiet about the details of their coalition negations, but some National MPs have said they're close to forming a Government. What do we think of this? Are we over the waiting period?  Auck...

Post-election coalition talks are still under way, with leaders from all three parties meeting at Auckland's Cordis Hotel. National's Nicola Willis and Christopher Luxon have claimed that negotiations are heading into the final stages. ZB political editor Jason Walls says leaders from all three parties seem to agree talks are progressing well- but it's too soon to know for sure? LISTEN ABOVE See o...

Winston Peters is expected to emerge from a meeting with National soon, as Government-forming talks continue. NZ Herald political reporter Adam Pearse is outside the Cordis Hotel in Auckland, and says Peters has been with National's leader Chris Luxon for more than two hours. He says the meetings are getting longer, which could mean they are getting into the detail. "The latest we've heard is that...

Every week a member of the Newstalk ZB Parliament team joins Nick Mills for the Beehive Buzz. This week Senior Political Reporter Sophie Trigger discusses the how coalition talks are going between Luxon, Seymour and Peters, a recent poll, and final recount results. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All sides of the soon-to-be Government want talks completed as soon as possible. David Seymour, Winston Peters and Chris Luxon sat down together this morning for the first time, in Auckland. This meeting will be the first of several collaborative meetings in the city centre this week. ZB political editor Jason Walls says nothing significant has been divulged- but all three parties are keen to get...