Election 2023

Is Winston Peters senile or cynical? Political commentator Matthew Hooton explains why Peters is unfit to be in government. Plus, Dr Paul G. Buchanan joins us to give his insight on Israel-Hamas war and why there might be no end in sight. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is my first ZB shift since the election brought in our new Government-to-be. And I must say it’s been the most fantastic fortnight, until we lost the Rugby World Cup final due to first half sloppiness and a trigger-happy TMO. But we had our chances. We can’t complain. You have to play to the rules. But really, it’s been 2 weeks of calm and confidence and a feeling of recovery and renewal afte...

One prospective Cabinet minister appears to have learned from his predecessor's mistakes. Senior National MP Chris Bishop has sold his shares in Kiwi Income Property and plans to sell off his further shares in Paysauce Ltd, Telstra and Parrotdog. Former National MP Steven Joyce disagrees that ministers should have to sell their shares once they get into office. "You keep lifting the bar higher and...

Peter Dunne is someone I really respect because he’s emerged from a life inside politics to remain an engaged and informed observer on the outside.   He makes a lot of sense, which is why I love having him on this show. He recently gave an interview where he talked about the fact we shouldn’t have to wait this long for election results.   I agree.   I’m sure most of us do. I mean we voted for a sy...

Politicians from opposing sides want special votes to be counted more quickly.   Special votes and the final election result will be released in nine days, giving the final makeup of Parliament.   National and ACT can govern alone on current numbers, but those may change once November 3rd comes around.   Labour's Megan Woods told Mike Hosking that she doesn't see how allowing people to enrol on th...

Christopher Luxon has agreed coalition documents should be made public.   Special vote results get released on Friday week, showing the final make-up of MPs after the election.   Luxon wants vote-counting to be faster than that.   ACT's David Seymour says he has no problem making the coalition agreement public.   Incoming Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told Mike Hosking that he's wanting to work...

Christopher Luxon's staying tight lipped about coalition discussions.   Meanwhile, ACT's David Seymour says he's happy to make the coalition agreement public once it's been struck.   Arrangements in 2017 weren't made public by Jacinda Ardern, with the Chief Ombudsman ruling details couldn't be requested under the Official Information Act as it came within her capacity as Labour leader.   Former Na...

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and Tim Wilson from Maxim Institute joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more!   Sir Wayne Smith predicts new rule changes will be implemented in rugby, with permissible tackle height being lowered to belly-button level. Are the rugby rules too complicated? Are tackles below the belly button the way of the...

The Prime Minister-elect's leaving the door open to revealing details of a coalition deal. Arrangements in 2017 weren't publicly released, because the Chief Ombudsman ruled details couldn't be requested under the OIA- because it came within Jacinda Ardern's capacity as Labour leader. ACT's David Seymour is in coalition talks with National and says he'd be happy for his promises to be made public....

David Seymour says he sees no reason why a potential coalition deal shouldn't be made public. Arrangements in 2017 weren't publicly released, when the Chief Ombudsman ruled details couldn't be requested under the Official Information Act - because it came within Jacinda Ardern's capacity as Labour leader. But ACT Party leader Seymour says he'd be happy for this year's finalised arrangement to be i...

Phone calls and negotiations behind the scenes, as National and ACT look set to form the next Government. With the special votes yet to confirm the make-up of the Beehive, both parties are likely to need New Zealand First in a three-way majority arrangement. Former National MP Steven Joyce, was part of talks in 2017, when Winston Peters eventually sided with Labour and Jacinda Ardern. He says it's...

This week on Politics Central, Steven Joyce weighs in on the key challenges impacting Luxon and National in forming a Government, particularly in negations with their coalition partners. Later, Professor Robert Patman provides an update on the Israel-Gaza war and how the US can navigate its involvement.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the Sunday Panel, Capital Director Ben Thomas and journalist, editor and author Jo McCarroll joined in on a discussion about the following topics- and more! The All Blacks have made it to the World Cup final- did we back them early on? If they win, where does that leave Ian Foster- should he expect a knighthood? The gangs have come out against National's proposed crackdown- will these...

National's Chris Luxon has kept coalition talks under lock and key following last week's election result. The Nats and ACT have a slim majority, but it's likely NZ First will be needed in a three-way majority arrangement once special votes are counted. NZ Herald deputy political editor Thomas Coughlan says these three parties will want to get a clear arrangement in writing before the special votes...

PR Specialist and former Labour Chief of Staff Neale Jones and former Wellington Mayor Dame Kerry Prendergast join Nick Mills on the Friday Faceoff. This week they discuss the 2023 Election results, whether Chris Hipkins should stay on as leader, plans for a charity hospital in Wellington being derailed, and tensions at the Wellington City Council reaching boiling point. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudi...

Today John MacDonald spoke to Labour's new Christchurch East MP, Reuben Davidson, and National's Matt Doocey on Politics Friday.   They discussed the election result and coalition agreements. Plus. what is wrong with our justice system when we see so many offenders getting granted home detention and early parole?    LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Luxon has confirmed his National-led government isn't keen on Auckland's Light Rail project. The incoming Prime Minister labelled the project a 'white elephant' and said the billions spent could be better put towards other transport priorities. ZB political editor Jason Walls says Luxon has been consistent about scrapping Light Rail from the beginning of the campaign. "If he had turned aroun...

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and Infrastructure NZ Chief Executive Nick Leggett joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! A hospital in Gaza is the latest to have been hit by bombs, with about 500 feared dead. The humanitarian situation in Gaza has turned from bad to catastrophic - has Israel gone too far now, is the situation in Gaza...

NZ First leader Winston Peters has touched down in Wellington, ahead of negotiation talks with National and ACT. There were cheers from onlookers outside the airport as he arrived- but Peters stayed quiet, despite being peppered with questions by journalists.  ZB political editor Jason Walls says it's unlikely Winston Peters will directly address media as coalition discussions get started- and jou...

The election result looks to have lit a fire under the property market. Real estate agents in Wellington say business has picked up since the 'blue wave' crashed through. National and ACT have both promised to phase in interest deductibility for landlords and make it easier for banks to lend money. City Sales sales manager Scott Dunn says people saw a change of Government coming. He says Auckland'...

With the election over (apart from half a million votes still to be counted), we look at how the country can encourage a more positive approach to economic recovery. “Commerce beats politics, every time.” This quote comes from our guest, Earl Rattray, prominent businessman and lifetime participant in the dairy industry. We look at a different perspective on the Middle East, from Barry Brownstein “...

Labour's Ginny Andersen and National's Mark Mitchell joined Mike Hosking to take a look at the election result and how the next few weeks will play out. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Kiwiblog contributor and Curia pollster David Farrar and current affairs commentator Josie Pagani joined in on a discussion about the issues of the day- and more! Andrew Little announced his decision to bow out of politics- will any other big Labour names join him? Chris Hipkins says he's going to hang on and keep leading Labour for the time being- how long will he last? Who...

New Zealand's farming community are feeling hopeful about the new changes in Government. While the nation's 54th Parliament won't be finalised until November, several prospective MPs from National and ACT have backgrounds in the primary sector. Grant McCallum, Suze Redmayne, Miles Anderson, Mike Butterick, Andrew Hoggard and Cameron Luxton are among the new faces bringing their rural backgrounds a...

Christopher Luxon has been batting off questions about National's ongoing coalition discussions. The incoming Prime Minister has confirmed he'll remain tight-lipped as National negotiates with ACT and NZ First as the special votes are still tallied. BusinessDesk managing editor Pattrick Smellie says Luxon's trying to establish a style of leadership where his team gets things done- as opposed to di...