Election 2023

At the end of each week, Mike Hosking takes you through the big-ticket items and lets you know what he makes of it all.    The campaign: 7/10  It feels real at last. The first debate, the volley of policy, the rolling coverage; a country engaged in democracy is a very fine thing.    The first leader's debate: 5/10  These things no longer work. They produce little, if...

Week two of this campaign of 2026 – is it close? They say so.  But then one poll had Labour at 23%, and another poll had them at 29%. That's how bad polling has become, so who would know?  It might be as simple as what happens with the Opportunity Party – if they're in, the Government is out. If they aren't, the Government are back.  Or it could be one of those "hold your nose" vote...

Friday has arrived, which means it's time for Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson to join Mike Hosking to Wrap the Week that Was.  And the week in question was the second week of the election campaign – how do they think things are going?  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

THE BEST BITS IN A SILLIER PACKAGE  (from Friday's Mike Hosking Breakfast)  How Long Left?/Another Poll to Ignore Completely/But What Are They Actually Like?/The Weird World of Hosk/And the Prize Goes To... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National's Social Development spokesperson says drug testing is already normal for a number of jobs, so Jobseekers should meet the same expectation.   The Party's promising introduce random drug testing for people on the Jobseeker benefit and reduce payments for those who've been on it more than two years.   Louise Upston says they'll start with 10 thousand tests in the first year and ex...

There's potential for issues to emerge as Labour pledges to open the skies to more competition.    The party's new aviation policies include requiring airlines to publicly report delays or cancellations and make big airlines automatically refund flights during cancellations, or big changes.  It would also open up access to more airport infrastructure so smaller airlines can grow and...

I had to chuckle after yesterday's interview with Mr Abercrombie from the PPTA, who grudgingly accepted that improvements to the education sector by the Government is a factor in teacher registrations being up 40% this year.  Mr Abercrombie, other industry advocates, and the Labour-led Opposition have been dead set against the changes, but now they’re slowly admitting that things are better.&...

Thank goodness for Sir John Key speaking some sense about billionaires, am I right? I don't think anybody expected billionaires to become a topic of discussion in this election but here we are. It started, of course, with Jack Tame's question to the Chris' during the leaders' debate on whether it was basically morally offensive for someone to be a billionaire. Then John Key raised it again during...

In last night's debate, politicians and influential business leaders outlined their visions for the future of New Zealand's economy.    The future of growth is top of mind for many, and one expert has outlined a plan for how the nation could grow its GDP. Growth NZ co-chair Bowen Pan says New Zealand needs to focus on the sectors where it can be 'world-class' - as it can't be good at eve...

Consumer NZ worries Labour's promise to require automatic ticket refunds from big airlines for cancelled flights could rob customers of choice. The party has announced policies aiming to make air travel prices more transparent, and targeting anti-competitive behaviour. It's promising smaller lines fair access to airport infrastructure. Chief executive Jon Duffy says they're concerned automatic ref...

National's social development spokesperson says drugs are preventing jobseekers getting off the benefit. The party's promising to randomly drug test people on the Jobseeker benefit, doing 10,000 in the first year.  Louise Upston says the number of tests would expand depending on how many beneficiaries test positive. She says it's about getting them work ready.  "Employers will say they'r...

Leader Chris Luxon says National  wants the welfare system to be fair - and affordable for taxpayers. The party is pledging to randomly drug test people on the Jobseeker benefit and reduce payments after people have drawn on it for more than two years. National expects it would save just under $600 million. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper explained further. LISTEN ABOVE...

This election is highlighting yet another war being fought on the ideological battleground that is education. Charter schools, as they operate now, are in the sights of Labour because they're doing something different. To be fair, Labour's never liked the idea of schools operating under their own curriculum. Nothing new there. As Chris Hipkins told Mike Hosking this morning, they're all for new id...

A warning there are drawbacks to instant payments as Labour vows to make it possible 24/7 by 2030.  The party wants to bring more competition to the sector helping fintech companies take on the big four banks.  Part of Labour's plan to achieve this is by introducing e-money licences for businesses offering services like digital wallets and payments.   Massey University Financial Pro...

A tick of approval for National's small business plan.   The party's released a 47 point plan to cut red tape around things like employment disputes and health and safety.   Small Business New Zealand founder Phil Wicks says it creates a fairly cohesive plan.   He told Andrew Dickens while any help is appreciated, what businesses really want is a growing economy.   Wicks says t...

I tell you who should be feeling good this election campaign: political parties.  If the commentary and expectation I'm seeing so far is truly representative of where we are at in this country, as consumers we have slipped back into a gliding-on type world of the 1970's.  The supermarket scrap is stupid enough. But Labour yesterday yet again waded into the world of banking, promising to...

National's small business plan is being seen as practical, but not transformational.  The party's released a 47 point plan to cut red tape for small businesses, which it would implement if re-elected.   It features tweaks to non-trade barriers, employment relations, health and safety, and a review of the compulsory GST registration threshold.  ABC Business Sales Managing Director Ch...

THE BEST BITS IN A SILLIER PACKAGE  (from Thursday's Mike Hosking Breakfast) Underestimate Them at Your Peril/How MMP Works/Kiwisaver a Bit Too Optional/Still Surprisingly French See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Hipkins reckons there was no easy answer to this week's leaders debate question on whether it's okay to be a billionaire.  Former Prime Minister Sir John Key says it's "nuts" to think billionaires are "morally offensive".  Key told the Herald's Future of New Zealand debate last night that we should be celebrating business success like we celebrate sporting and musical success.&nbsp...

I'm Andrew Dickens and I'm the fill in guy, and I'm filling in for Ryan Bridge all week and three days next week, and three days the week after, and the reason for that is Ryan is preparing to do telly stuff with Herald Now.  Last night he was doing the first of the big ones and it was a 90-minute thing called 'The Future of New Zealand'.   It had politicians, but the big thing about thi...

Labour has suggested that if elected, everyone in the public service would be paid the living wage of $29.90 an hour - $6 more than the current minimum wage. Economists have raised concerns with this proposal and claimed this could likely lead to inflation going up. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...

The Labour Party says their prospective Government won't be making similar cuts to National, as it outlines its plan for the books. Last week's pre-election look at the Government books shows the planned 2028/29 surplus will be nearly $2 billion dollars bigger than forecast, and the Crown will borrow less. Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds says cutting out the tobacco excise tax cut will...

So I reckon there was one moment in that leaders' debate that would have worried parents up and down this country, and it was this one. Chris Hipkins conceded that, if Labour were to win the election, he would scrap the one hour of reading, writing and maths for primary school kids. It's weird to me that Labour wants to do this because, anecdotally, I keep hearing from parents that they can see th...

The Education Minister says Labour's plan to ditch the mandated hour of reading, writing and maths is just 'ridiculous'. Chris Hipkins revealed he'd leave it up to the schools to decide - at last night's TVNZ leaders debate.  But Erica Stanford says the policy was based on a recommendation in the 2021 Royal Society Maths Report that Hipkins commissioned himself. She says it's not political or...

National's Chris Luxon and Labour's Chris Hipkins went head-to-head last night in the first main leaders debate of the campaign. Taxes, education, health, the cost of living, and crime were among the issues discussed in front of a studio audience of undecided voters. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper recapped the debate and noted that Luxon ruled out working with Opportunity a...