Election 2023

The horticulture industry is welcoming a new policy on water storage with open arms.   National's promising that farmers will not need a resource consent to build a water storage pond in most cases unless wetlands or Significant Natural Areas are affected.   It's a plan they say cuts red tape around food production.   Horticulture New Zealand Policy Manager Michelle Sands says it's a positive poli...

Labour's promising a justice system shake-up, with the party saying it'll streamline the process for people to take legal action.   The party claims it'll be a more cost-effective way for groups of people to take legal action together by establishing a class actions regime.   Labour's Justice spokesperson Ginny Andersen told Mike Hosking that this has worked overseas.   She says for example, it's...

It’s funny as we get to the sharp end of the election campaign, what exercises people and what doesn’t.   The media are exercised by the Nats tax cut plan. They’re exercised by it largely I assume because the Labour party are exercised about it. And the Labour party are exercised about it because they hate it because it’s popular. It’s seen poll surges for National, and they’ll do anything to try...

Tonight on The Huddle, former Labour Chief of Staff and current director at Mike Munro communications, Mike Munro, and ZB's Nick Mills joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more!  Multiple economists have teamed up to scrutinise aspects of National's tax plan and it's been made clear the numbers don't add up. Will voters care? Will National have to find ways to cut m...

Ministers from several major parties are expected to go head to head at tonight's Rural Issues Debate at Mystery Creek. Damien O’Connor (Labour), Eugenie Sage (Green Party), Todd McClay (National), Andrew Hoggard (Act), and Mark Patterson (New Zealand First) will discuss the issues impacting the region's rural community. The Country's Jamie Mackay explains what can be expected. LISTEN ABOVE See om...

Three economists have teamed up to scrutinise part of National's tax plan. The party's proposed ending the ban on foreign buyers - for homes worth more than $2 million- and taxing them 15 percent. It expects foreigners will buy 1700 houses valued on average at around $2.9 million. But economist Michael Reddell says it'll be more like 700 in that price range. "That $2 million threshold really does...

Winston Peters won't close the door on sitting with ACT leader David Seymour around the Cabinet table. Depending where the chips fall at next month's election - both parties could be in the Beehive as part of a National-led government. But Peters and Seymour don't see eye to eye, with the latter categorically ruling out working with New Zealand First. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper...

The country's three biggest education unions have joined forces to put education funding on the political agenda this election campaign. A new BERL report has found public spending per student in 2019 was nearly 25 percent lower than the OECD average. Tertiary Education Union National President Julie Douglas says more investment would allow better decisions about the sort of system we want. "I thi...

This week on Behind the List, Newstalk ZB's Senior Political Correspondent Barry Soper dives into one of politics' most tense relationships.  He speaks to both Winston Peters and David Seymour - and finds out why they won't work together. Plus, the pair send a message to each other through the podcast.  The seasoned political analyst then casts his eye over this week's political polls which have b...

In today’s Election Fix, Political Editor Jason Walls talks the latest pushback to National’s tax plan from three independent economists. And Christchurch reporter Pierre Nixon reviews both Chris Hipkins’ and Christopher Luxon’s visits to the South Island. Plus, all your latest Election 2023 headlines. Election Fix is your daily wrap of the Election 2023 campaign, talking to our reporters in the f...

ACT leader David Seymour wasn’t eating pies on TV last night like the other party leaders. But he was spitting tacks about dangerous criminals not being locked-up in prison. He was out promoting his party’s law and order policy and, if I was to sum up the message he was trying to get across, it would be this: “More people should be in prison”. Now I don’t necessarily agree that there should be mor...

Like so many of these things, a day or so after the big event is when you really get a measure of what is true and what is BS, or spin.   The PREFU was bad news.   The upside of the bad news was the Government argued and, sadly, the too many of the media, who either don’t have time to digest the real numbers, don’t care to digest the real numbers, or don’t know how to digest the real numbers, swal...

Now the National Party announced some weeks ago that should it become Government, a new medical school will be established at Waikato University. They've also said they'd add another 50 placements in Otago and Auckland from 2025.   Now Labour, in the midst of an unprecedented senior specialist strike, has woken up to the fact that we're short of doctors. Who knew? And has announced an extra 95 doc...

The divide between the right and left continues to grow heading into the election.   The latest 1 News Verian poll shows Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins are neck-and-neck in the preferred prime minister rankings: both on 23%.   But the right bloc is on 49%, well ahead of the left bloc on 41%.   Put to him that they had "less than no money" to run a country, Luxon said: "Yep. We're going to hav...

A medical school leader says they've been waiting to be allowed to train more doctors.   If elected, Labour's promised to train an additional 335 doctors every year from 2027, with numbers increasing from next year.   National previously announced a new medical school at Waikato University, which would provide 220 extra places by 2030.   Otago University Acting Dean of Medicine, Tim Wilkinson, tol...

A retired judge believes the public shouldn't be driving policy when it comes to law and order.   Party leader David Seymour wants to boost prison capacity by 500 beds and toughen sentencing for offending against vulnerable workers.   Act also wants new youth justice beds under Corrections and ankle bracelets on youth offenders.   Rosemary Riddell told Mike Hosking that what we need is prisons wit...

Tonight on The Huddle, Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union and Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A weighed in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Yesterday's PREFU was eye-opening, and it raised the questions: Should National revise their plan for tax cuts? Can we actually afford them? US News' Best Countries list has concluded New Zealand has amazi...

Did I have a debate on my hands when I got home last night about the country’s debt levels.  The husband gave me a huge telling off for saying yesterday that the Government had taken on too much debt.   So I feel like I need to clear this up : I don’t mind the level of debt New Zealand has . We've heard this a thousand times, but it’s worth saying again- we have very little debt in contrast to oth...

Another slide for Labour in tonight's One News-Verian poll, with the National Party up two points to 39 percent, and Labour down one to 28. The Greens and ACT are both down, on 10 percent. Winston Peters' New Zealand First is back in the game, up one to poll 5 percent. The Battle of the Chrises is neck and neck with both on 23 percent as preferred Prime Minister- Hipkins is up 2 percent, and Luxon...

Labour says the pandemic showed a need for more local healthcare worker training. The party's announced it'll train another 335 doctors every year from 2027- and increase medical school places from next year. Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says they've already increased the workforce by 2,000 people. "So I think the National Party's attack line - that this should've happened earlier - is negat...

ACT thinks more people should be in jail. The party's law and order policy would invest $1 billion into 500 more prison beds, and toughen sentences for offending against vulnerable workers. Leader David Seymour says the Government has tried letting criminals out of prison. He says a Ministry of Justice survey shows the result. "Victimisations are up by about 30 percent in 5 years, but the human pr...

Labour's pledging to lift medical school places by 95 a year from 2025, in New Zealand's largest boost ever. Chris Hipkins says if re-elected, they'll lift training 62 percent over the coming decade. Labour's extra places amount to 874 doctors trained each year by 2027- beating out National's promised 759 by 2030. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says this scheme is the latest strateg...

Questions over divisions within New Zealand. An Essential Research poll shows 77 percent of Kiwis believe the country is either a little more - or much more - divided, depending on their political stance. Labour and Green voters think there's less division, and National and ACT supporters say we are more so. Those aged 55-plus are the most concerned. Victoria University's Max Rashbrooke says he's...

In today’s Election Fix, Political Reporter Sophie Trigger tells us the reaction to Christopher Luxon’s walkabout around Auckland and breaks down Act’s suite of law-and-order policies. And Chief Political Correspondent Aaron Dahmen tells us about Chris Hipkins’ visit to Dunedin and how he dipped his toe into the student lifestyle. Plus, all your Election 2023 headlines. Election Fix is your daily...

Polls are coming in thick and fast as we head towards October 14th.   The latest is the New Zealand Herald's Poll of Polls, which combines results from a range of pollsters, specifically Curia, Kantar Public, Talbot Mills, and Reid Research.   According to the Poll of Polls, National and ACT’s chances continue to soar.   They have a 95.1% chance of forming a government if the election were held th...