Election 2023

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...

A political commentator says leaks from post-election talks are rife this year. The leaders of National, ACT and New Zealand First have now all sat around a table together, a first in their negotiations. Prime Minister elect Chris Luxon has wanted talks to stay private. But Ben Thomas says that hasn't been the case. He says it may reflect the parties playing off against each other. "There's the qu...

Tonight on The Huddle, current affairs commentator Josie Pagani and Tim Wilson from Maxim Institute joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! In coalition updates: Luxon's trip to APEC is officially off, Winston has been AWOL from Parliament- but the parties are set to meet later this week. Who knows what's going on? What can we expect in the coming days? NZ First'...

One expert has issued words of caution for anyone expecting the incoming Government will be easier on businesses. BusinessDesk's Pattrick Smellie says it shouldn't be a given that the National-ACT-NZ First coalition will take all the pressure of the business sector- and cited their history of policies and statements. Smellie explained that the banks, supermarkets, fuel companies will likely experi...

New Zealand First's caucus met today in Wellington- but the Party's leader was noticeably absent. None of the newly elected MPs explained where Winston Peters was, but they said work was progressing in his absence. ZB political editor Jason Walls says senior NZ First MP Shane Jones claimed progress was under way, and Peters would turn up- eventually. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for pr...

David Seymour says a referendum on Treaty principles is still on the negotiating table. ACT signalled the policy would be a priority in post-election talks. Prime Minister-elect Chris Luxon has said a referendum would be divisive, but New Zealand First's Shane Jones today told Radio Waatea he understands Seymour's concerns. Seymour says it's an idea whose time has come. "I think the more people un...

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and former Labour chief of staff Mike Munro joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Chris Luxon has warned coalition negotiations will be extended for another week- and claimed it seems unlikely he'll make it to APEC. Is this a bad look for the National Party, or does this process need more time? MBIE is...

Sticking points in National's tax plan seem be causing friction in Government negotiations. New Zealand First's Shane Jones told media today his party's working out some 'jagged edges'. NewstalkZB understands they involve how National will pay for tax cuts. ZB political editor Jason Walls says two issues are lifting the foreign buyers ban and dipping into the Climate Emergency Response Fund. He sa...

National's Nicola Willis is defending Luxon as he extends post-election coalition talks. Luxon has begun another week of discussions with coalition partners ACT and NZ First, and it's looking less likely he'll attend APEC on Wednesday. The Finance Minister-elect says she's not going to go into detail about who's talking to who, but coalition discussions are progressing.  "We're making sure we're g...

A former Minister says the continuing Government negotiations are starting to look bad for Chris Luxon. Another week of talks has begun, and the Prime Minister-elect says he's unlikely to be able to leave for the APEC Summit on Wednesday, with nothing wrapped up. Peter Dunne says Luxon gave the impression his business background would help him strike a deal quickly. "He's got the second-longest se...

It's starting to get a bit awkward with how long these coalition negotiations are taking, especially now that Chris Luxon’s warned us we might not get a deal until the end of this week. These talks are about to become the second longest set of coalition talks in the history of MMP. Former Green Party MP Gareth Hughes went back through all of the elections and counted how long it took from each ele...

Labour's Ginny Andersen and National's Nicola Willis join Nick Mills for Politics Monday. Together they discuss how coalition negotiations are tracking, New Zealand now being the second highest vaping nation, allegations that Ginny yelled at a teenage volunteer on election night, the Electoral Commission facing counting errors, and Chris Hipkins changing his tune on tax. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudi...