Election 2023

The future shape of our next government all comes out today.   While the preliminary votes for the election were all counted up, the results of the around 570 thousand left over special votes will be released at two this afternoon.   It will likely decide whether National and ACT will need New Zealand First to get into power.   Political Editor Jason Walls told Tim Dower that the majority of speci...

Tonight on The Huddle- Sam Johnson, Projects Director at Still and Capital director Neale Jones joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! MPI has ordered 'brain drink' creators Ārepa to publish a notice saying some of its claimed health and performance benefits are unsubstantiated. Is this marketing misleading- or should consumers have known better? A search is und...

The incoming National-led Government will soon have to make headway on their plans for the economy. The sector has already reported increased confidence, with data from Auckland's Business Chamber showing confidence levels are up 11 percentage points from before the election. NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann says the incoming Government will want to begin by clearing up the short-term...

The nervous wait is almost over for a number of MPs on the cusp of losing their spot in Parliament. The much-anticipated final results - including special votes - will be released tomorrow at 2pm. ZB political editor Jason Walls says a lot's riding on the last 570,000 votes to be counted. "On current numbers, National and ACT can form a slim majority. But it's likely the centre-right bloc will los...

This time tomorrow, we will know exactly what we voted for on the 14th of October. The release of the final voting figures will indicate exactly how many seats each party has, and how they can then be part of a coalition, and what the proportion is- and whether they can govern the country or not. To be honest, I had to ask my co-workers what date the election was on, because it felt so long ago. A...

So tomorrow we finally —after such a ridiculously long wait— get the final vote count. Specials will be done, duplicates checked, ballots finalized, we will know where we’re at, and more importantly, what form the new government might take. The fact we’ve had three weeks in limbo is completely ludicrous and at least the incoming PM has acknowledged that and claims he’ll do something about changing...

Labour Minister Ginny Anderson and National's finance spokesperson Nicola Willis join Nick Mills ahead of special votes being counted.  Throughout the hour the pair exchange jibes over coalition negotiations, National's fiscal plan, new specialist wait time figures, and the Let's Get Wellington Moving transport project.  LISTEN ABOVE    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Ali Jones from Red PR and Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Former Act MP and Minister Heather Roy wants a ban on public reporting of polls during the voting period because it influences undecided voters. Is this true? Can polls really sway the choices of voters? New research has revealed the...

A former ACT MP suggests political polls should be banned once voting opens up during an election campaign. Heather Roy argues that polls have the potential to influence undecided voters during an election period- which doesn't mesh with the strict rules against advertising on election day. She says New Zealand would have fairer and more democratic elections if polls were banned once voting began....

Tonight on The Huddle, current affairs commentator Josie Pagani and Kiwiblog founder and Curia pollster David Farrar joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! The Rugby World Cup has finally come to an end- with South Africa narrowly beating out New Zealand to take home the title. What did we think of the result? Was this a fair victory? Have TMOs gone too far? Onl...

National's deputy leader won't put a timeframe on how quickly a new Government will form after the final results are in. The party holds the slimmest of majorities if it partners with ACT - but there's still some half-a-million-special ballots to be counted. The official election figures are due out on Friday, and could see the pair needing New Zealand First. Nicola Willis says she knows New Zeala...

Winston Peters has accused the media of having warped priorities. Speaking to The Platform this morning, he took aim at the coverage New Zealand First received on the campaign trail. He says it seemed sausage rolls were more important than public meetings, and standing on the side of the road waving banners was a substitute for policies. ZB political editor Jason Walls says Winston Peters is conce...

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...