Focus on Politics

Humiliated and humbled in last year's election, Labour has spent its first months back in opposition licking its wounds. At the party's caucus retreat this week - a gathering of its MPs at a remote location to strategise for the year ahead - it promised a comeback. In this week's Focus on Politics RNZ deputy political editor Craig McCulloch takes a look at the difficulties and dilemmas facing Labo...

The House has been in full swing for four weeks, with MPs sitting long hours as the government pushes through legislation under urgency to complete its 100-day plan. What's in it? Did the government achieve it all? And how will the plan hold in six, 12 or even 18 months? In this week's Focus on Politics, Political Reporter Anneke Smith examines the 100-day plan and the fanfare for it by the coalit...

Summary "To axe the whole news division, that's huge and I'm really deeply shocked by it" - Mark Jennings In a devastating blow to New Zealand's media landscape, Newshub appears set to shut down by the end of June. The response from politicians has been varied, and while some are looking for solutions in the industry it seems too late to rescue the company from financial r...

Parliament was brought to a standstill on Wednesday, with politics set aside after the sudden and shocking death of first-term Green MP Fa'anānā Efeso Collins. A champion for his people, a tireless advocate, a good man - such were the tributes as Parliament mourned the loss of one its own. In this week's Focus on Politics, Deputy Political Editor Craig McCulloch marks the death of Green MP Efeso C...

The coalition has ticked off another objective - repealing the troubled Three Waters programme - but in doing so may have just delayed the bigger problem for another day. In this week's Focus on Politics, Deputy Political Editor Craig McCulloch tests the temperature as the coalition moves to repeal and replace Labour's water reforms. "This is what councils across the country said they wanted&...

This year's record-breaking Waitangi celebrations drew 80,000 people to the Treaty grounds over four days, half that on Waitangi Day alone. With the dust settling on the event's biggest turnout in decades, the sense of unity and anger among many Māori will linger long after the Treaty Principles legislation is gone. In this week's Focus on Politics, Political Reporter Anneke Smith examines the coa...

Green Party co-leader James Shaw talks about his decision to step down, his time in the role, and the message he has for whoever succeeds him. James Shaw this week announced he was stepping down after nine years as Green Party co-leader. "Know why you are here... be really clear about what the difference is that you want to make with your time and the role" - James Shaw It was one of Par...

Coming hot on the heels of last weekend's Hui-aa-Motu and the Rātana celebrations, Waitangi Day this year promises to be highly emotive and political. The government's policies have prompted calls for resilience and resistance, and a dramatic show of unity from much of Māoridom. In this week's Focus on Politics, Deputy Political Editor Craig McCulloch assesses the coalition's response to the chall...

Three prime ministers, four ministerial scandals, one general election and a three-way coalition: New Zealand's political landscape has been well and truly shaken up in 2023. In this week's Focus on Politics, Political Reporter Katie Scotcher takes a look back on what was a turbulent year at Parliament and on the campaign trail. "What we have achieved together, I think, is historic" - Ch...

Summary "The adults are back in charge and New Zealanders say to the last lot good riddance" - Nicola Willis A host of Labour's policies have been tipped on the scrap heap this week as the new coalition starts passing laws at pace. The financial fisticuffs have begun opening bouts too ahead of next week's mini-Budget, with the Interislander ferry upgrade in dire straits and new...

The resumption of Parliament this week has been underlined by outcry from Māori, soon matched by fury within the debating chamber. With just two weeks before the Christmas break and Waitangi Day fast approaching on the other side, the government will have plenty to work through. In this week's Focus on Politics, Deputy Political Editor Craig McCulloch examines the start of the 54th Parliament and...

The new government's first week in office saw it get straight to work, setting high expectations and unveiling its 100-day plan - but it's not exactly been smooth sailing. Fixing the economy and making a material difference for New Zealanders is a hefty workload for a Cabinet which has so far been dogged by distractions - driven partly by new Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters. In this week's Fo...

When ACT's Brooke van Velden won the Auckland seat of Tamaki at the election, it was a triumph of shrewd campaigning. But it was also a failure for Christian conservatism in mainstream politics. In this bonus episode of Focus on Politics, Susie Ferguson takes a close look at the meaning of Tamaki. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

It took 40 days and 40 nights - but at long last, the country knows what its new government will look like. New Zealand's first-ever three-way coalition: National, ACT and New Zealand First finally signing on the dotted line in the ultimate Black Friday deal. In this week's Focus on Politics, Deputy Political Editor Craig McCulloch examines the coalition deals and the personalities behind them. &q...

After its most successful election - taking all but one of the Māori seats - Te Pāti Māori is amping up for the next three years as "the only true opposition". It's a dramatic turnaround for a party dumped out of Parliament entirely in 2017, but co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer says that was a critical part of the party's growth. They are also looking ahead to their next generation of leaders, she...

With National's potential partners ACT and NZ First finally getting together in Wellington this week, a sense of momentum is building for the trio to form a government. Labour's Chris Hipkins meanwhile has survived a vote on his MPs' endorsement of him as leader with Carmel Sepuloni taking the deputy leadership as the party prepares for opposition. In this week's Focus on Politics, Political Edito...

The final act of the 2023 election has reset the calculus, blowing apart National's dream scenario and driving up the price for forming government. With NZ First's support now a requirement, Winston Peters is sure to demand more in negotiations. In this week's Focus on Politics, Political Editor Jane Patterson speaks to Deputy Political Editor Craig McCulloch, analysing the state of play after the...

After a devastating collapse in their vote on election night, the Labour Party is examining what went so wrong and who is best to lead them from the opposition benches. Current and former MPs alike are calling for a wider refocusing on the party's values and relationships to avoid the kind of fracturing that often so plagues parties banished from government. In this week's Focus on Politics, Polit...

The battle for the hearts, minds and votes of New Zealanders is over - nearly - with the preliminary results on Saturday putting National in a position to form the next government and Labour consigned to the opposition benches. National's exact path to government is not fully clear, and depends on the final vote count. Even so, it's far preferable to the position Labour's in, having to put on a br...

It has been a rollercoaster campaign, fiscal fights, feisty debates - all with the aim of taking the government benches. In Focus on Politics this week, a look at the campaign as it all comes down to the voters. "I would say the Labour campaign has been a game of two halves" - Katie Scotcher It's the eve of the official day of polling in New Zealand - and where are the votes going t...

TVNZ's multi-party debate this week illustrated key features of this election campaign: the minor parties' rising popularity, and the complicated role of NZ First. With polls they would need Winston Peters, National and ACT have been continuing to talk down his appeal - but it remains preferable to defeat. In Focus on Politics this week, RNZ deputy political editor Craig McCulloch dissects the pas...

Call this the week of Winston Peters - with the New Zealand First leader, riding a wave of renewed relevancy. In not one, but two TV polls, New Zealand First featured above that critical 5 percent threshold - and furthermore in that most pivotal of spots - necessary for National to form a government. In Focus on Politics this week, RNZ deputy political editor Craig McCulloch breaks down the latest...

The minor parties gave glimpses of their own cooperation styles at the Newshub Nation Powerbrokers' debate, while polls continued to signal Labour on the downturn. GDP numbers also showed no recession for New Zealand, although inflation remains high. This week's Focus on Politics is RNZ's roundtable discussion covering the major happenings of the 2023 election campaign. RNZ political editor Jane P...

The second week of the election campaign has been all about the economy. There was the pre-election opening of the books, with National's tax plans and Labour's spending coming under fire. This week's Focus on Politics is RNZ's roundtable discussion covering the major happenings of the 2023 election campaign. Political editor Jane Patterson, political reporter Katie Scotcher, and NZ Herald's polit...

One week into the official election campaign and the hyperbole is flying thick and fast. Distractions persisted throughout the week, with protesters at the major parties' campaign launches, outrage over advertising, and MPs spreading blatant misinformation. This week's Focus on Politics is RNZ's first roundtable discussion covering the major happenings of the 2023 election campaign. Political edit...