Focus on Politics

The Parliamentary term came to an end this week after a tumultuous term, and Labour and National's election campaigns are launching this weekend - with just six weeks remaining before the big day. Knowing voters will ultimately decide their future, the parties spoke about their position and plans for the coming campaign - and considerations for any negotiations afterwards. In this week's Focus on...

The government's pointed to vapes as a key weapon in the war against cigarettes. In the rush to reach its smokefree targets, however, there are fears the horse has bolted - with children exposed to a whole new addiction. In this week's Focus on Politics, Political Reporter Giles Dexter explores the conflicting priorities that meant Labour's vaping regulations may have come too late. "This was...

Set the table for bread and butter - or in this case, fruit and veg: Labour fired its opening election campaign salvo on Sunday with a starkly populist pitch for tax-free produce. The party is pushing ahead with the pre-announced policy despite hiccups in the reveal and near-universal opposition from experts - including in its own ranks: a clear sign the party is putting polling ahead of principle...

ACT has not only held onto the 10-fold increase in voter support it enjoyed last election, it's maintained a stable caucus and gained further traction. With polls anticipating an even bigger stable of MPs after October, the minor party is lining up for a potentially major say in the shape of the next government. In this week's Focus on Politics, Political Reporter Anneke Smith interviews the top s...

With recent polling giving both major parties cause for concern and the election less than three months away, the countdown is on - and the policies are starting to roll out. Labour has launched accusations of fiscal mismanagement over one of National's this week, but had to defend against the same after worsening economic forecasts. In this week's Focus on Politics, Political Editor Jane Patterso...

Tragic circumstances putting a halt to the political career of one of Labour's rising stars, East Coast MP Kiri Allan, was just the start of the party's headaches this week. Along with speculation over its tax plans and signs of caucus disunity, leader Chris Hipkins is left with an incredible challenge to refocus Labour on the fast-approaching election. In this week's Focus on Politics, Political...

In Focus on Politics, RNZ deputy political editor Craig McCulloch breaks down Labour's law-and-order week and the tragic events which brought it to an end. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson says this election is the final chance to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, curb environmental degradation, and reduce inequality. Following bruising internal ructions over the past year, they will need to use this weekend's AGM to redirect supporters' frustration over lack of climate action into an increased vote. In this week's Focus on Politics, Po...

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins' week-long trip to China centred on a meeting with China's President Xi Jinping, one of the world's most powerful men. Amid tense geostrategic conditions and with a trip to NATO in Europe looming, the stakes were sky high - but his diplomatic dance with the dragon was largely a success. In this week's Focus on Politics, Political Reporter Katie Scotcher analyses the su...

Politicians went head to head on health equity this week, with opposition parties making a concerted effort to paint a waitlist prioritisation tool as discriminatory. With accusations flying from both sides of the House, an expert says the clinician-designed tool is in fact a way of correcting bias in the health system, and politicians are just looking for votes. In this week's Focus on Politics,...

In this week's Focus on Politics, RNZ Political Editor Jane Patterson takes a look at the fight for the rural vote, and the politics around the Emissions Trading Scheme. In this week's Focus on Politics, RNZ Political Editor Jane Patterson takes a look at the fight for the rural vote, and the politics around the Emissions Trading Scheme. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Two senior ministers have this week been under pressure for breaking rules in place to ensure ministerial transparency and accountability. Political reporter Katie Scotcher examines the fall out. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Warnings from those behind artificial intelligence (AI) technology have made lawmakers around the world take notice. The tech sector itself is engaged with the government and is considering six cornerstone principles as the basis of a digital strategy, but there appears to be little urgency from ministers - and no sign of any concrete action before October's general election. In this week's Focus...

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins' whistlestop trip to Papua New Guinea sends a clear message: superpowers may come and go, but New Zealand is here to stay. The US and PNG signing a security deal is the latest iteration of increasing competition in the region, but strategic studies expert Robert Ayson says New Zealand has ways of staying close to its Pacific neighbours - despite the US-China struggle f...

The 2023 Budget has proven difficult to define: neither the belt-tightening exercise that was promised, nor the blatant bribery sometimes seen in election years. Certainly, it is no election clincher, but it has not lost Labour the election either, and backs National into an uncomfortable corner where the opposition must now explain what policies or services it would do without. Grant Robertson wi...

Meka Whaiti's defection brings Labour's solid 65-strong majority down to 62, opening it up to accusations of disunity and instability. Lumping in Elizabeth Kerekere's resignation from the Greens, National's Christopher Luxon has been criticising the left as a 'coalition of chaos' - but the story on the right is not straightforward either. The shifting of the political sands - in the wake of two MP...

Covid-19, flu, RSV and other respiratory illnesses are on the rise as we inch towards winter, so Te Whatu Ora launched its winter preparedness plan this week with the aim of easing the pain for already overstretched hospitals. The government argues its reforms unifying the 20 DHBs have allowed it to better prepare. The plan promises to bring the health system closer to people - into the home, phar...

Expectations are being kept very low for the 18 May Budget, so any surprises can have maximum political impact. With a tight election looming, Labour will want to offer a proverbial carrot to voters - and could yet campaign on changes to the tax system after that milestone. But staring down the unavoidable cost of recovering from Cyclone Gabrielle and tackling rising living costs, leader Chris Hip...

In Focus on politics, we take a detailed look at the report of the police watchdog into last year's parliamentary occupation. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Labour's new PM and new minister this week dumped the contentious Three Waters policy in favour of a rebranded "Affordable Water". A not-so-subtle attempt to take the heat off and reclaim the narrative, they drove home the message of cheaper rates - but critics have continued to attack the plan as a new veneer of paint over the same unpopular plan. In this week's Focus on Politics, Political Repor...

Police Minister is a tough gig: focusing on social issues leads to 'soft-on-crime' criticism while going too hard can look like populism. With four ministers in eight months it's ended up a hot-potato portfolio for Labour, and the latest appointee Ginny Andersen has only been in Cabinet since February - raising a few eyebrows. She evidently wanted the role and says she's more than capable of stead...

National's leader Christopher Luxon ditched Parliament for the playground this week, touring schools to sell his party's solution to declining student performance with a back-to-basics focus on literacy and numeracy. Teacher unions have criticised the plan, but the party was unlikely to ever get their backing - instead targeting concerned parents and his political opponent, Prime Minister Chris Hi...

Stuart Nash's rapid resignation from his treasured police portfolio - just two months after getting it back - is one of the clearest examples of a political own-goal. It's highlighted poor ministerial judgement and a pattern of recklessness - and cost his boss no small amount of political capital. In this week's Focus on Politics Deputy Political Editor Craig McCulloch recounts the self-inflicted...

Consultants and contractors are a favourite punching bag for opposition parties - of all colours - and National is just the latest to land a solid blow, leaving Labour off-balance. The numbers show public service spending on consultants and contractors has recently surged, and the prime minister has largely left it to the sector's watchdog to mount a defence. In this week's Focus on Politics Deput...

While National's solution to the Three Waters problem may please the councils steadfastly opposed to the government's plan, it remains plagued by a financial fishhook. But, as journalist Bernard Hickey warns, Labour's plan is no done deal either, and still faces some complex political and monetary hurdles. In this week's Focus on Politics, Deputy Political Editor Craig McCulloch and Political Edit...