Politics Central

Another referendum on cannabis is being called for - but this time it's to decriminalise it, not legalise it. Wellington Central Young Greens activist Mathew Bouma has recently put out a citizen-initiated referendum asking whether New Zealand should decriminalise the possession of cannabis for personal use. He told Tim Roxborogh believes many people would feel more comfortable with this, than the...

Act's leader David Seymour is fighting back over plans from Labour to repeal the three strikes law. Under the 10-year-old law, a person who has three warnings for serious violent, sexual or drugs offending can be sentenced to the maximum jail time without parole. Not only are they hoping to change the laws, but speaking to TVNZ, Justice Minister Kris Faafoi confirmed that they have sought advice t...

President Donald Trump participated in his final Group of 20 summit on Saturday by tweeting throughout the opening session and skipping a special side-conference focused on the coronavirus pandemic. It was a fitting end to Trump's career in global multilateralism, which he has expressed his displeasure for since his first group summit -- a G7 meeting held cliffside in Sicily -- resulted in the fee...

National Party leader Judith Collins hopes her party's leakers are long gone. Former Prime Minister John Key warned members at the party's Annual General Meeting yesterday, in a speech on what the Party "Here is my very simple advice to those who like to leak to the media – if you can't quit your leaking, here's a clue: quit the party." "The public look at it and say 'for goodness sake, if they ca...

Fervent supporters of President Donald Trump rallied in Washington on Saturday behind his spurious claim of a stolen election and swarmed his motorcade when he detoured for a drive-by on his way out of town. "I just want to keep up his spirits and let him know we support him," one loyalist, Anthony Whittaker of Winchester, Virginia, said from outside the Supreme Court, where a few thousand assembl...

Public health experts argue mandatory rules around mask-wearing will help counter New Zealanders' complacency about Covid-19. Following the community case in Auckland last week, the government plans to make it compulsory to wear masks on public transport in the city, and all domestic flights. Public health expert Michael Baker told Tim Beverage mandatory mask use would be a visual reminder to peop...

President-elect Joe Biden's victory was celebrated by civil rights activists and Black leaders who warned that a tough road lies ahead to address America's persistent inequalities and the racial division that Donald Trump fuelled during his presidency. Biden will take office in January as the nation confronts a series of crises that have taken a disproportionate toll on Black Americans and people...

President Donald Trump has repeatedly said there's one place he wants to determine the outcome of the presidential election: the U.S. Supreme Court. But he may have a difficult time ever getting there. The Associated Press called the presidential race for Joe Biden on Saturday morning. Trump, however, has over the last few days leaned in to the idea that the high court should get involved in the e...

NewstalkZB.co.nz has been using data from the Associated Press for our US Election Results. Here, the Associated Press explains why they called the election for Joe Biden: As Election Day ground on into "election week," it became increasingly clear that Democrat Joe Biden would oust President Donald Trump from the White House. Late-counted ballots in Nevada, Pennsylvania and Georgia continued to k...

A former advisor of Donald Trump says he has morphed into a completely different person from when she first met him. Omarosa Manigault-Newman, a controversial Apprentice contestant who became a White House staffer, resigned unexpectedly in December 2017 in a public falling out with Trump, joined The Weekend Collective before her unexpected resignation in December, provided the controversial audio...

The Greens have signed on the dotted line to accept a post-election deal with the Labour Government. Green Party members agreed last night to what's being labelled the "cooperation agreement". Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says it represents the continuation of the Labour-Greens relationship and provides stability. She says she wants to bring as much consensus as possible, although this agreement...

Producer Andy put together a small taste of Trumps most 'brazen and bizarre' comments from the last four years. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National leader Judith Collins' "very literal come-to-Jesus moment" this week has raised suspicions among some people that she is politicising her faith to win over conservative Christians. Some political commentators say her public comments and actions about her religion seem to have come out of nowhere, and the New Conservative Party thinks she's targeting voters who may be more inclined to side...

Marine One was idling on the South Lawn Friday as President Donald Trump's advisers were inside the White House making a last-minute push to get him to board the helicopter. The President, who had recently tested positive for coronavirus, was reluctant to go to the hospital, multiple sources familiar with what happened later told CNN. Though Trump had developed symptoms and was now on experimental...

Labour leader Jacinda Ardern wants to make it illegal to discriminate on the grounds of someone's religion as well as possibly sexual orientation or disability. Her commitment follows a visit to Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch today where Imam Gamal Fouda made an impassioned plea for stronger political leadership around hate speech laws. The Government has been reviewing hate speech in the aftermat...

Judge Amy Coney Barrett, a federal appellate judge and Notre Dame law professor, is a proven conservative with a compelling personal story who has long been atop President Donald Trump's Supreme Court short list. Trump announced he is nominating Barrett to be the new high court justice during a ceremony at the White House Rose Garden. The Senate Judiciary Committee will begin confirmation hearings...

Judge Amy Coney Barrett, a federal appellate judge and Notre Dame law professor, is a proven conservative with a compelling personal story who has long been atop President Donald Trump's Supreme Court short list. Trump announced he is nominating Barrett to be the new high court justice during a ceremony at the White House Rose Garden. The Senate Judiciary Committee will begin confirmation hearings...

Has Shane Jones given up on Northland? The NZ First MP and minister is one of the key players in the party's election hopes. He is contesting the Northland electorate, a seat the party may need to win if they can't reach the 5 per cent vote threshold to make it back into Parliament.  However, speaking to Newshub Nation, Jones admitted that he does not have the "mana" of his leader Winston Peters t...

Labour is promising voters it will double workers' sick leave entitlements from five to 10 days a year. If re-elected, it is committing to making the change within its first 100 days and would work with businesses and unions on timeframes. Labour's workplace relations spokesperson Andrew Little unveiled the party's policy this morning which also promises to increase the minimum wage beyond the sch...

Bob Woodward, facing widespread criticism for only now revealing President Donald Trump's early concerns about the severity of the coronavirus, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he needed time to be sure that Trump's private comments from February were accurate. In Woodward’s upcoming book on Trump, “Rage,” the president is quoted saying the virus was highly contagious and “deadly stuff”...

A crowd of a few thousand packed in Auckland's Aotea Square yesterday afternoon, at the "National Rally for Freedom", organised by Advance Party co-leaders, Jami Lee Ross and Billy Te Kahika. There was little social distancing and few people in the crowd wore masks. Criminal lawyer Steve Cullen told The Weekend Collective the police should've taken a tougher position on the protestors. "For the po...

On Thursday night The Atlantic published a bombshell story that alleged -- citing four anonymous sources -- that President Donald Trump had repeatedly mocked US soldiers killed in battle and skipped a visit to a veterans' cemetery in France out of concern that rainy conditions would mess up his carefully coiffed hair. The report immediately became a massive story, with Democrats -- including Democ...

The election campaign is officially underway - and the question remains how many of the current parties will make it back to Parliament.  Both NZ First and the Greens are hovering close to falling out of Parliament. The Greens are polling around 5%, while NZ First is down on 2%, with both parties campaigning hard for electoral seats to ensure they make it back. However, New Zealand First leader Wi...