Politics Central

An independent crash investigator says that a new Police policy is "clear as mud". Police put out a statement on Thursday saying that there would be a year-round zero-tolerance approach to speeding. Normally this is only applied to holiday periods, where the usual 5-10km/h leeway is reduced to 4km/h. Now, the buffer has been removed, and anyone caught speeding will be pulled over and fined any tim...

With chants of "One person, one vote!" and "No justice, no peace!" a crowd of about 1,000 demonstrators gathered outside a Wisconsin courthouse Saturday to denounce police violence and share messages of change, a week after an officer shot Jacob Blake in the back and left the 29-year-old Black man paralyzed. The diverse group of protesters also chanted "Seven bullets, seven days!" — a reference to...

Joe Biden got his moment this week -- five decades in the making -- "to make hope and history rhyme" as he accepted the Democratic presidential nomination. An unprecedented four-day Democratic National Convention concluded Thursday night with Democratic factions broadly united behind Biden and his running mate, California Sen. Kamala Harris. The telecast featured segments filmed across the country...

A top criminal defence lawyer says it won't be an easy call committing the Christchurch Mosque shooter to life behind bars - despite the magnitude of his crimes. The landmark four-day sentencing will get underway tomorrow - after the 29-year-old earlier pleaded guilty to 51 murder charges, 40 attempted murder charges and one terrorism charge for the March 15 attacks last year. Lawyer Marie Dyhrber...

The Labour Party is re-editing a Facebook video after complaints about it featuring Dr Ashley Bloomfield. The video showed The Prime Minister visiting the Institute of Environmental Science and Research with the Director-General of Health. A spokeswoman for Ardern denies it was a Labour campaign ad. But ACT Leader David Seymour says the fact it featured a public servant is completely unacceptable....

Finance Minister Grant Robertson has urged everyone to take responsibility for false rumours about the Covid-19 outbreak. A popular rumour that a member of the family at the centre of the new cluster had supposedly entered a managed isolation facility gained traction on social media. Last night, the Covid-19 response team tweeted: "There is no evidence to support this." Robertson told The Weekend...

National leader Judith Collins wants the election delayed by several months, not weeks. Last week, Collins went as far as saying it would be National's preference that the election should be held next year instead. Tomorrow morning, Jacinda Ardern will confirm if the election will be delayed. Parliament was due to be dissolved last week but has been delayed to Monday, meaning a decision is needed...

As New Zealand marked 100 days without community transmission of Covid-19, National Party deputy leader Gerry Brownlee says the Government's warning of an approaching second wave is "very puzzling". The Ministry of Health announced the milestone on Sunday, with no further new cases in of the deadly virus reported for the fourth consecutive day. There remain 23 active cases of coronavirus nationall...

A former MP and Minister believes NZ First's time in Parliament may be at its end.  A 1 News Colmar Brunton poll has Jones on just 15 per cent support, with National's Matt King, the incumbent, on 46 per cent and Labour candidate Willow-Jean Prime on 31 per cent. The party vote in the poll shows Labour on 41 per cent, ahead of National on 38 per cent, Act on 8 per cent, NZ First on 7 and the Green...

US President Donald Trump's estranged niece Mary Trump reveals the presidents poor work ethic in an interview with Newstalk ZB. Trump is the president's niece and the author of a recent tell-all book that blew up after its release last month. Mary Trump, 55, is the daughter of Fred Trump Jr, the president's older brother, who died at the age of 42 from a heart attack linked to his struggle with al...

US President Donald Trump's estranged niece Mary Trump reveals the presidents poor work ethic in an interview with Newstalk ZB. Trump is the president's niece and the author of a recent tell-all book that blew up after its release last month. Mary Trump, 55, is the daughter of Fred Trump Jr, the president's older brother, who died at the age of 42 from a heart attack linked to his struggle with al...

The Australian state of Victoria has recorded 459 new Covid-19 cases and 10 new virus-related deaths, making it the state's deadliest day since the pandemic began. The state's death toll now stands at 71, after seven men and three woman died from the virus overnight. The age of the men ranged from 40s to 80s and the age of the women ranged from 70s to 80s. Of the new fatalities, seven were linked...

It has been over a year since occupiers of disputed land at Ihumātao were served with eviction notices prompting thousands of people to flock there to support the occupation and halting Fletcher Building's construction plans. Mana whenua and others have remained on site for three years to stop Fletcher Building from constructing 480 houses there. National leader Judith Collins told The Weekend Col...

The Green Party has taken a dig at its other governing parties which haven't released substantial policies by outlining its key battlefronts if returned to power. It yesterday released a comprehensive 52-page document outlining the bedrock on which it will form its policies and hopes it will be the basis of negotiations to form part of the next Government. The Greens also launched their campaign s...

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A clash within the South China Sea is now almost inevitable. The US has declared China's territorial grab "illegal". It wants its "bullied" neighbours to stand their ground. "We are making clear: Beijing's claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea are completely unlawful, as is its campaign of bullying to control them," a US statement issued earlier this week asserts. It's no...

Immigration, and law and order, are on the top of New Zealand First's priority list for this year's election. Party leader Winston Peters unveiled part of the plan during the party's campaign launch in Auckland today. It includes setting a target of 1,000 new police recruits over the next three years. He also spoke of the need to change immigration policies in the wake of Covid-19. "The end of the...

National says Kiwis have had plenty of time to get home. The party's Covid-19 Border Response spokesperson, Gerry Brownlee, has announced that under a National Government returnees will be charged $3000 for quarantine. Additional adults in a room if a couple had arrived would be charged an additional $1000. Children under 3 years will have no cost and over 3 years will see an additional $500. Brow...

A political commentator says National's leader lacks political instincts. National health spokesman Michael Woodhouse told leader Todd Muller on Tuesday evening that he was also sent Covid patient data by Michelle Boag. Woodhouse confessed this morning he was sent four unsolicited emails from Boag between June 21 and 25 which contained patient details, but it was not the same information that was...

Victoria has reported 273 new cases of coronavirus after a shocking week of record new daily numbers for the state.   Victoria has announced changes in its schooling in response to its second spike in coronavirus cases, with students living in Greater Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire returning to remote learning. A man in his 70s also died overnight in Victoria, taking the national death toll to 1...

The Greens want to subsidise the cost of installing solar power with a 50 percent government grant. It's part of a Clean Energy Plan just released by co-leader James Shaw. He says the Greens will use grants and low-interest loans as a way of getting businesses to transition to solar. Shaw says the Party will also upgrade all 63,000 social and community homes, with solar panels and batteries. "Our...

A message of unity from Labour as campaign season kicks off. The party held its congress in Wellington today, with a headline speech from Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.  She announced a five-step plan to tackle the economic fallout from Covid-19, which includes investing in people, creating jobs,- and positioning New Zealand on the world stage. Ardern says we shouldn't put on the brakes when it's...

Applications for the Small Business Loan Cashflow Scheme will be extended until the end of the year. The deadline was previously extended to July 24, but in a speech today, Jacinda Ardern said the scheme will now run until the end of 2020.  The Government has received 90,000 applications so far - and have paid out over $1.5 billion in loans. Minster for small business Stuart Nash told The Weekend...

Victoria has recorded 74 new cases of coronavirus overnight as thousands of Melburnians get used to their first full day in strict quarantine lockdown across scores of public apartment blocks. Almost 30 cases were identified in the flats, just north of the CBD.     Residents of the blocks, who won’t be able to leave home for at least five days, will get $1500 in hardship payments and rent relief f...

Washington is the latest state to pause its reopening plans after a spike in the number of new cases of coronavirus across the country. "We all want to get back to doing all the things we love in Washington during the summer, and fully open our economy, but we aren't there yet," Gov. Jay Inslee said Saturday. "This is an evolving situation and we will continue to make decisions based on the data."...