Politics Central

The National Party claims that the Government will announce this week that they are buying back Ihumātao. The heritage site was sold to Fletcher Building as a housing development site, but the site has become a tense battleground, with protesters demanding the site be returned to the iwi as it is sacred to them. The Government asked Fletchers last year to halt plans to begin construction and has s...

President Donald Trump on Saturday defended the firing of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman from the National Security Council. The President complained about news coverage of the firing in a tweet, saying reporting was done "as though I should think only how wonderful he was. Actually, I don't know him, never spoke to him, or met him (I don't believe!)." On Friday, Trump fired two key impeachment witnes...

Will Northland prove the crucial seat in this year's election? NZ First MP Shane Jones has all but confirmed that he will be run in the North Island electorate, the seat that was briefly held by party leader Winston Peters.  It would put him up against National's Matt King, who won the seat in 2017.  NZ First's future is in doubt, with some polls putting the party below the five per cent threshold...

National may have closed the door on New Zealand First, but is leaving it ajar for the Maori Party. National MP Mark Mitchell earlier this week said that the Act Party is a strong partner to National. He's also predicting a resurgence in the Maori Party and says National could team up with them again. What does the future hold for the two minor parties? And will New Zealand First need to change it...

Former New Zealand prime minister Mike Moore passed away early this morning aged 71. Moore was at his home in Auckland when he died, his wife Yvonne said. Moore, who was the country's 34th prime minister, suffered a stroke in 2015 when he was New Zealand's ambassador in Washington DC and had been in declining health in recent years. He became the prime minister for 59 days before the October 1990...

Mike Moore's being praised for the work he did getting New Zealand internationally recognised. The long-time politician, and the country's 34th Prime Minister, died early this morning at his Auckland home, following years of ill health. Finance Minister and Grant Robertson told the Weekend Collective Moore always looked outwards and upwards. "To see the way that he so completely understood the imp...

New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters says he is unfazed that National has ruled his party out of any post-election governing deals and has a warning for the party's leader, Simon Bridges. "If Mr Bridges doesn't pick up the phone, someone else within his caucus will do it for him," Peters, also the Deputy Prime Minister, said in a statement. "He's [Bridges] got a lot to learn about politics. Nar...

The death toll from the Wuhan coronavirus in China continues rising as authorities and health care workers struggle to contain the outbreak. Fifty-six people have been killed by the novel coronavirus in China, health officials said on Saturday. Over 1,900 confirmed cases have been reported across the country. China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported that 237 patients are in critical condition...

The political year kicked off in full force this week.  As politicians return from their summer break, they already appeared to be in election mode, with both parties touting their achievements and potential ahead of the vote later this year. The first big event was Rātana, which had both Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and National Party leader Simon Bridges in attendance.  The event had not even b...

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have announced they will no longer receive taxpayer handouts once they ditch royal life - but there is speculation that Prince Charles will still fund their privileged lifestyle.  They are expected to continue to receive money from the Duchy of Cornwall via Prince Charles, which is currently thought to amount to £2.3 million a year. As part of today's bombshell annou...

The Government spent almost half a million dollars on foreign advertising in a bid to woo overseas teachers to come work in New Zealand as the country grapples with a teacher "supply crisis". Teachers' Unions say the Government needs to be doing more to train additional Kiwi teachers. But the Government says it inherited major issues with teachers supply when it won power in 2017 and has blamed th...

Donald Trump's legal team filed its formal response Saturday evening to the Senate summons of the President, offering the first glimpse into what will ultimately be the White House's impeachment defense. The response -- which calls the articles "constitutionally invalid" and says they are an attack on Americans -- argued both substantively, against the charges in the articles, and procedurally, ag...

Political commentator Shane Te Pou joins The Weekend Collective to look back on the year in politics for 2019. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michael Lueck, AUT Professor of Tourism, joins the Weekend Collective to discuss the future of tourism on White Island and the inherent risks of adventure tourism. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nicole McKee, secretary for the Council of Licenced Firearms Owners, joins the Weekend Collective to discuss the gun buyback scheme.  LISTEN TO THE AUDIO ABOVE     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UK correspondent Enda Brady joins the Weekend Collective to discuss the recent UK election and what Labour needs to do to rebuild.  LISTEN TO THE AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A ban on all advertising of cannabis products, no online sales - and a minimum purchase age of 20. Those are key restrictions in a draft cannabis law released this week ahead of next year's referendum. Justice Minister Andrew Little says it's important voters are well informed before the 2020 General Election - and can participate in the referendum process. The ballot will ask a simple Yes/No ques...

Ridding New Zealand of single-use plastic items is a "personal priority" says Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who this morning revealed the Government's next steps in its fight against plastics. "There is more to do," Ardern said. Her comments came after she announced a ban on more single-use plastic items, including meat trays, cups and takeaway food containers. This comes six months after the off...

LISTEN TO SKY NEWS' ENDA BRADY TALK WITH THE WEEKEND COLLECTIVE ABOVE. TEXT BY LUKE MCGEE, CNN The UK is finally reaching the end of a weird few weeks. On Thursday, Brits will go to the polls to vote in what might be the most important election in a generation. Most people expected this election to be a high-energy, nasty and personal contest. Brexit has left the UK bitterly divided, as the politi...

Health experts are predicting the death toll in Samoa's escalating measles epidemic will reach 70. As of Friday afternoon, more than 3,100 people in the island nation were infected with the disease, and 42 had died. The death toll figure was calculated by Auckland University scientists, based on the number of reported cases and percentage of population currently immunised. Immunologist Dr Helen Pe...

New Zealand First is accusing the Government of gouging the poor with plans to increase tobacco excise. Winston Peters has invoked the Coalition clause of agree to disagree over the 11 and a half percent hike for January. Peters says tax rises have little effect on smoking, particularly among Maori and Pasifika. He says cigarette smuggling has increased more than 350 percent since 2015. He says ou...

A battler for prisoner voting rights says it was inevitable the government would reverse the law. The Government is reversing the ban, which was brought in by National in 2010.  It means those serving sentences of less than three years will be able to vote - before next year's General Election. The decision comes after a ruling from both the Supreme Court the ban breached the bill of rights. Human...

Prisoners have won some voting rights, but the Opposition isn't happy about it.  Justice Minister Andrew Little has announced those sentenced to less than three years behind bars will be able to vote before next year's General Election. But National leader Simon Bridges says he'll reverse the move if he ends up in government. He says the move shows the Government's soft on crime. "You look at thes...

The biggest story of the week has been the scandal surrounding the New Zealand First Foundation, but what happens next?  The Electoral Commission is seeking information from the party and its foundation, following claims of undisclosed donations. Some donors have told Stuff they weren't aware donations were going to the foundation, and not the political party. Party leader Winston Peters says the...

Retiring Green MP Gareth Hughes says the pace of change in the current Government is not fast enough for his liking but that is not the reason he is quitting politics. "It is not transformational on the scale of some of the big turning points in our country's history from the 1930s to the 1980s. "There have been pockets of transformation but for me it has been a frustration that the pace of change...