Politics Central

The 11 guns allegedly stolen from a police station are continuing to elude police. "The investigation into this incident remains ongoing. Eleven firearms remain unaccounted for," the police told the Herald today. Alan James Harris, 38, has been charged with burglary over the disappearance of the guns from the Palmerston North Police Station on Thursday. No-one else had been charged over the incide...

Police are investigating a manifesto which indicates the California synagogue shooter may have been inspired by the Christchurch mosque attacks. One woman is dead and three other people are injured after a man opened fire in the synagogue in Poway near San Diego. Police have 19-year-old John Earnest in custody and say he's also being investigated over a fire at a mosque in a nearby city last month...

Three quarters of those surveyed by a new poll are against the Crusaders changing their name. The team's branding has been the subject of debate after the Christchurch mosque attacks as it's associated with the religious Crusades, a 'holy war' launched against Muslims. The 1 NEWS-Colmar Brunton poll shows 76 percent are against a name change, and just 14 percent are in support. Otago and Southland...

French yellow vest protesters set fires Saturday along a march through Paris to drive home their message to a government they believe is ignoring the poor: that rebuilding the fire-ravaged Notre Dame Cathedral isn't the only problem France needs to solve. Like the high-visibility vests the protesters wear, the scattered small fires in Paris appeared to be a collective plea to French President Emma...

Parliament's work environment has been described as "very unique". Stuff reports that 35 back office staffers at the Beehive have left over interactions with senior management. The report claims that multiple people have signed non-disclosure agreements and agreed to pay-outs  Former Labour Party member and union official Shane Te Pou has worked in Parliament. He told the Weekend Collective that t...

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Fletcher Construction CEO Peter Reidy says a new Construction Industry Accord will create safer and healthier workplaces. The accord, announced today, calls on the industry, its clients and the Government to change the way they work together. It's so they can jointly tackle systemic problems that have led to high-profile building company collapses, poor-quality builds and skills shortages. Prime M...

British lawmakers are heaping pressure on the government to make sure that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange faces Swedish justice if prosecutors there reopen a rape investigation against him. There is mounting concern that Assange should not be allowed to sidestep the Swedish investigation stemming from his 2010 visit to Sweden. The complaints from two women eventually led him to seek refuge in th...

A number of high-profile lawyers have come together in order to highlight their concerns over the End of Life choice bill.  After 16 months, the Select Committee discussing the End of Life Choice Bill, tabled by David Seymour, released their report. The only consensus it found was that cannot agree on most major recommendations. Advocacy group Lawyers for Vulnerable New Zealanders unanimously reje...

It is set to be a busy week for New Zealand politicians, as changes to gun legislation are set to become law by April 12. The Government has rushed through legislation that will ban semi-automatic weapons, amongst other changes, in response to the Christchurch terror attack. 50 people were killed after a single gunman used military-style weapons to attack two mosques in Christchurch last month.  T...

Despite the threat of being in contempt of Parliament, Government Statistician Liz MacPherson says now is not the time to release some information about the 2018 Census. MacPherson has twice refused to provide Parliament's governance and administration committee with the number of partially and fully completed responses to the 2018 Census. The National Party's statistics spokesman Jian Yang called...

Tauranga's Mayor is promising fines will be a last resort as the city cracks down on beggars and rough sleepers. From tomorrow, beggars will be banned from being within five metres of shops in parts of the Tauranga CBD, Greerton and Mount Maunganui. Mayor Greg Brownless told the Weekend Collective they won't be immediately dishing out fines. "We're just gonna first of all try the friendly approach...

The accused Christchurch attacker has complained about his jail conditions, but an expert says that determining whether he's been deprived isn't so simple.  The 28-year-old Australian white supremacist has lodged a formal complaint with the Department of Corrections, claiming he is being deprived of basic rights. A Corrections spokesperson says he's been denied the right to have visitors and has n...

The country's lowest paid workers will tomorrow see a boost to their paycheck from tomorrow.  The minimum wage will increase up a $1.20 to $17.70 tomorrow. It will lead to an extra $48 a week for those on the lowest income bracket, which Workplace Relations Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says will significantly benefit them.  He told The Weekend Collective economic growth has not been matched by wage...

UK Correspondent Gavin Grey speaks with Tim and Tim following reports of a political coup against Theresa May from her own cabinet.   Listen to the audio above. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Attorney General William Barr scoured special counsel Robert Mueller's confidential report on the Russia investigation with his advisers Saturday, deciding how much Congress and the American public will get to see about the two-year probe into President Donald Trump and Moscow's efforts to elect him. Barr was on pace to release his first summary of Mueller's findings on Sunday, people familiar wit...

Was it a vigil, a political rally - or both? Speeches calling out racism, colonialism and white supremacy at an Auckland vigil for victims of the Christchurch mosque attacks had some attendees leaving early, saying it was "too soon" for such discussions. But organisers and speakers have defended what some called a "political" tone of the Jummah Remembrance vigil held at Auckland Domain on Friday,...

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday that an "erosion of trust" and "lack of communication" with his former justice minister led her to resign and accuse him of applying inappropriate pressure in a corruption prosecution — a dispute that has shaken his government. But the prime minister made no apologies as he discussed the issue at a nationally televised news conference. Former Ju...

National is accusing the Government of wasting taxpayers' money on using Tax Working Group chairman Sir Michael Cullen as a "hired gun," after his contract was extended. But Cullen – who was also once a Labour Party Finance Minister – rubbished the claim and said he was only staying on to "defend the integrity of the report". Speaking on The Weekend Collective, Cullen said he although people may a...

ACT leader David Seymour says the Prime Minister has an opportunity to really test her leadership. It centres on Shane Jones, who is being criticised for helping to gain almost $5 million in funding for a cultural project in Northland which he previously had connections to. While Jones did declare he had been in line to run the project, he still went to a key ministerial meeting at which the grant...

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff today launched his bid for a second term, pledging to continue "building Auckland's Future" but providing no new policies and little in the way of detail behind the slogan. "There are hard decisions that must be made over the next three years. None of it is easy. The challenges are immense," Goff told Labour MPs, councillors and other supporters at the Mt Albert Memorial H...

Smiling and holding up his clasped hands in a victorious pose, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Saturday boarded his private train at the Vietnam-China border for a 60-plus-hour ride home, ending a trip to Vietnam that saw a summit breakdown with President Donald Trump. He spent his last day in Hanoi laying large red-and-yellow wreaths at a war memorial and at the mausoleum of national hero Ho C...

New Zealand faces another year of strike action, with question marks hanging over multiple industries.  Secondary school teachers are the latest threatening to strike over pay increases, following strikes throughout the medical sector so far this year, including lengthy action from junior doctors. It comes after 2018 saw more strikes in one year than in the previous 10 years, and employment lawyer...

The Green Party is urging Justice Minister Andrew Little to adopt a Greens members' bill which would ban foreign donations to political parties and enabling prisoners rights. Greens electoral reform spokeswoman Golriz Ghahraman is introducing a bill which she said would "stop unfair influence and potential corruption in politics". As well as cracking down on foreign donations, the bill would also...

Housing Minister Phil Twfyord is remaining coy on how Government changes to rental properties will affect rents. This morning,Twyford unveiled new requirements for landlords as part of the Government's new healthy homes standards, which will come into effect between 2021 and 2024. These include requiring all rental properties to have a heater in the main living room, as well as making sure kitchen...