Politics Central

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The dramatic saga that has dominated political headlines for the last few weeks has raised questions over how to report mental health.  Jami-Lee Ross shook up Parliament when he made several startling allegations about his leader Simon Bridges. The credibility of his claims was drawn into question when Ross' mental health was brought up, with the rogue MP admitting he had had a mental breakdown se...

If Jami-Lee Ross wasn't a politician, no one would care what he has to say. That's the view of commentator Sean Plunkett. He told The Weekend Collective that this past week has been a big drama over nothing.  He says that Ross' comments have been used by a media that decided they would be damaging to Simon Bridges and his leadership before they had even heard anything. LISTEN TO SEAN PLUNKETT TALK...

The Deputy Prime Minister doesn't think Simon Bridges or Paula Bennett will survive the Jami-Lee Ross saga, but says it will take a while before heads roll. The National Party leader has stayed staunch in the face of media attention after a week of accusations from rogue MP Ross. Winston Peters told The Weekend Collective that the Party will wait before it acts. "They'll want to put distance betwe...

LISTEN TO PHIL TWYFORD TALK WITH THE WEEKEND COLLECTIVE ABOVE Auckland's rough sleepers will now get the chance to take hot showers and get their laundry washed for free. A custom-built van with a built in shower in the back, two washing machines and two dryers, begun operating today in central Onehunga. It won't always stick around there though, it's set to make its way around Auckland and, soon,...

LISTEN TO JOHN MINTO TALK WITH THE WEEKEND COLLECTIVE ABOUT PENNY ABOVE Mourners are arriving at St Matthew-in-the-City for the funeral of activist Penny Bright. Bright died 10 days ago at Mercy Hospice, aged 64, after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer. People are signing her plain plywood casket before it is taken into the church under a guard of honour with streamers in her favourite colours o...

The Government has enough money, so they should scrap the petrol taxes. That's Simon Bridge's view on the petrol tax.  National's leader has launched a petition to try and convince the Government to drop their tax increases in the face of increasing fuel prices. Bridges told The Weekend Collective that the Government's budget surplus announced this week shows they don't need the taxes to fund thei...

Could a Chinese company be the answer for frustrated residents of Auckland's burgeoning Whangaparaoa Peninsula? A Chinese infrastructure firm is offering to pay for the Penlink route, connecting the peninsula with State Highway 1. It would collect the toll for 20 to 25 years in return. Auckland Business Chamber chief executive Michael Barnett told the Weekend Collective congestion is only getting...

ACT Party leader David Seymour joined the Weekend Collective after his party's annual conference today. He outlined a potential rebrand of the ACT Party, after the party managed to recoup just 0.5% of the vote in the last general election. Seymour said a name change is possible, although believed the ACT brand was still well known across New Zealand. Suggested alternatives to ACT include The Liber...

Australian writer Simon Copland joined the Weekend Collective today, after he attended the Sydney event of far-right speakers Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux last night. He live-tweeted the whole event on Twitter, saying Molyneux argued that Australia Aboriginal culture is backward, and that Southern spoke against multiculturalism. Copland told the Weekend Collective that New Zealanders attend...

Security Expert Paul Buchanan joins the Weekend Collective to talk about the Football World Cup - have we seen the 'true face of Russia' in this World Cup? Why has it been such an incident-free event? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Herald's Business Editor Liam Dann joins the Weekend Collective to talk about his article 'Business still feels pained by Labour'. It comes after surveys that show businesses are feeling pessimistic about the economic outlook and – more worryingly – increasingly down about their own prospects. LISTEN ABOVE TO THE FULL CHAT See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tessanee Vejongsa, an AP Video Journalist based in Bangkok, Thailand, joined the Weekend Collective to give an update on the Thai caving rescue operation. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Green Party MP and Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter joins the Weekend Collective to talk about gender equality in the workplace.  She says while quotas are not a "priority" in order to get gender equality on boards in the private sector, they are a possibility if the private sector doesn't "up its game". LISTEN ABOVE TO THE FULL CHAT See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Herald's Business investigations reporter Matt Nippert joined the Weekend Collective to talk about a slightly bizarre story from this morning. Nippert has been working on a series of stories exploring the nexus between the Wellington-dominated film industry and the Beehive. One such example features a pavlova - in an effort to attract people to our country, $1.6 million was paid to producers o...

TVNZ Political Editor Corin Dann joined the Weekend Collective for their weekly political wrap. They started by chatting about Winston Peters and his conversation with the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo. Dann says they almost certainly would have discussed North Korea, as well as the steel tariff issue which is still hanging over the relationship between New Zealand and the United States. The...

Teaching seems to be on life support in New Zealand, with shortages in parts of the country - particularly in Auckland. The Weekend Collective spoke with Tim O'Connor, the headmaster of Auckland Grammar school to get his opinion on how (or if) teaching can be saved in New Zealand. LISTEN ABOVE TO THE FULL INTERVIEW See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jacinda Ardern will hold the country's top job, up until the eleventh hour. The due date for Ardern and Clarke Gayford's first child has arrived, but still there is no word of Ms Ardern's arrival at Auckland Hospital. TVNZ Political Editor Jessica Mutch told the Weekend Collective Jacinda Ardern is still very much the Prime Minister at the moment. "As soon as she walks into the hospital that's whe...

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Earlier in the week the PM was forced to give Phil Twyford a slap on the wrist after he admitted to using a phone on a plane after it had been cleared for take off. Tim Wilson has five excuses he reckons Twyford might have given Jacinda Ardern for why he was on the phone. They're, well - judge for yourself how funny they are. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bryce Edwards joined The Weekend Collective to talk politics. In particular, he discussed National's efforts to make the Speaker, Trevor Mallard, look bad after a difficult week in Parliament. Edwards said National have been pushing Mallard to remain impartial. He thinks we focus too much on what MPs can and cannot say in the House - and reckons Parliament should be a place where people can say wh...

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David Greenslade, a financial advisor discusses independence in millennials leaving home or continuing to live at home rent free.  But how long is too long? LISTEN AS DAVID GREENSLADE TALKS TO THE WEEKEND COLLECTIVE ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Political commentator Dr Bryce Edwards joins Tim Wilson and Tim Roxborogh to re-cap this week's budget, and talk about a new EQC-style fund for biosecurity threats.  LISTEN TO THE FULL DISCUSSION ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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