This election, the nation embraced dogs at polling booths. We ran out of time and capacity to put them all up on Saturday, so here are some of the pooches that got away. Last week, we asked you to send in your photos of dogs at polling booths, promising our election day live updates would … Read more
How can National scrape itself off the canvas after a big defeat? Justin Latif talks to MPs and members. Following National’s crushing defeat on election night, the carcass of the party’s unsuccessful campaign is already being picked over by members and MPs. Departing MP and former cabinet minister Alfred Ngaro placed the blame squarely at … Read more
WATCH: Newshub’s national correspondent took things to another level during Three’s election results coverage on Saturday night – here’s the supercut to prove it. Watching the election results roll in on election night is a triennial event beloved by many New Zealanders, none so much as Patrick Gower. From the second the clock ticked 7:00pm … Read more
Hints for a happy, healthy vegan life as the AM Show host prepares to adopt a plant-based diet for the next 12 months. In July, MediaWorks broadcaster Duncan Garner was very confident that come election time, Labour wouldn’t receive enough votes to govern alone. So confident that he said if they did, he would do … Read more
All the latest New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 7pm: The day in sum There were no new cases of Covid-19, the day after a shipworker tested positive outside of managed isolation. A suspected historical case detected in a crew member at the Port of Tauranga is under investigation by … Read more
If other countries can deliver gender balanced cabinets, New Zealand has no excuse, writes Emma Riach of Equal Leadership NZ. As we look ahead to the next three years with Jacinda Ardern once again at the helm, attention turns to the next important selection: who will be given the responsibility to lead New Zealand as … Read more
They’re competing to be named top dog, but they’ve already won our hearts. Nothing brings the nation together like a good dog. Ask Spot or the SPCA dogs that learned to drive, or even John Campbell and Matty McLean speaking directly to the good dogs of New Zealand, live on Breakfast television. Tonight, new reality TV … Read more
The Māori seats were electrifying to watch as the results rolled in on Saturday. Here’s what happened. Labour no longer has a monopoly on the seven Māori seats – for now. First-timer Rāwiri Waititi snatched Waiariki from one-term MP Tamati Coffey in a nail-biting neck and neck race, coming out ahead by only 415 votes … Read more
A special poem by Labour’s deputy leader Kelvin Davis, following in the tradition of political verse started by David Cunliffe. A year ago I started a tale A story with a chapter yet to unveil Of a world of light and some pretty ugly taniwha Of a guy called Kevin Davies And a joke that’s … Read more
We know Jacinda Ardern will be the PM, but what else needs to get sorted out in the coming weeks? Alex Braae runs down the questions we’ll get answers to soon, along with a few that you might be wondering about. The voters deliver the mandate, but then it’s up to the politicians to figure … Read more
Misinformation superspreader Jami-Lee Ross strolled in to the Newshub Nation studio on Sunday where he was eviscerated by a political editor at the top of her game. Here are the highlights from an exchange that has gone globally viral overnight. Newshub’s political editor Tova O’Brien has gone global overnight, following a fiery face off with … Read more
All around the country, New Zealanders are screaming: ‘Election 2020: Who are the winners, losers, big losers, and gigantic losers?’ Hayden Donnell is here to respond to their cries. The election is over. We probably know the makeup of the next government. We know we won’t see a capital gains tax for the rest of … Read more
With only 2.7% of the vote, NZ First will not be returning to parliament this time. But as Winston Peters’ former researcher Josh Van Veen writes, the party’s legacy is too enduring for NZ First to be gone for good. Ambition and ideals are at the heart of politics. More often than not they conflict. … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Wildly different caucus meetings loom for National and Labour, new case of community transmission announced, and anger mounts over wage subsidy piss-taking. The mood in the room will be very different when the Labour and National caucuses meet this week. For Labour, it’ll be a crowded … Read more
Jacinda Ardern rules supreme over the New Zealand political landscape, possessed of the first outright majority of the MMP era and immense personal popularity. But what should be her most urgent political priorities this term? In compiling the list below, I have left out the task of conquering covid-19 – almost too obvious to mention, … Read more
With calamitous US politics stoking fear and division in an already fraught nation, the New Zealand election makes for a calm and refreshing change. The front page of the New York Times today reads: “A Regulatory Rush by Federal Agencies to Secure Trump’s Legacy,” referring to the mad rush to pass Trumpian legislation before the … Read more
The Green Party last night represented a new era: the kids aren’t just all right, they’re in charge. Josie Adams and Sherry Zhang were there. A very small child met us at the doors to GridAKL. “Are you here for the Green party?” she asked. Her name was Melanie and she followed protocol to a … Read more
Greens MP Chlöe Swarbrick joins Annabelle Lee-Mather, Ben Thomas and Toby Manhire to pick over the remains of election night in a special Sunday edition of Gone By Lunchtime. It’s the morning after a very successful election night for Labour, and a pretty good one for the Greens too – especially in Auckland Central, where … Read more
Last night Spinoff cartoonist Toby Morris sat down in the office with a ipad, two slices of pizza and a brief to provide live-ish election night coverage via the medium of drawing. Here’s how that went. In the lead up to finally finding out some results, the big story was how many New Zealanders had … Read more
There was delight to be found at Labour’s election night function, but not too much. As in the campaign as a whole, caution trumped exuberance. Justin Giovannetti was there. There was a sense of near disbelief most of the night at Labour’s campaign event in central Auckland as the results poured in and they were … Read more
All the news and reaction as NZ wakes to a Labour landslide. You can reach us at info@thespinoff.co.nz 3.15pm: A better visual breakdown of the 2020 election results Electoral results maps can often be deceiving, over-emphasising large but sparsely populated rural areas and under-emphasising densely populated ones. So policy analyst Stephen Beban has created the hexamap … Read more
National had prepared for the worst. But it hadn’t prepared for that. Stewart Sowman-Lund watched the ship crash and burn. The invitation sent out ahead of National’s election night event said to arrive at 7pm. Of course, only media would arrive on time – the guests would be fashionably late. But as time ticked on, … Read more
Tara Ward recaps the highs and lows of last night’s free-to-air television election coverage. “Thank God it’s over,” John Campbell declared in the opening moments of 1 News’ election broadcast, but really, we’d only just begun. John and Hilary Barry were in charge of the catchy ‘1 News Your Vote 2020 Election Night Special’, and … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to a special election edition of The Bulletin, by Alex Braae for The Spinoff. You’ll probably have heard by now, but the country is waking up this morning to a crushing Labour victory in the 2020 election. Labour has the numbers to govern alone, with a provisional count of 49% of the … Read more
Last night Jacinda Ardern and the Labour Party won a historic victory, changing the shape of NZ politics. Danyl Mclauchlan writes on what took place, and what comes next. A few days before the end of the campaign Jacinda came to my university. The crowd filled the central hub, spilling out into the courtyard. Wellington … Read more
Jacinda Ardern has led her party to a resounding, unprecedented victory in what she dubbed the ‘Covid election’, leaving Judith Collins and National facing crisis. Justin Giovannetti reports. The New Zealand Labour Party under Jacinda Ardern has secured a commanding victory, winning the largest share of parliament since the introduction of MMP after a historic … Read more
All the news, pictures and commentary as the results roll in. Spot anything newsworthy? You can reach us at info@thespinoff.co.nz 12.30am: The night in sum Our political editor was at Labour’s event tonight, but keeping tabs on all the numbers and reactions. Read his summary of the big night here. Thanks for your company! 12.09am: Swarbrick … Read more
Headquarters in the Viaduct is where many National MPs go to celebrate. On Saturday night Act took it over, and with it the energy and vision of the right, reports Duncan Greive. David Seymour’s six year vigil as Act’s leader and sole MP has been the political version of Nigel the Gannet. Even the party’s … Read more
As of 7.20pm, Labour is on track for twice as many seats as National. Any hopes of a nail-biter election have dissipated just a few minutes after polls closed – at least as far as the biggest party of the next government is concerned. As of 7.20pm, with 4.2% of the vote counted, Labour is … Read more