The Bulletin: ETS and the accounting of emissions

Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Creative accounting around the ETS explored, Ardern goes to ground on Peters, and ACT criticised for keeping donation from extremist. Often when reporting on technical and thorny pieces of legislation, it helps to have a specialist reporter looking into it. Stuff’s Charlie Mitchell has come out with … Read more

The fight for voters on National’s right

In an MMP election that could come down to a few percentage points of wasted vote, two parties on National’s right flank are going toe to toe. Alex Braae reports.  In throwing one right wing party a lifeline, National might have just sounded the death knell for another. When Simon Bridges announced that he would … Read more

A collection of voices on the End of Life Choice bill

A law change that would allow assisted dying in certain select cases is coming up to a final reading in parliament tonight. Here are some of the many views on the matter we’ve published. As the End of Life Choice bill has made its way through parliament, it has become clear that the issue of … Read more

In an ideal world, euthanasia would make sense. We don’t live in an ideal world                          

Proponents of the End of Life Choice say that controls on euthanasia will make it safe for all. But the reality is that euthanasia will be impossible to fully regulate, argues Jannah Dennison. The End of Life Choice Bill has now made its way through the Committee Stage, and with the issue poised to be … Read more

The Bulletin: Will the euthanasia referendum win?

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Euthanasia bill set to go to a referendum, police whistleblower says he was threatened with legal action, and the finer details of Zero Carbon report. The country is likely to see another referendum next year, on the question of whether the End of Life Choice … Read more

Critic magazine: the controversial covers

Otago University’s student magazine Critic Te Arohi has had a stellar couple of years, producing bold, disruptive journalism that delights in poking authority with a large stick. Respective editors have taken the same approach to their covers, producing a number of anarchic images designed to provoke and titillate (with great success). As anyone in magazine … Read more

The Bulletin: More deportations loom with proposed Aussie law

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: More deportations of NZers loom with proposed Australian law, authorities not probing root causes of truck crashes, and AUT under fire for Tiananmen Square event not going ahead.  The deportation of New Zealanders from Australia could intensify under new, tighter visa laws being proposed. Radio NZ reports … Read more

Cheat Sheet: David Seymour’s big push to get the numbers for euthanasia

With the last parliamentary vote on David Seymour’s End of Life Choice bill ahead of him, the ACT leader has put up what he’s hoping will be the finishing touches on the euthanasia law. So what does it all mean? Alex Braae explains. What’s all this then?  ACT leader David Seymour has announced a series … Read more

Politics podcast: We shall reshuffle you

In this new edition of Gone By Lunchtime, Toby Manhire, Annabelle Lee-Mather and Ben Thomas weigh reshuffles in senior ranks of both the big parties, as well as Oranga Tamariki and David Seymour’s End of Life Choice Bill. Plus: a desperate plea to listeners. Podding against the clock, aka Annabelle’s stopwatch, the Gone By Lunchtime … Read more

The Bulletin: End of Life choice bill survives for now

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Challenges ahead for End of Life Choice bill, councillors question if Invercargill mayor is still up to it, and principals vow to fight on. The End of Life Choice bill has passed a second reading, meaning a limited form of euthanasia is now closer to … Read more

David Seymour is tilting at free-speech windmills

The ACT leader has unveiled his ‘Freedom to Speak Bill’. But the case law makes it clear that the laws he seeks to reform are not the terrifying, freedom crushing beasts he has made them out to be, writes Cameron Walker ACT leader, David Seymour, has promised to introduce a “Freedom to Speak” private member’s bill, … Read more

The Spinoff Reviews New Zealand #86: ACT’s brand new podcast

We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, ACT has launched a podcast called Politics in Full Sentences as part of their party-wide rebrand. Media and politics nerd Alex Braae watched the first episode on Youtube. There’s always a question creators of new media products or content … Read more

The Bulletin: ACT to the future for rebranded party

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: ACT looks to the past with new policies, unions recommend new pay offer to teachers, and spies keeping oversight watchdog out in the cold. It was probably fitting Richard Prebble was there for the relaunch of the ACT Party over the weekend. After all, much of what … Read more

The Bulletin: More questions around lobbyist’s role with Ardern admin

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: More questions around lobbyist’s role in Ardern administration, Hong Kong protesters look to NZ, and more progress made between govt and teachers. Further questions are being raised about the role of influential lobbyist GJ Thompson in the Ardern government. It concerns the time he spent as PM … Read more

David Seymour: In defence of performance pay for teachers

The state should massively increase its investment in teachers, but take off the blinkers and recognise the best teachers should earn more – it works in the rest of the economy, argues the ACT leader A recent Spinoff article starts by quoting me as wanting to set $1 million aside as a fund to better … Read more

Golriz Ghahraman on dealing with the ‘scared, panicked, angry mob’

The Green MP has been given extra security following threats of violence. She tells the Spinoff about the ‘barrage of hate’ she confronts. Green MP Golriz Ghahraman has described the “barrage of hate” she has received since becoming a member of parliament, and its impact on her life and employment. In an interview with Leonie … Read more

The Bulletin: Fight goes on for Pike River families

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Major milestone reached in Pike River story, report paints damning picture of parliamentary bullying, and Alfred Ngaro builds profile with abortion comments. For the families of those men killed in the Pike River mine explosion, yesterday was a culmination of years of hard work. Almost nine years … Read more

Why we should be sceptical of David Seymour’s euthanasia bill

This week, Alex Penk found himself agreeing with David Seymour when he said that there’s been “a constant misinformation campaign” about the End of Life Choice Bill. It’s just that the chief culprit was Seymour himself, he argues.  MPs and the public should be very sceptical about what they’re hearing from David Seymour, who is … Read more

The Bulletin: Literal trash fire puts focus on landfills

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Landfills in focus after pair of disasters, new firearms laws to be streamlined through Parliament, and generational conflict over climate change in Thames. A pair of recent stories have shown that what gets put in landfills doesn’t ever really go away. Over and above the widely-covered crisis in recycling, … Read more

The Bulletin: Submissions show tough euthanasia fight ahead

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Submissions show euthanasia campaigners have tough fight ahead, flooded dump causes environmental disaster, and Gareth Morgan cuts all ties with TOP. Heavy opposition has come in against changes to the laws on euthanasia, which signals the tough fight ahead for both sides. The NZ Herald reports submissions to the … Read more

Summer reissue: A 14-year-old on why they voted for Disco Dave Seymour

Week after week on Dancing with the Stars, David Seymour cheated eviction at the hands of the judges thanks to massive support from viewers, to the extent that he’s comfortably received more text votes than he did in the election last year. Anecdotally, much of his support is coming from young people. But why? We asked … Read more

The Bulletin: Modest goals, modest success at climate talks

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Poland climate talks conclude with agreement on rules, ACT accuses conservative campaigners of misleading claims, and a new doco series on life in Queenstown. Climate talks in Poland have concluded with the moderately successful achievement of modest goals. The BBC reports that member nations of the Paris Climate Accords … Read more

The Bulletin: Did review into banks go far enough?

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Banks under review escape serious sanctions despite spotlight, allegation of police brutality at Defence Expo, and Speaker slammed for rugby junket. The banks have been under the spotlight after the release of a report from the Financial Markets Authority and Reserve Bank. 11 banks were looked at … Read more

‘We didn’t pay enough attention to the brand’: David Seymour on Election 2017

ACT struggled thanks to the two-horse race, the approach taken by some media, and the behaviour of our coalition partner. But we are ultimately the author of our own result, writes the Epsom MP and ACT leader This is the second in a series of extracts from the new VUP collection Stardust and Substance. Read Jacinda … Read more

The Bulletin: Low growth in the Māori roll

Good morning, and welcome the The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Low growth in the Māori roll, property managers slammed for their memes, and a big cash injection for the billion trees programme.  The Māori electoral roll has grown, but not by all that many voters. The option to change between the Māori and the general roll opens … Read more

David Seymour says he wants to abolish Māori seats. Can he?

The ACT Party wants to abolish the Māori seats, and lower the number of MPs wholesale. Do they have any chance of getting it through? At the 2017 election, out of about 13,000 party votes the ACT Party picked up nationwide, 239 came from Māori seats. It’s fair to say from those numbers that the … Read more

The political parties NZ is missing

With the folding of TOP and the Māori Party’s struggle to re-enter Parliament, one thing’s become obvious; there just aren’t enough parties. Anna Bracewell-Worrall for Newshub suggests a few potentials. Currently there are five parties in Parliament. There are only two parties in opposition. If variety is the spice is life, the Parliament of Aotearoa … Read more