NZ politics in 2020: The big issues on which this year’s election will hinge

To complete our series looking back at 2019 and peering into 2020, we asked our political sleuths to nominate the three issues that could make the difference in this year’s election. Alex Braae Many polls indicate that if Labour is to keep leading the government, it will be in charge of a coalition. There could … Read more

The brokers, the Ardern attack ‘joke’, and the spectre of a bad-meme election

A leaked email from prominent share broking firm Forsyth Barr perpetuates a tediously old-fashioned idea of the way people think – and it isn’t even salvaged by wit or originality, writes business editor Maria Slade. Investment manager Forsyth Barr’s daily market commentary came with a seasonal extra on November 1. Atop the dull recital of … Read more

The three parties of power are taking their marks for the 2020 election

The three governing parties are turning their attention to next year’s general election. RNZ‘s Jo Moir surveys the field. The night New Zealand First formed a government with Labour and the Greens, its leader Winston Peters quoted the song “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”. Almost two years later all three parties still have … Read more

National’s path to victory in 2020

The just completed party conference confirmed a widespread unity under Simon Bridges, while Jacinda Ardern is under more pressure than ever. If the cards fall benignly, it’s far from impossible, writes Liam Hehir At the conclusion of a solid 2019 conference, the National Party’s path to victory in 2020 has not changed – it remains … Read more

The Bulletin: What could change for voting in 2020 election

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Changes proposed for the process of voting in 2020, govt approves coal exploration despite climate change rhetoric, and Hager responds to new Hit and Run news. The way people vote in 2020 could be very different to previous elections, after the proposals of a range … Read more

What does Budget 2019 mean for Labour’s Māori seats in 2020?

Labour’s Māori MPs should count their lucky stars Te Ururoa Flavell is busy doing other things, writes māui street‘s Morgan Godfery. It’s a mug’s game making a call about the general election more than a year out from polling day. If an election were held tomorrow Labour would almost certainly return with its seven-seat monopoly … Read more

TOP down? How in-fighting is risking The Opportunities Party’s survival

Former leader Gareth Morgan says The Opportunities Party’s remaining members are ‘grovelling, compromising political aspirants’ and that’s the least of new leader Geoff Simmons’ problems. Max Towle for RNZ In Depth asks: can Simmons rescue the party from itself – and does the party really hold any appeal to voters now its colourful founder is gone?  … Read more

Lance O’Sullivan explains why he is running for the Māori Party in 2020

After several years of flirting with the bloodsport we call politics, 2014 New Zealander of the Year Dr Lance O’Sullivan has entered the fracas, announcing he will run for the Māori Party in 2020. But why? And what does he stand for? Don Rowe finds out.  When I profiled Dr Lance O’Sullivan last year he … Read more