The cooperation agreement signed this morning represents a longer-term strategy for both Labour and the Greens – they could be useful to each other in three years’ time, writes Andrew Geddis. A few days after polling day, I wrote a thing reviewing the previous governing arrangements that parties have adopted under MMP and speculating on … Read more
It’s not a confidence and supply deal, and it’s certainly not a coalition. So what are the implications of today’s agreement for each party, and for their constituents? Labour and the Greens have struck a cooperation agreement that provides Jacinda Ardern with stability in parliament over the next three years, while giving Marama Davidson and … Read more
Labour is presenting the preliminary results in the referendum on legalisation as an endorsement of the status quo. It is no such thing, writes Madeleine Holden. Unless about two-thirds of special voters ticked “yes” in the cannabis referendum, the Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill will not be introduced as legislation. Basically, at this point, it … Read more
By a narrow margin, the cannabis legalisation and control bill has been voted down based on preliminary referendum results. There remains, however, a slim chance it could still win on special votes. On preliminary results, the cannabis legalisation and control bill will not become law, after falling short at the referendum. The Electoral Commision announced … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for October 30. All the latest New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 2.00pm: Euthanasia to be legalised, cannabis set to stay illegal Updated Preliminary results from the two referendums have just been released, showing New Zealanders voted overwhelmingly in support of legalising euthanasia – … Read more
And what do the results in the general election tell us about how they might go? Toby Manhire weighs it all up. When do the results come through? The latest instalment in the time-transcending New Zealand election campaign comes this Friday, October 30 at 2pm when the Electoral Commission will reveal the preliminary results in … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for October 29. All the latest New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 7.30pm: The day in sum There were six new imported Covid-19 cases. A group of top epidemiologists suggested New Zealand’s MIQ system could become more flexible, with arrivals from lower-risk countries allowed … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Assessing some of the bizarre recent international interventions on NZ’s Covid policy, documents reveal what ministers knew about border staff testing, and Gerry Brownlee under pressure for deputy spot. Apologies in advance, because I don’t normally make a habit of using the Bulletin to magnify … Read more
Yesterday Marama Davidson said that the Greens-Labour negotiations had been lubricated by the introduction of Mallowpuffs in place of Krispies. Today the Green leaders emerged from negotiations with a tray of assorted biscuits, which may or may not be a concession granted to them in return for parliamentary confidence and supply. But which biscuits are … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for October 28. All the latest New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 6.45pm: The day in sum The Electoral Commission confirmed preliminary results of the two referendums will be released at 2pm on October 30. Labour and the Greens spent another 90 minutes negotiating … Read more
Our back-patting about electing the most inclusive parliament in history has one glaring omission, writes Henrietta Bollinger. In a sea of red votes, Aotearoa New Zealand looks to have elected the most rainbow parliament in the world. As a queer constituent, I have to believe this means something. It also has me reflecting on the … Read more
While our newest migrant MPs are inspiring people across the world, their first week in parliament has not passed without controversy here in New Zealand. Not since the early 1900s, when recent immigrants flooded the colonial parliament’s benches, has the Beehive seen such an influx of foreign-born MPs – albeit on a much smaller scale. … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for October 27. All the latest New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. Reach us at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 7.20pm: The day in sum There was one new case of Covid-19, and again no cases in the community Police reminded people not to spread unverified information on social media about an … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Unaffordable dental care in the spotlight, update on the two crops of Covid cases, and Billy TK quits Advance NZ alliance. One of the weeping sores of the health system is the high cost of dental care, and the health effects that flow from that. It’s … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for October 24-26. All the latest New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. Reach us at info@thespinoff.co.nz 1.00pm: No new community cases; five cases in managed isolation The Ministry of Health has just emailed through today’s Covid-19 case number update. This is how it reads: There are again no … Read more
Forest and Bird’s Kevin Hague recently wrote that the Greens and Labour should work together for the benefit of the environment. Here Justine Sachs argues that a seat at the table isn’t worth selling out the party’s soul. As a Green Party member, I am wary of the Greens being subsumed by Labour’s historic majority … Read more
Which parties spent the most on Facebook and Google, and was it really all worth it in the end? The election is over and the results are in: Labour swept the polls, National lost big, and the Greens and Act are set to return to parliament with an even bigger cohort of MPs than they … Read more
A unified rejection of the global trend towards right-wing strongmen or a blood debt from deeply conservative voters? Perhaps the election result was neither, writes Joseph Nunweek. Going by some of the electoral post-mortems, the weekend of October 17 was some kind of 4D chess triumph of the New Zealand right. I don’t claim to … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for October 23. All the latest New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz The day in sum Nine new cases of Covid-19 were announced: eight in managed isolation and one linked to the “marine employee cluster”. The Malt pub in Greenhithe closed its doors for … Read more
Where to next for the National Party? Ben Thomas reviews the post-election wreckage. The National Party is undertaking a review of its campaign. Presumably this will not be to determine the cause of its historic defeat. The cause is well known. The cause screams out from the pages of The New York Times, The Economist, … Read more
The crises of climate, biodiversity and Covid are urgent enough that politicians in both parties need to overcome their reservations and make it happen, writes former Green MP and Forest & Board CEO Kevin Hague. Forest & Bird is strictly politically independent. It’s not our role to say what is best for political parties. It … Read more
They may be poles apart ideologically, but for TOP and the New Conservatives, the election campaign featured some remarkably similar successes and failures for both. On an ideological level, it doesn’t make sense to put The Opportunities Party (TOP) and the New Conservatives in the same category. But their electoral vote share around 1.5% isn’t … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for October 22. All the latest New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 7.30pm: The day in sum There were two new cases of Covid-19 at the border. Meanwhile, two members of crew on the Sofrana Surville tested positive while at anchor off the coast … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for October 21. All the latest New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 8.15pm: Covid case visited Auckland pub, patrons asked to self-isolate People who were at The Malt pub in Greenhithe on the North Shore of Auckland on Friday night are being asked to … Read more
What is vote volatility and how will it affect the Labour Party over the next three years? Jack Vowles, professor of political science, explains. As the dust begins to settle after the 2020 election, a new electoral landscape becomes visible. It is remarkably different from the one before. One way to put this in perspective … Read more
It was the campaign we could have all got behind: strong tea, more jam, better scones. How the heck did that sign end up on Nick Smith’s wall? When One News interviewed National Party candidate Nick Smith at his Nelson party headquarters during Saturday night’s election coverage, it seemed like just another chat with an … Read more
The election is over and three of parliament’s parties have retreated behind closed doors, reports Justin Giovannetti. Parliament has entered, on the surface at least, a post-election hibernation. The government is in caretaker mode, barred from making major decisions, while party leaders eager for attention just days ago now have nothing to say. The coming … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for October 20. All the latest New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 7.45pm: The day in sum The official Ministry of Health 1pm media release announced one new case of Covid-19 at the border. A few hours later, media reported that at least 11 … Read more
A long election campaign finally ended in one five-hour period on Saturday, October 17. José Barbosa was there. This is what he saw. I forgot how covering an election is a lot of fun. My last working election was well over a decade ago, and there’s always this breathlessness that accompanies the proceedings. It’s perfect … Read more