Five reasons the cannabis referendum ‘yes’ campaign floundered

The Greens won a sizeable share of the party vote, and Chlöe Swarbrick took Auckland Central. But the cannabis referendum campaign she championed, as captured in Three Ticks Chlöe, failed. For all the glorious victory, the final note is one of frustration, writes Justin Giovannetti. Three Ticks Chlöe is part of Frame, a series of short documentaries … Read more

The Bulletin: Greens get a seat away from the table

Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Greens sign cooperation agreement with Labour, Ardern to make cabinet announcements today, and where to now for drug reform after referendum falls? Green party delegates have ratified a deal with Labour that will give them ministerial portfolios, but mostly outside of cabinet where the big … Read more

What the Labour-Greens deal means for the next three years

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

The Bulletin: Should the government back Chris Liddell for OECD?

Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Should the government back Chris Liddell for OECD, testing and app scan numbers jump over long weekend, and an update on talks between Labour and Greens. The government’s decision on whether to back New Zealander Chris Liddell for the top job at the OECD looks … Read more

The Bulletin: Everyone’s got an opinion for the Greens

Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Questions over how Greens should approach Labour relationship, Auckland pub patrons told to self-isolate, and highly leveraged investors send house prices higher. How lucky is the Green party, to have so many people giving advice and suggestions right now? As talks continue around the formation of … Read more

What this election means for Pasifika

National’s Pacific MPs are gone, the Greens have their first, and Labour’s Pasifika caucus is now its biggest ever. But will any of this make any real difference to our communities?  Do you reckon Moses could have parted the red sea on Saturday night? Because even the bluest, most conservative seats in Aotearoa had no might … Read more

The Bulletin: System springs into action on Port Covid case

Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: System springs into action on Port Covid case, Labour opens up initial talks with Greens, and New Zealand travellers creating headaches for Aussie states. A clarification on the new case of Covid-19 announced on Sunday – it was not in fact a case of community … Read more

The Bulletin: Celebrations and recriminations coming at caucus meetings

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

Predictions: Where every party will rank in the 2020 election

We all know who’s going to come in 1st and 2nd place in the election. But what about 11th or 12th? Minor party correspondent Alex Braae predicts where every party will finish. Elections are fought on close margins, and sometimes the difference between winning and losing can be just a few hundred votes.  That’s true … Read more

The RMA is set for the scrapheap. Will the Greens get a say in its replacement?

The Greens’ statement on RMA reform is the first clear, leadership-endorsed sign of what it will and won’t support in a second Labour-Green government, writes Pattrick Smellie for BusinessDesk. Throughout the current parliamentary term, the Greens have been very well-behaved. Co-leader James Shaw’s brief and unhappy attempt to hold ministers to ransom over government funding … Read more

The Bulletin: The poll the Greens wanted

Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: New poll puts Greens in coalition hot seat, Labour pledges more time for Tiwai Pt phase out, and what the bosses think about the election. Another poll is out, and this one is telling a story of a very different parliament after the election compared … Read more

The Bulletin: Wildfires stretch US to extremes

Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Fires devastate US West amid other catastrophes, academics call for protecting of Māori colleagues at Waikato, and Labour brings forward 100% renewable target. Remember the massive wildfires that swept through Australia, and how they turned the skies a deep and forbidding orange? It was less than … Read more

The Bulletin: National changes philosophy behind border policy

Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: National firmly commits to elimination strategy with new border policy, Greens call for doubling of sick leave entitlements, and Indian migrant exploitation in focus. We’ve had a glut of border policies announced in recent days, as parties look to explain what they’d do differently in … Read more

Meet the cast of Youth Wings, a new political documentary series coming soon

The Spinoff’s new six-part documentary series Youth Wings goes behind the O Week stalls to get to know some of the youngest and most passionate members of New Zealand’s main political parties. It may be hard to imagine, but every single member of New Zealand’s parliament was once young. And when they were young, many … Read more

The Bulletin: For and against a massive new hydro storage scheme

Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: For and against a massive new hydro storage scheme, major new report delivered on RMA reforms, and Greens and NZ First at odds over waka-jumping repeal. For a lead story today, a look at some of the benefits and challenges of a major potential infrastructure … Read more

The Bulletin: Did Todd Muller lie about Boag and Woodhouse?

Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Self-inflicted story puts National on the defensive, another escape attempt from managed isolation, and a series of party events ahead of election. There’s a convention in journalism called Betteridge’s law of headlines. Basically what it means is that headlines that end in a question mark can … Read more

The Bulletin: Fears for paramedic service after pay boost scrapped

Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Fears for paramedic service after pay boost scrapped, rapid report into managed isolation system released, and Greens release sweeping new welfare and tax policy. We’re going back to last week for today’s lead story, but it’s a deeply important one with wide implications for the … Read more

The Bulletin: Can Shane Jones reclaim Northland and save his party?

Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Shane Jones confirms run in the crucial seat of Northland, Kiwifruit sales soar amid global pandemic, and questions on colonial monuments erupt around the world. The course of politics over the last five years was arguably set during the tumultuous Northland by-election of 2015. After the … Read more

How Muller-mentum could change the political landscape

National has a new leader and it could upend parts of the political map that previously looked much more stable. So how could things change as a result? Under Simon Bridges, National needed to get exceptionally lucky to win the next election. While the party’s polling at the start of the year was strong enough … Read more

The Bulletin: A commemoration of history that still lives 

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Government ministers and iwi leaders in Waitara for commemoration, open letter to Greens over GE, and Hamilton’s leading public servant calls for election reform.  Government ministers, iwi leaders and other dignitaries have gathered in Taranaki this weekend to commemorate a foundational period in New Zealand’s … Read more

The Bulletin: Greens push to lower voting age on climate strike day

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Greens push to lower voting age on climate strike day, latest IPCC report unpacked, and analysis of Fonterra’s tough annual results day. On a day when many 16 year olds will be out protesting against climate change inaction, the Greens have announced a push to … 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

Sorry, but the cannabis vote is going to look a lot like the flag referendum

Andrew Geddis sifts through the constitutional implications of forthcoming vote on legalising cannabis, and offers a warning about the way the campaign is likely to unfold Today we sort-of found out what we are going to get to vote on at this election’s “reeferendum”. We are going to get to say whether we want to … Read more

Were journalists ‘just doing their job’ in the political resignation of Metiria Turei?

Massey University’s Sean Phelan and Leon Salter look at the role media played in of one the biggest controversies of the last election. Two months before New Zealand’s 2017 elections, which eventually installed the Ardern coalition government, then Green party co-leader Metiria Turei gave a speech on welfare reform. Many political commentators had predicted an easy victory … Read more

The Bulletin: Goff promises tough love if re-elected

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Phil Goff confirms he’ll run for another term as Auckland mayor, Greens unveil members bill with sweeping electoral changes, and real estate agents are giving up. Auckland mayor Phil Goff has finally confirmed he’ll be seeking another term, and hasn’t shied away from the challenges Auckland … Read more

The Bulletin: Is that it for tech giant tax?

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Tax on tech giants proposed but doesn’t go far, peace may be breaking out in China stoush, and the incredible story of two brothers vs the Avondale Business Association.  The government has made a big announcement on taxing internet giants, but there are a lot of … Read more

A deep and critical analysis of every WordArt font

School projects weren’t complete without a meticulously selected WordArt title. Madeleine Chapman looks back at the fonts that shaped many children’s lives. Once upon a time the most important decision in life was choosing a font. Every school project needed the perfect font. Not for the body of text; Arial shmarial, who cares. No, every … Read more

The Bulletin: Living cost rises cut into government’s efforts

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Cost of living rise cuts into government efforts, Greens say Labour is watering down oil exploration ban, and Environment Court gives America’s Cup green light. It’s becoming harder to make ends meet in New Zealand, despite the efforts of the government earlier this year to redistribute … 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