The common theme in international media is the Labour leader as antithesis to Donald Trump – but not everyone is bowled over. A landslide win for the New Zealand Labour Party saw the acclamation flow abroad for Jacinda Ardern. Similar plaudits were forthcoming for Jacinta Ardern, Jacinda Adern and Jacinta Adern. I didn’t get past … 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
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
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
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
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
The 2020 election campaign is coming to a close. The Spinoff followed National’s Judith Collins and Labour’s Jacinda Ardern as they travelled Auckland during the final hours of campaigning. Labour’s slogan this election is “Let’s keep moving”, but the party’s campaign got bogged down in Onehunga today as Jacinda Ardern was swamped during a walkabout. … Read more
Well, that was a grind, wasn’t it? José Barbosa scrapes himself off the floor. Over the campaign I’ve made some videos boiling down those televised debates between Jacinda Ardern and Judith Collins. (All of them can be viewed here, by the way.) It’s been an extended campaign and I can safely say I’ve been ground … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Pre-election poll shows massive lead for Labour, Advance NZ kicked off Facebook, and new developments in NZ First Foundation saga. A poll released just days before the election shows Labour is still in a clear position to form the next government. While the One News Colmar Brunton showed … Read more
Two days out from the election, what did we learn from tonight’s final leaders debate? Here’s what our debate watchers thought. Justin Giovannetti: The tank is empty Judith Collins is done. The feeling that will stick with me from that debate came afterwards when the leaders faced the media in the atrium of TVNZ. Collins, … Read more
With just days to go before voting closes, political discourse has taken a bizarre turn, writes Ben Thomas. If this year’s election campaign trail could be likened to a breezy summer getaway with your best friends (and in my judgment as a political expert, I believe it can be) then this week we reached the … Read more
Does it sounds like a Key-English slogan, or something from Ardern-Robertson? Labour is ahead in the polls with a few days to go until decision day, and as incumbents you’d expect some of their messages to echo those from governing parties of days gone by. Grant Robertson and Jacinda Ardern have both, repeatedly, admiringly invoked … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: NZ government adds voice in global encryption fight, a whole bunch of election stuff happens, and more than half the country believes house prices must fall. Should governments be able to access the encrypted data held by technology companies? That is being debated after New Zealand … Read more
The parties are diverging as the campaign grinds into its final days. Labour hosted a massive rally in Wellington today while National told a small room about a big new road and blamed the obese for being obese, Justin Giovannetti reports. Hundreds of students packed Victoria University’s hub today and cheered on Jacinda Ardern as … Read more
Covid has highlighted South Auckland’s potential vulnerability to a health crisis, so what are our politicians promising to do about the region’s ongoing problems? Updated with statistics minister James Shaw’s comments. Mary* is a GP in South Auckland. She’s on the frontline, helping those with often complex health issues in one of New Zealand’s most … Read more
It is not too late for Jacinda Ardern to show real leadership on cannabis law reform, writes criminologist Liam Martin. Jacinda Ardern won’t reveal how she voted on the cannabis referendum or take a public position on the issue either way. She leads a party that came to office promising sweeping changes in criminal justice, … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Advance voting surges ahead of final week, poll shows John Tamihere in with a chance at Tāmaki Makaurau, and insights into modern drug smuggling revealed. With a week to go before election day, hundreds of thousands of people have already got their vote done and … Read more
Labour’s winning strategy is built on rhetoric that seems to promise real change but never quite delivers, writes Danyl Mclauchlan. Perhaps soon it can give itself permission to do something truly transformational. There is a pit of doom major parties in New Zealand can fall into, when their soft centre supporters abandon them for their … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Labour puts little new in climate policy, community cases once again down to zero, and Collins has a bad day out in Ponsonby. Labour’s climate change policy announcement has been received as a bit of a letdown by their potential allies in the next parliament. Newshub covered … Read more
In a chaotic 90-minute contest, the crowd made itself heard, writes Justin Giovannetti from Christchurch. At several points I had no idea what the leaders were saying. Hundreds in the Christchuch crowd were cheering on Labour leader Jacinda Ardern while a row of National supporters seated in front of me grumbled. Ardern was making her … Read more
Who came out on top in the online Press Leaders’ Debate tonight? Here are our debate watchers’ verdicts. Duncan Greive: Ardern is the superior communicator. Tonight, she finally showed it The hoary boxing cliché says that styles make fights – that different yet complementary techniques will produce a better spectacle. Through the first two debates … Read more
In an amazing turn of events, the veteran UK puppet-satire TV series has added New Zealand’s prime minister to their cast of characters. José Barbosa is surprised to find the sock puppet wags appear to know their Kiwi culture. Like many of you out there, I’ve been enjoying the Spitting Image sketch featuring Jacinda Ardern … Read more
The Greens aren’t shying away from their role in a future government. Jacinda Ardern will be the leader, but they’ll be the conscience for Labour, Marama Davidson and James Shaw tell Justin Giovannetti. The promises from Green Party co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson this election can be boiled down to something simple: they’ll give … Read more
We asked the people vying for our votes how they’re keeping their minds sharp and bodies fuelled for the final stretch of the campaign marathon. What New Zealand’s political party leaders eat isn’t usually something many of us give much thought to, but come election time, when they’re out and about winning votes, politicians’ kai … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Poll puts spotlight on tight East Coast race, Ardern and Collins go toe to toe in very different debate, and solo mother speaks out over denied benefit. The East Coast is going to be a fascinating electorate to watch on the night, and could get … Read more
New Zealand’s main party leaders are women and yet women can’t really get onto the agenda this election. The parties are offering little to help the half of the population most likely to suffer the worst of what Covid-19 is throwing at us, Justin Giovannetti reports. The burdens of Covid-19 will be borne disproportionately by … Read more
Toby Manhire watched the second leaders’ debate among a crowd of undecided voters at Q Theatre. Maybe the afternoon meal of pulled teeth and gravel soup in the presidential debate emphasised it but, shit, that was a good debate. Whether it was a motivational speech or a few Red Bulls, Jacinda Ardern had a different … Read more
Who came out on top in the second leaders’ debate? Here are our debate watchers’ verdicts. Duncan Greive: Collins finds her voice The second debate was superior in every way. The staging and lighting more dramatic, the question lines more urgent, the leaders more determined to clearly demark the territory between them. Within the first … Read more