Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Stories of the modern housing crisis, commerce commission to study supermarket industry, and Tauranga’s local government civil war deepens. The term ‘housing crisis’ featured a lot in NZ politics over the last decade, but it means different things to different people. In today’s Bulletin, I’m going … Read more
Misinformation superspreader Jami-Lee Ross strolled in to the Newshub Nation studio on Sunday where he was eviscerated by a political editor at the top of her game. Here are the highlights from an exchange that has gone globally viral overnight. Newshub’s political editor Tova O’Brien has gone global overnight, following a fiery face off with … 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
They might agree on a lot, but the minor party scene is being roiled by conflict around the emergence of Advance NZ. And as Alex Braae reports, the Outdoors Party has suffered many casualties. With the election rapidly approaching, the Outdoors Party has been hit by a wave of candidate defections. But it’s not just … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Competing education plans in focus, Māori Party push for greater prominence for te reo, and hundreds of prominent New Zealanders in Chinese intel database. We’ve now had both major parties come out with the education policies they’ll take into the election. As always, it’s likely to … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Rugby world gets fired up at government over tournament loss, cabinet to make new alert level decision today, and police commended for not arresting protesters. The weekend saw an interesting event in the cultural history of this country: The government had a clear opportunity to try … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Preparing for a possible return of the pandemic, SFO prevents JLR document release, and stoush over National candidate selection deepens. I say possible in the headline there, because we can’t know for sure that community transmission of Covid-19 absolutely will come back. But at the moment, … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: National dismisses horror poll as a “rogue”, new populist party draws huge crowd in Auckland, and family attempts managed isolation escape to see father’s body. There are two possible explanations for an astonishing political poll that came out last night. Conducted by Reid Research for Newshub, it … Read more
Can the conspiracy theories of social media be coalesced into a party that makes parliament under MMP? We’re about to find out. Alex Braae attends the conscious conspiracy-theory-replete coupling ceremony. A covers band was smashing out a blistering version of ‘Higher and Higher’, on a stage packed with candidates. The flags were waving proudly over … Read more
Justin Giovannetti on an ugly day in New Zealand politics, which saw a National backbencher resign in disgrace. In the space of two weeks National has lost a leader, a half dozen MPs and any semblance of unity in the ranks of an outfit that is hoping to present itself as a government-in-waiting. Andrew Falloon … Read more
The controversial MP says his former party put a target on the minister’s back, but Melissa Lee insists there was no concerted campaign. The MP who exited the National Party in a tailspin attack on former leader Simon Bridges has publicly apologised to Clare Curran for his role in the treatment she received from the … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Peters captures political initiative with pair of speeches, future shape of unemployment in the spotlight, and second set of anti-semitic tagging at Auckland maunga. Over each of the last two years, PM Jacinda Ardern has been at the centre of coverage of an epoch-defining news … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Tauranga passes draft budget featuring massive rates rise, JLR makes further donation allegations, and more Covid-19 cases confirmed. We’ll start with a regional story today, because this is one that has implications for plenty of other places. Local body politics in Tauranga is getting absolutely steamed … Read more
In today’s edition: Jami-Lee Ross is confirmed as one of four charged by SFO, a damning international report on the NZ housing crisis, and SkyCity cancels a booking for Peter Singer event. SFO–JLR is not just an unlikely long-haul flight from California to India, but the latest instalment in the dominant, engulfing New Zealand political … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Long cleanup looms after Mataura floods, anger inside and outside of RNZ at major proposed changes, and quarantine in effect for Wuhan returnees. The evacuation warnings for several flooded-out South Island towns have mostly been lifted. But there will be a long cleanup ahead for the … Read more
A flurry of questions attend the Serious Fraud Office’s announcement it is charging four people in relation to donations, and the answers could have huge implications in election year, writes Andrew Geddis. The announcement by the Serious Fraud Office that it has filed criminal charges against four people “in relation to donations paid into a … Read more
From unpaid teachers to match fixing and rogue clamping, these are the news stories that outraged New Zealand in the 2010s. Paul Henry The decade in NZ scandal started out strong thanks to TV and radio host Paul Henry (for the edification of younger readers, he was like Mike Hosking, but with a louder laugh … Read more
The 60 wise delegates of Botany chose their next National Party candidate last night, and they picked the man touted as a future leader to take on the blazing, unpredictable incumbent, Jami-Lee Ross. Toby Manhire was there to watch the anointment. As the sun disappeared over the fairways, upstairs at the Pakuranga Golf Club last … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Former Air NZ boss confirms he’ll go for National’s Botany nomination, apology tour to Nicky Hager continues, and beneficiaries turn to sharks to pay MSD debt. So it’s official now: Former Air New Zealand boss Christopher Luxon has confirmed he will go for the National … Read more
The Police have referred their investigation into $100,000 in donations to the National Party to the SFO. It’s plainly a very bad look but can we deduce much else, asks Andrew Geddis On its face, news that the Police have referred Jami-Lee Ross’ now-five-month old allegations about Simon Bridges, the National Party and $100,000 in … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Another NZ First minister accused of using funding for votes, police refer donation complaint up to Serious Fraud Office, and Ihumātao development opponents march. Defence minister Ron Mark has appeared to pitch for votes from a veterans group, in exchange for funding he has secured … Read more
After happily attacking the government on capital gains tax for the past few weeks, Simon Bridges finds himself again on the back foot, writes Jane Patterson in this post originally published by RNZ. The police investigation that had been bubbling away in the background has now exploded into a Serious Fraud Office investigation, with the National … Read more
Last year, everyone loved getting home, flicking on the telly and seeing beloved household names like Jami-Lee Ross and Simon Bridges night after night. Fans of this cult classic political drama rejoice: it’s been picked up for another season. Here we are, 2019, and it’s all go on the sequel to the smash political hit … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Real contest looms for Auckland mayoralty, meeting between Sir Peter Jackson and PM Ardern revealed, and NZ First holding up climate change bill. A new contender has entered the arena for the mayoralty of Auckland, in the form of John Tamihere. The former Labour MP, talkback host, and … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Jacinda Ardern wows the world at Davos, range of reactions to Kiwibuild news, and tobacco funding for Taxpayers Union revealed. The Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has continued her uncanny ability to wow the world, regardless of what’s going on at home. She’s been in Britain and Switzerland … Read more
The Jami-Lee Ross saga prompted many to draw parallels with Dirty Politics, the 2014 exposé of attack politics and tactics emanating from the then prime minister’s office. The author of the book argued in the Spinoff that it is a stark reminder that our politics remain at risk from the poison of dirty politics. This … Read more
The Jami-Lee Ross saga was unique in New Zealand’s political history. Danyl Mclauchlan explains why. This post was first published Oct 20 2018 So much of what happens in politics never makes it into the media. Every now and then a journalist – out for an early run or stumbling home from a late night … Read more
This week Massey University released its annual ‘Quote of the Year’ competition, serving up a shortlist of 10 to vote to the 2018 title. And, look, some of them are fine! But in the spirits of breadth and plurality, our quote-loving team has produced its own crop of 10 for the inaugural Spinoff Alternative Quote … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Fallout begins immediately from review into parliamentary bullying, a phenomenal piece of mental health journalism featured, and National’s polling bounces back. Has Trevor Mallard opened the door on something that will get out of control? We talked a bit about this last week, but things have moved … Read more