Flight and Fight: Shane Jones versus Air New Zealand CEO Chris Luxon

The Champion of the Regions versus the Corporate Taniwha. The CEO versus the Minister. Susie Ferguson versus a Straight Answer. Who will come out on top?  Early this month, national flight carrier Air New Zealand announced it would be suspending its service between Auckland and Paraparaumu. Mayor K Gurunathan, given less than 24 hours notice, … Read more

Labour to Iwi Chairs Forum: ‘Iwi leaders need to catch up with the new world’

After a fraught election, Labour’s Māori caucus is going head to head with the Iwi Chairs Forum. The change of government has signaled a profound change in iwi relationships with the Crown. In the past 17 years, the corporate iwi model was the power ascendent at the Iwi Chairs Forum, and has proven to be … Read more

Let’s do this? A horror week for the Labour government

With scandals, obfuscation and increasing pressure from both opposition and party faithful, this has been Jacinda Ardern’s worst week yet.  On Monday it was revealed four young Labour supporters were sexually assaulted at a boozy party at their annual youth camp. Labour General Secretary Andrew Kirton proceeded to stuff both feet into his mouth, claiming … Read more

Place your bids: How parties can tempt Dr Lance O’Sullivan to their team

Political parties are salivating over the prospect of getting Lance O’Sullivan to join them. So which party should the good doctor choose? Alex Braae assesses the options. Famously handsome former New Zealander of the Year Dr Lance O’Sullivan is a man with options. He could continue to be a doctor, bringing affordable healthcare to the … Read more

The Bulletin: Labour admits serious failures

Good morning, and welcome to the Bulletin. In today’s edition:Labour announces a full review into sexual harassment and assault in the party, nobody is that keen on America’s Cup plans, and the tax working group is getting down to business. The Labour leader has ordered a comprehensive review of the entire party in the wake of … Read more

Why the mishandling of sexual assault complaints is a political mess for Labour

As the Labour Party goes into overdrive in an effort to acknowledge its woeful response to sexual assault claims at a youth camp, RNZ’s political editor Jane Patterson looks at the political mess that’s been left in its wake.  No one disputes victims of sexual assault should be treated with respect and confidentiality, and offered … Read more

The Bulletin: NZ dragged into spy row over Russia

Good morning and welcome to the Bulletin. In today’s edition: Britain calls on New Zealand’s support after alleged Russian attack, there’s been another sexual assault allegation at a Labour Party function, and Dr Lance O’Sullivan could be about to join TOP. Britain is calling on New Zealand to join diplomatic action against Russia, after British PM Theresa … Read more

The Bulletin: Ardern admits mistakes made after youth camp assaults

Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. Labour’s launched an investigation after reports of sexual harassment and assault at a party run youth camp, glaciers on the Southern Alps are in bad shape, and Lyttelton Port workers have gone on strike. The Labour Party has launched an investigation after reports of sexual harassment and assault taking … Read more

A perpetrator can’t be a saviour: the state abuse historic claims system must go

Opinion: The announcement of a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the abuse of children in state care has been met with praise and relief, but survivors may be worse off if the historic claims unit within the Ministry of Social Development is allowed to continue. The announcement of a Royal Commission of Inquiry into abuse … Read more

Georgina Beyer still has a fire in her belly

Alex Casey talks to Georgina Beyer, the world’s first transgender mayor and MP, about her extraordinary life.  This interview contains references to sexual assault and suicide, please take care.  Sex work and politics are pretty much the same trade, according to Georgina Beyer at least. During her time as an MP, she would strut through … Read more

The waka-jumping bill is bad for democracy

A bill designed to prevent MPs from switching parties, one of Labour’s concessions to NZ First in the coalition talks, has passed its first reading. Graham Cameron has strong feelings on what the ‘waka-jumping bill’ means for democracy and whakawhanaungatanga.   Labour’s Electoral (Integrity) Bill has passed its first reading. It’s likely to pass despite … Read more

Stop praising Māori for ‘behaving’ at Waitangi this year

A lot has been made of a ‘less disruptive’ and ‘protest-free’ Waitangi Day this year. It’s misguided praise, writes Miriama Kamo. I find praise of a peaceful Waitangi Day jarring. The absence of protest is not the indicator of a successful Waitangi Day. Whether protest occurs or does not occur is not the measure of … Read more

Summer health series: Why ‘reducing inequality’ isn’t enough

What lies beyond the new Labour government’s ‘first 100 days’ for health policy and outcomes for Māori? In part two of our series on the future of Māori health, former Ministry of Health advisor and policy analyst Gabrielle Baker asks if  ‘reducing inequality’ is aiming too low. Click here to read part one. The new … Read more

Summer health series: what comes next for Māori health?

What lies beyond the new Labour government’s ‘first 100 days’ for health policy and outcomes for Māori? In a new series, former Ministry of Health advisor and policy analyst Gabrielle Baker asks Māori health professionals for their recommendations for a more equitable health system. It could just be me, but these first months of a … Read more

The history of National party collusion with Australian politicians and strategists

The current trans-Tasman tensions have nothing on the decades of covert and overt collaboration between the Liberals, National and the Crosby Textor strategists. After less than three months into the new government, Trans-Tasman relations seemed to have plunged to their lowest point in years. First, during the campaign, Labour MP Chris Hipkins, at the behest … Read more

6000 stupid questions: National’s DDoS attack on the government

A brute force barrage of questions on a new and under-staffed coalition is not uniquely awful, argues Ben Thomas, but nor is it defensible. Is there such a thing as a stupid question? What about 6000 of them? Newsroom’s Sam Sachdeva noted on Friday that the National opposition had lodged 6254 written questions for government … Read more

Why does online shopping turn us all into rabid libertarians?

Last week Labour announced that all online purchases would – finally – incur GST. Then, almost immediately, they backed the hell away. Duncan Greive explains why they were right first time. Last week, Stuart Nash finally told New Zealand retailers what they’ve been wanting to hear for years: that this government would “absolutely” introduce GST … Read more

The wild life and times of ex-Green MP and constant hero Sue Bradford

Deborah Coddington celebrates a biography of former Green MP Sue Bradford. When did New Zealanders who loved a good debate morph into silo mentality? Current zeitgeist has us in this curious – not to say alarmingly unhealthy – state that we all must urgently agree over everything: personal opinions, political policies, future predictions, even book … Read more

Government’s 100-day plan looks good for Māori

Scrapping of the “three-strikes” law will have a huge impact on Māori prisoners, and is just one new government policy which will have a positive impact on te iwi Māori, writes Mihingarangi Forbes. This post originally appeared on RNZ. Labour confirmed on Wednesday that the government would scrap the “three-strikes” law – which mandates increasingly harsh … Read more

Tamati won Waiariki with hard work, nous, and a little help from the Māori Party

One of the biggest surprises of the 2017 election was Tamati Coffey’s win in the electorate of Waiariki – unseating Te Ururoa Flavell and ushering the Māori Party out of parliament. Campaign chair Haydn Marriner takes us inside Team Tamati’s strategy. It was deemed by all political pundits, Māori and non-Māori (aside from Morgan Godfery) … Read more

How did Labour’s immigration stance impact its immigrant vote?

Did Labour’s anti-immigration stance prevent it winning the 2017 election? Branko Marcetic crunches the numbers. Immigration was perhaps the issue of 2017. Apparently inspired by the renewed popularity of New Zealand First and by events overseas – if you’re unsure what I’m referring to, quickly Google either “Brexit,” “Trump” or Le “Pen,” and then make … Read more

Laila Harré: why the left must seize this moment

‘There is something slightly unnerving about being this close to the possibility of a real political shift’, writes Laila Harré of the opportunity presented by this election result for NZ First, Labour and the Greens. A majority of us voted for parties who struggle with neo-liberal “certainty and stability”. I can’t think of a single … Read more

Four reasons why Labour could be better off in opposition

Their supporters may not like it, but the smart choice for Labour might be to bow out of coalition negotiations and resign themselves to three more years in opposition. Former National cabinet minister Wayne Mapp explains why.  It is almost always the case that political parties will want to form a government whenever it is … Read more

8.33pm: Party Watch – Meanwhile Labour is having a party

Election Night 2017: Simon Wilson reports (almost) live from the Labour Party victory party/wake. That moment, when Clarke Gayford was standing on the street outside his house, a tray of sausages and tomato sauce in his hands, teatowel over the shoulder. Jacinda called to him from inside. She wants more sauce, someone said. And he … Read more

Will Labour’s fair pay policy really bring New Zealand to a standstill?

With one side calling it a working class win and the other fearing a return to the 1970s, Jihee Junn attempts to separate fact from fiction when it comes to Labour’s Fair Pay Agreements. Earlier this year, former Labour leader Andrew Little got up on stage at E tū union’s Auckland headquarters to share his … Read more

What our Policy tool’s data vault has to tell us about election 2017

We present the five most interesting takeaways from analysis of the vast trove of data thrown up by our Policy tool in the lead-up to this election. Since its debut on August 14, more than 120,000 people have viewed over 1.3 million pages of Policy, our tool for comparing parties’ different positions across various areas. … 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

Labour’s Kiri Allan on going into #labour4Labour

Five days out from the election, Kiri Allan writes about being both a first-time candidate and first-time mum in the latest instalment of her campaign diary. Read more candidate diaries for the Spinoff here It’s been about 17 days since I’ve had a good night’s sleep. Well, actually, perhaps a little longer than that. But given … Read more

Of tax U-turns, captain’s calls and clusterfucks

As the campaign enters its final weekend, Jacinda Ardern and Grant Robertson have attempted to lance the boil, pledging Labour won’t introduce new tax changes before 2021. Now the attacks will switch from tax to leadership, writes Toby Manhire It was a “captain’s call” to push open the door to significant changes in the tax … Read more