Sunday, December 10, 2023
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No surprises

Don’t expect any fiscal shocks or surprises when the books are opened on December 20 with the unveiling of the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU). That was the message yesterday from Westpac in an economic commentary. But the bank's analysis did not include any changes to capital items...

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National’s new MP; the proud part-Maori boy raised in a state house

Probably not since 1975 have we seen a government take office up against such a wall of protest and complaint. That was highlighted yesterday, the...

Cooking the books

Finance Minister Nicola Willis late yesterday stopped only slightly short of accusing her predecessor Grant Robertson of cooking the books. She complained that the Half...

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First big test coming

The first big test of the new Government's approach to Treaty matters is likely to be seen in the return of the Resource Management...

Backwards to the future

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has confirmed that it will be back to the future on planning legislation. This will be just one of a number...

National takes over infrastructure

Though New Zealand First may have had ambitions to run the infrastructure portfolios, National would seem to have ended up firmly in control of them.  POLITIK has obtained a private memo to members of Infrastructure NZ yesterday, which shows that...

How the culture will change in the Beehive

Perhaps the biggest change that will come to the Beehive as the new government settles in will be a fundamental culture change. The era of endless consultation will be over. This looks like a government that knows what it wants to...

Free trade agreements may have had their day

Away from the spotlight of the government formation talks, down the road in Symonds Street at the University of Auckland, a group of academics, government officials, lawyers, consultants, and lobbyists spent yesterday trying to formulate a refresh of New...

Bogged down in detail

The government formation talks appear to be stuck, bogged down in detail as the parties go through their respective manifestos line by line. Prime Minister-elect Christopher Luxon yesterday said there were three "big" issues that all three parties had...

Why the talks are taking so long

In a surprising revelation, POLITIK has learned that New Zealand First has submitted its policy wish list to National only this week. That may be what is slowing the talks between the three leaders down. If past experience is anything to...

Winston gets last laugh

Tax cuts will be the big item on the agenda for today’s tripartite talks between the leaders of National, ACT and NZ First. POLITIK understands that though the three parties have discussed their various positions on the cuts, there is...

Luxon’s evasiveness says it all

National Leader Christopher Luxon's point-blank refusal on Saturday to address the question of whether lifting the foreign house buyer ban would survive the coalition negotiations says it all. National must have decided to be ready to drop the proposal if...

Agreement getting closer

Agreement on the shape of the next government appears to be getting closer. ACT Leader David Seymour and NZ First Leader Winston Peters met yesterday and will meet again today to determine the areas of agreement they can then take...

Why Labour lost

Labour leader Chris Hipkins used the word “lost” 19 times in his media conference yesterday. In his read of the election, National ACT and NZ First did not win; Labour lost. It is rare to hear an admission that blunt from...

National’s foreign home buyer concession looks shaky

Strip away the baubles and the nice-to-haves, and one bottom line will dominate the government formation talks. National must, one way or another, get its...

Public servant numbers jump

Maybe National and ACT had a point during the election campaign; the public service has exploded over the past six years. The size of the...

The booming Irish heartbeat

Assuming that both ACT and NZ First return to Parliament this Friday when the official election results are declared, National will have to tread...

Keeping the government honest

There was an ongoing theme from the 2017 – 20 governments when National questioned one of their Ministers about spending. Almost always, the response was...
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Defiant Peters winds up the conspiracy theorists

NZ First leader and former deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters was last night refusing to take down an inflammatory tweet claiming that he was...

How to keep them down on the farm

Almost below the radar, the country's rural heartland electorates have been the scene of an intense electoral contest between the three centre-right parties, National,...

NZ First goes backwards

National MP Todd McClay's offer to NZ First deputy leader Shane Jones last weekend for Winston Peters to become the Speaker was a vivid...

Luxon trying to hush potential coalition discord

Prime Minister-elect Christopher Luxon is trying to put the lid on the coalition talks. He does not propose to give any updates on progress, and...

Trying to woo Winston begins

The National Party, working through back channels, is understood to have offered Winston Peters the role of Speaker in the next Parliament in a...

It has come down to South Auckland

The election has come down to South Auckland with Labour claiming they are seeing a surge in support and now hope they can pull...