ELECTION, PARLIAMENT Chris Trotter (Interest): Luxon’s lack of political ‘muscle memory’ Toby Manhire (Spinoff): Can you stomach five more months of sausage roll politics? Simon Wilson (Herald): National, Act and the battle over race (paywalled) Tim Hurdle (Post): Micro-parties hold the key to unlocking October’s general election (paywalled) Gordon Campbell: On National‘s aversion to transparency Herald Editorial: Little …

LABOUR PARTY CONGRESS Luke Malpass (Stuff): Labour congress lays bare Chris Hipkins’ and Labour’s election strategy Claire Trevett (Herald): Labour Party Congress: Energy for Chris Hipkins in election year but where were the new ideas? (paywalled) Newshub: Labour leader Chris Hipkins challenges National-ACT in speech setting forth plan for future Dan Brunskill (Interest): Chris Hipkins’ Labour …

1NEWS KANTAR POLL Jessica Mutch McKay (1News): Poll: ‘If the Greens can’t get it together, the left will be in opposition’ Felix Desmarais (1News): Poll: National, ACT have numbers to govern, Luxon lags in preferred PM Felix Desmarais (1News): ‘Disastrous’: Greens on possible National-ACT coalition Claire Trevett (Herald): Whether the poll was a thumbs down for …

ECONOMY, BUDGET, TAX Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Welcome to the age of the Bleurghget (paywalled) Luke Malpass (Post0: Adrian Orr and his committee give Grant Robertson’s Budget a pass mark (paywalled) Dileepa Fonseka (BusinessDesk): Hipkins crowds Luxon’s post-budget space (paywalled) Richard Harman (Politik): Orr v Willis; a credibility battle (paywalled) Mark Quinlivan and Rachel Sadler (Newshub): Christopher Luxon responds as …

ELECTION, PARLIAMENT Andrea Vance (Stuff): National using AI for attack ads: The AI political campaign has arrived Jenna Lynch (Newshub): National uses realistic-looking AI-generated health workers, scared woman to front attack ads Herald: National Party uses AI in attack ads: Christopher Luxon ‘not aware’ Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): National leader Christopher Luxon defends party using artificial …

CLIMATE CHANGE, NZ STEEL DEAL Simon Wilson (Herald): Christopher Luxon gets it right and terribly wrong on NZ Steel deal (paywalled) Duncan Greive (Spinoff): Why did we give $140m to a shady Australian corporate? Because we had no choice Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): The NZ Steel carbon deal: shape of things to come (paywalled) Gordon Campbell: On the NZ …

ELECTION Andrea Vance (Stuff): National has got much bigger problems than an unpopular leader Chris Trotter (Interest): National must learn to be kind – or remain in opposition 1New: Q+A: Luxon’s polls ‘abysmal’ but National leadership change unlikely – panel Philip Burdon (Post): The challenges mounting against Luxon and National (pawyalled) Grant Duncan: What’s up with …

BUDGET ANALYSIS Danyl Mclauchlan (Spinoff): A kludgeocratic budget for the ages Toby Manhire (Spinoff): Bread and Breader: Watching the budget debate Spinoff: Budget 2023: The great Spinoff hot-take roundtable Duncan Greive (Spinoff): A budget budget from Homebrand Hipkins – with a few treats for the kids Chris Trotter: In The Lock-Up Max Rashbrooke (RNZ): Smart …

BUDGET Jenna Lynch (Newshub): Newshub-Reid Research poll: Kiwis support the Government introducing wealth tax Gerard Hehir (Stuff): Budget 2023: Workers need more than stop-gap measures Simon Wilson (Herald): Hey Grant Robertson, here’s some rabbits to pull from your Budget 2023 hat (paywalled) Luke Malpass (Post): Grant Robertson readies to hand down an election-year Budget (paywalled) Richard Harman …

BUDGET Grant Duncan (The Conversation): Wellbeing is so last year – Labour’s ‘no frills’ budget points to an uninspiring NZ election Kate Prickett (The Conversation): NZ is finally making progress on child poverty – but a ‘no frills’ budget puts that at risk Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Less is more for Finance Minister Grant Robertson in …

WELLINGTON HOSTEL FIRE TRAGEDY Stuff: Live: Dozens of people feared dead in Wellington hostel fire Herald: Wellington fire at Newtown’s Loafers Lodge: Multiple people dead after large fire breaks out 1News: Mayor emotional at ‘shock’ of Wellington hostel fire tragedy 1News: Wellington hostel fire: What do we know about the building? 1News: At least 6 dead …

NEWSHUB-REID RESEARCH POLL Jenna Lynch (Newshub): Newshub-Reid Research poll results: Remarkably close race may mean National regrets ruling out Te Pāti Māori Jenna Lynch (Newshub: Newshub-Reid Research poll results: Christopher Luxon dives as Kiwis warm to Chris Hipkins Jenna Lynch (Newshub: Newshub-Reid Research poll results: Nearly half of New Zealanders believe Christopher Luxon is out …

Steve Kilgallon (Post): Te Pāti Māori will become a permanent part of government – John Tamihere (paywalled) Steve Kilgallon (Stuff): No GST on food, no monarchy, tax the rich: Te Pāti Māori’s demands for coalition Glenn McConnell (Post): Will anyone work with Te Pāti Māori? Their coalition demands are no small ask (paywalled) Peter Dunne: Hipkins must …

PARLIAMENT, ELECTION Thomas Coughlan (Herald): How many people don’t want Te Pāti Māori in government? (paywalled) Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): Chaotic Destinations Peter Dunne: Luxon’s no-surprise call a challenge to Hipkins Newshub: Peter Dunne says Christopher Luxon has thrown down gauntlet to PM Chris Hipkins after National confirms it won’t work with Te Pāti Māori Claire …

The Green Party should be very high in the opinion polls right now. Historically, when Labour is low in the polls the Greens tend to be the recipients of progressive voters looking for an alternative. A huge proportion of the 50 per cent vote Labour got in 2020 are now disillusioned with the Labour Government …

MEKA WHAITIRI DEFECTION TO TE PĀTI MĀORI Glenn McConnell (Post): An absolute shemozzle as Meka Whaitiri crosses the floor (paywalled) Kris Faafoi (Stuff): Why I’d put money on Meka Whaitiri being back in Parliament after the election Felix Desmarais (1News): Not a ‘speech’: Whaitiri’s personal explanation cut short Michael Neilson (Herald): Meka Whaitiri in Parliament with Māori …

MEKA WHAITIRI DEFECTION, ELIZABETH KEREKERE RESIGNATION 1News: Exclusive: Meka Whaitiri breaks her silence after defection Chris Trotter (Interest): Is New Zealand about to experience storm-force winds from a radicalised Māori electorate? Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Why Te Pāti Māori will struggle to be kingmaker at this election (paywalled) Michael Neilson (Herald): Nanaia Mahuta rules out Māori Party …

Five days after former Government Minister Meka Whaitiri resigned from the Labour Party, the public and the party still have no real idea of the reasons behind her shock move to Te Pāti Māori. While there has been speculation for her reasons, and some hints – summarised by Toby Manhire on the Spinoff – the …

MEKA WHAITIRI DEFECTION, ELIZABETH KEREKERE RESIGNATION Thomas Coughlan (Herald): The Greens will be fine – but Chris Hipkins should be worried (paywalled) Richard Harman (Politik): The reality after the resignations (paywalled) Heather du Plessis-Allan (Herald): Parties playing nice for the sake of coalition (paywalled) Vernon Small (Post): Quitting her seat would be the right thing for Meka Whaitiri …

The defection of Labour Minister Meka Whaitiri has been heralded by some as a stunning coup for Te Pāti Māori and a “courageous” step by the rebel MP. But is it really? The whole episode can also be viewed as rather farcical and shabby, reflecting very poorly on the integrity of both Whaitiri and the …

MEKA WHAITIRI Tim Watkin (Pundit): R.E.S.P.E.C.T. Find Out What It Means To Me…Ka Joseph Los’e (Herald): Meka Whaitiri: Te Pāti Māori hit list and who else is considering the call to their whakapapa? Audrey Young (Herald): Meka Whaitiri’s defection from Labour to the Maori Party may be big adjustment (paywalled) Jack Tame (1News): Whaitiri makes splash, …