WATER REFORM Jack Tame (1News): Three Waters rebrand won’t change minds, or cost votes Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Will this be enough to make NZ fall in love with Three Waters? (paywalled) Thomas Manch (Stuff): Three Waters: Government gambles that appeasing council will be enough Felix Desmarais (1News): Analysis: How Kieran McAnulty might just save ‘Three Waters’ …
THREE WATERS Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Government kills Three Waters, welcome, ‘Affordable Water Reform’ (paywalled) Thomas Manch (Stuff): Say goodbye to Three Waters: Government overhaul of contentious reforms set to be announced Craig McCulloch (RNZ): Three Waters: Mayors on both sides of debate anxious about government’s reset Duncan Greive (Spinoff): Three Waters, KiwiBuild and the limits of branding …
Political deception is as old as politics itself. There have always been political actors who have attempted to twist and manipulate information. Sometimes this includes politicians, political activists, journalists, and even governments. When the inaccuracy of information is accidental and innocent it is referred to as “misinformation”, but when it is deliberate and malign it …
PARLIAMENT, ELECTION Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Greens hold door open to staff submitting on Elizabeth Kerekere conduct Jo Moir (Newsroom): Political relationships have become ‘polarised’, says PM Richard Harman (Politik): The Public Service Commissioner has an eye on the election (paywalled) Richard Prebble (Herald): Labour and Chris Hipkins are running out of luck (paywalled) Joseph Los’e (Herald): Changes to …
CULTURE WARS, DISINFORMATION Russell Palmer (RNZ): Rise in disinformation, conspiracy theories prompts calls for election protections Thomas Cranmer: From Academic Research to News Headlines: The Disinformation Project’s Influence on New Zealand Media Luke Malpass (Stuff): This election may be negative, but it won’t be about imported culture wars Chris Lynch: The Disinformation Project: Guardians of …
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has New Zealand firmly in its sights. Last week, New Zealand’s foreign minister Nanaia Mahuta attended the annual NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels – alongside her counterparts from Australia, Japan and South Korea. Mahuta’s participation came after New Zealand’s then Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern joined last June’s NATO …
GOVERNMENT, JACINDA ARDERN, PUBLIC SERVICE Peter Dunne (Newsroom): Nash is only half gone and the after-effects will linger Brian Easton (Pundit): The Fashion For Generic Management Is Not Working Dileepa Fonseka (BusinessDesk): Progress after Ardern (paywalled) Jane Patterson (RNZ): Ardern exit highlights social schism Jack Tame (1News): I thought Ardern resigning was selfish – I was wrong …
JACINDA ARDERN Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Sensitivity made Jacinda Ardern stronger (paywalled) Richard Harman (Politik): Ardern; lifting the veil (paywalled) Toby Manhire (Spinoff): Jacinda Ardern says goodbye Jess Mutch McKay (1News): Analysis: Ardern’s historic time at the top – accolades and vitriol Herald Editorial: Jacinda Ardern – a prime minister with a plan Newshub: Sir John Key’s National …
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins must be wondering what else he needs to do to make sure his Cabinet understands the rules of being a Cabinet Minister. Minister of Justice and Regional Development Minister Kiri Allan this week became the latest to apologise to him for not following the rules in the Cabinet Manual. Allan was …
STUART NASH, OIA, LOBBYING Rebecca Stevenson (Interest): The Prime Minister is gaslighting us on the Stuart Nash scandal Graeme Edgeler (Spinoff): The Nash saga proves our OIA needs teeth No Right Turn: Adding criminal penalties to the OIA RNZ: Chris Hipkins: Lobbyists’ swipe card access to Parliament a ‘perception issue’ Doug Laing (Hawke’s Bay Today): …
Two weeks ago Prime Minister Chris Hipkins was pooh-poohing questions about the need for reform lobbying rules, claiming lobbyists have the same access to MPs as any other member of the public. But yesterday he announced a crackdown on lobbyists, claiming he wanted to end the special access lobbyists have to decision-makers. Hipkins announced three …
LOBBYING, OIA, STUART NASH Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Lobbying reforms substance or just ‘something’? (paywalled) RNZ: Government’s proposed crackdown on lobbyists dismissed as too tentative Toby Manhire (Spinoff): Hipkins takes on the lobbyists – what is planned, and is it enough? Richard Harman (Politik): Hipkins’ sensitivity over Nash affair Jenna Lynch (Newshub): Prime Minister Chris Hipkins eats humble pie …
Lobbyists have never been under such intense pressure and scrutiny. There is currently a real momentum building to rein in New Zealand’s wild west lobbying environment. Politicians challenged to clampdown on lobbying Political parties are now being challenged to say how they would gain control of New Zealand’s runaway lobbying train. Yesterday, TVNZ’s Q+A published …
STUART NASH, OIA, LOBBYING Tracy Watkins (Stuff): Stuart Nash scandal puts OIA and lobbyist laws in the spotlight 1News: Q+A: Nash saga erodes public’s trust in Govt – academic David Fisher (Herald): Nash, National and the way politicians play games with the OIA (paywalled) Andrea Vance (Stuff): Cock up over conspiracy? There is a more obvious …
It’s truly astonishing the way that the Government has been able to suppress evidence of business donors gaining special access to Cabinet information. Now that Stuart Nash has been fired from Cabinet for leaking sensitive information to individuals who funded his election campaign, the focus has shifted to why this information was kept from the …
STUART NASH, OIA Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Stuart Nash scandal boils down to cock-up vs ‘conspiracy’ (paywalled) Marc Daalder (Newsroom): The opaque transparency of the OIA system Toby Manhire (Spinoff): Nash saga leaves Hipkins facing deeper questions of a stink in the Beehive Pete McKenzie (Newsroom): Evidence Stuart Nash breached official information laws No Right Turn: This …
If ever there was an example of complacency about corruption and integrity in New Zealand politics it’s the fact that the Prime Minister’s Office knew back in 2021 that Cabinet Minister Stuart Nash was feeding privileged Cabinet information to business donors but did nothing about it. This is one of the extraordinary details to come …
Today’s content STUART NASH Richard Harman (Politik): How Nash got tangled up in “dirty politics” (paywalled) William Hewett (Newshub): Political pundit Bryce Edwards calls for anti-corruption commission, says Stuart Nash review needs to see if any MPs have ‘corrupt dealings’ Bridie Witton (Stuff): PM Chris Hipkins faces pressure to answer questions over Stuart Nash scandal Thomas …
Cabinet Minister Stuart Nash was sacked last night for violating Cabinet Collective Responsibility rules, when it was revealed he disclosed sensitive Government information to business supporters who had donated money to him. The breach of the Cabinet Manual was enough to land him in trouble, but the fact that it involved leaking information to his …
Stuart Nash’s assurances to Prime Minister Chris Hipkins that there were no further examples of him breaching the Cabinet Manual became meaningless with the release of emails from Nash sharing Cabinet discussions with business people. The Prime Minister had no choice but to sack Nash as a Minister with immediate effect. As he said it …
POSIE PARKER RALLY The Facts: New Zealanders are world leaders in respecting transgender men and women Chris Trotter (Interest): An ugly demonstration William Hewett (Newshub): Sir Peter Gluckman warns New Zealand’s social cohesion at risk, society needs to accept transgender people have rights Rachel Smalley (Today FM): How on earth did the Greens become so anti-women? …