Raw Politics

This week on the Raw Politics podcast: a major star in a minor debate, Labour’s rising star, and old political stars sharing the campaign limelightNew Zealanders watched a remarkable political moment this week, with the emergence of Opportunity leader Qiulae Wong as a stand out in the televised debate between minor party leaders.Today, the Raw Politics panel discusses Wong’s moment and the flip side, the diminishment of veteran NZ First leader Winston Peters, in what was a smart and testing debate format. Wong’s countering of an attack from the Greens’ Chlöe Swarbrick, and joking request to other panelists for Christopher Luxon’s mobile number, will stay long in the memory.While the ‘minors’ debated, Labour and National soldiered on, bruised but unbowed by their shared 28 percent result in the latest 1 News-Verian poll. Labour continues to roll out consumer protections and cost of living measures, in a concerted effort utilising a rising star.The panel also considers if the emergence of former party leaders John Key, Jacinda Ardern and Helen Clark into the campaign is a positive or negative for the major party leaders struggling to get out of their own shadows, let alone those of former PMs who won and won big.Finally, we offer recommendations for you to read, watch or listen to over your weekend:Tim: Joel McManus’ interview and campaign profile for the Spinoff on Chlöe SwarbrickMarc: Sam Sachdeva’s Newsroom scoop on Winston Peters actions over the NZ abstention at the UN on future pandemicsSam: Farah Hancock’s deep dive for RNZ on the multimillion-dollar hustle to fund election campaigns.Raw Politics will be available wherever you get your podcasts at the end of each week, and to watch on YouTube.

This week on the Raw Politics podcast: voters get their last look at the books, will strategic voting help or harm National, plus Opportunity’s bottom linesThe big reveal is over and the economy might well get a lot better a lot more quickly than thought, but might it be too late for voters doing it tough?Today, the Raw Politics panel discusses what we can read into the pre-election economic and fiscal update. Its current numbers are positive but its near future risks and worries are not, and unlikely to pierce the electoral gloom before November 7.Join associate editor Sam Sachdeva and political editor Laura Walters at Parliament and Newsroom co-editor Tim Murphy in Auckland as we ask if Labour is about to run smack, bang into a difficult fiscal reality and if its promises could be unaffordable.The panel also analyses calls for people on the right to vote strategically – for National in the electorate vote and for Act or New Zealand First for the party vote – to theoretically enlarge the total size of Parliament and ensure the centre right wins more than half of it.Our third topic is the Opportunity Party and its five bottom lines announced this week. Its leader Qiulae Wong left off its two biggest policy planks, a universal basic income and land tax, but the panel thinks that’s understandable; there’s always a need to eat the electoral elephant one bite at a time.Finally, we offer recommendations for you to read, watch or listen to over your weekend:Tim: A column we ran here on Newsroom, with public health expert Dr Boyd Swinburn assessing NZ First’s health agenda as “more vibes and vitamins than actual evidence”Laura: Parallel Newsroom analysis on the National and Labour Party campaign launch events, from Sam and Tim. National’s taxing campaign to hold the throne & Labour launches with a Wahs-like vibe and a student surpriseSam: Adam Pearse’s pitch-perfect NZ Herald dispatch from the campaign trail in Auckland, complete with Simeon Brown getting stranded at a pedestrian crossing and Christopher Luxon asking a young boy to shake his mullet.Raw Politics will be available wherever you get your podcasts at the end of each week, and to watch on YouTube.

This week on the Raw Politics podcast: Is National and Labour's dominance over? Politicians get desperate on supermarkets; plus what to do about the police Are we at the end of days for the dominance by two big anchor parties in our governments, or will normal order be restored once things get back to ... normal? Today, the Raw Politics panel discusses Labour and National's combined polling being stuck down below 60 percent and whether the two 'major' parties will soon just be two of five or six parties of varying strength. Join senior political reporter Marc Daalder and associate editor Sam Sachdeva at Parliament and Newsroom co-editor Tim Murphy in Auckland for analysis of the reasons behind National and Labour's decline. The panel also examines National's radical, interventionist plan to force NZ-owned grocery co-operative Foodstuffs to carve itself up into separate businesses to compel competition in the supermarket sector - while leaving Australian-owned corporate Woolworths exempt. Our third topic is the ongoing series of controversies involving our police department, from its top executives to its high profile, flawed pursuit of Tom Phillips and his children and then the peculiar political attacks against a top officer who decided to stand for Labour. Finally, we offer recommendations for you to read, watch or listen to over your weekend: Sam: Fact-checking Farmer Kev and Landlord Larry: Do Opportunity’s tax tales stack up? – Emma Ricketts, Stuff Tim: David Williams' Newsroom electorate profile of Christchurch Central, where the Greens are getting serious and the majors are nervous Marc: Why rebuilding after climate disasters is no longer enough – David Wallace-Wells, NY Times Raw Politics will be available wherever you get your podcasts at the end of each week, and to watch on YouTube.

This week on the Raw Politics podcast: the coalition eyes drastic change in the public service, Te Pāti Māori eyes drastic change in our constitution, plus why health imperils every governmentThe Government's making no secret of its plan to cull, reshape and redirect government departments and ministries if it gets a second chance after November 7. Today, the Raw Politics panel discusses the scale of the planned abolitions, mergers and straight out headcount cuts ministers want to line up through 2027 and beyond.Join senior political reporter Marc Daalder and political editor Laura Walters at Parliament and Newsroom co-editor Tim Murphy in Auckland for analysis of the radical overhaul planned for the public service in a potential second term. The panel also examines Te Pāti Māori's plans for constitutional reforms and paramountcy of the Treaty and how big an appeal its announcements will have among Māori voters, with the risk of likely coalition partner Labour copping any electoral backlash from voters on the general roll. Our third topic is the perennial political landmine of the health system, a threat to the prospects of any government. While National and Labour feud over the number of additional nurses in the system under this administration, real world events like a death in an A&E waiting room and a hospital's nurses declaring a state of emergency have the potential to derail any minister's bid to talk up health investments. Finally, we offer recommendations for you to read, watch or listen to over your weekend: Marc: Azaria Howell of Newstalk ZB's scoop on the Brian Roche cutting the public service letter. Laura: Māni Dunlop of Te Ao Māori News' in-depth explainer on TPM’s bottom lines, where other parties sit, and the history and future of constitutional reformTim: Our own Marc Daader's magisterial piece on Newsroom on the latest UN environment report: Global warming will pass 1.5C - what are you going to do about it?Raw Politics will be available wherever you get your podcasts at the end of each week, and to watch on YouTube.

The election is 78 days away so it’s over time to start tuning in to what’s going on in the world of politics.Our Raw Politics podcast is here to help. From today, Raw Politics returns every Friday to dissect the major issues in politics and the political strategies playing out around them.Today, join senior political reporter Marc Daalder and associate editor Sam Sachdeva at Parliament and Newsroom co-editor Tim Murphy in Auckland, who look ahead into this perpetual election campaign and pick the people and moments to watch.Finally, we offer recommendations for you to read, watch or listen to over your weekend:Sam: Our press gallery colleague Hanna’s interview with long-time Opportunity Party candidate Jessica HammondMarc: The NZ Geographic feature West Side Story, about the youth in Huntly who have ditched dirt bikes for horses.Tim: Lilian Hanly’s piece on RNZ asking a very pertinent question: Can one Minister handle 11 portfolios?

This week on the Raw Politics podcast: what voters want on climate change policy, will ministers ditch the foreshore repeal, plus Ayesha Verrall's faux pasClimate change is hard and changing New Zealanders' attitudes and behaviour seems harder still for this Government and its predecessors. Should the coalition accept that's the reality and go slow and low in its ambitions for change?The Raw Politics podcast looks at the coalition's latest report on methane from farm animals – a dense scientific fig leaf that could allow ministers to let NZ do less to cut emissions.Newsroom political editor Laura Walters, senior political reporter Marc Daalder and co-editor Tim Murphy ask if the national and international mood on dealing with climate change is enabling National, Act and NZ First to give up, even if just a little, on our national targets.For our second topic, Murphy recaps the short history of the foreshore, seabed Māori customary rights and the Marine and Coastal Areas Act. And he explains the Government's latest options to either withdraw its urgent repeal Bill or stay staunch and restrict Māori from winning claims in the courts.Would the ruling coalition get egg on its face if it backs down, or would that act to lower tensions that exist in Crown relations with Māori over other controversial measures like the Treaty Principles Bill?The panel asks if Labour's Ayesha Verrall went too far in her personal comments against Health NZ chair Lester Levy – and whether that took the focus off the actual scandal of the health commissioners trying to game their annual budgets.--------------------This week's recommendations:Tim: Jonathan Milne’s scoop revealing Health NZ and Lester Levy were stopped by the auditor-general from shifting costs from this year into last, in what could have been embarrassing for the last, Labour governmentMarc: RNZ’s story on the oil and gas lobby asking the Government to underwrite fossil fuel explorationLaura: A piece by Tom Hunt from The Post on the Vision for Wellington lobby group and their communications with the PM and other senior Government ministers --------------------Raw Politics will be available every Friday here on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube too.Read more on Newsroom - https://newsroom.co.nz

This week on the Raw Politics podcast: The hikoi’s over, now for a half year of claim and counterclaim, dissent and debate. Plus: NZ speaks out of both sides of its mouth at COP29.Prime Minister Christopher Luxon did not meet the Treaty Principles Bill hikoi crowd, sees “nothing” of merit in the Act-proposed law but the Parliament his Government dominates will spend six months debating a “divisive” measure.That’s because he has accepted there needs to be “aeration” of people’s views on the Treaty, and his party acceded to Act’s pressure to include the Bill in the coalition agreement. So, having made this legislative bed, Luxon will now have to lie in it.Newsroom political editor Laura Walters and co-editor Tim Murphy look at how Luxon has played his cards so far, and how he might withstand an ongoing storm of criticism from Māori and others.For Act’s David Seymour, a possible nominee for most effective politician of the year before this latest play, the hearings on his Bill will finish just as he receives his coalition-deal-bauble of becoming Deputy Prime Minister until 2026.While he’s successfully grabbed the political ground this year, and will no doubt use the new position to continue pushing his policies and views, is there a risk that Act will repeat the sins of its own past in straying away from economic reform, personal freedoms, minimising the state and ending waste, and be diverted by race and stunts?For our second topic, Laura talks to regular Raw Politics panelist Marc Daalder who is reporting for Newsroom at the COP29 climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan. He describes the pressures and expectations facing the 60,000 attendees in seeking answers on carbon finance and agreements to hold the world to the Paris targets.And we hear how the New Zealand climate minister Simon Watts has performed, with messages for an external audience that might not fly so easily to the domestic crowd.--------------------This week's recommendations:Tim: A story from Stuff’s Tony Wall who was with the Mongrel Mob in Ōpōtiki on the eve of the ban on gang patches and consorting. A rare example of hearing direct from the gangsters on such a policy.Laura: Also crime-related, the NZ Herald’s Jared Savage profiled the new police commissioner Richard Chambers and revealed where he’d come from and his path to the top.--------------------Raw Politics will be available every Friday here on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube too.Read more on Newsroom - https://newsroom.co.nz

This week on the Raw Politics podcast: David Seymour floats a new law labelled the single greatest breach of the Treaty of Waitangi. Plus political editor Laura Walters joins us from the US.Each time the tide comes in, it comes further up the beach. Well, that appears to be the Act Party’s strategy launching its Treaty Principles Bill in Parliament with not a single vote in support of it passing likely from any of Parliament’s other five political parties.Raw Politics looks at the political motivations behind a Bill widely judged to be dead-on-arrival and the challenges it presents to everyone from the Waitangi Tribunal to the National, NZ First and opposition parties.Newsroom senior political reporter Marc Daalder, national affairs editor Sam Sachdeva and co-editor Tim Murphy discuss the introduction of the Bill, with no fanfare and in the absence of its solo advocate Act leader David Seymour.Parties have undermined their coalition partners in the past, withdrawing support for proposals or making untenable conditions to prevent their passing. But Act’s prize of a select committee hearing and then a dead end could be an unprecedented event in our coalition politics under MMP.In our second topic, we welcome in our usual host political editor Laura Walters from the US where she’s been reporting on the election’s final week and outcome.She joins Marc to discuss what it is like right now in an America stunned or relieved simultaneously and how voters from either side move forward now.Our home panelists offer some distant thoughts on takeouts for the rest of us from a country rocked again by Trump.--------------------This week's recommendations:Marc: An analysis piece from Politico Europe on Trump’s effect on global climate action:Sam: Marc’s morning-after opinion column on the US election and the threat of Trump to democracyTim: RNZ reporter Ella Stewart’s story looking at the people behind Toitū te Tiriti, the activist group leading protest action against Govt policies--------------------Raw Politics will be available every Friday here on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube too.Read more on Newsroom - https://newsroom.co.nz

This week on the Raw Politics podcast: This Govt was going to be push localism but is instead pushing in on cities and regions. Plus: Time for the Greens to rediscover the environment. And what's cooking with Brooke van Velden?Both Wellington and Otago councils lost a little of their political souls this week as the coalition Government grabbed control of the local levers of power.Raw Politics asks if the National ministers who promised 'localism' and devolving of power have now drunk the Bowen St kool aid and believe that only they can put things right for cities and regions as well as the nation.Newsroom senior political reporter Marc Daalder, national affairs editor Sam Sachdeva and co-editor Tim Murphy discuss the twin interventions and some contradictions offered by Local Government Minister Simeon Brown in justifying central government stepping in.How did it come to this, and should other councils with high debt, high rates and political divisions be worried that their masters in Wellington will claim to know best.In our second topic, the Raw Politics panel looks at how the Greens regather themselves after the resolution of the Darleen Tana saga - and how they can start to make an impact for their voters on issues that they've been missing in action on.Finally, the panelists recommend something to read, listen to or watch on the weekend ahead.--------------------This week's recommendations:Marc: Nate Cohn in the NYT on polling misses in 2020 and what they mean for 2024Sam: Newsroom political editor Laura Walters' interview with Cabinet minister Erica Stanford ahead ofthe Crown apology to abuse victimsTim: Maiki Sherman's 1News disclosure that the complainant against MP Andrew Bayly is ex-military--------------------Raw Politics will be available every Friday here on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube too.Read more on Newsroom - https://newsroom.co.nz

This week on the Raw Politics podcast: We mark one year since the election by rating the parties, MVPs and duds, and weighing their risks and opportunities for the next two years.Next week marks 12 months since the election that ejected the left from power and ushered in Christopher Luxon’s three-headed coalition of the right.Newsroom political editor Laura Walters, senior political reporter Marc Daalder and co-editor Tim Murphy discuss how the parties of government and opposition have performed, and what their political risks and opportunities might be between now and the 2026 election.It has been a year of thunderous, cascading political change and the panel marks the high and low points for the government and Labour Party.We come up with a potential MP to succeed Luxon as PM, nominate most valuable politician, least valuable MP, the figure most likely to break up the coalition and MP most likely to get the boot.Finally, the panelists recommend something to read, listen to or watch on the weekend ahead:--------------------This week's recommendations:Marc: Laura Walters’ piece on Christopher Luxon’s email font choice – blue comic sans. No, seriously, her fascinating piece on the PM’s redrafted speech for the KoroneihanaLaura: Stuff’s Bridie Witton’s look at the lack of open and transparent process around the Government’s $24m of funding given to Mike King’s mental health charityTim: The Working Group podcast episode of David Seymour debating Helmut Modlik on Treaty Principles. Special shout out to the person who branded it “Iwi vs Peewee”--------------------Raw Politics will be available every Friday on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube too.Read more on Newsroom - https://newsroom.co.nz

This week on Raw Politics: Are we being governed now by a cadre of middle managers? People who won't stay in their lanes but need to be dipping into the detailed operations of government agencies and making the small decisions, well.Newsroom senior political reporter Marc Daalder, Newsroom national affairs editor Sam Sachdeva and co-editor Tim Murphy discuss the coalition's forked tongue approach to 'operational matters' in government departments and in relation to the boards of state companies.When the Prime Minister, no less, devotes his post-Cabinet press conference to whether public servants are working from home or gathering at offices, and shareholding ministers in Crown entities are wanting to be consulted on all manner of small value decisions, there's been a change of approach.Ministers will, with some justification, argue that an interventionist, hands-on management is needed given they can't trust the deep state to change itself adequately, fast enough.The panel discusses the sensitivities over New Zealand's foreign affairs stance on the latest UN vote on Israel - and whether in a three-party coalition if such vote-by-vote decision-making could, or should, be consulted on among party leaders before being actioned.Our reader question asks why the leader of a big bank has waded into the political quicksand of advocating a capital gains tax.Finally, the panelists recommend something to read, listen to or watch on the weekend ahead:--------------------This week's recommendations:Marc: Eloise Gibson's story on RNZ on the gas industry claiming it successfully lobbied to kill the Climate Change Commission's recommended ban on new residential gas connectionsSam: Thomas Manch's great story on The Post about NZ officials "war-gaming" the US election outcomeTim: Jonathan Milne's story on Newsroom simply setting out a growing list of those arguing in favour of a capital gains tax, and two important voices speaking against.--------------------Raw Politics will be available every Friday on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and here on YouTube.Read more on newsroom.co.nzhttps://newsroom.co.nz

In this week's episode of Raw Politics, Christopher Luxon must wake up some days with the Sound of Music song of exasperation playing in his head. How does he deal with the problem of ACT leader David Seymour and his will-o-the-wisp coalition contrarianism?Newsroom political editor Laura Walters, senior political reporter Marc Daalder and co-editor Tim Murphy discuss Seymour's carefully calibrated political agitation, externally on the Treaty Principles Bill and internally in the coalition, sticking his ACT Party's view into other minister's portfolios, other parties' business.Politics doesn't come any bigger globally than Wednesday's presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, and the Raw Politics panel assess the fallout, and the media and social media verdicts on an historic face-off.Our reader question asks where and why public servants have been made to sign additional Non-Disclosure Agreements under this Government. The panel has fears for growing secrecy in the machinery of state.Finally, the panelists recommend something to read, listen to or watch on the weekend ahead.--------------------This week's recommendations:Laura: Andrea Vance’s latest piece in The Post on the $410k spend on contractors and consultants at the Ministry for Regulation;Tim: RNZ’s Eloise Gibson’s report on Climate minister Simon Watts distinguishing between ‘coal and coal’ to defend opening up to mining;Marc: A piece by the second-best writer with the surname Daalder, in The Atlantic on the US election.--------------------Raw Politics will be available every Friday, and you can watch it on YouTube too.Read more on newsroom.co.nz

This week, Raw Politics looks at the coalition's all-consuming commitment to development, from the fast-track to energy to infrastructure.Newsroom political editor Laura Walters, senior political reporter Marc Daalder and co-editor Tim Murphy examine the breadth and pace of the blizzard of development initiatives that could change what and how the country builds in the short and long term.Then, the panel tries to understand the Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's light heart and light hand when it comes to his ministers breaching the norms of ministerial behaviour and speech. As opposed to his "this is how I roll" dismissal of colleagues for average performance in portfolios. Has he got a form of Stockholm syndrome and now identifies with his partner party captors?Our reader question asks why NZ First leader Winston Peters is so obsessed lately with the 20th Century Māori politician Sir Āpirana Ngata. Turns out he is citing Ngata incessantly, alongside other Māori leaders from back in the days just before Winston was born.--------------------This week's recommendations:Laura: Labour Party police spokesperson Ginny Andersen ends up red-faced in this Benedict Collins 1 News report on her refusal to back down from her cherry-picked data on police foot patrolsTim: Anneke Smith of RNZ’s story from the suppressed political figure’s court case in which she reports a victim’s wife complained to the person’s party and leader months before the accused person stepped aside from officeMarc: Laura’s eagle-eyed spotting of a major last-minute change to the Government’s gang laws--------------------Raw Politics will be available every Friday, and you can watch it on YouTube too.Read more on newsroom.co.nz.