The coalition government is back in the lead, with National, ACT and New Zealand First securing enough support to govern, bolstered by NZ First’s highest poll result in nearly eight years.
A new 1News Verian poll shows National at 36% (up 2), ACT steady at 9%, and NZ First climbing to 7% (up 2). That would give the coalition 64 seats, enough to form a government.
The Green Party is facing backlash after attempting to shut down a billboard campaign criticising its MPs’ stance on policing—despite previously backing legislation to weaken copyright protections for parody.
The billboards, funded by the Sensible Sentencing Trust, featured Green MPs Chlöe Swarbrick and Tamatha Paul alongside phrases like “DEFUND DA POLICE” and mocked Paul’s use of Sound of da Police during a DJ set at CubaDupa.
Journalist Graham Adams argues that David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill could still gain momentum, especially if put to a public referendum.
Adams writes that despite 90 percent of submissions opposing the bill, Seymour remains “sanguine,” and has “redoubled” his commitment to legal equality and universal rights.
A new report from the Helen Clark Foundation warns that New Zealand is falling behind Australia on nearly every measure of social cohesion—including financial satisfaction, happiness, trust in government, and perceived fairness in the justice system.
Co-author Shamubeel Eaqub says 55% of Kiwis describe themselves as happy—compared with 78% of Australians—and only a third are satisfied with their finances.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has condemned an alleged attack on Shane Jones’ wife at Auckland Airport, saying it’s “not acceptable” for political families to be harassed in public.
Dot Jones lodged a police complaint after she was allegedly grabbed on the shoulder by a man shouting slurs about her husband, NZ First Cabinet Minister Shane Jones, and party leader Winston Peters. The confrontation took place early Saturday morning in the domestic terminal.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has weighed in on Donald Trump’s new global tariff regime, warning that the “profound shift” away from free trade risks igniting a full-blown economic crisis.
“This is hurting growth prospects at a time when the global economy needs certainty and confidence,” Luxon said, following a caucus meeting in Wellington. He noted KiwiSaver balances had already taken a hit, comparing the fallout to the 1987 crash, the GFC, and the onset of COVID.
Sir Geoffrey Palmer says Parliament’s power to jail or fine MPs is “not compatible with modern civil liberties.”
He warns it could be used against unpopular figures, but also insists that elected MPs must follow the rules of the House.
His comments come amid an escalating confrontation with Te Pāti Māori (TPM), whose MPs are refusing to appear before the Privileges Committee after staging a haka in the chamber during the November reading of the Treaty Principles Bill.
