With less than four weeks before overseas voting begins, the expression ‘the election is in the hands of voters’ has rarely been more meaningful. The way voters decide to use their two votes could materially affect the balance of power in the next parliament.
A debate is raging over the state of New Zealand’s economy, as we head towards the election. Some say a recovery is well underway, while others claim it remains in crisis. Both can’t be right, so let’s see what the data shows. But first, some background. When
One aspect of Kiwi culture is our desire to give everyone a fair go. But the flipside is that we have little tolerance for anyone attempting to play dirty. That’s what the Māori Party is aiming to do.
The head of the Electoral Commission needs to explain what will be done to ensure the 28,000 New Zealanders applying to help run the 2026 election are not subjected to separatist indoctrination.
They say opposition parties don’t win elections, governments lose them, so, with only five more sitting weeks before the House rises on 24 September for the election, the coalition urgently needs some gamechangers.
As the coalition’s first term in government comes to a close, their focus must be on strengthening democracy, not weakening it.
Without public pressure many councils will – like Greater Wellington – treat the minister’s guidance as optional and do nothing.
Parallel societies.
This is the sleeper issue of the 2026 election. The real test for political parties is whether they can step up to the challenge.
It may sometimes appear a thankless task contacting MPs and sharing your views, but what is clear is that if enough voters present the case for change, politicians will listen – especially in election year.
The rating agencies made it clear that while the budget shows prudent short-term management, it falls short of the more ambitious structural reform needed to put New Zealand’s finances on a truly sustainable long-term footing.
What this disastrous chapter in our history reveals is not only that the Labour Party can longer be trusted, but that tribal leaders have become increasingly deceptive and greedy in their relentless push to undermine democracy and grab power and public resources for themselves.
How the coalition responds to these intertwined pressures and delivers for those who backed it in 2023 – before parliament dissolves on 1 October – will be pivotal in shaping voter sentiment and, ultimately, the election outcome.
The move of National voters towards New Zealand First is following the same trend that’s underway in the UK and now Australia, where major parties are losing disillusioned supporters to parties that are promising to address their concerns.
Energy security is not optional. It’s the foundation of economic strength, social stability, and national resilience. If we are to protect our industries, our households, and our sovereignty, future governments must put fuel and energy security first.
If the rule of law is to mean anything in this country, the creeping judicial elevation of tikanga must be dismantled. The integrity of our legal order, and the equality of every New Zealander before the law, depends on it.
