Dr Muriel Newman nzcpr.com Last Sunday, the Governor-General issued the writ, which is the formal instruction to the Electoral Commission to hold the general election on Saturday 17 October 2020. Under the Electoral Act, the writ must be issued within seven days of the dissolution of Parliament, and it
Dr Muriel Newman nzcpr.com Election campaigning is now in full swing with new policies being announced daily. Since COVID-19 is such a key concern for voters, we can expect political parties to firm up their positions on how to manage the pandemic over the coming weeks. The range of
Dr Muriel Newman nzcpr.com Public sentiment is full of ‘tipping points’ – critical moments when small influences trigger more significant developments. We’ve seen a number of political tipping points over recent years that have contributed to the changing fortunes of parties and elections. The performance of United Future’s
Dr Muriel Newman nzcpr.com In New Zealand last year, Maori babies under 3 months old were five times more likely than others to be placed into state care. And, of the 6,429 children in state custody, 69 per cent were Maori. Some Maori luminaries claim this shocking state
Dr Muriel Newman nzcpr.com “There is one source of truth… and that’s the announcements we make here” Chris Hipkins, Minister of Health, Beehive Press Conference 14 August. On Monday, the Prime Minister announced that the General Election will be delayed for a month. It will now be held
Dr Muriel Newman nzcpr.com The news that Auckland was being ordered into an Alert level 3 lockdown for three days, and the rest of New Zealand into Alert Level 2, came as a blow to a country that is still struggling to recover from a lockdown assessed as “the
Dr Muriel Newman nzcpr.com/the-key-election-issue As we look ahead to the upcoming election, a major question on the mind of most voters is which government will be best able to manage New Zealand out of the current crisis – one led by Labour or one led by National. When COVID-19
Dr Muriel Newman nzcpr.com In early July the Electoral Commission sent out 3.27 million personalised information packs for this year’s General Election. On Saturday 19 September we will not only be asked to vote for the party we would like to be the next government and the
Dr Muriel Newman nzcpr.com Fear is a natural survival instinct and arguably more motivating than logic and reason. It can also be used to great effect to shift the mindset of communities and nations. While such manipulation is, of course, not uncommon, what is surprising is how blind societies
Dr Muriel Newman nzcpr.com/election-choices Sixty-seven days out from the 2020 election, the National Party selected a new leader. The resignation of Todd Muller after only 53 days in the top job was a surprise. Judith Collins is National’s new leader, with the capable Gerry Brownlee her Deputy:
Dr Muriel Newman nzcpr.com At Labour’s annual conference last weekend, COVID-19 dominated Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s speech: “Our strong health response now gives us an economic head start, the ability to move from responding to Covid-19, to recovering and rebuilding… So today my ask of you is
Dr Muriel Newman nzcpr.com The Resource Management Act is one of New Zealand’s worst performing pieces of legislation. It has become a major barrier to progress by adding costs and delays to the local authority consenting process. It has also been identified as a significant contributor to the
Dr Muriel Newman nzcpr.com New Zealand’s COVID-19 free status was short-lived. The team of 5 million is being badly let down by government incompetence at the borders. While bureaucratic ineptitude is nothing new, given the personal sacrifices that everyone was required to make during the lockdown, the stakes
Dr Muriel Newman nzcpr.com “Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book has been rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street and building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And that process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has
Dr Muriel Newman nzcpr.com So here we all are living our ‘new normal’ – Alert Level 1 in the battle against COVID-19. That’s where we’re expected to stay until a vaccine is available. It’s only at that stage that our borders could fully re-open and New Zealanders
Dr Muriel Newman nzcpr.com The COVID-19 restrictions in New Zealand have become a farce. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is now looking foolish after thousands of people took to the streets in protest action on Monday, thumbing their nose at her Level 2 lockdown rules, while the Police watched on
