Dr Muriel Newman nzcpr.com For the first time since MMP was introduced in 1996, New Zealand voters have given a single political party the absolute power to govern alone. Whether Labour decides to exercise that authority or share their mandate with the Greens, remains to be seen. Whatever arrangement
Dr Muriel Newman nzcpr.com According to one election night commentator, Saturday’s landslide result was a remarkable victory for a party that “couldn’t make anything fly, not even a kite”. Favoured by the media and seen by many voters as the leader who had literally saved them from
Dr Muriel Newman nzcpr.com On Saturday night we should know who will form the next government. There is unlikely to be a ‘kingmaker’ party this time around to hold the country to ransom. The polls are indicating the government is more likely to be Labour and the Greens, and
Dr Muriel Newman nzcpr.com This week’s latest Colmar Brunton poll has Labour on 47 per cent, National on 33 per cent, New Zealand First on 1 per cent, the Greens on 7 per cent, and ACT on 8 per cent. If this translates into election votes, New Zealand
Dr Muriel Newman nzcpr.com The Maori Party has rejuvenated itself since its election defeat in 2017 by becoming more radical. With little chance of winning a place in Parliament, it is releasing extremist policies to try to get noticed. In so doing, it is revealing the divisive separatist agenda
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
