Quick Hit: Hipkins’ First Week, Unpriced
Hipkins promised five actions at his first cabinet meeting. Labour’s own fiscal plan puts a price on two of them. For the hiring freeze, the ED plan and the price-gouging law, we found no published cost.
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Quick Hit: Petty and Pathetic, by the Numbers
Hipkins called Luxon’s education attack “petty and pathetic”. The ministry’s own figures show regular attendance fell from 64 per cent to 39.9 per cent while he was minister, and it was falling before Covid arrived.
Quick Hit: The Greens’ Plan In Numbers
The Greens promise $3b more for health at each of four budgets, a surplus a year later and $26.6b more debt by 2030/31, paid for with nearly $29b in new taxes. The Taxpayers’ Union says 17 other promises, worth $176.4b, are missing from the plan.
Quick Hit: What the Court Actually Said
The High Court struck down the puberty blocker ban on consultation and discrimination grounds. It also found the minister had a rational basis to act, made his own decision and did not act for an NZ First purpose.
Quick Hit: An Overhang Is Not Cheating
Luxon and Hipkins both said engineering an overhang is cheating. The Electoral Commission says it is how MMP works, and parliament has had one in five of the last seven terms.
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Tone It Down? We Wish They Would
The political class could do with some serious self-reflection.
Defining Election Issues in 2026
Calling this a defining election is a complete understatement – the stakes are far higher.
The State Broadcasters’ Favourite Kingmaker
NZ Media World read a month of 1News and RNZ Midday bulletins. On its count, Opportunity got favourable treatment in 17 of 33 items. NZ First got two of 22. Te Pāti Māori got none. The party the left needs to reach 60 is the one the broadcasters like best.