Quick Hit — Political Intelligence — Labour — Chris Hipkins — Student Loans — Shanan Halbert — Simeon Brown — Taxpayers' Union — Election 2026 — NZ Politics
Quick Hit: Tradies Pay the Lawyers’ Loans
Labour will take 10 per cent off eligible student loans and wipe balances of $2000 or less entirely, at $583.4 million over five years. The debt moves to taxpayers and a doctor gets nearly four times what a teacher does.
Related
Quick Hit: Don’t Write It Down
A curriculum lead was filmed telling staff the minister’s feedback was “OIA-able” and should stay out of writing. Now the chief ombudsman is formally investigating, and Erica Stanford says it’s a matter for her chief executive.
Quick Hit: Three Point Four Billion. Familiar Labels.
Fonterra’s $3.4 billion year came with a $1.2 billion one-off from selling Anchor and Mainland to France’s Lactalis. Farmers banked the cheque, and the butter still costs what it costs.
Quick Hit: Fifteen Questions. Roaming.
Hipkins dropped 15 written questions on Pacific roaming and SIM cards weeks from the election. Suit: some SIM cards at USD $35. Fifteen questions. Roaming. Country can wait.
Quick Hit: 880,000 Costumes
TPU puts a red price tag on $880k from the Major Events Fund for a World of WearableArt exhibition. Upston sells visitors and Kiwi creativity. Major Events Fund. Minor accountability. Eight hundred and 80 thousand costumes. One line on the invoice.
Latest
Winston’s Right – Key’s Speech Was Suicidal
John Key told National voters splitting their vote was ‘the opposite of clever’. Winston Peters called it a suicidal speech. Run the numbers and Winston is the one who can count.
Good Oil General Debate
Please read our rules before you start commenting on The Good Oil to avoid a temporary or permanent ban.
Face of the Day
“It is a dense economic document, but John Key is a very smart man, so I encourage him to give it a read” – Nicola Willis