Election 2023

Newstalk ZB brings you comprehensive coverage of Election 2023 - the policies, the issues, the debates, the personalities, and the results of New Zealand's general election.

  1. 16/12/2023

    Francesca Rudkin: New revelations set up a sombre political tone for 2024

    On our first Sunday back at the beginning of this year, the Labour Government confirmed who our new Prime Minister would be.   So much has happened since then.   When Chris Hipkins took on the role, it felt like he went straight into election mode, aware he had only 9 months to convince us he had the vision, leadership and relatability for the job, and that he understood what New Zealanders needed and wanted.   Other political parties soon followed, and while the election campaign was officially only 5 weeks long the year felt like one long audition for the role of Prime Minister and Government.   And now, in our last show, the country ends the year in a completely different place – a place of revelations and repeals which are setting a sombre tone for 2024.   The reveals this week were gobsmackingly bad for the opposition. First there was the Auditor General’s report that stated two of Labour’s spending programmes – the $12b New Zealand Upgrade Programme (NZUP) and the $3b Shovel-Ready Programme (SRP) that were announced in 2020 to keep the economy going during the pandemic – were poorly run, with little transparency and value for money.     Then Nicola Willis pulled the plug on much needed new Interislander Ferries project in response to a massive budget blow out, whose blame she lay at the feet of the previous Finance Minister.   A day later, it was confirmed the economy has been in a per capita recession for much of the past year. And the good news doesn’t stop there.    This week will bring more revelations as the Government opens their books for the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update. I’m not sure the opposition will want to turn up for this.   And if you want to know how all this news will affect us in 2024, you only have to look at the list of what is being repealed and cut to stop spending money – and take note of Nicola Willis’ mini mini-budget on Wednesday. It will give us a taste of what to expect in the Government’s May 2024 budget.   If I was going to describe 2023, I’d say it was the year when the wheels fell off in slow motion. 2024 is lining up to be the year when the brakes go on. It’s going to take a bit to slow and stop our fiscal freefall and it’s not going to be much fun. It seldom is when the party ends.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    2 min
  2. 09/12/2023

    Francesca Rudkin: I enjoyed this action-packed week in politics

    About now most of us are on the countdown. The countdown to Santa Claus’ brief visit and the end of the year. The countdown to some time off, a chance to stop and reset. Or perhaps it’s the countdown to returning home to spend quality time with family. It may just be the countdown to the end of Christmas music for another year.   You get the picture.  But while many of us are ready to slow things down, I enjoyed seeing politicians ramping up in Parliament this week and doing what they do; introducing themselves, dropping insults and throwing dirt and getting on with the policy promises laid out during the election campaign.  And gee, it was an action-packed week.  There were justifications and an embarrassing mistake over the dumping of anti-smoking legislation. Te Pati Māori mobilised Māori to take to the streets for National Māori Action Day protesting the coalitions polices.   There were leaks about the Government’s plan for Fair Pay Agreements and Regulatory Impact Analyses - which indicated some legislation may not get the usual level of regulatory scrutiny.  Then there was the drama and theatrics of swearing in MPs, with one new MP’s maiden speech earning a standing ovation from all corners of the house. The star of the week, National MP James Meager, joins us shortly.   We also had impassioned speeches about the Israel Palestine conflict, barbs traded about the financial state of the books left by the previous Government, and real concerns about the blow out in costs for infrastructure projects.   All this in one short week.   The Government is moving fast. There’s a lot happening and while we’re all very keen to clock out the reality of what Kiwis voted for is just kicking in, so it’s important we pay attention to Parliament over the next two weeks.   It felt like a long election campaign and it was great when it ended. I almost appreciated the long lull between election day and the announcement of the coalition Government agreement. But it has been a long time since the 53rd Parliament was dissolved on 8th September - it’s good to be back. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    2 min

About

Newstalk ZB brings you comprehensive coverage of Election 2023 - the policies, the issues, the debates, the personalities, and the results of New Zealand's general election.

More From Newstalk ZB