Focus on Politics

Call this the week of Winston Peters - with the New Zealand First leader, riding a wave of renewed relevancy. In not one, but two TV polls, New Zealand First featured above that critical 5 percent threshold - and furthermore in that most pivotal of spots - necessary for National to form a government. In Focus on Politics this week, RNZ deputy political editor Craig McCulloch breaks down the latest week of the election campaign, a week where Winston Peters came to the fore.

The minor parties gave glimpses of their own cooperation styles at the Newshub Nation Powerbrokers' debate, while polls continued to signal Labour on the downturn. GDP numbers also showed no recession for New Zealand, although inflation remains high. This week's Focus on Politics is RNZ's roundtable discussion covering the major happenings of the 2023 election campaign. RNZ political editor Jane Patterson, deputy political editor Craig McCulloch, and Newsroom and Stuff political editors Jo Moir and Luke Malpass spoke to Morning Report host Corin Dann.

The second week of the election campaign has been all about the economy. There was the pre-election opening of the books, with National's tax plans and Labour's spending coming under fire. This week's Focus on Politics is RNZ's roundtable discussion covering the major happenings of the 2023 election campaign. Political editor Jane Patterson, political reporter Katie Scotcher, and NZ Herald's political editor and deputy political editor Claire Trevett and Thomas Coughlan spoke to Morning Report host Corin Dann.

One week into the official election campaign and the hyperbole is flying thick and fast. Distractions persisted throughout the week, with protesters at the major parties' campaign launches, outrage over advertising, and MPs spreading blatant misinformation. This week's Focus on Politics is RNZ's first roundtable discussion covering the major happenings of the 2023 election campaign. Political editor Jane Patterson, deputy political editor Craig McCulloch, and political reporter Anneke Smith spoke to Morning Report host Corin Dann about the first official week on the road.

The Parliamentary term came to an end this week after a tumultuous term, and Labour and National's election campaigns are launching this weekend - with just six weeks remaining before the big day. Knowing voters will ultimately decide their future, the parties spoke about their position and plans for the coming campaign - and considerations for any negotiations afterwards. In this week's Focus on Politics, RNZ's political team speaks to each party in Parliament about their strategy for the campaign.

The government's pointed to vapes as a key weapon in the war against cigarettes. In the rush to reach its smokefree targets, however, there are fears the horse has bolted - with children exposed to a whole new addiction. In this week's Focus on Politics, Political Reporter Giles Dexter explores the conflicting priorities that meant Labour's vaping regulations may have come too late.

Set the table for bread and butter - or in this case, fruit and veg: Labour fired its opening election campaign salvo on Sunday with a starkly populist pitch for tax-free produce. The party is pushing ahead with the pre-announced policy despite hiccups in the reveal and near-universal opposition from experts - including in its own ranks: a clear sign the party is putting polling ahead of principle. In this week's Focus on Politics, Deputy Political Editor Craig McCulloch assesses the political calculus behind Labour's vote-grabbing GST policy.

ACT has not only held onto the 10-fold increase in voter support it enjoyed last election, it's maintained a stable caucus and gained further traction. With polls anticipating an even bigger stable of MPs after October, the minor party is lining up for a potentially major say in the shape of the next government. In this week's Focus on Politics, Political Reporter Anneke Smith interviews the top six on the ACT Party's list, asking about their priorities for the power they could wield.

With recent polling giving both major parties cause for concern and the election less than three months away, the countdown is on - and the policies are starting to roll out. Labour has launched accusations of fiscal mismanagement over one of National's this week, but had to defend against the same after worsening economic forecasts. In this week's Focus on Politics, Political Editor Jane Patterson tallies the numbers on Labour and National's economic claims and electoral chances.

Tragic circumstances putting a halt to the political career of one of Labour's rising stars, East Coast MP Kiri Allan, was just the start of the party's headaches this week. Along with speculation over its tax plans and signs of caucus disunity, leader Chris Hipkins is left with an incredible challenge to refocus Labour on the fast-approaching election. In this week's Focus on Politics, Political Reporter Anneke Smith examines the sudden resignation of a minister and the implications for Labour as the election nears.

In Focus on Politics, RNZ deputy political editor Craig McCulloch breaks down Labour's law-and-order week and the tragic events which brought it to an end.

Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson says this election is the final chance to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, curb environmental degradation, and reduce inequality. Following bruising internal ructions over the past year, they will need to use this weekend's AGM to redirect supporters' frustration over lack of climate action into an increased vote. In this week's Focus on Politics, Political Reporter Giles Dexter sits down with Greens co-leader Marama Davidson ahead of the party's AGM this weekend.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins' week-long trip to China centred on a meeting with China's President Xi Jinping, one of the world's most powerful men. Amid tense geostrategic conditions and with a trip to NATO in Europe looming, the stakes were sky high - but his diplomatic dance with the dragon was largely a success. In this week's Focus on Politics, Political Reporter Katie Scotcher analyses the success of Prime Minister Chris Hipkins' first big overseas trips.

Politicians went head to head on health equity this week, with opposition parties making a concerted effort to paint a waitlist prioritisation tool as discriminatory. With accusations flying from both sides of the House, an expert says the clinician-designed tool is in fact a way of correcting bias in the health system, and politicians are just looking for votes. In this week's Focus on Politics, Political Reporter Anneke Smith examines how ethnicity is a factor in health, and how that spilled into politics this week.

In this week's Focus on Politics, RNZ Political Editor Jane Patterson takes a look at the fight for the rural vote, and the politics around the Emissions Trading Scheme.

Two senior ministers have this week been under pressure for breaking rules in place to ensure ministerial transparency and accountability. Political reporter Katie Scotcher examines the fall out.

Warnings from those behind artificial intelligence (AI) technology have made lawmakers around the world take notice. The tech sector itself is engaged with the government and is considering six cornerstone principles as the basis of a digital strategy, but there appears to be little urgency from ministers - and no sign of any concrete action before October's general election. In this week's Focus on Politics, Political Editor Jane Patterson explores the world of Artificial Intelligence and looks at whether its use should be subject to regulation.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins' whistlestop trip to Papua New Guinea sends a clear message: superpowers may come and go, but New Zealand is here to stay. The US and PNG signing a security deal is the latest iteration of increasing competition in the region, but strategic studies expert Robert Ayson says New Zealand has ways of staying close to its Pacific neighbours - despite the US-China struggle for influence. In this week's Focus on Politics, Political Reporter Anneke Smith visits Papua New Guinea and comes to grips with an international struggle for power.

The 2023 Budget has proven difficult to define: neither the belt-tightening exercise that was promised, nor the blatant bribery sometimes seen in election years. Certainly, it is no election clincher, but it has not lost Labour the election either, and backs National into an uncomfortable corner where the opposition must now explain what policies or services it would do without.

Meka Whaiti's defection brings Labour's solid 65-strong majority down to 62, opening it up to accusations of disunity and instability. Lumping in Elizabeth Kerekere's resignation from the Greens, National's Christopher Luxon has been criticising the left as a 'coalition of chaos' - but the story on the right is not straightforward either. The shifting of the political sands - in the wake of two MPs quitting their parties - has drawn more definitive battle lines regardless - and Luxon's decision to rule out Te Pāti Māori has given prospective partner ACT more leverage for negotiations. In this week's Focus on Politics, Political Editor Jane Patterson surveys the battle lines after Meka Whaitiri's defection and National's rejection of Te Pāti Māori.