Focus on Politics

In Focus on Politics, RNZ's deputy political editor Craig McCulloch whips through a whirlwind week at Parliament.

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Successive governments have claimed crack downs on youth vaping but retailers are flouting the law, with just one prosecution on the books.

Associate Health Minister Casey Costello accepts compliance figures are not good for underage sales or illegal products, and says says she's "driving really hard" to "push enforcement" but this will take time.

"You cannot look at the regulations that are coming out and see that they favour anyone other than the tobacco industry" - Charyl Robinson

Successive governments have claimed crack downs on youth vaping but retailers are flouting the law, with just one prosecution on the books.

Retailers have until the end of the year to phase out single-use products, but academics say MPs' fears vape manufacturers will just adapt are justified.

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Vapes, or e-cigarettes, were introduced as a smoking cessation tool - and while New Zealand's smoking rate has now fallen to historic lows, 16 percent of children aged 14 to 15 were regularly vaping last year.

While that's down 2 percent from 2022, it's a worry for many parents including Wellington mum Charyl Robinson, who says her eldest son is "hopelessly addicted" and went through withdrawals during pandemic lockdowns. She says it fractured relationships in the household, with outbursts, rage, violent behaviour: withdrawal symptoms amplified because young people are not equipped to deal with it.

Robinson teamed up with other mums throughout the country to set up Vape Free Kids NZ - an advocacy group fighting for tougher regulations - and while regulations have been tightened up, she says the fight has become "immeasurably harder" since the coalition came to government.

Associate Health Minister Casey Costello says it's "ridiculous and wrong" to say the tobacco industry has anything to do with her government's policies.

"Increased penalties need legislative change .... what I'm trying to do is as much as I can under this period, but right now we can do a lot around education and enforcement.

Associate Health Minister Casey Costello

"We've been really happy with the fact that our young people aren't smoking ... we've achieved the victory on one side, we're now trying to get some balance around this."

Read more:

Loopholes will be exploited in new vape rules - expert…

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As global tensions escalated this week, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was touring South East Asia, strengthening defence and security ties.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon 

"Together we are committed to stepping up our defence relationship" - Christopher Luxon

As global tensions escalated this week, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was touring South East Asia, strengthening defence and security ties.

Back home, his government was accused of drifting away from New Zealand's independent foreign policy.

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Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones in a direct attack on Israel on Sunday (New Zealand Time), an attack in retaliation for a deadly strike on Iran's consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus.

Leaders around the world called for calm, and Luxon - en route to Singapore for his first major foreign mission - updated media during a brief refuelling stop in Cairns, condemning the attack and warning against wider escalation.

Luxon with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

Tensions in the Middle East were raised in all Luxon's sitdowns with Southeast Asian leaders, and the first - Singapore's Lee Hsien Loong gave a stark assessment of the situation. He warned that while small nations could not solve the crisis, they had to speak out, otherwise "you are saying the only way is the way of the sword and I think that's going to lead to calamity for everybody".

The global environment is fraught. The Russia-Ukraine conflict has entered its third year, and the continued power struggle between China and the US continues - with Donald Trump's possible return to the White House also in the mix.

Luxon takes a Tuk Tuk tour of Bangkok

Deepening economic and security ties with South East Asia was the focus of Luxon's week-long mission abroad. He talked up the prospect of stronger defence ties with Singapore, potentially even allowing its drones into New Zealand airspace.

He also secured agreement from Thai counterpart Srettha Thavisin to increase communication and interoperability between the countries' defence forces, and there was similar talk on the final leg of the trip in the Philippines.

It comes at a pivotal time for regional security - with the Philippines and China clashing over the South China Sea. Just this week, the Philippines and the US announced plans for an expansive military drill starting Monday - a warfare simulation in nearby waters. Beijing was not happy, saying it would only lead to greater insecurity. …

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Andrew Hoggard might be new to Parliament, but he's certainly not new to New Zealand's screens and airwaves.

"This is a government that's going to try and remove that regulatory burden. But it's not an excuse for everyone to think they can just button off and do nothing" - Andrew Hoggard

Andrew Hoggard might be new to Parliament, but he's certainly not new to New Zealand's screens and airwaves.

The Manawatū dairy farmer was president of Federated Farmers from 2020 to 2023, and one of the more prominent critics of the previous government's agricultural policies.

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The summary of a recent Federated Farmers confidence survey concluded confidence was no longer going backwards, but is still in the gutter.

Now, Hoggard is one of a group of ministers tasked with getting farmers back onside.

The ACT MP has been assigned the Biosecurity, Food Safety, and Associate Environment portfolios, and is one of three Associate Agriculture ministers.

It's a lot of hats for a brand new MP, which can perhaps excuse why one of the first significant announcements he made as a minister went wrong.

Last month, with his Associate Environment hat on, Hoggard announced the government was suspending requirements for councils to comply with Significant Natural Areas rules, telling councils it would be "unwise to bother."

Except the law hadn't changed, causing outcry from environmental groups, and a legal headache.

He walked it back, and learned his lesson. He says he was intending to give helpful advice, but pushed it close to the line.

Read more:

Federated Farmers president contests election

The new ministers for the primary industry sectors

Fresh water farm plans to be reviewed

Panel to review 2050 methane targets

"We're going to be rebuilding the foundation. We don't want all of this work happening on the roof and the first storey and the second storey that may not fit on that foundation. It's like, everyone just calm down for a minute, let's get the foundation right, and let's build up the common sense, practical thing on top of that."

So far, much of Hoggard's work is reviews and windbacks…

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Public Service Targets are set for a comeback but with job cuts looming over ministries and agencies, unions fear public servants are only being asked to do more with less.

"Sometimes you might fall a bit short, but along the way you probably have brought some improvement" - Jonathan Coleman

Public Service Targets are set for a comeback but with job cuts looming over ministries and agencies, unions fear public servants are only being asked to do more with less.

Originally introduced by John Key's National government, the targets have led to improvements in the past - but that experience shows there are also risks.

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Prime Minister Christopher Luxon unveiled his latest bullet-point list of deliverables on Monday, a 36-step action plan with a 30 June deadline.

Some can be ticked off with ease - like the 12 commitments to "take decisions", or complete business-as-usual requirements like delivering a Budget. Luxon faced criticism from the opposition of running the country like a company, but he says he's turned around large organisations before - skills he says are transferable to his new role.

Point 26 - the resurrection of public service targets - is certainly in keeping with his chief executive style. It was a cornerstone National Party policy in 2012 launched by then-PM John Key, who touted the need for quantifiable results New Zealanders could understand. The rhetoric and rationale from Luxon 12 years later is much the same.

The 10 original targets aimed for percentage reductions in rheumatic fever, crime rates, assaults on children, and the number of people on a benefit; percentage increases to infant immunisation rates, early childhood education participation, and NCEA and tertiary qualifications; and more online interaction with government services. Each was overseen by a relevant minister and public service chief executive but required cross-agency collaboration.

Dr Jonathan Coleman at a select committee.

Dr Jonathan Coleman was state services minister from 2011 to 2014 and says they wanted cohesion, focus, and accountability: that is, getting departments working together, setting outcomes they can be measured against, and making the work of the sector more visible to the public. …

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New Zealand must pull its weight on defence and security, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says in a sit-down interview with RNZ, after talks with both India and China.

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"There is surely no one with their eyes open now who believes we live in a benign strategic environment" - Winston Peters

New Zealand must pull its weight on defence and security, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says in a sit-down interview with RNZ, after talks with both India and China.

While trade was a driving force behind those engagements, it is clear tension points - like the South China Sea, and potential involvement in AUKUS - are becoming more central to foreign policy discussions in the Indo-Pacific.

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With Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's commitment to secure a trade deal with India hanging over the coalition government, Peters this month travelled to the country which last year became the world's most populated. New Zealand has traditionally struggled to dismantle trade barriers with the growing economic powerhouse, in part because both countries have strong dairy industries neither wants to disadvantage.

Discussions included the potential for New Zealand to provide expertise in animal husbandry and breeding - but Peters' mission from the outset was focused on building the relationship and achieving some smaller economic wins. He came away with a list of 10 to 15 items New Zealand and India could work together on including on kiwifruit, Antarctica, and coastal shipping. International education is something of a jewel in New Zealand's crown in that relationship - and Peters says the government is determined to see it return to pre-Covid levels.

But security and defence were also a key topic - raised, Peters says, both by India's External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and its National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. Peters says Doval had "matters to share of concern" including around New Zealand's defence force and contribution to defence in the Asia Pacific.

"I'm not going to presage the Budget on the 30th of May other than to say we will not be gaining the influence and progress that we want if we don't have certain parts of our Budgetary assignment clearly of a respectable level."…

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Humiliated and humbled in last year's election, Labour has spent its first months back in opposition licking its wounds.

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"We're looking forwards rather than backwards" - Chris Hipkins

Humiliated and humbled in last year's election, Labour has spent its first months back in opposition licking its wounds.

At the party's caucus retreat this week - a gathering of its MPs at a remote location to strategise for the year ahead - it promised a comeback.

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Labour's shift in status is underscored by the retreat's change in venue, back at the Brackenridge Country Retreat in Martinborough they had used until the 2020 election swelled their ranks beyond its capacity.

It was also delayed from its usual slot in January or early February, in part due to a shorter summer break and to allow more time for reflection.

Leader Chris Hipkins' speech welcoming his MPs signalled optimism the coalition government would be its own undoing, and set out his three priorities for the rest of the term: being a good opposition; fully preparing policies with costings, timings and implementation plans; and rebuilding the movement with fundraising, recruiting, and connecting with communities.

As a mainstream party, Labour must also present as economically credible - and internal disagreements over tax policy will need to be ironed out ahead of the next election.

Read more:

Tax question hangs over Labour as Hipkins looks to rebuild

'Unambitious' Luxon vs 'irrelevant' Hipkins: Leaders trade barbs from the regions

Labour caucus retreat very different from a year ago

Labour gains, Hipkins plummets in latest poll

The refocus also comes at a dynamic time in the political landscape: the three-headed coalition facing three parties in opposition, each competing for a slice of the electoral pie.

Te Pāti Māori has increasingly stolen the headlines with its often extreme rhetoric, while the Greens have made no bones about their aspiration to become the dominant opposition voice - underlined by Chlöe Swarbrick as she ascended to the co-leadership last weekend. It is a lofty and perhaps unlikely ambition, but one Labour should be aware of as it repositions…

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The House has been in full swing for four weeks, with MPs sitting long hours as the government pushes through legislation under urgency to complete its 100-day plan.

"We told you what we're gonna do, we've done it, and now we're telling you what we've done" - Christopher Luxon

The House has been in full swing for four weeks, with MPs sitting long hours as the government pushes through legislation under urgency to complete its 100-day plan.

What's in it? Did the government achieve it all? And how will the plan hold in six, 12 or even 18 months? 

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Christopher Luxon is clearly confident all 49 points have been ticked off, but some of the achievements - 15 of the 49 items on the list - are tenuous at best.

Questions have also been raised over the use of urgency to pass 61 stages of 21 bills.

Using data from the Parliamentary Library, Newsroom found the government passed more bills under urgency in its first 100 days in power than any of the past five terms of Parliament.

Some 13 of the bills were passed through all stages - meaning the public had no opportunity to provide feedback at select committees.

Read more:

100-day plan report card: 15 items' completion up for debate

Coalition government's 100-day plan

Health targets announced to cap off 100-day plan

Government ministers have been backing their progress, unapologetic about the pace and scope of lawmaking.

After a four-week sitting block full of late nights and early mornings, some ministers will be looking for a reprieve - a week long recess could not have come at a better time.

In this week's Focus on Politics, Political Reporter Anneke Smith examines the 100-day plan and the fanfare for it by the coalition government.

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Summary

"To axe the whole news division, that's huge and I'm really deeply shocked by it" - Mark Jennings

In a devastating blow to New Zealand's media landscape, Newshub appears set to shut down by the end of June.

The response from politicians has been varied, and while some are looking for solutions in the industry it seems too late to rescue the company from financial ruin.

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Hundreds of staff - journalists, camera operators, editors, producers - learned of the proposal to axe the entire news division and other local productions not supported by co-funding at an emergency meeting on Wednesday.

Warner Brothers Discovery is blaming a collapse in advertising revenue and changes in viewing habits, having made a loss of just under $35m in New Zealand in the 2022 financial year. 

The announcement caused a tidal wave of shock and devastation across the wider media sector. Newshub's newsroom is known for an energetic, agenda-setting and often provocative approach that will leave a massive hole in New Zealand's media landscape.

The closure also means a lack of direct competition for the state-owned but commercially run television news broadcaster TVNZ, which is facing problems of its own.

Read more:

Warner Bros 'baffled' after TVNZ rejected Newshub proposal of shared news operation

TVNZ's total revenue falls 13.5 percent as ad revenue shrinks

Can Newshub really be saved?

Newshub journalist Michael Morrah says proposal will be made to save axed news operation

Newshub's pain not necessarily TVNZ's gain - advertising expert

Seymour plays down TVNZ dividend comments

Government intervention to save Newshub 'highly unlikely'

Focus has quickly shifted to whether Newshub can be saved. Its investigations correspondent Michael Morrah says staff plan to make a proposal to keep the newsroom operating.

As for government intervention, however, Broadcasting Minister Melissa Lee is adamant there was nothing she could do. She told reporters a lack of competition was not a concern because the media had shifted away from specific platforms like television, and that the company never reached out for assistance.

"It is actually a structural issue, it's a company that actually felt that their business model isn't actually working," she said. …

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Parliament was brought to a standstill on Wednesday, with politics set aside after the sudden and shocking death of first-term Green MP Fa'anānā Efeso Collins.

"E le tu fa'amauga se tagata: no one stands alone, no one succeeds alone, and - for me - no one suffers alone" - Fa'anānā

Parliament was brought to a standstill on Wednesday, with politics set aside after the sudden and shocking death of  first-term Green MP Fa'anānā Efeso Collins.

A champion for his people, a tireless advocate, a good man - such were the tributes as Parliament mourned the loss of one its own.

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In keeping with Samoan custom, he is referred to here as Fa'anānā the matai or chiefly title conferred on him.

Fa'anānā collapsed about 9am on Wednesday. Emergency services rushed to revive him, but just over an hour later his death at just 49 years old was confirmed. He had been taking part in a charity event in Auckland's Britomart, this last act - as with so much of his life - focused on helping his community.

After news of his death, Green co-leader Marama Davidson and others in the team flew north to support his wife and two daughters. Remaining behind at Parliament to front the media and steady the shocked caucus, a tearful co-leader James Shaw soon appeared before the cameras.

"Aotearoa and the Green party have lost one of the kindest, and most dedicated champions of fairness," he said.

Born and raised in Ōtara, Fa'anānā was a devout Christian who led a local church youth group and ran mentoring programmes. He studied at Auckland University where he became active in student politics, the first Polynesian to be elected president of the students' association in 1999.

Read more:

Parliament brought to standstill by a tsunami of collective grief

Fa'anānā Efeso Collins' family 'devastated' at his loss

Praise for Fa'anānā Efeso Collins' efforts to inspire young people

Fa'anānā Efeso Collins' death brings another new Green MP to Parliament

Why Fa'anānā Efeso Collins was so respected

'The giants whose shoulders I stand on': who is Fa'anānā Efeso Collins…

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