Politics Central

Developments in the Middle East are growing as the UK and US militaries both launched a third round of joint attacks on the Houthis in Yemen in response to the Iran-aligned group's ongoing attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea.

International Law Professor Al Gillespie, joins the Weekend Collective to discuss how U.S. strikes align with international law. Plus, we ask Al how New Zealand fits into this- should we be doing more in the Middle East or should we stay out of it?

Later, we're joined by The Minister for Māori-Crown Relations Tama Potaka, who gives us an insight into what Waitangi Day means to him, and whether celebrations are as contentious as the media are making them out to be.

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The Government recently scrapped plans that would allow 16-year-olds to vote in local elections.

Local Government Minister Simeon Brown says they will not be entertaining the previous Government's voting age bill - calling it a costly distraction.

Minister Brown says local Governments need to focus on fixing their own infrastructure issues rather than pushing this legislation through. 

"There's a lot of activism around this particular issue- I'd just encourage councils who are interested in lowering the voting age to stay focused on delivering their local infrastructure and services for their communities."

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David Seymour says he wants the Treaty of Waitangi made clear for everyone.

The ACT Party leader is hoping to introduce his Treaty Principles Bill by May.

Seymour has given his State of the Nation speech today, and that legislation made up a large part of it.

He says the Treaty has not been clearly defined.

"People say- don't mess with the Treaty. Well I'm sorry, but people have been messing with it for the last 40 years, they're just not democratically elected. And I think it's time we have a discussion about it." 

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This week on Politics Central, David Seymour addressed his State of the Nation Speech and claimed New Zealand has gotten more divided as a nation- where people are unable to discuss ideologies without being shut down immediately.

Later, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown explains why he scrapped the previous Government's bill to lower the voting age to 16 in local elections.

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Former MP Golriz Ghahraman resigned last week following allegations of shoplifting, sparking a debate on the mental health of politicians.

Is mental health just a PR tool for getting out of a sticky situation? Commentator Peter Dunne seems to think this is the case for younger MPs.

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It’s been a big week in politics, as a host of Labour's policies have been tipped on the scrap heap as the new coalition Government starts passing laws at pace.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis joins the Weekend Collective to share who her politician of the year is, as well as what we can expect from the mini-budget.

Plus, Jason Walls joins the show to discuss the key moments from the year that's been in politics.

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The decision to scrap Wellington's major infrastructure project is coming as no surprise.

In a joint statement, the Government, Wellington City Council and the regional council announced they'd agreed to dissolve the plans, making way for projects including the Basin upgrade and a second Mt Victoria Tunnel.

The Golden Mile plans will remain solely with the city council.

Newstalk ZB Political Editor Jason Walls says the news is predictable.

"The Nats said that this is something they were going to scrap as soon as they got in, and they were going to figure out new ways to do it."

Walls says he hopes the Government will figure something out, and not just pay consultants.

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The Finance Minister says New Zealanders will have a chance to take a good-look at how the economy is faring this week.

Nicola Willis will release the new Government's mini-budget on Wednesday.

Treasury will also release its half-yearly set of economic forecasts.

Willis says they want to clearly show people where the challenges are, and how they will respond.

"I want them to know that it's tough, but also that there's hope. Going into Christmas, people should know that we're closing a chapter of economic mismanagement we've had over the past six years."

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The new Government has got a big week ahead, as it races to get its 100-day plan well underway.

The first Question Time last week saw the battlegrounds drawn and Labour taking Opposition for the first time in years.

Newstalk ZB's political editor Jason Walls says he expects the amendments to the Reserve Bank's mandates to show up on Tuesday's order paper.

He says the Labour Government made the Bank be mindful of employment, and the new coalition wants it back to focusing on just inflation.

Scrapping Fair Pay Agreements is also on the coalition Government's hit list this week.

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This week on Politics Central, ZB political editor Jason Walls joined the show to chat about the new faces in Parliament, the Government's 100-day plan, and the theatrics of Te Pati Māori.

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