Raw Politics

This week on the Raw Politics podcast: Is the Minister of the Week, Paul Goldsmith, an ideologue? Plus, awkward business closures for the coalition and Chris Hipkins' leadership.

Newsroom senior political reporter Marc Daalder, Newsroom Pro managing editor Jonathan Milne and co-editor Tim Murphy discuss the minister's harder line push this week on laws cracking down on gangs, changing his mind to allow police to search private homes for evidence of patches.

We ask if he is a natural anti-crime hardman or if he's being egged on by the fringe parties in the coalition and is enjoying their approval.

The Waitangi Tribunal report on the Government's planned amendments to the Marine and Coastal Areas (Takutai Moana) Act would have shamed any other minister at any other time, but its criticisms of Goldsmith for his motivation, facts, process, consultation and evidence have been ignored by the Government.

The panel discusses the latest industrial closure, of the Oji mill at Penrose, and how these kinds of events can unfairly, or fairly, lie at the feet of an incumbent government.  Could the coalition have done more to save jobs here and in earlier regional closures, and would a Labour government have done anything differently?

Our reader question asks if Chris Hipkins is taking a risk heading to the UK for that country's Labour Party conference when a poll shows his personal rating plummeting for preferred Prime Minister.  The panel is unmoved, despite Government MPs delighting in teasing Labour's caucus this week about a coup.

Finally, the panelists recommend something to read, listen to or watch on the weekend ahead.

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This week's recommendations:

Marc: Our own Jonathan Milne’s piece at Newsroom delving into a major fisheries Treaty case brewing in the background

Tim: Audrey Young’s timely explainer on all the Government’s law changes targeted at things Māori

Jonathan: The Economist reports on a British Medical Journal study on why Australians live so long.

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Raw Politics will be available every Friday, and you can watch it on YouTube too.

Read more on newsroom.co.nz.

In this week's episode of Raw Politics, Christopher Luxon must wake up some days with the Sound of Music song of exasperation playing in his head. How does he deal with the problem of ACT leader David Seymour and his will-o-the-wisp coalition contrarianism?

Newsroom political editor Laura Walters, senior political reporter Marc Daalder and co-editor Tim Murphy discuss Seymour's carefully calibrated political agitation, externally on the Treaty Principles Bill and internally in the coalition, sticking his ACT Party's view into other minister's portfolios, other parties' business.

Politics doesn't come any bigger globally than Wednesday's presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, and the Raw Politics panel assess the fallout, and the media and social media verdicts on an historic face-off.

Our reader question asks where and why public servants have been made to sign additional Non-Disclosure Agreements under this Government. The panel has fears for growing secrecy in the machinery of state.

Finally, the panelists recommend something to read, listen to or watch on the weekend ahead.

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This week's recommendations:

Laura: Andrea Vance’s latest piece in The Post on the $410k spend on contractors and consultants at the Ministry for Regulation;

Tim: RNZ’s Eloise Gibson’s report on Climate minister Simon Watts distinguishing between ‘coal and coal’ to defend opening up to mining;

Marc: A piece by the second-best writer with the surname Daalder, in The Atlantic on the US election.

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Raw Politics will be available every Friday, and you can watch it on YouTube too.

Read more on newsroom.co.nz

In this week's episode of Raw Politics, we discuss the response of our political leaders to the demands of the week-long tangihanga for Kiingi Tuheitia.

Newsroom political editor Laura Walters, senior political reporter Marc Daalder and co-editor Tim Murphy discuss how coalition leaders faced the Kiingitanga movement and wider Māoridom at a time of acute political sensitivities.

Then, the panel pulls a handbrake turn on Transport Minister Simeon Brown's spin about raising road speeds, cutting out speed bumps and funding future roading promises.  Can the economy really be saved by drivers speeding up around town and on the highways?

Our reader question asks if the Wellington Hospital proposal to cut out free toast and Milo for mothers who have just given birth was a serious plan or if it was bureaucrats employing the famous "Washington Monument" tactic to shame politicians.

Finally, the panelists recommend something to read, listen to or watch on the weekend ahead.

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This week's recommendations:

Laura: the deleted Working Group podcast episode, in which Matthew Hooton unleashes on Don Brash and Hobson’s Pledge

Tim: RNZ digital journalist Russell Palmer’s story revealing that the Govt’s formal communications with Korea before cancelling the Cook Strait ferries deal amounted to two late text messages

Marc: Newsroom political journalist Fox Meyer’s scoop on the origins within NZ First of the fast-track legislation

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Raw Politics will be available every Friday, and you can watch it on YouTube too.

Read more on newsroom.co.nz

This week, Raw Politics looks at the coalition's all-consuming commitment to development, from the fast-track to energy to infrastructure.

Newsroom political editor Laura Walters, senior political reporter Marc Daalder and co-editor Tim Murphy examine the breadth and pace of the blizzard of development initiatives that could change what and how the country builds in the short and long term.

Then, the panel tries to understand the Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's light heart and light hand when it comes to his ministers breaching the norms of ministerial behaviour and speech. As opposed to his "this is how I roll" dismissal of colleagues for average performance in portfolios. Has he got a form of Stockholm syndrome and now identifies with his partner party captors?

Our reader question asks why NZ First leader Winston Peters is so obsessed lately with the 20th Century Māori politician Sir Āpirana Ngata. Turns out he is citing Ngata incessantly, alongside other Māori leaders from back in the days just before Winston was born.

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This week's recommendations:

Laura: Labour Party police spokesperson Ginny Andersen ends up red-faced in this Benedict Collins 1 News report on her refusal to back down from her cherry-picked data on police foot patrols

Tim: Anneke Smith of RNZ’s story from the suppressed political figure’s court case in which she reports a victim’s wife complained to the person’s party and leader months before the accused person stepped aside from office

Marc: Laura’s eagle-eyed spotting of a major last-minute change to the Government’s gang laws

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Raw Politics will be available every Friday, and you can watch it on YouTube too.

Read more on newsroom.co.nz.

This week, Raw Politics discusses Christopher Luxon the wannabe details man, Chris Hipkins the nowhere man and David Seymour the man with 91 highly paid new staff.

Newsroom political editor Laura Walters, senior political reporter Marc Daalder and co-editor Tim Murphy first assess the Prime Minister's repeated instances of misusing, misquoting or misunderstanding numbers, facts and comparisons.

The panel then looks at the Labour Party 10 months on from its electoral hiding. The red side is being careful not to bark at every passing car, but its caution is leaving a void that a coalition that has been fast, and at times loose, is continuing to exploit.

Our reader question asks how many staff will work in David Seymour's new Ministry of Regulation. And the answer is not the 30 or so indicated by the ACT leader.

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This week's recommendations:

Laura: The piece on Christopher Luxon’s bold speech to local government from Newsroom Pro editor Jono Milne: PM goes to war on council waste – and on councils

Tim: The Australian’s daily podcast The Front for its coverage of the gobsmacking defamation case in Perth where the former defence minister is suing her former staffer Brittany Higgins, who was raped in that minister’s office.

Marc: A scoop from Stuff's Tova O'Brien on Shane Jones’ attacks on “communist judge" during a meeting with the seafood lobby over Māori rights.

Raw Politics will be available every Friday, and you can watch it on YouTube too.

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Read more on newsroom.co.nz.
https://newsroom.co.nz

In this week's episode of Raw Politics, we discuss if ministers crowing about the drop in interest rates deserve all, much or any of the political praise.

Newsroom senior political reporter Marc Daalder, political reporter Emma Hatton and co-editor Tim Murphy weigh the coalition's claims to having started to beat the ravages of a high cost of living.

We also assess this week's two big restructures of government agencies – one responsible for Crown-Māori relations and the other for services for the disabled community.

Our reader question asks why the Government is dipping back into old fashioned welfare policies again, one of the core staples for the National Party over generations.

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This week's recommendations:

Emma -  The Spinoff’s Joel MacManus on the shady conspiracy-aligned group setting itself up to influence the 2025 Wellington local council election. 

Tim - A revelation by Andrea Vance on The Post that David Seymour’s new regulation ministry is looking to hire a senior communications person at up to $170,000 a year.

Marc - Jono Milne’s scoop on the new Health NZ commissioner’s waning confidence in his chief executive.

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Raw Politics will be available every Friday, and you can watch it on YouTube too.

Read more on newsroom.co.nz.

Another week, another series of hot political issues involving policies affecting Māori and the Treaty of Waitangi.

This week, Raw Politics looks at why the Government is pushing ahead 'at pace' with such a broad range of measures looking to change the accepted status of the Treaty in laws and in public services.

Newsroom political editor Laura Walters, senior political reporter Marc Daalder and co-editor Tim Murphy examine the moves on Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act, the amendment of the Marine and Coastal Areas (Takutai Moana) Act and everything from use of te reo by a minister to the Act Party bill coming down the line to re-state the Treaty's principles.

We ask whether the reaction of Māori both at Parliament and around the country will reach the level of resistance to the original Foreshore and Seabed Act in the early 2000s and what motivates the Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in allowing all these changes at once.

Our reader question is on how much more cutting and restructuring can be expected under a new public service edict.

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This week's recommendations:

Tim: Laura’s Newsroom story on the senior public servants on notice after the Royal Commission into abuse in state care.
Marc: A New York Times story - Inside the petrostate hosting this year’s global climate negotiations.
Laura: Harris Chooses Walz - The Daily - A guide to the career, politics and sudden stardom of Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota, now US Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate.

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Read more on newsroom.co.nz.
https://newsroom.co.nz

This week, Raw Politics examines what has become a regular point of weakness for the coalition and asks why National, Act and NZ First can't seem to get on top of the health system's political risks.

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Recommendations:

Marc: David Williams' Newsroom story disclosing finance minister Nicola Willis overruled advice on a South Island waste-to-energy facility.

Tim: Another in-house one here, for Laura Walters' Newsroom story analysing the wholesale changes at the top of the public service.

Laura: The Guardian’s two-part analysis with in-depth interactive looking at all of the coalition Government’s policies that are expected to have a negative impact on Māori.

This week on the Raw Politics podcast: Financial woes at Health New Zealand and the Royal Commission report challenges the Government’s gang crackdown

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Recommendations:

Sam: Analysis from Derek Cheng at the NZ Herald on how the Royal Commission’s recommendations will clash with the Government’s priorities

Laura: Marc Daalder’s reporting on why the Government’s renewable energy promise has been side-tracked by fast-track work

Marc: Jack Tame’s probing interview on Q+A with Climate Change Minister Simon Watts Raw Politics will be available on Apple podcasts or wherever you get your favourite shows every Friday..

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Raw Politics will be available wherever you get your podcasts every Friday, and you can watch it on YouTube.

This week on the Raw Politics podcast: The Government drops a new climate plan and inflation falls faster than expected

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Recommendations:

Emma: The exclusive TVNZ interview with Darleen Tana, where she claims she's been silenced and isolated but doesn't give straight answers to big questions

Marc: A scoop from his hated rival, RNZ climate correspondent Eloise Gibson, on the Government's plans to rollback insulation regulations

Jonathan: Looking overseas, an analysis in The Economist on big business fears about Donald Trump's new vice presidential pick

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Raw Politics will be available wherever you get your podcasts every Friday, and you can watch it on YouTube.