This is the last edition for 2025 - we'll be back in February. Meantime this week the Government has revealed its two new RMA replacement Bills - well telegraphed, and not much different from the changes people expected...The Greens are on the warpath after it became clear the Government is paying no more than lip service to its Paris Climate obligations.  Bank economists are talking up the economy, saying the big turn about is underway - but they've been saying that for some time, so we'll have to wait. The Government is going into year's end on a high with new polling showing it in a strong position. The Government has been warned by no less a forecaster than the illustrious S&P its rates cap will hurt the financial abilities of councils, and we're joined in this final edition of the year by Opposition leader Chris Hipkins:

There's reportedly been a leadership coup within National's ranks which has failed. The challenger, Chris Bishop, not able to get the numbers to roll PM Luxon - Luxon survives and National may well consider itself lucky to have escaped having a leader who may well have turned out to be less popular than Luxon. Meanwhile Labour is ending the year on a high, and in the box seat to form a Government next year. The Government's desperation to get the cost of living down has seen it targeting not greedy businesses like Fonterra or the power gentailers, but local councils. It's going  to impose a rates cap, despite clear evidence of it being a failed policy overseas. And we're joined by political columnist Janet Wilson to unpack the the extraordinary failed leadership coup attempt by Chris Bishop and look at where the other parties sit as election year looms.

The Government has been scrambling this week to pass legislation before Parliament rises for the year, and maybe because there's a risk of the coalition not being returned at next year's election....There were some big calls, with a big change to KiwiSaver, a Social Housing plan, and the biggest changes to local Government in many decades as Chris Bishop made his presence felt, riding roughshod over local democracy. This week Susan St John, an expert on pensions and intergenerational equity at the University of Auckland joins me  to unpack some of the pros and cons of the Government's  decision to up the KiwiSaver contribution to 6% by 2032.

The latest Ipsos Issues Monitor Survey is more bad news for National and the coalition, with ranking of the Government's performance hitting another new low, and the latest Talbot Mills/Anacta Poll shows the Labour Party rising to 38% and likely holding the balance of power, if the results were reflected at an election. Labour says it will will repeal the Government's Regulatory Standards Bill in its first 100 days in office. The Bill waltzed through its 3rd reading, despite massive opposition at the Select Committee stage, once again making a mockery of “consultation.” This week we're joined by Labour's Health spokeswoman Ayesha Verrall. Labour has made some significant health announcements recently, going under the radar for the most part, while the Government has re-announced its portable hospital ward policy. Verrall knows there is still much work to do in health.

The report on the pilot run of the Government's boot camp programme for young offenders is out, and it has mixed news. The Government's latest Sunday announcement is a law & order policy - always a good diversion if other things aren't going well. This time it's a crackdown on Meth use. The Government is still pushing ahead with its goal of getting an India FTA in the bag by the end of its first term - and on the surface things appear to be going well. The Treasury has published its investment statement for 2025, and is once again pushing an asset sales message, which will no doubt be music to the ears of the current Government. Joining me this week is Meredith Kennett, president of the New Zealand School Boards Association, to talk about Education Minister Erica Stanford's decision to remove the Te Tiriti o Waitangi clause from s127 of the Education and Training Act 2020.

The Government's economic policies are still failing to deliver, with unemployment up again, and the highest number out of work since 1994, but some research shows "green shoot" are appearing. A new argues this country’s 3-year Parliamentary term is too short for effective Government – few would argue with its view there, but calling for more MPs to keep politicians accessible to voters may be a step too far. A report, written by members of the Aotearoa Centre for Indigenous Peoples and the Law (Te Wai Ariki), is set to tell the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination a significant, ideologically driven attack on Māori rights, Te Tiriti o Waitangi and racial equity is occurring here.The country’s Iwi are losing patience with Te Pāti Māori and its internal ructions, and are pushing the party to get its act together as the country heads into election year. Te Pāti Māori is in disarray heading into 2026. Joining us this week is Labour's Finance Spokeswoman Barbara Edmonds, to talk Capital Gains and other economic issues:

Was this the long awaited Labour party tax policy, or is it a health policy? After the Future Fund's rather confused and detail poor launch last week, Labour needed a strong policy launch to put it back on track and help end the year strongly. Te Pāti Māori's implosion continues, with news the party’s leadership is trying to suspend MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. She is at the centre of a variety of controversies, including allegedly overspending her office budget by a reportedly significant amount. Aged care is next in the queue for an overhaul, with concerns already being raised about how it will affect pensioners. The Government has agreed to an integrated approach to reform the aged care system including the establishment of a Ministerial Advisory Group to recommend changes to the funding model. The Marine and Coastal Area Takutai Moana Amendment Bill has been likened to a new confiscation and joining me now to discuss its implications is Associate Professor Andrew Erueti, from The University of Auckland Law School

Labour has launched its first 2026 policy initiative, but its Future Fund announcement left as many questions as it gave answers, and political opponents quickly dismissed it. Winston Peters and David Seymour have traded verbal blows over Fonterra's sale of its retail brands, with both accusing the other of having not milked cows. The country's first National Climate Change Adaptation plan hasn't been received too well, and inflation is up, but economists aren't too concerned - yet. We're joined by Infometrics Chief Forecaster Gareth Kiernan to talk about this and take a bit of a look at Labour's Future Fund idea.

The Government has reawakened the old right silver bullet bogey of asset sales, to cries of indignation across the country. There was shock as the Government cut the farm methane emissions target in half, letting farmers off the hook while mythical technological advances are touted to do the job for them.  Many Māori Wards, mostly in provincial areas, were among the losers in the local body elections which has another miserable turnout, prompting calls for change to the way they're run. The latest cut to the OCR is being touted as the Reserve Bank cleaning up the economic mess the Government has created, and record numbers of people are still leaving the country - probably taking Luxon's advice to go where the jobs are - because they're not here. We're joined this week by Professor Jaqueline Beggs, co-director of Nga ara Whetu at the University of Auckland, to unpack some of the reasonings and pitfalls behind the Government's decision to cut methane emissions targets for farmers

The business sector seems to be realising this Government is not what they signed up for, with the latest blow to their corporate well being set to strike not at their profits, via mismanagement of the economy, but at them personally through reforms to fair trading rules. The latest Roy Morgan poll shows an effectively even split between the National-led Government on 48.5%, up 2 points from a month earlier, marginally in front of the Labour-Greens-Te Pāti Māori Opposition now on 47.5%, down 2.5 points. National will be pleased to see its support up 2.5 points to 31.5%. The Government has released the Defence Industry Strategy, which optimistically details how Defence and industry will work together to deliver the Defence Capability Plan (DCP) while building a strong, resilient industry delivering economic growth and growing export markets. And we're joined by University of Auckland Academic Dr Sasha Maher to discuss the Government's lack of leadership on the increasingly important issue of climate change adaptation.