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Focus on Politics headlines with summaries.
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Ethnicity in health debate gets under MPs' skin
24 Jun 2023Politicians 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…
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Politicians pitch for rural vote
17 Jun 2023In 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.
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Politicians tackling AI regulation - but will it be too late?
3 Jun 2023Warnings 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…
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Hipkins juggles competing ideologies over PNG-US deal
27 May 2023Prime 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…
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Budget 2023: bare bones, blowout, or both?
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…
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Meka Whaitiri rebellion hones parties' loyalties
13 May 2023Meka 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…
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Staffing woes menace Te Whatu Ora winter health plan
6 May 2023Covid-19, flu, RSV and other respiratory illnesses are on the rise as we inch towards winter, so Te Whatu Ora launched its winter preparedness plan this week with the aim of easing the pain for…
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Parties navigate fresh tax debate ahead of 'no frills' Budget
29 Apr 2023Expectations are being kept very low for the 18 May Budget, so any surprises can have maximum political impact.
With a tight election looming, Labour will want to offer a proverbial carrot to voters…
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Three Waters rebrand: Bitterness remains despite refresh
15 Apr 2023Labour's new PM and new minister this week dumped the contentious Three Waters policy in favour of a rebranded "Affordable Water".
A not-so-subtle attempt to take the heat off and reclaim the…
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New Police Minister Ginny Andersen in opposition's sights
Police Minister is a tough gig: focusing on social issues leads to 'soft-on-crime' criticism while going too hard can look like populism.
With four ministers in eight months it's ended up a…
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National's policy aims to school Labour on education decline
National's leader Christopher Luxon ditched Parliament for the playground this week, touring schools to sell his party's solution to declining student performance with a back-to-basics focus on…
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Making a Nash of it: The self-destruct sequence of a police minister
18 Mar 2023Stuart Nash's rapid resignation from his treasured police portfolio - just two months after getting it back - is one of the clearest examples of a political own-goal.
It's highlighted poor…
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Do public service consultancy criticisms stack up?
11 Mar 2023Consultants and contractors are a favourite punching bag for opposition parties - of all colours - and National is just the latest to land a solid blow, leaving Labour off-balance.
The numbers show…
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National's three waters plan leaves councils to carry the can
4 Mar 2023While National's solution to the Three Waters problem may please the councils steadfastly opposed to the government's plan, it remains plagued by a financial fishhook.
But, as journalist Bernard…
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Cyclone makes Robertson's Budget balancing act perilous
25 Feb 2023While somewhat bound politically by Labour's promise of no new taxes this term, Finance Minister Grant Robertson is keeping all options open in his search for a way to fund the recovery from Cyclone…
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Co-governance debate heats up at Rātana, Waitangi
10 Feb 2023In this week's Focus on Politics, RNZ's political editor Jane Patterson parses the co-governance rhetoric of the past few weeks.
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National, ACT, Greens and Te Pāti Māori on the year ahead
16 Dec 2022In this week's Focus on Politics, RNZ's political team interviews the leaders of National, ACT, the Greens, and Te Pāti Māori.
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Ardern weighs spending priorities and Cabinet line-up ahead of election year
8 Dec 2022A newly prioritised spending plan and fresh ministerial line-up are part of Labour's plan to reset the political landscape for the start of 2023 - election year.
The political headwinds are…
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Hamilton West by-election offers teaser for 2023
3 Dec 2022Hamilton West polling for a new MP closes on 10 December - a litmus test for next year's general election. Crime and the cost of living are top of mind for most voters, but so far they're not rushing…
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Recession prediction leaves Labour with a labour problem
26 Nov 2022Dire economic predictions and high interest rates from the Reserve Bank this week have increased the pressure on Labour, and given National a chance to pitch itself as the solution.
The opposition…
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Poland missile crisis dominates amid summits in Asia
17 Nov 2022Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern returned to the international stage this week, even as the war in Ukraine threatened to spill beyond its borders.
The ASEAN, G20 and APEC summits offered chances for…
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Under-fire Labour turns sights on bank profits and fuel
12 Nov 2022Labour faithful were in fine form at the party's annual conference last weekend, but an unflattering political poll on Sunday soon soured the mood.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern - roused by…
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Labour, National cross swords over tax, social insurance
1 Oct 2022Labour claims New Zealand's economy is holding up well compared to many others, but global pressures and new policies may threaten its re-election chances.
National has been on the attack, with the…
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Three waters on the boil as elections loom
24 Sep 2022In today's Focus on Politics podcast, RNZ Digital Political Reporter Russell Palmer wades into the three waters debate, assessing the situation ahead of local and general elections.
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