With voter confidence already low, the National-led coalition will have difficulty fulfilling pre-election promises while delivering a prudent budget in May.
The coalition has made good on pledges to repeal, reduce or reverse the previous government’s policies. But the real test will be paying for its own policies and staying stable in the process.
Signing up to ‘pillar two’ of the AUKUS alliance sits uneasily with New Zealand’s distinctive worldview – and could aggravate its wider foreign policy challenges.
Global political unrest has highlighted the importance of a credible foreign policy. It may be time for the New Zealand government to consider the revitalisation of ANZAC and participation with AUKUS.
Peter Thompson, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
The Public Interest Journalism Fund became a lightning rod for disinformation well before Winston Peters likened it to ‘bribery’. Policy making has already been compromised as a result.
The country’s first formal three-party coalition will test Christopher Luxon’s promise of ‘strong and stable’ government – and the minor parties’ patience if things don’t go their way.
National and ACT will need to get past their animosity towards NZ First, and its mercurial leader Winston Peters, if the right wing coalition is to have any hope of forming a government.
New Zealand’s proportional electoral system makes coalition governments all but inevitable. Ahead of the October 14 election, the jockeying for power is all on the right.
As she prepares to deliver of her valedictory statement to parliament, Jacinda Ardern will be remembered as an outstanding prime minister – though perhaps not for reasons of her own choosing.
The 2023 general election is already shaping up as an MMP classic. Add the All Blacks’ World Cup fortunes to the mix and the only thing to expect is the unexpected.
The New Zealand First party, a government coalition partner, has received tens of thousands of dollars from a foundation whose trustees include the party’s lawyer and an ex-MP.
A new coalition government between the Labour and New Zealand First parties signals a move away from neoliberalism towards ‘capitalism with a human face’.
The death of a New Zealand citizen who returned to Iraq has led some to query his status as a refugee. We need to be clear about what it means to be granted asylum and the rights of citizenship.
With New Zealand’s election date set for September 20, early polls suggest that the balance of parliamentary power may once again be held by controversial populist politician Winston Peters and his New…