Thursday’s ‘orthodox no-frills budget’ sounds like Labour is switching from Ecostore to Kmart: never mind your wellbeing, this is about Labour’s political survival.
Jacinda Ardern is officially no longer an MP. But her novel leadership style probably saved the Labour Party from much longer in the political wilderness.
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.
New prime minister Chris Hipkins with deputy Carmel Sepuloni.
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The cost of living is important. But there are even bigger problems rumbling beneath the surface of New Zealand politics that the MMP electoral system may be ill-suited to deal with.
Recent political polls in New Zealand and elsewhere have consistently failed to reflect eventual outcomes. Voters and pundits alike should avoid reading them too literally.
Ardern’s resignation will come as a shock to many, given the international reputation she earned over the past five years. But it’s less of a surprise for close watchers of NZ politics.
NZ First leader and potential kingmaker Winston Peters campaigning in 2020.
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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.
Keir Starmer, Anthony Albanese and Jacinda Ardern.
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Anxious not to be easy targets for their pro-business opponents, labour parties everywhere now run on a ‘thin ideological platform’. Anthony Albanese’s ALP is no exception.
Anti-vaccine protesters occupy the grounds of Parliament House in Wellington.
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As the government approaches the mid-term mark, is the protest in parliament grounds a PR boost for Jacinda Ardern or a sign of declining political consensus?
Conservative and liberal: new National Party leader Christopher Luxon with deputy leader Nicola Willis.
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The National Party’s internal tensions have played out in a succession of leadership changes. Would the political right be better off formally divided, as it once was?
Managing the competing demands of a pandemic inevitably erodes Jacinda Ardern’s political brand – but changes to Labour’s leadership rules don’t necessarily signal the end of an era.
Josh Van Veen, University of Auckland; Jack Vowles, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington; Jennifer Curtin, University of Auckland; Lara Greaves, University of Auckland, and Sam Crawley, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
One year on, the NZ Election Survey crunches the numbers on what drove Jacinda Ardern’s unprecedented 2020 victory.
Anti-TPPA protesters march down Auckland’s Queen Street in 2015.
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More countries, including a post-Brexit UK, are looking at joining the CPTPP free trade agreement. But the secrecy around negotiations makes serious analysis virtually impossible.
Jacinda Ardern with new foreign minister Nanaia Mahuta, seen here in July before this year’s election.
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Samuel Judah Seomeng, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington and Caroline Bennett, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
As the country’s first ever African MP, and only the second refugee to win a seat, Ibrahim Omer is ideally placed to tackle the big problems facing immigrant communities.