pn903. The National, ACT and NZ First government and Māori

The new government will support a Treaty Principles Bill based on existing ACT policy through to select committee.

Race relations in Aotearoa loomed large during the election campaign, with the Treaty of Waitangi and co-governance hot topics.

That is reflected in the agreements that were signed today, with the parties deciding to pull back on a number of policies relating to Māori introduced by the Labour government.

Co-governance in the delivery of public services will go under the new government.

Developments in te ao Māori will include:

pn930. A link to Luke Malpass in Politically Correct on the Uffindell and Sharma incidents

Hi Crosbie, It finally happened. With a big backbench, someone in the Labour Party caucus was bound to come a cropper. That person is MP for Hamilton West Gaurav Sharma.

Copy and paste the link

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgzGqPzHKGvlKpFlbxVGljCLqpxnL

pn928. The Beginning, the Middle or the End for Christopher Luxon?

Uffindell (L) nd Luxon

OPINION.  A short while back Christopher Luxon was supposedly making statements from Te Puke while he was actually holidaying in Hawai'i.  It was reported as a staff error. 

Now he supposedly was "completely unaware"  about  recently-elected Sam Uffindell's school bullying, again because his staff failed to inform him.

After previously saying he was not told of Uffindell’s bullying at King’s College, Luxon revealed staff in his office were told – they just didn’t tell him. He said that was a “mistake”despite which he said he maintains he  trusts in his staff.   ”I think it was a genuine mistake. And I really trust my staff.”

This was no mistake. Either Luxon is not telling the whole truth or his staff are incompetent.

pn820. Christopher Luxon, Liar or Misleader?

Falsehood/ mislead/ lie # 1. In his first address as leader of the National Party he based much of his political credibility on his business career claiming, “I have built a career out of reversing the fortunes of under-performing companies and I’ll bring that real-world experience to this role.” 

But. Air NZ was a profitable and well-run company when he took over as CEO and "then rode one of the greatest travel booms in history... He arrived at the very start of a boom and left right before it came crashing down." 

pn801. National Party Covid-19 strategy, reopening plan

To read what the National Party's leader had to say, Click here.

To read what the media had to say about their plan, click on the links below:

National Party Covid-19 strategy, reopening plan

Marc Daalder (Newsroom): National’s reopening date isn’t rooted in science
Russell Palmer (RNZ): National's plan risks vulnerable communities, critics warn
Amelia Wade (Newshub): The glaring omission from National's COVID-19 economic plan

pn760. What David Seymour and the ACT Party are really about

 Got a spare $10,000? Have lunch and a tour of Parliament with ... guess who? David Seymour. TradeMe Advert.

Much of the  ACT party's recent increase in popular polls seems due to the unflappable leadership of David Seymour, with more than a little help from National Judith Collins' raised eyebrows and muttering as she bores even more voters with her wild tales about the Labour's supposed "separatism" policies to share legislature power with Māori.

Some of those polled seem to have forsaken  National, some shifting left to Labour; others right to ACT.  

I suspect most of the former will move back to National, but many who moved to ACT will probably stay there.  A weak National Party (Collins's attempts to retain National Party leadership comes after over 12-months of  internal party blunders) has made ACT stronger. 

pn727. Collins fails with Māori "separatist" bogey card

 

Toby Manhire, editor of The Spinoff, comments on Judith Collins’s failed attempts over three successive weekends to drum up support by playing the Māori “separatist” bogey card, and asks what National can do with the latest Newshub-Reid poll showing no loss of support for Labour which, with 52.7% (much the same as the last election), could still rule alone.  Click here to read.

Party votes in The Newhub Reid Reseach Poll results of 7-13 May, with a margin of error of ±3.1%, were:

Labour 52.7 +3.7%	National 27.0 +1.4%	Greens 7.1        –0.8%	Act                6.9   -0.7%
Māori 1.2 % – No change	Four other parties totally 4.4% between them, and they were all down on the previous poll.

Preferred PM.  Judith Collins 5.6%, less than John Key (6.7%) who’s not even in Parliament. Chrisopoher Luxon was on 2.4%.

He Puapua Report "ruckus": Racism resurfaces (pn721). See also pn719.

Probably the most balanced, and certainly the most informative, article on the He Puapua Report is written by Ātea editor Leonie Hayden. Click to read before reading the rest of this posting.

An indication of the extent of the "ruckus" she describes can be seen in the number of articles on the topic listed in today's NZ Politics Daily (see below).

What National's not got going for it, Collins, Luxon, Bridges. The need to rebuild the party (pn715)

Bryce Edwards sums up National's problems with —wait for it—15 hyperlink references to what other journalists have written on National's leadership and lack of policy issues.  It's a long article but well worth a read.

Political Roundup: National has bigger problems than its leadership

 
Speculation about the National Party’s leadership has died down, after a fortnight of rumours and overt positioning by supposed challengers to Judith Collins. She lives on as leader for a bit longer, and Christopher Luxon and Simon Bridges have been put in their place. National now desperately needs to focus on the more substantial issues in rebuilding their party as an alternative to Labour.
 

National's problems and some helpful suggestions for the way forward by Andrea Vance (pn703)

Andrea Vance is a senior journalist at Stuff, with more than 20 years’ experience in reporting, ten of them in New Zealand.

Born in Northern Ireland, she was an investigative reporter for the News of the World, was night news editor for The Scotsman, and worked in New Zealand’s parliamentary Press Gallery for nearly a decade. She was a Jefferson Fellow at the East West Center in Hawaii, and has been recognised with major accolades at the annual media awards.

The  National Party. "The foundation of our Party is built on the values of ambition and success; with lower taxes, reward for hard work, and equal opportunity for all at its core." Click here. 

This is the most objective and helpful article I've read on the plight and prospects of the National Party, with some helpful suggestions on how it could appeal to more New Zealanders.  If only more of our journalists were as objective as Andrea.  Click here for her report. -- ACW

pn610. Key to the Party

Hallelujah!

Speaking at the National Party AGM yesterday, former leader and PM Sir John Key reassured  members that Jacinda was beatable if the party took notice of some hard truths. 

pn589. National's line-up, a shadow of its former self, and Education is bottom of the heap

It's a much smaller shadow cabinet line up than last time (click here), with National lacking numbers and strength after its election losses.  The appointment of Shane Reti as Deputy Leader is a welcome sign but the relegation of Paul Goldsmith from 4th to 12th, where he picks up Education, seems to say more about National's priorities, with Education at the bottom of the heap,  than it does about Goldsmith's previous shortcomings in Finance.   

It is pleasing to note that Labour places Education far higher, with Minister Chris Hipkins fifth in Cabinet, with two assistant Ministers to boot.

For Labour's Cabinet line-up, see pn584.

-- ACW

pn568. Why National Collapsed by Bryce Edwards

 

Political Roundup: National's catastrophic collapse and fraught rebuild   The National Party’s defeat has been so comprehensive that few in the party seem optimistic they will recover anytime soon. Falling from 47% in 2017 to just 27% (which might drop as low as 25% once special votes are counted), is one of the most severe collapses in New Zealand’s electoral history. And there are so many other election statistics that paint a picture of a party in crisis. The fact that National came second in the party vote count in 68 out of 72 electorates, and losing electorates such as Ilam, New Plymouth and Rangitata shows something extremely serious has gone on amongst National’s traditional support base.