The Democracy Project

The Democracy Project

News Briefing

News Briefing: 20 August 2026

Bryce Edwards's avatar
Bryce Edwards
Aug 19, 2026
∙ Paid

ELECTION 2026: CAMPAIGN, PARTIES AND POLLS
Jenna Lynch (Stuff): Stuff’s Pulse of the Nation: Luxon best National MP to be PM
Toby Manhire (Spinoff): Left, right or centre? How voters view the Opportunity Party
Isaac Davison (Stuff): Safe seats and political careers on the line as boundary changes and newcomers shake up election
Anna Whyte (Interest): The seats to watch this election: One in three will be interesting to follow, says pollster David Farrar
Mike Thorpe (Herald): Christopher Luxon Christchurch meeting disrupted by protestors
Adam Pearse (Herald): Polling shows majority of New Zealanders support restricting voting to citizens only
Nick James (Post): ACT and NZ First pull out of left-wing network’s debate (paywalled)
Julia Gabel (Herald): Christopher Luxon teasing ‘surprise’ retirement village policy
Brent Edwards (NBR): The Green Party’s campaign to get the nastiness out of politics (paywalled)
Brent Edwards (NBR): Politicians deserve our admiration and pity (paywalled)
Brent Edwards (NBR): New Zealand First’s mission to make NZ great again (paywalled)
Brent Edwards (NBR): Act Party pins hope on consistency, effectiveness (paywalled)
Brent Edwards (NBR): Green Party pitches ‘for us all’ manifesto (paywalled)
Lifang Chen (Herald): New Zealand election: Why my budgie, dog and cat would all vote against me (paywalled)
Jamie Ensor (Herald): Opportunity’s plan to sack public servants would cause generational harm – Public Service Association boss (paywalled)
Lucy Cooper (Post): Wairarapa MP Mike Butterick target of backlash over ‘ute tax’ posts (paywalled)
RNZ: ‘Optics’ and ‘unfunded promises’ - Willis and Sepuloni debate tax
Bryce Edwards (Democracy Project): In an age of discontent, where is the left?

ELECTION 2026: MĀORI SEATS AND THE MĀORI VOTE
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Willie Jackson expresses doubt Labour can win all seven Māori seats
Graeme Edgeler (Spinoff): Te Pāti Māori will be in risky territory if it tries to engineer an overhang
Matthew Tukaki (Waatea News): Māori Seat Showdown: Te Pāti Māori Strategy Comes Under Fire
Taiha Molyneux (RNZ): Political upheaval drives huge surge in Māori overseas enrolment
Liam Rātana (Spinoff): There are more Māori on the Māori roll than ever. Will they turn out to vote?

NATIONAL, LUXON AND GOVERNMENT
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Luxon the optimist tries to break through
Lloyd Burr (Stuff): Luxon tells cycleway city Wellington: ‘You kinda get what you deserve’
Craig McCulloch (RNZ): Christopher Luxon denies ‘ridiculous’ accusation by Labour’s Chris Hipkins
Post: PM says Molesworth St cycle lanes made it difficult to get to work, blames Wellington voters (paywalled)
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Christopher Luxon accuses Chris Hipkins of having his ‘Chrises mixed up’ (paywalled)
Lyric Waiwiri-Smith (Spinoff): I lived: A true story of surviving the cycle lanes of Molesworth Street
RNZ: Urgent debate or urgent farewell: MPs discuss Chris Penk
Lillian Hanly (RNZ): How many portfolios can one minister handle?
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Chris Bishop softens comments criticising FENZ as ‘incompetent’
RNZ: Reviewer appointed to probe second Immigration IT project
Adam Pearse (Herald): Review launched into another MBIE IT project worth $336m

LABOUR AND THE OPPOSITION
Jamie Ensor (Herald): How Labour just gave National a win, and a distraction from its leadership woes (paywalled)
David Farrar: Dear “Chippy”: Why only 15% of voters want you as PM
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Who really believes Labour won’t give us more taxes?
Henry Cooke (Post): Labour emailed Louise Upston about winter payment issue in June (paywalled)

MOUNT MAUNGANUI (MAUAO) LANDSLIDE
Zoe Blake and Michael Morrah (Herald): Mount Maunganui landslide: Davison report prompts calls for action, accountability
Melanie Earley (RNZ): Actions of Mount Maunganui landslide victim Lisa Maclennan, who helped save the lives of others, detailed in report
RNZ: Govt inquiry into fatal landslides ‘will reach its own conclusions’ - chair
Rachel Moore (RNZ): Damning report into fatal Mount Maunganui landslide shows tragedy was preventable
Kelly Makiha (Herald): Mount Maunganui landslide: Review reveals victim Lisa Maclennan’s final hours
Bijou Johnson, Imogene Bedford and Michael Morrah (Herald): Mount Maunganui landslide: Review finds litany of failures
Sam Sherwood (RNZ): Inside the damning Mt Maunganui review and one victim’s heroic actions

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