News Briefing: 25 June 2026

ELECTION, POLLS AND POLITICAL STRATEGY
Phil Pennington (RNZ): Electoral Commission adjusting to AI threat in lead-up to November
Amanda Gillies (RNZ): New Zealand’s game of political chess
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): What happens if the Opportunity Party gets into Parliament?
Herald: Editorial: What are we voting for? A shambolic few days of policy announcements (paywalled)
Hayden Donnell (Spinoff): The Greens need to commit more crimes
Harriet Laughton, Henry Cooke and Nick James (Post): ‘Haven’t given them any thought’: PM dismisses Opportunity as a vote for the left following poll (paywalled)
Jonathan Ayling (Herald): Greens’ tax policy best chance to produce first Kiwi trillionaire (paywalled)
Thomas Coughlan and Chris Knox (Herald): Poll of polls: Coalition’s likelihood of being re-elected continues to fall, Top on the cusp of Parliament (paywalled)
Michael Swanson: Bellwether Seats: The Electorates that Help Project Elections
Audrey Young (Herald): Simeon Brown’s rise: From health fix-it minister to National campaign chief (paywalled)
Jamie Ensor (Herald): National MPs back Christopher Luxon after poor poll, one says he ‘hasn’t put a foot wrong’
RNZ: Labour, National downplay tepid results in 1News Verian poll
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Luxon says party closing in on 5% ‘want to make every New Zealander a beneficiary’
Greg Presland (The Standard): National panics with KiwiSaver announcement as polling crashes
Elliot Crossan: Why have the Greens watered down their tax policy?
Nick Rockel: Shout to the TOP

PARLIAMENT AND GOVERNMENT
Jenna Lynch (Stuff): Shane Jones refuses to confirm if hotel was three-minute walk from Toronto mining conference
Lloyd Burr (Stuff): The most bonkers govt Big Tech spending revelations
Tuwhenuaroa Natanahira (RNZ): PM puts on ‘usual Luxon charm’ for rural sector at primary industries summit
Giles Dexter (RNZ): If I only had time - Winston Peters saw hope for Moana Pasifika deal
Tuwhenuaroa Natanahira (RNZ): Paul Goldsmith aware of complaints about Human Rights Commission head for a ‘couple of weeks’
Craig McCulloch (RNZ): Government shifts more responsibility for refugees to community organisations
RNZ: Abuse in care redress legislation passes final reading in Parliament

CONSERVATION BILL AND PUBLIC LAND
Farah Hancock (RNZ): Explainer: Could the Conservation Amendment Bill really lead to billionaires buying up the national estate?
Fox Meyer (Newsroom): Luxon offers to change bill after conservation land sale backlash
Fox Meyer (Newsroom): Potaka says conservation maps ‘misrepresent’ plans to sell public land
Andrew Dickens (Newstalk ZB): Reality lost in conservation bill rhetoric
ODT: Editorial: Losing the PR battle (paywalled)
Te Ao News: Concerns grow over Conservation Bill and weakened land protections

HEALTH AND SAFETY LAW REFORM
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Winston Peters says law change will result in deaths, but party won’t block it (paywalled)
Anna Sargent (RNZ): Pike River families rally against overhaul of workplace safety laws
Lauren Crimp (RNZ): Van Velden rebuffs NZ First’s 11th-hour ‘politicking’ on health and safety overhaul
Julia Gabel (Herald): Winston Peters says Government’s health and safety reforms will be ‘dead on arrival’
No Right Turn: National gets Winstoned

KIWISAVER AND SUPERANNUATION
Stuff: Here are 5 things Nicola Willis said about KiwiSaver
John MacDonald (Newstalk ZB): Pension procrastination isn’t an option. But this is
Tamsyn Parker (Herald): Compulsory KiwiSaver: Could mandatory saving close the wealth gap with Australia?
Brent Edwards (NBR): The arguments over whether KiwiSaver should be compulsory (paywalled)
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): How KiwiSaver could give kids tens of thousands of dollars
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): Exhaust other options first, withdrawing KiwiSavers told

MBIE, IMMIGRATION AND PUBLIC SECTOR ACCOUNTABILITY
Chelsea Daniels (Herald): MBIE faces probe after IT project canned amid cost blowout claims
Phil Smith (RNZ): Parliament and ministers kept in dark: two issues, two investigations
Phil Smith (RNZ): Conduct of MBIE officials referred to Parliament’s Privileges Committee
Lillian Hanly (RNZ): Public sector cuts: Where does the front-line end?
Adam Pearse (Herald): Parliament’s Privileges Committee to assess if MPs were deliberately misled over failed immigration project
John McLean: Immigration biometric project exposed

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