The Democracy Project

The Democracy Project

News Briefing

News Briefing: 3 October 2026

Bryce Edwards's avatar
Bryce Edwards
Oct 02, 2026
∙ Paid

ELECTION 2026: THE CAMPAIGN
Tim Watkin (RNZ): How’s this election different? Disgruntlement, Opportunity and first-termitis
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Opportunity is being exceptionally honest about its bottom lines – has it made a big mistake? (paywalled)
Duncan Garner (Listener): Two ticks National – have Christopher Luxon and John Key got this wrong? (paywalled)
Paul Catmur (Listener): An insider’s look at this election’s advertising: Lies, damn lies, and political party slogans (paywalled)
Henry Cooke (Post): Why are would-be PMs picking parties that have never held the ninth floor? (paywalled)
Chris Schulz (Spinoff): ‘Enrol and have a free sausage’: Inside the campaigns to get young people to vote
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Four big, four small things you may have missed during week one on the campaign
Steve Braunias (Newsroom): The secret diary of .. the campaign: Week 1
Tim Murphy (Newsroom): ‘I’m so handsome? You’re saying all the right things…’
Brent Edwards (NBR): Election campaigning, the pre-election update, confused voters (paywalled)
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): The Herald poll of polls is wrong!
Craig McCulloch (RNZ): Christopher Luxon walks back ‘bizarre claim’ about the Greens
Henry Cooke (Post): Christopher Luxon wrongly suggests allegation about Greens came from media - it came from his minister (paywalled)
Henry Oliver (Spinoff): Local supermarket worker David Seymour seeks new job in November
Simon Wilson: They’re losing their shit over Chloe Swarbrick
John MacDonald (Newstalk ZB): What’s so scary about 16-year-olds voting?
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): What Taranaki wants at this election: Jobs, e-bikes and maybe new gas wells
Ethan Manera (Herald): Wellington Bays candidates make historic trip to Chatham Islands for NZ’s most remote election debate
Nick James (Post): A political world away from Wellington, the Chatham Islands have plenty to say (paywalled)
Lyric Waiwiri-Smith (Spinoff): On the Chatham Islands, Wellington Bays candidates encounter a vastly different electorate

ELECTION 2026: DEBATES
Farah Hancock (RNZ): Winston Peters wins the airtime battle in first leaders debate, but who won the war?
Andrew Dickens (Newstalk ZB): The first Minor Leaders debate was a waste of time
Russell Palmer (RNZ): Minor parties keep calm and carry on in tepid kingmakers debate
Anna Whyte (Interest): From sunbeds to SMEs: Whiplash from the Press Kingmakers’ debate
Henry Cooke (Post): Does Winston trust David? ‘I didn’t like the guy but we shook hands and we made it work’ (paywalled)\
Mike Houlahan (ODT): In the immortal words of Mrs Merton, let’s have a heated debate (paywalled)
Ian Taylor (ODT): Are Seymour and Swarbrick really the best we can do? (paywalled)
Rebecca Howard (BusinessDesk): Kiwibank splits National, Labour at BusinessDesk-MYOB debate (paywalled)
Tom Raynel (Herald): Barbara Edmonds and Nicola Willis clash on small business policies in debate (paywalled)
Fran O’Sullivan (Herald): Finance debate: Nicola Willis and Barbara Edmonds set out competing business plans (paywalled)

ELECTION 2026: PARTIES AND POLICY
Anneke Smith (Post): David Seymour looks to steal the ‘party of business’ crown - with a shift at the till and a surge of donations (paywalled)
Henry Cooke (Post): Nicola Willis says $100b NZ First policy not well-formed enough for her to have an opinion on it (paywalled)
Chris Penk (Stuff): The Greens are striking a chord. But does their tax pitch stand up?
Max Rashbrooke (Post): Housing could give Labour the way out of its squeeze between past and future (paywalled)
Paula Penfold (Stuff): NZ First candidate defends past praise of controversial influencer Andrew Tate
Monique Steele (RNZ): Carbon farming, freshwater targets and tax features of farmer policy debate
Corin Dann (RNZ): National still keen on growing Kiwibank with help of private local investors
Herald: Editorial – National Party’s passport-free transtasman travel is a superficial policy win (paywalled)
The Post: Editorial – Ignore the hyperbole, this has not been an austerity government (paywalled)
RNZ: ACT leader David Seymour doesn’t see why AI shouldn’t write government Cabinet papers
RNZ: AI has finally entered the election campaign arena

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