ELECTION 2026 AND THE PARTIES
Chris Trotter (LawNews): The making of an MMP majority: it’s not about winning the most votes
Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Chris Meehan hosted ‘exclusive’ Shane Jones fundraisers at his luxury home
Audrey Young (Herald): The four reasons that make this contest so gripping (paywalled)
Andrew Ketels (Herald): Labour is hugging National on policy. It’s a smart, ruthlessly centrist strategy (paywalled)
Jonathan Ayling (Herald): National risks looking confused trying to be all things to all people (paywalled)
Henry Cooke (Post): Chris Hipkins suggests taxing and spending 33% of economy is a ‘ceiling’ not a ‘target’ (paywalled)
Emma Ricketts (Stuff): Willis and Hipkins accuse each other of ‘lying’ about Labour’s capital gains tax
Luke Malpass (Post): BusinessNZ calls for corporate tax cut, R&D boost (paywalled)
Amelia Wade (Post): The Auckland Audit: The super city is no longer Labour’s red wall - but National shouldn’t feel safe (paywalled)
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): The Sure Things: Chris Flatt is Labour’s man in the regions
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Te Pāti Māori’s bottom line: Complete constitutional transformation
Dougal McNeill (ISO): Labour Pitches Right in Wellington
David Farrar: A different MMP
Lyric Waiwiri-Smith (Spinoff): Wellington North candidates face off on student issues in first debate
Layla Bailey-McDowell (RNZ): Māori student leaders encourage youth to vote as national hui commences
Nik Dirga (RNZ): Explainer: Why you need to enrol to vote by 25 October
Amanda Gillies (Newsroom): Kiwifruit industry modern slavery issue offers an easy election jab
Fiona Rotherham (NBR): SMEs say what election policies they really, really want (paywalled)
Brent Edwards (NBR): Don’t expect a sensible tax debate during an election campaign (paywalled)
Hayden Donnell (Spinoff): Concerning: It seems government MPs don’t know their own policies
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): Chris Hipkins might not be very numerate
Ricardo Simich (Herald): Former Bachelorette NZ star Daryl Habraken on why he’s running for NZ First (paywalled)
Jamie Ensor (Herald): National takes digs at Ginny Andersen’s radio gaffe – but Labour MP gets one back
Jamie Ensor (Herald): Labour MP Ginny Andersen backtracks after incorrect claim about transport fund on radio
GREEN PARTY
Troy Matich (Herald): Green Party MP Tamatha Paul’s housing claim: Three more MPs say she made false claims about them
Sam Smith (Stuff): Green MP accused of spreading ‘false claims’ about Government MPs’ properties
Joel MacManus (Spinoff): Tamatha Paul got her property facts wrong – and I’m in the middle of it
PARLIAMENT
Jo Moir (RNZ): Stubborn MPs allergic to apologies
Craig McCulloch (RNZ): Parliament descends into furious finger-pointing as election campaign heats up
Phil Smith (RNZ): MP Paulo Garcia valedictory: ‘Let hateful words be the undoing of those who wield them.’
Nick James (Post): Labour’s Greg O’Connor signs off from Parliament with speech completely in rhyme (paywalled)
PUBLIC SERVICE
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): As mass layoffs loom, PSA wants limits on agency restructures
RNZ: Almost 50 jobs could go at National Library and Archives, PSA warns
Jamie Ensor (Herald): Labour ‘not committed’ to Government’s public service cuts, promises assessment before any changes
Harriet Laughton (Post): Labour signs pledge to extend living wage to all state sector workers (paywalled)
ACCOUNTABILITY AND INTEGRITY ISSUES
Bryce Edwards (Democracy Project): LobbyistWatch – September 2026
Louis Collins (RNZ): The price of misleading the House
Ryan Bridge (Newstalk ZB): It’s not the mistakes that kills trust, it’s the accountability dodgers
Simon O’Connor: Accountability lost
Joe Hendren: (M)ust (B)reakup (I)nsolent (E)mpire!
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