Barry Soper is Newstalk ZB's senior political correspondent
Barry Soper is Newstalk ZB’s senior political correspondent. He was ZB’s political editor for many years after first joining the station and the press gallery in 1980.
Barry Soper: Coalitions in the past have been fraught - and this one is no different
OPINION: Leading a coalition Government needs a rhinoceros hide.
Barry Soper: The hīkoi was Māori Party's crowning glory
OPINION: Protest and the months that follow it will benefit two diehard political enemies.
Barry Soper: The hīkoi has lost the argument for many
OPINION: Any Māori grievance you could ever think of will be embraced by the hīkoi.
Barry Soper: Trump win shows there’s no accounting for public taste
OPINION: We’ll find out over the next four years whether he’s peacemaker he claims to be.
Barry Soper: As if Kamala Harris is reading from Jacinda Ardern's political playbook
OPINION: Harris and Trump are hurtling toward the November 5 US election.
Barry Soper: Inconsistency the hallmark of Tory Whanau’s leadership
OPINION: If you have wondered how Tory Whanau could win mayoralty, then wonder no more.
Barry Soper: Christopher Luxon vilified for his wealth and apartment sale
OPINION: Luxon’s fuse is becoming a little short with the all-right-for-some whingers.
Barry Soper: The fractious relationship between media and politicians
OPINION: It is exacerbated by the quality of questions they are asked.
Barry Soper: There is one clear winner in Harris-Trump debate
OPINION: Trump produces jaw-dropping, off-the-rails stuff in TV showdown.
Barry Soper: It’s been one hell of a year for Christopher Luxon
OPINION: The day they become Prime Minister is the day the writing’s on the wall.
Barry Soper: The truth about the upcoming Treaty Principles Bill
OPINION: If you go into politics you live in a goldfish bowl.
Barry Soper: NZ's brave new world of genetic modification
OPINION: NZ has finally come out of scientific hibernation and into the real world.
Barry Soper: Debbie Ngarewa-Packer is on a mission to stir up discontent
OPINION: National’s the Grim Reaper if you listen to Māori Party co-leader.
Barry Soper: Ethnicity no longer factor in waiting list a fair outcome for all
OPINION: The formal part ethnicity played in hospital waiting lists caused a storm.
Barry Soper: Greens in ideological cesspit because of Darleen Tana
OPINION: When you defiantly sit on the findings of a report, speculation becomes rife.
Barry Soper: In defence of Seymour's social media engagement with schoolkids
OPINION: It’s not often that you would feel the need to jump to the defence of politician.
Barry Soper: Are we really seeing the first major cracks in coalition Govt?
OPINION: Winston Peters argues the Covid inquiry should have been canned.
Barry Soper: 'Loose-lipped apprentice PM' - Fallout from Luxon's 'C-listers' clanger
OPINION: PM's trade mission to Japan's been pretty successful but who would have noticed?
Barry Soper: Farmers should be treated as treasures, not as tyrants
OPINION: Like the rest of the business sector, farmers are feeling the pinch.
Barry Soper: The way this Govt has governed is not right enough for Seymour
OPINION: Act reckons Nicola Willis could have gone further on the Budget.
Barry Soper: As the week’s progressed so have Labour’s false claims
OPINION: There are a couple of things that have stuck in my craw.
Act MP admits being shot as teen after friend's drug deal
Simon Court says he suffered serious injuries and the shooter was arrested and charged.
Barry Soper: Ardern left Hipkins to clean up mess she created
Opinion: The Ardern/Hipkins Government has failed on so many fronts.
Barry Soper: Is Michael Wood stinking rich or dishonest?
OPINION: Why Chris Hipkins didn't sack him, to begin with, is beyond belief.
Barry Soper: Surgery race-ranking rollout seems on ice as PM, Verrall not on same page
It seems the Government has put on ice plans for a nationwide rollout.
Auckland surgeons must now consider ethnicity in prioritising patients for operations
Health officials said it was an important step in reducing historical health inequities.
Barry Soper: There should be no coming back for Michael Wood
OPINION: Perception doesn’t pass the sniff test, opportunities to fix issue weren't taken.
Barry Soper: Heads should roll over Immigration NZ's 'dawn raid' tactics
Opinion: There are surely more humanitarian ways of dealing with overstayers.
Barry Soper: 'Festering sore' - PM needs to learn how to deal with talent and trouble
OPINION: Ardern's unknowingly become an expert at doing the dance of the unveiled.
Barry Soper: Why there was no point sticking around for Ashley Bloomfield
OPINION: Bloomfield's resignation would have come as no surprise to Ardern.
Barry Soper: The PM's announcement that wasn't - she's playing a cracked record
OPINION: The sermon sounded like the same script they had preached so many times before.
Barry Soper: Labour is abusing its absolute power
OPINION: What's happening to democracy, let alone the promised transparency of this Govt?
Barry Soper: Why can't this Govt make a decision and announce it at once?
OPINION: Is it about power or just plain incompetence?
Barry Soper: There's an air of permanency at Parliament grounds
OPINION: The camp's become a well-fed, ordered hippie village of sorts.
Barry Soper: Govt's refusal to engage with Parliament protesters unwise if not unkind
OPINION: From the beginning the Prime Minister has preached kindness.
Barry Soper: Government trying to oil squeaks that have turned into shouts
COMMENT: Don't hold your breath, as you may clog up the threatened hospital system
Barry Soper: The virus will be the Government's undoing
OPINION: It should come as no surprise to Ardern why her popularity's on the wane.
Barry Soper: Luxon's biggest mistake in first PM showdown
OPINION: Covid for Ardern and her band of weary warriors is their ticket to ride.
Barry Soper: Few political hit jobs have been so badly executed
OPINION: It was like a script straight from Pink Panther and bumbling French inspector.
Barry Soper: Pulpit preaching - PM's press conferences all about media control
OPINION: Press conferences with politicians generally have always been torrid affairs.
Barry Soper: 'Paranoid' PM used Defence Force jet for Auckland visit
OPINION: Ardern's first visit in almost three months was virtually over before it began.
Barry Soper: This week has been a terrible one for this Government
OPINION: Like everything with Govt, it seems to me transparency is like mud in your eye.
Barry Soper: Ardern avoiding the doom and gloom in Auckland
OPINION: Why is nothing ever Jacinda Ardern's fault...
Barry Soper: 'Irritatingly obscure' - Govt's credibility problem with infected Northland travellers
OPINION: A transparent administration? What bollocks.
Barry Soper: Beehive's road map for Auckland is a road to nowhere
OPINION: PM can't say how long we'll be on the road and where the map will take us.
Barry Soper: 'Weasel words' - Labour's rattled and PM's under huge pressure
OPINION: Observe the body language of the PM and the pressure she's under seems obvious.
Barry Soper: Don't expect Govt to admit ditching of elimination plan
OPINION: The past five weeks in Auckland has been a shemozzle.
Barry Soper: Covid cleans out grizzlies in Parliament's bear pit
OPINION: Speaker Trevor Mallard is convening a skeleton Parliament today.
Barry Soper: Cancellation of life-saving surgery shows pandemic's brutal toll
OPINION: We've been told repeatedly from the Beehive's 'Pulpit of Truth' to be kind.
Jacinda Ardern's policeman father carried out Dawn Raids
Ross Ardern was a junior police officer who had not believed it should be part of the job.
Barry Soper: The bumbling episode of Ministry of Health and Covid patient from Fiji
OPINION: It seems Health Ministry didn't know whether it was coming or going this week.
Barry Soper: NZ is just one Covid case away from catastrophe
OPINION: Official Fiji numbers clearly disguise what's really happening.
Barry Soper: Sorry Willie Jackson - you're not above scrutiny on Mob koha
OPINION: Willie Jackson should apologise for failing to answer legitimate questions.
Barry Soper: Ardern and Morrison's fleeting trip highly orchestrated
They're Scott and Jenny to our PM and our first couple are Jacinda and Clarke to their PM.
Barry Soper: Mallard knew from the beginning he could never win
OPINION: Mallard's pathetic excuse says he didn't know the definition of the accused word.
Barry Soper: It's doubtful whether Māori Health Authority will achieve its goals
OPINION: Like a lot of things this Government proposes, we'll have to wait and see.
Clash with PM: Hosking, you can't have it both ways - Barry Soper
COMMENT: Hosking's remarks on being asleep at the wheel are, frankly, a bit rich.
Barry Soper: Ardern seems to have 'la la la' moment when it comes to Mallard
OPINION: It seems Jacinda Ardern simply wants to drown out the noise surrounding her mate.
Barry Soper: Transtasman travel bubble - why do Kiwis still have to wait?
OPINION: This Government's good at making an announcement about an upcoming announcement.
Barry Soper: Ardern treading water - the master of soft, flattering interviews
OPINION: The PM is a celebrity leader and she's determined to keep it that way.
Barry Soper: Did Brian and Hannah Tamaki deserve the wrath of the Government in 'escaping' Auckland?
OPINION: They should lead their flock by example, not by doing a runner.
Barry Soper: Time for Govt to consider being cruel to be kind
OPINION: For starters, take those deliberate rulebreakers to task and prosecute them.
Barry Soper: Labour's move on Māori wards leaves ratepayers in cold
OPINION: If Labour wanted to change the rules, it should have said so before the election.
Barry Soper: Failure to hold Mallard to account shows Labour's hypocrisy
OPINION: Mallard may be safe in his job but is now without any moral authority.
Barry Soper: Why Kiwis are paying Covid wage subsidy in Cook Islands
OPINION: What's so special about businesses in the Cook Islands?
Barry Soper: Trevor Mallard raises more questions than he answers
OPINION: Before his peers, Trevor Mallard was in a hole and just kept digging.
Barry Soper: Why House Speaker Trevor Mallard should resign
OPINION: This whole issue has been a travesty on so many fronts.
Barry Soper: Trevor Mallard's rape accusations could have been his undoing
A parliamentary staff member was sent packing after being accused by Mallard of rape.
Soper: Spark of hope remains for cannabis legalisation
OPINION: Barry Soper on what it would take to overturn today's cannabis vote.
Shane Jones prepares to splash $100m in his electorate via Provincial Growth Fund
Regional Development Minister is understood to be planning his biggest spend yet from PGF.
Barry Soper: The squeaky wheel - Beehive's on-the-fly virus reaction
COMMENT: Some consistency and maybe a little more forethought would be nice.
Barry Soper: Labour's no new taxes promise easier said than done
COMMENT: Read their lips, there'll be no new taxes, other than for the wealthy.
Barry Soper: Will Matariki stars align for Labour this election?
COMMENT: Jacinda's promise to make Matariki a public holiday will help nab the Maori vote.
Soper: Aucklanders can be aggrieved about alert level 2.5
COMMENT: Level 2.5 is like being freed from prison but returning at midnight.
Soper: Critics of Judith Collins' husband need to get a sense of humour
COMMENT: Ignore the keyboard warriors who claim 'misogynistic, racist and bullying'.
Soper: Govt learns the hard way on handling Covid outbreak
COMMENT: The answer is surely bugger all.
Barry Soper: Lockdowns are not a long-term solution for pandemic
COMMENT: Aucklanders are going to have another weekend at home, soaking in their bubbles.