OPINION
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Welcome to the Politics Briefing. It was the Opposition’s week in the House this week as its MPs put up one hell of a fight against two key parts of the Government’s 100-day plan.
It lost, of course, but in doing so Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Maori were united, ferocious and sometimes emotional in their arguments against bills to repeal the Māori Health Authority and to repeal Smokefree laws that were due to step up cessation rates. Leading the fight were Labour MPs Peeni Henare, Willow-Jean Prime and Ayesha Verrall, as well as new Green MP Hūhana Lyndon. The Government barely bothered to fight back in its bid to pass both bills through all stages over two days.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins gave perhaps the most passionate speech he has ever given against the repeals that he said would make health outcomes worse for Māori. “The members opposite might be shaking their head about the fact that I’m angry about this. My question again to them is: why the hell aren’t you? Why the hell are you not angry about that?”
Henare hit back at claims that the Māori Health Authority, Te Aka Whai Ora, was giving Māori special health privileges. “There is no privilege in dying seven years earlier - show me where that privilege is. There is no privilege in higher rates of type 2 diabetes - show me where that privilege is. There is no privilege for a higher death rate of lung cancer by Māori women - there is no privilege in that.”
As soon as the bill abolishing the Māori Health Authority was introduced to Parliament on Tuesday, the Waitangi Tribunal cancelled the urgent hearing it had been planning for yesterday and today. But the tribunal may well revisit the issue now that it is an act, the presiding officer, Judge Damian Stone, made clear in his note to claimants cancelling the hearing. Under law, the tribunal has jurisdiction to hear claims on alleged breaches of the Treaty in proposed policy and in Acts of Parliament - but not when Parliament is considering it as a bill unless the matter is referred by the relevant minister. Now it is an act, its jurisdiction has resumed.
One of the reasons the week belonged to the Opposition was because it has been able to take the moral high ground on the smoking move. It was barely mentioned in the campaign and will give the Government an additional $1.5 billion in tobacco excise over four years “for tax cuts”.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis rejected the direct linkage between tax cuts and extra smoking revenue made by Labour’s Barbara Edmonds. Willis says the extra money will be spent on hip operations, Working for Families and teachers’ pay. But until she presents the Budget in May showing how the tax cuts will be funded on an ongoing basis, Labour is free to say they will be funded by the smoking dividend and savings on social welfare benefits and cuts to school building programmes.
As Thomas Coughlan reported this week, Willis has been hinting that she may not be able to meet her promise to get the books back into surplus in the 2026 - ‘27 year. She told media in Australia she was not optimistic about hitting the target, and warned the House this week that revenue will be down.
The 100 days is up next Friday and more bills will receive a first reading next week, including one expanding police search powers on gang members subject to firearms prohibition orders, which Labour last adjusted in November 2022.
Meanwhile, Broadcasting Minister Melissa Lee’s glib response to the likely closure of Newshub in June was wholly inadequate - she suggested there were plenty of other news outlets and that Newshub’s owners had not sought help from the Government. She at least acknowledged the following day she could have done better, as Claire Trevett reports. But the loss of a major established media outlet and 300 jobs requires a sober assessment of the market conditions and the Government’s potential role in preventing further collapses. Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters, who has done more than most to promote distrust in mainstream media, is the only minister who seems to accept the gravity of the situation.
The Herald’s former managing editor and now NZME editor-at-large Shayne Currie puts it like this in his Media Insider column today: “....we need a brave Government to start properly tackling the uneven media playing field.
“Having Google and Facebook pay a more equitable share of tax would be a start. The tech giants take 90 cents in every digital advertising dollar out of New Zealand - they hire precisely zero journalists, but thrive on local journalism and other content for their extremely profitable platforms. National didn’t bother releasing a broadcasting and media policy before the election, even though one was apparently prepared. I asked for a copy at the time, but was refused.”
Incredible that National would refuse to release its own policy. This will be a test for Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in the Coalition, which houses both the laissez-faire Act party and the interventionist New Zealand First.
PS: Foreign Minister Winston Peters declined to make an opening statement when he appeared before the foreign affairs select committee this week because he thought he was talking to only three backbench National MPs - not realising some MPs were participating via Zoom. In explaining himself, he said he was a farm boy and if all the cows weren’t there when he was feeding out, he didn’t give them all the feed, and promptly set aside the statement.
“We can choose form or function; I choose function. We can choose activism or actions; I choose actions. We can choose outrage or outcomes; I choose outcomes” - Health Minister Shane Reti justifying the disestablishment of the Labour Government’s Māori Health Authority, Te Aka Whai Ora.
“I’ve known Dr Reti all my life. In fact, Dr Reti was my family doctor, a doctor to my father, and, in fact, Dr Reti also delivered my son into this world. Dr Reti and I also entered Parliament together in 2014, and yet here we are: sadly, one built a whare; the other dismantled it” - Former Associate Health Minister Peeni Henare, who set up Te Aka Whai Ora.
Plans to co-locate Marlborough Girls’ College and Marlborough Boys’ College on one site have been stopped and a ministerial review into the whole school-building programme set up. Which Prime Minister in the past 40 years attended one of those schools? (Answer below.)
Goes to Acting Speaker Maureen Pugh, who interrupted Chris Hipkins in full flight to pull him up on a technicality. A good Speaker knows not to intervene at every infringement.
Goes to Housing Minister Chris Bishop, who delivered a speech of substance this week, setting out the problems, their effects and by what means he plans to address them. A fine example to all ministers.
Government books: Finance Minister Nicola Willis has warned the Government could struggle to meet the surplus forecast for the 2027 year.
Newshub closure: Media Minister Melissa Lee has denied she downplayed the closure of Newshub in her initial response, but admitted she could have done better.
Opinion - Efeso Collins farewell: It’s tempting to think Fa’anānā was just getting started, writes Simon Wilson. But at 49, he had already achieved so much.
PM’s perks: Christopher Luxon has quietly claimed a $52,000 top-up to rent his own apartment in Wellington.
Israel-Hamas war: New Zealand has designated Hamas’ political wing a terrorist entity after the militant group’s attacks on Israel in October last year.
Smoking rollback: Labour leader Chris Hipkins has given an impassioned speech about the coalition Government’s repeal of anti-smoking legislation.
Health rollback: The Māori Health Authority has been killed off by the Government amid tears and bitter protest from opposition MPs.
Nash gang claims: Chris Hipkins claims ex-Labour minister Stuart Nash is breaching Cabinet responsibility by airing details of conversations he had while he was Police Minister.
School property probe: The Government will conduct a ministerial inquiry to address the school property system, which is “bordering on crisis”, according to the PM.
Quiz answer: Dame Jenny Shipley attended Marlborough Girls’ College.
Audrey Young is the New Zealand Herald’s senior political correspondent. She was named Political Journalist of the Year at the Voyager Media Awards in 2023, 2020 and 2018.
For more political news and views, listen to On the Tiles, the Herald’s politics podcast.
The New Zealand Defence force has a budget shortfall of $130 million.