RED REVENGE
New Zealand's dairy industry isn't alone in suffering the fallout from Russia's food-import bans - everyone from French cheesemakers to Norwegian salmon farmers is also suffering. In the Netherlands, protesters plan to hit back, and have fun, by buying tonnes of tomatoes and staging a giant tomato fight in Amsterdam this month. Somehow, a giant milk-powder fight doesn't have the same appeal.
ON THE PARTY LINE
Profiling of party voters reveals some interesting insights. Most voters are worried about economic issues such as jobs, and wealth inequality. But in a Roy Morgan survey, 19.6 per cent of Conservative party voters say "benefits given to Maori" is the biggest problem facing New Zealand, compared to 1.1 per cent of all voters. Also, 6.7 per cent of NZ First supporters said immigration and refugees were the biggest issue, compared to 1.8 per cent of all voters. Despite all the hype about asset sales and foreign ownership, "selling our assets" was cited as the biggest problem facing New Zealand by only 0.6 per cent of all voters. Green supporters were the most concerned, at 2.2 per cent, ahead of NZ Firsters at 1.2 per cent.
OFFICIAL SILENCE ACT
The heat is on Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully to release documents relating to Malaysian diplomat Muhammad Rizalman and the way he left New Zealand after sexual assault allegations. Whether McCully's reluctance is because he wants to keep something under wraps, or just his distaste for the Official Information Act, remains to be seen. He was busy this week, spending some rare time at home to host his Chinese counterpart, Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
ATTACK AS A DEFENCE
Negative political television advertising is nothing new, but some observers are surprised National has begun its attack ads so early in the campaign. They aren't that vicious, but incumbents usually wait until closer to polling day before attacking the opposition. It could be part of National's "low target" strategy, minimising the risk of attack by presenting as little as possible of its own profile. One Labour Party official asked - only partly tongue in cheek - "When will this pinko socialist National Government ever unveil some right-wing policies?"
PLACE THE FACE
The University of Auckland's school of psychology is putting politicians to a different test. It is sending photos of their faces to United States' survey participants, who will rate how trustworthy and competent they appear. The idea is to test other research, which shows judgments based on looks alone often align closely with election outcomes. The results will be revealed after the votes are counted.
