Election 2026

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Northland's MP believes National's plan to introduce drug testing for beneficiaries is a smart move.  It's proposing ten thousand random drug tests next year – ramping up over the years.  It also wants to reduce payments from April 2028 for people who've collected it for two of the prev…

Anybody who is taking money from the rest of us because they can't find a job should be ready, willing, and able to work when work is there to get. There should be an unwritten contract, and I think there is amongst most of us, that we as New Zealanders look after our fellow New Zealanders when the…

The Greens are condemning National's plans to drug-test people on welfare and reduce payments.  National's promising to randomly drug test ten thousand beneficiaries next year.  From April 2028, it would also cut Jobseeker payments for people on the scheme for two of the previous three …

This week's Politics Friday Election Special focused on the Waimakariri electorate. The candidates, Matt Doocey from National, and Dan Rosewarne from Labour, made their pitch about why they want to become the next local MP. They discussed their backgrounds before getting into politics, and what i…

At the end of each week, Mike Hosking takes you through the big-ticket items and lets you know what he makes of it all.    The campaign: 7/10  It feels real at last. The first debate, the volley of policy, the rolling coverage; a country engaged in democracy is a very fine thing.&…

Week two of this campaign of 2026 – is it close? They say so.  But then one poll had Labour at 23%, and another poll had them at 29%. That's how bad polling has become, so who would know?  It might be as simple as what happens with the Opportunity Party – if they're in, the Government i…

Friday has arrived, which means it's time for Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson to join Mike Hosking to Wrap the Week that Was.  And the week in question was the second week of the election campaign – how do they think things are going?  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for pri…

THE BEST BITS IN A SILLIER PACKAGE (from Friday's Mike Hosking Breakfast) How Long Left?/Another Poll to Ignore Completely/But What Are They Actually Like?/The Weird World of Hosk/And the Prize Goes To... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National's Social Development spokesperson says drug testing is already normal for a number of jobs, so Jobseekers should meet the same expectation.   The Party's promising introduce random drug testing for people on the Jobseeker benefit and reduce payments for those who've been on it more t…