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The Spinoff
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Spinoff
Echo Chamber: Aussie roolz, NZ droolz
Every party in parliament agrees Australia is richer, cooler, prettier, better dressed, and will probably steal your man. Echo Chamber is The Spinoff's dispatch from the press gallery, recapping sessions in the House. Columns are written by politics reporter Lyric Waiwiri-Smith and Wellington editor Joel MacManus. Did you know that the different parties in parliament have fundamental disagreements about economic policy? The New Zealand Labour Party thinks everything in this country is fucked because of the current government. The New Zealand National Party thinks everything in this country is fucked because of the previous government (the one run by the New Zealand Labour Party). New Zealand First, meanwhile, thinks everything in this country is fucked because of the word 'Aotearoa'. The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand think this country is fucked because of a long-standing guillotine shortage. Te Pāti Māori think the country is fucked because of an Atlas Network conspiracy to destroy indigenous rights. And the Act Party thinks the country is fucked because sometimes university professors say mean things about David Seymour. Of course, none of them are right. The country is fucked because RJ's stopped making Jaffas. After an extended winter break, the members of New Zealand's parliament have returned to Wellington to resume arguing with one another. One might have hoped that over the break, they might have figured out some new angles, but alas. It's all the same shit. During Wednesday's question time, Labour's Chris Hipkins and Barbara Edmonds were very keen to hammer the government over a new builder sentiment report, which showed the construction sector cratering with 15,000 job losses and masses of workers moving to Australia. They blamed the current government for cancelling a whole bunch of projects to build state homes, school upgrades, hospitals and public transport. National's Christopher Luxon and Nicola Willis responded with a formal 'nuh-uh it's your fault' and blamed the previous government for spending too much money on nonsense like state homes, school upgrades, hospitals and nonexistent light rail; thereby contributing to inflation, forcing the Reserve Bank to raise interest rates and creating a recession. Both major parties are essentially stuck in an ever-revolving hamster wheel of argument, where neither side is entirely wrong and neither side is entirely right. National swept to power on a wave of voter dissatisfaction with inflation and stagnating growth. Many people fairly blamed the Labour government's policies for contributing to that inflation. But while inflation has come down, economic conditions under the current government haven't turned around as quickly as many would have hoped. Nearly two years into the government, Labour hopes voters are forgetting about the last government, and National is determined to remind them. Finger-pointing is reaching record levels. Following on from the previous day's theme, Green leader Chlöe Swarbrick took aim at the government for the number of New Zealanders leaving the country – 191 people per day, according to analysis from Bernard Hickey. She quoted one young worker who described New Zealand with the phrase 'No work. Shit pay. Why stay?' That earned her a telling-off from speaker Gerry Brownlee, who is clearly feeling a bit sensitive about swears after Brooke van Velden dropped the c-bomb back in May. Using emigration rates as evidence of a government's failings is an old tactic. John Key used it with particular effectiveness as opposition leader, famously using Wellington Stadium in his 2008 election campaign to emphasise the number of people leaving for Australia annually. There was no attempt to defend this point from the government benches. Their response was, basically, 'yeah, obviously people are leaving, it sucks here, but it's the last government's fault'. 'Australia, for example, is a wealthier country than New Zealand and can pay higher wages,' said Nicola Willis. Everyone in parliament agrees Australia is richer, cooler, prettier, better dressed, and will probably steal your man. They're just arguing about who to blame. Luxon said the emigration numbers proved the Green Party should support fossil fuel industries. 'Where do Kiwis go when they go to Australia? They go to work in oil and gas and mining,' he said. (Are there a lot of mines on the Gold Coast?) Winston Peters, too, kept with the theme of repeating the same old hits. When Green MP Benjamin Doyle asked questions to health minister Casey Castello about the government falling behind on its goal of eliminating locally transmitted HIV in Aotearoa, Peter was very angry about that last word. 'Point of order, Mr Speaker. How did this question get approved by you or your staff when in the last few words, he mentioned a country that is not known in this world, nor was it recognised by the United Nations?' he said. Brownlee made Doyle repeat the question – they simply changed it to 'Aotearoa New Zealand'. This is an ongoing game between the Greens and New Zealand First, which has no foreseeable end. The more Peters complains about the word 'Aotearoa', the more the Greens will keep saying it. Around and around we go, spiralling continually inwards, getting nowhere. One for the record Parliament often welcomes delegations of visiting international politicians to sit in the public gallery and observe question time. The speaker traditionally kicks things off by welcoming the manuhiri, and the MPs stand to applaud them in acknowledgement. On Wednesday, a small group from France was in attendance. During his questions, Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi focused on concerns raised by the UN special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, Albert K Barume, about the Regulatory Standards Bill. But it became clear that Waititi didn't know how to pronounce 'rapporteur'.
The Spinoff
16-07-2025
- Business
- The Spinoff
Echo Chamber: Shane Jones, greatest ever Australian politician?
Nearly 30,000 New Zealanders crossed the ditch last year. Could the minister for resources be next? Echo Chamber is The Spinoff's dispatch from the press gallery, recapping sessions in the House. Columns are written by politics reporter Lyric Waiwiri-Smith and Wellington editor Joel MacManus. The last time the 54th parliament of New Zealand was gathered in the House for question time was about two weeks ago. Back then, the price of butter was the main thing on the minds of the Labour Party caucus, who appeared to see the rising cost of dairy products as a sign of the end times. On Tuesday, the new objective was to put the spotlight on the nearly 30,000 New Zealanders who left the country for Australia in 2024. So long as there remains plenty of problems to pin to the government, Labour won't have to make the effort to dream up any of its own policies. There have been two significant changes in the House since then as well. The death of Takutai Tarsh Kemp leaves an open seat for either Labour to bring in the next candidate on its list or for former broadcaster Oriini Kaipara to make her parliamentary debut for Te Pāti Māori, depending on who wins the Tāmaki Makaurau byelection on September 6. And, following the sudden departure of NZ First MP Tanya Unkovich, the House welcomed a new politician into its fold: David Williams. There was heckling from the opposition benches right off the bat when Labour leader Chris Hipkins rose to ask prime minister Christopher Luxon whether he stood by the government's actions, which he took as an opportunity to laud vocational education minister Penny Simmonds' recent Te Pūkenga restructure announcement, but the jeers drowned him out. When Hipkins came back with 'how many Kiwis have left New Zealand since he became prime minister?', a group of high school students sitting in the public gallery gasped 'ooouusshh!' Resources minister Shane Jones, answering a question from NZ First MP Andy Foster about economic growth in his sector, announced – 'with characteristic modesty' – that he had recently travelled to Singapore and Sydney, and amazed his peers by waxing lyrical about overturning the 'foolish' ban on oil and gas exploration and giving a 'glowing account' of the fast-track laws, the 'most permissive regime in Australasia'. The Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick raised her eyebrows. Jones' characteristic modesty shone through again. 'I have endeavoured to assure investors in the resources sector that we have decriminalised the coal industry,' the minister declared. 'I had the privilege of addressing a host of mining investors [and] professionals in Sydney … They regard the quality of leadership I have shown on behalf of the government of such stature that they invited me to be a politician in Canberra.' 'Take it up!' Labour's Duncan Webb jeered. It's good to know that despite burgeoning opportunities overseas, our best talent stays at home. It wasn't over there. NZ First leader and foreign affairs minister – as he liked to remind his coalition partners before he entered the House on Tuesday – Winston Peters decided to rise and ask the minister if he was saying he'd stop 'virtue signalling' by using local coal rather than 'inferior' offshore coal? It gave Brownlee a moment to consider the importance of phrasing – well, he said, that question is sort of interesting, 'because it's hardly factual as soon as you say 'virtue signalling', but anyway'. When health minister Simeon Brown took patsies from fellow National Party MP Carlos Cheung, it gave deputy prime minister David Seymour a chance to show off his wealth of knowledge on political theory by quoting China's former paramount leader Deng Xiaoping: 'Does the minister subscribe to the philosophy … that it doesn't matter if the cat is black or white, so long as it catches the mice?' Brown grinned and rose to his feet, but Brownlee wouldn't let him answer – it would only be a reasonable question, the speaker said, if the minister was some kind of expert in rodent control. The Act Party leader sought leave for his question to be answered, but was shut down again. 'Well, the House is the master of its own destiny,' Seymour said, sagely. Then Swarbrick's voice popped up: 'Get a grip!' Back on the brain drain, Labour's jobs and income spokesperson Ginny Andersen wanted to know whether finance minister Nicola Willis thought the government was doing enough to 'deliver jobs' despite the tens of thousands headed across the Tasman. Andersen quoted Luxon and Seymour's sentiments that Aotearoa is where the opportunities are and having people leave is 'bad', to which Seymour took offence. Who would want a deputy prime minister who thinks New Zealanders leaving the country is a good thing, Seymour asked, then suggested that such a thing might be possible if the New Zealander doing the leaving was Ginny Andersen. His comment had Brownlee reminding the House, yet again, that question time is not an opportunity to attack the opposition. Up in the backbenches, Labour MP Shanan Halbert made his read of Seymour's comments clear: 'Misogynist!' Maybe Seymour could've tried it a different way: it doesn't matter if the cat is in New Zealand or Australia, as long as it still agrees the government is doing a good job.
The Spinoff
03-07-2025
- Politics
- The Spinoff
Echo Chamber: Youth parliament is even better than the real thing
A cohort of kids willing to challenge democracy prove they're more than ready to replace the adults. Echo Chamber is The Spinoff's dispatch from the press gallery, recapping sessions in the House. Columns are written by politics reporter Lyric Waiwiri-Smith and Wellington editor Joel MacManus. A walkout in the House, claims of censorship and rogue MPs on rogue press conferences: youth parliament didn't need long to prove it can be as much of a circus as the one meant for adults. Tri-annually, pint-sized progressives and tories in the making (as well as their young peers in the fourth estate) spend three days in parliament (following a four-month training programme) to learn up close what democracy is – although if you asked this year's cohort of teens, they might be more likely to tell you what it isn't. General debates held on Tuesday and Wednesday gave all 123 youth MPs a chance to highlight the issues that matter most to them, whether that's mental health and the environment, or boy racers and 'backing the farmers' – some of these teens are already so entrenched across party lines you might expect some kind-of Scooby-Doo mask-off to reveal it was Grant McCallum all along. Youth MPs are supposedly non-partisan and aren't expected to parrot the belief of the parties they've been mentored under, but when in Rome, act like the emperor. There were claims of censorship and 'fear-based control' from some youth MPs (who are also part of the advocacy group Make It 16), but in the end, everyone got their say – even if some teens felt others should have had more vetting in the end. As was the case for Jermaine Del Mondo, youth MP for Winston Peters, whose challenge in the House to look past race – much like his mentor might say – caused a partial walkout (although no one could really leave, you see). The drama continued on Wednesday morning, with Karen Chhour's youth MP Jerry Wei having his three-minute speech last for 10 thanks to the opposition MPs raising multiple points of order in an attempt to shut him up. There was supposedly a walkout planned for him, but the progressive youth MPs felt it would just give him the satisfaction – clearly the youth parliament works, because it didn't take them long to learn the fine art of politicking. Suffice to say, some potential future leaders have already made themselves heard. Nate Wilbourne, youth MP for Labour's Damien O'Connor, had one of the strongest speeches on Wednesday morning after going off-script and directly calling out ministers Penny Simmonds, Tama Potaka and Shane Jones for putting 'profit over papatūānuku'. Later, Terangitukiwaho Edwards, youth MP for Te Pāti Māori Mariameno Kapa-Kingi and son of Ngātiwai chairman Aperahama Edwards, earned a standing ovation for his impassioned speech on prioritising mokopuna-led solutions in state care. The mock question time kicked off just before midday, with National MP Barbara Kuriger as the speaker, and only a handful of ministers – James Meager, Penny Simmonds, Louise Upston, Casey Costello and Chris Bishop – taking oral questions. This activity seemed to provide two learning points: for the government youth MPs, how to pass off patsies to your colleagues to ensure good PR, and for the opposition youth MPs, how to argue back. When Vashika Singh, youth MP for Helen White, asked RMA minister Bishop how he planned to incorporate the Treaty into the Planning Act and Natural Environment Act, she was told straight up by the minister that he had no commitment to doing that. Bishop wasn't a popular man that session – his answer to a question on housing targets from Esha Ram (youth MP for the Greens' Steve Abel) caused a few youths to rustle in their seats and attempt supplementaries, which the speaker denied. Sam Allen (youth MP for National's Hamish Campbell) then offered to 'guide' Kuriger through the speaker's rulings, which she ignored for time purposes. 'We are not having supplementary questions, and that's the last point of order I'm going to take on that issue,' Kuriger declared, before the voice of Thomas Brocherie, youth MP for the Greens Lan Pham, popped up for the hundredth time: 'Point of order, Miss Speaker …' Bishop was next questioned by Louis McSporran, youth MP for NZ First's Jenny Marcroft, on how he would 'incentivise and support' the revitalisation of rural areas through infrastructure, and a rebel youth MP in the Labour benches held up a note to the House in protest. 'DISSAPOINTED IN NAT' it read, causing Wei to raise a point of order: would the speaker consider removing the member from the House? Later, outside the chamber, a group of NZ First Youth MPs – and friends from other branches of the coalition – held a last-minute press conference on the parliament steps. They weren't happy with the narrative playing out in the media about censorship – we're not being censored, nor would we like the right to vote, they told reporters. It was 'dangerous' to let a minority group (as in, the youth MPs from Make It 16) purport to speak for the nation, an Act Party youth MP claimed. Their attempt at winning back the narrative was immediately stifled, as the press conference spurred an off-the-cuff argument from the Labour and Greens-aligned youth MPs walking past. It was probably the debate the teens would have liked to have had in the House – with each other, in verbal fisticuffs, and no expectation to be non-partisan. Parliament is a place that often feels like a high school simulator – and for three days this week, it was the real thing. Even if half of these teens still think they shouldn't have the right to vote until they're a bit older, they're already perfect for the role of politician.
The Spinoff
22-05-2025
- Business
- The Spinoff
10 key reads on Buget 2025
Nobody has time to read everything that's been written on the budget, so Catherine McGregor has a round-up of some of the most interesting takes, in today's extract from The Bulletin. The true blue, bitsy, no BS, growth budget For Jenée Tibshraeny at the Herald, it was both the 'reality bites budget' and the 'true blue budget'. For Lloyd Burr at Stuff, the 'bitsy budget'. Nicola Willis called it a 'no BS budget', while the Greens said it was a 'growth (in poverty) budget. Officially, of course, it was the Growth Budget, and the tsunami of media analysis that followed its release focused largely on whether it delivered on that promise – and what will be sacrificed to boost the government's high-growth dream. To help you make sense of it all, I've picked out some interesting reads to give you a sense of the overall picture. If you're just interested in finding out where exactly the budget was spent and slashed, check out Joel MacManus and Lyric Waiwiri-Smith's missive from the budget-day lockup, Gabi Lardies' guide to the budget for people who hate the budget. We also have Frances Cook's reaction to the KiwiSaver shakeup (spoiler: she doesn't love it). Here are 10 more stories, from The Spinoff and elsewhere, that caught my eye. Media winners and losers If you just want to read sector experts on what the budget means for their field, look no further than our annual hot take roundtable. Among the contributors is The Spinoff's Duncan Greive, who says RNZ's loss of $4.6m a year in funding makes it the media sector's biggest loser. 'It's a chunky sum, equivalent to 7% of its budget, but on some level it might be relieved it wasn't considerably worse, given that it received a $26m annual boost in 2023,' says Greive. Meanwhile the screen production sector got a pre-announced $577m rebate boost. 'Some proportion of this will inevitably be taken up by streaming giants, who also will have been pleased to discover that the threat of a 3% digital services tax quietly vanished this week,' writes Greive. 'While understandable given the continued belligerence on trade from the White House, it does tend to make local businesses feel like chumps for playing the last game, where you pay tax and employ people.' Lockup scran, reviewed It wouldn't be Budget Day without a thorough taste test of the food on offer at the lockup, the phone-free zone where journalists and other interested parties get to read the budget before it's released. This year The Spinoff's parliamentary team, Joel MacManus and Lyric Waiwiri-Smith, did the honours, adding a fiscal-friendly twist to their food reviews: The lettuce in the egg salad sandwich was 'an unnecessary inclusion like counting ACC revenue in Obegal ', while the sausage roll was 'rich, like the people who are no longer eligible for government KiwiSaver contributions'. Bad news for the poorest among us Remember Jacinda Ardern's child poverty pledge? Max Rashbrooke does, and notes that while the Labour government's progress on the goal admittedly stalled, 'National's target is literally to do nothing: to maintain the current 12% of children living in poverty for ever and ever, amen.' His analysis, published in The Spinoff this morning, argues that this is a go-slow budget, unless you happen to be a business or high-income earner. 'Despite the growing calls on the state – to tackle poverty, to address the effects of climate change, and to care for an ageing population – Willis is determined to shrink government spending as a proportion of GDP from 33% to 31%. A diminishing share of our annual income will be spent on solving collective problems.' MPs on a sugar high Parliamentary sketch writer Joel MacManus is interested in much more than just food, I swear, but it was his passages describing MPs' snacking habits that stood out to me in today's Echo Chamber column on the House budget debate. 'Mark Mitchell had a packet of M&Ms on his desk and looked very pleased about it. He ate them methodically, one at a time, every three seconds, like a pendulum of candy-coated chocolate. He offered them to Todd McClay and Scott Simpson, each time with a cheeky grin as if to say 'haha, look at me, I'm eating M&Ms in parliament'. Andy Foster and Jamie Arbuckle shared some Mackintosh's Toffees (an on-brand lolly for New Zealand First). Winston Peters scrolled through a group chat that seemed to be entirely people sending context-free GIFs.' Another recession? It's not actually something to read, but the now-traditional Gone By Lunchtime x When the Facts Change budget special is always a great listen. Toby Manhire and Bernard Hickey discuss the main takeaways from the budget, including whether Willis has done enough to rev up the New Zealand economy – or as Hickey calls it (altogether now), 'a housing market with bits tacked on'. Hickey doesn't sound at all optimistic. 'This budget doesn't solve [the government's] problems, it isn't a growth budget, and risks driving the economy into a double dip recession.' OK then. Business gets an Investment Boost Over on BusinessDesk (paywalled), Patrick Smellie is a bit more positive about the economic impact of Investment Boost, 'the growth centrepiece of the Government's growth Budget'. The accelerated depreciation regime, which will allow businesses to deduct 20% of the cost of new capital equipment in the year of purchase, will boost GDP by 1% over the next two decades, with 0.4% of that impact forecast to occur in the next four years, according to Treasury forecasts. The policy 'has undoubtedly just made recession-weary, cautious business owners more likely to make a capital investment,' Smellie writes. 'Low capital-intensity and poor uptake of advanced technology are key reasons for New Zealand's abysmal productivity performance, so this initiative makes sense both as a short term mood-lifter and a medium term spur to better commercial and economic performance.' The science community responds As Newsroom's Fox Meyer explains, in the science sector, 'half of the savings found by cancelling research funds and institutes will be spent setting up an office to attract foreign science [business ventures] and an office to oversee a deregulated gene tech space.' The Science Media Centre has gathered responses to the budget announcement from academics across the country. A group of science educators from AUT, Auckland University and Massey sum up the predominant feeling of dismay: 'With this budget the government has gone further down the path that sees research, science and technology only in terms of contributing to economic growth. It is an outdated fantasy that scientists in their laboratories are intently working on new inventions that can be commercialised to reap enormous profits, yet this seems to be the thinking behind the Vote Business, Science and Innovation.' 'Grin and bear it' In Newsroom, Laura Walter also has food on the mind, writing that 'everyday Kiwis … have been thrown merely crumbs, while the Government clips their meal ticket in the hope of achieving long-term economic growth'. She goes on: 'NZ First leader Winston Peters has recently taken to quoting the song lyrics by Shane Newton: 'Hang on, help is on its way' – usually in reference to the Cook Strait ferries. Those hoping for some more help in the short term will be disappointed by this year's Budget. 'But Willis is steadfast in her belief in the long-term-growth approach. Any short-term relief that could be handed out already has been. Everyone else will have to grin and bear it, as the idea of 'survive to '25' disappears into the rearview mirror.' A re-election warning Writing in The Post (paywalled), Janet Wilson hits some similar themes, but with a lot more intensity. 'Willis' contention in the media lockup that this Budget would benefit working families is the kind of bald-faced poppycock that all politicians indulge in when trying to get their policies over the line. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.' And Wilson has a warning for the government: 'The books may have been balanced, but at a price for a coalition that will soon consider its electoral chances in 2026. Because Budget 2025 has created a determined voting bloc of anti-Right protesters, as the hundreds of protesters who gathered in front of Parliament during the Budget announcement attest.' Department store closure casts a pall Dita de Boni's piece in The Post (paywalled) on the closure of Smith & Caughey came out a few hours before the budget, but it speaks to many of the same issues that other commentators addressed. With their closure announcement on Wednesday night, the department store's owners 'underlined an undeniable diminution of the New Zealand economy in the past few years that will take only the most deft and innovative economic management to turn around. 'The loss of such an icon of Auckland City is one more sign that a lack of confidence is not misplaced, and furthermore, that many people are paid so poorly that after mortgage/rent and groceries, they don't have the dough for fripperies. And even if they do, they're looking for bargains. 'Business and consumer not just confidence, but also aspiration, will play an important part in returning economic health to New Zealand. Here's hoping Budget 2025 will supply some.'
The Spinoff
07-05-2025
- Politics
- The Spinoff
Echo Chamber: Pay equity, private emails and petty politicians
Welcome back, parliamentary girlbosses. After three weeks away from the House, it didn't take long to dirty up the clean slates. Xoxo, Gossip Girl. Echo Chamber is The Spinoff's dispatch from the press gallery, recapping sessions in the House. Columns are written by politics reporter Lyric Waiwiri-Smith and Wellington editor Joel MacManus. It's been three weeks since the cast of the 54th New Zealand parliament were last together in the House. In that time, the government agreed to scrap prisoner voting rights, Te Pāti Māori pledged to hold its own privileges committee, the Green Party teased a $8bn plan for 'green jobs' and NZ First submitted a member's bill which would define 'woman' and 'man' in law, among other things. They could've just enjoyed their holiday, but instead they've given us a lot to talk about – we're quite lucky to have such hardworking MPs. After all that, a few came back to the House a bit sleepy – like speaker Gerry Brownlee, who drew a few blanks just as Tuesday's question time kicked off. As the parties paid tribute to the late Pope Francis, Brownlee confused Green MP Francisco Hernandez for 'Franco' and simply stared at Act minister Nicole McKee until someone shouted her name. But for the most part, everyone was switched on like a 16-year-old with a social media account. In particular, the fire in the bellies of the opposition benches had been freshly ignited by the news that the workplace relations minister, Act's Brooke van Velden, had planned an overhaul of the pay equity process that would save the government 'billions' in the upcoming budget. Also because librarians think they're as hardworking as engineers, or something, which is obviously untrue as engineers don't have the occupational hazard of fending off Destiny Church goons. All the opposition party leaders wanted to know the same thing: whether the prime minister stood by all of his government's actions and statements and what have you. Labour leader Chris Hipkins was first up, challenging Christopher Luxon on whether New Zealanders could trust the government to prioritise rights for women workers, but his wording in suggesting women were the 'sacrificial lambs' for the budget had Act leader David Seymour giggling. Well, that's not quite what's happening here, Luxon said, we're just making sure the process is moving away from 'market conditions' and focusing on 'sex-based discrimination' – or, as van Velden told media earlier, stopping these low-wage workers from 'gaming the system'. Hipkins must have missed the mob of female National ministers, among them Nicola Willis, Judith Collins, Erica Stanford, Louise Upston and Nicola Grigg, who had met reporters on their way to the debating chamber, or he would have realised this truly is a coalition for women. Labour's finance spokesperson, Barbara Edmonds, was still stuck on promises made in last year's budget. Over parliament's recess, finance minister Willis had confirmed only 1.2% of eligible families had received the FamilyBoost rebate, which she blamed on some bad number fudging by the Inland Revenue Department. As their back and forth kicked off, the barracking by Edmonds' party colleagues almost overtook the whole show. Essentially the entire Labour caucus wanted to know why hadn't all families the government had promised would be eligible for this scheme accessed their rebate? Willis caved: 'Well, it was very clear that it was up to 130,000 families.' In a way, setting a goal is kind of like setting a speed limit: just because 70km/h is the maximum speed, it doesn't mean you have to drive it. Fighting back against the barrage, Willis rose from her seat with the mana of a woman empowered by her workspace. She delivered her words with a robust and sustainable force, rising above her foes across the House with the message that 'those who work hard should be rewarded for their effort, and the government should respect the wages of working people'. It was a good time for the government side to cheer, but all you could hear was the sound of the Labour benches roaring. 'After all of that, not one clap,' Labour's Kieran McAnulty remarked. 'There'll be a right clap over there,' deputy prime minister Winston Peters warned. He seems like the kind of guy who might just do it, too. Another empowered female MP, Collins, chose to look beyond the headaches the opposition was causing and celebrate the government's successes. The defence minister – who has an obvious level of pride in her portfolio, and the work shows it – had announced a $2bn investment in maritime helicopters and an extra $957m for the defence force on Sunday, and had heard defence personnel were 'absolutely fizzing' and 'joined up to do stuff' because of it. 'I can hear you battling,' Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa Packer mocked. 'And the ladies are paying for it,' Labour deputy leader Carmel Sepuloni cried out. And to think, before all of this, the talk of the morning had been all about education minister Erica Stanford using her private Gmail account for ministerial business. But other than confirming to Labour MP Willow Jean Prime that she does indeed use the two-factor authentication for her Gmail account, questioning failed to break much ground – and the minister had her cabinet colleagues to back her up. 'People have got friends, just saying,' Collins called. Peters rose to his feet for a supplementary: 'Does the minister find it unusual that there are some members of parliament who are so lacking in doing their duty as responsible MPs or ministers that nobody writes to them?' It was one way to look at it. This just in, from Peters' personal Gmail account: 'Budget 2025 minutes: the potential economic impact of wokeism', 'meeting invite: dinner at Duke of Marlborough with business leaders', 'WINSTON MY KIDS ARE LEARNING ABOUT GAYS IN SCHOOL SEND HELP', 'Still thinking about a new ferry? You've left an item sitting in your cart'.
