Tag: New Zealand National Party

National has sent a letter to Trevor Mallard outlining their concerns over his handling of Question Time in Parliament. After all, they don't call it the bear pit for nothing. If Government MPs misbehave, the Opposition picks up extra questions. * Simon Bridges says 'no evidence' one of his MPs called Jacinda Ardern 'stupid little girl' * Paula Bennett storms out But after nine years in Government, much of which was spent staring down an increasingly hostile and rowdy Labour opposition across the House, National can probably feel justifiably aggrieved about the umpire changing the rules. If an MP had been kicked out every time someone heckled during the last term of Parliament, the debating chamber would have been empty most days. National is also grappling with the abrupt loss of power and access to officials and information that comes as a right when you are in Government. Which is why resentment has been brewing that Mallard's new rules are an attempt to screw the scrum in the new Government's favour. The mystery of the "stupid little girl" interjection has gone around the world but no one has owned up, and audio of the moment when it is supposed to have been said is almost indecipherable. Things will only get uglier from here on in unless Mallard agrees to a rapprochement. - Stuff

National has been ramping up its attack ads ahead of the Government's first budget next week, its latest meme claiming the Government would spend $1 billion funding foreign diplomats, at the expense of cheaper GP visits. However, some of the ads are more than just the opposite political stance - they're factually incorrect. Ardern said the Government had to put that much money towards MFAT and aid. During the election campaign, National put out two versions of a tax attack ad, to hit Labour in one of its weakest spots. Labour has also used social media as a way of attacking National. But Labour targeted National's tax cuts, and Family Tax Credit boost from its last budget. In a Facebook ad from July last year, Labour posted a meme saying National would give $400m in tax cuts to the top 10 per cent of the country, at the expense of homes schools and hospitals. The ad came after National gave tax cuts, and boosted the Family Tax Credit, which it estimated would help about 2.2 million, from all income brackets. The Government has also said its $76.2m boost to frontline family violence services is the first funding increase in 10 years. National might not have poured that money directly into frontline services, but to say it did not fund services and programmes focused on family violence was incorrect.

It's a question many New Zealanders genuinely don't know the answer to. * Ardern takes her place among Commonwealth leaders * Russia dominates PM Jacinda Ardern's talks in London * Ardern to join May, Turnbull at security meeting We live in the age of personality politics, and Bridges and Ardern both have problems, just not the same ones. Bridges, however, is sat in Opposition, with his party of 56 MPs in first place in the polls on 44 per cent, but voters aren't too sure about him leading the country. Bridges followed Joyce's steps into communications, transport and economic development ministerial roles but, because Joyce had so much influence and power as both John Key and Bill English's right-hand man, Bridges was only ever a behind-the-scenes man. The 1 News/Colmar Brunton poll this week saw Labour fall to 43 per cent, the Greens and NZ First rose to 6 and 5 per cent, respectively. On the surface the coalition Government will be happy, and in the most preferred prime minister poll, Ardern is on 37 per cent compared to Bridges' 10. The results showed 35 per cent thought Ardern was doing a good job, 50 per cent said it was OK, and 11 per cent said it was bad. That's 85 per cent of those polled who think she's handling problems well, which means a chunk of National voters are happy with her political management. Picking away at Labour has been pretty easy for the new leader so far – not least because its policy announcements that have hit the regions in recent weeks have fallen into portfolios Bridges used to be the minister of, namely transport and energy. Bridges didn't need to call for her resignation, in fact he barely needed to lift a finger.

OPINION: As far as political resignations go, Steven Joyce's was far from one of Parliament's most brutal. The senior National Party MP chose his moment and there was no apparent whiff of blood in the water before he did. It's not the saddest end to a career like his - many more political giants have gone out in worse circumstances, dragged kicking and screaming from the halls of power after more controversial falls from grace. * National's 'Mr Fixit' Steven Joyce resigns after failed leadership bid * Steven Joyce is bowing out of politics, but insists he's not going back to radio * Joyce sticks to $11.7 billion hole in Government budget But Joyce's star had fallen in the party, despite his success as campaign manager since 2005, despite the trust former Prime Ministers John Key and Bill English placed in him as their "Mr Fix-It" to parachute into a crisis and despite the air of economic credibility he carried with voters. Years of micro-managing and the perception (of some caucus members at least) that he did little to support the ideas of others, caught up with him when he no longer had the absolute power of Key and English in his corner. Joyce is a talented politician and his record proves it. He also made a significant contribution to New Zealand business and the lives of a number of lower income New Zealanders in his last budget - even if many of the ideas from his Families Package are now to be enacted by the current Government. Bridges had offered Joyce a front bench position, but he would not retain finance and with that would likely be forced to step down in the ranks. But the jovial face of the party's economic policy has opportunities outside politics. He may not have been forcibly pushed from the party but really, the party left Joyce with very few reasons to stay.