Peter Dunne: The Greens moral high horse

The curious case of ex Green MP Darleen Tana raises interesting questions beyond her immediate political future.

Whether she leaves Parliament or stays, her fate is largely settled - her (brief) political career is over. If she goes, she at least has the opportunity of a fresh start, far away from politics. But should she decide to stay, she faces two years of ostracism and scorn from all sides of the House, and limited opportunities to participate in the House's proceedings, in either the Debating Chamber or select committees.

Peter Wilson: Week in Politics - NZ First gains traction while GST-free produce fails to hit the sweet spot

Labour will have to do much more than offer families a saving of about $5 a week to get back in the election race, NZ First's support continues to creep up and the media starts looking at where it's coming from, while another poll supports the trend that's showing National and ACT with enough support to form a government.

Rarely has a policy attracted such harsh criticism as Labour's election promise to remove GST from fruit and vegetables.

On the government's own estimation it will save households about $4.25 a week based on an average spend of $32.50.

Peter Wilson: The week in politics - April 28th 2023

Australia's citizenship deal, Green Party tensions and a tax debate

Australia's citizenship deal - was it genuine goodwill or has our prime minister been "played like a digeridoo"? Tensions within the Green Party are said to be "boiling" as the Kerekere row drags on, and evidence that the wealthiest people pay tax at a lower rate than the rest of us starts up another capital gains tax debate.

The Australian government's announcement that from 1 July Kiwis could apply for citizenship after four years cascaded through the media this week.

It's retrospective, it's a big deal, and it was recognised as one.

Chris Trotter: A Test For The Greens.

The exposure of Elizabeth Kerekere is at once trivial and important. That members of the same political party can harbour intense dislike for one another should surprise no one. As the Nineteenth Century British statesman, Benjamin Disraeli, famously quipped: “No, Mr Speaker, before me sit my opponents. My enemies are seated behind me.” That the full measure of a member’s dislike may occasionally surface in view of the public is equally unsurprising – no matter how amusing its expression. What is indisputably important, however, is when the inadvertent revelation on internal party animosities reveal ambitions and machinations serious enough to affect the future political course of the entire nation.

Karl du Fresne: Hang on - who are the real inciters?

The Greens, displaying their customary enthusiasm for free and robust debate, want a British anti-trans activist barred from speaking in New Zealand. They say her meetings are likely to provoke violence. But who are the real inciters?

RNZ reports that three people were arrested during clashes between supporters and opponents of Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, also known as Posie Parker, in Melbourne yesterday. That was the cue for Green MPs Ricardo Menendez-March and Elizabeth Kerekere, tireless free speech champions both, to insist that the government deny Keen-Minshull a visa.

Failing that, Kerekere thinks Keen-Minshull should be denied access to speaking venues, as happened to the Canadians Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux in 2018. (Still unsure what hateful ideas the Canadians supposedly intended to disseminate? Me too. We were prevented from hearing them, so couldn’t judge them for ourselves. The protesters made sure of that.)

Mike Hosking: What is the point of the Greens?

Obviously there has been a fair bit of feedback to yesterday's James Shaw Special on this show, in which he appeared to not know a lot about what had been announced in his specialist area.

The overall reaction sums it up, a plan to make a lot of plans

Someone else said it might be significant, but then it might be nothing.

Hard core campaigners fumed at the fact farming seemed to get off paying for stuff.

The conservatives fumed that business gets subsides when they really should be doing a lot of the heavy lifting themselves

All in all, for something that was billed as significant, or as a moment in history, it all added up to yet more waffle that may or may not come to pass.