John Raine: Better Times 2027 – Vision or Hallucination?

Imagine for a few minutes that it is late 2027 and things have miraculously taken a turn for the better. Here goes…………

Economic and social progress was sufficient in its first term for the Christopher Luxon-led coalition government to be re-elected in 2026. The Act Party, still pressing for a nationwide constitutional discussion, secured 16% of the vote and were needed at the table, which with National’s 37%, and NZ First retained in the team at 7%, gave the Coalition a strong mandate. Labour suffered even more than expected at the polls through the extreme policy demands of its expected Green and Te Pati Māori partners around taxes, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) agendas, and policies beneficial to Māori but not to other New Zealanders.

Kerre Woodham: I feel more positive than I have in years

Long coalition negotiations from the new about-to-be Government have seen a major economics consultancy downgrade its perception of New Zealand's political stability to its lowest rating in more than a decade.

BMI, not the body mass index, but a consultancy group owned by the Fitch Group and one of the three big ratings agencies, docked New Zealand a couple of points in its Short-Term Political Risk Index (STPRI), which measures the country's political stability. Because there's been far too much shagging around in their perception (my words, not theirs), when it comes to forming a new government.