Rodney Hide: The Private Text That Triggered the Outrage Machine

Is it too soon to declare the brouhaha over Mr Stuart Nash’s text theatre? And a political hit job?

I don’t know. Let’s test the water.

Peter Dunne: Chris Hipkins' indecision and timidity

In his first two months as Prime Minister Chris Hipkins impressed for his directness, clarity and determination, and the assured way in which he transitioned into his new role. His everyman style, from the hoodie to the more than occasional meat pie, won many positive comments. The methodical but decisive way in which he dismantled or pushed to one side those aspects of Ardernism, so dear to the Labour Party, but increasingly egregious to the public, has been impressive. Taken together, they have led to speculation he could become the first Prime Minister since Peter Fraser eighty years ago to win re-election in his own right, after having taken over during a Parliamentary term.

Wendy Geus: Why Is Crown Law Silent?

Despite rebuke and threat of prosecution given for his less serious first offence, Crown Law has been silent on the second, more severe, offence by Nash.

In 2020 Stuart Nash breached the cabinet manual in a radio interview when commenting on a case before the courts, intimating there should be a long prison sentence. What he was doing was thinking aloud, but that is prohibited in his role as minister.

We have now discovered that Crown Law intervened but stopped short of prosecuting, asking David Parker, the Attorney General, to censure him for ‘unacceptable comments’, which, remarkably, Nash ‘can’t remember’.

Cam Slater: Hipkins Bottles the Sacking of Nash

It’s amazing what happens in politics. Just two days ago the media and pundits were praising Chris Hipkins for sacking Stuart Nash from the Police portfolio, even though he retained his other portfolios. They all said it showed how tough he was as Prime Minister.

Then yesterday, after more revelations of Nash’s shonky methods of managing his portfolios came out, Hipkins called a press conference and told everyone that Nash was now on his last, last chance and he was demoting his ranking in cabinet to the lowest ranking, while still retaining his portfolios.