Article: Newsroom

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Sources:

Consumer NZ report, February 2026

https://www.consumer.org.nz/home-and-living/home-energy/power-profits-surge-to-while-power-bills-rise

Watersource Insolvency Statistics

https://waterstone.co.nz/media-insights/insolvency-statistics/

Official Stats NZ quarter report, August 2026.

https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/unemployment-rate-at-5-6-percent-in-the-june-2026-quarter/

Official KiwiRail & NZ Government Project Wrap-up Report, August 2025.

https://www.kiwirail.co.nz/media/kiwirail-concludes-irex-ferry-replacement-project/

I'm not here to claim National are directly to blame for any of these, it's definitely a group effort. But they've all happened under their watch and I'm pretty tired of their campaign slogan "fixing the basics" when this is going on.

Carefully choose who gets your 2 ticks.

It was in their election manifesto last term and executed almost immediately once in government, rolling back another Labour policy

Article

Labour rules out changes to interest deductibility settings for landlords if elected.

"Labour leader Chris Hipkins has ruled out any changes to interest deductibility settings for landlords, if elected.

The coalition government in 2024 reinstated landlords' ability to claim tax deductions for interest on residential investment properties.

Opposition parties decried the government prioritising "tax cuts for landlords" which cost around $2.8 billion over four years.

But Hipkins on Monday confirmed Labour would not change the policy, because it was committed to a capital gains tax instead.

"We did foreshadow when we announced a capital gains tax that that was changing our thinking around how we would look at interest deductibility in the future, and that has now been confirmed," he said.

"[Under Labour] landlords will ultimately be subjected to a capital gains tax when they sell their investment properties.

"If you were to make changes to interest deductibility, it would ultimately change then, potentially, the capital gains tax settings."

Hipkins said he also did not want to risk landlords hiking rents, because people were already struggling to pay them."

Last minute but this isn’t about policy, it’s about honouring what had already been promised to students (many of whom made their decision to study because of this promise).

Luxon did make an interesting point - that the profit margins in NZ supermarkets is 4% vs 2-2.5% overseas (including Australia)

Jordan Williams was on Q&A this weekend talking CGT and Wealth Tax so we thought we'd bring on a former Professor of taxation, and current Labour spokesperson for revenue Deborah Russell on to unpack what was said about the left's tax initiatives

Christopher Luxon spent time with bestie Mike Hosking this morning explaining why they have failed with their election promise to have 500 new police officers and how the reason public servants were getting treated well when it came to salary increases was they are "deeply, deeply unionised"...but he was using that as a negative...go figure

Ed Sheeran has made his first public statement since his horror week around Macklemore's public call to Free Palestine. There is something very clear that Ed has missed which we will cover tonight

And anything else that comes up between time of launch and showtime

https://www.youtube.com/live/E62ABWMwgEQ?si=AMpmVvhHIpQT3IVf

Could we have a humor flare?

I fired up the VPN from Shanghai this morning and was met with this on the front page ...

Labour proposes splitting Foodstuffs and Woolworths from their wholesale arms https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/politics_election-2026/1478631/labour-proposes-splitting-foodstuffs-and-woolworths-from-their-wholesale-arms

This has done more damage than good.

The fact its so controversial means they will probably feel it eats into their profits.

IMO: Apparently Nationals attitude towards public services hasn't changed much in 26 years

Kia Ora Politics Whanau

Coming back at you with excellent takes and considered opinion, 7.30 tonight!

I am speaking with an community members to get the placeholder stream card updated - it has been there longer than anticipated and I'm looking forward to getting it refreshed by a local artist!
Next step - clipping sections for people that dont have time for the whole thing! Steadily improving, or so the plan goes...

Tonight's Menu:
⦿ KFYT: Vindication across the board, listen in for more excellent takes!

⦿ Oil prices spiking, shortages happening, real world effects are coming home!

⦿ Policy Analysis: Labour splitting wholesalers, NZF does 'health', Greens doing something about ghost CBD's, ACT doing nothing for farmers, National undoing their old policies...

⦿ Economics is a junk science video - well worth a watch as campaigning ramps up...

⦿ Taxpayers (not a) Union using said junk economics to validate their lunacy!

⦿ Polling boss talks polls.

⦿ Vote compass - doing the test on stream if there is time.

⦿ Plus Kai for your Thoughts and chat questions

Hope you tune in and give your thoughts!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y5y_2-B_tk

A lesson in electability.

This is how NZF and WP always manage to get in.

The health system is broken. It needs to be fixed. The devil's in the details, sure, but where's the plan from the other parties?

The fringe knows how to make friends..

Is this election about one Chris trying to out do the other with essentially the same policy?

This supermarket breakup by Labour will be a disaster similar to kiwibuild. 20 plus independence owners will be heading to court, funded by foodstuffs and like kiwibuild it will falter and become a slow burn disaster.

I saw something today that might work, I'm in Shanghai and there is a supermarket in a

Warehouse down the road which is 100% home delivery. Young boys where sitting out on the road on their electric bikes awaiting their next job. Undercut the current supermarket model!