Latest news with #1News-Verian
NZ Herald
4 days ago
- Business
- NZ Herald
Budget 2025: National and Labour lose ground in latest 1News Verian political poll
National and Labour have both taken a hit in the latest political poll. The 1News- Verian poll released tonight went out days after the Budget 2025, which included a $6.6 billion Investment Boost policy, halving the Government's KiwiSaver contributions and raiding almost $13b set aside for pay equity settlements. The
Saudi Gazette
24-02-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
NZ minister resigns after he 'placed hand' on staff's arm
WELLINGTON — New Zealand's commerce minister Andrew Bayly has resigned after he "placed a hand" on a staff member's upper arm last week, in what he described as "overbearing" said on Monday that he was "deeply sorry" about the incident, which he described as not an argument but an "animated discussion".While Bayly has left his ministerial posts, he remains a member of resignation on Monday comes after he was criticized last October for calling a winery worker a "loser", including putting his fingers in an 'L' shape on his forehead — and allegedly using an expletive directed at them."As many of you know, I have been impatient to drive change in my ministerial portfolios," Bayly said in a statement."Last week I had an animated discussion with a staff member about work. I took the discussion too far, and I placed a hand on their upper arm, which was inappropriate."Bayly resigned last Friday, said New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, adding that the incident happened last said the government's handling the issue within a week was "pretty quick" and "pretty impressive".However, Labour leader Chris Hipkins criticized Luxon as "incredibly weak" over his handling of the issue, saying that it should not have been dragged over the weekend."Christopher Luxon has once again set the bar for ministerial behavior so low, that it would be almost impossible to get over it," he told reporters on himself said that he had to talk to his family and "would have had difficulty" speaking to the media was first elected to the New Zealand Parliament in 2014. Before joining politics, Bayly worked in the finance is the first minister to resign of his own accord under PM Luxon, whose favourability has dipped to a record low, according to a poll. The 1News-Verian poll also showed his National-led coalition government is losing support among government has recently come under fire for some policies that were seen by some as anti-Māori, including the introduction of a bill that many argued undermined Māori rights and the dissolution of the Māori Health Authority — which was set up under the last Labour government to try and create greater health equality. Scott Simpson, the ruling National Party's senior whip, will be taking over Bayly as the Minister for ACC — the national accidental injury compensation scheme — and the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. — BBC
BBC News
24-02-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Andrew Bayly: NZ minister resigns for placing hand on staff's arm
New Zealand's commerce minister Andrew Bayly has resigned after he "placed a hand" on a staff member's upper arm last week, in what he described as "overbearing" said on Monday that he was "deeply sorry" about the incident, which he described as not an argument but an "animated discussion". While Bayly has left his ministerial posts, he remains a member of resignation on Monday comes after he was criticised last October for calling a winery worker a "loser"- including putting his fingers in an 'L' shape on his forehead - and allegedly using an expletive directed at them. "As many of you know, I have been impatient to drive change in my ministerial portfolios," Bayly said in a statement. "Last week I had an animated discussion with a staff member about work. I took the discussion too far, and I placed a hand on their upper arm, which was inappropriate."Bayly resigned last Friday, said New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, adding that the incident happened last said the government's handling the issue within a week was "pretty quick" and "pretty impressive".However, Labour leader Chris Hipkins criticised Luxon as "incredibly weak" over his handling of the issue, saying that it should not have been dragged over the weekend."Christopher Luxon has once again set the bar for ministerial behaviour so low, that it would be almost impossible to get over it," he told reporters on himself said that he had to talk to his family and "would have had difficulty" speaking to the media was first elected to the New Zealand Parliament in 2014. Before joining politics, Bayly worked in the finance is the first minister to resign of his own accord under PM Luxon, whose favourability has dipped to a record low, according to a poll. The 1News-Verian poll also showed his National-led coalition government is losing support among government has recently come under fire for some policies that were seen by some as anti-Māori, including the introduction of a bill that many argued undermined Māori rights and the dissolution of the Māori Health Authority - which was set up under the last Labour government to try and create greater health Simpson, the ruling National Party's senior whip, will be taking over Bayly as the Minister for ACC - the national accidental injury compensation scheme - and the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.
The Guardian
11-02-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
New Zealand government loses ground in polls as economic concerns grow
New Zealand's National-led coalition government is losing support among voters, new polling shows, amid frustrations over the economy and deepening concern the country is heading in the wrong direction. Meanwhile, the parliamentary left bloc has taken a narrow lead for the third poll in a row, enough that the opposition would be able to form a government were an election held today. Prime minister Christopher Luxon's favourability has also dipped to a record low. A 1News-Verian poll shows Luxon dropped two points to 22% in the preferred prime minister stakes – his lowest result since he became leader. Labour's Chris Hipkins rose two points to 17%. Speaking to media on Tuesday, Luxon said he was not concerned by the results. 'The only poll that matters is 2026 when the New Zealand public will make their decision: has this government made them better off or not over that three-year period?' The poll, conducted during the country's politically charged Waitangi Day events, showed support for Luxon's National party dropped three points to 34%, while his coalition partners Act had a one-point increase to 9% and New Zealand First dropped one point to 5%. A second Taxpayers' Union-Curia Poll, taken between 2–4 February, also had Labour narrowly ahead of National and Luxon's favourability drop just over two points to 24.5%. The coalition government campaigned on promises to fix New Zealand's economy and has introduced a wave of new policies to try to achieve this, including relaxing immigration settings to attract foreign investment and reducing public spending. But with country in the midst of a recession and high unemployment rates, the public's confidence in the economy is yet to bounce back. Of those surveyed in the Verian poll, 36% felt optimistic about the economy – a 5 point drop from the December poll – while there was a three point increase in economic pessimism to 25%. Meanwhile, half of those polled felt the government was going in the wrong direction, with 39% believing it was heading in the right direction. Luxon said he was under 'no illusion' the public wanted the government to fix the economy. 'New Zealanders are expecting us to get through this economic pain and get to the other side of it, and that requires all of us to embrace growth above everything else.' Political commentator Ben Thomas said that like many countries around the world, the government inherited a tough economic situation but its promises to lower living costs were yet to quell public malaise. 'If you run on the basis that you're going to fix the economy, and people are still having a tough economic time a year later, it becomes harder to deliver that [promise] credibly.' Meanwhile, Luxon's inexperience could be affecting his popularity, Thomas said. 'He's come on the back of two generational talents, which are John Key and Jacinda Ardern – they were uniquely skilled communicators and leaders and Luxon does suffer by comparison.' Further, the ongoing tensions over the minor Act party's controversial treaty principles bill, which many fear will undermine Māori rights, could be fuelling perceptions the country is headed in the wrong direction. 'New Zealanders don't tend to like divisiveness … and I think that does contribute something to the national mood,' Thomas said.
