Latest news with #Seymour
Otago Daily Times
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Jackson accuses govt of rigging next election
By Craig McCulloch of RNZ Labour MP Willie Jackson has accused the government of trying to rig next year's election through its move to block people from being able to enrol for 12 days before voting day. The claim - made during Parliament's general debate today - goes further than Labour's official position which has been that electoral changes would make it harder to vote. Jackson also used his speech to criticise Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour as the "biggest dropkick of all" following Seymour's use of the term to disparage late enrollers. "I don't know what's more offensive," Jackson told MPs. "The gerrymandering of our voting rules to rig the election, or the deputy prime minister referring to 600,000 people as dropkicks." Seymour last week told reporters he was "sick of dropkicks that can't get themselves organised to follow the law". More than 600,000 people enrolled or updated their enrolment details after writ day in 2023, including 110,000 on election day itself. In a fiery speech today, Jackson poured contempt on the "disgraceful, rotten, useless government", accusing it of actively suppressing the vote and "vandalising democratic participation". He pointed to official advice which noted that young people, Māori, Pasifika and Asian communities would be disproportionately affected by the changes. "It's racist disenfranchisement," Jackson said. "It's a breach of democracy... this government risks being accused of rigging the next election." Jackson commended Attorney-General Judith Collins as "one of the most principled National Party members" for standing up to her "weak and useless leader" by warning that the voting changes breached human rights. "She's had the courage to call these voter suppression powers what they are: discriminatory." Jackson concluded his speech by taking at aim at Seymour, calling on him to apologise for his "disgraceful" description of some voters as dropkicks. "He's the most dangerous politician of the last generation... not only a disgrace as the deputy prime minister, but surely the biggest dropkick of all." Ministers brush off Jackson comments Speaking to RNZ, Seymour laughed off Jackson's description of him as a dropkick: "To be honest, I was always an open side flanker. Didn't really do a big drop kick, although, on a good day, I could nail one from just outside the 22." Seymour said Jackson's claims were "wrong and insane" but he could not help but like the man because "you know he doesn't mean it". "He's more a figure of fun for me," Seymour said. "Although I do worry a little bit about - you know - a man of his age - the old ticker can give out if he hyperventilates too much at work in the House." In a statement to RNZ, a spokesperson for Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said Jackson was prone to "hyperbole and mangling of the facts". "People are not being disenfranchised, they are merely being required to enrol," the spokesperson said. The government's legislation banning same-day voter enrolment passed its first reading in Parliament on Tuesday and will now be considered by select committee. During the debate, Goldsmith told MPs the change was required because the increasing number of special votes was delaying the final vote count. "The final vote count used to take two weeks. Last election, it took three," Goldsmith said. "The advice I received is that if we leave things as they are, it could well take even longer in future elections." Goldsmith flatly rejected the claim that people were being disenfranchised, saying the 110,000 people who updated their details on election day in 2023 only did so because they had been told they could. "The message will be different this election. People will be told they need to be enrolled well before voting starts. It's not that hard, and people are capable of doing these things." Justice officials, however, recommended against the move and warned it could result in lower turnout and reduce confidence in the electoral system. "Its impact on reducing special votes is uncertain, while its impact on democratic participation could be significant," officials said. The move has also been criticised by the Chief Human Rights Commissioner and electoral law experts Andrew Geddis and Graeme Edgeler. Since 2019, voters have been able to turn up to the booth at any time during the advance voting period and enrol at the same time, as well as on election day, with their vote being counted as a special vote.
RNZ News
6 hours ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Labour MP Willie Jackson accuses government of rigging next election
Willie Jackson said "the gerrymandering of our voting rules to rig the election" was offensive. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Labour MP Willie Jackson has accused the government of trying to rig next year's election through its move to block people from being able to enrol for 12 days before voting day . The claim - made during Parliament's general debate on Wednesday - goes further than Labour's official position which has been that electoral changes would make it harder to vote. Jackson also used his speech to criticise Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour as the "biggest dropkick of all" following Seymour's use of the term to disparage late enrollers. "I don't know what's more offensive," Jackson told MPs. "The gerrymandering of our voting rules to rig the election, or the deputy prime minister referring to 600,000 people as dropkicks." Seymour last week told reporters he was "sick of dropkicks that can't get themselves organised to follow the law". More than 600,000 people enrolled or updated their enrolment details after writ day in 2023, including 110,000 on election day itself. In a fiery speech on Wednesday, Jackson poured contempt on the "disgraceful, rotten, useless government", accusing it of actively suppressing the vote and "vandalising democratic participation". He pointed to official advice which noted that young people, Māori, Pasifika and Asian communities would be disproportionately affected by the changes. "It's racist disenfranchisement," Jackson said. "It's a breach of democracy... this government risks being accused of rigging the next election." Jackson commended Attorney-General Judith Collins as "one of the most principled National Party members" for standing up to her "weak and useless leader" by warning that the voting changes breached human rights. "She's had the courage to call these voter suppression powers what they are: discriminatory." Jackson concluded his speech by taking at aim at Seymour, calling on him to apologise for his "disgraceful" description of some voters as dropkicks. "He's the most dangerous politician of the last generation... not only a disgrace as the deputy prime minister, but surely the biggest dropkick of all." Speaking to RNZ, Seymour laughed off Jackson's description of him as a dropkick: "To be honest, I was always an open side flanker. Didn't really do a big drop kick, although, on a good day, I could nail one from just outside the 22." Seymour said Jackson's claims were "wrong and insane" but he could not help but like the man because "you know he doesn't mean it". "He's more a figure of fun for me," Seymour said. "Although I do worry a little bit about - you know - a man of his age - the old ticker can give out if he hyperventilates too much at work in the House." In a statement to RNZ, a spokesperson for Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said Jackson was prone to "hyperbole and mangling of the facts". "People are not being disenfranchised, they are merely being required to enrol," the spokesperson said. The government's legislation banning same-day voter enrolment passed its first reading in Parliament on Tuesday and will now be considered by select committee. During the debate, Goldsmith told MPs the change was required because the increasing number of special votes was delaying the final vote count. "The final vote count used to take two weeks. Last election, it took three," Goldsmith said. "The advice I received is that if we leave things as they are, it could well take even longer in future elections." Goldsmith flatly rejected the claim that people were being disenfranchised, saying the 110,000 people who updated their details on election day in 2023 only did so because they had been told they could. "The message will be different this election. People will be told they need to be enrolled well before voting starts. It's not that hard, and people are capable of doing these things." Justice officials, however, recommended against the move and warned it could result in lower turnout and reduce confidence in the electoral system. "Its impact on reducing special votes is uncertain, while its impact on democratic participation could be significant," officials said. The move has also been criticised by the Chief Human Rights Commissioner and electoral law experts Andrew Geddis and Graeme Edgeler. Since 2019, voters have been able to turn up to the booth at any time during the advance voting period and enrol at the same time, as well as on election day, with their vote being counted as a special vote. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
a day ago
- Business
- NZ Herald
Government eyes more spending cuts as patience with economic strategy frays
Seymour said the Government was getting a few 'whispers' about the next Budget. 'Last year, we saved $115 million. [The] year before that, half a billion,' Seymour said, referring to the savings attributed to him personally. 'Let's see if we can't save more next year,' he said. Seymour said Budget 2026's savings exercise would not be 'radically different'. He said there was still wasteful spending to be found, noting the last Labour Government had inherited core public spending of about 28% of GDP and left behind a state spending about 33% of GDP a year. Even accounting for increases in superannuation spending and debt servicing for the pandemic, Seymour reckoned there was still a large portion of spending that could be trimmed. Seymour said Finance Minister Nicola Willis had put pressure on Treasury to 'upgrade the supply of information', allowing better quality budgeting. Finance Minister Nicola Willis said more savings could be found. Photo / Mark Mitchell Willis said funding new spending initiatives by cutting spending the ministers deemed less essential was important, given the size of the Government's deficit, which Treasury forecasts to be $14.1b this year, or 3.1% of GDP. 'The Government's got a great track record of reprioritising funding so that we can put more investment into the things Kiwis care about: schools, hospitals, roads, police,' Willis said. Willis said the Government's first Budget found $23b in savings and the second found $21b. These figures are calculated over multiple years. 'What the number will be in our next Budget is yet to be worked out,' Willis said. When asked whether a similar dollar figure of savings could be found for the 2026 Budget, Willis said, 'we'll see'. Willis said she did not think all the low-hanging fruit had been found when it came to savings. 'There are always areas where we should be demanding better value for taxpayers' money and I always ask myself, 'can I really justify spending that money when a New Zealand household could probably do with it in their wallet?'' Willis said. Willis said each Budget approach was similar. She sat down with the Prime Minister and her associate Finance Ministers, Seymour, Chris Bishop, and Shane Jones. 'We sit down together. We identify key themes where we think that there is room to find value. We also identify programmes of work that we think ministers should undertake to find savings,' she said. Willis said it was 'far too soon' to describe the nature of the savings programme. It is not uncommon for a Government to cut spending it no longer thinks is valuable, to pay for something else. The last Finance Minister, Grant Robertson, also undertook reprioritisation exercises prior to his budgets although these were far smaller in quantum. In 2018, word of Labour's Budget 2019 reprioritisations exercise leaked to National, who accused Labour of covert spending cuts. Asked whether three successive savings programmes in a row risked prolonging negative economic sentiment, Willis accused people who made that argument of being 'fiscally and economically ignorant'. 'We have one of the largest deficits in the OECD, which is to say we are spending billions more than we are earning as a country. Compared to many countries around the world, we are in a more deficit position than they are. 'To say that when we are running a deficit ... is economically ignorant. I have heard that ignorance from our political opponents. They need to get a maths textbook,' Willis said. Labour leader Chris Hipkins compared Luxon and Willis to a washing machine. Photo / Mark Mitchell Earlier this year, the Herald spoke to the big three ratings agencies for their view on the public finances. New Zealand maintains a high credit rating. While the agencies said they were not alarmed with the fiscal situation at the moment, they wanted to see evidence of improvement. S&P's primary analyst for NZ, Martin Foo noted that NZ's general government balance, his company's preferred metric for whether the Government was in surplus or deficit, showed a deficit greater than 6% of GDP - putting NZ in the realm of France and the United States, countries known for running huge deficits. The Government's fiscal and economic strategy is partly to reduce the deficit to help put downward pressure on inflation and interest rates, stimulating confidence and economic recovery. Month after month of gloomy economic data, only partly offset by a recovery in the primary sector, has frayed voters' patience in that strategy, polling suggests. The most recent Ipsos Issues Monitor Poll found voters trust Labour more on the cost of living, the first time Labour has come ahead in that poll since before the last election. Voters still trust National more on the overall economy, according to that poll. In a speech ahead of his post-Cabinet press conference on Monday, Luxon said the Government needed to 'double down' on its economic strategy. 'The most important thing we can do to make you better off is to double down on our economic plan,' he said. 'Spending more, taxing more and borrowing more as Labour and other parties advocate for didn't work in the past and it won't work in the future,' Luxon said. Labour leader Chris Hipkins shot back, noting the length of Luxon's post-Cabinet speech, which he gave alongside Willis. 'I think we should start calling them Fisher and Paykel because they've got more spin than a front-load washing machine,' Hipkins said, referring to Luxon and Willis. Hipkins has come under pressure from the Government for Labour not releasing policy of its own. He defended this on Tuesday morning, saying 'we will be doing policy'. 'But some of those bigger issues around spending, borrowing, taxation, many of those will have to wait until closer to the election,' he said, noting National finalised its tax policy less than two months before the election date in 2023 - although it published a version of its tax policy about a year earlier.
NZ Herald
4 days ago
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Dropkicks? Shouldn't we make it easier for people to vote?
This week, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith announced what he described as a 'significant, but necessary change' to New Zealand's electoral laws. He said this will address 'strain on the system'. The most controversial of these changes is stopping same-day enrolment for voters in a general election. Same-day enrolments are counted as special votes, which can take about 10 times longer to count than ordinary votes. Special votes have become more common in recent elections and a Regulatory Impact Statement from the Ministry of Justice said there had been an explosion as more people enrolled or updated their details on the day they voted. There were about 300,000 to 350,000 same-day special votes cast at the last election. The total number of special votes was 602,000, or about 20.9% of all ticks made. The Electoral Commission forecasts this will rise to 739,000 special votes in the 2026 election. So, to ensure the final results for our election don't take too long, the ability to enrol to vote will stop 13 days before election day. Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour said anyone who can't get their A into G in time was a 'dropkick'. 'I'm a bit sick of dropkicks who can't get their lives organised to follow the law, which registering to vote is a legal requirement. Then going and voting to tax away hard-working people's money and have people that make laws that restrict their freedoms.' After his somewhat partisan comment, Seymour went on tell reporters, 'If you can't be bothered doing that, maybe you don't care so much.' But it is obvious these people – hundreds of thousands of Kiwis – do care. They care enough about our democracy and the future of this country to go to a polling station on election day, register and vote. The Act leader also said people are fighting around the world for the chance to vote in a democracy. This is true, but the irony appeared totally lost on Seymour as he argued about the merits of a law that would restrict the opportunity for people to do just that. This country loves a battler and treating thousands of everyday New Zealanders with disdain rarely returns a positive result. Seymour might be well served to dropkick his descriptor quickly, or the battlers may dropkick him at the polls. Along with concerns about turnout, the Electoral Commission advised that special votes are more likely to come from areas with high Asian, Māori and Pacific communities. Younger people are also more likely to cast special votes – particularly first-time voters. Labour leader Chris Hipkins called the proposed changes 'draconian'. That is hyperbole. But he is right that it's anti-democratic. Perhaps any law that restricts a person's opportunity to vote should require a supermajority in Parliament? This might also stop the ridiculous see-sawing we see every government cycle around prisoner voting. Sign up to the Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
5 days ago
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Letters: Voting should be made easier, not more difficult
Vivien Fergusson, Mt Eden. Seymour's style David Seymour may not physically resemble Donald Trump, but his insulting, dismissive attitude towards those unlikely to support his party is strikingly Trumpian. Last month Seymour personally attacked eminent scholars who opposed his Regulatory Standards Bill, labelling them individually as 'victim of the day'. This week he calls New Zealanders who do not enrol to vote well before election day 'dropkicks'. The Act Party is the tail that wags this dog of a coalition and Seymour's divisive methods threaten our democracy in the same way as Trump's behaviour has brought the United States democracy into disrepute. Andrea Dawe, Sandringham. Food safety If Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard signs off on proposal P1055 by food authority FSANZ to redefine gene edited foods as 'Non-GMO', it will be a betrayal of consumers' basic right to know what we are eating. The minister says that removing tracing and labelling of GE food will make food cheaper, but the promise rings hollow. New Zealanders are paying record prices for butter because other countries are willing to pay more for quality products. How does taking away labelling of GE food and the right to choose change that? Jon Carapiet, Sandringham. Price of butter If 'Nicky no butter' sounds more annoying than 'Nicky no boats', Nicola Willis enigmatically reminded us she wasn't an expert on pricing at Fonterra but ... the price of butter is expected to fall. Really, how would she know? Funnily enough I thought her only expertise was in English literature not financial stuff. If 80% of the price is global pricing and 15% is GST then how can the 5% be even significant from retailers like supermarkets? More like a dropkick's chance of landing in a cow pat in 'footy' terms. Willis is an 'expert' at disguising the truth. Let's be honest it's her forte - not playing footy. The Nats are proud of how fast they've satiated the farming lobby shopping list of requests. Nine of 12 ticked off in half a term. Hasn't she done well. They're not going to put downward pressure on the local butter price any time soon. How idiotic you think they are claiming they would actually bring down the cost of living? Buttering up farmers is in a Nat's nature. Butter literally lubricates the electoral process. All you 'dropkicks' that don't vote know that. Steve Russell, Hillcrest. The real cost of food The angst over the increased food prices exposes the social expectation – something akin to a divine right – that food must be cheap. In New Zealand there is an unreasonable argument that because we have a strong agricultural sector then, somehow, we deserve cheap – even subsidised – food. In one of his last papers, renowned geographer, the late Professor Tony Allan (of King's College, London) persuasively argued that the price of food does not cover the true cost of food production. All political ideologies, Allan says, 'have imposed a system in which farmers deliver food at well below its real cost'. As a result, the price of food fails to cover costs incurred by the environment and public health. These costs, in economic speak, are 'externalised' outside the food price and are ultimately paid by the taxpayer. When we demand 'cheap food', we are selfishly saying that it's okay for the real cost of food to be borne elsewhere. Whether that is borne by farmers not being able to cover their input costs or tolerating environmental degradation or having poorer public health due to an inadequate diet. Don't be fooled; cheap food is a misnomer. We all pay the real cost of food – one way or another. Dr Murray Boardman, Dunedin. Passport changes I read with interest the decision to list English first on New Zealand passports, ahead of te reo Māori. This seems like a return to common sense. Wasn't it established some time ago that English should take precedence on official documents and government department signage to reduce confusion and ensure clarity for the majority? While te reo Māori is an important part of our heritage and deserves recognition, it is simply not widely understood — either within New Zealand or overseas. There is certainly room for Māori language to be included, but not as the primary language on key documents like passports, which are used internationally. English has long served as the clear, functional language for nearly all New Zealanders and for global communication. Unfortunately, some of the recent language and policy changes seem to complicate matters rather than make everyday life easier. It's worth asking: what is actually being achieved by introducing such confusion into areas where clarity is essential? Alan Walker, St Heliers. Vape regulations I cannot believe that a Government with the power to pass laws without due process has thrown themselves prostrate before the might of the vape industry and dropped the 2023 vaping regulations. This retraction as the 'best way to resolve the legal case' taken by Mason Corporation against them smells rotten. Casey Costello used the argument that the regulations were based on limited evidence to justify their withdrawal. I would have thought regularly sucking something into your lungs that is not meant to be there is sufficient, until evidence can be supplied to confirm or not the safety of these devices. Alan Johnson, Papatoetoe. Climate reparations The historic statement by the International Court of Justice that countries are obliged by international law to tackle climate change, and warning that failing to do so could open the door for reparations, will result in joy for all those who have been spending their lives protesting unsuccessfully for action. It will also see fear for governments and corporations who have been deliberately misleading us about the biggest issue of our time. Does this mean that protesters will not have to wave their placards to get action on climate issues, probably not, but they will be able to threaten court action as well and climate criminals will be well advised to listen. However, it's unlikely that they will be held accountable as countries have not ceded sovereignty to any UN agency's which means we are relying on moral pressure, and that may not work. The invasion of Ukraine was a shock to Western nations and illustrated the need to reform the UN Security Council and the first step is to remove the power of veto. NZ could take a leadership role in this as we are vulnerable in all areas, perhaps we could offer to cede some sovereignty to the United Nations if they provide protection from all large countries, who will not be named. Dennis Worley, Birkenhead. Why Putin? Why would one want to make a film about Putin with a list of war crimes as long as your arm and the murder of his critics along the way? It is bound to bring every sadistic man and his dog out of the woodwork and would be better off - much as the case of Adolf Hitler - best forgotten, and for that reason is bound to be a flop. If the powers to be that make movies were serious about making money which they clearly aren't, why not a film about the life of Donald Trump which would be a guaranteed box office sell out. Gary Hollis, Mellons Bay. A quick word The court ruling found that nations have a legal responsibility to aggressively reduce their emissions, and that failing to do so would open the way for impacted nations to seek reparations. It specifically lists the production, use, exploration and subsidies of fossil fuels— both current and historic. Our continued, bipartisan failure to address our responsibility to our neighbours and our grandchildren now will have financial implications. We must act immediately to meet our Nationally Determined Commitment (NDC) to limit temperatures to less than 1.5C above preindustrial levels. Ian Swney, Morrinsville. Wellington councils are considering forming another Super City like Auckland. Can't they see from Auckland's experience it doesn't work and just turns into a huge unwieldy monster that chews up ratepayers' money for no results. Then it splits itself into subdivisions like Auckland Transport (AT), Watercare etc who run their own little fiefdoms and answer to no one and embark on their own pet projects. Don't say you weren't warned. Jock MacVicar, Hauraki. We are told that the proposed changes to voter registration will speed up the result of the election. Please remind me how long it took for the 2023 coalition agreement. Gregory Cave, NZ
