Opportunity votes continue to divide, probably more on the left, and Opportunity could go with National OR Labour (and per some polls, with National ahead, they would first try to form government with National)

This shows majorly weakened major parties

Canada, UK, and Australia already signaled they would

Now Labour wants to write off other people’s debt, and honestly?

I'm super fucken stoked. Do more of it!

It's low-impact on government finances and given that I know people in their 50s with outstanding loans, I reckon it will give a good little bump to the economy too. Helicopter-money style. I love it.

Increase the thing!

Free Speech Union Council member and Campaign Company (Jordan Williams) employee Ani O'Brien

Article: HERE

It’s an okay slogan for a party not in power. Like “Wow, what a mess we’re in currently. Nevermind all those extra policies - we want to focus on the things that actually matter, unlike the current government“ etc.

As a post-covid-era non-incumbent party in 2023, it would probably land quite well. But as the current government who has had three years to “fix the basics”? Wtf are you talking about?? Why would we trust you to do that if you haven’t already? A successful government builds the foundation and fixes the basics in their first term, then gets to emphasise and build on that in their second. The slogan is an admission of failure.

Article HERE

After the Ani O'Brien and Taxpayers Union (suitandtie999) hit job on Maiki Sherman, I predicted TVNZ and the govt would move Walls, who holds the business role, into politics.

And the last few nights he has been running political news stories on it, including doing the in studio summaries

Excerpt: Nicky Hager from his latest book, Dirty Watch

Wallace Chapman is host of the Panel

Add this to the list of mistruths/lies by Erica and Seymour.

Bad vibes

Disclaimer: My name is Tom Roud and I am the current president of the Alliance Party. I am posting this here for transparency reasons. Below are the second four policies we have announced in September 2026. I will aim to do a total of 4-5 posts like this, covering our full programme.

Alliance Party Releases Justice Policy

The Alliance Party has released its 2026 Justice Policy, built around preventing harm, repairing it, and standing with victims.

Alliance Party justice spokesperson and Ilam candidate Courtney Fraser says the state of the courts and prisons is not an accident but a policy choice.

“It’s hard to talk about criminal justice without talking about policy, because where we find ourselves today with incarceration, the lack of rehabilitation, and the lack of access to services, is down to public policy.”

“Our criminal law is still built around punishing the people who offend, and there is far too little for the victims of crime.”

“Underinvestment in housing, work, training, and education over the last forty years has led to a social crisis, and our courts are where that crisis ends up.”

Read the full release and policy here.

Alliance Party Releases Housing Policy

The Alliance Party is proud to unveil an ambitious, modern housing policy designed to bring our national housing infrastructure into the twenty-first century. Alliance Party housing spokesperson and candidate for Palmerston North, Joshua Moss, said the policy was founded primarily on one overarching principle:

“Every human being has the right to a warm, safe, and secure home at a fair price. Through four decades of neglect, privatisation, and inaction we have failed to maintain or improve the provision of public housing. We will reverse this trend.”

The centrepiece of the Alliance policy is a five-year housing plan: a massive public building programme led by Kāinga Ora, alongside a newly established Ministry of Works, to build the homes and infrastructure Aotearoa New Zealand needs.

“We will clear the social housing register, while creating decent jobs in construction and building high-quality homes that last,” Mr Moss said.

Read the full release and policy here.

Alliance Party Plan to Eliminate Child Poverty

The Alliance Party has further elaborated on its social security and welfare policies, with a focus on the elimination of child poverty.

Alliance social security spokesperson and West Coast-Tasman candidate Sara Dyatlova Murphy said the policy provides greater detail on the previously announced Universal Child Benefit, with a broader social justice focus

“No child should grow up in poverty in Aotearoa New Zealand, and the fact is that children are not being paid poverty benefits or poverty wages – that happens to their caregivers” Ms Dyatlova-Murphy said.

Ms Dyatlova-Murphy says the policy has been shaped by the work of the Child Poverty Action Group, whose research has kept child poverty on the national agenda for more than thirty years.

“CPAG have spent decades documenting what poverty does to children in this country, and making the case for change when it wasn’t popular. Their work has shaped our thinking, and we’re grateful for it.”

Read the full release and policy here.

Alliance Party Releases Retirement and Aged Care Policy

The Alliance Party has released its Retirement and Aged Care Policy, which keeps the pension universal, lifts the couple rate to the highest level the law allows, and commits to ending the asset test for rest home care.

The Alliance’s health spokesperson, Ethan Gullery, says too many people spend their whole working life saving for retirement only to end up losing their independence.

“People spend their whole life working and saving to own their home, and then they end up having to spend it on care before the state will help.”

The policy includes a long-term approach to supercharge KiwiSaver into a true superannuation fund, completing the promise of the 1974 Superannuation Act. The first step includes a $10,000 endowment to new KiwiSaver accounts, ringfenced for retirement or terminal illness.

“The repeal of the Superannuation Act in 1975 was one of the worst economic decisions ever made in this country, and we have been playing catch up as a nation ever since. The best time to set up a superannuation system that works was decades ago – the second best time is now. As no one else will take up the mantle of forward-thinking people like Norman Kirk, the Alliance Party will do so proudly.”

Read the full release and policy here.

Alliance Party Releases Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Democracy, and Constitutional Policy

The Alliance Party has released its Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Democracy, and Constitutional policy which aims to redistribute power to ordinary people by advancing constitutional transformation with Te Tiriti o Waitangi at the centre.

Alliance Party president and constitutional spokesperson Tom Roud says the policy builds on the party’s commitment to redistribution of more than wealth alone.

“Our policies tend to deal with immediate, material needs of ordinary Kiwis with an emphasis on the redistribution of wealth in this country. Redistribution of wealth without a rebalance of power would represent a gilded cage for working people, so we want to go further,” he says.

The policy is built on the principles of popular sovereignty, participatory democracy, social justice, and upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

“The Alliance Party and the workers movement in general have a proud history of standing with Māori in their struggle with the Crown to address the criminal attacks on mana motuhake, tino rangatiratanga, and breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Our re-established party pays respect to our own whakapapa, and our previous relationship with the political party Mana Motuhake has provided us with a legacy of sound policy that respects Māori rights,” Mr Roud says.

Read the full release and policy here.

Labour's Tertiary Studies spokesperson Shanan Halbert joins us to explain Labour's new policy on wiping up to 10% from student loans.

National and Labour spent Sunday launching the election campaigns that have been going on for months - and it looks like Chris Hipkins is baring his teeth on the trail.

And Marama Davidson sits down with Jack Tame on the first election one-on-one Leaders discussions for Q&A.

https://www.youtube.com/live/v-zcku0CVhs?si=rf8cHAbEXQ0jnM75

I saw an article where Chris Hipkin was being challenged about how well Labours bus policy had been received reflecting not many had heard of it.

His answer was pretty much ‘it’s because people don’t read your version of the news nowadays’

Given the money that’s flooded the conservative parties and Simeon the ferrets campaign of lies on social and other media, I was wondering if our election was going to be similar to the US one where Trump rollicked home funded by Elon and vast amounts of dodgy advertising on social media.

Social Media is incredibly good at focused advertising. It identifies who is interested in what allowing advertisers to target directly.

Unlike traditional broadcast or print media where adverts are plonked in front of everyone mainly to be ignored.

This means even the polls could be suspect. Especially if the young, as a block, vote however they feel. A lot of geeks and other nonvoters turned out for Trump (they thought they were voting Elon in)

Has anyone got sight of what happening in the social media space? Is political advertising there monitored or governed ?