Coup chat, an overhaul of local government and Winston launches election season.
Blowing in almost every breeze that swirls around the city of Wellington seems to be scuttlebutt about the viability of Christopher Luxon’s leadership. Is he up to the job? Are his colleagues preparing to move against him? Is the economy going to save him? Will he be loving Juggernaut? And just how many Chrisses can the political firmament contain?
In a new episode of Gone By Lunchtime, the Spinoff’s politics podcast, Ben Thomas, Annabelle Lee-Mather and Toby Manhire talk about all the talk, and weigh up the arguments for and against a pre-election coup in the National Party.
First on the agenda, however, a reform trailed as the biggest overhaul of local government since 1989 will see regional councillors turned to dust and a new Galactic Senate of mayors take on their work, all in the name of resource management reform. How viable is the restructure, and is it a better idea than the Ben Thomas trademarked Department of Parks and Sewage?
All that, plus: Winston Peters has broken the bottle over the bow of a long election campaign by declaring he’ll campaign against a bill he voted for about 10 minutes ago. And a revelatory new interview from Tākuta Ferris on the immolation in Te Pāti Māori.
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