John MacDonald: The COVID toilet paper rush was OTT and so is this

I’ve got a story which has Covid-19 toilet paper mania written all over it.  I was blown away talking to someone in Christchurch at the weekend who said they’d been out and bought a whole lot of extra food because of the fuel situation with everything going on in the Middle East.  This is not som…

John MacDonald: The only way to stop the tanks running dry

Aside from trying to make sure we don’t run out of fuel because of what’s going on in the middle east, the other challenge the Government has on its hands is that we’re not the country we were six years.  Six years ago, when COVID first hit, we were much more compliant. Way more than we are now.  …

Politics Friday: Hamish Campbell and Tracey McLellan on the Covid inquiry, Christ Church Cathedral, and Car-less days

National's Hamish Campbell and Labour's Tracey McLellan joined John MacDonald for Politics Friday this week.  They covered some of the biggest topics from the week, including the release of the second phase of the Covid Inquiry, if more public money is required for the Christ Church Cathedral, and…

John MacDonald: Buying NZ made has never been so important

Three hundred and fifty jobs at Heinz Wattie's are on the line and we’ve only got ourselves to blame.  I’m including myself here.  Because all of us have pretty much fallen into the trap of thinking cheapest is best.  And, more often than not, if we think cheapest is best then we end up buying s…

Phil Mauger: Christchurch Mayor on his Wastewater plan, Cathedral Square Revitalisation, and Dux de Lux funding

There is another plan in the works to revive Cathedral Square with the Council asking for the public's ideas later this year The Christchurch City Council has announced they have a budget of $28.5 million set aside to put a revitalisation plan in action. Mayor Phil Mauger told Canterbury Mornings…

John MacDonald: Covid report has something for everyone

I don’t think there’ll be too many complaints about the report from phase two of the COVID inquiry. Because, for $14 million, we’ve all got something out of it. That’s $14 million for this phase. Phase one cost us about $17 million.   If you’re anti-vax or vaccine-weary, you’ve got the bit in the…

John MacDonald: Now is not the time to cut fuel taxes

The rubber is hitting the road for us here in New Zealand with fuel prices on the up because of the situation in the Middle East.  The Taxpayers’ Union hasn’t been slow in coming forward, saying the government should be cutting its fuel taxes. Temporarily, anyway.  It says households shouldn’t be…

John MacDonald: The main reason Luxon should stay

Christopher Luxon is at risk of sounding a bit like Joe Biden. You’ll remember the former US president bungled that election debate with Donald Trump and then people started calling for him to go and he said he wasn’t standing down. Christopher Luxon sounded a bit like that when he was on Newstal…

John MacDonald: Social media ban gets no likes from me

You know what the Government should do with this recommendation from a parliamentary select committee to ban under-16s from using social media? Ignore it. With the Government thinking about copying Australia’s ban, a select committee has looked into it and it’s come back with a whole lot of recomm…

Politics Friday with Vanessa Weenink and Tracey McLellan: Iran, Social Media bans, and Dux de Lux

Nationals Vanessa Weenink and Labours Tracey McLellan joined John MacDonald for Politics Friday this week.  They covered some of the biggest topics from the week from the Governments response to the strikes in Iran, a U-16 social media ban being backed by a Parliamentary select committee, and if C…