This week's Politics Friday Election Special focused on the Waimakariri electorate.

The candidates, Matt Doocey from National, and Dan Rosewarne from Labour, made their pitch about why they want to become the next local MP.

They discussed their backgrounds before getting into politics, and what issues face the electorate including the Woodend bypass and the Pegasus Golf Course, as they made their pitch to get elected in November.

LISTEN ABOVE

This week's Politics Friday Election Special focused on the Waimakariri electorate.
The candidates, Matt Doocey from National, and Dan Rosewarne from Labour, made their pitch about why they want to become the next local MP.
They discussed their backgrounds before getting into politics, and what issues face the electorate including the Woodend bypass and the Pegasus Golf Course, as they made their pitch to get elected in November.
LISTEN ABOVE

Every weekday join the new voice of local issues on Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald, 9am-12pm weekdays.

It’s all about the conversation with John, as he gets right into the things that get our community talking.

If it’s news you’re after, backing John is the combined power of the Newstalk ZB and New Zealand Herald news teams. Meaning when it comes to covering breaking news – you will not beat local radio.

With two decades experience in communications based in Christchurch, John also has a deep understanding of and connections to the Christchurch and Canterbury commercial sector.

Newstalk ZB Canterbury Mornings 9am-12pm with John MacDonald on 100.1FM and iHeartRadio.

Every weekday join the new voice of local issues on Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald, 9am-12pm weekdays. It’s all about the conversation with John, as he gets right into the things that get our community talking. If it’s news you’re after, backing John is the combined power of the Newstalk ZB and New Zealand Herald news teams. Meaning when it comes to covering breaking news – you will not beat local radio. With two decades experience in communications based in Christchurch, John also has a deep understanding of and connections to the Christchurch and Canterbury commercial sector. Newstalk ZB Canterbury Mornings 9am-12pm with John MacDonald on 100.1FM and iHeartRadio.

Every weekday join the new voice of local issues on Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald, 9am-12pm weekdays.It’s all about the conversation with John, as he gets right into the things that get our community talking.

Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald

Election 2026: Matt Doocey and Dan Rosewarne make their pitch to be the MP for Waimakariri

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/92b27c70-eec1-4c3d-a340-b4dd01793214/transcript

Let me say from the get-go that I despise gang culture and everything it stands for and represents.

I despise gangs for the misery they inflict on people with their drug dealing and the way they treat the people desperate for the poison they peddle.

I despise gangs for the other heinous crimes they are associated with. Their appalling “initiation” processes. All of that. I have zero time for it.

Let me also say from the get-go that the three MPs and a candidate from the Greens and Te Pāti Māori who visited a Mongrel Mob pad, south of Auckland, picked the worst possible time to do it.

It’s the worst possible time because we’re in the middle of an election campaign and any claim that they were there to, you know, “discuss the issues” is just nonsense.

They were there to get votes. Plain and simple.

So I hate gangs, and I think these four from the Greens and Te Pāti Māori have cocked up big time.

But…

Despite what you or I might think about gangs, isn’t it better that politicians engage with them in some way, shape or form?

I’m talking about politicians engaging genuinely with gang members. Not with the objective of getting elected, but with the objective of trying to show gang members that there is an alternative way to live.

It’s been done before. The most obvious example is National Prime Minister Sir Rob Muldoon. You never hear people slagging him off for spending time with gang members. But that’s what he did. In particular, Black Power.

Doing things like helping gang members find accommodation and setting up subsidised work schemes for them.

His thinking was that finding gang members work cutting firewood or getting painting contracts would put them on the straight and narrow. And they loved him for that.

And these gang members didn’t just come to him. He went to them, as well. Drinking with them at gang pads and everything.

There’s even a story about him throwing the dregs of his whiskey at a gang member who had been flicking beer at him.

And then, when he died, about 100 Black Power guys turned up at his state funeral at the Auckland Town Hall in August 1992 and honoured him with a haka.

The following month, after a memorial service in Wellington, his wife, Dame Thea, even spent time with Black Power gang members.

The doubters will point to the fact that, despite Sir Rob’s efforts, gangs have continued to grow. And they’d be right.

But this is where Merepeka Raukawa-Tait comes into it. She used to run Women’s Refuge. These days she chairs Whānau Ora and is an advocate for women and children.

Before the last election, when National was touting its crackdown on gangs, she wrote a piece in the NZ Herald about Muldoon.

She said his relationship with gangs did work. For a while. Until the work contracts dried up and the gang members, as she put it, “turned back to doing what they do best: surviving on the proceeds of crime.”

But she also said this in her article: “I think Sir Robert Muldoon had the right idea: engage with the gangs and understand that whānau is whānau - whether gang whānau or otherwise.”

What she was getting at there is that whether you and I can get our heads around it or not, gangs provide a sense of belonging. A sense of whānau.

And we can choose to reject that or cover our ears and ignore it. Because you, like me, probably don’t have any time for gangs. But that’s reality.

We go on all the time about politicians not being in touch with reality.

So what’s so bad about politicians getting more in tune with the realities of gang life?

LISTEN ABOVE

Let me say from the get-go that I despise gang culture and everything it stands for and represents.
I despise gangs for the misery they inflict on people with their drug dealing and the way they treat the people desperate for the poison they peddle.
I despise gangs for the other heinous crimes they are associated with. Their appalling “initiation” processes. All of that. I have zero time for it.
Let me also say from the get-go that the three MPs and a candidate from the Greens and Te Pāti Māori who visited a Mongrel Mob pad, south of Auckland, picked the worst possible time to do it.
It’s the worst possible time because we’re in the middle of an election campaign and any claim that they were there to, you know, “discuss the issues” is just nonsense.
They were there to get votes. Plain and simple.
So I hate gangs, and I think these four from the Greens and Te Pāti Māori have cocked up big time.
But…
Despite what you or I might think about gangs, isn’t it better that politicians engage with them in some way, shape or form?
I’m talking about politicians engaging genuinely with gang members. Not with the objective of getting elected, but with the objective of trying to show gang members that there is an alternative way to live.
It’s been done before. The most obvious example is National Prime Minister Sir Rob Muldoon. You never hear people slagging him off for spending time with gang members. But that’s what he did. In particular, Black Power.
Doing things like helping gang members find accommodation and setting up subsidised work schemes for them.
His thinking was that finding gang members work cutting firewood or getting painting contracts would put them on the straight and narrow. And they loved him for that.
And these gang members didn’t just come to him. He went to them, as well. Drinking with them at gang pads and everything.
There’s even a story about him throwing the dregs of his whiskey at a gang member who had been flicking beer at him.
And then, when he died, about 100 Black Power guys turned up at his state funeral at the Auckland Town Hall in August 1992 and honoured him with a haka.
The following month, after a memorial service in Wellington, his wife, Dame Thea, even spent time with Black Power gang members.
The doubters will point to the fact that, despite Sir Rob’s efforts, gangs have continued to grow. And they’d be right.
But this is where Merepeka Raukawa-Tait comes into it. She used to run Women’s Refuge. These days she chairs Whānau Ora and is an advocate for women and children.
Before the last election, when National was touting its crackdown on gangs, she wrote a piece in the NZ Herald about Muldoon.
She said his relationship with gangs did work. For a while. Until the work contracts dried up and the gang members, as she put it, “turned back to doing what they do best: surviving on the proceeds of crime.”
But she also said this in her article: “I think Sir Robert Muldoon had the right idea: engage with the gangs and understand that whānau is whānau - whether gang whānau or otherwise.”
What she was getting at there is that whether you and I can get our heads around it or not, gangs provide a sense of belonging. A sense of whānau.
And we can choose to reject that or cover our ears and ignore it. Because you, like me, probably don’t have any time for gangs. But that’s reality.
We go on all the time about politicians not being in touch with reality.
So what’s so bad about politicians getting more in tune with the realities of gang life?
LISTEN ABOVE

John MacDonald: Politicians and gangs have hung out before

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/a19306fc-5b4b-4085-9f1c-b4e30184fd25/transcript

Qiulae Wong’s night couldn’t have gone better last night.

Just before the Opportunity leader joined the other leaders for the minor parties TV debate, a new poll came out putting her party well and truly in the position of kingmaker.

According to the 1News-Verian poll, Opportunity is sitting on 8 percent - which equates to 10 MPs in Parliament.

And, not just that, the parties on the left and the right would need it to form a coalition government. A great start to the night for her.

But it was just the start. Because, an hour later, she lined up with the leaders of ACT, Te Pāti Māori, NZ First and the Greens. And, right from the get-go, she owned it. And Opportunity is pretty much on its way to Parliament.

Because, if people are happy to assume that ACT and NZ First will be there on the basis of their current polling, then the same for Opportunity.

In last night’s poll, ACT and NZ First were both on 10 percent. Opportunity was sneaking-up behind them on 8 percent.

A result that I think will seal-in those voters who might have been thinking about voting for Opportunity, but were a bit spooked that their vote might have been wasted if they didn’t reach the 5 percent mark.

That poll result and Qiulae Wong’s performance last night sealed the deal.

I thought she was a brilliant contrast to the Greens’ Chloe Swarbrick and demonstrated exactly why someone who might have previously voted for the Greens could or would vote for Opportunity.

Chloe declared that the Greens are out to change the Government because of the “massive attacks” it has inflicted on people over the past three years. The Opportunity leader said: “Imagine how many of those egregious things the Greens could have stopped if they were willing to work with National.”

Boom!

I thought she stood her ground brilliantly with Winston Peters, too.

Saying again that there’s no way she will serve in a government with him as Foreign Minister. Because of his racist comments to Chinese-born Green MP Lawrence Xu-Nan.

My hunch is that, even though Christopher Luxon has ruled out working with them, Opportunity’s preference would be to form a government with National.

Because, if it went with Labour, that would confirm to the doubters that it’s a left-wing party and not as open-minded as it says it is.

And, let’s face it, on those poll numbers last night, we know that Christopher Luxon won’t be ruling out working with Opportunity come election night.

He, like the rest of us, needs to take Opportunity seriously. Because its time has come.

LISTEN ABOVE

Qiulae Wong’s night couldn’t have gone better last night.
Just before the Opportunity leader joined the other leaders for the minor parties TV debate, a new poll came out putting her party well and truly in the position of kingmaker.
According to the 1News-Verian poll, Opportunity is sitting on 8 percent - which equates to 10 MPs in Parliament.
And, not just that, the parties on the left and the right would need it to form a coalition government. A great start to the night for her.
But it was just the start. Because, an hour later, she lined up with the leaders of ACT, Te Pāti Māori, NZ First and the Greens. And, right from the get-go, she owned it. And Opportunity is pretty much on its way to Parliament.
Because, if people are happy to assume that ACT and NZ First will be there on the basis of their current polling, then the same for Opportunity.
In last night’s poll, ACT and NZ First were both on 10 percent. Opportunity was sneaking-up behind them on 8 percent.
A result that I think will seal-in those voters who might have been thinking about voting for Opportunity, but were a bit spooked that their vote might have been wasted if they didn’t reach the 5 percent mark.
That poll result and Qiulae Wong’s performance last night sealed the deal.
I thought she was a brilliant contrast to the Greens’ Chloe Swarbrick and demonstrated exactly why someone who might have previously voted for the Greens could or would vote for Opportunity.
Chloe declared that the Greens are out to change the Government because of the “massive attacks” it has inflicted on people over the past three years. The Opportunity leader said: “Imagine how many of those egregious things the Greens could have stopped if they were willing to work with National.”
Boom!
I thought she stood her ground brilliantly with Winston Peters, too.
Saying again that there’s no way she will serve in a government with him as Foreign Minister. Because of his racist comments to Chinese-born Green MP Lawrence Xu-Nan.
My hunch is that, even though Christopher Luxon has ruled out working with them, Opportunity’s preference would be to form a government with National.
Because, if it went with Labour, that would confirm to the doubters that it’s a left-wing party and not as open-minded as it says it is.
And, let’s face it, on those poll numbers last night, we know that Christopher Luxon won’t be ruling out working with Opportunity come election night.
He, like the rest of us, needs to take Opportunity seriously. Because its time has come.
LISTEN ABOVE

John MacDonald: Opportunity's time has come

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/961efcf5-5443-4784-8881-b4e300004c08/transcript

I thought the tax cuts we got after the last election were a complete waste of time.

And I suspect that, by now, most people feel the same.

Which is why I am in no way excited about this talk from National about possibly further cuts. At some stage.

When the party released its fiscal plan for the election yesterday, finance spokesperson Nicola Willis opened the door a little bit. Hinting at further tax cuts once the books are back in surplus.

Saying: “National is the party of low tax”. Adding that the tax changes after the last election were the first in 14 years.

But she said first priority is getting the Government books back into the black so future generations aren’t lumbered with more debt.

The thing is, though, what would you rather?

Would you rather get another miserly tax cut? Or would you like to see the money spent differently or, even, more wisely?

I’m in the “spend the money more wisely” camp. So I don’t give two hoots about tax cuts. But I do give two hoots about some of the way my tax dollars are spent.

I’ve got five examples. In no particular order.

Money blown on infrastructure projects that go nowhere. Labour excelled on that front with the $50 million it poured into the Auckland Harbour Bridge bike lane project. All that money and nothing to show for it.

Untargetted government subsidies. Example: the fuel subsidies. We know they’re going to people who don’t actually need them.

MP perks. I think we can agree that they’re way too generous. For example, being paid $1,000-a-week to stay in Wellington at a property they own themselves.

How much of our money goes into paying off government debt. We have no choice on that front - we have to pay it off, with interest. The interest alone is $27 million-a-day.

And, this is small-fry compared to the others, but it still shows how Wellington throws taxpayer money around. It’s the $150,000 blown on the Government’s farcical road cone hotline. It achieved nothing. Money down the drain.

So, for me, less of the wasteful spending is far more important than giving me a tax cut.

LISTEN ABOVE

I thought the tax cuts we got after the last election were a complete waste of time.
And I suspect that, by now, most people feel the same.
Which is why I am in no way excited about this talk from National about possibly further cuts. At some stage.
When the party released its fiscal plan for the election yesterday, finance spokesperson Nicola Willis opened the door a little bit. Hinting at further tax cuts once the books are back in surplus.
Saying: “National is the party of low tax”. Adding that the tax changes after the last election were the first in 14 years.
But she said first priority is getting the Government books back into the black so future generations aren’t lumbered with more debt.
The thing is, though, what would you rather?
Would you rather get another miserly tax cut? Or would you like to see the money spent differently or, even, more wisely?
I’m in the “spend the money more wisely” camp. So I don’t give two hoots about tax cuts. But I do give two hoots about some of the way my tax dollars are spent.
I’ve got five examples. In no particular order.
Money blown on infrastructure projects that go nowhere. Labour excelled on that front with the $50 million it poured into the Auckland Harbour Bridge bike lane project. All that money and nothing to show for it.
Untargetted government subsidies. Example: the fuel subsidies. We know they’re going to people who don’t actually need them.
MP perks. I think we can agree that they’re way too generous. For example, being paid $1,000-a-week to stay in Wellington at a property they own themselves.
How much of our money goes into paying off government debt. We have no choice on that front - we have to pay it off, with interest. The interest alone is $27 million-a-day.
And, this is small-fry compared to the others, but it still shows how Wellington throws taxpayer money around. It’s the $150,000 blown on the Government’s farcical road cone hotline. It achieved nothing. Money down the drain.
So, for me, less of the wasteful spending is far more important than giving me a tax cut.
LISTEN ABOVE

John MacDonald: Don't give me a tax cut. Do this instead.

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/9917c94d-78f3-47be-b544-b4e101836662/transcript

Election 2026: Matt Doocey and Dan Rosewarne make their pitch to be the MP for Waimakariri

Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald

In 1 playlist(s)

Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips