John MacDonald: We should be shouting from the rooftops about solar

Isn’t it amazing that, after all the time spent wringing our hands over the price of electricity, we still haven’t bitten the bullet and gone full boar with solar energy? You might have heard Chris Hipkins hinting yesterday that, if Labour forms the next government, solar will be on the agenda. H…

John MacDonald: This could be exactly what the monarchy needs

The arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor tells me several things, one of which is how much the late Queen really dropped the ball on this one. And that’s putting it politely. She was the one who protected him when all the stories started to emerge. She was the one who, apparently, helped him out w…

Politics Friday with Matt Doocey and Megan Woods: Infrastructure, The English language, and Earthquake reflections

National's Matt Doocey and Labour's Megan Woods joined John MacDonald for Politics Friday this week. They covered some of the biggest topics from the week from the Infrastructure Commissions report, NZ First pushing for English to become an official language, and they reflect on the February 2011 …

John MacDonald: Spend more money? Tell him he's dreaming

How do you feel about being told you need to spend more money? That’s what the Reserve Bank’s chief economist wants you to do. As expected, the bank’s governor announced yesterday that there would be no change in the official cash rate because the bank doesn’t want to do anything that could put t…

Bic Runga: Sway singer joins John MacDonald with new music after fifteen years ahead of her homecoming show in March

Bic Runga is back with her first new album in fifteen years. She spoke with John MacDonald about her new album, Red Sunset, and touched on what genres inspired the album. "I'm always inspired by anything from the 60's and 70's especially." She also spoke about her biggest hit Sway, and its everl…

John MacDonald: The Infrastructure Commission is talking my language

One of the problems with politicians is that they often stake their political survival on big infrastructure projects. Which is why we’ve got Waimakariri MP Matt Doocey and Waimakariri mayor Dan Gordon jumping up and down saying like hell, there’ll be no Woodend Bypass. The thing that’s got them …

Chris Hipkins: Labour Leader on Infrastructure Report, Kiwisaver, and NZ Firsts rise in the polls

Chris Hipkins says we need to take the politics out of the Infrastructure Commissions National Infrastructure Plan. The Leader of the Opposition told John MacDonald that he thinks the Commission has done a "really good job" on their recent report, and we need to focus on the basics. "They've poin…

John MacDonald: The rise and rise of NZ First

NZ First is on the up, according to the latest 1News Verian poll. The result out last night had Winston Peters’ party on 10 percent - its highest rating in that particular poll since August 2017. It comes just a few weeks after a Taxpayers’ Union poll ranked NZ First the third most popular party …

John MacDonald: Less government ministers and departments? Easier said than done

Isn’t David Seymour the guy who got himself into government at the last election and then went and set up a new government department? But, despite the irony, I agree with him that we need fewer government departments and fewer Cabinet ministers. Previously, the ACT leader has described the publi…

Politics Friday: Vanessa Weenick and Tracey McLellan on Māori Electorates, Liquid Gas, and more

This week on Politics Friday John MacDonald was joined by National MP for Banks Peninsula Vanessa Weenick, and Labour List MP Tracey McLellan. They covered the latest national and local issues, including NZ First's announcement to campaign on a Māori electorate referendum, whether all events at On…