A decision around extending political terms from three years to four may be put to voters in the next election.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says the Government may put the matter to referendum in 2026.

Luxon expressed confidence there is support for a four-year term across the House.

University of Otago New Zealand Politics PhD candidate Michael Swanson tells Kerre Woodham a four-year term could change voter behaviour from keeping the current government in power to allow them time to implement their policies.

The state of the opposition’s readiness to govern should be constant, so that when new parties are voted in there is no warm-up period whilst in power.

LISTEN ABOVE

A decision around extending political terms from three years to four may be put to voters in the next election. 
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says the Government may put the matter to referendum in 2026. 
Luxon expressed confidence there is support for a four-year term across the House. 
University of Otago New Zealand Politics PhD candidate Michael Swanson tells Kerre Woodham a four-year term could change voter behaviour from keeping the current government in power to allow them time to implement their policies. 
The state of the opposition’s readiness to govern should be constant, so that when new parties are voted in there is no warm-up period whilst in power. 
LISTEN ABOVE

Join Kerre Woodham one of New Zealand’s best loved personalities as she dishes up a bold, sharp and energetic show Monday to Friday 9am-12md on Newstalk ZB. News, opinion, analysis, lifestyle and entertainment – we’ve got your morning listening covered.

Kerre Woodham Mornings Podcast

Michael Swanson: University of Otago New Zealand Politics PhD candidate on potential for four year terms in Parliament to be put to referendum

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/be0f15f5-4b27-4c0f-b04f-b1f3017f0920/transcript

We’ve got roads, we’ve got mines, we’ve got housing developments, we’ve got 22 renewable energy projects, we’ve got aquaculture farms, we’ve got a roof for Eden Park, you name it, it’s there and it's happening in a town near you, because projects are spread right across the country. And these are the first 149 projects selected by the government to be included in its Fast-track Approvals legislation.

When we say fast-track, a group advised the ministers in charge of the process, who deemed these 149 to have the most significant benefits out of the nearly 400 that applied.

Now they've been selected, they'll be listed in the legislation when it's reported back from the Environment Select Committee this month, then, once the legislation passes as it's expected to, the project developers can apply through the Environmental Protection Agency to have an expert panel assess their projects and apply any relevant conditions.

So fast-track in a bureaucratic kind of governmental kind of away. They've also got to find the money to fund the projects somewhere along the line as well — just because they've been listed doesn't mean a magic pot of money has appeared to fund these projects.

Many of them are from private contractors. Some of them are in Crown private partnerships, so they will have to find the money somewhere along the line.

So when we say Fast-tracking, they're not going to happen tomorrow. Typically, there have been naysayers, Forest and Bird say it's a dark day for democracy. The Greens go further - the Government's fast track list is another example of its reckless approach to the environment and disregard for due process, and the government is set to unleash environmental destruction across Aotearoa.

Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop on the Mike Hosking Breakfast, said if we want progress, we need to make it easier to build things: 

“Look, there are Luddites out there who don't want progress, but I think most reasonable New Zealanders accept that if we want a standard of living that is better than what we have now, if we want material comforts that other countries have that we don't have, if we want better healthcare, better education services, if we want a better standard of living and we want a more prosperous economy, we have to build things. You know, quarries are an important part of a modern-day economy, public transport and roads connect us to where we need to go, renewable energy is something - we've got an energy shortage right now, you know, we need more power in this country and we have a housing crisis so we need thousands more houses, and we have an infrastructure deficit that I think everyone knows about. So the only way to address those things is to get on and build stuff that addresses all of those deficits. And that requires fundamental planning reform. It's just too difficult to do things in this country. And I think most reasonable people actually know that. And that's why we have Fast-track and that's why we're cracking on with it.” 

Like. Yes, what he said.

Chris Bishop was kind of "how do people think things are going to happen"? We want a lifestyle we simply cannot afford. Every snail is sacred in this country and needs investment and protection, but you can't do that unless we are fundamentally viable as a country. We need to make things happen, he's quite right.

It's that ‘holier than thou’ kind of approach that you know no centimetre of land must be mined in this country, but other people can do it. Bugger the orangutan, let's save our snails. Forget about the little kids going down the mines in other countries, let's protect our own people and our own land.

It's got to come from somewhere, and if we can be self-sufficient, why would we not be? If we can do it economically, if we can do it viably, if we can do it in a way that ensures that we have continuity of supply.

He says we've got a housing crisis, so let's build houses, in a fundamental way, not pie in the sky let's build 100,000, where are they going to come from? Oh, I don't know. There is a plan. We have an energy supply crisis so let's build more. Yep, there's a thought and let's do it now rather than have a 10/15/20 year consenting process. You could hear the incredulity in his voice.

Like, where do these people think it's going to come from unless we get cracking? I'm kind of with him. How on earth do we think we are going to survive and thrive as a country without building stuff? And it's not all mines.

It's not well, as the Greens say it's just a Trojan horse, isn't it? They're putting in a few renewables (that would be 22), so they can get the mining underway. Well somebody has to mine. If we don't do it, we buy it from somewhere else, is that so much better?

I hate that aspect of the Greens holier-than-thou stance. We don't do it. Yeah, but we buy it from somewhere else. Let's get cracking. I mean, when we say fast-track too, as I outlined, it’s not going to be at the speed of light, let's face it. There is still a process to go through. There will still be curbs put on what developers can do, they still have to find the money. But at least it's a start, isn't it?

And at least there's a fundamental understanding on the part of government that things have to be done in this country, not pie-in-the-sky projects, not dream-time projects but actual real stuff. There's a plan. There's a process. Let's get on with it. 

We’ve got roads, we’ve got mines, we’ve got housing developments, we’ve got 22 renewable energy projects, we’ve got aquaculture farms, we’ve got a roof for Eden Park, you name it, it’s there and it's happening in a town near you, because projects are spread right across the country. And these are the first 149 projects selected by the government to be included in its Fast-track Approvals legislation.
When we say fast-track, a group advised the ministers in charge of the process, who deemed these 149 to have the most significant benefits out of the nearly 400 that applied.
Now they've been selected, they'll be listed in the legislation when it's reported back from the Environment Select Committee this month, then, once the legislation passes as it's expected to, the project developers can apply through the Environmental Protection Agency to have an expert panel assess their projects and apply any relevant conditions.
So fast-track in a bureaucratic kind of governmental kind of away. They've also got to find the money to fund the projects somewhere along the line as well — just because they've been listed doesn't mean a magic pot of money has appeared to fund these projects.
Many of them are from private contractors. Some of them are in Crown private partnerships, so they will have to find the money somewhere along the line.
So when we say Fast-tracking, they're not going to happen tomorrow. Typically, there have been naysayers, Forest and Bird say it's a dark day for democracy. The Greens go further - the Government's fast track list is another example of its reckless approach to the environment and disregard for due process, and the government is set to unleash environmental destruction across Aotearoa.
Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop on the Mike Hosking Breakfast, said if we want progress, we need to make it easier to build things:&nbsp;
“Look, there are Luddites out there who don't want progress, but I think most reasonable New Zealanders accept that if we want a standard of living that is better than what we have now, if we want material comforts that other countries have that we don't have, if we want better healthcare, better education services, if we want a better standard of living and we want a more prosperous economy, we have to build things. You know, quarries are an important part of a modern-day economy, public transport and roads connect us to where we need to go, renewable energy is something - we've got an energy shortage right now, you know, we need more power in this country and we have a housing crisis so we need thousands more houses, and we have an infrastructure deficit that I think everyone knows about. So the only way to address those things is to get on and build stuff that addresses all of those deficits. And that requires fundamental planning reform. It's just too difficult to do things in this country. And I think most reasonable people actually know that. And that's why we have Fast-track and that's why we're cracking on with it.”&nbsp;
Like. Yes, what he said.
Chris Bishop was kind of "how do people think things are going to happen"? We want a lifestyle we simply cannot afford. Every snail is sacred in this country and needs investment and protection, but you can't do that unless we are fundamentally viable as a country. We need to make things happen, he's quite right.
It's that ‘holier than thou’ kind of approach that you know no centimetre of land must be mined in this country, but other people can do it. Bugger the orangutan, let's save our snails. Forget about the little kids going down the mines in other countries, let's protect our own people and our own land.
It's got to come from somewhere, and if we can be self-sufficient, why would we not be? If we can do it economically, if we can do it viably, if we can do it in a way that ensures that we have continuity of supply.
He says we've got a housing crisis, so let's build houses, in a fundamental way, not pie in the sky let's build 100,000, where are they going to come from? Oh, I don't know. There is a plan. We have an energy supply crisis so let's build more. Yep, there's a thought and let's do it now rather than have a 10/15/20 year consenting process. You could hear the incredulity in his voice.
Like, where do these people think it's going to come from unless we get cracking? I'm kind of with him. How on earth do we think we are going to survive and thrive as a country without building stuff? And it's not all mines.
It's not well, as the Greens say it's just a Trojan horse, isn't it? They're putting in a few renewables (that would be 22), so they can get the mining underway. Well somebody has to mine. If we don't do it, we buy it from somewhere else, is that so much better?
I hate that aspect of the Greens holier-than-thou stance. We don't do it. Yeah, but we buy it from somewhere else. Let's get cracking. I mean, when we say fast-track too, as I outlined, it’s not going to be at the speed of light, let's face it. There is still a process to go through. There will still be curbs put on what developers can do, they still have to find the money. But at least it's a start, isn't it?
And at least there's a fundamental understanding on the part of government that things have to be done in this country, not pie-in-the-sky projects, not dream-time projects but actual real stuff. There's a plan. There's a process. Let's get on with it.&nbsp;

Kerre Woodham: If we want progess, we need to make it easier to get things built

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/0f1d709b-c864-46a2-a627-b20101867cc7/transcript

Real estate agents are among the businesses feeling more upbeat. 

The Herald's latest Mood of the Boardroom survey shows that business owners are more optimistic than pessimistic about their industries, as well as the local and global economy. 

Optimism varies across the different sectors, with the real estate industry topped the list with an average score of 4.33/5, a substantial jump from last year’s 2.60/5. 

Barfoot & Thompson managing director Peter Thompson told Kerre Woodham that what businesses needed was good news, and that’s what came out of today’s conference. 

He said that they’re already starting to see people come back to their auction rooms, and looking back at the last few months, they’ve seen a big uplift in the number of listings on the market and sales being made. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

Real estate agents are among the businesses feeling more upbeat.&nbsp;
The Herald's latest Mood of the Boardroom survey shows that business owners are more optimistic than pessimistic about their industries, as well as the local and global economy.&nbsp;
Optimism varies across the different sectors, with the real estate industry topped the list with an average score of 4.33/5, a substantial jump from last year’s 2.60/5.&nbsp;
Barfoot &amp; Thompson managing director Peter Thompson told Kerre Woodham that what businesses needed was good news, and that’s what came out of today’s conference.&nbsp;
He said that they’re already starting to see people come back to their auction rooms, and looking back at the last few months, they’ve seen a big uplift in the number of listings on the market and sales being made.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE&nbsp;

Peter Thompson: Barfoot & Thompson Managing Director on the growing confidence and optimism of the sector

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/2061330d-2e8c-4e5a-ab1f-b1fe00020043/transcript

There was a headline in The Post: ‘Scathing survey results from teachers on NCEA level 1 roll out’. That was the headline. The story goes on: “A survey of teachers saw the vast majority indicate that the NCEA standards are poorly designed, changes have increased workloads, there's insufficient support from NZQA NCEA, and the provided exemplars often don't align with assessment specifications.”  

So legitimate concerns. Teachers have been dealing with massive changes of curriculum and it's no wonder that many of them have thrown in the towel. In fact, it's a wonder more of them haven't thrown in the towel. So, this government, the clear implication is, has stuffed up right? Scathing survey results from teachers on NCEA Level 1 rollout. That's very, very clear in the headline that the teachers are furious with this government, that is what the story implies. Education Minister Erica Stanford was on this morning talking to Heather du Plessis-Allan and she said no, the fault lies with the previous administration.  

“I get on very, very well with Chris Abercrombie and the PPTA. And to be fair to them, technically the grumblings that they're having at the moment is not with the curriculum, because there is no curriculum, it's with the NCEA changes to Level 1, and that is aimed at the previous government, and I agree wholeheartedly with them.  

“When I came into office last year I saw some results that showed that well over half of schools felt not prepared or only somewhat prepared for next year's Level 1. This is in November I saw this. And then I started fielding calls from principals and teachers saying we don't know what to teach next year because there are no subject learning outcomes, we don't have any exemplars.  

“So we had six weeks to scramble with the Subject Associations to write subject learning outcomes over Christmas — Associations did an amazing job— and push NZQA to get those exemplars ready, that weren't going to be ready till May. This was a disastrous rollout by the previous government of NCEA Level 1.” 

Who do we believe? I mean, there were massive changes to the curriculum under the previous administration, absolutely massive, and I do not blame teachers for being fed up. The coalition government said we are going to correct a lot of those changes, the curriculum that was being rolled out is going to be drawn back in and we're going to rewrite it and get back to the basics.  

There was very little guidance or support over the last six years, despite the huge numbers employed by the Ministry of Education. Remember the number of teachers employed by state schools rose by just over 5% from 2017 to 2022. In that same period, the number of full-time staff employed at the Ministry of Education rose by 55%. So the number of teachers actually at the coalface rose by 5%, the number of full-time staff at the Ministry of Education rose by 55%. There were 1700 more staff at the Ministry of Education than was employed in 2016, so they were undertaking huge projects. There was the building of classrooms, there was the new schools.  

Then there were the changes to the curriculum, and it was a seismic ideological change, incorporating Te ao Māori into mathematics and into science and there was all kinds of debate going on, ideological debate about the relevance. The Royal Academy of Mathematics was, I think, furious. Not just sad, but furious. Te ao Maori has its place they said, in maths? No, no, no. Maths is maths, it's its own language.  

So you have all of these people and the Ministry of Education, each with their own reckon and galloping along on their ideological stallion taking education in one direction. You had consultants up the ying yang, you had ten consulting firms that relied completely and utterly on the Ministry of Education for their funding, while they came up with their own reckons as well, they galloped off on their ideological stallions.  

In came the coalition government who went whoa, come on, Tonto. No, we're pulling you in, come back - herded all the ideological stallions back into the paddock and then said right, we're getting on Dobbin the old cart horse and we're going to trudge along the field, and we're going to plough basic maths, and basic science, and basic English into our kids, this is what they need to learn to get them up the international standards.  

And the teachers, they've been on the galloping horses. They've been going there and here and everywhere, and now they're back wondering what the hell was that? No wonder they need teacher only days. I hope the teacher only days involve lying on couches and having soothing compresses placed on their foreheads because they have been through a lot.  

It's only when you go back and look through the proposed curriculum that was being laid out, especially under Chris Hipkins, as Minister of Education and then when he was Prime Minister, they were extraordinary. And there simply wasn't any underpinning to them to allow the teachers to teach. So, they were given these ideological concepts and very much left to their own devices to come up with their own kind of underpinning to teach it. And now it's all changed again.  

If the teachers are confused, I'm not at all surprised.  I don't know how you make this better and ultimately. You know, and I know that it's the kids who are suffering because it's you and I who are paying for the extra classes after school. Paying through the nose, finding money you don't have to shore up gaps in the knowledge because it's not the teachers. The ideologues are the ones responsible for the mess that education is in. 

There was a headline in The Post: ‘Scathing survey results from teachers on NCEA level 1 roll out’. That was the headline. The story goes on: “A survey of teachers saw the vast majority indicate that the NCEA standards are poorly designed, changes have increased workloads, there's insufficient support from NZQA NCEA, and the provided exemplars often don't align with assessment specifications.” &nbsp;
So legitimate concerns. Teachers have been dealing with massive changes of curriculum and it's no wonder that many of them have thrown in the towel. In fact, it's a wonder more of them haven't thrown in the towel. So, this government, the clear implication is, has stuffed up right? Scathing survey results from teachers on NCEA Level 1 rollout. That's very, very clear in the headline that the teachers are furious with this government, that is what the story implies. Education Minister Erica Stanford was on this morning talking to Heather du Plessis-Allan and she said no, the fault lies with the previous administration. &nbsp;
“I get on very, very well with Chris Abercrombie and the PPTA. And to be fair to them, technically the grumblings that they're having at the moment is not with the curriculum, because there is no curriculum, it's with the NCEA changes to Level 1, and that is aimed at the previous government, and I agree wholeheartedly with them. &nbsp;
“When I came into office last year I saw some results that showed that well over half of schools felt not prepared or only somewhat prepared for next year's Level 1. This is in November I saw this. And then I started fielding calls from principals and teachers saying we don't know what to teach next year because there are no subject learning outcomes, we don't have any exemplars. &nbsp;
“So we had six weeks to scramble with the Subject Associations to write subject learning outcomes over Christmas — Associations did an amazing job— and push NZQA to get those exemplars ready, that weren't going to be ready till May. This was a disastrous rollout by the previous government of NCEA Level 1.”&nbsp;
Who do we believe? I mean, there were massive changes to the curriculum under the previous administration, absolutely massive, and I do not blame teachers for being fed up. The coalition government said we are going to correct a lot of those changes, the curriculum that was being rolled out is going to be drawn back in and we're going to rewrite it and get back to the basics. &nbsp;
There was very little guidance or support over the last six years, despite the huge numbers employed by the Ministry of Education. Remember the number of teachers employed by state schools rose by just over 5% from 2017 to 2022. In that same period, the number of full-time staff employed at the Ministry of Education rose by 55%. So the number of teachers actually at the coalface rose by 5%, the number of full-time staff at the Ministry of Education rose by 55%. There were 1700 more staff at the Ministry of Education than was employed in 2016, so they were undertaking huge projects. There was the building of classrooms, there was the new schools. &nbsp;
Then there were the changes to the curriculum, and it was a seismic ideological change, incorporating Te ao Māori into mathematics and into science and there was all kinds of debate going on, ideological debate about the relevance. The Royal Academy of Mathematics was, I think, furious. Not just sad, but furious. Te ao Maori has its place they said, in maths? No, no, no. Maths is maths, it's its own language. &nbsp;
So you have all of these people and the Ministry of Education, each with their own reckon and galloping along on their ideological stallion taking education in one direction. You had consultants up the ying yang, you had ten consulting firms that relied completely and utterly on the Ministry of Education for their funding, while they came up with their own reckons as well, they galloped off on their ideological stallions. &nbsp;
In came the coalition government who went whoa, come on, Tonto. No, we're pulling you in, come back - herded all the ideological stallions back into the paddock and then said right, we're getting on Dobbin the old cart horse and we're going to trudge along the field, and we're going to plough basic maths, and basic science, and basic English into our kids, this is what they need to learn to get them up the international standards. &nbsp;
And the teachers, they've been on the galloping horses. They've been going there and here and everywhere, and now they're back wondering what the hell was that? No wonder they need teacher only days. I hope the teacher only days involve lying on couches and having soothing compresses placed on their foreheads because they have been through a lot. &nbsp;
It's only when you go back and look through the proposed curriculum that was being laid out, especially under Chris Hipkins, as Minister of Education and then when he was Prime Minister, they were extraordinary. And there simply wasn't any underpinning to them to allow the teachers to teach. So, they were given these ideological concepts and very much left to their own devices to come up with their own kind of underpinning to teach it. And now it's all changed again. &nbsp;
If the teachers are confused, I'm not at all surprised. &nbsp;I don't know how you make this better and ultimately. You know, and I know that it's the kids who are suffering because it's you and I who are paying for the extra classes after school. Paying through the nose, finding money you don't have to shore up gaps in the knowledge because it's not the teachers. The ideologues are the ones responsible for the mess that education is in.&nbsp;

Kerre Woodham: The ideologues are responsible for the education mess

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/c8a9a5d3-0f83-43c8-b3db-b1fd0002be48/transcript

Michael Swanson: University of Otago New Zealand Politics PhD candidate on potential for four year terms in Parliament to be put to referendum

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