Podcast: Free to Disagree: Does the Luxon government deserve its poll numbers?
With National polling below 25 per cent just days before the election, is the Luxon government being unfairly punished despite delivering meaningful reforms, or has it failed to tackle the problems that matter most? Oliver and Damien assess the government’s record, from falling crime and the new Planning Act to its failure to address New Zealand’s fiscal challenges, and ask whether Christopher Luxon can overcome his unpopularity to win re-election.
They then debate National’s proposal to limit the right to silence in child homicide cases and what it means for fundamental legal protections. They also examine The New Zealand Initiative’s findings on public servants resisting elected ministers, and what Chris Bishop’s experience with RMA reform reveals about the power of the bureaucracy.