Tim Murphy

NZ PM Christopher Luxon says NZ will support UK Govt if it decides to pursue removal of Andrew from royal line of succession. But NZ not mirroring Australia in sending formal letter agreeing to that.
NZ cabinet officials have spoken with UK Cabinet Office about process.

Big move in the Nielsen online audience ratings:

Stuff (1.96m unique readers) remains No 1 but drops hundreds of thousands to be just 40k higher than NZ Herald (1.92m) in Feb - previously its lead has been 300k plus. A rare time under 2m for Stuff. RNZ on 1.54m, 1News 800k.

2/Muralidhar does say, cryptically, he wants 'to represent the people of Tamaki as part of Chris Luxon's team' but list places might not be easy to get in on given current polling

National picks Mahesh Muralidhar as candidate in former stronghold Tamaki, against Act's Brooke van Velden who won in 2023.
Muralidhar, who stood in Auckland Central last time, makes no mention of winning the seat, just campaigning to lift National's party vote.
Deal done?

Next steps for Parliament: declare that Winston is a citizen, legalise rugby, allow burgers to be made of meat

Foreign Minister Winston Peters lets slip the quiet part out loud, talking in Parliament about support for an international system "with the United States ... United Nations, rather ... at its core"

John Campbell finally joining RNZ Morning Report from Monday April 13.
Lame that it takes 3-4 mths for him to be able to transfer from one publicly owned media (TVNZ) to the other. TVNZ in turn facing a restraint on getting new Breakfast host Tova O'Brien from Stuff.

Some of the detail of the Washington Post newsroom cuts

Deutsche Bank here with the good stuff.
Game on.

I’m calling the Peace Board The United Donations

A big NY Honours list for media types:

- NZ’s most devoted, committed political journalist Richard Michael Arthur Harman ONZM,
- investigative veteran Donna Chisholm,
-retired Herald columnist and editorialist John Roughan and
- former ZB institution Leighton Smith, all MNZM.

Fifth TPU poll in a row with Labour edging National

New Taxpayers Union/Curia poll out:
Labour - 31.6 (-1.7)
National - 30.0 (-0.2)
Greens - 10.8 (+1.6)
Act - 8.9 (+0.3)
NZFirst - 8.3 (-1.0)
TPM - 3.1 (-0.2)

Centre right 61 seats to 59 Centre left

Notable for Greens up, not sinking as in 1News poll

Former rate-capping Clutha Mayor Bryan Cadogan tells RNZ Midday Report that the Govt-imposed rate cap won’t work - wrong policy at the wrong time because of infrastructure demands since his caps.
Says Govt’s set a trap with a ‘one dimensional answer to a complex problem.’

New poll on Labour's capital gains tax, from Horizon:

41 percent in favour (21% strongly)
39 percent opposed (25% strongly)
Those 18-35, and 75 plus more oppose; other age groups more in favour.

In NZ context, Labour would surely view a split result, this early, as a positive

RNZ National's 500k audience puts it back to 3rd among all stations nationwide - from 8th not long ago - Newstalk ZB now 100k ahead on 600k, The Breeze second on 547k

Morning Report's 352k compares with Newstalk's Hosking show at 424k (down 9k) - and at 72k gap closest for ages.

RNZ is having a great finish to its year, with its radio audience up again
-RNZ National topping 500,000 listeners in an average week, up 25,000
- Morning Report up 13k (and 8k in Auckland) to 352k
- Up in Auckland all main shows
- website 1.7m monthly audience - record for RNZ

six separate reactions to hearing that the grand jury didn't see the operative indictment in the Comey case, all variations on "LOL" or "Holy shit" or the like.

when all the lawyers on your timeline go off at once

They really are going with immaculate asymmetry of tariffs, which didn't raise prices when they were imposed but will cut them when they're withdrawn.

RNZ increases its online audience again, to another record in October - nudging 1.7m unique users in the Nielsen survey.
1News - 803k (up 101k)
RNZ - 1.698m (up 30k)
NZH - 1.96m (up 100k)
Stuff - 2.23m (down 70k)

Former Act Party President Tim Jago loses all aspects of his appeal against conviction for historical sexual offending and his sentence of 2.5 years’ jail.

Three judges of Court of Appeal say the imprisonment sentence was “stern” but open to the judge and in accord with law.

Marina Hyde in the Guardian on UK leaders.

Who’d fit these categories in NZ?:

“We either get inadequate chancers (eg Johnson or Liz Truss) or chance inadequates (eg Theresa May, Rishi Sunak or Keir Starmer), all of whom are forever being presented as the next true hope.”

Five Eyes now Three Ayes and Two Noes

Think all is good. Other things he wants to do in retirement!

Lovely moment at the Auckland Council end-of term valedictory speeches when councillor Sharon Stewart paused to pay tribute to Herald chronicler of Auckland Simon Wilson who she announced is also retiring at year’s end.
Wayne Brown: I had no idea Simon was retiring, after three years of training him

Ruth Richardson vs Nicola Willis this morning:

“The Government must stop pretending that the current approach will work. The attacks on me and others who are pointing out the fiscal elephants in the room do Ms Willis, and all New Zealanders, a disservice."

Think some of the minors were down - TOP for example shed a point or more. Not sure how the rest works

Latest Taxpayers Union/Curia poll has left-bloc ahead by one seat and able to govern if election held today.
Act big mover

Lab - 33.8 (up 0.2)
Nats - 33.1 (up 1.2)
Greens - 10.7 (up 0.9)
NZ First - 8.1 (up 0.3)
Act - 6.7 (down 1.9)
TPM - 4.3 (up 1.1).

61 seats left, 60 right

Just radio I think Bill

Morning report's audience nudges up to 338k, (up 5.4k)
but
It fell in what RNZ sees as the all important Auckland market by 3.1k while growing in - wait for it, Wellington.
Morning Report's 338k compares with
Hosking Breakfast on ZB 433k (down 6k)
So, back within the 100k range