Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Do Labour's complaints about early voting stand up to scrutiny?
Election 2026Show Notes
Okay, you want to know what a party sounds like when it's preparing to lose an election? Check out Labour. They've started to ramp up their complaints about so-called voter suppression. Now, to be fair, this is not a new complaint. It's been going on all campaign. It goes back more than a year. But it really went up a level with Ayesha Verrall complaining that the first day of voting would fall on a public holiday and that "it's all adding up". Then, a former Labour Party staffer who worked in the Beehive and now writes a column for the Sunday Star-Times published one with the headline: "The disturbing sense this year's election might be illegitimate", citing a range of concerns, including the overhang strategy. And then Trevor Mallard, who we know is tailing Chippy this election to make sure he sits up straight and, you know, gives Mike Hosking a bit of aggro, tried to vote at the same place in Wainuiomata where he voted for the past 19 years. When it wasn't open, he told the media: "It is looking like the voter suppression you expect from Trump, or in India or Hungary, not here in Aotearoa." Now, I think it's fair enough for the Labour Party to complain about National's decision to cut off early enrolment because that was always going to reduce the vote on the left. Young people, who tend to vote left, also tend to leave things to the last minute and were probably going to get caught out by it. And the decision hasn't actually stood up to scrutiny. But it is one thing to complain about that, and it is quite another to cobble together all these other complaints about a public holiday and an overhang strategy that National itself is trying to stop. That looks a lot like making excuses in advance for why they're going to lose the 2026 election. Which is a little dangerous if it risks undermining public confidence in the system at a time when confidence in institutions is already waning. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
More from Election 2026
The gap between the two major parties has narrowed again, leaving people speculating about how the election could go. According to the latest 1News-Verian poll, National has dropped to 29 points and Labour is holding steady on 27. Meanwhile, the Greens have dropped to 15, ACT is on 12, NZ First has gone up to 10 and Opportunity has fallen to 6. The Country's Jamie Mackay unpacked the results further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
National, ACT and New Zealand First have moved closer to securing a coalition for a second term in power without needing Opportunity's help. In the latest 1News-Verian poll, National has dropped three points to 29, while Labour remains steady on 27. ACT's up one point to 12, while New Zealand First climbed two to 10. With voting starting up this week, National's Nicola Willis says these results are still too close to call. "I'd like to see our party vote higher - as you can see, it is very, very close. The polls have been bouncing around a bit." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Sensible Sentencing Trust has temporarily taken down digital billboards displaying the leaders of the Green and Labour parties with the line - 'Backing the Gangs'. Greens, Labour and Te Pāti Māori candidates have met with gang members during the campaign, with the Labour candidate resigning in the fallout. The Greens have lodged a complaint with the Advertising Standards Authority over the billboards. The trust's spokesperson Louise Parsons says they'll be put back up tomorrow without images of the party leaders. "They're the ones that started this, they're the ones that plastered their faces over the place with gang members - and so now they're upset by something that we've done." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Labour wants to help state tenants to get a foot on the property ladder. It's proposing a rent-to-buy scheme, with Kainga Ora putting aside $100 rent a week, working up to a deposit. The party would also lift the income cap for five percent deposits, to $300,000, making more buyers eligible. Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty says getting these renters out of the 'poverty trap' will benefit the whole country. "The announcement today to expand the 5 percent deposit and also have a scheme to actually get Kainga Ora tenants out of state housing, out of the poverty trap and into home ownership, I think is something that will benefit the whole country." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Every week until the election The Front Bench will take on the biggest talking points of the election campaign. Heather du Plessis-Allan, Newstalk ZB Senior Political Correspondent Barry Soper, Sherson Willis' Trish Sherson and Childfund CEO Josie Pagani have the insight and analysis as the campaign rolls on. This week on The Front Bench, Heather asks her panel whether the claims of Donald Trump style voter suppression hold any weight. They talk the Kerrin Leoni resignation and whether the scandal has sunk the left's chance of an election victory. And with less than two weeks to go - the panel talk the electorate seats to watch. Whether it’s cost of living, education, curbing the rise of crime or how to get the teens off vaping, The Front Bench will examine the issues that Kiwis are talking about ahead of voting day. Listen live every Monday at 4pm on Newstalk ZB and follow the podcast on iHeartRadio. LISTEN ABOVE OR WATCH BELOW See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.