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There's a view the National Party has strong reasons to oppose efforts to create an overhang.  Te Pati Māori, ACT and New Zealand First are advocating for a split vote approach to increase their preferred bloc's vote share.  National Leader Chris Luxon is telling people to give both their party and electorate vote to the party.  Former United Future Leader and political commentator Peter Dunne, says he'll be worried about having less power in a coalition.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National's unveiled a 26 point plan for its first 100 days if re-elected. The first pledge will be introducing KiwiSaver changes to parliament, including $15,000 for every newborn, and making the scheme compulsory. Other promises include cutting student loan repayments, extending paid parental leave, boosting Pharmac funding for cancer medicines and capping council rates increases. Nicola Willis says the party's been campaigning hard on these issues and voters should know what to expect. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Opportunity is moving to try and end the cycle of short-term political thinking. The party is pledging to establish a Future Generations Commissioner - appointed through Parliament for five years, to hold Governments and public bodies accountable for the long-term consequences of their decisions. Leader Qiulae Wong says they've followed international modelling - and New Zealand needs to think more about the long-term. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The National Party's announced that, if re-elected, they will make it a criminal offence to withhold information from Police when a child aged 12 or under has been killed and adults were present. National's Justice Spokesperson Paul Goldsmith says the change is aimed at cases where people refuse to speak to police, preventing those responsible from being brought to justice. The proposed offence would carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, but it also raises a question about how our right to silence can be tossed, and the risk of unintended consequences. Chief Victims Advisor Ruth Money joins Tim Beveridge to discuss what this proposal means... LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Labour Party's announced plans to get kids off screens - and get them back to being kids - with better access to after-school activities, placing healthier boundaries between children and their devices, and boosting online safety measures for children. The party says too many childhood are being spent on screens, with sport, hobbies and other activities being out of reach for many families. So they'll work with experts, educators, and young people to strike the right balance. Labour's Education Spokesperson Ginny Andersen unpacks the plan with Tim Beveridge... LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Green Party's announced a jobs guarantee programme for young people who've been out of work for 6 months, with unemployment at an 11-year high, and three times worse for younger people. The party says the country's infrastructure and nature need maintenance and care, but community services are short of the people needed - so they plan to give those roles to younger people. The policy aims to bring work to 32,000 young people, by scaling up funding for all councils. Party Co-Leader Marama Davidson speaks to Tim Beveridge to explain how it work... LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ACT's released their fiscal plan if re-elected, and it's focused on cutting wasteful spending across sectors, and reduce debt by $12.4 billion dollars. The party's budget focuses on hard issues like superannuation, and bureaucracy, while proposing no new taxes and a quicker return to surplus. The party says Government spend is up 20 percent since 2017 across most sectors, and less debt lets us better respond to economic crisis and natural disasters. ACT Party Leader David Seymour talks to Tim Beveridge to unpack their plan... LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ACT's election campaign's kicked off today, and the party's focused on two things: cut red-tape to unlock the country's potential, and lock Labour out. As part of their ambitions, the party wants to remove tax on Kiwisaver earnings, and scrutinise the bureaucracy in many sectors. ACT Party Candidate Paul Henry joins Tim Beveridge to speak about why the Party's going so hard on Labour... LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're about a month away until Election Day, so policy announcemens and party promises are ramping up. The Greeens today have launched their transport plan to combat fossil fuel use, and ease congestion. The Greens will cap bus and train fares at $2 for adults, and free for children, students, community service card holders, and total mobility users. They also plan to build rapid bus and light rail, boost inter-regional travle, and pedestrianises more inner-city areas. Green Party Transport Spokesperson Julie Anne Genter speaks with Tim Beveridge to unpack the policy... LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour has launched their bid for election today, and they've pledged to cut student debt if they get elected. The party is promising to cull debt by 10 percent for students who finished study, but didn't benefit from Fees Free on April 1st.   Labour campaign chair Kieran McAnulty explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National's putting the boot into Labour on tax, as it formally launches its bid for re-election. The party's vying for another term in Government with a message of 'no new taxes' as party faithful gathered in Auckland today. Campaign chair Simeon Brown joined The Weekend Collective to outline the party's strategy. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National says if they're re-elected, they'll end screen and individual-device use in ECE, tightly limit screen time in Years 1 to 3, and introduce age-appropriate limits for older primary students. They say they'll introduce a School Start Check at ECE before children transition to primary school, introduce clearer developmental milestones throughout ECE and report this progress to parents. This will supposedly identify areas where children may need additional support and address that through the Early Intervention Service. National Party Spokesperson for Education, Erica Stanford talks to Tim Beveridge about why they're aiming for these changes. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It seems everyone has an idea for supermarket reform  The Greens have proposed a publicly-owned "KiwiMart", National's proposed separating Foodstuffs ie Pak'nSave and New World into separate retailers. Today, Labour's proposed Woolworths and Foodstuffs to run their wholesale supply independently from their retail stores - they want to grant Kiwi grocers the right to buy their stock from any wholesaler - free small grocers from their restraints of trade, like anti-competitive arrangements - and ban junk fees charged to suppliers.  But what do those changes mean, and why is it better than what other parties are offering? Party Leader Chris Hipkins talks to Tim Beveridge to discuss their plans LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National's promising a dedicated Auckland Transport police team to compliment the newly opened City Rail Link, if re-elected.  It's pledging an additional $7 million per year through Budget 2027, to recruit 50 sworn officers for this role.  Police Minister Mark Mitchell joined the Weekend Collective to explain that more people will be commuting through the city centre, and safety measures need to be boosted.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National is promising to expand access to the 5 percent first home loan scheme.  If elected it says it will increase the income cap for eligibility so more people can access the scheme.  Singles and group buyers would be able to get it if they make $300,000 a year or less.  National Party Housing spokesperson Chris Bishop explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.