Front Bench: National Podcast Creates Self-Inflicted Wound With Its $ 4 Billion Hole

Every Monday until the election, The Front Bench will address the main talking points of the election campaign. Heather du Plessis-Allan, Newstalk political editor ZB Barry Soper, former Act Party press secretary Trish Sherson and former Labor Party Minister Chris Carter have the floor and internal analysis.

National has inflicted a critical wound on its campaign with its $ 4 billion mistake in its alternative budget. Labor finance spokesman Grant Robertson torpedoed National’s campaign launch with the disclosure, and National finance spokesman Paul Goldsmith was quick to admit he had made the “irritating mistake.” But how much has this hurt National?

Former Labor Party Minister Chris Carter and Heather du Plessis-Allan engage in a heated debate over Jacinda Ardern’s selfie with a group of people in Palmerston North. Ardern has admitted he made a mistake by ignoring the physical distancing rules, but while Carter believes the issue has been closed with the apology, du Plessis-Allan says it’s a kick in the stomach for business owners.

We got a much clearer picture of the state of New Zealand’s economy last week after the Prefu and GDP figures from last week. GDP fell by almost 13 percent … and Prefu revealed that governments will run deficits for a long time. So who do voters trust to run the economy? And which party has the best plan to boost our economy?

In Auckland Central, Newshub polls over the weekend had Labor’s Helen White at 42%, National’s Emma Mello at 27% and Greens’ Chloe Swarbrick at 24%. Twenty percent remain undecided. Will White enter Parliament in Jacinda Ardern’s coattails? And should Chloe Swarbrick do better to save the Greens?

Shane Jones has admitted that the future of NZ First cannot depend on his winning the Northland seat … and has vowed to take down the Greens in the meantime. The panel debates whether this is a good way to retrieve the NZ First polls.