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Latest FromBarry Soper

View from the Westpac Rescue Helicopter of White Island. Photo / Auckland Rescue Helictoper Trust

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: White Island was not a police operation

11 Dec, 2019 6:00am
3 minutes to read

Comment: Stuart Nash got one thing right when he was reflecting on the awful events.

Whangarei Heads and Port. Photo / Tania Whyte

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Auckland Port relocation decision could be a coalition breaker

10 Dec, 2019 6:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: NZ First gun is locked and loaded with target fixed, Northport near Whangarei.

It's thought that there are around 400,000 regular cannabis users in this country. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Legalising cannabis another example of Coalition politics

5 Dec, 2019 6:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Referendum comes as something of a risk to Winston Peters' party

Figures were being thrown around like confetti as to how many firearm owners have had their personal details compromised. Photo / NZME

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Master class of what Govt does when it's on ropes

4 Dec, 2019 6:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Those in power look for something that'll get traction.

Jacinda Ardern during annual Labour Party Conference in Whanganui. Photo / Lewis Gardner

NEW ZEALAND

Barry Soper: Bung about to be popped from political pork barrel

3 Dec, 2019 6:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: PM's year of delivery has so far been dogged by failure of big-ticket promises.

The accused’s offending was drunken rather than sexual, the judge said. Photo / Brett Phibbs

NEW ZEALAND

Barry Soper: Justice hasn't failed anyone from Labour Party camp scandal

29 Nov, 2019 6:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Drunkenness isn't usually a defence for anything and neither should it be.

Eugene Sage's solution is to increase the cost of using landfills. Photo / Paul Taylor

NEW ZEALAND

Barry Soper: Why not appoint Shane Jones as Minister of Waste to tackle landfills?

28 Nov, 2019 7:55am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: The Prince of the Provinces has the money to do it: the Provincial Growth Fund.

A Strike Force Raptor specialist anti-motorcycle gang unit with the New South Wales Police force.

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Simon Bridges goes gangbusters, takes 'tough on crime' to new level

27 Nov, 2019 6:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: The gangs are the easy target for politicians.

Green MP Chlöe Swarbrick. Photo / Nick Reed

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Why Chlöe Swarbrick shouldn't be surprised by trolls

26 Nov, 2019 6:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: We've all done it, tracked down the troll.

Jacinda Ardern and Stephen Colbert on the Late Show. Photo / Supplied

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Stephen Colbert gives NZ exposure money can't buy

21 Nov, 2019 6:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Was the PM driving to the airport to pick Colbert up demeaning the office?

Winston Peters should have learned by now that to leave an issue to bubble away eventually leads to a boiling cauldron where control is lost, writes Barry Soper. Photo / Mark Mitchell

NEW ZEALAND

Barry Soper: NZ First and the real problem with political donations

19 Nov, 2019 1:06pm
3 minutes to read

Comment: If politics are about perception, this doesn't look good for NZ First.

Of course there's an imbalance when you own something and someone rents it from you. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Rental law changes won't make life easier for anyone

19 Nov, 2019 6:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Of course there's imbalance when you own something and someone rents it from you.

NZ First Leader Winston Peters. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: When those in media become part of the story

8 Nov, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

Comment: The sort of politics that should have no place in this country.

Shane Jones is on a collision course with Labour over immigration rules.

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Beehive boxing ring - Shane Jones vs Labour

7 Nov, 2019 6:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Jones on a collision course with Labour over immigration rules.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Photo / Nick Reed

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Apec leaders won't get to clink their glasses in Chile

1 Nov, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

Comment: The talkfest has been called off as a result of violent clashes on the streets.

NEW ZEALAND

Barry Soper: National's gang policy? It's just welfare bashing

31 Oct, 2019 6:20am
3 minutes to read

Comment: Gang bashing may sound good, but Donald Trumping the dregs is political posturing

If you have to deal with banks, be prepared. Photo / 123RF

BUSINESS

Soper: Dealing with banks is one of most frustrating things in life

30 Oct, 2019 8:17am
4 minutes to read

COMMENT: Banks bring plenty of criticism on themselves.

NZ First leader Winston Peters. Photo / Boris Jancic

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: 'NZ First Government' delivers with euthanasia bill

25 Oct, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: The whole dynamic of the euthanasia debate has now changed.

Tiwai Pt gets a cut price power deal from Meridian, from the nearby Manapouri hydro plant that's been supplying it for almost 50 years. Photo / Supplied

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Is Rio Tinto calling the Government's bluff?

24 Oct, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Rio Tinto coughs and NZ's power companies catch a $2 billion cold.

Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni during Question Time in Parliament. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Barry Soper: The changing face of Parliament

23 Oct, 2019 12:11am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Progress to accommodate women in politics was slow.

Isis fighter and 'bumbling Jihadi' Mark Taylor has been languishing in a North Syrian prison.

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Better safe than sorry, even for bumbling Kiwi jihadists

17 Oct, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

Where was Iain Lees-Galloway when he was needed?

Trevor Mallard and Simon Bridges. Photos / Mark Mitchell

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Nats flip Mallard the bird over attack ad crackdown

16 Oct, 2019 6:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: National Party has no intention of taking attack ads down - and why should it?

NEW ZEALAND

Barry Soper: Worrying signs for Labour as PM cuts Justin Lester loose

15 Oct, 2019 6:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: If opinion polls are any indication, Labour could be suffering the same fate.

Jacinda Ardern continues to defend Immigration Minister Iain Less-Galloway's handling of the Sroubek debacle.

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Who's running this Govt - the bumblers or the bureaucrats?

10 Oct, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Karel Sroubek case makes you wonder just who is in charge in the Beehive?

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Coalition cardigan starting to unravel

9 Oct, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Coalition Govts are a bit like the Fair Isle cardie mum used to knit for you.

Extinction Rebellion protesters in central Wellington block an intersection. Photo /Georgina Campbell

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Street-blocking climate change activists earn rebuke from PM

8 Oct, 2019 6:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: No matter which way you come down on climate change debate you'll be criticised.

Government wants to see even more electricity retail companies bidding for your business. Photo / Getty Images

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Why your power bills are likely to rise

4 Oct, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

Government wants to see even more electricity retail companies bidding for your business.

US President Donald Trump, right, and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison shake hands after speaking during a joint visit. Photo / AP

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Ardern right to steer clear of Trump-Australia skulduggery

2 Oct, 2019 6:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Handing the good oil on is what you do, the Aussies tell us.

The Prince of the Provinces, Shane Jones, is taking a few days off to study the Cabinet Manual.

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Ardern impotent on NZ First's bad behaviour

1 Oct, 2019 6:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: The Prince of the Provinces is taking a few days off to study the Cabinet Manual.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Photo / UN

Soper: Ardern and Trump - a tale of two very different UN speeches

26 Sep, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Truth is, in the order of things, we're not a power broker,

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was probably diplomatically wise not to raise global warming with Donald Trump.

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Wondering how 'wonderful' PM's Trump meeting really was

25 Sep, 2019 6:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: PM was probably diplomatically wise not to raise global warming with Trump.

Never has a modern-day politician had such a charmed path into leadership.

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Ardern's meteoric rise culminates with Trump 'pull-aside'

24 Sep, 2019 6:00am
2 minutes to read

COMMENT: Never has a modern-day politician had such a charmed path into leadership.

Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters whose word is generally the final one. Photo / Mark Mitchell

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Ihumātao - the lingering migraine for the Beehive

19 Sep, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

It was being touted as a possible Foreshore and Seabed issue for the Government.

From left, Donald Trump, Scott Morrison and Jacinda Ardern. Photos / AP, Mark Mitchell

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Ardern's big meeting trumped by Aussie counterpart

18 Sep, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: King of Australia, as Trump's called him, basking in glory of stars and stripes.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Photo / AP

NEW ZEALAND

Barry Soper: Once bitten twice shy? Not the case for Labour

17 Sep, 2019 7:25am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Prime Minister clearly hopes the matter will be buried for a while.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern with Labour Party president Nigel Haworth. Photo / Greg Bowker

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Sex claims rock Labour - has there been a bigger botch-up?

12 Sep, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: If political capital was cash Labour would now be bankrupt.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Labour Party president Nigel Haworth.

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Labour's handling of sex attack claims beggars belief

11 Sep, 2019 6:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: It beggars belief that this leadership of the Labour Party didn't know something.

The man's employer, Parliamentary Service, apparently continues its secret reopened inquiry. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Cone of silence surrounds stood down Parliament worker

10 Sep, 2019 6:00am
4 minutes to read

Parliamentary Service reopened an inquiry into sexual allegation but is saying nothing.

Winston Peters is out to discover who leaked details of his pension over-payment.

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Revenge fuelling Peters' legal scrap with National

22 Aug, 2019 6:15am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Some MPs live in an indestructible, soundproof bubble - oblivious to reaction.

NZ First leader Winston Peters launched a lawsuit against Paula Bennett on the eve of the last election.

NEW ZEALAND

Winston Peters will settle lawsuit for Paula Bennett's scalp

20 Aug, 2019 5:00pm
3 minutes to read

Peters is suing two ex-National ministers after his pension overpayment was made public.

NEW ZEALAND

Barry Soper: A positive campaign for a change

15 Aug, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Bill English said the details shouldn't have been released.

Protesters sit-in at Hong Kong airport, cancelling all flights for the second day this week. Photo / AP

NEW ZEALAND

Evacuation plan: Will Kiwis in Hong Kong be flown out?

14 Aug, 2019 4:10pm
2 minutes to read

Thousands of Hong Kong residents hold New Zealand passports.

Fonterra has just released its dismal results. Photo / Christine Cornege

BUSINESS

Soper: Shane Jones' harsh words for Fonterra seem justified

14 Aug, 2019 6:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Fonterra's a cash cow for the suits but little more than M bovis for the farmers.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern with Labour Party president Nigel Haworth in 2018. Photo / Greg Bowker

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: 'Process underway' a convenient shield for Labour

13 Aug, 2019 6:00am
2 minutes to read

COMMENT: Thankfully new appeal won't be another navel-gazing exercise.

Justice Minister Andrew Little announcing abortion law will be modernised so it is treated as a health issue rather than a crime. Photo / Mark Mitchell

NEW ZEALAND

Barry Soper: The issue Parliament avoids like the plague

9 Aug, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

Comment: There's been a lot of poppycock talked about abortion over the years.

Getting an answer out of Jacinda Ardern is like getting blood out of a stone. Photo / Mark Mitchell

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Where's the PM's 'transparency' on Labour Party sex scandal?

7 Aug, 2019 6:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Getting an answer out of Jacinda Ardern is like getting blood out of a stone.

Transport Minister Phil Twyford and Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter. Photo / Mark Mitchell

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Taxpayers deserve to know what Genter, Twyford are hiding

6 Aug, 2019 6:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: What influence did Greens have in foiling the $6.4 billion transport plan?

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: It's time we showed some mettle with the Aussies

1 Aug, 2019 6:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: We treat Aussies in this country the way we used to be treated in theirs.

David Seymour has tweaked the bill, limiting euthanasia to those likely to die within six months, according to two doctors.

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: MPs return today to the thorny issue of euthanasia

31 Jul, 2019 6:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Signs of opposition to Act MP David Seymour's End of Life Choice Bill.

The human Gareth Morgan with the cat Gareth Morgan. Photo / Supplied

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Aeroplane anxiety flying with Gareth Morgan the cat

30 Jul, 2019 6:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: The human GM is no doubt relieved that the cat is now just another Jaffa.

NEW ZEALAND

Barry Soper: NZ's never-ending wrestle with the RMA

25 Jul, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: You'd have to be a political nerd to get through the 300-page tome.

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Greens' sense of humour deserts them

24 Jul, 2019 6:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Dramatic backdown drew more attention to the ad than it would ever have gotten.

National Party leader Simon Bridges. Photo / Doug Sherring

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Can Bridges survive another unfavourable poll?

23 Jul, 2019 6:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Word has it National has slipped below 40 per cent in a new poll.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Photo / AP

NEW ZEALAND

Barry Soper: Jacinda and Scomo catch up across the ditch

18 Jul, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Jacinda Ardern wings her way to Melbourne today.

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Another Twitter tantrum from White House toddler

17 Jul, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Trump gets so cross when anyone challenges what he says to his Twitter family.

Foreign Minister Winston Peters has the ability to relate. Photo / Marty Melville

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: US trip another test for Winston Peters' diplomacy

16 Jul, 2019 6:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: He's the puppeteer in the Beehive - nothing happens unless it's run past him.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump. Photo / Getty Images

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Donald Trump is a Twitter toddler in a White House playpen

11 Jul, 2019 6:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: There's nothing free about speech when it comes to Donald Trump.

Jacinda Ardern, Clarke Gayford and baby Neve at the airport in Rarotonga. Photo / Cook Islands News

NEW ZEALAND

Barry Soper: Why does Ardern need to keep her holiday a secret?

10 Jul, 2019 6:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Inquiries to PM's office were met with a 'we're not saying where she's going'.

Achieving a more environmentally friendly vehicle fleet is going to take a long time. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Govt's plan to push green vehicles a no-brainer

9 Jul, 2019 6:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: It seems they've come up with a pretty good way to do it but it'll take time.

NEW ZEALAND

Barry Soper: So what could a Kiwi utopia look like today?

5 Jul, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

Comment: New Zealand, the land of milk and honey.

Google clearly breached the suppression order of Grace Millane's (pictured) murderer. Photo / Facebook

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Not a lot done over Google's name suppression breach

4 Jul, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

Comment: Google clearly breached the suppression order of Grace Millane's murderer.

NZ isn't working in the best interests of our indigenous people. Photo / Supplied

NEW ZEALAND

Soper: Māori statistics a damning indictment on NZ

3 Jul, 2019 6:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: This country isn't working in the best interests of our indigenous people.