All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week
Subscribe now

All Access Weekly

From $2 per week
Pay just
$15.75
$2
per week ongoing
Subscribe now
BEST VALUE

All Access Annual

Pay just
$449
$49
per year ongoing
Subscribe now
Learn more
30
Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times / Opinion

Mike Hosking: Simon Bridges hopelessly exposed on leak

Mike Hosking
By Mike Hosking
Mike Hosking is a breakfast host on Newstalk ZB.·NZ Herald·
26 Aug, 2018 07:14 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Mike's Minute: Bridges in real trouble
Mike's Minute: Bridges in real trouble
Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
/
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time -0:00
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions settings, opens captions settings dialog
    • captions off, selected

      This is a modal window.

      Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.

      Text
      Text Background
      Caption Area Background
      Font Size
      Text Edge Style
      Font Family

      End of dialog window.

      This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button.

      Autoplay in
      5
      Disable Autoplay
      Cancel Video
      NOW PLAYING • Mike's Minute: Bridges in real trouble
      Mike's Minute: Bridges in real trouble
      Mike Hosking
      Opinion by Mike Hosking
      Mike Hosking has hosted his number one Breakfast show on Newstalk ZB since 2008. Listen live each weekday from 6am on Newstalk ZB.
      Learn more

      COMMENT: Simon Bridges is hopelessly exposed.

      Speaker Trevor Mallard has let him down badly, and for that matter let himself down as well.

      Calling the inquiry into the expenses leaks was the right thing to do. His explanation for calling the inquiry was the right thing to say: "It is vital we have faith in the system" and leaks like that bring the neutrality of the process into question.

      Which I guess is Mallard's rational for calling it quits. As he says, the leaker is within National, or odds on it is. Therefore it's, to a degree, beyond his jurisdiction now.

      That, although technically correct, or if not technically correct at least partially correct, is also conveniently cute. And leaves me with the sense he's playing less Speaker and more Labour Party MP.

      But it doesn't solve Bridges' problem - and Bridges' problem is it looks like he's got trouble in the ranks. And until we find out who it is, it's open to speculation, and rumour, and innuendo.

      All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week
      Subscribe now

      All Access Weekly

      From $2 per week
      Pay just
      $15.75
      $2
      per week ongoing
      Subscribe now
      BEST VALUE

      All Access Annual

      Pay just
      $449
      $49
      per year ongoing
      Subscribe now
      Learn more
      30
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      It's open to happening again, it's open to endless discussion over the fact that Bridges is not universally supported, and there is at least one person prepared to deliberately undermine the leadership, and with it the party.

      This for a bloke polling at 10 per cent, a nationwide tour behind him and seemingly very little traction as a result, is a nightmare.

      He can be as concerned as he wants about the fragility of the person concerned, but it still doesn't solve his problem.

      Presumably the police aren't any help given they're citing privacy. And despite the fact they run their own programme, what is it they're going to do? I would have thought nothing, given the event itself is not criminal, or if it is criminally very minor.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      So it would seem the ball is in Bridges' court.

      Does he launch his own forensic investigation knowing the truth is out there and can be obtained, given it's been obtained by others?

      And with it a two-fold issue.

      One the fact he's been, and presumably is still open, to being undermined.

      And two, the reality that mental health somehow trumps sackable actions, and with it all the implications of how that particular card can now be played in the future given the precedent he's allowed to be set.

      Discover more

      New Zealand|politics

      The mystery texter and leaker: Simon Bridges turns on Parliament's Speaker

      26 Aug 07:38 AM
      Opinion

      Soper: Someone's out to get Simon Bridges. They'll likely succeed

      26 Aug 06:00 PM
      New Zealand|politics

      National still seething over dumped inquiry

      27 Aug 05:39 AM

      For a bloke who insisted on getting to the bottom of this, and was certain it wasn't one of his own, he sits here this morning vulnerable, looking indecisive, wrong, embarrassed, and isolated.

      If this ultimately is the beginning of a programme of undermining him that leads one day to a premature axing, he will have no one to blame but himself.

      Save

        Share this article

      Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

      Bay of Plenty Times
      |Updated

      Snapchat predator raped teen while on bail for similar offending

      Bay of Plenty Times

      Baywide rugby: Whaka look to break 19-year drought

      Bay of Plenty Times

      Netball: Magic narrowly lose to Pulse after scores still tied in final minutes


      Sponsored

      Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      Recommended for you

      Inside Laos' notorious economic zone: A hub for scams and crime
      World

      Inside Laos' notorious economic zone: A hub for scams and crime

      New York debates Mamdani’s plan for city-run grocery stores
      World

      New York debates Mamdani’s plan for city-run grocery stores

      'Added pain': Funeral directors urge review as cemetery fees soar across NZ
      New Zealand

      'Added pain': Funeral directors urge review as cemetery fees soar across NZ

      Gusty day ahead: 90km/h winds may close lanes on Harbour Bridge
      Auckland

      Gusty day ahead: 90km/h winds may close lanes on Harbour Bridge

      'Terribly confusing': FNDC slammed for costly speed limit changes
      Northern Advocate

      'Terribly confusing': FNDC slammed for costly speed limit changes

      Snapchat predator raped teen while on bail for similar offending
      Rotorua Daily Post

      Snapchat predator raped teen while on bail for similar offending



      Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

      Snapchat predator raped teen while on bail for similar offending
      Bay of Plenty Times
      |Updated

      Snapchat predator raped teen while on bail for similar offending

      He groomed and violated a 13-year-old while awaiting trial for raping a 16-year-old.

      14 Jul 05:00 PM
      Baywide rugby: Whaka look to break 19-year drought
      Bay of Plenty Times

      Baywide rugby: Whaka look to break 19-year drought

      14 Jul 05:17 AM
      Netball: Magic narrowly lose to Pulse after scores still tied in final minutes
      Bay of Plenty Times

      Netball: Magic narrowly lose to Pulse after scores still tied in final minutes

      14 Jul 04:28 AM


      Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
      Sponsored

      Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

      06 Jul 09:47 PM

      NZ Herald
      • About NZ Herald
      • Meet the journalists
      • Newsletters
      • Classifieds
      • Help & support
      • Contact us
      • House rules
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms of use
      • Competition terms & conditions
      • Our use of AI
      Subscriber Services
      • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
      • Manage your print subscription
      • Manage your digital subscription
      • Subscribe to Herald Premium
      • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
      • Gift a subscription
      • Subscriber FAQs
      • Subscription terms & conditions
      • Promotions and subscriber benefits
      NZME Network
      • Bay of Plenty Times
      • The New Zealand Herald
      • The Northland Age
      • The Northern Advocate
      • Waikato Herald
      • Rotorua Daily Post
      • Hawke's Bay Today
      • Whanganui Chronicle
      • Viva
      • NZ Listener
      • Newstalk ZB
      • BusinessDesk
      • OneRoof
      • Driven Car Guide
      • iHeart Radio
      • Restaurant Hub
      NZME
      • About NZME
      • NZME careers
      • Advertise with NZME
      • Digital self-service advertising
      • Book your classified ad
      • Photo sales
      • NZME Events
      • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
      All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week
      Subscribe now

      All Access Weekly

      From $2 per week
      Pay just
      $15.75
      $2
      per week ongoing
      Subscribe now
      BEST VALUE

      All Access Annual

      Pay just
      $449
      $49
      per year ongoing
      Subscribe now
      Learn more
      30
      TOP
      search by queryly Advanced Search