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
NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

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 / New Zealand

Kate Hawkesby: Simon Bridges and National's bad poll - the problem is he's invisible

Kate  Hawkesby
By Kate Hawkesby
NZ Herald·
18 May, 2020 06:04 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

Bridges talks to Hosking after one of the party?s worst poll results
After one of the National Party?s worst poll results, leader Simon Bridges talks to Newstalk ZB?s Mike Hosking. Audio / Newstalk ZB ...
Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
/
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
0:00
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.

      20 arrests and $1.5m assets seized from Greazy Dogs gang

      UP NEXT:

      Autoplay in
      3
      Disable Autoplay
      Cancel Video
      After one of the National Party’s worst poll results, leader Simon Bridges talks to Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking. Audio / Newstalk ZB
      NOW PLAYING • Bridges talks to Hosking after one of the party?s worst poll results
      After one of the National Party?s worst poll results, leader Simon Bridges talks to Newstalk ZB?s Mike Hosking. Audio / Newstalk ZB ...
      Kate  Hawkesby
      Opinion by Kate Hawkesby
      Kate Hawkesby is the host of Early Edition on Newstalk ZB, Monday to Friday from 5am – 6am.
      Learn more

      COMMENT:

      The latest political poll says many things, but one of them I think might be, that we all have Stockholm syndrome.

      We have fallen in love with our captor.

      Think about the last two months: Wall to wall unabashed unchallenged prime time coverage from one person, every day.

      Pure unquestioned Prime Ministerial saturation.

      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.

      And when she's not on TV talking the Easter bunny and saving lives, Jacinda Ardern's doing Facebook Lives from home. She is an extremely savvy user of social media - she's way ahead of National on this.

      READ MORE:
      • Poll says Labour's Jacinda Ardern most popular PM in a century; National on the ropes
      • Newshub Reid Research political poll translates to close contest
      • A leaked poll shows National has dropped below 30 per cent, and Labour at 55 per cent
      • Latest political poll: National surges to highest level since 2017

      In fact it appears she relies almost more on social media than mainstream media, who are so enamoured with her anyway it doesn't matter.

      And if she's not on TV at 1pm, or on radio stations in the mornings, or on Facebook, or the lead headline in every newspaper, then she's got partner Clarke Gayford at home tweeting out the cutesy family homey stuff, playing to the 'we're real people just like you' thing.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      That 'I cut their hair with supermarket scissors' thing or whatever it was.

      What's Simon Bridges got? None of that.

      No platform at all, no media support crew eagerly championing his every slogan.

      No Facebook Lives from inside Premier House with a toddler.

      Discover more

      New Zealand|politics

      Simon Bridges defiant on grim poll result: 'I'm the leader and I'm staying'

      18 May 08:07 PM
      New Zealand|politics

      Who's in, who's out? What a damning poll means for National MPs

      19 May 05:18 AM
      Opinion

      Kate Hawkesby: 'We've been brow-beaten by fear'

      03 Jun 06:16 PM
      Lifestyle

      Kate Hawkesby: National MP's 'sexist' comments - who said only women could knit?

      09 Jun 06:29 PM

      No social media-savvy partner tweeting up a storm.

      I'm surprised actually she hasn't gagged him like she did her ministers.

      You'd think at some point she'd be like - Clarke can you not? I'm drowning in publicity right now can you not grab headlines over the box dye and the cafe?

      Actually the media's to blame for that too, they cannot get enough, they cannot breathlessly report fast enough his every tweet.

      Add to the mix, a global pandemic - all that fear - what do people do in anxious times? Turn to leaders. They become myopic - we can only see Jacinda.

      And she's good. She has mastered the art of soothing communication in difficult times.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      READ MORE:
      • Audrey Young: Can Simon Bridges tough it out as National Party leader?

      She's the warm blanket of reassurance we have all turned to.

      Bridges - or any opposition - is invisible.

      Actually worse than invisible, they're actually attacked for even trying to be an opposition (how dare he...).

      How dare you question.

      Not to excuse Bridges' result, he doesn't wash with voters and that's for National to sort out.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      But right now, we should actually be less worried about Covid and more worried about collective Stockholm syndrome.

      Covid-19 in NZ — 18th December
      2110
      10
      new
      Total confirmed and probable cases
      51
      ⬆︎8
      Active cases
      0
      In Hospital
      0
      In ICU
      2034
      ⬆︎2
      Recovered
      25
      Deaths
      427
      ⬆︎10
      Border cases
      Daily cases020406080
      Last updated: Fri 18th December at 12:17 am
      Go here to see all our Covid-19 data
      Save

        Share this article

      Latest from New Zealand

      New Zealand

      Night market horror: Two critically injured in serious incident, police hunt offender

      21 Jun 08:09 AM
      New Zealand

      In the money: Two winners in tonight’s $30 million Powerball draw

      21 Jun 08:02 AM
      New Zealand

      'Un-Kiwi' attitudes: Acting PM Seymour takes aim at Brian Tamaki after protest

      21 Jun 05:30 AM

      Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

      sponsored
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      Recommended for you
      Crusaders claim Super Rugby Pacific title
      Super Rugby

      Crusaders claim Super Rugby Pacific title

      21 Jun 08:57 AM
      Night market horror: Two critically injured in serious incident, police hunt offender
      New Zealand

      Night market horror: Two critically injured in serious incident, police hunt offender

      21 Jun 08:09 AM
      In the money: Two winners in tonight’s $30 million Powerball draw
      New Zealand

      In the money: Two winners in tonight’s $30 million Powerball draw

      21 Jun 08:02 AM
      Understrength Panthers stun Warriors
      Warriors

      Understrength Panthers stun Warriors

      21 Jun 07:34 AM
      'Advance terror attacks': Israeli navy strikes Hezbollah site
      World

      'Advance terror attacks': Israeli navy strikes Hezbollah site

      21 Jun 06:55 AM

      Latest from New Zealand

      Night market horror: Two critically injured in serious incident, police hunt offender

      Night market horror: Two critically injured in serious incident, police hunt offender

      21 Jun 08:09 AM

      Police say they are following lines of inquiry to catch the offender.

      In the money: Two winners in tonight’s $30 million Powerball draw

      In the money: Two winners in tonight’s $30 million Powerball draw

      21 Jun 08:02 AM
      'Un-Kiwi' attitudes: Acting PM Seymour takes aim at Brian Tamaki after protest

      'Un-Kiwi' attitudes: Acting PM Seymour takes aim at Brian Tamaki after protest

      21 Jun 05:30 AM
      Man arrested over violent Auckland crime spree

      Man arrested over violent Auckland crime spree

      21 Jun 05:04 AM
      Help for those helping hardest-hit
      sponsored

      Help for those helping hardest-hit

      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
      • NZ Herald e-editions
      • Daily puzzles & quizzes
      • Manage your digital subscription
      • Manage your print subscription
      • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
      • Subscribe to Herald Premium
      • Gift a subscription
      • Subscriber FAQs
      • Subscription terms & conditions
      • Promotions and subscriber benefits
      NZME Network
      • The New Zealand Herald
      • The Northland Age
      • The Northern Advocate
      • Waikato Herald
      • Bay of Plenty Times
      • 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