The Front Bench podcast: Politics analysis - a new public holiday from Labour, while Winston Peters goes for theatre

Every Monday until the election The Front Bench will take on the biggest talking points of the election campaign. Heather du Plessis-Allan, Newstalk ZB political editor Barry Soper, former Act Party press secretary Trish Sherson and former Labour minister Chris Carter have the insight word and analysis.

In today's Front Bench:

Labour is promising to make Matariki, the Maori New Year, a public holiday from 2022. The party argues it will help the tourism industry recover – but is it worth the price all other businesses have to pay?

Recent commentary called for people to stop calling the Prime Minister Cindy. It argued we didn't call John Key Johnny or Bill English Billie - so calling Jacinda Cindy is condescending and belittling. So is it okay to call the Prime Minister Cindy? And what should we think of people who call her that?

Winston Peters is starting to make a point of differentiating himself from the government, and is ramping things up ahead of the election. We haven't had a poll in a while but at last count NZ First was polling between 2-3 per cent. So did yesterday's Q&A interview convince anybody?

Meanwhile, the National Party have gone through the troubled times of Todd Muller rolling Simon Bridges, then Todd Muller resigning, so Judith Collins has to fight hard to get cut-through right now. National is pumping out policy after policy – but is any of it sticking?

The Greens faced ferocious backlash over the $12 million James Shaw signed off to go to the private green school. Is it time for James Shaw to stop apologising? And will Green voters punish the party for this?