Gang Pads, Boardrooms & Ballot Box Chaos

Dr Bryce Edwards of the Democracy Project (Victoria University) joins Andrew Urquhart to unpack a chaotic pre-election week, from the shortened two-week voter enrolment cutoff to the fallout from gang pad photos involving candidates across the political spectrum. He questions the government's motives for tightening enrolment deadlines, noting it likely dampens turnout among younger and left-leaning voters, while acknowledging it may (or may not) speed up vote counting.

Edwards also digs into the Herald's Mood of the Boardroom survey, highlighting business leaders' surprisingly low ratings for the Prime Minister and Nicola Willis, their unease at supermarket break-up proposals, and a notable appetite even among executives for tighter lobbying and political donation rules - an issue he says The Opportunity Party (TOP) has made a bottom line. He closes by weighing the fallout from Labour's Kiera Lyons scandal, where she resigned over a gang pad visit but is now running as an independent in Tāmaki Makaurau, potentially splitting the vote, confusing ballots, and risking another overhang if Te Pāti Māori sweeps the Māori seats.

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