Pollies: National's Mark Mitchell and Labour's Ginny Andersen on Budget 2026, NZ's nuclear stance, and the ban on non-elected council members voting

Labour is labelling the Government’s overhaul of council voting rights a distraction.  A Bill amendment will strip voting rights from unelected members —including iwi and youth representatives— on council committees.  It comes after the Far North District Council moved to expand its Māori liaison committee.  Labour's Ginny Andersen told Heather du Plessis-Allan the issue is not a priority for New Zealanders.  She says people are far more worried about paying their bills and being able to cope everyday.  National’s Mark Mitchell disagrees, saying that stance shows how out of touch Labour really is.  He told du Plessis-Allan that most Kiwis are pretty proud of our democracy, and he doesn’t think they want unelected people going onto committees and making decisions.  Mitchell says it’s always prudent to have unelected people with special skillsets and backgrounds advising, but not voting, and he thinks most Kiwis would agree.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.