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Download AudioClaudette Hauiti speaks: ACT Party leader and Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour assumed the role of Acting Prime Minister this week while PM Christopher Luxon attended the NATO summit in Europe. Post-Cabinet Press Conference: Seymour led his first full press briefing in the top job, covering wide-ranging topics-including the Middle East conflict, the status of the Regulatory Standards Bill, Treaty negotiations, foreign investment, and cost-of-living measures. Political observers noted his performance combined the wit of Lange with the directness of Muldoon. Parliamentary Question Time: Leading Question Time on his birthday, he faced scrutiny: Opposition leader Chris Hipkins pressed him on issues like butter and cheese prices, school lunch programs, GP funding, childcare fees, rate hikes, and the controversial “$250 a fortnight” family payments. Seymour rebuffed an offer to track down recipients, adopting a more combative stance. On the United States strikes on Iran, Seymour emphasised New Zealand’s cautious diplomacy: the government would “not rush to judgment” without full intelligence, ensuring decisions align with an independent foreign policy approach.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Regulation David Seymour has defended a series of social media posts accusing opponents of the Regulatory Standards Bill of suffering from “Regulatory Standards Derangement Syndrome.” His targets included academics like Dame Anne Salmond, Dr George Laking, former Green MP Metiria Turei, Labour MP Willie Jackson, and Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau.
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Tory Whanau formally complained to PM Christopher Luxon, calling the posts a “campaign of online harassment and intimidation,” potentially igniting real-world violence and breaching Cabinet Manual guidance on ministerial conduct.
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Labour leader Chris Hipkins criticised Seymour’s conduct as inconsistent with standards expected of ministers, arguing that targeting citizens is “something entirely different” from political debate between MP.s.
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Dame Anne Salmond labelled the rhetoric “Trumpian,” warning it constitutes an “online campaign of intimidation” undermining academic freedom. She has lodged an official complaint through Cabinet channels
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