Nine To Noon Political commentators Neale Jones and Liam Hehir
9 snips
Mar 22, 2026 
Liam Hehir, a Palmerston North lawyer and political commentator with National ties, and Neale Jones, public affairs director and former chief of staff to Labour leaders, discuss crisis politics and government preparedness. They debate limits of action versus optics, foreign policy positioning, targeted relief and public transport measures, and political consequences like tax cuts, polls and leader stability.
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Crises Expose Government's Preexisting Political Weakness
- Crises can make or break a government because public goodwill and perceived competence determine political survival.
- Neale Jones argues this government lacks goodwill on economy and inflation, making a fuel/energy shock especially damaging.
Government Always Bears The Political Cost Of External Shocks
- The incumbent government inevitably 'holds the bag' for external shocks even when not at fault, because voters expect leadership and answers.
- Liam Hehir emphasises limited blame-shifting options and that only the response can be judged.
Cut Public Transport Fares To Lower Fuel Demand
- Reduce public transport fares to give middle New Zealand realistic alternatives and lower fuel demand.
- Neale Jones points to the Greens' call and past government policies as an immediately implementable demand-side measure.