The week in NZ political coverage — who's covering it, who's not

updated 13 Sep 2026

We watch the watchers, so you stay informed.

OpenBrief tracks New Zealand's significant political news, opinion, podcasts and social media — a curated, transparent set of sources, not the whole internet — then surfaces the signals the daily scroll hides: what's spiking, what's being ignored, what's fading, and how the left, centre and right frame the same story. Click any story to read it at the source — or open the data behind any signal.

Read ↗ opens the original story on the outlet's site

See the data → the articles & charts behind the signal

Which sources, and how the signals are computed → Methodology

The Spread · the week's biggest stories, three ways each

How the sides are framing it

#1 spike

Methanex Plant Closure

The biggest jump in the press this week — read how the left, centre and right each told it.

See all coverage & the data →

articles · ▲ +8/wk

Left Economic impact of industrial shutdown StuffRead ↗ Centre Major gas plant shutdown due to supply decline 1News (TVNZ)Read ↗ Right Major gas user exits NZ operations NZ HeraldRead ↗

More coverage of this story

Barrier to gas storage development being removedBeehive (Govt) · 8 Sep · Read ↗ Will Methanex's departure mean cheaper gas prices?1News (TVNZ) · 8 Sep · Read ↗ What Methanex's departure will do to gas pricesRNZ · 7 Sep · Read ↗ Government backs Taranaki economy, jobsBeehive (Govt) · 7 Sep · Read ↗ End of an Industrial Era: Methanex Shutdown Puts 300 Taranaki Jobs on the LineWaatea News · 3 Sep · Read ↗ An unfair, unnecessary & counterproductive rate hike that exposes NZ’s broken economic modelThe Kākā · 2 Sep · Read ↗

Age Limit For Move-On Orders▲ +7/wk

LeftControversy over youth exclusion in police powersStuff ↗ CentreRaising the minimum age threshold1News (TVNZ) ↗ RightAge limit adjustment in disorderly conduct lawNZ Herald ↗

Transport Budget Shortfall▲ +7/wk

LeftA $1 billion gap in expected fund revenueStuff ↗ CentreLack of clear bus network upgrades1News (TVNZ) ↗ Non-alignedRisk of major cuts without additional fundingRNZ ↗

The signals · what the coverage data shows

Rising, ignored, fading & one-sided

Rising nowvs prior 4-wk avg

Topics climbing fastest in the press this week.

Methanex Plant Closure8 articles · ▲ +8/wk See the data → Age Limit For Move-On Orders7 articles · ▲ +7/wk See the data → Transport Budget Shortfall7 articles · ▲ +7/wk See the data → Systemic Leadership Failure7 articles · ▲ +6/wk See the data →

Under-reporteddiscourse > press

The public is talking — most newsrooms are quiet.

Healthcare Staffing Shortages 1 of 8 outlets quiet See the data → Daily Quiz 8 of 8 outlets quiet See the data → Fast-Track Approval Process 6 of 8 outlets quiet See the data →

What's being forgottenvs prior 4-wk avg

Dominated last month — now gone. Did the story end, or did we move on?

Luxon Leadership Crisis16/wk → 0/wk · ▼ -100%See the data → Mmp Referendum History And Precedent8/wk → 0/wk · ▼ -100%See the data → National Party Leadership Turmoil8/wk → 0/wk · ▼ -100%See the data →

Only on one channelcorpus mirror

Stories living in just one place — missing from the rest.

Radio onlySecond Harbour Crossingtalk radio 3× the written pressSee the data → Radio onlyChris Pink Leadership Oustingtalk radio active · press silentSee the data → Radio onlyInfrastructure Cross-Party Consensustalk radio 4× the written pressSee the data →

The lenses · top topics this week

What each corpus is talking about

Press

news · by article volume

Lotto Powerball Draw11 Flash Floods In Nepal10 Pacific Islands Forum10 Earthquake In Milford10 Open Press lens →

Discourse

commentary + talk radio

Nursing Graduate Employment14 Moa Point Wastewater Failure10 Methanex Plant Closure9 Fuel Duty Postponement8 Open Discourse lens →

Social

by engagement

Nursing Graduate Employment43,224 Mandatory Tikanga Course For Real Estate Agents28,518 Woke Morality24,863 Cultural Compulsion In Workplace24,863 Open Social lens →

Media

newsroom scorecard

Newsrooms scored8

Coverage gaps this wk3

Biggest gapHealthcare Staffing Shortages

Open Media scorecard →

Money & influence · earned-media penetration

Lobby story penetration

How many of each group's press releases turned into carried coverage — fluctuates week to week as issues move.

Full scoreboard →

Greenpeace Aotearoa 65 → 7

Retail NZ 139 → 7

The New Zealand Initiative 70 → 3

New Zealand Taxpayers' Union 245 → 1

New Zealand Council of Trade Unions 104 → 1

Read it as posted → carried. Releases issued vs stories that earned coverage. A high carried-to-posted ratio means a group's message travels far beyond what it puts out.

Releases postedStories carried

Track a lobby group →

Profiles & briefings · the people behind the politics

Who's who this term

Every MP with a living dossier — donations, pecuniary interests, directorships, ministerial diaries and media mentions.