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Every weekday join the new voice of local issues on Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald, 9am-12pm weekdays.Its all about the conversation with John, as he gets right into the things that get our community talking.If its news youre after, backing John is the combined power of the Newstalk ZB and New Zealand Herald news teams. Meaning when it comes to covering breaking news you will not beat local radio.With two decades experience in communications based in Christchurch, John also has a deep understanding of and connections to the Christchurch and Canterbury commercial sector.Newstalk ZB Canterbury Mornings9am-12pm withJohn MacDonald on100.1FM and iHeartRadio. Language: en-us Genres: News, News Commentary, Politics Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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John MacDonald: Is this the end of Hipkins' election chances?
Thursday, 26 March, 2026
I think Chris Hipkins’ time could be up. He said to me last week that he’d had better weeks, after his ex-wife made those claims about him on social media. But, if he thought things were on the improve this week, that’s probably all come crashing down again this morning with the Herald reporting that he knew more about the Covid vaccine risks than he has let on. And I think this could be the end of his push to be the next prime minister. You‘ll remember when the second covid inquiry report came out recently, one of the more startling things it revealed was that Chris Hipkins and Jacinda Ardern’s Government hadn’t been told about the risks of a second covid vaccine for teenagers. The report said health officials hadn’t told ministers that 12-to-17-year-olds shouldn't really have been getting two doses of the vaccine. Because of the risk of myocarditis - which is inflammation of the heart muscle. That was an absolute shocker of a revelation. And that was the version of the story Chris Hipkins stuck to when he was asked about it. Which deflected attention to the likes of former health boss Sir Ashley Bloomfield and whether he should be taken to task for not sharing that vital information with the Government. Now, though, we’re finding out in a report by the Herald this morning, that a 2022 cabinet paper in Hipkins’ name does include the advice. Hipkins has declined requests for interviews but has said in a statement that the then-government “had to make tough decisions under extraordinary pressure and a rapidly changing environment”. As the Herald reports, Hipkins has declined a request for an interview and, in that statement I mentioned, did not directly address the issue of that advice re: teenagers not being made public. Instead, as well as going on about the government having to make decisions when it was under the pump, he says: “the royal commission found that the government made numerous efforts to communicate safety issues, including the risk of myocarditis.” I mean, do me a favour Chris. If you’ve ever wondered what covering your backside sounds like, that’s it right there. Correction. If you’ve ever wondered what someone failing miserably at covering their backside sounds like, that’s it right there. What’s more, tell that Chris to the parents and caregivers of the 30,000 young people who had to have the second dose as part of the vaccine mandates. Tell that to the young people themselves, Chris. Now, unless Hipkins can prove otherwise, I think this revelation today blows any chance of voters trusting him again out of the water. It’s not like he’s Jacinda Ardern or Grant Robertson who have moved on to other things. Chris Hipkins hasn’t moved on and wants to be Prime Minister. He wants to be Prime Minister and he’s been caught out. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
