Wednesday, 28 January 2026 11:25

Realpolitik!

Written by  The Hound

OPINION: Meanwhile, red blooded Northland politician Matua Shane Jones has provided one of the most telling quotes of the year thus far.

Replacing his mining hard-hat with his Fisheries Minister hat, Jones has beat a quick political retreat after being blindsided by the backlash from the recreational fishing community after proposing to let commercial operators land and sell dead marlin bycatch.

Reminding us that it is election year, Jones was surprisingly honest about it: “A good politician has to know how to pivot” adding “The reality is that we’ve got to prioritise our efforts in an election year”.

The lesson here for the farming community is that, in election year, politicians are very susceptible to a bit of arm twisting, or negative publicity that might cost them a few votes and risk tipping them out of the trough when the public heads to the polls!

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