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The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Mike's Minute: Is Chlöe Swarbrick a bit useless?

11 May 2026

Transcription

Chapter 1: Is Chlöe Swarbrick really a bit useless?

0.031 - 15.91 Mike Hosking

Now, I wonder if it's time to ask this morning, is Chloe a bit useless? So in the Herald's vast poll churn that we got yesterday that produces the chances of the current government being re-elected at about 88%, in there is the revelation that the Greens have been going backwards since the last election.

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15.93 - 22.057 Unknown

Now, the trouble appears twofold. One, the falls have been slow, almost so small and slow you probably didn't even notice.

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Chapter 2: What are the reasons behind the Greens' decline since the last election?

22.077 - 27.405 Unknown

And two... Chloe's a media favourite, so no one's really scrutinising her as to whether she's any good.

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27.645 - 41.526 Mike Hosking

Now, yes, Maram is the leader as well, and I suppose you can blame her as much as you can, Chloe, but to my eye and mind, it's Chloe who's the head leader, despite their best PC intentions to spread the load of the blame. She's also not in government, so you tend to get, if not a free ride, certainly an easier one.

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41.806 - 56.667 Mike Hosking

Now, obviously, I'm not a Green voter, so none of this personally matters to me, but I am all about continual improvement, and the Greens are not on a path of any such thing. See, under Swarbrick, they've drifted. They've not grown. They are not the environmental party they once were under Fitzsimons or Donald.

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56.687 - 73.585 Mike Hosking

They're essentially angry socialists who campaign for the homeless and the downtrodden. They're virtue signallers. She came to prominence, of course, because she was young. She was possibly seen as the future. To give her her dues, she's run a very good ground game a couple of times over in the Auckland Central electorate. She's won that electorate, and that may be her strength.

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73.665 - 93.569 Mike Hosking

She's a good local MP, because I can tell you something for nothing, she's not a leader. If the Greens are to excel, They need to be better managed. Obviously, the whole, you know, Tana, Doyle, Kerry Kerry, Garamond, shambles adds to the sense the place is a mess. But it's all unfolded under Swarbrick. The good news, if they want to recognize it, is they can fix this.

93.99 - 110.652 Mike Hosking

Certainly, if this had all played out as part of the coalition, of course, you would have thought she would have been ejected a long time ago. Saving her partially is the lack of talent behind her. I mean, do you honestly see Jenter or Menendez March as saviors or yet more of the same ill-disciplined verbal rebel.

111.132 - 132.503 Mike Hosking

See, when you pair it back, look at the noise versus the outcomes, including the inescapable numbers, she has failed as a leader. So is she a bit useless? Yes.

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