Labour Congress, State Housing Rents, and the Regulatory Standards Act w/ Labour's Shanan Halbert: 2 July, 2026

This weekend saw the Labour Party hosting its annual congress, with discussions over campaign organising and new policy announcements. 

At the congress, the party discussed a proposal to expand New Zealand’s Apprenticeship Boost, which they argue should support young people to access qualifications, making it easier to get a job. 

Labour also recently confirmed it would not go ahead with the government’s announced rent increase for those living in state housing, an increase which leader Chris Hipkins argued is “cruel” and “wrong”. 

Lastly, the Regulatory Standards Act came into effect this week, which the government has argued will improve lawmaking by holding new policies to certain guidelines. Its opponents, however, say these guidelines are arbitrary, and have criticised them for not including protections for the environment or Te Tiriti.

For this week’s catchup with the Labour Party’s Shanan Halbert, producer Pranuja asked about each of these issues, beginning with Labour’s annual congress.