PremiumOpinionOpinion byThomas CoughlanPolitical Editor·NZ Herald·12 Jun, 2026 05:00 PM9 mins to readThomas Coughlan, Political Editor at the New Zealand Herald, loves applying a political lens to people's stories and explaining the way things like transport and finance touch our lives. ‌Chris Hipkins, Christopher Luxon and their teams have had better weeks. Graphic / Paul SlaterTHE FACTSLabour announced its party list this week.Police announced an investigation into whether one candidate passed information to a third party – although there is no evidence he did so.Labour also announced a public transport fare cap.MPs returned from their sneaky post-Budget holidays for what turned out to be a fairly shambolic week for all concerned.Labour fired the starting gun directly into its own foot with what turned out to be one of the most chaotic major party list unveilings in recent memory.