Duncan Garner - Editor-In-Chief

We told you co-governance was alive and kicking in local councils, and now the government has finally stepped in to stop it. While mainstream newsrooms looked the other way, local communities were left in the dark about major agreements affecting their rates and properties. Duncan is joined by Far North councillor Davina Smolders to break down what went wrong and how we fix local government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Zealand First wants to spend one billion dollars surveying what lies beneath our oceans to find oil and gas. Is this total madness during a cost-of-living crisis, or is it common sense to audit our resources? Duncan gets the hard answers from Resources Minister Shane Jones on how we fund it and if the big rigs are coming back Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forget what the pundits are saying about who is packing boxes for the ninth floor of the Beehive. The rolling poll of polls shows New Zealand is heading into one of the closest elections in modern political history, and the country is split straight down the middle. We break down the razor-thin margins alongside Ashley Church and Maurice Williamson. From the National Party strategy friction to the minor party wild cards, it all comes down to coalition mathematics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nearly one in five young Aucklanders has completely pressed pause on life. Shane Jones says New Zealand First has a radical plan to deploy unemployed youth into the military to learn basic discipline and routine. Critics will scream conscription, but doing nothing is a complete surrender. We ask if structured national service is exactly what our drifting generation needs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The uncomfortable truth National MPs won't say out loud is that nothing is moving the dial. With eight consecutive polls putting the party under 30%, Christopher Luxon has a massive messenger problem. Plus, the man himself, Paul Henry, joins the podcast. He reveals why he's trading his runway for a run at Parliament with Act, and whether he can actually survive the mundane reality of Wellington. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christopher Luxon just delivered one of the most animated speeches of his prime ministership to 10,000 Kiwi Indians at Spark Arena. He went all out, laying down massive praise for the community. But not everyone is happy. Coalition partner Shane Jones is calling out immigration overreach, and some viewers feel regular Kiwis were completely thrown under the bus. We look at the tight politics behind it all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new Conservation Amendment Bill is moving through Parliament, and it is ringing alarm bells. Elected member Luka Jansen joins us to blow the whistle on a hidden clause that completely removes civil and criminal liability for board members. We look at the reality of co-governance on the ground, from burnt-down huts in the Urewera to wild dogs and blocked public access. Is this bill just a stalking horse for development and bureaucracy? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Another generation of kids is disappearing down the digital rabbit hole while politicians tie themselves in knots over complicated online bans. We talk to political commentator Ani O'Brien about a brilliant, simple solution: stop overcomplicating the technology and just ban the smartphone hardware for under-16s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Reserve Bank just delivered an interest rate hike that the National Party desperately wanted to avoid. This completely shatters their script, yet Nicola Willis is trying to spin this as a sign of a strengthening economic recovery. We check in with Ani O'Brien and Ashley Church to see if this economic turnaround is actually real or just more Wellington spin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are focusing on victims today as we look at Act's three strikes proposal for repeat burglars. Burglary is a home invasion, not a property crime, so why does our system treat it so lightly? Plus, Minister Shane Jones is in the studio. He is fired up about West Coast mining, the India trade deal, and why co-governance is growing like a tapeworm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Labour is promising three free GP visits for everyone. It sounds great, but we are hundreds of doctors short right now. Outgoing GP boss Dr Brian Betty joins us to look past the political slogans at the reality of our healthcare system. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have finally seen common sense win after Parliament ditched an absurd rule that banned real estate agents from working for five years over a missed 90-minute course. Plus, we dive into the multi-million-dollar road cone madness. A traffic boss fronts up on why Auckland is dragging its feet on new rules and why worker abuse is spiking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 40-year-old conservation system is broken, and bureaucratic delays are letting pests ruin our land. We talk to South Island farmers Richard and Simon, who are fighting for common-sense updates to the law. They are on the frontline while Wellington insiders argue over ideology. Plus, we look at your feedback on the political circus in the Beehive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We look at the massive shakeup to New Zealand's road cone madness as new deregulation rules kick in. David Seymour has already saved taxpayers millions of dollars, but the Wellington media bubble completely ignored the announcement. Plus, we expose the truth about The Opportunity Party and their actual political agenda. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The old political duopoly is cracking. The latest polling shows voters are walking away from National and Labour in droves while smaller parties surge. We sit down with pollster David Farrar to break down the rise of The Opportunities Party, their surprisingly left-wing policies, and why the mainstream media is completely ignoring the real story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Opportunities Party has climbed to 6.5% in the latest Roy Morgan poll as Labour falls to a new low of 25.5%. Duncan examines TOP's policies and leadership and asks whether voters are being sold a centrist alternative that is, in reality, firmly aligned with Labour and the Greens. He also follows up on the controversy at Horizons Regional Council, the agreements being negotiated with 14 iwi and the pressure facing councillors who raise concerns publicly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Another day, another massive bill dropped on Kiwi ratepayers with absolutely zero transparency. This week, Horizons Regional Council is quietly rushing through 14 separate co-governance agreements under the Resource Management Act. We speak to whistleblower councillor Luka Jensen about the information overload, the ballooning costs, and why local democracy is being compromised behind closed doors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We pull back the curtain on The Opportunities Party and look at whether it is quietly becoming part of Labour's broader coalition architecture. Plus Shane Jones joins us to front up after the government backed down on the conservation land battle. We look at why National got nervous and why New Zealand First refuses to give up targeting the estate for economic growth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The TOP party is surging in the polls and closing in on parliament, and it's not hard to see why. Kiwis are feeling the pinch right now and the frustration with our broken systems is reaching a boiling point. We are watching power bills climb by twelve percent while massive infrastructure projects get flipped and flopped by successive governments. This has opened a massive door for alternative ideas as voters look for a way out of the usual political gridlock. In this episode, We sit down with leader Qiulae Wong to look at their radical tax reset and see if they can actually break the mold. Get in touch with Duncan - duncan@rova.nz and join us on the socials. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Greens want us all to pay more tax, but nothing is stopping them from voluntarily paying more right now. Their co-leaders get paid $200,000 each courtesy of the taxpayer, yet they build policies around hunting down everyday Kiwis who work hard to get ahead. We talk to our panel, Janet Wilson and Ashley Church, about fiscal holes, political survival, and why the latest wealth tax policy is built on pure envy. Get in touch with Duncan - duncan@rova.nz and join us on the socials. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The latest 1News Verian poll should send an absolute chill through both Labour and National headquarters. Together, the two major parties command just 61 percent of the vote, their lowest combined support since MMP began in 1996. Voters are sick of the same old cautious management and are walking straight into the arms of the smaller parties. We dig into the numbers with Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union to ask why New Zealanders have had a gutful of the political duopoly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have a massive $120.6 million cash injection on the table for our struggling community GPs, and a group of Māori health providers has flatly rejected it. Why? Because the government updated the funding formula to focus entirely on health needs, deprivation, and rural isolation rather than race. I ask how funding people based on how sick they are is a step backwards. It sounds like total common sense to me. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Greens are back-pedalling on their tax policies, but are they still dreaming? We dive into the wealth tax reality, the sudden push for compulsory KiwiSaver, and why our public service seems to be actively working against government plans. Duncan, Ani, and Ashley break down the major ideological battles dominating New Zealand right now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are finally seeing a pushback against the absurd woke compliance industry that has crept into our workplaces and professional regulators. Why should a real estate agent or nurse risk losing their livelihood over a lawful opinion? ACT leader David Seymour joins us to break down his new legislation aimed at stopping ideological gatekeeping. Plus, we look at public service growth and whether the economy is turning a corner. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Parliament burned through more than $200 million in 2025, and domestic travel alone cost taxpayers $3.4 million in just nine months. While everyday Kiwis are tightening their belts through a cost-of-living crisis, politicians are living in a false reality. We chat with Ella Dixon from the Taxpayers' Union about the shocking double standards and the lack of political restraint. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over fifteen years after twenty-nine men died unnecessarily in the Pike River mine, we still do not have real accountability. Former lawyer Christopher Harder has spent six years and eleven thousand unpaid hours fighting to uncover the truth behind the unlawful deal that dropped charges against the mine's boss. We look at the hidden documents that could change everything. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Labour has snuck out a policy to ditch national reading, writing, and maths assessments in primary schools, and Education Minister Erica Stanford is furious. Parents want to know where their kids are at, but Labour wants to scrap the tests and hand control back to the unions. We catch up with Erica to find out why this sneaky move is a massive step backwards for our kids. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The media is in a slow-motion car crash, and Stuff just made a massive, controversial play. Longtime political commentator and PR man Matthew Hooton is the new editor of The Post in Wellington. He is blunt, he openly hates public servants, and he is definitely not going quietly. We sit down with David Farrar to ask: Is this a masterstroke or absolute madness? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

National promised us a leaner state with 8,200 public service job cuts, but the latest numbers show the bureaucracy is actually blowing out. In just three months, nearly 1,000 new full-time positions were added to the core public service. We look at how this hiring spree breaks government promises, impacts the budget surplus, and why the numbers just do not match the political spin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nicola Willis goes on the offensive to smoke Labour out over a massive $18.2 billion fiscal hole. We pull apart their shaky new public transport policy after a painful interview exposed numbers that simply do not stack up. Plus, former lawyer Christopher Harder joins us ahead of Wednesday to break down shocking allegations of a top-level conspiracy and doctored documents over Pike River. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A brand new political poll is out, and the numbers are completely locked in stone. We ask if Labour has peaked and whether the Opportunities Party can actually break the five percent threshold this time around. Plus Duncan, Ani O'Brien, and Maurice Williamson dissect Labour's new list and look at the real numbers behind their massive transport announcement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The latest Taxpayers Union Curia poll has dropped, and while Labour is technically ahead, they are losing the argument. Duncan breaks down why Chris Hipkins is stuck in the doldrums and failing to win trust when it matters most. Plus, we take a look at the public transport policy that is falling apart under intense scrutiny. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Labour is promising a massive public transport cap for 1.3 million Kiwis, but they claim it only costs 65 million bucks. The math does not stack up, and the front bench cannot show their workings. Plus, Education Minister Erica Stanford joins us to explain how she took school property away from an incompetent Ministry of Education to build basic, warm classrooms without the architectural vanity projects. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duncan stands up in court to face the music after getting caught driving 12 days short of his suspension ending. He takes full responsibility for getting the timeline wrong but calls out the breathless media coverage. Plus, we look at how confusing NZ license laws are and why rural Kiwis get hammered harder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Justice Select Committee finally reported back on the coward punch legislation, and it is a massive letdown. Despite big promises to get tough on one-punch thugs, they completely failed to recommend mandatory minimum sentences. We talk to Mike Angove from the Walk Without Fear Trust about how everyday Kiwis have been handed a complete pup by parliament. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Labour's new party list is out, and it looks less like a fresh start and more like a job protection scheme for politicians who have already been rejected by the public. We break down the lineup with pollster David Farrar to see who is safe and who got sidelined. Plus, we look at a staggering $230,000 advisor role at ACC that proves the message about government spending cuts is clearly not getting through. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The word racist is being thrown around far too easily these days, and it is quickly becoming completely meaningless. Tainui leader Tukoroirangi Morgan is labeling this the most racist government ever, claiming National is stripping away Māori rights at the Waitangi Tribunal. But has he suffered a massive memory fade? We look at the actual facts of what has been lost. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tainui leader Tukoroirangi Morgan has claimed at the Waitangi Tribunal that Christopher Luxon's National-led government is the most racist New Zealand has ever seen. Duncan Garner says it is time to call this out and hold Tuku's feet to the fire because the claim simply doesn't survive contact with reality. To call this political landscape the most discriminatory in our history means completely forgetting the past. We look back at the Foreshore and Seabed legislation under Helen Clark's Labour government, which actually stripped Māori of their legal rights to have customary claims tested in court. That was real discrimination that fractured relationships and birthed the Māori Party. This current government continues to fund Māori language education, kura kaupapa schools, Te Māngai Pāho, housing projects, and fully protects the budget for Te Matatini while other departments face massive cuts. Disagree with co-governance debates all you want, but calling this racial persecution is ridiculous. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

National is finally closing the loophole that allows unelected members of the public to get voting rights on council committees. Local Government Minister Simon Watts has moved to stop it, but let's be honest, it's the bare minimum. We talk to ACT MP Cameron Luxton, who drafted the original bill months ago, about why National took so long to protect our democracy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Hipkins has repeatedly said ministers were not told about key health concerns around the Covid vaccine rollout for 12 to 15 year olds. But a new tranche of official papers appears to move the timeline back. Duncan Garner has covered this issue before. This episode is the update. The new documents suggest Hipkins may have been closer to the information than previously understood, including a vaccine ministers meeting on August 13, 2021, which he chaired, and later references to myocarditis risk being removed from official communications. Aly Cook joins Duncan to walk through the latest paperwork, what it shows, what remains unanswered, and why she believes it goes directly to Hipkins' credibility. This is not about being pro vaccine or anti vaccine. It is about trust, transparency, and whether New Zealand parents were given the full picture. Watch the full episode and tell us what you think. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is really going on at the Far North District Council? Duncan Garner is joined by councillor Davina Smolders, who says major governance changes are being pushed through without proper public scrutiny. She raises concerns over unelected iwi representatives getting voting rights on a council committee, ratepayer-funded requests, new Mana Whakahono ā Rohe agreements, and language recognising Ngāpuhi sovereignty. Smolders says another five agreements could be signed soon and argues the public deserves to know exactly what these deals mean before they are locked in. Duncan asks the big questions. What power do these agreements actually create? Why has there been no proper consultation? And when will the Government step in? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The government wants us to think they are being caring but responsible with this budget, but the economists aren't buying it. We look past the 30 press releases to find out what this means for your back pocket. From a sneaky new banking tax on savers to kicking real savings down the road, we break down why the math just doesn't add up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A special weekend episode of Duncan Garner: Editor in Chief, with two sharp cuts from two very different conversations. First, Duncan talks to Aly Cook about documents she says raise serious questions about the youth Covid vaccine rollout, myocarditis safety information, and what Labour ministers knew at the time. The central question is blunt: if key safety information was kept out of public communications, were parents ever given the full picture? Then Ashley Church and Maurice Williamson join Duncan for a Budget 2026 breakdown. Maurice digs into the numbers and questions whether the Government's spending forecasts stack up, especially around police funding. Ashley looks at the politics of the Budget and whether National has finally read the room. This episode is about trust, transparency, spending, debt, police, and whether voters are being told the truth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The dust is settling on Budget 2026, and we are digging past the political marketing to look at the real maths. Nicola Willis delivered a masterclass in selling a narrative, but when you look closely at the numbers, things look incredibly heroic. We break down the magic show, look at the massive debt track, and reveal the inexplicable cuts hidden deep in the police budget. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It is Budget Day in New Zealand, and we are looking at the brutal truth behind the numbers. Nicola Willis says the adults are back in charge of the books, but is this just creative accounting? We look at how banking public service cuts, before they even happen, are the only reason we are getting back to surplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are told the country is broke, and every day Kiwis need to tighten their belts ahead of the budget. Yet Social Development Minister Louise Upston is claiming over $1,000 a week in taxpayer-funded allowance for a Wellington apartment she owns outright. It is completely legal, but it fails the sniff test. We break down the political hypocrisy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The cost of living crisis is keeping families awake at night all across New Zealand. Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick steps into the studio with me to look at the massive gap between the rich and the poor, the reality of loan sharks targeting vulnerable Kiwis, and why she thinks our current economic model needs a total shakeup. Chlöe shares her personal journey with financial stress and explains why she believes the system is rigged against regular workers. This episode was made possible thanks to our friends at enable.me Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Labour wants New Zealanders to buy into a massive new Future Fund, but they refuse to tell us what assets are actually in it until after the election. Chris Hipkins claims voters do not want the details, but we think you deserve transparency when billions of dollars are on the line. Plus, researcher Aly Cook joins the show with a paper trail that completely challenges Hipkins' timeline on what he knew about youth vaccine risks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the podcast today, Duncan looks into New Zealand's staggering government spending. With another massive budget rolling out, why hasn't this government made the tough decisions to effect meaningful change? Duncan, Ashley Church, and Maurice Williamson break down our addiction to taxpayer cash, a bloated public service, and why the politicians are too terrified to rein it in. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are diving deep into a massive local issue that could break the back of New Zealand's business. A local tribe in Tauranga is demanding up to half a billion dollars in compensation over the expansion of the Port of Tauranga. Duncan chats with Regional Development Minister Shane Jones about whether national infrastructure is being held to ransom and what this means for our economy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Labour is playing a dangerous game of politics by camouflaging six months out from the election. Chris Hipkins and Carmel Sepuloni are refusing to front with any concrete policy, hoping voters will forget six years of failure. Plus, we reveal the exclusive results from our editor-in-chief poll on the proposed public service job cuts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices