Duncan Garner - Editor-In-Chief

Chris Hipkins goes missing when asked how Labour will pay for its promises. Duncan Garner tracks down the missing Labour leader who refuses to front for the Editor-in-Chief podcast after getting put through the political wringer on his uncosted $18 billion budget. Plus, former All Blacks captain Tane Randall joins the show to talk about standing for New Zealand First, cutting SME taxes, and getting small businesses growing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It is only day three of the election campaign, and the left is already fighting over the Treasury keys. Chlöe Swarbrick wants the finance portfolio, Chris Hipkins says Barbara Edmonds gets it bottom line, and Labour is talking up a mini budget to cover its promises. We break down the massive numbers, the pay equity demands, and why the arithmetic simply does not add up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The latest poll just blew the election wide open with a massive Green surge, leaving National and Labour tied at 28%. But behind the headline numbers, who actually holds the balance of power? Plus, New Zealand First candidate Bernadette Soares joins us to blow the whistle on dodgy migration deals, worker exploitation, and why she believes current immigration settings are failing everyday Kiwis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

National is facing an internal battle over how best to return a centre-right government under MMP. Former Cabinet Minister Maurice Williamson argues that with National polling around 30% while holding a large number of electorate seats, extra party votes for National will not produce extra MPs. He suggests National voters strategically give their party vote to ACT or New Zealand First to maximize the right-wing seat count. However, party heavyweights John Key and Chris Bishop reject the strategy, urging voters to stick to two ticks for National to ensure a stable government. Meanwhile, polling scenarios from the Sensible Sentencing Trust suggest a small 3% shift in party votes could materially alter the election outcome. Duncan Garner breaks down the parliamentary arithmetic, evaluates Labour and National's campaign launches, and sits down with Maurice Williamson to debate the numbers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christopher Luxon versus Chris Hipkins is shaping up as one of the most vanilla, stale political battles in recent history. With both major party leaders playing it safe, the real fire is coming from the fringes. Winston Peters wants to buy back BNZ, TOP is pitching massive tax overhauls, and David Seymour wants Paul Henry as broadcasting minister. We ask who is actually offering real change, plus RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop joins us to break down the government's massive planning overhaul. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Parliament has risen, the politicians are hitting the hustings, and our latest rolling poll of polls shows a dead heat. National and Labour are sitting tied at 29.1 percent. The center-right holds a razor-thin margin, but with a fresh cost of living crisis biting families hard, voters are asking a brutal question: what has this government actually delivered? We break down the numbers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nicky Hager is back with a new book targeting the Taxpayers' Union, but does his evidence actually stack up? Former insiders Ani O'Brien and Ashley Church join us to tear apart the claims, address the serious allegations against Jordan Williams, and break down why effective political advocacy isn't a conspiracy. Plus, we look at the tight election race and Labour's latest tax backdown. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We dig into feedback from an Otago Med School grad who claims entry standards for Māori and Pacific students are far lower than the public knows. Plus, long-time National supporters feel gaslit by the party's recent supermarket policies, while David Seymour faces backlash over a proposed minimum wage freeze. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every major political player suddenly wants to take a wrecking ball to the supermarkets, but is any of it actually going to make your weekly shop cheaper? We break down the sudden wave of political panic six weeks out from the election. Plus, NZ First leader Winston Peters joins us to defend his supermarket policy, lay out his plan to buy back the BNZ, and explain why he refuses to work with Labour again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer dropped the C-bomb and got booted from Parliament, while Willie Jackson followed right behind her. We ask whether it's a genuine double standard or pure political theater from Te Pāti Māori. Plus, National is threatening to forcibly break up the supermarket duopoly. We look at whether Nicola Willis has abandoned core party principles just to chase a short-term electoral bounce. Retail NZ Chief Executive Carolyn Young, Jordan Williams, and ex-National MP Maurice Williamson join the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Three years of cost-of-living pain, and what do we get? Election-year gimmicks. National wants to forcibly break up Foodstuffs, Labour wants to cap profits, and the Greens want the state behind the checkout. We look at why none of these political fixes will lower your grocery bill, and share a devastating message from a Kiwi who has lost all faith in our nation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The latest rolling polls show both major parties stuck in the 20s, with voters turning away from the standard blue-versus-red match-up. National's lost ground, Labour hasn't gained it, and the minor parties are now calling the shots. Duncan Garner, Ani O'Brien, and Ashley Church break down why MMP fragmentation could derail election night. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every time Willie Jackson opens his mouth, Labour drops in the polls. From co-governance to spending and failing to explain his own party's capital gains tax policy, Willie has become a walking liability. Does Chris Hipkins actually have authority over his own party? Plus, we talk to the Cannabis Clinic about how new roadside drug testing is catching out Kiwis using legal, prescribed medication. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

British author, academic, and free speech advocate Andrew Doyle joins Duncan Garner in the studio while on tour with the Free Speech Union to deliver an urgent warning to New Zealand. Looking at the United Kingdom as a cautionary tale, Andrew breaks down staggering stats from a recent Big Brother Watch report revealing 62,000 arrests for offensive speech between 2021 and 2025. That is roughly 30 people a day arrested for opinions, online posts, and even satirical jokes. Duncan and Andrew dive into the chilling reality of non-crime hate incidents, police ideological training, and how police guidelines are shifting away from fundamental equality before the law. They examine real-world cases, including comedy writer Graham Linehan's arrest at Heathrow Airport by armed officers over Twitter posts, and a former police officer fined for a satirical meme. Andrew warns that expanding protected characteristics to include religious belief in New Zealand could severely compromise satire, parody, and free thought. Is New Zealand already setting up the framework to head down the exact same path? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wellington ratepayers are shelling out $280,000 for a Chief Māori Officer, which is $78,000 more than the city's mayor takes home. Over in the regional council, there is another executive doing the same work for over $200,000. We look at why ratepayers are funding duplicate bureaucracy in a cost-of-living crisis and ask where the actual outcomes are. Former minister Maurice Williamson and Ani O'Brien join the show to break down council spending. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aucklanders are getting hammered by rates, congestion, and failing infrastructure, yet Auckland Transport is advertising for a Head of Māori Outcomes reporting straight to the CEO. A passenger is a passenger, and standard public transport should deliver one service for everyone. We look at how bloated public sector bureaucracy keeps expanding while the basics remain broken. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We take a look at the extraordinary entry numbers coming out of Otago Medical School. Around 90% of Māori applicants receive offers compared to just 31% in the general category, turning away candidates with superior grades. David Seymour joins us after being briefed on a secret report into race-based admissions. He says it fails to justify the policy, so why won't the government release it to the public? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Winston Peters has just thrown a hand grenade into the superannuation debate. New Zealand First wants to change the rules so that from 2029 you must be a New Zealand citizen to qualify for NZ Super. Right now, permanent residents can get it after meeting residency requirements. We speak with New Zealand First candidate Craig Stobo about why they are pushing for this change and whether our current welfare model is sustainable. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Greens want to spend $6 billion on a government-owned supermarket chain, acquiring 120 stores to give us cheaper groceries. But is KiwiMart a genius fix or an expensive fantasy? We break down why forcing private businesses out won't magically lower your checkout bill. Plus, Retail NZ's Carolyn Young joins us to reveal the real costs, huge legal risks, and what this means for Kiwis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This election is starting to look less like two competing visions and more like a choice between dumb and dumber. National's telling us to wait while spending $20 billion more than Labour's last budget, but Labour is turning up with an uncosted $21 billion shopping list. Chris Hipkins refuses to show us the money, Willie Jackson says they didn't spend enough, and everyday Kiwis are left carrying the bill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A real estate agent with a 30-year career faces a lifetime ban for refusing to take a compulsory 90-minute course on tikanga Māori. She lost her license not for misconduct, but for holding firm to her personal beliefs. We ask when regulators got the power to take away a person's right to work over a compulsory course. Plus, interest rates go up again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Labour has a massive problem 10 weeks out from the election. Between ditching fuel tax increases, entertaining pay equity claims, and relying on capital gains tax that will not bring in revenue for years, their numbers just do not add up. We look at how Willie Jackson is pouring fuel on the fire by telling unions Labour was too conservative on spending, completely torpedoing Chris Hipkins' message. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Willie Jackson just let the cat out of the bag on co-governance. Labour hasn't dropped the policy; they are just planning to rebrand it under a new name to avoid scaring voters. We break down what this deceit means for middle New Zealand, why Chris Hipkins seems unable to control his Māori caucus, and how voters are reacting as National and Labour lock into a dead heat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An elected representative in the Far North gets voted off a major committee after challenging council decisions and raising questions on co-governance. Far North District Councillor Davina Smolders joins us to explain how she was ambushed, denied natural justice, and shut down during debate. We ask where the government is on local democracy and why elected members are being punished for doing the job ratepayers voted them to do. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Opportunities Party just backed away from their controversial tax policy, admitting a minor party can't force through massive economic shifts. We break down what this tax reset means for homeowners, farmers, and your back pocket. Plus, our panel tackles National's strict no-new-taxes stance, the push for council rate caps, and why level crossings are about to gridlock Auckland traffic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have been given exclusive access to the raw data showing how kids are doing at every high school across the country. The numbers have been crunched, and it turns out over 13,000 kids leave school every year without a single qualification. Socioeconomic gaps are widening, and boys are falling way behind girls. Educationalist Alwyn Poole joins us to break down what is going wrong and who needs to fix it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Opportunity Party leader Qiulae Wong joins us for a 30-minute interview on TOP's radical tax reset. TOP wants to fund a $19,000 universal basic income by heavily taxing land, but it could drop house values by 15%. Is this an economic gamble New Zealand cannot afford? We break down the policy, Christopher Luxon ruling them out, and what this means for homeowners. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The government has introduced a bill banning social media for under-16s, and it is about time. Big tech platforms care about eyeballs and profits, not the health and safety of our kids. With one in three NZ teenagers spending five-plus hours a day scrolling, we ask why the two main parties must unite to pass this law. Minister Erica Stanford joins Duncan to break it down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Hipkins says Labour will balance the books, but he will not tell us how he pays for his promises until later in the year. Meanwhile, National claims to cut costs, yet they are spending $20 billion more than Labour did. Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union joins Duncan to break down why neither side's numbers add up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Opportunities Party wants a chunk of your land value every single year. We look at what TOP's proposed tax means for everyday homeowners and farmers facing bills up to $1,000 a week. Duncan breaks down the numbers with Maurice and Ani, questioning how Kiwis are supposed to afford it and what this means for the upcoming election Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We thought 10,000 kids were leaving school every year without a basic qualification. The real figure is over 13,000. That is almost one in five young Kiwis walking out the gates with nothing to show for over a decade in class. Duncan breaks down the Ministry's math tricks, hidden numbers, and why our education system is failing on a massive scale. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

$106 million spent on consultants for a harbour crossing, and we still do not know if it is a bridge or a tunnel. Another $229 million on light rail with zero track laid. Duncan is fed up with billions going out the door to private contractors while everyday Kiwis tighten their belts. Plus, former Defence Minister Ron Mark steps in on fighting in Ukraine and why he wants back into Parliament. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Warning: This interview contains discussions of sexual assault and violence Qiulae Wong spent weeks riding high, but an uncomfortable interview exposed serious questions about party rules, political donations, and who actually calls the shots. Plus, Chief Victims' Advocate Ruth Money joins us to break down the Opportunity Party's youth justice policy and why extending the youth court up to age 25 leaves victims behind. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elections always come down to one simple test: are you better off than you were three years ago? We crunched the numbers across 20 key economic indicators to strip away the political spin. With prices up 17 percent and wages lagging, most Kiwis are feeling the pinch. Economist Ed McKnight joins us to break down who is actually winning and who is losing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hastings District Council has just appointed five unelected iwi representatives to every single council committee, giving them full voting rights and payment. We ask where Local Government Minister Simon Watts is hiding while co-governance rules are blatantly ignored. Plus, Maurice Williamson and Ashley Church join Duncan to break down a chaotic week of National Party leadership drama and its implications for the upcoming election. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hastings District Council has voted to place unelected, paid mana whenua representatives onto every council committee with full voting rights. The government told councils to hold off, but Hastings pushed ahead anyway. We speak to Councillor Steve Gibson about why he is fighting this decision, what it means for ratepayers, and whether Three Waters-style co-governance is slipping back in through local water entities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christopher Luxon survives a dramatic confidence vote, but has National just destroyed its own election campaign? In this special live episode, Duncan Garner is joined by political commentator Ani O'Brien and former National minister Maurice Williamson as the leadership crisis unfolds in real time. They take you inside the National caucus room, examine the attempted coup against a sitting Prime Minister and deliver a brutal verdict when Luxon emerges victorious, declaring his deeply divided party “united”. With just 87 days until the election, the coup has failed. The damage may be permanent. And National is left with the same leader, a shattered caucus and a mountain of unanswered questions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We were promised a functional train tunnel for $2 billion, but Auckland's City Rail Link blew out to $5.5 billion. Unaccountable council staff and ministers went missing while gold-plating stations and dropping over a million dollars on public art installations. We take a hard look at the $3 billion cost overruns, who signed off on the lavish designs, and why long-suffering Auckland ratepayers will be paying off this massive bill for decades. PLUS, Minister Simon Court joins us to discuss who signed off on this gold-plated blowout and why Auckland ratepayers are left holding the massive bill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

National is demanding Labour "show me the money" on tax and spend, but their own numbers face serious scrutiny. Plus, former Opportunity Party candidate Matthew Phillips joins us to explain why he walked away, what goes on behind closed doors, and why ruling out TOP might backfire on Christopher Luxon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christopher Luxon has finally done something we weren't sure he had in him: he expressed a genuine, unscripted opinion. The Prime Minister suggested a referendum on MMP, asking whether our 30-year-old electoral system still works or has just created political paralysis. Is Luxon finally showing real leadership, or is this an unwanted distraction from an economy doing it tough? Plus, New Zealand First Minister Shane Jones joins us to talk mining, energy, and coalition politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why are we importing 111,000 foreign workers when thousands of New Zealanders cannot find a job? Unemployment has hit an 11-year high at 5.6%, youth unemployment is nearing 14%, and real wages are falling. Yet the government continues issuing tens of thousands of work visas to overseas workers. We ask why Christopher Luxon and the government are letting Kiwis miss out in their own country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The latest Roy Morgan poll has the Opportunities Party at 8%. Is this a real political shift or just an outlier? Duncan Garner sits down with political commentators David Farrier and Jordan Williams to break down what this means for Labour, National, and the rest of MMP. Plus, we take a look at TOP's radical policies and ask whether voters actually know what they are backing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christopher Luxon told struggling small-business owners that they need an adult relationship with the government. After massive backlash, he finally apologised, but the damage is already done. We talk to Retail NZ chief executive Carolyn Young about high inflation, rising rates, and why local business owners feel completely abandoned by National. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TVNZ ran a lengthy news segment on the opening of Auckland's new Drury and Pukekohe train stations, but completely left out Rail Minister Winston Peters. He funded it and opened it, yet didn't get a second of airtime. Meanwhile, activists staged a mock execution of him in Auckland, and the media barely blinked. Where's the fair reporting? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Winston Peters tells a Green MP to go home and the political world goes into full meltdown. Labour and the Greens are calling it racism, but is it actually prejudice or just classic Winston attacking a political ideology? We break down the Parliament circus, the deafening double standards, and why everyday Kiwis struggling with mortgages are fed up with the endless outrage machine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don Brash has unloaded on Christopher Luxon, calling his leadership gutless, hopeless, and ineffective. I find it hard to disagree. National is drifting back to 30% because Luxon is so terrified of offending anyone that he stands for nothing. We break down the brutal critique, look at how Labour got back in the game, and ask if Erica Stanford should be taking over. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Opportunities Party wants youth court extended to 25-year-olds, but we think it is total madness. Plus, Free Speech Union's Ani O'Brien joins us after facing threats to cancel her Auckland event tonight. We look at crime, justice, and free speech in New Zealand. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did Chris Luxon actually plan to rule out working with TOP, or did he just back himself into a corner under pressure? We sit down with pollster David Farrar to break down National's coalition strategy, TOP's radical tax and justice policies, and why the election race is looking tighter than ever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

National wants to extend paid parental leave to 30 weeks, but families will have to wait until 2030 to get the full benefit. Nicola Willis tried to blame ACT for the delay, but National never pushed for it in the first place. David Seymour joins us to set the record straight on cost, policy priorities, and whether Kiwis are just being sold another long-term promise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Labour has completely lost the plot over Paul Henry playing a classic radio game on Hauraki. Calling a joke a genuine death threat is bloody ridiculous, especially when Chris Hipkins has played the exact same game himself. Plus, Stuart Nash gets dumped by NZ First before election day, and we break down a mad week in Kiwi politics with Maurice Williamson and Ashley Church. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stuart Nash is out of politics for good after another massive, self-inflicted wound. After falling out of Cabinet under Labour and trying to rebuild his career with Winston Peters and New Zealand First, Nash lasted just one week before sending a text to former National minister Chris Finlayson criticizing a local Napier candidate. We look at how Winston Peters acted quickly to force him out, why Christopher Luxon ruled him out of Cabinet, and how Nash repeatedly ruined his own political comebacks through a lack of discipline and poor judgment. Plus, we speak with Mark Hooper, a Taranaki farmer with Federated Farmers, about the government stepping in to halt iwi co-governance agreements with local councils. We discuss what needs to replace these agreements under the new planning rules, the high costs and delays of cultural impact assessments for regular landowners, and why New Zealand needs a transparent, high-trust planning system that works for all farmers and ratepayers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices