Podcasts about act party

On Saturday, roughly 20,000 marched in the pro-Palestine rally, the ‘March for Humanity,' with protesters walking from Aotea Square to Victoria Park in Auckland's CBD.  For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party's Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Simon about the rally and what protestors are calling on the government for, regarding their response to Israel's war on Gaza, as the death toll in Gaza reaches over 64,000, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health. As well as this, Regulations Minister and ACT Party Leader, David Seymour, has not ruled out changes to the labelling of alcohol, nicotine, and tobacco products. However, firstly, they discussed the ‘March for Humanity' rally.

Following on from my chat with MP Simon Court, I spoke to Dr Maria Armoudian, an Associate Professor in Politics and International Relations at the University of Auckland, the director of the University's Sustainability Hub, and the co-director of the Ngā Ara Whatū Centre for Climate, Biodiversity and Society at the University, on the ACT Party's stance on the Paris Agreement. ACT's stance on the Paris Agreement has received substantial criticism. Despite NZ First also being in support for moving away from the Paris Agreement, National have been staunch on continuing with this framework, alongside the Opposition Parties. Greenpeace campaigner, Amanda Larsson, has referred to ACT Party Leader David Seymour's comments regarding the framework as “rage-baiting the extremist edge of the farming community to grab headlines” and that Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, “mustn't bite”. This comes as Luxon indicated last week changes to our methane targets. Methane makes up almost a third of global warming, and is over 80x more powerful than CO₂ in the short term. News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to Armoudian about this, starting with how important the Paris Agreement is, and what exactly the framework is.

Recently, ACT Party Leader, David Seymour, announced the party's position statement on climate, saying that if the Paris Agreement isn't reformed, the country should leave the agreement. The Paris Agreement, signed by New Zealand by the then National-led government in 2016, aims to keep the global average temperature rise to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, with an overall aim of keeping the temperature increase to 1.5°C. Currently, Aotearoa is one of 195 UN parties to adopt this framework. If the country were to leave the Paris Agreement, the country would join the likes of the US, who signed an executive order to withdraw this year, and Iran, Libya, and Yemen, who have never formally joined the agreement. For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party's Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to him about the Paris Agreement, and our future with this framework.

Following on from my chat with MP Simon Court, I spoke to Dr Maria Armoudian, an Associate Professor in Politics and International Relations at the University of Auckland, the director of the University's Sustainability Hub, and the co-director of the Ngā Ara Whatū Centre for Climate, Biodiversity and Society at the University, on the ACT Party's stance on the Paris Agreement. ACT's stance on the Paris Agreement has received substantial criticism. Despite NZ First also being in support for moving away from the Paris Agreement, National have been staunch on continuing with this framework, alongside the Opposition Parties. Greenpeace campaigner, Amanda Larsson, has referred to ACT Party Leader David Seymour's comments regarding the framework as “rage-baiting the extremist edge of the farming community to grab headlines” and that Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, “mustn't bite”. This comes as Luxon indicated last week changes to our methane targets. Methane makes up almost a third of global warming, and is over 80x more powerful than CO₂ in the short term. News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to Armoudian about this, starting with how important the Paris Agreement is, and what exactly the framework is.

Recently, ACT Party Leader, David Seymour, announced the party's position statement on climate, saying that if the Paris Agreement isn't reformed, the country should leave the agreement. The Paris Agreement, signed by New Zealand by the then National-led government in 2016, aims to keep the global average temperature rise to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, with an overall aim of keeping the temperature increase to 1.5°C. Currently, Aotearoa is one of 195 UN parties to adopt this framework. If the country were to leave the Paris Agreement, the country would join the likes of the US, who signed an executive order to withdraw this year, and Iran, Libya, and Yemen, who have never formally joined the agreement. For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party's Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to him about the Paris Agreement, and our future with this framework.

This week on the Monday Wire: For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, speaks to MP Simon Court about the party's stance on the Paris Agreement. Joel also speaks to Dr Maria Armoudian, an Associate Professor in Politics and International Relations at the University of Auckland, the director of the University's Sustainability Hub, and the co-director of the Ngā Ara Whatū Centre for Climate, Biodiversity and Society at the University, about the ACT Party's stance on the Paris Agreement, and the importance of the framework. And Alex speaks to The University of Auckland's Dr Stephanie D'Souza about a study showing that high-level rugby players faced an increased risk of Alzheimer's and other dementias at later ages. Whakarongo mai!

The Prime Minister ponders the Act Party’s new position on the Paris Agreement. David Seymour is effectively siding with Winston Peters. How much heat/friction is this going to cause for the Coalition? We also discuss the latest Roy Morgan Poll, the Amazon deal and relaxing foreign investment. Are New Zealand farms next on the chopping block?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finally, we have a serious party who has spent time thinking about it - and is now seriously suggesting that New Zealand should pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement. Now, that was what came from that ACT Party announcement that I told you would be coming today that you needed to keep an eye out for. ACT says Paris isn't working for New Zealand and it says we should push for the agreement to be reformed - and if it isn't reformed, then we should pull out of it. It isn't working, ACT says, because it's pushing up our food prices and it's pushing up our power prices and it's forcing the farmers off the land to make way for trees. And you can add to that list something that we've seen a lot of this winter and last winter - it is shutting down industry because of those high power prices. Now, there will be a lot of people who hear this from ACT and write it off as nutty climate change denier stuff. It is not. Think about the Paris Agreement critically, right? Set aside, you know, your vibes, whether you want to help the climate, set all of that stuff aside. Just think about this critically as to whether it works or not. And you can see it doesn't work. I mean, I stand to be corrected, but I cannot see any country that is meeting the targets. We will not meet the targets. The US, one of the world's biggest polluters, has pulled out. China, the world's biggest polluter, is still building coal-powered plants. I mean, we are fretting about the one coal-powered plant that we've got and they're building heaps of them. India, another one of the biggest polluters, is also doing the same with coal-powered plants. In which case, why would a country responsible for 0.17 percent of the world's emissions - or something like that - continue to persist with the Paris Agreement? Because we're not saving the planet, we're just making Kiwis poorer. And power is so expensive that we now have people who cannot turn on the heater every time Huntley burns expensive coal. Coal, by the way, which is not expensive, but which we have decided to artificially make expensive in order to save the planet. Now, the Nats have shot this down already and say it's not happening. That's smart politics for them, because they've got to hold on to the swing voters who might react badly, you know, without thinking things through to anything that looks like climate change denial. The Nats might want to be careful about what they rule in or out hard before the election, because they might need flexibility afterwards, given both of their coalition partners want out of Paris. ACT officially wants out unless things change, New Zealand First keeps hinting at it. And if National is honest with itself, they should want to get out of it too, because Paris is making us poorer, but not doing anything to save the planet. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A push to slim down New Zealand's unusually large number of ministerial portfolios is being met with caution. A report by the New Zealand Initiative's found comparable countries have a third of our 81 portfolios and is calling for a cull. PSA's national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons says they don't object to a discussion around this. But she told Andrew Dickens it's taking place in a political context, driven by the ACT Party. Fitzsimons says David Seymour's been vocal about dismissing more public servants and moving to a model of privatisation. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Early last week, ACT MP, Todd Stephenson, re-lodged his End of Life Choice Amendment Bill, which seeks to expand the eligibility of the End of Life Choice Act. This follows recommendations from the Ministry of Health's office review into the law, which was an official requirement of the original 2019 Act. Stephenson's bill has accepted all 25 recommendations. National's coalition agreement with ACT requires any proposed changes to the Act having to be progressed through as a member's bill. As well as this, Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche, has not ruled out absorbing ministries such as the Ministry of Women and Ministry of Pacific People into larger ministries. In 2023, the ACT Party had campaigned on removing these ministries. And last week, The Justice Select Committee report into four-year parliamentary terms recommended a referendum on the potential move, but had recommended some provisions of ACT Party Leader, David Seymour, be scrapped. These provisions include an incoming government only being allowed a four-year term if the government agreed to give the opposition the majority in the select committee. This would mean that some governments would be three-terms, and some would be four terms. For our weekly catchup with ACT MP Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to him about all these topics, starting with Todd Stephenson's members bill.

This week on the Monday Wire: For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to MP Simon Court about ACT MP Todd Stephenson's members bill being re-introduced to develop the End of Life Choice Act, Public Service Commissioner, Sir Brian Roche's potential changes to different multiple ministries, and the Select Committee's recommendations regarding four-year parliamentary terms. Producer Alex spoke to Senior Law Lecturer at the University of Canterbury, Dr Cassandra Mudgway about the need for AI regulations in regards to protecting women and vulnerable communities from AI-based harms. Joel also spoke to Stephen Young, an Associate Law Professor at the University of Otago, on ‘sovereign citizens,' following the killings of two Australian police officers, with the alleged perpetrator, Dezi Freeman, having expressed strong support for the movement online. Alex spoke with the Programme Director and Associate Professor in Global Studies at the University of Auckland, Chris Ogden, about Trumps America acting as a “rogue state”. And on Thursday, Intern Zanoor spoke to Andrew Eruiti, an Associate Law Professor at the University of Auckland, about his new research, showing that certain principles of human rights in the country are ironically being used to restrain Māori governance and tino rangatiratanga. Whakarongo mai.

Early last week, ACT MP, Todd Stephenson, re-lodged his End of Life Choice Amendment Bill, which seeks to expand the eligibility of the End of Life Choice Act. This follows recommendations from the Ministry of Health's office review into the law, which was an official requirement of the original 2019 Act. Stephenson's bill has accepted all 25 recommendations. National's coalition agreement with ACT requires any proposed changes to the Act having to be progressed through as a member's bill. As well as this, Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche, has not ruled out absorbing ministries such as the Ministry of Women and Ministry of Pacific People into larger ministries. In 2023, the ACT Party had campaigned on removing these ministries. And last week, The Justice Select Committee report into four-year parliamentary terms recommended a referendum on the potential move, but had recommended some provisions of ACT Party Leader, David Seymour, be scrapped. These provisions include an incoming government only being allowed a four-year term if the government agreed to give the opposition the majority in the select committee. This would mean that some governments would be three-terms, and some would be four terms. For our weekly catchup with ACT MP Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to him about all these topics, starting with Todd Stephenson's members bill.

This week on the Monday Wire: For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to MP Simon Court about ACT MP Todd Stephenson's members bill being re-introduced to develop the End of Life Choice Act, Public Service Commissioner, Sir Brian Roche's potential changes to different multiple ministries, and the Select Committee's recommendations regarding four-year parliamentary terms. Producer Alex spoke to Senior Law Lecturer at the University of Canterbury, Dr Cassandra Mudgway about the need for AI regulations in regards to protecting women and vulnerable communities from AI-based harms. Joel also spoke to Stephen Young, an Associate Law Professor at the University of Otago, on ‘sovereign citizens,' following the killings of two Australian police officers, with the alleged perpetrator, Dezi Freeman, having expressed strong support for the movement online. Alex spoke with the Programme Director and Associate Professor in Global Studies at the University of Auckland, Chris Ogden, about Trumps America acting as a “rogue state”. And on Thursday, Intern Zanoor spoke to Andrew Eruiti, an Associate Law Professor at the University of Auckland, about his new research, showing that certain principles of human rights in the country are ironically being used to restrain Māori governance and tino rangatiratanga. Whakarongo mai.

The Act Party leader talks beer, lefty haters, collateral damage, Dad Dancing and twerking, Grant Robertson's denial over Covid spend up, bike helmets and fiddling while Rome burns when there are bigger fish to fry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A couple of weeks ago in our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party's Simon Court, we discussed multiple countries moving to formally recognise Palestinian Statehood, and what New Zealand's plans were in this regard. Last week, Foreign Minister, Winston Peters, said the country would carefully weigh its position over the next month in recognising the state of Palestine. During a debate in Parliament, the government's delay in recognising a Palestinian state, as opposed to other countries such as France, the UK, Canada, and Australia, led Green Party co-leader, Chlöe Swarbrick, to refer to the country as “outlier,” and called for the government MPs “with a spine” to “stand on the right side of history”. This led to her being ordered to leave Parliament by Speaker Gerry Brownlee, after refusing to apologise for her statement. As well as this, last week, Education Minister, Erica Stanford, announced cancelling the early-reading book At the Marae from its Ready to Read Phonics Plus series.  The government's reasoning for this is through “mixed” evidence suggesting that learning both English and te reo Māori for young learners could confuse them. The move has been widely criticised by linguists, academics, and educators, for being “an act of racism” and “white supremacy”. For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party's Simon Court, Producer Castor spoke to Simon about both these topics, starting with recognising a Palestinian state. Find out more about the Māori words which are a part of the official Oxford English Dictionary here

In Leaders Getting Coffee episode 48, our guest is the Deputy Leader of the Act Party and Minister of Internal Affairs, Brooke Van Velden. A young Brooke Van Velden walked into a pub with a group of friends to celebrate a concert they’d just given. In doing so they stumbled across a get together of Act Party members and a relationship that was to change her life was born. Van Velden is now the Minister of workplace relations and the Minister of Internal Affairs as well as deputy leader of the Act Party. She tells the story of her grandfather’s journey to New Zealand after world war two and of a comfortable upbringing in Auckland. Her shyness at school was eventually overcome when the school’s choir master worked out that she could sing. The music department became her hangout and a shy schoolgirl became a confident performer, a skill that was to suit her forthcoming political career. That political career started in the back office of the Act Party as she worked behind the scenes on a signature policy, the End-of-Life Choice Act, which passed into law in 2019, and she speaks respectfully of the touching stories she encountered traveling the country as that policy developed. On the Leaders Getting Coffee podcast, Brooke speaks to Bruce Cotterill about a wide range of topics, including life in the opposition benches in the 2020 – 2023 term and the transition to government for the current term. We go behind the scenes and find out what it’s like to be a part of the coalition negotiations, and we learn that she only found out about her ministerial appointments when those negotiations were complete. Business owners and entrepreneurs will enjoy her comments about her desire to create a high wage growth economy with a flexible labour market and creating both the opportunities and the confidence to invest in our country. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The ACT Party's laying into the former Ministers who lead our Covid-19 response for refusing to front public hearings. Labour leader Chris Hipkins, and former Ministers Jacinda Ardern, Grant Robertson, and Ayesha Verrall have declined to appear as part of the Royal Commission's Inquiry. Commissioners are confident it won't hamper efforts. Act's Brooke van Velden, who's in charge of the inquiry, told Ryan Bridge these Ministers stood publicly and made huge decisions about people's lives. She says it's confusing for many members of the public who are still feeling the effects of the Covid lockdown. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Justice Minister, Paul Goldsmith, recently announced a proposal to the Electoral Act and Constitution Act, removing the ability for an individual to enrol on election day. Alongside this comes the proposal of halting the ability to enrol during the advanced voting period. This move has received backlash - including from within the government. This morning, Attorney-General, Judith Collins KC, says the move goes against the Bill of Rights Act. During the 2023 general election, over 450,000 enrolled in the 12-day period, with 110,000 enrolling on election day. A significant proportion of those later enrolments consist of young people, and in areas of bigger Māori, Pacific, and Asian communities. In light of this move, ACT Party Leader, David Seymour, says those who have left voting to the last minute are “drop-kicks”. As well as this, the ACT Party's justice spokesperson, Todd Stephenson, added to this, saying “Democracy works best when voters are informed, engaged, and take the process seriously,” and that “It's outrageous that someone completely disengaged and lazy can rock up to the voting booth, get registered there and then, and then vote to tax other people's money away.” For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party's Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel spoke to him about this move.

The Prime Minister has confirmed a Waikato medical school's coming, with construction beginning this year. The Government's putting $83 million towards the $230-million-dollar project, with the rest coming from Waikato University and philanthropic investors. It'll offer a graduate-entry programme, focused on primary care and rural health. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says the ACT Party quickly released a statement taking credit for driving down the price of the project. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government has recently announced that Te Pūkenga is set to return to ‘regional governance,' re-establishing 10 polytechnics that were merged under the previous Labour-led government. For our weekly catch up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to MP Simon Court about these developments with Te Pūkenga. They also discussed Labour MP, Camilla Belich's member's bill — the Employment Relations (Employee Remuneration Disclosure) Amendment Bill, passing its second reading. In the government, National are in support of the bill, however, New Zealand First, and ACT, are not. We discussed why ACT are not supportive of the bill, despite their coalition partner, National, being in support. But first, they discussed the re-establishment of the 10 polytechnics that were previously merged under Te Pūkenga.

ACT Party leader David Seymour announced plans to address the supermarket duopoly at the party summit on Sunday. Seymour proposed that international competitors haven't begun operations in New Zealand due to restrictive approval processes.  Seymour says that while his opponents have proposed breaking up the duopoly or imposing taxes, his solution of introducing a third competitor would be the only truly effective answer.  Wire host Castor spoke to Emeritus Professor of Economics, Tim Hazledine, about his thoughts on Seymour's proposal and alternative solutions to break up the New Zealand supermarket duopoly.

The ACT party held its annual rally in Auckland on Sunday, celebrating policy wins, and encouraging its supporters to "keep the government" and look to ACT to "make it better." Political reporter Lillian Hanly was at the rally.

The ACT Party has used its annual rally to differentiate itself from its coalition partners - while also calling for all three parties to be returned to power next year. Acting political editor Craig McCulloch spoke to Corin Dann.

We discuss the filthiness of right-wing discourse and strategy, particularly the latest targeting and smears by Ray Chung in Wellington. The ACT Party is moving openly further right, pulling NZ pol along with the aid of media. And across the West the “centre left” parties continue to accelerate rightwards themselves, could new parties and messaging ameliorate this?This episode's co-hostsKyle, Philip, StephanieTimestamps0:00 Opening 1:17 Ray Chung Claims 8:57 Voting for Something14:35 Misogyny in Local Government 22:01 Wellington Mayoral 25:03 James Lindsay41:59 UK Labour 56:10 NZ Labour1:08:12 Francesca Albanese1:16:53 ClosingsIntro/Outro by The Prophet MotiveSupport us here: https://www.patreon.com/1of200

Health experts claim the ACT Party's red tape-busting Regulatory Standards Bill threatens to harm patients by undermining the public health system. Ruth Hill explains.

Hearings on the regulatory standards bill are currently underway, with around 23,000 total submissions both written and oral. Early analysis of the submissions estimated 88% percent are in opposition, while only 0.3% are in support.  The bill has been pushed by Minister for Regulation and ACT Party leader David Seymour, who says it should support the government to reduce regulation and ensure the protection of individual rights and private property. The bill has been criticised for not including clauses around Te Tiriti o Waitangi or environmental protections. It has also been criticised for potentially undemocratic elements, placing large amounts of control in the hands of the unelected Ministry for Regulation. In our weekly catch-up with the National party, Wire host Castor asked Tom Rutherford about the regulatory standards bill in light of the select committee hearings and new criticisms.

Submit on the Regulatory Standards Bill while you listen to this podcast! It only takes 5min, and then you know you've done something fab ~! As a txter said: "The simplest, easiest submission only needs two sentences. In the Statements box type 'I oppose the regulatory standards bill'. In the Reccommendations box type 'I reccommend the Bill be rejected and that all parties be prevented from trying to resubmit the Bill in the future." So simple. Thank you for your thoughts, astute txter! Personally, I don't believe the country wants our legislation to be based on ACT Party principles -  take 5 and have your say, it's important~! If you want to know more about the Bill this video from Te Ao with Moana is well researched and clear. The closing date for submissions is 1.00pm, Monday, 23 June 2025.

This week on the Monday Wire: For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party's Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to him about ACT local candidates opposing moves to mitigate the climate crisis at a regional level, the ban of Israeli MPs Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich for visiting the country, and changes to proposed anti-stalking laws. Joel also spoke to Claudia Rozas — a lecturer in Critical Studies at the University of Auckland, about the new English curriculum, and the need for Māori and Pacific authors to be engaged with. Producer Samantha spoke to PSA organiser Claire Nickson about staffing and funding cuts at the National Geohazard Monitoring Centre and its implications for the public. Samantha also spoke to Justin Sobion, Professor of Law at University of Auckland about the Princess of Tonga calling for whales to be granted legal personhood. Whakarongo mai!

The ACT Party has recently announced that candidates standing in local elections, if elected, will oppose attempts to mitigate emissions at a local level. ACT Local Government spokesperson, Cameron Luxton, says council's should “focus on what they can control,” and not “costly symbolic declarations”. For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party's Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to him about this move. We also discussed the government's sanctions on Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. New Zealand has joined countries such as the UK, Australia, Canada, and Norway, in banning Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich over allegedly “inciting extremist violence" against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and “undermin[ing] peace” for a two-state solution. Finally, we discussed changes being made to the proposed anti-stalking laws. But first, we discussed ACT candidates opposing attempts to mitigate emissions at a local level.

This week on the Monday Wire: For our weekly catch up with Te Pāti Māori's Takutai Kemp, News and Editorial and Monday Wire Host Joel speaks to her about the proposed suspension of Te Pāti Māori MPs Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, Rawiri Waititi, and Hana Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke standing, and NZ First Party Leader, Winston Peters' comments about Waititi's moko kanohi during the debate. For our weekly catch up with the ACT Party's Simon Court, they speak to him about David Seymour being sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister, Seymour's claims that bots drove fake submissions against the Regulatory Standards Bill, and the proposed suspension of Te Pāti Māori MPs being held. They speak to Margaret Mutu — a Professor of Māori Studies at the University of Auckland about the suspension of Te Pāti Māori MPs and her concerns around the ruling. Joel speaks to Michael Swanson — a PhD Candidate in New Zealand Politics at the University of Otago, about ACT Party leader, David Seymour, about being sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister, and if this will impact how the current government operates. And Producer Samantha speaks to Renee Hosking, the lead medical student researcher at the University of Otago about a study showing that a large proportion of vape juice packaging misstates the nicotine content present. Whakarongo mai

David Seymour has been sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister as per coalition agreements. He will be taking over from NZ First Leader, Winston Peters. During his first speech as Deputy Prime Minister, Seymour said that the ACT Party would be “Labour's worst nightmare”. News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Michael Swanson — a PHD Candidate in New Zealand Politics from the University of Otago about what this will mean heading forward, what the role of deputy is, and if this will have an impact on the re-election of the current coalition government.

Debate's been sparked about the use of online submission tools in the legislative process after comments from ACT Party leader David Seymour. In-Depth journalist Ella Stewart spoke to Corin Dann.

In Budget 2025, private schools will receive subsidies increasing the annual spend by $4.6 million a year, to $46.2 million. As well as this, the annual spend on charter schools will double to $57 million. ACT Party Leader, David Seymour, says that independent schools are an important part of New Zealand's education landscape that offers diversity of choice for parents. For our weekly catchup, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to the ACT Party's Simon Court about the additional support independent schools will receive, and how this will benefit the average taxpayer. They also discussed changes to Jobseeker and emergency benefits for 18-to-19 year olds, as those receiving this benefit will now have their benefit tested against their parents income. The move, which is set to come into effect in 2027, is estimated to impact almost 9000 young people. They also discussed changes to Kiwisaver, where the government will halve subsidies and increase employer contributions to a minimum of 4% from 3%. But first, they discussed the additional support for independent schools.

This week on the Monday Wire: For our weekly catchup with Te Pāti Māori's Takutai Kemp, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, speaks to her about Budget 2025 and its impacts on Māori initiatives, and the deferral of the debate into the suspension of Te Pāti Māori MPs. For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party's Simon Court, Joel speaks to him also about Budget 2025, specifically around spending on education and how the Budget will impact young people. They speak to Brian Roper — an Associate Professor in Politics at the University of Otago, about the 2025 Budget, and how much of an impact this Budget will have for the National Party's chances of a re-election. And they speak to the Co-Founder and General Manager of KickBack, Aaron Hendry, about his concerns with Budget 2025 in addressing the youth homelessness crisis. Whakarongo mai.

Yesterday's budget confirmed there will be no changes to superannuation. Means testing for KiwiSaver input's in, but nothing for super. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon reaffirmed his party's support for raising the retirement age to 67. But his deputy and coalition partner Winston Peters doesn't agree. Associate Finance Minister and ACT Party leader David Seymour talks to Heather du Plessis-Allan about the idea. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Waitangi Tribunal is urging the Government to “immediately halt” the Act Party-promoted Regulatory Standards Bill set to be introduced to Parliament on Monday. In a report, released today, the tribunal condemned the Government not consulting with Māori when developing the legislation, thus violating its Treaty obligation. Author of the bill David Seymour talks to Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Claimants in an urgent Waitangi Tribunal hearing say the ACT Party's Regulatory Standards Bill is a more aggressive and stealthier version of the Treaty Principles Bill. Their lawyers presented evidence to the Tribunal on Wednesday in a tight, online-only, hearing that had to be pushed forward by 3 weeks. Maori news journalist Tuwhenuaroa Natanahira filed this report.

Critics have told the Waitangi Tribunal that the ACT Party's Regulatory Standards Bill is, in fact, an anti-Treaty Bill. Māori News Journalist Pokere Paewai reports.

There's concerns and fears among some that the Regulatory Standards Bill sidelines te Tiriti o Waitangi. The ACT Party bill aims to reduce regulation, claiming it'll create standards for 'good legislation'. The Waitangi Tribunal is meeting to discuss the legislation's failure to include the Treaty in those standards. Ngati Toa CEO Helmut Modlik says ACT pushed it quickly through consultation before introducing it. "They've been a bit naughty beggars where they've truncated the time-frame - rushing it through so that it can quickly get to the phase where the Tribunal has no jurisdiction." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the Monday Wire: For our weekly catchup with Te Pāti Māori's Takutai Kemp, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to her about changes to prisoners' voting eligibility, the party calling for more funding for Whakaata Māori in Budget 2025, and ECE recommendations. For our weekly catch up with the ACT Party, Producer Evie spoke to Simon Court about David Seymour's proposal to reduce the size of cabinet, an ACT Members Bill aimed at removing mandatory climate-related disclosures for banks, as well as last week's unprecedented senior doctor strikes. Joel spoke to Marcelo Rodriguez Ferrere, an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Auckland, about animal product imports to New Zealand, as a petition to Parliament to ensure imports are coming from country's with animal welfare standards on par with ours. Joel also spoke to Robert Patman, a Professor of International Relations at the University of Otago, about his article on the Conversation, discussing his concerns over the Trump Administration's proposed peace deal regarding Russia's war on Ukraine, and how New Zealand should proceed with supporting Ukraine. And Global Innovator, Matt Hart, joins us in studio to discuss young people developing their political views through social media. Whakarongo mai

David Seymour's denying the Coalition's back in choppy waters over National's proposed social media ban. Education Minister Erica Stanford is looking into ways to restrict access for under-16s. Prime Minister Chris Luxon claimed Seymour's on the same page, despite the ACT leader calling it unworkable. Seymour says he still has questions about how it's possible. He says within days of the Bill coming out, Luxon admitted more work was needed - which proves his point. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ACT Party leader David Seymour wants to slash the number of ministers taking care of portfolios, calling the current set up "bloated" and "full of meaningless titles". He spoke to RNZ's Deputy Political editor Craig McCulloch.

David Seymour's calling for fat to be cut from multiple areas of government. The Act Party leader wants a limit on the number of ministers – with no ministers outside of Cabinet, and no associate ministers other than in Finance. He wants 30 total government agencies, down from 41. Executive Director of business think tank New Zealand Initiative, Oliver Hartwich told Mike Hosking the current model doesn't make sense. He says there's a Minister of Housing but also a Minister of Building and Construction, as if they have nothing to do with each other. Hartwich also says the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment is a prime example of a bloated cabinet. He says there are 16 ministers in charge of MBIE, and Ireland has 15 in its entire cabinet. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the Monday Wire: For our weekly catch up with the ACT Party, Producer Evie speaks to MP Simon Court about the government's proposed changes to Early Childhood Education (or ECE) regulations, NZ First's proposed gender bill and ACC's ethnic outcomes target. Evie speaks to early childhood representative on the NZ Educational Institute National (NZEI) Executive Zane McCarthy about the proposed changes to ECE, and why they spark cause for concern. News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel speaks to Queer Endurance / Defiance member, Leliel Trethowen, about Winston Peter's proposed gender bill. Joel speaks to a board member of EPCAT Child Alert; an organisation aimed at ending child sexual exploitation Rebecca Kingi, about National MP, Greg Flemming, calling for cross-party support for anti-trafficking legislation. And Global Innovator, Matt Hart, joins us in studio to discuss changes in the way AI is being used. Whakarongo mai.

In his role as regulation Minister, David Seymour is moving to simplify regulations for Early Childhood Education Centres by the end of this year.  This involves a review containing 15 recommendations, which cabinet has accepted. These recommendations concern a vast number of things, from simplifying licensing criteria for pre-schools to lowering qualification requirements for early childhood educators.  Both of these areas have sparked concern within the sector, with some educators concerned the review is simply a cost cutting exercise that will result in tamariki being put at risk.  For our weekly catch up Producer Evie spoke to ACT's Simon Court about the review.  They also spoke about New Zealand First's Members Bill aiming to have the biological definition of a woman and man defined in law.  And finally they discussed a clash between the party and National's Scott Simpson over an ACC plan to reduce injury for Māori and Pasifika workers. 

The Treaty Principles Bill is now dead but its architect Act Party leader David Seymour is looking to resurrect something similar at the next election. Political reporter Russell Palmer has more.

This week on the Monday Wire: For our weekly catch up, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, speaks to Te Pāti Māori's Takutai Kemp about Te Pāti Māori MPs not attending the Select Committee over their contempt of the House due to their haka in Parliament over the Treaty Principles Bill and their plans to hold their own hearing, and the repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act passing its final reading. For our weekly catch up Producer Evie spoke to the ACT Party's Simon Court about the justice select committee releasing its report recommending the bill be scrapped, the tariffs imposed on New Zealand trade by the US last week, as well as ACT MP Andrew Hoggard facing criticism over potential conflicts of interest. Evie spoke to Senior Economics Lecturer at the University of Otago, Murat Ungor about the impact of Donald Trump's trade tariffs on Aotearoa and its economy. Joel spoke to the spokesperson for Toitū te Tiriti and Professional Teaching Fellow in the Faculty of Law at the University of Auckland, Eru Kapa-Kingi, and Māori Studies Professor at the University of Auckland and Chair of Te Rūnanga-ā-Iwi o Ngāti Kahu, Margaret Mutu, about the Justice Select Committee calling for the Treaty Principles Bill to be thrown away, with an analysis by Newsroom showing 90% of submissions were against the bill. And Global Innovator, Matt Hart, joins us in studio to discuss non-linear careers. Whakarongo mai!

This week on the Monday Wire: For our weekly catch up with Te Pāti Māori's Takutai Kemp, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, speaks to her about Finance Minister, Nicola Willis' plans to combat Aotearoa's supermarket duopoly, Green MP, Tamatha Paul's comments about police, and Te Pāti Māori's recent calls for mandatory police body cameras. For our weekly catch up with The ACT Party's Simon Court, Joel speaks to him about the Resource Management Act, or RMA reforms and concerns about the country's health and police system, following an 11-year old being misidentified as a 20-year old by police, and administered antipsychotic drugs. On Friday, they spoke to the spokesperson for People Against Prisons Aotearoa and Criminology Lecturer at the University of Auckland, Dr Emmy Rākete, about Tamatha Paul's comments about police practices in the country, the reaction they have received, and whether the reaction has been justified. They speak to the Chief Executive Officer of Consumer NZ, Jon Duffy, about Nicola Willis' plans to combat the supermarket duopoly and how the organisation are feeling about these developments. On Friday, they also spoke to a Senior Politics and International Relations Lecturer at the University of Auckland, Tim Fadgen, about US President Donald Trump's ‘overreach' in American universities, and if we should expect similar occurrences at New Zealand universities. And Global Innovator, Matt Hart, joins Joel in studio to continue our discussion around the Netflix series ‘Adolescence,'  fandoms, and exploring the role of soft power. Whakarongo mai

Last week, the government announced its plans for reforming the Resource Management Act, or the RMA, introducing two acts to replace the current RMA. The plan is to bring the two acts before the select committee next year, passing them just before the next election.  For our weekly catch up News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to the ACT Party's Simon Court about this reform, working with the opposition, and the lack of a Treaty clause. We also talked about concerns that the health and police system in Aotearoa are failing, following an 11-year old being misidentified as a 20-year old by police and being administered antipsychotic drugs. But first, we touched on the RMA reform.

After a drum beat of conjecture about his job security, the prime minister enjoyed something of an elixir in the investment summit and a trip to India that began with a breakthrough announcement: the launch of talks on a comprehensive free trade agreement. A big moment in itself felt bigger given the emergence of a US-led trade war, but also a confidence boost for Luxon. Ben Thomas, Annabelle Lee-Mather and Toby Manhire discuss the import of those developments, and whether Luxon's good time abroad can travel back to New Zealand with him. Plus: Winston Peters meets Marco Rubio, an extended chew over the latest in the school lunch saga, and David Seymour's suggestion that it highlighted "two New Zealands", and the Act Party announcement it will stand candidates in local elections. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices