Podcast appearances and mentions of David Seymour

New Zealand politics has been a whirlwind this year with RBNZ drama, Te Pati Māori's meltdown, the Treaty principles bill, and local body elections. 2026 will be another big year in New Zealand politics as parties gear up for the general election which will take place sometime in the second half of the year. Political correspondent Thomas Coughlan share shares with Francesca Rudkin with predictions of strategies and successes. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour sits down with Paula Bennett for a wide-ranging conversation that goes well beyond politics. They talk about growing up, losing his mum young, volunteering, identity, privacy, Dancing With the Stars, being “quirky” in public life, and why trying to be someone else is a waste of time. There’s also talk of leadership, changing your mind, taking risks, and what actually makes public service worth it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marti sits down with David Seymour, Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand and Leader of the ACT Party, inside the Beehive. David opens up about his background in an electrical contracting family, learning early on that "you come in at the end of the job when most of the screw-ups are already made." They discuss the "unbalanced relationship" of current employment laws, where employers face massive risks just to part ways with underperforming staff. David explains why he believes "no one really knows very much" and why the government needs to stop promising to build 100,000 houses and start letting businesses use "trial and error" to succeed. He also shares the success of Charter Schools (like Vanguard) and why removing rigid union contracts was the key to their performance.

Join Wallace for New Zealand's most explosive 30 minutes of politics. He is joined by panellists Maria Slade, Fran O'Sullivan and Sue Bradford. They touch briefly on the Bondi shooting, before diving into the newly-announced mega Ministry: the Ministry of Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport. Then, they look at some bold calls from ACT leader David Seymour in his end-of-year NZ Herald interview, and finally, they unpack a move from the Reserve Bank to reduce the amount of capital that banks must hold against their loans.

In this episode of the Duncan Garner Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Duncan Garner discusses David Seymour's plan to reignite the treaty principles debate in the 2026 election year, arguing it's a strategic move to address public unease over race relations in New Zealand. Garner is joined by former Finance Minister and Prime Minister Bill English to discuss the current political and economic climate, including the challenges of managing the national budget, the housing market, and public spending. Bill English offers insights into the evolving political landscape and the importance of effective governance amid growing financial constraints. The episode also highlights the role of media, both state-funded and independent, in shaping public opinion and political discourse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In some of the darker corners of the internet a few of the grubbier actors have been pushing a narrative whole heartedly fed to them by Matt McCarten without any critical eye. Matthew Tukaki joins us tonight claiming there are lies being told and amplified across the internetMarama Davidson gives David Seymour a proper telling off this morning on HeraldNow which was highly appropriate as Seymour was acting like an entitled child, not the Deputy Prime MinisterWe'll look at today's updates on the Bondi shooting and the sentence handed to Jevon McSkimming today as well.=================================Come support the work we're doing and help us continue as the only independent progressive news network in NZ www.patreon.com/c/BigHairyNews=================================Merch available at https://bhn.nz/shop/ Like us on Facebook.com/BigHairyNetwork Follow us on Twitter.com/@bighairynetworkFollowing us on TikTok.com/@bighairynetwork

Jamie Mackay talks to David Seymour, Mike Casey, Riley Kennedy, Dr Jacqueline Rowarth, and Phil Duncan.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Act Party leader makes his final appearance for 2025 as we discuss tomorrow’s Half-Year Economic and Fiscal Update (Hyefu). Plus, who is his Ag Person of the Year?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“A week of drama” could have been avoided had the principal of a school with mouldy lunches waited for the investigation rather than going public, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. New Zealand Food Safety said yesterday the mouldy lunches served at the Haeata Community Campus were most likely caused by an error at the school. Seymour told Newstalk ZB's Heather du Plessis-Allan the school should have “kept an open mind” so he did not have to spend a week talking about “what happened to 20 lunches”. “I guess people might start to ask themselves, ‘Look, this whole saga, it was unreasonable to have a principal who was out in the media for a week, when in reality, Food Safety New Zealand completed the assessment within 10 days, which is lightning speed for most things that happen in government'. “And if they were just open about what might have been the possibility, we could have waited till now, we could have saved a week of drama.” One of the lunches given to students at Haeata Community Campus He also said he had been told by Food Safety that the school had a policy of leaving school lunches in the cafeteria so students could have extras if they wanted, and the mouldy lunches came from there. He had been told by Food Safety that the school had a policy of leaving school lunches in the cafeteria so students could have extras if they wanted, and the mouldy lunches came from there. He said the same lunch was served on Thursday, so this seems like the most “plausible” answer. Seymour said Food Safety NZ had been all over the school and Compass “like a rash” and was confident in the result revealed yesterday. Haeata Community Campus principal Peggy Burrows did not wish to respond to Seymour's comments this morning. She previously told the Herald the findings of the school's internal investigation were with the board and the school's lawyers and were due to be released on Friday. Haeata Community Campus principal Dr Peggy Burrows. Photo / Supplied Vincent Arbuckle, deputy director-general of New Zealand Food Safety, said an investigation into the incident found that the mouldy lunches were not part of a wider food safety issue with the School Lunch Collective. “We know the issue caused a lot of concern among parents and students at the school, so we considered it important to provide accurate and independent information about the likely cause,” Arbuckle said. “After carefully examining all the possible causes, we are able to reassure parents that there is not a wider, or ongoing, food safety risk with the School Lunch Collective. “The most plausible explanation is that lunches intended to be served to students the previous week were accidentally mixed in with that day's lunches.” Burrows earlier maintained that none of its “robust” systems failed between Thursday and Monday, when the food was served. The lunches served at Haeata Community Campus were covered in a thick layer of mould. Arbuckle said New Zealand Food Safety's food compliance officers considered the possibility that the error was made by the distributor. They found it was unlikely that the distributor delivered lunches from the previous week because several other schools received the same lunch on the same day with no reported issues. Arbuckle said another reason was that the Compass Christchurch Kitchen (Central Production Kitchen) only receives the number of meals required for the following school day because of the minimal capacity of available chillers. A food poisoning warning was issued last week after several children from Haeata Community Campus ate school lunches covered in thick mould. The meals, provided as part of the Government's school lunch programme, were eaten before a teacher intervened. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast with Heather du Plessis-Allan Full Show Podcast for Thursday 11th of December, as Australia bans social media for under 16s, what does our interim report say we should do? David Seymour responds to the findings of the investigation into the mouldy lunches at a Christchurch school. US billionaire Mark Cuban talks the All Blacks, being an NBA owner, the state of US politics, and AI. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mariameno Kapa-Kingi has her day in court challenging Te Pāti Māori's president John Tamihere's leadership and her expulsion from the party.David Seymour loves the limelight and makes the most of his camera time answering questions as Associate Education Minister during scrutiny week. We also catch up with the delivery man of Seymour's well deserved cookie.More news is emerging that there is a divide in the National Party, with Bishop and Luxon not agreeing on the housing market.=================================Come support the work we're doing by becoming a Patron of ⁠⁠#BHN⁠⁠ www.patreon.com/BigHairyNews⁠=================================Merch available at www.BHNShop.nz Like us on Facebookwww.facebook.com/BigHairyNews Follow us on Twitter.@patbrittenden @Chewie_NZFollow us on BlueskyPat @patbrittenden.bsky.socialChewie @chewienz.bsky.socialEmily @iamprettyawesome.bsky.socialMagenta @xkaosmagex.bsky.social

This one has everything. Politics, pressure, and a school lunch saga that went seriously sideways. Today we unpack the spectacular backfire that's dominated the headlines, after principal Peggy Burrows tried to pin spoiled lunches on David Seymour's free school meals programme… except the facts didn't land where she hoped. We run through what actually happened, why the provider's records tell a totally different story, and how a stack of week-old meals left sitting at the school turned into a national spectacle. Then, David jumps in from the back of a car heading through the Waterview Tunnel to explain the investigation, the delivery logs, and why millions of lunches have gone out without issue. Another big day on Editor in Chief. Let's get into it. Find every episode and discover your next favourite podcast on the rova app or rova.nz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Accusations of mouldy school lunches from Haeata Community Campus has caused much back and forth between principal Peggy Burrows and Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour as blame is passed around. In an effort to get to the bottom of who is telling the truth Heather du Plessis-Allan grilled Seymour about the facts of the situation. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle Auckland councillor Maurice Williamson and Ali Jones from Red PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Andrew Coster has quit his role as CEO of the Social Investment Agency. He'll get paid three months notice, like a few other high profile servants who have recently "resigned". Are you uncomfortable that we're paying people out to quit rather than just sacking them? The school lunch drama between principal Peggy Burrows and Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour continues. Who do you think is telling the truth here? Do you care at all? Half of us apparently drive around with lapsed car registrations and WOFs. Is your registration and WOF up to date? Is it too much admin? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour MP Ingrid Leary has been caught using ChatGPT to formulate questions to ask Minister Casey Costello. Leary first denied that she used the AI system, to then confirm she doesExpelled MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi has filed for an interim injunction, court records show, against Te Pāti Māori President John Tamihere.Chlöe Swarbrick and David Seymour go head-to-head on NZH this morning talking school lunches, =================================Come support the work we're doing by becoming a Patron of ⁠⁠#BHN⁠⁠ www.patreon.com/BigHairyNews⁠=================================Merch available at www.BHNShop.nz Like us on Facebookwww.facebook.com/BigHairyNews Follow us on Twitter.@patbrittenden @Chewie_NZFollow us on BlueskyPat @patbrittenden.bsky.socialChewie @chewienz.bsky.socialEmily @iamprettyawesome.bsky.socialMagenta @xkaosmagex.bsky.social

David Seymour's shrugging off food poisoning concerns at a Christchurch school, saying its principal is often complaining about Government policies. Haeata Community Campus recalled all lunches yesterday after discovering some boxes contained rancid and "dead" looking food. Some children had already eaten their lunch. Minister-in-charge Seymour told Mike Hosking a previous batch has likely been re-served to students. He says they're keeping an open mind while looking into how meals from last week got in front of children this week. The School Lunch Collective, Ministry of Education and MPI are all investigating. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Act Party leader talks about using KiwiSaver to buy a farm. Plus, he enters the age-old debate on the age of eligibility for the National Super. And - is Chris Hipkins’s capital gains tax politically palatable or a poisoned chalice?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jamie Mackay talks to David Seymour, Te Radar, and Lindy Nelson.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's First Up pod: deputy prime minister David Seymour responds to the week in politics; we hear about the unleashed dogs of Kawerau, meanwhile - the bears of Japan are catching people in unexpected places. First Up - Voice of the Nathan.

The Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2024 will now make it harder for landlords to refuse tenant pet requests without a good reason, but an extra to-week bond may be requested. Criticism has arisen from landlords who don't want to allow pets, and others who concerned about the lack of clarity on what is considered 'reasonable'. But, David Seymour told Matt and Tyler that he is not concerned about tenant behaviour in regard to the new rules. "People that are animal lovers are generally good to humans as well, so you might be opening up, a whole market of really great tenants," Seymour said. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The National Party could join coalition partner NZ First and campaign on repealing the Regulatory Standards Act at the next election, deputy leader Nicola Willis says. This is despite the law, which was pushed by the Act Party during coalition talks, being less than a month old, and having been passed into law with votes from both National and NZ First. Speaking to Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills on Newstalk ZB, Willis said National had not “come up with what our party position will be after the election”. “We haven't ruled out repealing it either. We haven't taken a position yet, but it's not impossible that we would go to the campaign trail saying, ‘yes, we met our coalition commitment, we supported that into law, but actually we agree with the concerns of some people, it hasn't operated as we'd hoped and we want to repeal it'. “We haven't come to a position yet, but we haven't ruled it out.” NZ First leader Winston Peters shocked the coalition last week when he said his party would campaign on repealing the law it had just helped to pass. His position is that the coalition obliged his party to pass the law, but his party is free to repeal it in the next Parliament. Willis said she was “comfortable” with this position. “They joined the Cabinet, they used their votes to ensure it is passed into law – they did their bit,” Willis said. Willis is not the only National MP to float repealing the law. Last week, when her colleague Chris Bishop was asked what the party was thinking, he replied, “you'll see our policy going into the election”. “I'm not going to give you a commitment on National policy,” he said. All three opposition parties say they will repeal the law if they have the numbers next term. Labour MP Duncan Webb has even submitted a member's bill to the ballot which, if drawn, would give NZ First the opportunity to repeal the law this term of parliament. Peters, however, described this as game-playing and said he would not be supporting the effort. Act leader David Seymour attacked Peters' about-turn on the law, saying it looked as though Peters was gearing up to join another Labour-led coalition, something Peters has said he would not do while Chris Hipkins was leader of the party. The Regulatory Standards Act is designed to improve the quality of government regulation by establishing a set of principles for what constitutes “good regulation”. Part of the controversy surrounding the law is the fact these principles are closely aligned to Act's political worldview and do not constitute more universally recognised principles of good regulation. The act is also controversial for the creation of a regulations board that acts as an assessor of compliance against these principles, although power to act on what the board says ultimately still rests with ministers and Parliament. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tania Waikato joins us LIVE to release tonight's numbers on schools who are committed to giving effect to Te Tiriti o WaitangiCraig Renney joins us LIVE tonight to talk about his nomination to Labour for the next election and the new policy released by National saying they would increase Kiwisaver contributions to 12%, 6% from the employer and 6% from the employee meaning people who are already struggling to make ends meet are about to have more money taken from their weekly pay pack David Seymour was on Q&A on the weekend talking the RSB and how the legislative changes he supported this year wouldn't be in line with the new conditions on 'how to make legislation' using the RSB.=================================Come support the work we're doing by becoming a Patron of ⁠⁠#BHN⁠⁠ www.patreon.com/BigHairyNews⁠=================================Merch available at www.BHNShop.nz Like us on Facebookwww.facebook.com/BigHairyNews Follow us on Twitter.@patbrittenden @Chewie_NZFollow us on BlueskyPat @patbrittenden.bsky.socialChewie @chewienz.bsky.socialEmily @iamprettyawesome.bsky.socialMagenta @xkaosmagex.bsky.social

New Zealand First is denying claims the party's lining up to work with Labour next election, despite David Seymour suggesting the idea. Seymour made the claim after New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters announced he'd campaign on repealing the Regulatory Standards Bill. Newstalk ZB political reporter Azaria Howell says it's unclear where this will go from here, given how Seymour championed the bill. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Winston Peters has detonated the week's political story, promising to repeal the government's new Regulatory Standards Bill. ACT's David Seymour instantly shouted that Winston is eyeing up Labour. Really? We dig through what's real, what's theatre, and what's pure Winston. Spoiler: it's mostly Winston being Winston. Duncan breaks down how this bill really came about, why ACT demanded it, and why National never cared much for it in the first place. We look at what this means heading into the next election cycle, and why coalition partners are already positioning themselves for 2026. Maurice Williamson and Ashley Church join Duncan on the panel, to explain what's actually in the bill, why it has barely any teeth, and why the conspiracy theories swirling around it are miles off. Then we dive into the brutal Ipsos polling, the Greens' mining shocker, the state of the public service, and the crumbling trust in mainstream media. Find every episode and discover your next favourite podcast on the rova app or rova.nz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matua Shane, the Prince of the Provinces, dismisses David Seymour's claims that NZ First is "getting ready to go with Labour again". Plus he has Sam Neill, James Cameron, Debbie and Rawiri, and the "demonic eggbeater" Chloe squarely in his sights! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The coalition is in the throes of internal warfare - with Winston Peters and David Seymour slinging barbs over the Regulatory Standards Bill. In a stunning about-face today, Mr Peters has pledged to revoke that law - ACT's brainchild - next term - despite voting it through last week. It has prompted an extraordinary rebuke from David Seymour - who says Mr Peters looks like he's gearing up to jump ship to a Labour coalition. Acting political editor Craig McCulloch spoke to Lisa Owen.

On the podcast, we get stuck into the big question everyone's asking - how long can this government keep blaming the last one? David Seymour joins us to talk through the state of the economy, why the recovery feels so slow, and why voters seem to have run out of patience. We dig into whether Labour really left the cupboard bare, or whether National and Co. raised expectations too high and too fast. David fronts up on spending, confidence, and the very real pressure small businesses are still under. He also lays out why he thinks proposals from the Greens could spook investment and slow things down even further. Find every episode and discover your next favourite podcast on the rova app or rova.nz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Seymour isn't impressed with New Zealand First's promise to campaign on repealing ACT's Regulatory Standards bill. The Bill passed last Thursday - supported by New Zealand First, National and ACT - and became law two days ago. NZ First leader Winston Peters has since called it a 'terrible overreach' and 'not fit for a modern democracy'. Seymour gave his opinion on this move. "People want to play politics - I mean, it's not even an election year yet." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Phil O'Reilly from Iron Duke Partners and Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! NZ First is looking to repeal the Regulatory Standards Act ahead of the election. ACT's David Seymour isn't thrilled - what do we make of this? What's Winston's plan here? The Government has officially recognised feral cats as pests and added them to the Predator Free 2050 list. Do we think this is a good idea? What are the risks here? New research shows the ban on phones in schools is working - but the ERO recommends the Government can go further. Do we need social media restrictions next? Heather was at last night's Metallica concert and she saw a fan in the stands rocking out - before he was encouraged to sit down. Heather says fans should be able to stand and move at concerts if you want - do we agree? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 20 November 2025, Education Minister Erica Stanford talks whether she's going to go further on digital restrictions in our schools. Heather asks Wellington Mayor Andrew Little whether he'll cancel the Golden Mile project altogether - after the council voted to pause the works. Predator Free New Zealand Trust CEO Jessi Morgan celebrates the government's move to add feral cats to the Predator Free 2050 hitlist. David Seymour talks his comments about Winston Peters wanting to repeal the Regulatory Standards Bill. Plus, the Huddle debates whether you can stand at a concert - no matter what sort of ticket you have. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Deputy PM and Act Party leader comments on Trump dropping tariffs, Federated Farmers' petition to end the consenting crisis, and we ask why the Government is scoring so badly on inflation, cost of living and the economy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jamie talks to David Seymour, Nathan Guy, David Clark, Andrew Davis, and Phil Duncan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last Week, the government passed the regulatory standards bill into the regulatory standards act. Long controversial, failing to pass in its first three readings and subject to enormous opposition in submissions during the process, the law is the child of David Seymour's ACT party.   But now that this law has passed, these serious concerns are of urgency. Particularly there are loud concerns and criticisms of the primacy granted to corporate interests, in the face of te Tiriti o Waitangi and the environment. Monday Wire Producer Alex spoke to Greenpeace Campaigner Gen Toop about the bill passing, what it means for the environment, and what should be done in the face of this policy threat.  

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 14th of November, the controversial Regulatory Standards Bill has passed its third reading in Parliament, David Seymour joining to discuss. Beauden Barrett joins out of London as the All Blacks look to get past the England hurdle on their way to a Grand Slam. Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson talk pickleball and creatine as they Wrap the Week. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Regulation Minister says a small number of groups have hijacked the public submission process. ACT's Regulatory Standards Bill has passed its third reading at Parliament. The policy, which provides principles for lawmaking, received 156-thousand public submissions – 98% of those opposed. David Seymour told Mike Hosking there have been more select committee submissions in the past two years than in the history of Parliament. He says organisations like Greenpeace spread mistruths and automate submissions for people. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Brigitte Morton from Franks Ogilvie and former mayor of Auckland Phil Goff joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Is it in the public interest to pursue charges against the woman at the centre of the McSkimming saga? She's charged under the Harmful Digital Communications Act for sending emails to the detective who arrested her. What do we make of all this? David Seymour has blamed the teachers' strikes on a drop in school attendance last term? Was this out of line on his part? A think tank is floating the idea of KiwiSaver schemes for kids, claiming it could set them up with $10,000-$20,000 in savings by the time they reach adulthood. Do we think this is a good idea? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An attendance expert says David Seymour's disingenuous to blame attendance numbers on striking teachers. He's claiming their industrial action meant term three attendance dropped year on year. He says it was on track for 52 percent attendance, but ended closer to 50. Manurewa Attendance Service head Cathy Chalmers says attendance on those days isn't recorded - and numbers usually slip at the end of term. "Historically, that last day before the long weekend, we get a lot of students not turning up to school." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ACT leader David Seymour's controversial school lunch programme is getting a makeover going into it's second year of operation. The changes include catering giant Compass Group no longer providing lunches to primary schools- but they will still provide meals for secondary schools and intermediates. Seymour told Heather du Plessis-Allan, "a subcontractor failed in term one of this year, there was a lot of publicity around that. We fixed it, with the help of Compass, and that's why they continue to supply the bulk of meals." The $3 meal cap is also gone with costs now reaching up to $5 per meal. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland University's completely ruled out refunds for its now-scrapped compulsory Treaty and Māori culture courses. The university's making the courses optional from next year but won't refund students who were required to complete it in the first semester of this year. The courses cost almost six thousand dollars for international students, and one thousand for domestic students. Act Leader David Seymour told Mike Hosking his party's continuing to call on the university to give the money back. He says they could refund students through a credit for future courses, rather than as a cash refund. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 6th of November, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis discusses the rising unemployment rate. ACT Leader David Seymour gives his thoughts on the University of Auckland's refusal to provide refunds for their now-scrapped compulsory Māori courses. Brilliant pollster Henry Olsen talks us through the various elections, New York City in particular, in the US yesterday. And author and journalist David Cohen discusses his unofficial biography 'Jacinda: The Untold Stories'. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Act Party leader, who’s really calling the shots in the Coalition government? Plus, we discuss Chris Hipkins’ capital gains tax, and Trump at Apec.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jamie Mackay talks to Phil Duncan, Emlyn Francis, David Seymour, Todd Clark, and John McOviney.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All Black turned firefighter Steve Devine has urged David Seymour to meet him at any fire station in the country, to see the state of trucks they're using. He spoke to Corin Dann.

First, a quick question on the Oxford Union. We thought it was a thing when David Lange turned up all those years ago, but since then Willie Jackson, David Seymour and now Winston Peters have appeared. So does that diminish its exclusiveness? Anyway here's what Winston Peters argued - that courts here undermine democracy. God bless that man and may he spread that message far and wide. Just last week's Marine and Coastal Amendment Bill is your latest and classic example. We had a law that came in in 2011. Some people didn't like it, and you're allowed to not like laws. But hijacking democracy by trying your luck in interventionist courts is not helpful to a country looking for a bit of peace and harmony. Courts are good for a bunch of stuff; deciding either by judge or jury whether Mr Pollock was in the library with the candlestick i.e crime. They're good for deciding whether another judge erred in an initial finding i.e appeals. They're good for deciding whether there is a gap in law and, if there is, how that gap could be filled i.e the Supreme Court. What they're not good at, although I'm sure given their operations of late they would argue otherwise, is taking an already established law and upending it because they believe they are superior to the ultimate court, which of course is the Parliament. And the Parliament is the ultimate court because the group of lawmakers are put there by us, the voter. Peters, a lawyer himself of course, is doing a great service on our behalf because too many people, including people in the Parliament, are afraid to calls things out when they need calling out. They were afraid to call out the Reserve Bank when it butchered the economy, afraid to call out the Speaker when he failed to properly deal with the clowns in the house and afraid to call out judges at places like the Waitangi Tribunal when they very clearly overstep their mandate and look increasingly like little more than troublemakers. Winston Peters - a good foreign minister and good at telling it like it is. Buy the man a beer. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Air New Zealand CEO Nikhil Ravishankar has suggested a “situational subsidy” to support regional routes when the economy is not doing well and demand is low. Ravishankar officially took over as CEO on 20 October 2025, replacing Greg Foran who stepped down after six years. Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour tells Heather du Plessis-Allan that the implementation of a subsidy could allow for too much Government control over the agency which would be a 'complete disaster'. Seymour also addresses the legalisation of melatonin for those aged under-55. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Deputy Prime Minister says health and education unions need to be realistic about their pay demands. Tens of thousands of workers across health and education are walking off the job today today in their fight for better pay and conditions. It could be the largest strike action in the country in a generation, but a number of events are expected to be affected by the weather. David Seymour told Mike Hosking that there isn't a single member of the Cabinet who wouldn't like to pay nurses, doctors and teachers more, if they could. He says there seems to be a disconnect between what some of these unions are demanding, and the reality most New Zealanders are actually facing. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our default to futility worries me. It's the same sort of thing as the "No Kings" march over the weekend in America. What actually is the point of waving placards, or in the "burn the bill" case, lighting fires on beaches? The bill they want to burn is the Marine and Coastal Area Amendment bill. The amendment part is the bit where it is being returned to what it was a few years back. It got messed with in court, given the courts are increasingly interventionist, and all that is happening is the law is being returned to what it was. And what it was is, have you had ongoing access to the bit of water or coastline since the 1800's? If you haven't, you might not have an argument. It is of course all angsty because it's race-based. David Seymour calls the lighting of fires on the beach "unenlightened" and "anti-intellectual". He is a mixture of right and, I suspect, slightly antagonistic. But here is my question - to what point? To what end? I get that there are those who are exercised and don't like it, fair enough. But guess what? Lighting a fire at a beach isn't going to change it. The petition, because they had one of those too, had 20,000 signatures. That's not even a big petition. 76,000 signed one to stop me hosting the election debates on TV in 2017. If 76,000 doesn't stop a TV host then 20,000 doesn't stop a law. Trump won the election in America easily. He is doing nothing he said he wouldn't do. It's as mad and unhinged as his biggest critic feared, but he is doing it because he has the support of enough people to do it. The same way this Government is amending a law because they said they would and they won the election. We must always retain the right to protest, unless its over the Auckland Harbour Bridge. But that's about geographics, not rights. But protest loses, and has lost, a lot of its impact because it's become a habit. It's a default. It's the pastime of the bored and obsessed. It's become a cottage industry. If we put the same energy into productive outcomes then this country could be amazing. So you lit a fire on a beach last night - how did that work out for you? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The mood appears to be souring between coalition parties over the sale of well-known New Zealand's dairy brands to French multinational Lactalis. New Zealand First says the move to sell Fonterra brands like Mainland and Anchor is not in the country's best interests. But ACT's leader David Seymour is championing a free market approach, saying it's the farmers that should be making the decision. Political reporter Russell Palmer has the details.

David Seymour is welcoming New Zealand First's changes to his Regulatory Standards Bill as a 'win-win'. Political reporter Russell Palmer reports.

The Minister for medicines has revealed he is pushing for hundreds of millions of dollars of more funding for drugs in the next year's budget. Associate Health Minister, who is responsible for Pharmac, David Seymour believes medicines should be viewed as an investment and there needs to be a different approach assessing the cost benefits of drugs. It comes as a new report shows the medicine gap between Australia and New Zealand is getting wider and deeper. David Seymour spoke to Lisa Owen.