Podcast appearances and mentions of chris hipkins

The Labour Party's ability to work with Te Pāti Māori in a potential government has come under question following the Treaty Principles haka debate. Labour leader Chris Hipkins spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Two new polls have different results - one with the current government in power, the other showing the opposition in power. But is Labour actually ready for government - and does the party have decent relationships with potential coalition partners? To answer those questions, Labour leader and Remutaka MP Chris Hipkins joined Nick Mills in the studio. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to results out on Wednesday morning, the left bloc would have enough support to govern. Labour leader Chris Hipkins spoke to Corin Dann.

The Finance Minister says the latest poll will be a tough read for the Labour Party and Chris Hipkins. Labour saw a three percent drop in support to sit on 29, Chris Hipkins' preferred Prime Minister rating also fell by 1 percent. National also saw a drop in support, down 2 percent to sit on 34. Nicola Willis says even after complaining about their budget - Labour didn't see a jump in support. "Well, it gives me confidence that New Zealanders get where we are as a country - which is that we're a Government doing a big clean-up job. The books have been left in a mess." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Political Editor Jason Walls talks to Heather du Plessis-Allan about the week that was. This week an internal police memo was leaked, which explained their plan to cease investigations on shoplifting allegations below $500. Have we got to the bottom of it? Winston Peters "permanently" ruled out working with Labour leader Chris Hipkins. Jason Walls explains how Peters left himself some "wiggle room" in doing so. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Hipkins talks with Mihingarangi Forbes on MATA, showing a clear lack of conviction and trying to play the centre.Debate lord American Charlie Kirk gets slammed by a history professor, feminist and another debate lord at Oxford University.Journalist Taylor Lorenz explains the "Somebody needs to do it" memes circling the internet, and what it reflects about society after the pandemic the wake of Trump's second term.Plus your regular memes to send you off on your weekend!=================================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

I am here to help the ol' Chipster. The Chipster, aka Chris Hipkins, was in the building this week. I said hello to him. He asked me when I was dropping the blacklist I have on him appearing on this show. I said he had appeared once already this year and that was plenty. We both laughed. What I like about him is that he doesn't seem to take any of this personally. He knows I think he's hopeless and he knows I think he wrecked the country. But he is playing the long game and he knows I know he will be back next year in the election campaign and, if he wins, he will be back as a regular. Which brings me to the help. In Australia this week their Labor Government approved the extension of a massive gas project – Woodside are Australia's largest gas producer. Before the word came from the Government, the company had launched a fairly vigorous, and as it turns out, effective campaign reminding us all that if you want to look at Spain the other day, and indeed various parts of Europe that have been spending increasing periods of time in the dark, you will find they became obsessed with renewables and that obsessions led to blackouts. Continuity and consistency of supply, Woodside argued, is just as important as where you get your energy. Anyway, Labor gave them the tick. Yes, the conservationists are upset, but aren't they always? The point for Hipkins is this: this is a Labour Government that did this. A Labour Government that romped home in an election just the other day. A Labour Government with a gargantuan majority. Why? Because it's what you'd call here a Labour Government of old. It's a centrist Labour Government. It's not a woke, handwringing, ideologically obsessed Labour Government of, say, 2020-2023. Blair Hawke and David Lange are your Labour Governments of success. Hipkins is your Labour Government of failure. Albanese has clearly learned the lessons of history and worked them nicely to his favour. Yes, he can be centre left, but the lights will always be on. Last time the Chipster was in charge we stopped looking for gas altogether and, as far as I know, he wouldn't start looking again. That's the sort of thinking that leads to blackouts and an electorate that doesn't see you as viable. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

THE BEST BITS IN A SILLIER PACKAGE (from Thursday's Mike Hosking Breakfast) Can We Get a Bit More Ooomph?/Powering Up Chippie/Running and Rolling/Overnight CoffeeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

James Meager is responding to Chris Hipkins' comments about the Minister for the South Island role. The Labour Leader called the position a “PR job”, saying there would be no need for Meager's role if the Government was actually prioritising the South Island. Hipkins says Meager's not doing anything because he has no budget or decision-making ability, and this is just a way of telling the South Island it hasn't been forgotten. Meager has hit back, saying it speaks volumes that Hipkins thinks the only way to achieve something is having a big bureaucracy and budget. He says it's disappointing to hear that kind of comment, and he'd rather hear something more positive about the aspirations of the South Island, which is why he's there. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on the show... Winston sends a challenge to Labour .. and rules them out as long as Chris Hipkins remains Leader. And Chris Hipkins responds in an unconvincing way. I will break this down and tell you what it really means - hint… it’s a right royal shit storm for Hipkins. And Simon Dodd has applied for 103 jobs and no such luck. He has pushed around, recruiters have left him hanging, promising to get back to him and haven’t, or they took their time and never got back at all. It’s a lesson that right now we are in tough times and hundreds of people are going to same job. Should recruiters have to be polite and get back to you, or is no answer okay? Website: https://www.rova.nz/home/podcasts/duncan-garner---editor-in-chiefInstagram: @DuncanGarnerpodcast TikTok: @DuncanGarnerpodcast

Slam Dunc from S4 Episode 79: Do Job Recruiters Need to Treat People Better? Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/62IeVIxZmzA PLUS… New episodes 7pm weekdays! Website: https://www.rova.nz/home/podcasts/duncan-garner---editor-in-chiefInstagram: @DuncanGarnerpodcast TikTok: @DuncanGarnerpodcast

Labour's leader thinks talk of potential coalitions is premature. New Zealand First leader and veteran politician Winston Peters has ruled out working with Labour post next election if Chris Hipkins is still in charge. Peters has described a potential trio of Labour, the Greens, and Te Pati Māori as a 'woke circus'. Chris Hipkins says Labour will set out bottom lines before the election. He's taken the chance to take a swipe at the Coalition. "We're not just going to allow the smaller parties to call all the shots in the way that Christopher Luxon and the National Party currently are doing." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Labour MP Stuart Nash has suggested the party needs to have some conversations about its future. NZ First leader Winston Peters has ruled out working with Labour after the 2026 election if Chris Hipkins is still in charge. Nash says this doesn't necessarily mean Peters has ruled out working with Labour - and the party will need to make some big decisions. "You go into politics to be in Government - so it is a really interesting dilemma. Now it may be that the situation doesn't arise, but I can see a situation where the Labour caucus has to make a very important decision." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I think Winston Peters ruling out ever going into coalition with Chippy after the next election is actually more significant than many people will realize. Because Winnie was actually Chippy's only credible path back to being prime minister again. Without Winnie, Chippy is completely stuffed, because the alternatives are not real options. The alternatives are: One - being in a coalition with a couple of loony parties, which centre voters are absolutely not going to go for. So you can forget about that. The other is that Labour is returned as a majority Government again, which is, after what happened last time, not going to happen for a very long time again. So basically, there is no way back for Chippy. He will not be Prime Minister after 2026, if ever. Now a lot of people would say to me at this juncture - well of course not, National were always going to win the next election anyway, so this is just a completely spurious argument. But I would say to you is - Labour's chances are actually a little bit better than you might think, because what we have right now is hardly a wildly popular Government. These guys were elected, remember, telling us they were going to turn this economy around. 18 months later, they have not turned this economy around. 18 months later, we are still in the economic doldrums. We are yet to see a vision, economically, from the coalition Government, the right track, wrong track indicator that comes out in multiple polls now is heavily negative for this Government. Thousands of people are voting with their feet and leaving the country altogether. People vote with their hip pocket, right? Forget about everything else. If you just look at the economy, that is your greatest determiner of what happens at the election. People vote with their hip pocket - and right now, the hip pocket is suffering, it is not looking good for the economy. But also, there should be a target right now on Chippy's back in Labour, because Winnie's problem is not with Labour. Winnie's problem is with Chris Hipkins, which means a different leader and Winston Peters is back in the game as a possibility for Labour. Now that requires Labour to roll Chris Hipkins and then their chances are good again. However, that requires Labour actually realizing that they need Winston Peters to form a coalition Government after 2026 - and that requires them also realizing there is no way they can coalesce with the Māori Party because most voters are allergic to the shenanigans that that party get up to. But I don't think Labour is smart enough to realize that yet, do you? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 27 May 2025, Police Minister Mark Mitchell fronts up on the show to calm some nerves. Retailers are worried about a police memo that indicated police won't investigate shoplifting below a certain value. Tragedy in Palmerston North where a teenager has died after a run it straight type event. But is a ban the answer to preventing more harm? Labour leader Chris Hipkins responds to Winston Peters ruling out any NZ First-Labour coalition as long as Hipkins is the leader. Does that mean his days as party leader are numbered? Plus, the Huddle debates *that* shove from the French president's wife that was caught on camera. 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.

On the Matt Heath and Tyler Adams Afternoons Full Show Podcast for Tuesday the 27th of May 2025, Labour leader Chris Hipkins has responded to Winston Peters' ruling out any deal with Labour while Hipkins is leader. This led to a great chat about the state of our political system and the deficiencies of MMP. And then - have we lost our way with recycling? Another load of plastic goes to landfill in the Far North. Get the Matt Heath and Tyler Adams Afternoons Podcast every weekday afternoon on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Hipkins says it's too early to say who he'd be willing to work with after next year's election. New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters says he'll never work with Labour again while Hipkins is leader. This means, based on recent polling, Labour would need the Greens and Te Pāti Māori to have any chance of forming a Government. Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls joined the Afternoons team to discuss. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's yet to rule potential coalition partners in or out. New Zealand First leader Winston Peters is refusing to work with Chris Hipkins next election, but has not entirely ruled Labour out. On social media, Peters posted a Government of Labour, the Greens, and Te Pati Māori would be a "circus" and a "radical woke show". Hipkins told John MacDonald that they actually ruled out working with Peters before the last election, and he's said since that that's unlikely to change. However, he says potential coalition decisions will be made closer to the election, based on principles and the party's compatibility, rather than the petty personality vendettas that seem to be occupying Peters' time. The Labour Leader is also calling the role of the Minister for the South Island a "PR job." Rangitata MP James Meager picked up the new portfolio in January, alongside Hunting and Fishing, Youth, and Associate Transport. The Prime Minister says he will be a critical voice for the South Island. But Hipkins told MacDonald there would be no need for Meager's role if the Government was actually prioritising the South Island. He says Meager's not doing anything because he has no budget or decision-making ability, and this is just a way of telling the South Island it hasn't been forgotten. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Labour Party is critical of the government's plans to redevelop Nelson Hospital, saying it will deliver half the number of new beds as the previous government had planned. Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, Full Show Podcast Tuesday the 27th of May 2025, Retail NZ's Ann Marie Johnson tells Ryan Bridge why they've has called for an urgent meeting with Police Minister Mark Mitchell after Police were told to no longer investigate allegations of shop lifting below $500. Greyhound racing New Zealand are calling for a judicial review into the Government's decision to ban the sector, Greyhound trainer Craig Roberts shares what the ban will mean for him. Federated Farmers are warning of declining sheep numbers, Associate Agriculture Minister Andrew Hoggard tells Ryan Bridge what this means from a Government stand point. Ryan Bridge shares his thoughts on Winston Peters ruling out working with Chris Hipkins. Plus, Australia Correspondent Donna Demaio has the latest on a snap ban on machetes in Victoria after a violent brawl in a suburban shopping centre. Get the Early Edition Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So, Winston has definitively ruled out working with Chris Hipkins. Not Labour, but Hipkins. He had of course already pretty much done this earlier in the year after his State of Nation address, in which called the Labour leadership a bunch of liars and unreformed losers. But this is crystal clear now. He's spoken to Thomas Coughlin at the Herald - it's a firm no, thank you. This is interesting for two reasons. 1) Winston is a political wizard and knows how to read the room and play the game. This is not a random outburst. This is a calculated decision based on the path he thinks will get New Zealand First back to the Treasury benches. By virtue of ruling out Hipkins, assuming he doesn't get rolled and replaced, Winston has reduced his bargaining power. Which is not an outcome a kingmaker takes lightly. The key to his success on the campaign trail has always been as much about what he stands against as what he stands for - immigration and Treaty issues spring to mind. He's decided that in 2026, the punching bag will be a three-headed clown show marriage of the Greens, Labour, and Te Pati Māori. He's read the room and picked his side. In 2023, Winston ruled out Labour before Chippy definitively ruled Winston out. He has yet to do the same for 2026. He's now missed his chance, and any moral high found that went with it. Remember, Hipkins must appeal to a base that despises the anti-woke agenda Winston peddles. This year alone he's labelled him a pale version of Donald Trump, a conspiracy theorist, and spokesman for the tobacco lobby. Hipkins' failure to rule out working with him undermines the high horse he canters around the Parliament. His protestations were sounding a bit hollow. The question for Hipkins this morning: are you willing to rule out working in Winston given he's already done the same to you? Or is there a wee small hope in your head that he might just change his mind and under MMP, an open door is is worth walking through, even if it leads you to the across to the dark side?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the announcement of how the government is planning to spend money over the next year comes the question of how this will impact the National Party's chances of being re-elected into power in next year's General Election. When presenting her work to Parliament, Finance Minister, Nicola Willis, said that “every Kiwi knows this government has their back”. However, elements of the Budget have been criticised by opposition parties and various activist groups, with opposition leader, Chris Hipkins, calling funding decisions in the Budget “strange and unnecessary”. The Budget can play a major role in whether a government will be re-elected or not.  Labour's 1958 Budget, for example, which has since become known as the ‘Black Budget,' resulted in Finance Minister at the time, Arnold Nordmeyer, imposing additional taxes on cars, alcohol, and tobacco, in an attempt to limit the need for international goods during the payments crisis in late 1957. This caused political tensions, and as a result, Labour lost the 1960 general election after one term. News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Brian Roper — an Associate Professor in Politics at the University of Otago, about how Budget 2025 will impact National's chances to be re-elected, and his opinion on what party, or parties, will make up the next government.

Opposition leader Chris Hipkins wouldn't confirm his party's commitment of returning the $13 billion taken from pay equity schemes by the National Party. Half of the new spending in the budget came from these cuts. His colleague Barbara Edmonds, however, says Labour's committed to finding the money. Political Editor Jason Walls talks to Heather du Plessis-Allan about the confusion. LISTEN ABOVE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jamie Mackay talks to Matt Chisholm, Chris Hipkins, Anna Nelson, Lucas Fuess, and Shane Jones. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nearly 13 billion dollars has been clawed back from pay equity changes over four years, the Government contribution to KiwiSaver has been halved, tweaks to BestStart payments have been made and a tax break for businesses. Finance minister Nicola Willis delivered what she calls a "responsible" budget - but Labour leader Chris Hipkins says its an austerity budget 'that's left women out'. Political reporter Lillian Hanly reports.

It’s Budget Day! So, what would the Leader of the Opposition do if he were running the cutter? Why the love-in with Federated Farmers? And why are we not seeing any agricultural policy from Labour?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jamie Mackay talks to Wayne Langford, Chris Hipkins, and Chris Russell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins has been quick to voice his concerns with the 2025 Budget. Hipkins took aim at the pay equity changes - and opposed the new initiatives around oil and gas. "If you think about it - it's saying to women that they're worth less, it's saying to all working New Zealanders that your KiwiSaver, when you reach retirement, will be worth less." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What I hope for today is a sign and a sense that what we are facing economically as a country is real, and it's real bad, and the Government see it, accept it, and chart a path forward that gives us some sort of hope. The damage done by Jacinda Ardern, Grant Robertson, Chris Hipkins, and Adrian Orr is now years long. You can't invent money in that volume without spending the ensuing years trying to dig yourself out of it. The start has been made. The cutbacks have begun and the screaming, wailing, and upset has ensued. But there is a lot more where that came from. The seeds of recovery are real, manufacturing is expanding, and has been for several months, but services aren't. Sentiment isn't. The farmers have struck gold, but the weather has been exceptionally kind, as have Americans with their passion for burgers. Our debt is shocking. We are not running a surplus on an annual basis and still won't be for years. The Finance Minister today has virtually nothing to play with; no excess, no lolly, and no largesse. She has, I hope, found a fortune in savings and she will redirect that to better places. I pray she isn't borrowing on top of what we have already incurred. If she has, she may well be making a generational mistake, given Treasury says 50% debt by way of GDP is it, and we are close enough to that to worry the conservatives. In a sense today should wrap some numbers and forecasts around the rhetoric, being we are open for businesses, we are pro-growth, we are big on infrastructure and most importantly, fiscally as well as economically, we are not going to die wondering. Today is not a day for a dollar here and a dollar there. It is not an itch-scratching exercise. It should be a document that lays an ongoing foundation for the major project that is the economic resuscitation of the New Zealand economy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

FIRST WITH YESTERDAY'S NEWS (highlights from Wednesday on Newstalk ZB) Thought He had Thicker Skin/A Three Strikes Own Goal Situation/How We Shop/Drinking Your LumpsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The chair of the Privileges Committee wants Labour's Leader to apologise. Chris Hipkins told TVNZ Judith Collins had publicly condemned “uncivilised behaviour from indigenous people” in relation to Te Pati Māori's actions. Judith Collins told Mike Hosking she never said that. She says it's entirely wrong for him to have said that, and she's called on him to apologise and apparently he's going to think about it. The debate on the proposed punishments for the three Te Pati Māori MPs was moved to June 5 - to leave this week free for the Budget. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Hipkins needs help. For the life of me I have no idea why he is wasting his time defending the Māori Party. He says their punishment is too harsh. Problem 1: Is he doing it because it's seen as anti-Government? In other words, despite him saying he wasn't going to bark at any passing car, he barks at any passing car. Problem 2: This reinforces the general view that the Labour Party are soft on people who break rules, and consequences should always be watered down. Problem 3: He is the leader of a major party, and the major parties represent, you would have hoped, a bipartisan view that behaviour and rules and etiquette are to be adhered to in a place of national leadership. Problem 4: The Māori Party are nothing but trouble and you want, as a centrist, to stay well clear of them. They don't like Parliament, they don't believe it should exist and, if it does exist, they think they should have a separate version for themselves. Hipkins is like some tragic, legal aid boot lawyer who defends the hopeless for the sake of it. There is no upside, and yet in Budget week he has bought into the narrative, yet again, that some poor saps have been hard done by and it's all not fair. He somehow has to be on the side of the victim. Problem 5: Say whatever you want about the Privileges Committee, but it is Parliament's long-standing court, and his party is a part of it. It seems odd, and undermining, that you're willing to partake in the process then bag it when it reaches a conclusion. Problem 6: A few of his own members were part of the original crime on that infamous day when things went dramatically to the pack. So maybe he feels like a hypocrite, given Peeni Henare fell on his sword and the others were too belligerent to do so. Problem 7: New Zealanders want, like, and demand standards, so he is on the wrong side of this. Problem 8: When we aren't wanting improved behaviour, we wouldn't mind the big players in the political game concentrating on the big issues, like the mess economically we are currently in, as engineered by the bloke who is busy barking at passing cars. The Greens and the Māori Party are minor players and not serious. Labour are supposed to be serious. So how about you give it a crack? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

THE BEST BITS IN A SILLIER PACKAGE (from Wednesday's Mike Hosking Breakfast) Well... Almost/Chippy and His Mates/America Safe from Space Attacks at Last/In it for the Gifts/Lanyards Are for LosersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Politics is all about perception and the perception of his last time on the ninth floor was bad for three reasons. Crime - they were too soft. Spending - too much waste. And debt - too much with nothing to show for it. All of this fed into the cost-of-living crisis. Basically, Labour was too loose on the purse strings and the gangs, too harsh on businesses and middle New Zealand. Yesterday, Hipkins stood up in the Parliament and argued for shorter sentences for some MPs after gun-gesture-gate. Arguing for a reduced sentence from 21 days to 1 day was ill-advised. No matter where you sit on the actual debate, politically for Chippy in the eyes of the middle voter, it was a bad move. Arguing for a 95% discount on sentencing just plays into a narrative they ought to avoid like the plague. That was strike three. Strike two came earlier in the day on debt. He refused to commit to the debt ceiling of 50% of GDP. It's the sacred threshold Treasury warns we shouldn't cross. It's the same threshold even Grant Robertson said we shouldn't cross. The same threshold even ol' Barb from accounts said we shouldn't cross a day earlier. So now National can run around till the election screaming "debt monster" till their blue in the face and won't be wrong until he commits otherwise. Strike one came courtesy of the Greens last week. The mad-hatter alternative budget... the plan so toxic it'd kill growth like roundup on your weeds. Chippy first said he hadn't read it, which nobody believed. Then he said he'd read it and wouldn't rule anything out. So, he might allow some or all of the roundup to be sprayed on our economic prosperity. Then he says some of the stuff was bad, some was okay, but not committing to anything. Obviously, this is the high tide mark on a Green party negotiating position post-election and most of won't actually happen. In the same way the privileges committee thing is not that big of a deal to most voters. But politics is about perception. And perception is reality. It's three own goals in a week. Three strikes for Chippy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's a big week at Parliament this week, with the house poised to debate the Privileges Committee punishment of Te Pāti Māori and, of course, the annual Budget announcement timed for Thursday. Labour leader Chris Hipkins spoke to Corin Dann.

Labour's leader says he would reverse the Government's pay equity changes - but that doesn't mean going back to how things were before. Laws passed under urgency last week halted 33 existing pay equity claims, and increased the threshold for future filings. Chris Hipkins says he can't be specific about which settings Labour would reinstate if returned to Government next year. He explained they don't want to do what National did - and again halt claims that might be 18 months down the track. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 15 May 2025, is the proposed punishment for Te Pati Maori MPs too harsh? Speaker Gerry Brownlee says a proposed 21-day ban is very severe and reminded MPs they can still change their minds. Labour leader Chris Hipkins clashes with Heather on the c-word debate. Meth use is skyrocketing, and it's got us asking if more workplaces should test their staff for the drug. Plus, the Huddle debates whether a 9-year old should have been excluded from his age-group rugby team for being too big. 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.

Fresh off a pre-Budget speech that took aim at the recent changes to pay equity, Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins joins Bernard Hickey to discuss the government's plans to cut $4.4 billion of spending over the next four years. What are the potential downsides of Nicola Willis' austerity approach to budget management? What other types of debt might we be accruing without realising it? Listen in to find out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Labour says the government's move to quash thirty-three pay equity claims is rough economic justice for half the population. Labour leader Chris Hipkins spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Chris Luxon says Labour is spreading lies about Government pay equity changes. Legislation rushed through under urgency last week cancels ongoing claims of gender-inequity in pay - and raised the bar for applying. Opposition leader Chris Hipkins spoke on social media saying the Prime Minister's taking money out of women's pay packets. Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls says Chris Hipkins has dug his heels in over his position - but it feels like a leap. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Opposition leader says there is no justification for the Education Minister, Erica Stanford, to have been using a personal email address to access documents, including unreleased pre-Budget material. Labour leader Chris Hipkins spoke to Alexa Cook.

I think I'm encouraged by the numbers of submissions into the Covid inquiry. This is Covid inquiry part two. The second part is to try and rectify the stitch up that was Covid part one from the previous Government, who were determined to set criteria that would not expose the true damage they wrought upon most of us. 31,000 have had their say this time. It is pointed out they came from all ages, all locations and were both positive as well as negative. Given Health NZ submitted on whether Wanaka should have a McDonalds, do not underestimate the establishment's ability to spend an indecent amount of time and money in putting a best-case scenario forward in a butt-covering exercise. This part of the inquiry looks into masks and mandates, vaccines and lockdowns, and 31,000 submissions tells me we are still very much exercised about the historic nature of the event and our keenness to try and come up with something that sees nothing like a repeat of the last exercise. I note the other day poor, old Chris Hipkins still tries to walk that very fine line between admitting they were in charge of a balls up and pretending it went mostly well. He is in an unwinnable place. As the last sap left standing, given Jacinda Ardern and Grant Robertson are long gone, he has the sorry task of defending what really were some astonishingly poor decisions. But that doesn't mean the inquiry will come up with answers. Answers such as will a pandemic be the same, or similar, or not similar at all? What sort of Government will be in? Will that Government be competent or experienced? What roll will the public service play? Will epidemiologists become household names again? Will New Zealanders sink into a myopic funk again waiting for a leader to tell them what sort of stuffed animal to put in the window? What made last time so bad was the control, and out of the control, followed the anger and fear. I'm not sure an inquiry can dictate answers or solutions around emotion. But 31,000 submissions tells you the emotion is still very, very real. At least in putting the second part of the inquiry on, we attempt to recognise how profound those dark and troubled days really were. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister has announced the government will cut new spending in the upcoming budget. Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins spoke to Corin Dann.

New Zealand First has introduced a member's bill that would do away with what it calls the "woke ideology" around the subject of womanhood. Labour leader Chris Hipkins spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

I've got a lot of time for Simeon Brown - he's a very good politician, but I reckon he might want to take the advice of Chris Hipkins - a man who was also once the Health Minister - and just tone down the fighting talk. Because accusing the striking senior doctors of the worst kind of politics is not going to help anyone. The only thing that is going to help right now is money - and he is simply going to have to pony up the cash and pay those doctors a lot more. Look, I know, there will not be a lot of public sympathy for doctors who are on that kind of money - whether it's $350,000 like Simeon claims or only $250,000 like the doctors claim - it doesn't matter whether we think they're paid not enough or too much What matters is what the rest of the world pays, because that's who we are competing against for senior doctors. NSW, I've been told, is the part of Australia that pays senior doctors the least, and their starting pay is more than what our senior doctors get on the highest level here. And they, by the way, just had a three-day strike themselves. We already have such a shortage of senior doctors in this country that in Taupo Hospital not even a third of the positions are filled. I don't know how they're running that place. So while I appreciate that Simeon Brown is a very good politician and could well end up wining the PR battle against the doctors - ultimately, it's not the voters he has to convince, it's the doctors. And there, money talks. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The associate health minister, Casey Costello, has issued a directive to Health New Zealand to refer to "pregnant women" rather than "pregnant people". Labour leader Chris Hipkins spoke to Corin Dann.

The Labour leader has stopped short of outright saying he supports the government's new defence spending plan, but says it seems very similar to what was planned under the last government. Chris Hipkins spoke to Alexa Cook.

The monthly check-in with leader of the Labour Party Chris Hipkins.

The Labour Party leader, Chris Hipkins, says an increase in defence spending is justified regardless of whether New Zealanders support it or not. Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.