Podcast appearances and mentions of Helen Clark

The Prime Minister is on his way to China next week to meet with Xi Jinping. New Zealand's relationship with the country has been a hot topic recently, with many saying we need to stop cosying up to the United States. This past week, prominent New Zealand leaders signed an open letter to express concern about our closeness with the States, and how it could be impacting our relationship with China. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matt Doocey and Duncan Webb joined John MacDonald in studio for Politics Friday. They discussed Helen Clark's recent comments around New Zealand's relationship with the United States – do they agree? On the topic of privacy versus safety, when it comes to mental illness, is keeping people safe a higher priority than keeping someone's health private? And Tourism New Zealand's new 100% Pure marketing campaign has been launched, and Duncan Webb is not a fan. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump won't be too happy with Helen Clark right now, because she's saying she doesn't want New Zealand to be an ally of the United States ever again. I'm with her on that one – while Trump is president, anyway. I'm also with Defence Minister Judith Collins who isn't saying anything about Trump doing a review of the AUKUS military alliance with Australia and the UK, to make sure that it's a fair deal for America. I think Judith Collins going all quiet about this cloud over AUKUS is the approach we should be taking more broadly, as well. And New Zealand should be more like Switzerland and keep pretty much every country at arm's length. As Helen Clark is saying, if you're an ally, you can get dragged into all sorts of things you shouldn't. Whereas, if you're a “friend”, you can keep your head down, treat every country pretty much equally, and stay out of international dramas you don't need to be involved with. I heard former defence minister Wayne Mapp saying that the fact Trump has said this AUKUS review will be done and dusted in 30 days, shows that it's unlikely that the U.S. is about to pull out. Tell that to Dr Emma Shortis —who is a senior researcher in international affairs at the Australia Institute— who is pointing out that the submarine part of the AUKUS deal includes a “get-out clause” for the United States. She reckons Trump is about to use that clause – not that she's too upset about it. She's saying today that AUKUS is "a disaster" for Australia and only ties Aussie ever closer to “an increasingly volatile and aggressive america”. And, with respect to Wayne Mapp, I'm going to listen to this expert from Australia. Understandably it's caused a fuss in Australia, because they're due to get a few nuclear subs from America as part of all this. Three second-hand submarines for $368 billion. On this side of the Tasman though, the Government is keeping shtum, with Defence Minister Judith Collins not wanting to get dragged into it. Which makes sense, because —at the moment— we've got nothing to do with AUKUS. The Government's been making noises recently about doing a bit of tyre-kicking and seeing whether we might get involved at a lower level. “Pillar 2” is what they call it. But there's nothing coming from the Government about Donald Trump running his eye over AUKUS to check that America's getting the best deal. Former Prime Minister Helen Clark isn't holding back though. She says: "I would not want to see us back in the position where New Zealand is expected to spend a whole lot more money on defence; expected to follow the US into whatever its strategic venture is. I'm old enough to remember the Vietnam War and New Zealand going into that for not a good reason at all and walking out the other end with Kiwis dying on the battlefield for no good reason. I don't want to see us ever in that position again." I'm with her on that one. Australia's possibly feeling that way too, given that it signed up to the AUKUS agreement when Joe Biden was president. And, aside from wanting to get the submarines, and aside from the fact that it's already ploughed $800 million into AUKUS, it might still be having a bit of buyer's remorse given Trump's unpredictability. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Friday 13th of June 2025, a report from the Ministry of Justice is predicting our prison population to grow by 36% over the next 10 years, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell shares his thoughts. The Ski season kicks off this weekend, NZ Ski Chief Executive Paul Anderson tells Ryan Bridge what people can look forward to. The US is "reviewing" it's AUKUS security pac, Former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark shares what this means for New Zealand's position. Plus UK/Europe Correspondent Vincent McAviney has the latest on the Air India plane crash which killed more than 200 people. 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.

Helen Clark says the future of the AUKUS security pact remains very uncertain. The Pentagon's reviewing the agreement between Australia, the UK, and the US to ensure it meets Donald Trump's America First agenda. It's still unclear what that might mean for New Zealand's potential involvement. But Clark —the former Prime Minister and UNDP Head— told Ryan Bridge there's a chance Trump could scrap the pact altogether. She says the leaders of all three countries have changed since the agreement was signed, and the US has become increasingly unpredictable. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prominent New Zealand leaders are coming together to express their concern about the country's foreign policy direction. In an open leader, Kiwi figures including Helen Clark, Sir David Carter and Dr Don Brash are warning the Government against taking an adversarial stance against China as part of an alignment with the US. It comes ahead of the Prime Minister's upcoming trip to China. Former Prime Minister Helen Clark talks to Heather du Plessis-Allan about the letter. LISTEN ABOVE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Winston Peters is accusing Don Brash and Helen Clark of "relevance deprivation syndrome", after their criticism of his approach to China. The former National and Labour leaders are warning the Government that it could be putting our largest trading relationship at risk by aligning too closely with the US. Brash believes that it is unwise to shift priority from China to the US given the current tension between the two superpowers. Peters says he stands by the government's independent foreign policy, and he sees no value in indulging in tired arguments from former politicians. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There seems to be increasing reportage, based around some new research, that our dream of being smokefree is up in smoke. 2025 is the year when we were aiming to be smokefree. By smokefree, it would have been reduced to 5% left smoking. To meet that goal, the research says about 80,000 more people need to quit. They won't. As always, the fact they haven't, or won't, is somehow the Government's fault, who haven't done enough. Or worse, this particular Government, who they say have been shocking, led by New Zealand First and Casey Costello who is a devil and in the pocket of the tobacco companies – or some such gibberish those like the Labour Party spend a lot of time trying to suggest. Where it went wrong was twofold. The first was the belief, and this was classic Labour under Helen Clark, that you could force people to do something they didn't want to, and there were always going to be people who didn't want to. Where it worked, and we can be grateful, was in the public space part of it. No longer are you forced to inhale if you don't want to, or smell like a smoker, or stand in a group, or be trapped by it. But beyond that, once the hardcores were on the footpath, some were never giving up. The second thing that went wrong was vaping, a shocking miscalculation that it was a cessation tool, when what it really was a gateway for kids. A whole new generation got easy access, and the slippery slope was never going to get stopped. Governments could have nipped it in the bud but didn't. They could have made vapes script only like Australia, but didn't. The Labour Party under Ayesha Verrall, a medical professional from the party who invented smokefree, hurled their best wet bus ticket at the vaping market. So nothing happened. History will show they were out of the gates, Clark-style, with gusto. There was early progress on public spaces and a general change in attitude to the habit, followed by the predictable malaise and hardcore resistance, leaving us 25 years on with a change in society but well short of what was envisioned. Good crack, failed on the follow through. I'd give it 7 out of 10. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Before the King's Birthday long weekend is done, a list of kiwi's will be crowned with their own titles, when the honours list is unveiled on Monday. Those people will recieve titles such as dame or knight, or letters like ONZM, officer of the New Zealand order of merit for meritorious service to the Crown and the nation. Anyone can nominate a person they think is worthy of New Zealand royal honour. The applications are considered by the Cabinet Appointments and Honours Committee. The Prime Minister then makes the final recommendation to the King. Helen Clark, ONZ, joined Lisa Owen to discuss the list.

With the 78th World Health Assembly in full swing, we dig into the main talking point of the conference: the Pandemic Agreement. The landmark treaty was adopted during this year's edition of the annual summit. The agreement is designed to create a world better prepared for pandemics, ensuring a more equitable distribution of lifesaving medical interventions — a key challenge highlighted by the COVID-19 response. We delve into what this means for pandemic preparedness and chart the essential next steps. During the conversation, we also discuss the funding challenges faced by the World Health Organization and possible solutions that are being explored to ensure its sustainable future. For this special episode of our podcast series recorded live on the sidelines of the World Health Assembly, Devex Senior Editor Rumbi Chakamba sits down with Helen Clark, the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, and Dr. Ngashi Ngongo, the principal adviser to the director-general on program management and the continental incident manager for mpox at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters: https://www.devex.com/account/newsletters

In November 1945, James Newton, a young World War II veteran, was shot four times—twice in the back—in his room at an Abingdon, Virginia boardinghouse owned by Helen Clark. She would soon stand trial for his murder, as speculation swirled about the true nature of their relationship. Was she a protective, motherly figure trying to prevent Jimmy from taking his own life, or had she killed him in a fit of jealousy? Greg Lilly joins me to disuss the case. He is the author of "Abingdon's Boardinghouse Murder". More about the author and his work on his website: https://www.greglilly.com/ His publisher page: Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's bad news, really, and it's been coming and I think I've had my head in the sand for some time. I've been wanting things to get better quickly. I've wanted things to move out from grindy-ness, and a lack of fun, and excess, and nonsense. It's just been for four years of long, slow grind, it seems. Well, Matthew Hooton's opinion piece in the New Zealand Herald has laid it out starkly, unequivocally, in no uncertain terms. The grindy times are here for a long time, as he says. Brooke van Velden's constitutionally dubious and deeply unpopular legislation to amend the Equal Pay Act and more bold moves like it, are now unavoidable, whether they take the form of massive spending cuts, much higher taxes, or most likely, he says both. And the reason? Successive governments have been on a massive jolly, and now we, and successive generations have to pay for it. As Hooton reminds us, Treasury began formerly warning in 2006, about the looming fiscal challenges after 2030. It expected future governments would follow the responsible fiscal management of the Bolger, Shipley, and Clark governments, that they would maintain surpluses, pay back debt, put aside cash for a rainy day. Had we heeded the advice and followed the blueprint, we would be 15% of GDP in the black this year. Instead, the Key-English and Ardern-Hipkins Governments went on a 15-year spending spree, putting us 23% of GDP in the red, despite the Super Fund's returns on investments exceeding expectations. You can say what about the Canterbury quake, the GFC, and Covid? You can say all of that. But he's quite right. Successive governments have had to recover from crises, but they've also used that time to have a spend up, to push through expensive legislation and policies, of their choosing, of their ideology, while at the same time having to fork out billions in damage recovery. So, the four years of grindy times are going to be nothing in comparison to what we are going to see. There's more with this came from. Thanks to the Key-English and Ardern-Hipkins legacy, we're nearly 40% of GDP, or more than $170 billion, behind where Helen Clark, Winston Peters, and Sir Michael Cullen planned back in 2006, just as baby boomers retire and health costs start to explode. He says and argues without radical policy change, there is no plausible scenario that doesn't lead to eventual financial and social collapse. I urge you to read it and have a look and see what you think. That is why Labour's well-intentioned and accurately costed ill thought-out legislation is being scrapped. That is why superannuation and healthcare costs will be put under the microscope as costs balloon. And that is why I would argue, National and Labour need to work together to get us out of this mess. Treasury warned of the fiscal challenges in 2006. They warned of them again in a 2012 post-election briefing to John Key, the papers stressed again as baby boomers move into retirement, New Zealand's 65 and over population is projected to grow nearly four times more quickly than the total population, and consequently there'll be a rapid rise in health, aged care, and New Zealand super costs. Treasury said the fiscal challenge is considerable. There is no way to avoid making trade-offs. Given the potential economic and social instability that could result from any uncertainty about these trade-offs, we think it's crucial that effort be made to build broad public consensus on the way forward. And that's where we are today. The trade-offs are starting but there's no consensus, because it's just been sprung on us. Well, it hasn't been sprung on us. Treasury have been warning of this for some time, and we have ignored it as voters and the parties have ignored it. Both National and Labour are at fault, but we voters are to blame as well. We can't just stand there saying, “oh, we're victims we didn't know”. Would we have elected any party to government that laid out the grim prognosis for New Zealand Inc. and spelled out the tough measures we would need to take to recover? If Christopher Luxon had stood there in 2023 and said, we're in a real mess and it goes way beyond Hipkins and Robertson, Ardern and Robertson. It goes back a lot further than that and we are going to have to cut the equal pay amendment legislation, we're going to have to raise the age of superannuation, as every other western country we measure ourselves against has done, we're going to have to look long and hard at healthcare, we're have to look long and hard at welfare payments, and we're probably going to have to scrap some of them because we're in a deep, deep fiscal hole. Would we have said thank you so much for spelling it out. We're going to vote National back in to do these austere and tough measures that we need to recover so that we've got a country for our grandchildren. I doubt it. We are just as much to blame. The party is well and truly over, and it has been for some time. We've just borrowed to keep it going and buried our heads in the sand, turned up the music so we don't hear the creaking and the groaning of the economy as it struggles to keep the party going. It's time we all grew up. And it's time both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition worked together to try and keep the country together while we work our way out of this mess. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I was very sad to hear of the passing of Bob Jones - Sir Robert Jones. The last contact I had with him was last year when he sent me a copy of his latest book. They always came with a personal note. When I say personal, it was a letter that he would have dictated and had typed up and then signed himself. He was from a different era of sorts. I never received an email from him, only letters. The last time I dealt with him in person was in his office in Wellington overlooking the harbour. That too was from an “era” - beautifully set up, but in a time-and-place kind of way. It was a lot of panelling, a lot of staff, his office was large and on a corner, and he smoked. That became a thing in the Helen Clark days when she was busy making rules around smoking in doors. Bob was having none of it because in his office he was the boss, if not the king. So last time I was in his office we had wine and sat amongst the swirling tobacco smoke coming out of his pipe. The art work was worth the trip alone. He had fantastic taste and a fantastic collection. He also had one of the best brains you will ever encounter. What was often lost by many in the barrage of cantankerous verbiage was the amount of knowledge and wisdom he had gleaned from a lifetime of reading and travel. There wasn't a place he hadn't been. He had more stories than you ever had time to hear, or he had time to tell. I noted a small irony on Friday night when I watched TV1 and their coverage. They made much of the Rod Vaughn helicopter encounter, the irony being no one these days hires a chopper to go looking for a fisherman. And Three reflected the modern malaise as his passing was the second story behind the weather, even though the weather was the day before's news. It showed a lack of understanding of who Jones was and what he contributed to the country. That's the problem with modern newsrooms - the institutional knowledge had left the building. From business, to politics, to public discourse, Jones was an invaluable addition to the national psyche. Unafraid, bold, brilliant with the language and fantastically funny because he was fantastically irreverent, even when irreverence was wildly more tolerated than it is these days. It was a great life. And he was a great man.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The race is on to determine the future host of the 2035 Rugby World Cup, and plenty of contenders have voiced interest. Reports claim that Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE have expressed interest in hosting the event - but Spain, Japan and Italy have also thrown their hats in the ring for the cup. Former Prime Minister Helen Clark played a key role in getting the Rugby World Cup over to our shores in 2011 - and she joined Piney to discuss whether it could happen again. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Helen Clark, Marama Davidson and Sunny Kaushal.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has spent the last week in Vietnam - what has come from the trip? Also, former Prime Minister Helen Clark appeared on Q+A yesterday - what did she say about the Five Eyes intelligence sharing agreement? Newstalk ZB chief political reporter Sophie Trigger joined Nick Mills for the Beehive Buzz. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Foreign minister Winston Peters arrives in Beijing this afternoon. His 48-hour visit will include talks with his China counterpart Wang Yi. Former prime minister Helen Clark says New Zealand needs Peters' visit to China to go well. Clark spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

In a week, 230 New Zealanders were given confirmation Kinleith Mill was over. The Australians facing the same scenario at a place called Whyalla in South Australia did something completely different. The steel mill is owned by a British billionaire and it's in a world of financial trouble. It may well go to the wall. It employs 1000 people in a town of 22,000. So the state Government, backed by the Federal Government, has bought it. Even for a Labour Government in Australia it is an extraordinary move. But the assessment is, in a small town, you can't afford to lose that many jobs. They will look for a buyer, they will look for finance and they will look to rejig the place to solve the problem. But in the meantime, the place is open and the jobs are saved. The first question you ask, of course, is would this decision be made if it was not about a month or so out from an election, which is an election the Government who just bought the steel mill is in serious danger of losing? The precedent is also shocking. If you save one, surely you save them all? And if you don't, because you can't, the locals will, quite righty, ask why not? Also, the Government owning things in the long term has never really been a recipe for efficiency or success. As much heat as Labour got in the 1980's for selling the railways here, Helen Clark buying them back has hardly been one of life's great business decisions. In a small town though, at the pub or the dairy or the sports field, who cares? They've got jobs, the bills get paid, and the kids stay in the local school. They'll take it. Where the money came from doesn't really matter. As much as Shane Jones espouses the value of the regions, the region here still lost its mill. We still have the problem that is the price of power. It still hasn't been addressed as an issue, and we go into another winter with a mess of a system. In Australia the place is open, the jobs are saved and no one's leaving town. So, which approach is better? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The news that Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown is heading to China today on the country's first state visit, where he's expected to sign a comprehensive strategic partnership with China, has come as news to our Foreign Minister, news to our government, and indeed news to some of the Cook Island people. The excellent Barbara Dreaver on 1News broke the story on Wednesday night. As she reported, the impending visit has taken the Beehive by surprise, as it's a potential breach of constitutional arrangements between the Cook Islands and Aotearoa New Zealand. This year the Cook Islands celebrate 60 years of self-governance in free association with New Zealand. That means that they're free to make their own moves on policies and partnerships at home and abroad, while enjoying the benefits of a New Zealand passport and citizenship, plus substantial investment and aid. But with any perks come responsibilities under the long-standing agreement. The nations must cooperate and consult on any issues of defence and security, and they have to advise each other of any risks to either state. And it would appear that the detail of the arrangements has not happened in this particular case, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters, who spoke to Mike Hosking this morning: “I believe they've got all these other things about beliefs, principles, freedom, human rights – these are fundamentals that the Cook Islands people are also concerned about, as they are around the Pacific. They need to know what's happening here and as a consequence, when they make a decision, then they should be free to make it, but they have to be free to make it in the circumstances of the commitments that we made going back to Helen Clark's time and going back to 1901, where we just discuss and consult, that's where we are now. I can assure you that the New Zealand government has done its best to find out what's going on, and to say this has been discussed with us is absurdly not true.” So the government's been blindsided, and it appears the Cook Islands people themselves have been blindsided. A protest has been planned on Parliament's first sitting of the year in Rarotonga on February 17th. Some locals told Barbara Dreaver that they fear losing the special relationship they have with New Zealand, and that will happen if the Cooks Prime Minister Mark Brown pushes ahead with his intention for them to have its own passport. New Zealand's ruled out a dual passport arrangement. 1News understands that if the Cook Islands went ahead with its own passport, anyone who applied for a Cook Islands passport would be treated as having renounced their New Zealand one. The Cook Islands, of course, are perfectly free to make their own arrangements, but so too are we. If you want your own passport, that's absolutely fine, but you don't get to have a dual passport arrangement with New Zealand. They're also perfectly free to trade with China. We do. Brown was adamant the Cook Islands Government could go ahead with its own passport and still stay within the free association with New Zealand. He said the Cook Islands needed more development partners such as China, and the Islands already more than pulled its weight with New Zealand. Okay, that's his opinion. But there's two people in a relationship, and clearly Winston Peters and New Zealand feels a bit differently. If New Zealand doesn't think the Cook Islands are operating within the obligations of the agreement, there will be consequences. So they're perfectly free to make their own decisions, and we are perfectly free to respond. If it comes to a bidding war, we will always lose to China. If it comes to who can put more money into the Pacific, it's China, every single time. But when it comes to cultural connectedness, history and family, that's where New Zealand has the advantage. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well, I might have been swanning about on holiday for an unseemly amount of time but the Government was back at work. You have already discussed, I have no doubt the PM's reshuffle of the cabinet, specifically Dr Reti losing Health to Simeon Brown in a bid to see change happening, change happening better, and there has been much chat about getting the country moving again. In the last couple of days, economist Paul Bloxham, the man who coined the “rockstar economy” phrase back in 2014, confirmed what we all know: New Zealand's economy has suffered the biggest hit in the developed world. Specifically, interest rate increases in response to post-pandemic inflation had pushed the country into a recession and unemployment increased sharply across the developed world. HSBC, for whom Paul Bloxham works, estimates suggest that New Zealand's economy had the largest contraction in GDP in 2024. So that was all inherited issues. This government was elected to put it right. How are they going? Well, not so great. The PM was on with Mike Hosking on the Mike Hosking Breakfast this morning and got a gee up from Mike. MH: My criticism of you is that you're too much yak and not enough do. If you don't like what the Commerce Commission is doing... CL: You're just all fired up because of Trump's executive orders, my friend. Because of? Yeah. MH: But that's what you need, exactly what you need are executive orders. You need to get a bloody marker pen and start scratching out a few signatures and doing some stuff. CL: And the difference between a presidential system and a parliamentary system is quite profound in that regard. MH: Look you and I are sick of the same things, you and I are sick of the same things. CL: I just say I think we've done more in a year than most governments. MH: But what I'm watching here is a Commerce Commission that's been looking at petrol and supermarkets and building products and everything else for eons and nothing's happening. Well things are happening, but I do get Mike's frustrations. We need to do better, and we need to do better faster. The first poll of the year —a Curia-Taxpayers Union poll at that— puts Labour ahead of National for the first time since the 2023 election. And it's no good blaming the last lot this year, it's going to have to be all on National and the coalition government to get cracking. I'm not entirely sure the new growth plan announced a couple of days ago by Christopher Luxon in his State of the Nation speech will do the business either. Focusing on tourism is not going to lead to long-term prosperity. Being a service industry, which is ultimately what tourism is, isn't going to lead to long-term prosperity. The rest of the world is pushing back against over tourism, hell, we were pushing back against too many tourists back in 2019, so that's not going to do it. Foreign investment's good, but the right sort of foreign investment is what's required. And that's a little bit more difficult to find. We don't want to become tenants in our own land and good luck getting a lot of that past NZ First. Digital nomads, sure. This is something that's long overdue. People visiting New Zealand on short stays will be allowed to work remotely for their employers back home under the digital nomad scheme launched by the government yesterday. It's a popular concept overseas and it allows visitors to travel to New Zealand while continuing to work for their offshore employer. Internationally, the Harvard International Review puts the global economic value of digital nomads at US$787 billion per year. Which is great, we'll get a tiny share of that. Is that going to fix the economy? You know, we have a lot to offer in this beautiful country, as you will have seen yourselves. A lot. But we need to get better, and we need to get better faster. I was listening yesterday to a young man who was 27 saying the last of his friends have left to go overseas. He's got nobody left. He loves his job. He doesn't want to leave it, but he has no friends, they're gone. And while I accept that this is a rite of passage and many young New Zealanders head overseas, there are a lot of people who are seeking better opportunities overseas because they are not finding them in their home country. We have so much to offer, but is focusing on tourism the way to go? I did like the focus on science and a knowledge-based economy. Come in Helen Clark, what happened to that knowledge-based economy? But that is where New Zealand made its name, New Zealand made its fortune was around the science. Science, scientific brains – entrepreneurs have been leading this country for such a long time, since refrigerated shipping. That's what made our fortune and that's where our fortune lies. That, I agree, is where the focus needs to be. But that takes time and I'm not entirely sure that this government has got the amount of time it needs to turn this country around. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rt. Hon. Helen Clark, Former Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1999-2008, sits down with Kirsty Graham, Edelman's U.S. CEO, at the 25th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. They discuss the on-the-ground reactions to President Donald Trump's inauguration, how the Covid pandemic impacted trust in institutions and information, and what … Continue reading "Davos Special Part 2: Fmr. New Zealand PM Helen Clark on How Inclusive Policies Can Help Address Grievance"

2024 marks this coalition Government's first year in power, and will be one to remember. They got straight to work repealing and introducing legislation, some being so controversial they triggered unprecedented responses in the way of protests. Gang patches were banned, the first youth offender bootcamp trial was completed; this year truly had a bit of everything. Former Speaker of the House and National MP, Lockwood Smith, and former Prime Minister Helen Clark join Tim Beveridge to wrap the year in politics. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Happy Festive Friday! Also if you have a great yarn for the radio or just want to get in touch, you can message us on Instagram, or Facebook! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morefmdrive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/morefmdrive

The Helen Clark foundation is calling on the Government to address New Zealand's growing obesity stats and improve access to healthy foods. The think tank's newly-released report revealed that one in eight Kiwi kids and one-third of adults live with obesity - the third-highest rate in the OECD. Health advocate and activist Dave Letele says it's important to invest in educational programs to teach families how to improve their help - but companies need to be regulated too. "These companies, these sugar companies, these fast-food companies - the most profitable places are all in the poorest areas. I think they should be made to invest in these communities." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 10th November 2024, Matty Matheson is best known to Kiwis as Neil Fak on Emmy Award winning show The Bear, but he's actually the only cast member who is a real chef. Matty joins Francesca to talk about how he got involved in the show and how he's finding acting. Author Oliver Burkeman talks about how we need to accept our life is finite and the key to improving your life is to accept you are never going to fix it. Helen Clark foundation Kali Mercier shares her report questioning who should pay for future insurance premium increases due to climate change risk. Dr Michelle Dickinson shares the science around aging and standing on one foot. And the panel gives their verdict on whether Donald Trump will be a better president than Joe Biden. Get the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast every Sunday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump's first presidency was often defined on the world stage by his "America First" protectionist trade policy and isolationist rhetoric, including threats to withdraw from NATO. Former Prime Minister Helen Clark spoke to Guyon Espiner.

As predictably as the clock striking 12 twice a day, here we are after an America's Cup win talking - yet again - about whether the Cup should be held in New Zealand. In one corner, there's Helen Clark - who says Kiwis want to witness a successful event at home. And in the other corner, there's David Seymour who says we're too broke. Look, I think I'm probably like most people - it'd be nice if it was here, but I just don't want us to waste money on it. This has, above all, got to be treated as a business decision. Because that's what this is. It's a business decision for Grant Dalton. He will sell the hosting rights to the highest bidder, like he did this time round with Barcelona, who were prepared to pay more than we were to host the event. And that is the right thing for him to do, he'd be a fool to take less than the highest offer. And it is a business decision for New Zealand too, we should be preprepared to pay to host the cup - but no more than we can make off it. There's no point whatsoever in losing money on the America's Cup, which is what happened last time when we lost more than $150 million - which, to be fair, was exacerbated by Covid. But we shouldn't be expecting any favours from Grant, just because he's a Kiwi citizen and we're a bunch of Kiwis. And if we accept it's a business decision, we have to strip out the lingering anger at Grant Dalton's attitude, we have to strip out the nonsense about sailing being an elitist sport and we have to strip out any kind of sentimentality about having a nice event here. We don't 'deserve' a nice event if it's going to cost millions and millions of dollars that we don't have because we're broke. This is a transaction, in which we want to make money. We want to come out in the black on this one. And then, we also have to accept another fact - we're playing with the big boys and some of those guys have very deep pockets. So even if we put our best foot forward, it might not be enough and we have to leave it at that. Because if the event comes back, it should be because New Zealand wants to make money off it - and no other reason. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Team New Zealand has resoundingly defended the America's Cup with a 7-2 win over Ineos Britannia in Barcelona. But the location of the next event is so far unknown. Former Prime Minister Helen Clark spoke to Corin Dann.

Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, joins us to discuss AUKUS and how the US presidential candidates might shape American foreign policy. Helen Clark ONZ joins Dr Emma Shortis on this episode of After America to discuss the US-China relationship and how Australia and New Zealand can play a constructive role in the Asia Pacific. This discussion was recorded on Wednesday 2 October 2024 and things may have changed since recording. Join President José Ramos-Horta at 6pm AEDT, Tuesday 8 October for an evening of conversation at the Sydney Opera House, presented by the Australia Institute as part of its 30 Years of Big Ideas. australiainstitute.org.au // @theausinstitute Guest: The Rt Hon Helen Clark ONZ, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and United Nations Development Programme Administrator // @HelenClarkNZ Host: Emma Shortis, Senior Research for International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute // @EmmaShortis Show notes: ‘In a largely uneventful and inconsequential US vice presidential debate, no one can claim victory' by Emma Shortis, The Conversation (October 2024) Helen Clark's remarks at the United Nations Security Council (September 2024) Theme music: Blue Dot Sessions We'd love to hear your feedback on this series, so send in your questions, comments or suggestions for future episodes to podcasts@australiainstitute.org.au.Support After America: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Josh McConkey's new book, Be the Weight Behind the Spear, is about how to fix America. McConkey, a Republican who ran unsuccessfully for Congress in North Carolina, believes that the strength of America has always been its people. So his focus is on motivating all Americans to be, what he calls, “the weight behind the spears” of the country's future leaders. For McConkey, an US Air Force Reserve Colonel and physician as well as aspiring Federal politician, America's future depends on this. The alternative, he warns, is increasingly sharp and perhaps even violent generational and political divisions. Dr. (Colonel) Josh McConkey is the proud father of three little Americans. His biggest mission in life is to help shape these children into the future leaders of America with the help of his wife, Elsa. Together, they reside in Apex, North Carolina. They are part of a very tight knit family with both Cuban and Irish heritage. The wonderful aromas that emanate through their house from cooking time-honored, secret Cuban family recipes brings a warmth, love, and security that only tradition can bring.Dr. McConkey has worked clinically as an Emergency Physician for over 20 years. He served in academics as a professor at Duke University from 2013-2014 and as adjunct faculty until 2018. He is Board Certified in Emergency Medicine with the American Board of Emergency Medicine and Fellowship Boarded in Emergency Medical Services (EMS), a subspecialty encompassing subject matter expertise in Disaster Response Medicine, National Incident Management Systems, National Response Framework, and National Disaster Medical Systems.Dr. McConkey has also had the distinct pleasure of consulting on international health policy and development, once meeting with New Zealand's Prime Minister, Helen Clark. He attended the National Security Course at National Defense University, College of International Security Affairs, Fort Lesley J. McNair, in 2017 where his policy discussions with members of Congress encouraged him to put his unique experiences to use in developing healthcare policy.Dr. McConkey currently serves as the commander of the 459th Aeromedical Staging Squadron at Andrews AFB and serves on the Air Force Association Council developing legislative and policy recommendations addressing quality of life, equipment modernization, and military construction issues that affect the Air Force Reserve.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark has told the Security Council it has got to be able to enforce its own resolutions on the Israel-Gaza conflict to be credible. Clark spoke to Corin Dann.

Kia Ora Aotearoa! Welcome to The Working Group, New Zealand's top political podcast not funded by NZ on Air. I'm your host, Martyn Bradbury, editor of The Daily Blog. Joining me tonight: Damien Grant - libertarian liquidator and Cthulhu of Capitalism. Brad Olsen - Infometrics - Principal Economist Matthew Hooton - NZ Herald Columnist Tonight's issues: Has OCR cut saved or betrayed the NZ Economy? Luxon yelling at Councils - justified or audacity too far? Electricity market meltdown + Fast Track powers (minus the fast or the track) - is this Government's infrastructure process a joke? The New Foreshore and Seabed confiscation makes Helen Clark look reasonable!? -------------------------------------------------------------------------- TEXT: Working to 3598 Check out the Social Media - https://bento.me/theworkinggroupSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the Sunday Panel, journalist and broadcaster Wilhelmina Shrimpton and Chris Henry from 818 PR Agency joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Should we be more concerned about political corruption? A new report from the Helen Clark foundation suggests the political sector needs reform, citing concerns about donations and lobbying. Do we need to address this? Why are we so mean? Between the Rachael ‘Raygun' Gunn backlash at the recent Olympics and the hate directed at Marla Kavanaugh, it feels like people are piling on with the abuse and vitriol. What do we make of this? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here is the real problem with a ferry running aground.  It comes in the same week the plane didn't work and the same week a transmission tower fell over.  It's pathetic. This country is on its knees and it's embarrassing.  As we said last week, the upside is it might just be so embarrassing we actually now get around to doing something about it.  KiwiRail need an investigation into how they have run the business.  Sadly, I note Helen Clark yet again weighed in via social media with another one of her petty barbs about cancelling the ferry contract.  What we need are adults. Read the papers that have been released publicly between KiwiRail and Grant Robertson.  Even he was aghast at the blowout in the ferry budget, despite KiwiRail over and over again reassuring him their latest estimate was the final figure, until it wasn't.  When Grant Robertson is aghast at a blowout you know it's gargantuan.  So this is as much on KiwiRail as it is on any Government.  But you can only embarrass yourself so much and so often before that becomes part of the country's psyche.  A recession is one thing and its outworking has an effect on us all both psychically and psychologically.  But you want to, in some way, feel there is something about this place that is decent and proper and rewarding. You want to feel good about your country.  The Prime Minister can't travel the world promoting business and saying we are open when the planes don't fly and the ferry runs into stuff and the power is out because towers fall over.  We must do better.  We have to wake up to the fact this country has, in too many respects, been run into the ground. It looks increasingly third world.  The fear is the battle between the size of those who care and those who don't is not that obvious.  The fact we can be in this mess and all former Prime Ministers can do is snipe is an increasing worry.  We are reaping what we sowed.  If this doesn't strike you as an emergency, we are in deeper trouble than I thought.    LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Prime Minister Helen Clark, who co chairs the Independent panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, has released a new report which says the Covid-19 crisis wasn't the end of pandemics, lessons haven't been learned and the world remains vulnerable to devastation. She spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

New Zealand will make its annual payment of $1 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) as scheduled - Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has confirmed.  "This follows careful consideration of the UN's response - including through external & internal investigations - to serious allegations against certain UNRWA staff being involved in the 7 October terrorist attacks on Israel," Peters said in a tweet.  Former Prime Minister and Head of UN Development Agency, Helen Clark, told Heather du Plessis-Allan “They had to conclude that Israel's case is completely unproven, because they never provided any evidence.”  Clark said “Every big barrel of apples, will have a bad one somewhere – but as a smear of an organisation is quite wrong.”  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have a lot to thank Jamie Arbuckle for.  Jamie is a Marlborough councillor and an MP for New Zealand First.  He is this week's political headline because he has two jobs and two salaries and has, for now, decided to keep all of them.  We thank him because it proves without a shadow of a doubt that one, if not two of these jobs aren't actual jobs as you and I might know them. Thus, it allows him to do what he calls, and the system calls, two jobs for salaries and seemingly not work himself into an early grave.  At council level, as well as being a regular councillor, he is also on the Economic Finance Committee, which is extra work and extra money.  In Parliament, of course he is a hard-working MP, deputy chair of the Justice Select Committee as well as being on the Finance and Expenditure Committee and he is also the party whip.  It is possible these are proper, full time, energy-sapping, time filling jobs and Jamie is superhuman and has skills few, if any others, possess and he works 18 or 19 hours a day.  Or they are not real jobs.  The council especially, as in so many council jobs around the country, is a make-work scheme for well-meaning and/or bored people.  We are over councilled, over regulated and, as such, we have too many Jamie's wandering around pretending they do things.  The arrival of MMP has badly exposed the work, or lack of work, required to be a list MP. You represent no one and you are answerable only to your party. If you are a Prime Minister or a Cabinet minister you can argue less electorate and more important work of national significance can be justified. Although you will note that many don't. Jacinda Ardern, Chris Luxon, as well as John Key and Helen Clark all were/are electorate MPs.  It's not about the money. In the grand scheme of things, he might earn a quarter of a million for a couple of jobs.  The point is they aren't proper jobs. We know that now because he can sit on several committees, be a whip, commute between two cities, collect two salaries, represent a lot of people and still not claim to be part of that absurd survey last week that says most of us suffer severe burn out.  The lesson is we don't need nearly as many councillors as we have and we certainly don't need as many MPs. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Friday, 3 May 2024, Helen Clark tells off Winston Peters for his comments towards Bob Carr. Popeyes from the US are here – and they're being very unkind to a fish and chip joint in Fielding.   Wellington florist Laura Newcombe speaks on her fiery encounter with Julie Anne Genter. International Correspondent Dan Mitchinson speaks to Heather du Plessis-Allan on the UCLA protests, Trump trial and Brittany Spears. Wellington's Victoria University's controversial free speech debate is back on, with more speakers added. Newstalk ZB sports contributor Jason Pine told Heather du Plessis-Allan that Ethan de Groot will be down south duck shooting, for the opening day. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Former Prime Minister Helen Clark is among critics who've been sounding the alarm about AUKUS for weeks. Clark spoke to Corin Dann.

Hear Rt. Hon. Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand – the first woman to be elected in that position – reflect on why women make such effective leaders and how she's dealt with gender-based criticism.   This special episode is part of Pull up a Chair's ‘Insights' series, featuring bite-sized perspectives and advice from the podcast's second round of guests. 

The former prime minister reacts to foreign minister Winston Peter's comments on AUKUS.

Winston Peters and Helen Clark are at loggerheads over New Zealand inching towards "pillar two" status in a pact geared against China. Is cross-party unity on our foreign policy status splintering, and what does "pillar two" really mean? Plus: public sector cuts are suddenly becoming very real. What are the implications for the public services and what is the political risk? How is Melissa Lee navigating the media inferno in a coalition cabinet? And a stirring defence of the history curriculum. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Helen Clark, Mane Tahere and Dr Ritesh Shah.

There are thousands of hours of conversation with the likes of David Lange, John Key and Helen Clark. But no one has ever heard them, and now the project. run by the Alexander Turnbull Library, is shutting down.

"Every week there's a different excuse." Former Prime Minister Helen Clark has hit out at the state of Auckland Airport, saying its processes need some major attention, as people wait for hours in queues. Passengers departing and arriving in Auckland say they've snaked slowly through customs and security, with little to no explanation for the delays. Some passengers travelling with children say instead of being fast tracked, they were put in queues that took longer and left them racing for their flights. Louise Ternouth reports.

Worried have been sparked that Israel's Prime Minister is ignoring pleas from other countries to not continue with a ground offensive into Rafah.   New Zealand, Australia, and Canada have issued a joint statement warning that a humanitarian ceasefire is urgently needed.  Former Prime Minister Helen Clark told Mike Hosking that Netanyahu isn't listening.   She said that even countries extremely close to Israel, such as the USA, are saying not to do this, but Netanyahu continues to say he is preparing the ground.  Around 1.5-million Palestinian refugees are sheltering there with nowhere else to go.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More countries have halted funding to the largest UN agency operating in Gaza, as the crisis deepens over the alleged role of some staff in the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel. According to a report in the New York Times, an Israeli intelligence dossier alleges that nearly 200 UNRWA workers are Hamas or Islamic Jihad operatives, without providing detailed evidence. The dossier also alleges at least 12 workers crossed into Israel on 7 October. UNRWA has sacked nine of those employees and says it is investigating. Former prime minister Helen Clark who led the UN Development Programme which oversees UNRWA, spoke to Morning Report.

Önationen införde nyligen som första land i världen en lag om att dagens unga aldrig ska få köpa tobak. Dessutom ska nikotinet minska drastiskt i cigaretter. Vi har mött forskarna bakom lagen. Lyssna på alla avsnitt i Sveriges Radio Play. Det är bra, tycker 16-åriga Janek och Naomi, om den nya lagstiftningen som ska göra Nya Zeeland i princip rökfritt. Och folkhälsoprofessorn Chris Bullen som är expert på rökavvänjning, tycker att lagen är det bästa tänkbara resultat som hans forskning kan få. Men andra varnar för att smugglingen kan öka, och att e-cigaretterna, som ses som en hjälp att lämna tobaken, ska öka för mycket. Medverkande: Chris Bullen, läkare och professor folkhälsovetenskap, universitetet i Auckland; Andrew Waa, docent i folkhälsa, universitetet i Otago; Ayesha Verrall, hälsominister Nya Zeeland; Janek, Naomi och Lucy, tonåriga Aucklandbor; Helen Clark, tidigare premiärminister Nya Zeeland; Vikram, e-cigarettförsäljare.Reporter: Sara Heyman, global hälsokorrespondentsara.heyman@sr.seProducent: Björn Gunérbjorn.guner@sr.se

Auckland's Mount Albert electorate has always been held by Labour. It's produced party leaders and Prime Ministers like Helen Clark and Jacinda Ardern. But this year National is running a strong ground campaign and the Green Party is hoping to improve its chances off the back of its victory in the neighbouring electorate of Auckland Central. Our reporter Tom Taylor met the candidates.

Some might remember 1999 as the year Helen Clark became prime minister. We remember it as the year Carlos Spencer and his abs promoted choccie biccies in a racy campaign that saw pearls being clutched the nation over. Join Jane Yee, Alex Casey and Duncan Greive as they look back on the iconic ad that paved the way for future All Blacks to strip down to their undies for a paycheck. If you enjoy this podcast and are hungry for more, sign up for The Real Pod Extra on Substack. There's plenty of free pop culture content there and if you upgrade to a paid subscription you'll get a bonus episodes of The Real Pod every week (featuring reality TV recaps and pop culture gossip) along with other exclusive perks. Join the Real Pod community! Subscribe to The Real Pod Extra on Substack Join The Real Pod Corner on Facebook Join our Discord server Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices