Podcasts about National Party

The United States is willing to “fortify” South Africa as it has moved from “latent fragility to being very fragile” and “moving in the direction of failure”. However, it would need to see “positive steps” and “genuine earnest attempts” from SA. So says a former diplomat to both the National Party and the African National Congress governments, Dr Edward Mienie, who is now a professor with the University of North Georgia in Atlanta. “I've never seen…the diplomatic relations between the two countries at such a low point - even during the dark years of Apartheid.” Dr Mienie says President Cyril Ramaphosa is viewed as a leader who is “taking care of his own interests, taking care of the ANC first and foremost, taking care of those that support him personally within the structure”, but not as taking care of the interests of all South Africans. Meanwhile, he expresses concern about how the ANC government would react towards an outright loss in the next general election. “And I'm even more concerned about who's going to be taking over as the ruling party at that stage.” He urges the Democratic Alliance to take “a stronger stance, to embrace morals and ethics in a more visible way”

For Dear Science this week, our expert, Dr Cushla McGoverin talks about a crafty way to fix broken bones, an unusual surgery to restore vision, and a long extinct New Zealand penguin species.  For our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire Host Sara spoke to MP Carl Bates about the Holidays Act overhaul, submissions on the Electoral Amendment Bill, and the government's decision not to recognise Palestinian statehood at the UN General Assembly,  For our new segment Green World, Sara spoke with climate commissioner Dr Andy Reisinger about this week's Overshoot Conference and the future of global climate action, as well as University of Auckland's Sasha Maher on global and national climate investment and solutions.  Wire Producer Jasmine spoke with Dr. Megan Boston about the government's updated Earthquake-prone building regulation

The Sunday Sweep. Looking at the stories of the week.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I have to say that the Herald's Mood of the Boardroom survey pretty much sums up my mood too. Yes, there are some excellent and capable ministers doing great work within their portfolios, and let's not forget how rare and wonderful that is, given the past administration. Come in Erica Stanford, Winston Peters, Chris Bishop, Simeon Brown – all good performers, all doing well, all delivering. But when it comes to the economy, one of the main platforms upon which National campaigned, the performance is less than impressive. CEOs have sent a clear message to Finance Minister Nicola Willis in the survey. She has to hold the pro-growth line, sharpen delivery, and set out a long-term vision that brings investors back on side. The Government's going for growth agenda has five key pillars: developing talent, competitive business settings, global trade and investment, innovation, technology and science, and infrastructure, which form the backbone of Willis's economic strategy. In the beginning, New Zealand's business leaders gave Willis the benefit of the doubt. In 2024, the CEOs credited her with a strong start. Not anymore. She failed to make the top 10 top performers in the survey. As did Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. He came in for some criticism. Business leaders said he needs to listen more. He's got a mantra that's started to grate, and he knows that. They say he rates very highly when it comes to ensuring his cabinet ministers are focused and delivering. True. He actually rates reasonably well on keeping a coalition together. But the report found Luxon did not score well for building business confidence, his own political performance, and on transforming the economy. So, on those areas, he's got a lot of work to do, as Forsyth Barr managing director Neil Paviour-Smith told Mike Hosking this morning. “There are reasons to be optimistic, but hoping is not a strategy. And the business community is looking for stronger leadership from the Prime Minister and Finance Minister around some of these core long-term issues and the structural deficits of New Zealand.” They are mainly concerned, the business leaders, with boosting productivity. They want a step change that includes a boost in skill, innovation, and technology, not tinkering around the edges. They say they need to see a programme for retraining and reorienting the workforce, especially those at the lower end of the wage spectrum. They say that tax and regulatory settings need to be reformed. We need to accelerate research and development and grow high-value sectors. Infrastructure, well we talked about that yesterday. There's a need for delivery of infrastructure, not just more announcements. They want shovel-worthy projects ready as financing costs ease. Immigration and education settings came through strongly. We've lost a lot of highly skilled people out of the construction industry in the last 18 months. Now with the taps about to turn on, how do we ramp up to ensure there's capacity in the market? They also called for a compelling vision that stretches beyond a three-year election cycle. Again, what we were discussing yesterday. So there's a lot to work on. And Christopher Luxon and Nicola Willis would do well to heed the advice, the criticism, and the positive remarks made by the business leaders. All of these things we know, and all of these things we've said. And while it is true that Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori aren't inspiring confidence amongst business leaders to put it mildly. As a country, we need more, we should want more than the least rubbish of two coalition governments. Waiting for the economic cycle to finish its rotation is not the vision New Zealanders were promised when a centre-right government was elected. They said there would be growth, there would be productivity, that good times were coming. Yes, it was a mess. They said they had the answer. They promised that. This coalition government, the National Party in particular, has to do better. Not just for the sake of their own political futures, but for the sake of the country. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on the show… Duncan Garner hosts a panel with Morris Williamson and Ashley Church to discuss the current state of New Zealand politics. They delve into the struggles of the National Party, the potential leadership challenge for Christopher Luxon by Chris Bishop and Erica Stanford, and New Zealand's recent economic downturn.  Website: https://www.rova.nz/home/podcasts/duncan-garner---editor-in-chief Instagram: @DuncanGarnerpodcast  TikTok: @DuncanGarnerpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this podcast episode ... It's called the Yankee National Party and says it upholds the values of New Englanders and beyond. We talk to three local party members who live in the state and are part of the Connecticut chapter to find out more. Plus we take a look at other stories from across the region.

The news came in around quarter to 11 yesterday, and it was unwelcome confirmation of what many people had been experiencing, had been feeling. The economy had contracted, and worse, it had shrunk 0.9%, far worse than economists had been predicting. Economists at the Reserve Bank had forecast the economy would shrink just 0.3% during the June quarter. Retail banks said, "Oh, I don't think so. I think it'll be closer to 0.5." In fact, the figures released by Stats NZ yesterday showed GDP fell almost a full percentage point in the three months ended June, with declines in most industries. Manufacturing fell the hardest. It dropped 3.5% in the quarter, led by transport equipment, machinery, and equipment manufacturing, which fell 6.2%. Food, beverage, and tobacco manufacturing fell 2.2%. And that was reflected in the decreased export volumes of products such as meat, which we referred to yesterday when we were talking to Infometrics Chief Economist Gareth Kiernan. He was saying it was the drop in exports – if you haven't got the produce, you can't export it. Construction was down 1.8%, reversing a 1.2% increase in the three months ended March. So what does it all mean? Well, it means fewer jobs, it means fewer people earning, it means less money being earned. It means people scared of spending money if they do have money. It means less money sloshing around in the system. It means people doing it tough. Roger Douglas, he of Rogernomics fame or infamy, and the Finance Minister in the Fourth Labour Government, called for the head of Nicola Willis. He and Robert MacCulloch, the economist, released a statement yesterday that said Willis was sending New Zealand bankrupt by failing to get to grips with our ballooning fiscal deficits and public debt. Her own Treasury, they said, contradicts her claim that New Zealand is on a path to surplus. They say it is not. Treasury's long-term fiscal forecast showed out of control deficits due to pensions and healthcare spending from an aging population. Willis, they say, is not up to the job and is not levelling with the New Zealand public. Willis ignored that criticism, and looking at the GDP figures, says Trump's tariffs had an outsized impact on local business confidence, far out of proportion to what actually happened. She said yesterday's data is backward-looking. It's looking at what the economy was doing months ago, and she says that the economy is in fact improving. “I think when you think about your average Kiwi, they're saying, well, actually, I need to have confidence that I can pay my mortgage, maybe that I can buy a bigger house in future, that I can buy a house at all. And the biggest tailwind for that is lower interest rates. And we know that they are what has spurred previous recoveries. That's actually good economics. Our government has done everything we can to create the space for the Reserve Bank to do this, and they just have to keep doing that job. “For our part, we've chosen a balanced course of consolidating the books over a few years, which has been endorsed by international economists, by ratings agencies who say that our fiscal plan is a good one. We've delivered significant savings while investing in more infrastructure, in health services, and education services. I completely stand by that approach. And Roger Douglas may want me to slash spending overnight. That would be the wrong thing to do in terms of the commitment we've made to voters, but actually it would be the wrong thing economically.” So that was Nicola Willis holding the line. John Key, former Prime Minister, came on the Mike Hosking Breakfast this morning and put the blame squarely on the Reserve Bank. “This is a saying that Ruth Richardson once had, which was monetary policy needs mates, and that was her argument when she was really tightening up the economy, that the Reserve Bank needed that support because they were in tandem working with the government. I think what you've seen over the last 18 months or so is a government that has been working hard to get the economy straightened up after, frankly, the mess it inherited. But it hasn't had a mate in the Reserve Bank, and the Reserve Bank's job very clearly over time has been to say interest rates need to come down. “And I mean, look, two months ago, I got hammered for saying interest rates need to come down 100 basis points. Well, they came down 25, they're going to come down another 50. You can put a ring around it in the next monetary policy statement and they'll come down another 25 by Christmas. So the person that's not doing the job or the people that are not doing their job are the Reserve Bank, who frankly, if they just walked around Auckland and Wellington for five minutes, could have felt the fact that the government needed help through monetary policy.” So, the experts have had their reckons and I'd love to hear yours. Now they say, how often have you been hearing that there are green shoots growth coming? They say that things are getting better, that job vacancies are up, that business confidence is up slightly, that come Christmas most people will be off the big mortgage interest rates and onto lower ones, which will mean more money in your pocket? They're not relying on bringing in migrants to push up the housing market, give you the sugar rush that you get from basically a false economy. They're relying on the economy to rebuild itself, making it more resilient and stronger. That being said, this was a government, or the National Party was a party, that campaigned on better times ahead. We're the ones that can fix things. We're the ones that can turn the ship around. We're the ones that can fix the mess that Labour left us in. Either the mess was bigger than they thought, or the levers they're pulling aren't as effective as they thought, or we are a timorous lot. We've been knocked around too much, bashed around too much to feel particularly confident. When a lot of business has been suffering since 2022, probably, it's hard to feel confident. It's hard to feel optimistic. It's hard to feel confident about spending money or investing in capital, that sort of thing. I do think that better times are a-coming. It's just the way economies work. You know, there are cycles. And surely we've reached the bottom and now we're going to go up and then we'll reach the top and round we'll come again, no matter who's in power. So, you know, you can talk a big game, but I think what National has shown is that they are victims of the economic cycle. There were no magic levers they could pull. Could Labour have done any better? The answer to that is no. Absolutely not. That is a very hard no from me. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On todays show... discusses the latest RNZ poll, which shows a hung parliament with a 60-60 deadlock. Garner highlights the growing influence of Chris Bishop from the National Party, emphasizing his bold speech in Parliament where he called the Māori Party and Greens 'clowns and racists' Get in touch with Duncan - duncan@rova.nz and join us on the socials. Website: https://www.rova.nz/podcasts/duncan-garner-editor-in-chief-live Instagram: @DuncanGarnerpodcast TikTok: @DuncanGarnerpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For Dear Science this week, our expert, Dr Cushla McGoverin speaks with us about potential biosignatures on Mars, iridescent mammals & plastic waste for carbon capture.  For our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire Host Sara spoke to MP Carl Bates about Saturday's March for Humanity, AI and other new subjects in schools, and MP property declarations For Green Desk, Sara spoke with Dr Amanda Turnbull from the University of Waikato, and IT service Layer3 Solutions Director Daniel Bohan about the environmental impact of AI Jasmine spoke with Professor Toni Bruce about the lack of coverage of the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup, and what this means for Women's sport in Aotearoa

2 - National Party lets down regional communities by Australian Citizens Party

Julian Wilcox hosts a political panel to discuss the results of the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election, overwhelmingly won by Te Pāti Māori's Oriini Kaipara over Labour's Peeni Henare. Panelists are former National Party candidate Hinurewa Te Hau, political journalist Māni Dunlop, and Māori media adviser Te Rina Ruka-Triponel.  “Made with the support of Te Māngai Pāho and New Zealand On Air” 

Brigitte Morten is a director with public and commercial law firm Franks Ogilvie and a former senior ministerial advisor for the previous National-led government, a National Party member and currently volunteering for the party's deputy leader, Nicola Willis. Neale Jones was Chief of Staff to Labour Leader Jacinda Ardern, and prior to that was Chief of Staff to Andrew Little. He is the director of public affairs firm Capital. He is currently providing PR support for Andrew Little's Campaign for Mayor of Wellington, on a voluntary basis.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

This week on the Tuesday Wire... For Dear Science, our expert, Allan Blackman, chatted with us about the Voyager One getting really hot in space, breakfast impacting life expectancy, and nuclear fusion in Palladium metal.  For our weekly catchup with the National Party, News director Joel spoke to MP Carl Bates the recent Budget documents have shown an almost $8.5 billion hole in future funding, the government's expansion of support for those rough sleeping, and changes to Auckland Transport. Producer Faith spoke to researcher and epidemiologist from Massey University, Professor Jackie Benschop, about the changing risk factors of leptospirosis in Aotearoa. She also spoke to tax expert Nick Miller from Tax Justice Aotearoa about big tech companies' tax avoidance, and what steps the government needs to take to address it.

In the past week, we've seen several noteworthy legislative moves across sectors.  First, the government is seeking to address New Zealand's supermarket duopoly as the cost of groceries for kiwi remains high across the motu.  Economic Minister Nicola Willis announced numerous legislative changes that she hopes will improve supermarket competition in New Zealand. Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee has also shared some proposed changes to the Alcohol Sale and Supply Act, including limiting barriers to the approval of liquor licenses and making it easier to provide alcohol in special circumstances. Finally, Defence Minister Judith Collins has approved changes that make it easier for the Defence Force to cover the operations of striking workers. 

For Dear Science this week, our expert, Dr Daniel Thomas all about ‘interactions'  For our weekly catchup with the National Party, Host Sara spoke to MP Carl Bates about the government's plans to fix up the supermarket duopoly, changes to the Alcohol Sale and Supply act, and Judith Collins legislation for Defence Force workers For Green Desk, Sara spoke to University of Otago's Dr Thomas Mattern about the Tawaki Project on New Zealand's penguin populations Faith spoke to psychological medicine researcher Dr. Aida Dehkhoda about assisted dying, and how doctors, patients, and their families can be better supported

For Dear Science this week, our expert, Dr Daniel Thomas all about ‘interactions'  For our weekly catchup with the National Party, Host Sara spoke to MP Carl Bates about the government's plans to fix up the supermarket duopoly, changes to the Alcohol Sale and Supply act, and Judith Collins legislation for Defence Force workers For Green Desk, Sara spoke to University of Otago's Dr Thomas Mattern about the Tawaki Project on New Zealand's penguin populations Faith spoke to psychological medicine researcher Dr. Aida Dehkhoda about assisted dying, and how doctors, patients, and their families can be better supported

In the past week, we've seen several noteworthy legislative moves across sectors.  First, the government is seeking to address New Zealand's supermarket duopoly as the cost of groceries for kiwi remains high across the motu.  Economic Minister Nicola Willis announced numerous legislative changes that she hopes will improve supermarket competition in New Zealand. Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee has also shared some proposed changes to the Alcohol Sale and Supply Act, including limiting barriers to the approval of liquor licenses and making it easier to provide alcohol in special circumstances. Finally, Defence Minister Judith Collins has approved changes that make it easier for the Defence Force to cover the operations of striking workers. 

On Politics Thursday this week, National's Tim Costley and Labour's Ginny Andersen debated whether the Government's latest supermarket announcements will genuinely open the door to a third player. They also discussed the new visa to attract business investors to New Zealand, the debate within the National Party about house values, and the repairs needed to the Transmission Gully motorway. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For our monthly catch up with The National Party, Milly spoke with Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey about the announcement of a national promotion campaign focused on getting Kiwis to Top Up with everyday actions that promote better mental health. Whakarongo mai nei!

Happy Rāapa! Today on the show: What's Up with The National Party's Matt Doocey, Milly and Rosetta announce the Exploding Rainbow Orchestra Lineup, Emma Gleason judges the fashion of the 95bFM Office, and we talk all things syphilis for The Birds, The Bees and The Bugs thanks to Care HQ! Whakarongo mai nei!

Happy Rāapa! Today on the show: What's Up with The National Party's Matt Doocey, Milly and Rosetta announce the Exploding Rainbow Orchestra Lineup, Emma Gleason judges the fashion of the 95bFM Office, and we talk all things syphilis for The Birds, The Bees and The Bugs thanks to Care HQ! Whakarongo mai nei!

I'll tell you what I found interesting over the last few days it's the enormous surprise at the start, and now the debate about Chris Bishop saying it's a good thing that house prices are falling. He was asked about this on Friday and he said, yes, it's a good thing and that we've got to decouple the idea that the New Zealand economy is driven by house prices - labelling it 'artificial wealth'. The immediate response to that was shock that anyone could say it, but especially a National Party minister. And now, 3 days later, there are still newspaper pieces expressing surprise that he's got away with it - in contrast to for example, Metiria Turei, who got smacked down for it, and Jacinda Ardern, who wouldn't go there. And what's more, the surprise is that the Prime Minister has now apparently contradicted him and said, no, he does want some modest and consistent house price rises. Look, Chris Bishop has got away with it because he's right. It is actually a good thing that house prices have come back. It sucks. It sucks right now quite badly, doesn't it? Cause none of us feel wealthy as our house prices drop. And it is definitely prolonging the recession because we're not spending like we normally would when our house price values increase, which makes us feel wealthy. But it is the short-term medicine that this economy needs for improvement, because we cannot keep plowing our money into property - we should be putting it into productive investments, for example, buying shares in Pic's or whatever. Now, I know people who are actually changing their behaviour because of what is going on with house prices. I know a woman who earlier thought about buying an investment property, but didn't - and will put her money into shares instead because it's much of a muchness now. To answer the question of why Chris Bishop can get away with it, when Metiria Turei got punished for it and when Jacinda Ardern wouldn't even go there for fear of public backlash - is because it is already happening. He's not threatening to do it to us like those two birds might have. It is already happening to us. He's actually said it before, by the way, so he is consistent. And maybe, just maybe, enough of us have already realized that this is the pain we have to go through - as much as we hate it right now - for the sake of future generations. And also, by the way, I like the fact that he said something that he truly believes in, rather than saying something that he might have thought we all want to hear. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'll tell you what I found interesting over the last few days it's the enormous surprise at the start, and now the debate about Chris Bishop saying it's a good thing that house prices are falling. He was asked about this on Friday and he said, yes, it's a good thing and that we've got to decouple the idea that the New Zealand economy is driven by house prices - labelling it 'artificial wealth'. The immediate response to that was shock that anyone could say it, but especially a National Party minister. And now, 3 days later, there are still newspaper pieces expressing surprise that he's got away with it - in contrast to for example, Metiria Turei, who got smacked down for it, and Jacinda Ardern, who wouldn't go there. And what's more, the surprise is that the Prime Minister has now apparently contradicted him and said, no, he does want some modest and consistent house price rises. Look, Chris Bishop has got away with it because he's right. It is actually a good thing that house prices have come back. It sucks. It sucks right now quite badly, doesn't it? Cause none of us feel wealthy as our house prices drop. And it is definitely prolonging the recession because we're not spending like we normally would when our house price values increase, which makes us feel wealthy. But it is the short-term medicine that this economy needs for improvement, because we cannot keep plowing our money into property - we should be putting it into productive investments, for example, buying shares in Pic's or whatever. Now, I know people who are actually changing their behaviour because of what is going on with house prices. I know a woman who earlier thought about buying an investment property, but didn't - and will put her money into shares instead because it's much of a muchness now. To answer the question of why Chris Bishop can get away with it, when Metiria Turei got punished for it and when Jacinda Ardern wouldn't even go there for fear of public backlash - is because it is already happening. He's not threatening to do it to us like those two birds might have. It is already happening to us. He's actually said it before, by the way, so he is consistent. And maybe, just maybe, enough of us have already realized that this is the pain we have to go through - as much as we hate it right now - for the sake of future generations. And also, by the way, I like the fact that he said something that he truly believes in, rather than saying something that he might have thought we all want to hear. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The National Party has declared that they will take a nuclear energy policy to the next election. The leader of the party David Littleproud joined Peter Fegan on 4BC Breakfast to discuss the reasoning behind this huge decision. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm happy to report to you that it looks like some of us want to play the old 'should Luxon be rolled' game. In the wake of the not-so-great polls that came out yesterday, there is a column by Andrea Vance - who I am name-checking because she's good and credible, and not just some junior reporter with an opinion. In her column, she predicts that Luxon is in trouble, that his caucus is getting impatient, that speculation about his leadership has reached fever pitch - and that if it doesn't improve, she is not sure that he's going to be the one leading the National Party at election time this time next year. Now, if this is really what National MPs are considering, they should ditch that idea immediately because Luxon's not their problem. I mean, he is a problem. There's no debate that with personal popularity sitting at about 20 percent, he is a drag on the National Party - but he is not their actual problem. Their actual problem is that the economy is stuffed and that they haven't yet figured out what to do to fix it, even though they've had 18 months. And it really doesn't matter who the leader is, whether it's Nicola or Chris Bishop, or Erica, or Mark Mitchell or Golden Balls, it doesn't matter. They still will not have a plan for the economy. Now, if they're worried about their polling right now, they should try playing the game of musical leadership chairs and see what happens to their polling then, because they're still not going to have a plan for the economy - but then they'll also have voters feeling like it's a shambles up the top in the Beehive and not sure what's going on there. Yes, they have a problem and yes, you can see it in the polls. So fix it. Come up with a solution. Come up with a credible plan for fixing the economy now and into the future. That is where the Nats should be directing their energy, not into undermining Chris Luxon. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So I don't know what's worse, the fact that Willow Jean Prime is a lazy, disinterested waste of space in Labour's team, or the fact that Labour's been busted almost lying about this. So let me get you across what happened, and you can decide for yourself. In March, Willow Jean Prime took over the Labour Party education portfolio from Jan Tonetti, and her National Party counterpart, Erika Stanford, sent her a text to say congrats and I need to get you up to speed with the NCEA change process. It would be good if we could meet first and I can run you through where we're at. There is a policy advisory group of principals who are working on the details. You can have access to them as well as my officials and also NZQA. Willow Jean does not bother to reply. Two months later in May, Erica's office sends an email saying, basically, haven't heard from Willow Jean, would like to ensure cross-party engagement can continue. Can we set up a meeting? Willow Jean doesn't bother to reply. A month later in mid-Junne, Erica personally writes again, Willow Jean, yeah, you know, doesn't bother to reply. Next month, July, Erica then goes up a level and writes to Chippy. He doesn't reply either, but then the next day Willow Jean finally does reply, and she says she declines your invitation. Fast forward now to the 25th of July and suddenly Willow Jean writes to Erica wanting to meet because she's read in the Herald that the NCEA changes are coming soon. Erica writes back, basically says to her, mate, you missed your chance, we have already made the decisions. Chippy, meanwhile, complains publicly that the government, AKA Erika Stanford, hasn't been consulting with him and Willow Jean on the NCEA changes. So, tell me now, having heard that, what do you think is worse? That Willow Jean can't be bothered doing her job properly, or that Chippy has an amazing ability to lie with a smile? Now, here are the key learnings from this incident. Willow Jean is not a serious, hardworking, or clever person, and it is not ready to be a minister. Chris Hipkins is not as honest as his lovely smiling face would make you think. Labour is thin on the ground for talent if Willow Jean Prime is #8 in their party, and don't mess with Erica because she will pull a beautiful hit job on you, which is exactly what's happened here. But also, Labour are just rude and unprofessional. It doesn't kill you to reply to a message. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I said earlier this week that the Government will be re-elected next year because, all things being equal, history tends to show you get two terms. Plus, the Opposition remain the same people who stuffed the place a year and a half ago and the pain of that, the closeness of that, is still real for too many of us. Unless of course they rejuvenate the party or say sorry – none of which is going to happen. This was all backed up by Treasury who, in one of their latest papers which is well worth reading, basically says the Government overspent. They were told not to overspend. And whatever spending they were doing should've been targeted and directly linked to Covid. None of that advice was followed. They sprayed money at a rate that equated to $66billion, or 20% of GDP, and when the worst was over they kept spraying. And here we are a couple of years later bogged down in their economic incompetence. The politics of it all is in full swing as Labour tried to blame the current Government for the mess. What's making that argument slightly complicated is the ongoing criticism, which is justifiable if you ask me, that for all the announcements and noise, this is a timid Government that really had licence to go for broke and they have largely chickened out. They have dabbled and poked and prodded and done some decent, common sense stuff. In just the past few weeks we've had changes to building products, garden sheds, speed limits, RUC's and NCEA. There is no shortage of bits and pieces but it's not transformational, hence the slow progress and the opening for Labour to have a crack. Labour are praying you forget all this is on them. But it is and the Treasury paper very clearly says so. They told Grant Robertson to tighten it up, to be disciplined, but socialists with majorities and egos are not for turning and so the ruinous money party was on. Writing about it doesn't fix it. But it is proof positive that this lot inherited one of the most ill-disciplined, ill-advised, arrogant, bungling, fiscal messes of the modern age and if you don't believe the National Party, believe Treasury. Labour don't have a leg to stand on. And the same people who did that to us are still there wanting you to forget and give them another crack in a years time. That is why they will not win. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christopher Luxon took a short and sharp mindset into the National Party conference on the weekend and with good reason: there is much getting back on track still to be done. He arrived in Christchurch amid a blur of bleak headlines, focused mostly on an economic mood epitomised by butter, netball crowds, abrupt Trump tariffs, unemployment numbers, and so on. Annabelle Lee-Mather, Ben Thomas and Toby Manhire assess the state of play. But first: a trio who did school cert in fifth form look at the overhaul of NCEA and electoral reforms that would deny the vote to “deadbeats”, aka those who seek to enrol within a dozen days of the election. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's been a busy start to the week and Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen joined Mike Hosking to delve into some of the biggest topics thus far. The Government is completely overhauling secondary school qualifications, aiming to completely replace NCEA over five years. Is this a sensible plan? The criteria for Māori claiming Customary Marine Titles will be tightened as the Government forges ahead with the changes to the Marine and Coastal Area Act – is pushing forward the right decision? And the National Party President has made some bold claims at the party conference – does she have a point? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Thursday last week, the coalition government passed legislation to reverse the ban on oil and gas exploration — a ban which had been initiated by the previous government in 2018. Minister Shane Jones who drove the reversal, highlighted the impact of the ban on economic growth and energy supply in New Zealand. Opposition parties have voiced concerns about the impact of this decision for New Zealand's climate commitments. As well, yesterday Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Education Minister Erica Stanford announced an overhaul of the NCEA system, to be replaced with qualifications that they say will be better to understand, and more aligned with international standards. Finally, as the United States places 15% tariffs on NZ exports, the Labour party have said the government needs to do more to strengthen our trade relationships to avoid a rise in the cost of living for kiwis. Host Sara spoke with National MP Carl Bates about all these topics. Sara started by asking him to explain the government's decision to reverse the ban on oil and gas exploration in New Zealand.

"Say yes" to more - was the message from the Prime Minister at his address to National party members in Christchurch. The party gathered on Saturday for its annual conference, in which Christopher Luxon put an economic stake in the ground ahead of next year's election. Corin Dann has more.

The National party gathered on Saturday for its annual conference, with Christopher Luxon putting an economic stake in the ground ahead of next year's election. RNZ's Acting Political Editor Craig McCulloch spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

The National Party Conference will kick off later today in Christchurch off the back of bad news for exporters with U.S imposition of a 15% trade tariff. 

After a quick break in which nothing happened (we got a new Pope, The Little Prexit, Bridie's friend did his ACL). Freddie, Bridie, and Dana look at the aftermath of the election, leading to the National Party's unexpected withdrawal from the coalition and what happens next. They also discuss the worsening famine in Gaza and Trump's latest antics with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia has lifted its longstanding ban on US beef imports, with the government denying any influence from Donald Trump. Officials say the move follows updated biosecurity standards, but critics, including the National Party, are calling for an independent review. The decision has sparked concerns over hormone use, disease risk, and its impact on Australian cattle farmers. However, with US cattle stocks at historic lows and demand for Australian beef rising, experts say a market flood is unlikely.

On Friday, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith announced various changes to the electoral system in New Zealand which he says seek to make the process of voting more efficient and effective for future elections. These include the closing of enrolment 13 days before the official election day, prohibiting the provision of food and drink at polling booths, and a reinstatement of a total prisoner voting ban. A number of Labour and Greens party politicians have been among those to criticise the changes as a disenfranchisement of voters which will make democratic engagement in New Zealand more difficult. As well, last week the Ministry for Housing and Urban Development released the latest iteration of the Homelessness Insights Report which reveals that there has been a quantifiable rise in homelessness across Aotearoa.

Evidence shows urgent action is needed to prevent the climate crisis from worsening but political will is waning. As the Coalition takes the debate back to the future on the merits of net zero, questions remain about Labor's willingness to act on its own policies. Reged Ahmad speaks to editor Lenore Taylor, head of newsroom Mike Ticher and climate and environment editor Adam Morton on what's distracting Australia from acting on the climate emergency

Gareth Hughes is the Director of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance Aotearoa is a former Green MP and is no longer a member of any political party. Liam Hehir is a Palmerston North lawyer, political commentator and a National Party member.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Now, here's a prediction for you - watch those Waikato University medical school costs blowout. I reckon it's gonna blow out and there's all the signs this thing is gonna blow out. Even when the Waikato University was itself putting in less money, which is $100 million, there were questions about whether it could afford it because Waikato University's debt level is maxed out at the moment. So everybody looked at it and went, are you actually gonna be able to afford it? Well now, it not only has to put in the $100 million, it has to put in $150 million between itself and some philanthropists it needs to find. Now, what do you think happens if for whatever reason, it cannot quite find that money? Who do you think is going to be called upon to fund the gap? The long-suffering taxpayer. That's a blowout for us. Now, that's not even mentioning the chances that this thing costs much more than what they say it's gonna cost. I'm very suspicious about how it is that a $380 million project suddenly got cut down to $230 million without anything actually being cut out of it. How did that happen? And even at the higher estimate, which was $380 million, I was already worried that that wasn't really going to cover it, because there were warnings then that it was going to blow out - because the thing is being rushed. Treasury said that whenever we rush things, like the Dunedin Hospital build, we end up with unexpected and often urgent cost escalations. Now, I'm incredibly cynical about the fact that this has somehow managed to radically cut the costs of a scheme that was being questioned for being too expensive and unnecessary when we already have two medical schools. And I worry very much that we have been presented the best case scenario to get us across the line on a National Party election promise that actually wasn't stacking up anymore. And that once we've invested in this and the shovels are in the ground and the costs start to blow out, we go - well, we're already pouring money into it, we simply will have to continue pouring money into it, which is how this always goes. So I hope that this comes in under budget, and if it does, I absolutely will apologize for what I'm saying right now, but I don't think it will. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week Pharmac workers announced their first-ever strike over cuts to annual pay increases and deteriorating work conditions. Also last week, the New Zealand Nurses Organisation announced plans to strike on July 30th. The nurses' strike follows concerns around understaffing and overcrowding, with many staff members facing burnout.  These two issues have been attributed to similar causes - not enough funding in the health sector, which is forcing redundancies, increased hours, and understaffing. While the government has committed extra funding to the health sector in the last two budgets, critics say the funding is inadequate and barely catching up to existing deficits.  In our weekly catch-up with the National party, Wire host Castor asked Tom Rutherford about health funding and the government's plans moving forward in light of the two recently announced health workers' strikes.

This week on the Tuesday Wire... For Dear Science, our expert, Professor Allan Blackman, chatted with us about lightning created by peeling tape, links between talc and cancer, and a new form of Nitrogen.  In our weekly catchup with the National Party's Tom Rutherford, Wire host Castor asked about the government's health contributions in light of recent strikes. They also spoke to Emeritus Professor Tim Hazledine about David Seymour's plans to address the supermarket duopoly in Aotearoa.  On the topic of the recent Economy of Genocide report released by UN Special rapporteur Francesca Albanese, producer Sara spoke with both University of Otago's Professor of International Relations Robert Patman, as well as Amnesty International Aotearoa's Margaret Taylor.

This week on the Tuesday Wire... For Dear Science, our expert, Daniel Thomas chatted with us about rice arriving in the Pacific, native forests sinking carbon, and seaweed used for grooming orcas.  In our weekly catchup with the National Party's Tom Rutherford, Wire host Castor asked about the regulatory standards bill in light of it going to select committee.  Producer Faith spoke to Larisa Hockey from the Long COVID Kids organisation about the effects of Long COVID on children, and how the issue should be addressed. She also spoke to the CEO of Cannabis Clinic NZ, Dr. Waseem Alzaher, about the stigma around medicinal cannabis. 

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

After a bruising election loss, the Coalition is at a crossroads. Can it reinvent itself as a credible alternative to Labor, or will internal divisions over nuclear energy, net zero and the Liberal party's identity doom it to another term in opposition? Guardian Australia chief political correspondent, Tom McIlroy, speaks with the deputy opposition leader, Ted O'Brien, about the road ahead – from climate policy to rebuilding trust – and whether the Coalition can rise from the ashes of defeat

Before Trump there was Joh. A laconic right-wing Premier who ruled Queensland with an iron first for 20 years. A cowboy politician who was surrounded by corruption at every level - but always managed to avoid going down. At his disposal was a hippy-bashing police force that is alleged to have murdered numerous political opponents and whistleblowers. It’s a chapter of Australian history that everyone wants to forget. Especially Queenslanders. ESPECIALLY the National Party. This week’s guest has done the opposite, one of Queensland’s great filmmakers, Kriv Stenders, joins the Betoota Talks to discuss this era of Australian politics, and his new documentary that’s available now on Stan. It’s tilted JOH - THE LAST KING OF QUEENSLANDSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Inside The CIA's Secret War In Jamaica tells the story of the campaign from the United States to destabilize the Michael Manley government in 1976 due to his ties to Fidel Castro. The book covers the rise of violence between the PNP (People's National Party) and the JLP (Jamaica Labor Party), the assassination attempt of Bob Marley, and the rise of the Jamaica Shower Posse and its ties to the CIA. Gane-McCalla also takes an in-depth look into the events leading up to 1976 for both the CIA and the country of Jamaica including Jamaica's history of pirates and slave rebellions, and its road to independence. To understand the nature and history of the CIA, the book gets to the bottom of the John F. Kennedy assassination, Watergate, CIA heroin smuggling in Laos during the Vietnam War, and cocaine trafficking during Iran-Contra, which involved the same players who were involved in destabilizing Jamaica.https://amzn.to/3T72cGRBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-opperman-report--1198501/support.

After a humiliating general election defeat, Australia’s National Party has bid farewell to its coalition partners of more than 60 years. But what is behind this seemingly self-defeating manoeuvre? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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