Podcasts about New Zealand First

New visa residence pathways for skilled workers has caused a rift between the government coalition, New Zealand First invoking the "agree to disagree" provision over "serious concerns". The Economic Growth and Immigration ministers today announced new visa pathways today, hoping to plug workforce shortages. But New Zealand first leader Winston Peters is refusing to back the policy, saying it will mean New Zealand turns into a stepping stone for people wanting to move to Australia. Giles Dexter reports.

New Zealand First is slamming the Government's latest immigration move - allowing more migrant workers to get a fast-tracked residency. The Government's announced two new pathways, one for skilled work experience and another for trades and technicians. NZ First has invoked the agree to disagree clause - voicing concerns that those who gain residency will become citizens and then leave for Australia. Deputy Leader Shane Jones claims New Zealand's had unfocused immigration policies for some time. He says the Government's focused on 'pumping up the tyres' of employers instead of training up Kiwis to fill the jobs. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Celebrations for a big and bodacious Oriini Kaipara byelection victory were shortlived for Te Pāti Māori thanks to Tākuta Ferris's decision to double down on a social media post aghast at a multicultural group of Labour supporters for Peeni Henare on the campaign trail. That was compounded by party president John Tamihere entering the breach, and a mysterious reollaction of the role of party whip. Annabelle Lee-Mather, Ben Thomas and Toby Manhire talk through the fallout and ask what it means for TPM and their relationship with Labour. Plus: a bigger-than-expected contraction in the economy has seen GDP shrink by 0.9%: is the government running out of time for the weather to change? In other defeat from the jaws of victory news, New Zealand First's new champion Stuart Nash enjoyed about 10 minutes of acclaim before putting his foot in it. And as Winston Peters gives David Seymour yet another dressing down, what explains the government's refusal to simply announce its position on a Palestinian state? Oh, and we issue a formal apology for propagating disinformation in last week's audiocast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters announced plans to campaign for compulsory KiwiSaver at the next election, and increase the minimum contribution from 4% to 12%. He said there would be tax cuts alongside these changes to help fund the increase in contributions. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There were plenty of political attacks flying around New Zealand First's annual general meeting last weekend and it's government partners weren't spared from some friendly fire. Roughly one year out from the election, government parties are making a real effort to differentiate themselves for votes. RNZ political reporter Russell Palmer examines how this is going and what impact it might have on coalition relationships. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Now, long-time listeners will know that I have said, I do say, and I will undoubtedly in the future say stupid things. In a career spanning decades, we are talking live on stage or live on air, television or radio. When you're going for the snappy one-liner and you're pushing the language out and you're trying to be clever and you're trying to be funny, a lot of the time you're operating on instinct. You have to speak without thinking. I know you're not supposed to, but when you're doing live radio, live television, live on stage, you have to speak without thinking. So the potential for saying something offensive or stupid or both is very real. That does not excuse you from the consequences of saying something out of line. I've had to suffer them before. It just explains how it happens. So, while I can see how Stuart Nash came to make his ill-advised one-liner on what defines a woman, I can also see and understand the repercussions. Especially for someone who works in executive recruitment for a company that presumably sees women as more than being how Stuart Nash described them. And also, for someone who wants to run for public office. Yesterday, Nash resigned from his job at Robert Walters after he gave his definition of a woman to The Platform media outlet earlier this week. For those who don't know what he said, text Nash to 9292 and we'll text it back to you. No, that's not what will happen, but you must know what he said! Anyway, as soon as the words came out of his mouth, he knew he'd gone too far. He asked his wife, "Was this a really stupid thing to say?" And she went, "Yeah, it really, really, really was, you complete and utter numpty." I'm putting words into Mrs. Nash's mouth, but I imagine it was that or somewhat stronger. He phoned The Platform back asking for the clip of what he'd said to be taken down. As if. It was all over social media in a matter of minutes. The matter's been bubbling away for a few days now and then Nash's employers, Robert Walters, the executive recruitment firm, took decisive action yesterday by encouraging, no doubt, Nash's resignation. Now Nash's potential employer, New Zealand First, is in a bit of a conundrum really, because Winston Peters is old school. He holds decorum and standards and ways of doing things, he holds fast to those old principles. He might swear – I've been at private parties where he's been. I've never heard him, but I'm not saying he doesn't, I've just never heard him swear. And I cannot imagine him ever using the words Nash used to describe women. Peters spoke to my colleague Nick Mills earlier in the week about the values pledge needed for new migrants, because too many people were coming to New Zealand without the requisite respect for equality and respect for women. Awkward. Winston doesn't like coarseness, and he doesn't like vulgarity. So that's against Nash. But he hates the media, and the media is who got his golden boy into trouble. What to do, what to do if you're the leader of NZ First? After some consideration, Winston Peters issued a statement saying the words used by Nash were not acceptable, and on that point, we agree with Mrs. Nash. End of statement. The irony is that Nash's definition of a woman, here it comes, for all of you who are texting 9292, he described a woman as a person with a "p***y and a pair of t**s", which is a rather crude reduction of what an individual might be, but nonetheless, that's what he said. But the irony is that definition of a woman could equally describe a trans woman. "P***y and a pair of t**s". Or a trans man. Nash has lost quite a lot without getting any further ahead. We are no further ahead in the definition. Peters has previously described Nash's transition from sacked Labour minister to NZ First party member as seamless. Well, there might be a few wrinkles in that seam now. But where do you stand on this one? Should he have resigned? He would have been shoved had he not. Personally, I don't think you can be a specialist recruitment executive and be on record as having reduced women to a "p***y and a pair of t**s". You can't look at a woman who is going for a high-powered job, well, any job really, and say, "Well, let's have a look at your qualifications." I mean, maybe if he was a recruitment specialist for Showgirls or any of the other strip clubs in town, sure, let's see what you've got. But not when you're looking for someone who's slightly more than that, you know, who needs a bit more than that to do the job. An MP? If he was still an elected MP relying on an electorate to vote you in, you could get the people of the electorate to decide. That would be really easy. They could make the choice of whether they thought it was a stupid, crude, poor old thing to say. The sort of thing you might say after many beers with the lads, maybe a few of the ladesses, you snigger, you move on. But you don't do it on a media platform when you're a recruitment executive. That just shows really poor judgment. And he's shown it before, there's form. Now you might want Winston and Shane if you're a NZ First voter, but you don't want Stuart. But when a political party relies on list MPs to get in, then Stuart's going to be part of the job lot. You've got to feel for Winston this weekend. What to do, what to do? Don't like what he said, gross. Ooh, hate the media – it's all your fault this boy's in trouble. I reckon he'll end up staying. What would you do? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Labour MP Stuart Nash has resigned from his job at recruitment agency Robert Walters, after a formal review was initiated by the company. It comes after Mr Nash apologised for using vulgar language to describe women's body parts on an interview on the digital broadcaster, the Platform. It is also just days after Mr Nash spoke at New Zealand First's annual conference, and did not rule out campaigning for the party at the next election. Political reporter Lillian Hanly spoke to Lisa Owen.

Tonight on The Huddle, Infrastructure NZ chief executive Nick Leggett and CTU economist Craig Renney joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Right-wing activist and speaker Charlie Kirk was fatally shot and killed in Utah earlier today. Are we worried about what this means for the future of political discourse? Stuart Nash has resigned following his infamous comments about what makes a woman - did he have choice in the matter? And what could this mean for his chances in NZ First? Should non-elected council members be allowed to vote? ACT is looking to change that - do we agree with this? Dame Noeline Taurua was stood down as Silver Ferns coach - do we think this is fair or another case of Gen Z being too fragile? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand First minister Shane Jones wants his party to consider re-nationalising the gentailers. Jones spoke to Corin Dann.

In today's episode, we have our weekly political panel; New Zealand First minister Shane Jones wants his party to consider re-nationalising the gentailers; Israel has carried out a strike on senior Hamas leaders in the Gulf state of Qatar; An organisation that aims to get more New Zealanders exercising says a new initiative to make fitness more affordable could save the country billions in health costs.

On the podcast today... Media's treatment of the Māori Party  Special guest Shane Jones from New Zealand First shares his insights on the current political landscape, including the relationship between Labour and the Māori Party, their electoral performance, and the broader implications for New Zealand politics. Jones also comments on the media's approach to reporting on Māori politics and the challenges facing Māori representation 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

New Zealand First leader and Foreign Minister Winston Peters says Wellington's incoming council needs to bring the vibrancy back to the city. He spoke with Nick Mills on Wellington Mornings about how the city can be brought back to life, and offered his views on the current city leaders. Peters also discussed his party's compulsory Kiwisaver policy, and whether former Labour Minister Stuart Nash is likely to stand for NZ First at the next Election. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sacked Labour minister and former MP Stuart Nash has said if he was ever going to stand for parliament again then it would be with New Zealand First. Nash spoke at New Zealand First's Annual conference over the weekend, claiming Labour has strayed from its core values and is acting as an arm of the union. Stuart Nash spoke to Lisa Owen.

Stuart Nash turning up at the conference over the weekend - that was quite a coup for New Zealand First. Now, clearly what New Zealand First is trying to do is emulate what Reform - Nigel Farage's party - in the UK is doing. If you've been following what they're up to, they have had a huge number of politicians defect to Reform. And every single time it happens, the news media covers it and it makes Reform look like the party with the momentum. That is what New Zealand First is trying to do. That's why you had both Stuart Nash, formerly of Labour, and Harete Hipango, formerly of National, at the conference over the weekend. Now, despite the circumstances of Stuart leaving Parliament, he's actually a really big defection from Labour because he's a very capable politician. He managed to turn Napier into a red seat in 2014, despite the popularity of the Key Government at the time. He was one of the few ministers in the Ardern administration that voters on the right actually had time for. He is, and I think that's because he's a proper centrist in the Labour Party - not crazy left like a lot of them are, a little bit more to the right - which is why he's probably going to find a better home for himself in New Zealand First than the Labour Party of 2025. Now, I don't know if Labour realizes what they've lost with Stuart Nash leaving. I mean, of course, he's really been out of Labour since the moment Chippy fired him, but I don't think they even realized then what they'd lost because they haven't replaced him. And what I mean by that is they haven't gone looking for another true centrist politician. Back in the day, Labour had heaps of them. They had Phil Goff, David Shearer and just going back through time - Richard Prebble, Roger Douglas, Mike Moore - it wasn't that unusual to have a good little centrist or righty sitting in the Labour Party. Now, name one for me. I mean, you might have once been able to say Chippy, but he's allowed himself to be pulled so far to the left, I'm not sure you could call him a centrist anymore. Now, you cannot, as a Labour Party, win over the centre voter if you do not have politicians that the centre voter likes. And Stuart Nash, I think, was probably the last one of them. I would say: total coup for New Zealand First. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on the show… Whistleblowers, Political Controversy & Party Scandal -  Christopher Luxon's ongoing struggles and the internal turmoil that may jeopardize the party's future. Joined by panelists Stu Nash and Ashley Church, the conversation also touches on Stuart Nash's alignment with New Zealand First and the changing dynamics within the Labour Party.   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

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday, 8 September 2025, the tragic story of the missing Tom Phillips and his kids has come to a close today. The kids are with authorities, Tom Phillips is dead and a police officer critically injured. Police Minister Mark Mitchell and former police negotiator Lance Burdett speak with Heather as the situation unfolded. It was a terrible weekend for Labour, with an embarrassing overwhelming by-election loss and the defection of former Labour MP Stuart Nash to New Zealand First. The Ministry of Education has doubled its pay offer to secondary school teachers, but they won't have a bar of it. Plus, the Huddle reflects on the sad end to the Tom Phillips story and whether getting Stuart Nash on board is a coup for New Zealand First. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand First is backing major changes to KiwiSaver ahead of the election and it's sparked discussion about what this could mean going forward. The party's announced it will campaign on compulsory employee and employer contributions rising to 10 percent, to be offset with tax cuts. Finance Minister Nicola Willis says this will likely be a significant issue ahead of the election, but she's voiced concerns about the tax cuts. "For context, our tax package that we delivered after the election was $3.7 billion - so that is a heck of a lot of tax cuts. So the question then becomes - how do we fund that?" LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's First Up pod with Melissa Chan-Green: What happens now after Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has quit - less than a year in the job; Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour on when pet bonds for tenants are going to be enacted; we hear from an expert on Aotearoa's Indian history, following anti-immigration rhetoric at New Zealand First's weekend conference and on a lighter note, new stand up comic Lydia Sainsbury has won the Wellington Raw Comedy Quest - we asked if this is fulfilling a childhood dream. First Up - Voice of the Nathan!

The New Zealand First convention took place at the Distinction Hotel in Palmerston North over the weekend. And all these silver fern, pin-wearing NZ First faithful gathered, along with a few wannabes, like Stuart Nash, he spoke. Just a few formalities to go through and it looks like Stuart Nash will be a signed-up member of NZ First and one of their high-profile names going forward at the next election. I don't know how the coalition government decided who would go first in the Deputy Prime Minister's role. If they said how they did it, it's escaped me, I'm sorry. They might have tossed a coin. They might have played paper scissors rock. They might have put their names in a hat and Christopher Luxon drew out one. Might have been done on seniority - oldest and most experience goes first. You just know that Winston Peters, leader of NZ First, would have totally gamed the system to ensure he served first as Deputy Prime Minister because after a good stint of being Foreign Affairs Minister, which he still is and which he still works hard at, and a good stint of standing in for the Prime Minister when he was out of the country and fulfilling his obligations admirably, it free's him up now, now that David Seymour's in the role, to really get the campaigning underway for NZ First well before 2026 rolls around. To be fair, ACT are not far behind. David Seymour's State of the Nation speech at the beginning of the year was a rallying cry to the party faithful. But at NZ First's convention over the weekend, you heard speeches that sounded more like promises. Promises that would normally be made on the hustings. It wasn't a convention per se, it was more of a, "Let's get going, brothers. Let's start promising," the kind of glorious kind of promises that NZ First voters are looking for when it comes to political parties. Things like making KiwiSaver compulsory, contributions being raised to 10%, offsetting that raise with tax cuts. What's happened here is you've got thousands and thousands of people, hundreds of thousands have signed up, but they're not contributing. They're not saving. And so it's not as easy as some of the journalists thought, just to work out what's going on. But we're going to make it compulsory and we're going to ensure this is phased in at a level which you'll see comprehensively is followed overseas. We need to turn this into a super, super saving fund and a super investment fund at the same time, but not in the control of politicians. And when you talked about yesterday tax cuts, that's literally a tax cut for a person who's contributing to KiwiSaver, or is it a rebate or how would it work? That's a tax cut for the person contributing to Kiwi Saver and also for the employer. Right, so I would pay less tax if I'm contributing to Kiwi Saver. You still with us? Yes, I said exactly, yeah. I think there must have been a drop out on the line. That was Winston Peters talking to Mike Hosking this morning. There was more preaching to the converted. Winston Peters called for new migrants having to sign a Kiwi values document, incorporating respect for the flag, respect for democracy, one person, one vote, that sort of thing. I imagine it'd be much like the Australian values statement that migrants to Australia must sign. And Peters said the party was responsible for getting cabinet to agree to bring legislation to the House very shortly, making English an official language of New Zealand. As is generally the case with election campaign promises, there wasn't a great deal of specific detail. No costings from Peters on how much the Kiwi Saver policy would cost or how it would be implemented, other than to say the rise in contributions would be staggered, first 8% then 10%. But let him be perfectly clear, there is life in the old boy yet and he is determined to get himself and NZ First back into Parliament and back into government with even more sway than he had this time around. As far as Winston Peters is concerned, ‘25, as in 2025 is done and dusted. It is 2026, baby. NZ First is on the road, looking to win over voters who are unimpressed and underwhelmed by National and Labour. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

FIRST WITH YESTERDAY'S NEWS (highlights from Monday on Newstalk ZB) Get That Ole Dog Whistle Out Again/Bald-faced Power Grab/When In Doubt, Dump Your Leader/That About Wraps it Up for Trains/Fathers Day Isn't That DifficultSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's episode, New Zealand First held its annual meeting over the weekend, and with election year ahead, hints of campaign rivalry are beginning to creep into the coalition; The Black Ferns now who have sent an emphatic message as they seek to defend their Rugby World Cup title, as they beat Ireland 40-nil; University students in Auckland are feeling the pinch when it comes to the cost of public transport; We cross the Tasman for the latest from Kerry-Anne Walsh.

New Zealand First held its annual conference over the weekend with compulsory KiwiSaver and a migrant values contract put on the table. Leader Winston Peters spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

New Zealand First held its annual meeting over the weekend, and with election year ahead, hints of campaign rivalry are beginning to creep into the coalition. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon spoke to Corin Dann.

New Zealand First wants to make KiwiSaver compulsory, and increase contributions to eight, then 10 percent. Political reporter Russell Palmer has more.

The New Zealand First election campaign may have begun, and Winston Peters believes the party is marching forward with practical solutions. MPs and supporters gathered in Palmerston North over the weekend for the party's annual conference. Members discussed 55 remits, which could end up being policy proposals in next year's election campaign. Party Leader Winston Peters told Mike Hosking NZ First is compellingly different from other parties, doing the right thing for Kiwis. He says the party sits in the middle, is pragmatic, and talks about common sense solutions. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand First's annual conference has just drawn to a close, and leader Winston Peters made a speech to his audience of near 1000. He announced New Zealand First will campaign on making KiwiSaver compulsory, and introduced 10% contributions, which would be compensated by tax cuts. All this on top of a potentila new candidate for next year's election - Stuart Nash. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Unfinished business for a former Labour minister, who may jump ship and campaign for New Zealand First. Stuart Nash, who was Police Minister during the last Government, made a surprise appearance at New Zealand First's annual convention in Palmerston North over the weekend. He was sacked from the last Government's Cabinet after a string of scandals including revealing confidential information to former donors. Nash told Ryan Bridge he's been enjoying running a business, but believes there are things that need to be done in Parliament. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The bulk of New Zealand First's announcements are expected today for the final day of its annual conference. Party members and supporters have gathered in Palmerston North along with surprise guest Stuart Nash, a former Labour Minister. NZ Herald political reporter Adam Pearse says up to 1000 people are expected for Winston Peters' address this afternoon. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The New Zealand First Conference is being held this weekend in Palmerston North. 

The Government is cracking down on serious immigration breaches. It's announced it will strengthen deportation settings on the same day that Immigration New Zealand revealed there are more than 20,000 people who have overstayed their visa. Immigration Minister Erica Stanford says there are gaps in the current system. For example, under the current rules, someone who commits a serious crime can't be liable for deportation if they've held a residence visa for more than 10 years. Stanford says they're fixing that. Where migrants don't follow the conditions of their visa, she says, I've made it clear to Immigration New Zealand compliance and enforcement actions are a priority. Immigration New Zealand said on Thursday that as of July 1, there were around 20,980 people, call it 21,000 people, in New Zealand who have overstayed their visa. This is the first estimate to be carried out using a new methodology, which the agency believes has better accuracy than the previous one used in 2017. From what I understand, Immigration, New Zealand was going through a major overhaul of its computer systems, so there will be new methodology and more accurate numbers. So in terms of nationalities, there are 2,599 individuals from Tonga who are believed to be overstayers. Remember the Tongan under 21 rugby team who were on tour here in 2003? Almost half the team failed to show when the 30 strong squad checked in for their flight home. And I don't think many of them were found. So for 22 years, these young men have grown into middle-aged men and have been living and working in New Zealand. There were 2,577 from China, 2,213 from the US, which was a bit of a head scratcher for most of us. The Greens have called for an amnesty for overstayers. They've long called for amnesties – they think there should be one every year just to sort of tidy things up, if you will. And better residency pathways for migrants, and they really want the Government to announce on this time. And do you know what, I think they should. Because if you look back to what a mess immigration New Zealand was, let me take you back to the bad old days. Iain Lees-Galloway was Minister for Immigration and was failing miserably in that job. It was a mess. Labour and New Zealand First had campaigned, saying we're going to restrict the number of migrants coming to New Zealand. It's going to be a New Zealand first, kind of a country, and we're going to cut the number of migrants. But when they came in, they realised just how important overseas labour is, globally and in New Zealand. If you turned off the flow of migrants coming into the country there'd be a big hit to Kiwi businesses, the profit margins of employers, to New Zealand's economic performance overall. So once they formed their coalition government, they thought, oh bloody hell no, we can't really make good on that. What are we going to do? So they decided to pull the handbrake on the number of residency applications that could be approved, but they increased the number of people on temporary visas. People on temporary visas can apply to become residents, so there were more and more people joining the residency queue, and it got bigger and bigger and bigger. In 2020, there were 38,787 skilled migrant applications stuck in the residency queue. When Labour took office with New Zealand First, there was just 10,000. So that you had people coming in who were on temporary visas and then got stuck because they couldn't apply for residency. You had skilled migrants and with people on the low wage all applying, none of them given priority. Then they created two queues, the priority and the non-priority, because they realised that doctors and skilled engineers were leaving the country because it was just taking too long. All politicians do this. You make a promise, you get in and you realise that it's unsustainable, so you just have to try and fudge it. So when you have been waiting and waiting and waiting for years and years and years, I can kind of understand where there might be a few overstayers. You've made a life for yourself, you're confident that you'll be accepted if and when Immigration New Zealand gets around to processing your application, and in the meantime, life goes on. And all of a sudden you find that you're an overstayer. I can kind of see how it happens. So I'd be for an amnesty and anybody who's kept their nose clean, who has been working, who has been living an exemplary life. Let them stay. Anyone who so much as shoplifted a packet of chewing gum – they can go back from whence they came, but anybody else of these overstayers, I'd say give them a chance. It was Immigration New Zealand from start to finish who was in chaos. Part of that was to do with an incompetent minister, or an incompetent series of ministers, part of that was to do with unsustainable election promises that they then had to fudge. And part of that is to do, I think, with the change over to a new computing system which caused unconscionable delays for people who are trying to get residency. You might know more about it than I if you were one of those who was desperately waiting for Immigration to process whatever application you might have had in force. So I would love to hear from you if you have had experience of dealing with Immigration New Zealand. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pulling out of the Paris Agreement could cause more problems than it solves. Act and New Zealand First have expressed interest in pulling New Zealand out of the agreement unless more realistic emissions targets are produced. Sir Lockwood Smith, former MP and Diplomat, says he sympathises with famers and Seymour on the subject, but we just pull out of the accord. He told Kerre Woodham that there are clauses in free trade agreements, such as the one with the UK, that would enable them to take action or to seek remedies if New Zealand were to withdraw from any international agreement around climate change. He says we do have to be careful, however, that doesn't mean we don't do anything. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former Climate Change Minister believes New Zealand should stay in the Paris Climate Agreement. ACT leader David Seymour's announced a policy to leave the global pact unless rules are loosened for our farmers. New Zealand First has also floated the idea of withdrawing, as some larger nations have ditched it. Tim Groser told Kerre Woodham this goes against public sentiment. He says polls indicate a large majority of Kiwis believe we should do our share on climate change. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

You might remember, those of you who were listening around about a month ago when the Prime Minister was in the studio, taking your calls. Steve rang in and gave the PM a bit of ginger over the economy. He said, "I know you're between a rock and a hard place, Prime Minister, with the economy. Not really any more levers you can pull to do much, and you guys are just treading water. It's a PR machine to gloss over while you pray that somehow the economy's going to pick up." He said to the Prime Minister, "There's one lever you have yet to pull, and I think you know that for the short-term sugar that will bring something into this economy, that's a foreign buyers' ban. If that comes off, you know that will bring a bit of money in, and that will have a proper, tangible effect rather than just being all talk, talk." But of course, that's not going to happen with Winston. CL: On foreign buyers, that is a conversation that Winston and I are having, so watch this space. Let's see whether we can make some progress through that one. KW: Interesting. How will you get him to change his mind? What bauble are you able to offer? CL: No, no, no. I think actually both of us recognise that if people are going to come to this country and make an investment and partner with a New Zealand company, you know, think about a technology person in San Francisco wanting to come out here. They don't want to rent a house in Auckland. They want to be able to buy a house, and you think about what's happening in places like Tara Iti up the road from Auckland. You've got massive investment, 140 Americans here building, you know, $20 million plus homes, all that sort of stuff. So there has to be a way through that. So, you know, watch this space. It might be a bit more positive than Steve thinks. And what do you know? That was on the 7th of August. We watched the space, and on the 1st of September, the announcement came. Foreigners spending $5 million on approved investments in exchange for residency visas will be able to buy homes. But not just any old tat. They will only be able to buy homes that are $5 million plus. The Prime Minister said the changes aim to attract rich immigrants who find the thought of having a home in New Zealand attractive, without opening the market to widespread foreign property ownership. And he's right. I mean, there are some Kiwis looking at the $5 million plus homes, but it's not me. Is it you, Helen? No. No, she's not in the market for a $5 million home. Young Olivia, who's just joined us, no. No, she has yet to buy her first home, so it won't be in the $5 million plus category. It is not the majority of us, I would venture to suggest. And apparently, offshore buyers have responded immediately. High-end real estate agents say the word has gone out that New Zealand is welcoming people back into the country – but then you become a high-end real estate agent by talking up the market, don't you? So, you know, but you take them at their word. The word goes out from the Prime Minister that if you want to come to New Zealand and you want residency, guess what? You can buy a house, which makes sense. But it's got to be $5 mil plus, which for some people is what they would spend on a bach. You know, these kinds of high-end investors, it's the sort of money you'd spend on a bach in New Zealand. The Labour-New Zealand First coalition banned most foreign buyers in 2017 out of a belief they were contributing to skyrocketing house prices. The New Zealand First of that coalition is now the New Zealand First of this coalition that has reversed that ban. But Winston Peters is adamant that the ban actually remains. He says, "We have ensured that there are tight restrictions on eligibility and on what these current residence visa holders can purchase," including that existing restrictions, excluding the sale of rural farm and sensitive land, will still apply, as well as ensuring we don't get a repeat of the Canadian experience where there is a constant recycling of the same investment funds. The visa holders will be restricted to only one home, either purchasing an existing home or building a new one, with the value of that home being a minimum of $5 million. This will exclude over 99% of New Zealand homes on the market, protecting the vast majority from sale to foreigners and will not affect the wider housing market for Kiwis. He says that New Zealand First supporters understand that this is not a U-turn, that the ban remains – except it doesn't. The ban remains except for those who are buying houses over $5 million. So, shall we call it a clarification, Winston? Not a ban per se, just a clarification. Is he right? If you are dyed-in-the-wool anti-immigration, and you swallow a dead rat, as Winston has done, by accepting migrants who can afford to drop $5 million in investment money and $5 million on a new pad? Are those migrants okay? The ban in general remains, but for a very few people in the rarefied position of having $10 million to spend, then they are welcome, the welcome mat is there for them. So, the only thing that really does make me wonder is what Christopher Luxon and possibly David Seymour had to give Winston Peters to get this over the line? That experienced old horse trader doesn't give it up for nothing. You know, you want it, you pay for it. So, I want to know what the cost was to get that, let's not say U-turn, let's not say reversal, let's say clarification. And I also want to know what New Zealand First voters think. I know you love him, you'd follow him over the trenches. There's no man like Winston. He's probably up there next to Michael Joseph Savage on the wall, the framed print with some plastic roses in a vase underneath, gathering dust. But do you understand that he has made this decision for the right reasons? To me, it makes sense. I'm sure there will be some cashed-up Kiwis who are a little brassed off that their dream home may now go up in price by half a million dollars more because you've got foreign buyers bidding on the same property. But I'm not going to cry in my cornies over them. There's not going to be that many affected. So, I get where they're coming from, I just want to know how much it cost National and Act to get New Zealand First agreement because you don't get something for nothing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pulling out of the Paris Climate agreement has got the backing of ACT and New Zealand First, who say we're overdoing it. And my first reaction is yes. The thing isn't working. It's never worked. It has always felt like something the world does to make itself feel like it's doing something, even though it's doing nothing When you combine it with the Emissions Trading Scheme —which is a giant Ponzi scheme made to make Coldplay feel better about touring the world in jet planes, meanwhile filling our pastures with trees— then the whole thing seems useless, so why be involved? And we're so little. New Zealand's biggest contribution to CO2 numbers is our farming, which is fairly benign polluter, because the world needs food. The world doesn't need more cheap jeans and plastic crap, but the people who make that stuff are merrily pumping rubbish into our atmosphere. So why should we be punishing the cornerstone of our economy when in the scheme of things, it contributes so little while the real polluters keep on polluting? So yeah, let's stand up. Tell the world they're in a fool's paradise of virtue signalling and get on with feeding the people we can. But. The rest of world, with the exception of the United States, still believe in this mirage. And they're the ones buying our food, and they're also the ones who will find any way to blacklist our awesome agricultural products. So pulling out of the charade may see us cutting our nose off to spite our face. It may reduce the compliance costs on our farmers in the first instance, but what's the point of that if it makes the rest of the world turn their back on our milk and butter and meat? ACT and New Zealand First may think that this posturing is helping our farmers, but in fact it could be penalising them even more heavily And maybe ACT and New Zealand first are playacting this for votes just as much as the Paris Climate Accords are playacting for the environment So let's call this thing for what it is, and rather than just pulling our in a flounce, advocate for real change to the Accords and the policies and actually get on with helping the environment.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Farmers are pushing ACT and New Zealand First for less politicking and more action. The two parties have expressed interest in withdrawing from the global Paris Agreement unless more realistic emissions targets are produced to fight climate change. But Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford says they're in government and could be resolving the problems creating uncertainty for farmers now. He told Andrew Dickens the Paris Agreement in itself isn't necessarily the problem. Langford says we need to dig deeper and look at what's setting Paris back, because it's actually what we're setting on ourselves as a government. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

High value foreign investors will now be able to buy a home in New Zealand, as long as it's worth $5 million plus.The government today loosened the foreign buyers ban that was introduced in 2018 by Labour with New Zealand First's help. Caleb Paterson from Paterson Real Estate spoke to Lisa Owen.

The government has announced changes to the foreign buyers ban, letting some wealthy foreigners back into the housing market, but only if they're spending at least $5 million. It is a significant turnaround for New Zealand First, which helped put the ban in place back in 2018 when it was in a coalition government with Labour. Acting political editor, Craig McCulloch spoke to Lisa Owen.

Wealthy foreigners who invest here will now be able to buy high end property. New Zealand First leader Winston Peters spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

We got there at last. If you are a Golden Visa holder, that's a person who puts $5-10 million into the country, you can now buy a house. The idea that we expected you to put that sort of money into a country and then rent was, and is, absurd. Not to get into the weeds too deeply, but the Golden Visa is different to the 183 days rule. The Golden Visa means you can invest but not be here the 183 days. But it now means you do qualify for a $5m+ home. None of this is complex. None of this needed to be as hard as it has turned out to be. You will note from Winston Peter's comments yesterday he has preserved his ongoing dislike for so-called foreigners coming here and snapping up the countryside and locking the rest of us out of the market, none of which happened of course, but the xenophobic streak runs deep in that party. But if you go back to National's original idea of $2m, a lot of water has gone under the bridge. A lot of banging of heads has happened and some people have had to be dragged kicking and screaming to what I would've thought was a fairly obvious finish line. The weird thing for me about Peters is this is the same bloke who is out in the world pleading with said world to come and invest. He's saying come and do business, we are open. He is trying on one hand to desperately rectify the damage of the Labour Government Covid era, while at the same time doing the old New Zealand First "cake and eat it too" trick. "Please come, please bring your money but, oh, given you're a foreigner you can use Airbnb". It's nonsense. At $5m it changes little for you and me. It's a tiny portion of homes. Its two million pounds and it's three million US dollars. For some global citizens it's pocket change. But it all helps, and man do we need help. The worry is the difficulty in getting here. Easy, obvious decisions should not be hard. They should be quick and slick. But we got there. It all helps. It was a good day for NZ Inc. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters says he wasn't dragged kicking and screaming into a new foreign investors deal. The Government's approved changes to allow people with an investor residence visa to buy or build one home, starting at $5 million. They're required to invest an extra $5 million into the economy to qualify. Peters told Mike Hosking he supports the changes and wants to make very clear it's not a change to the foreign buyers ban. He says it's a change to investment rules to attract money to the country that we desperately need. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While certainly the minor party with the greatest longevity, have the Greens achieved more than other minor parties like ACT or New Zealand First? Political scientist Natalia Albert discusses.

I can't blame you if your assessment of Parliament today is that it's become a circus, because what happened today is kind of hard to defend or even explain. Chlöe was kicked out, Brownlee suspended her for a week and all of the Government parties voted for that punishment - and that includes New Zealand First, before Winston Peters then got up to tell Jerry Brownlee that the punishment wasn't fair, even though he just voted for the punishment. And then Debbie got up and said the C-word again. Now, Chlöe did actually break the rules. I mean, this is another one of those seemingly arbitrary or hard to explain rules in Parliament - that MPs can't accuse each other of being cowards. Nick Smith did it in 2003, he accused MPs across the house of not having the spine to debate a vote. He withdrew and apologized. Steve Chadwick did it in 2007, she accused the opposition of being absolutely gutless and spineless. She withdrew and apologized. John Key did it in 2015, quite famously when he yelled at Labour to get some guts over the war, but he got away with it and actually probably shouldn't have. So Chlöe did break the rules. But then, Debbie got up and said the C-word, and she didn't break the rules. So explain that. How is accusing other MPs of being spineless worse than dropping the C-bomb in the House of Representatives? I mean, sure, one is aimed at someone and the other one is just a swear word that's been dropped. But when you get into explaining that level of nuance on offensiveness, I think you've lost the audience. Plus, why is Gerry Brownlee all of a sudden the tough cop? I mean, this is the guy who was wringing his hands over the Māori Party getting kicked out of Parliament for 3 weeks for the haka in David Seymour's face and for refusing to turn up to the Privileges Committee and for them leaking the recommended punishment from the Privileges Committee. But when Chlöe says basically the same thing that John Key once said without punishment, Jerry comes down on her like a ton of bricks. Frankly, none of this makes sense anymore. I mean, it does on a level of detail and minutia, sure, but explaining it to a normal person, no sense whatsoever. But guess who's loving this? Chlöe's loving this, because Chlöe's learned from Te Pāti Māori and the haka that there's one surefire way to get attention, and that's to break the rules of Parliament and not be sorry. What a circus. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are you better off than you were two years ago? Are you bathing in the soothing waters of the long-promised economic recovery? Is your future more secure? Is your food more affordable? Your insurance? Your rates? Is your road smoother? Are your children better educated? Is your water less polluted? Or do you think some of our most senior leaders' time and attention is better used fussing over measures like the order of words on our passports and the transfer of payWave fees from a surcharge to the main bill? The latest folly, announced by our Foreign Minister on a week in which Gaza was stricken by starvation, and the US thanked us for opening an FBI office here by increasing proposed trade tariffs, seeks to enshrine the name ‘New Zealand' in law. Ah yes, what a pressing issue. Tell you what, between that and the passport reordering, those tens or hundreds of thousands of kids who've fled to Australia are gonna be clambering over one another to get back home. Here's my view on the name of our country: call it what you want. You want to call it Aotearoa? Fine. You want to call it New Zealand? Fine. You want to combine the two? Go for it. You do you. The thing about language is it's fluid. It changes over time. There's a reason we don't all speak in Shakespearean prose. And it has nothing to do with compulsion. To those who say an increasing use of Aotearoa is some sort of affront to our collective values, I'd have thought freedom of expression is a value more worthy of protection. And for what it's worth, if New Zealand First was trying to enshrine the name ‘Aotearoa' in law, I'd have the same response. One of the justifications given for this member's bill is that using Aotearoa threatens NZ Inc., our international brand. Is there any evidence that our exporters are being compelled en-masse to send their products overseas with the name Aotearoa, instead of New Zealand? Who, pray tell, is risking that international brand value by forcing this change on the packaging of our top products? I'd suggest it's a pretty unsophisticated exporter who would voluntarily confuse their international customers. Or, you know, maybe this just isn't really a big deal. I've a real distaste for performative politics that either drum up angst about a problem that doesn't exist or do something symbolic at the expense of real action. I never cared for the trend of councils and governments declaring Climate Emergencies and patting themselves on the back, while simultaneously doing nothing new in a policy sense. There is a very simple way to see through this specific bill. Consider the timing. If the name of New Zealand is seriously so threatened, why didn't New Zealand First introduce this bill 12 months ago? Why not six years ago? Why not negotiate it into the coalition agreement when they formed a government? My instinct with this kind of move is always the same. Don't ask ‘What does this achieve?' or ‘Why is this an issue? Instead, ask ‘what are they try to distract us from?' The ‘meh' jobs report? The lame economic growth figures? The gang numbers ticking over 10,000 for the first time ever, this week? Or could it possibly be the fact that a few hours before the New Zealand (name of state) member's bill was announced, Australia and the UK achieved comparatively lower trade tariffs with the United States, while our government's top officials were apparently surprised to learn that our tariff had been increased? Actually, maybe we should call ourselves Aotearoa. Who knows? It might have confused Donald Trump just long enough to keep us at 10%. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National and ACT campaigned on ending the oil and gas exploration ban, but it is New Zealand First - who were part of the government that put it in place - that has taken the lead. Labour's climate spokesperson Megan Woods spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Under government direction, Sport New Zealand has scrapped guidelines for the inclusion of transgender people in community sport. The removal comes after a review showing the principles did not reflect legitimate community expectations that sport should prioritise fairness and safety. New Zealand First is claming full credit for the change as its coalition partners struggled to explain why the change was needed. Russell Palmer reports.

New Zealand First should be stripped of the tobacco and vaping portfolio, according to an advocacy group set up to keep kids off nicotine. The call comes after RNZ published documents alleging close ties between tobacco giant Philip Morris and New Zealand First. Guyon Espiner broke the story, and spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.

The Sports Minister's standing up for a coalition-based decision directing Sport New Zealand to remove its community sport trans guidelines. The 2022 principles allowed people to play community sports according to their gender identity. Sport Minister Mark Mitchell told Mike Hosking most fair-minded Kiwis would agree with the move, which honours safety and fairness. He says as part of a New Zealand First coalition agreement, they decided not to dictate what sporting bodies should be doing, saying the bodies themselves know best. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Winner of the week has got to be NZ First. In the latest Taxpayer's Union Curia poll, they are the third biggest party now, overtaking Act and the Greens. If you've been watching the polls lately that's not a surprise. This has been coming for a while. National has been up and down, Act has been pretty flat, but NZ First has just been heading up most of the year. There are a bunch of reasons for this. Winston is very statesman-like. He manages to disagree with his coalition partners without being quite as bratty as David Seymour can sometimes be. NZ First are choosing their battles. They stayed out of the pay equity kerfuffle, so they didn't cop the blowback. But mainly, it's because they're being refreshingly blunt. Shane Jones doesn't care if the lizard-lovers get upset that he wants to dig a mine where the lizards are. He just says it. Winston doesn't care if Grey Lynn and Aro Valley are offended that he wants transwomen kept out of women's sport. He just says it. He doesn't care if wool carpets into state houses is likely a bad financial decision. He got it done. This party is unashamedly appealing to a group of voters no one else really is, which is working class New Zealanders – people who see things simply and often more correctly than elites would care to imagine. It's the same thing playing out in the UK with the rise of the Reform Party. It's the same reason Trump is back in the White House. Of the three coalition parties NZ First is the only one hitting the same vein of voters. Now, we're still only talking about 10% and 10% doesn't a major party make. But it's only been headed in one direction lately, and that tells you something. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Retail NZ has said it believes forcing vendors to take real folding money would be a step backwards. It comes after New Zealand First introduced a members bill that would make it illegal to refuse cash for essential services like food, fuel and telecomunications. Retailers and service providers would also have to take cash payments up to $500. The "Cash Transactions Protection Bill " would also require vendors to hold enough cash in case of a digital outage of more than twenty-four hours. Retail NZ CEO Carolyn Young spoke to Lisa Owen.