Podcasts about New Zealand First

New Zealand First wants to spend one billion dollars surveying what lies beneath our oceans to find oil and gas. Is this total madness during a cost-of-living crisis, or is it common sense to audit our resources? Duncan gets the hard answers from Resources Minister Shane Jones on how we fund it and if the big rigs are coming back Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

FIRST WITH YESTERDAY'S NEWS (highlights from Monday on Newstalk ZB) Something Definitely Stinks/The Cup Peters OutSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters says his latest election promise could lead to the country owning its own energy supply. The Party's promised to develop a national dataset of our offshore oil and gas reserves, using a $1-billion investment to do so. It would create a framework for the country to develop these sites and extract resources. John Carnegie Chief Executive of Energy Resources Aotearoa joined Matt Heath and Tyler Adams and stressed the importance of Governments not flip flopping when it comes to natural resources. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand First wants to invest in surveying the country's offshore basins for oil and gas supplies to use domestically and export around the world. Winston Peters announced the new policy at the party's annual convention in South Auckland. Political reporter Tuwhenuaroa Natanahira reports.

New Zealand First wants to spend a billion bucks looking for oil and gas fields to make our country rich again. Well, richer. A bit more like the place our kids go to earn a living, Australia, who've pulled in $430 billion in mining royalties over the past decade alone. A bit more like Norway, where per person GDP is $153,000, one of the highest in the world, ours is only about $85,000. The Norwegians, of course, got a big boost from oil post 1960s and have a $2-trillion wealth fund, which pays for the stuff the Greens and Labour here could only dream of. And herein lies one of two big problems with this country. The first one is not that we don't more children out of poverty or a generous welfare state or universal pensions. The problem is how you pay for them. Debt is a downward spiral but is how we've been operating since 2019. That's the last time the books actually balanced. So, there is logic in dragging oil and gas up out of the ocean to pay stuff, especially as the rest of the world, especially the US, is doing it anyway. Which brings us to the second problem with this issue, and Winston's plans for it, and that's the opposition. What's the point in us spending a billion bucks to look for oil the next government won't let anybody drill for? The only way this makes sense is if you get the big parties to agree with each other, we actually need another feather in our bow, economically speaking. Right now, Andy Burnham is having this very debate with his top advisors, including Mike Munro who worked for Jacinda Ardern. The British press is reporting Burnham is about to announce plans for new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea. Labour banned it. Burnham's a union guy, a worker guy, a more commonsense guy, so they say, and therefore he is about to turn the black tap on again. Chris Hipkins is not that guy for the New Zealand Labour party. And until the Opposition puts down its giant no sign, then spending a billion bucks looking for oil is throwing money down the dunny.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand First had its own little party on the weekend. It's going to campaign on funding a $1 billion survey of offshore oil and gas reserves that it says would lead to the country owning its own supply and reducing power prices. Hello, 1972! However, it is unclear how many years it would take for Kiwis to feel the benefits, if any, as Winston said it was expected it could take six years just to establish a pathway forward. Party leader Winston Peters announced the policy in his speech to the faithful in Auckland as he launched New Zealand First's 2026 election campaign. Same old, same old election-kind-of bag from Winston. He attacked Labour and the India free trade deal. That's what he does in election years. He's a perfectly capable and competent Foreign Affairs Minister, dealing with all people from all parts of the world until election year. And then it's hoots, wahay, and he's off. He's perfectly capable of forming a coalition government with Labour and, despite the attacks on Labour, still could, but that's what he does in election years. Back to the oil and gas. Can we make money out of oil and gas? If we have it, we can, but proven natural gas reserves within our economic zone have fallen by roughly two-thirds since 2021. Despite nearly $2 billion invested in new well drilling since the 2018 offshore exploration ban, results have been pretty modest. So far, it's all a bit pie in the sky. Does the world still need more oil and gas? If you listen to the Greenies, no. We're all sort of pedalling our way to work on our windmill-powered velocycles, everybody's got solar panels on the roof, and we're living in a utopian paradise where everything's clean, green and renewable. But if you look at the facts and figures, if we can find oil and gas right now — in fact, even in six years — we could sell it. A story trumpeting the decline of fuel consumption in Norway — where EV sales are approaching 100% of total car sales, resulting in a fall in domestic consumption of petrol and diesel — fails to mention that while Norway's consumption of oil and gas has plummeted, it's still flogging it off to the rest of the poor schmucks who have to use oil and gas because they don't have Norway's wealth to subsidise EVs. And Norway has that wealth because it's flogging off oil and gas. They can afford to be clean and green because they're selling the stinky stuff to poorer people, which is just the way it goes for a lot of green households. You have to be really, really rich to be a Greenie, or really, really poor. Middle-class people haven't got a show. The exports haven't fallen off in recent times. And if you look at peak oil predictions, peak oil was forecast back in the 1880s in the US when the Pennsylvania oil fields were exhausted. That's it — no more oil. Well, in fact, there was. Then there was a scientific prediction of peak oil, made in 1956 by a geologist working for Shell who used actual science to predict that US domestic oil production would peak between 1965 and 1970, and that proved remarkably accurate. He then applied the model to global reserves, predicting worldwide peak oil production would occur around the year 2000. However, he wasn't taking into account that methods would change and evolve during that time. The advent of fracking and shale oil has drastically altered the dynamics. Production capacities continue to evolve as new ways of finding oil and gas emerge. And why? Because there is a market for them. I've heard a lot of people dismissing it as pie in the sky, "old man shouts at sky", and all that sort of stuff, and you can certainly accuse New Zealand First of that in many of its policies. On this one, though, well, if we can get it — and that's a big if — and if we can get it relatively inexpensively, such that we turn a profit, then there may be an argument. We could probably get oil and gas if we threw every last cent we had at getting it out there. Would it be economic? Possibly not. It's got to be economic, and it's got to be there. If it is, we'll have a market. Is it worth New Zealand Inc becoming oil prospectors? At the moment, we get around 42% back when we grant a licence. I don't think we should be in the business of prospecting ourselves. It's too risky. High risk, high return — that's not what we're about. Sell the licences, let private companies put up the money, and let's clip the ticket on the way through. I'm all good with granting the licences. The market is still there as we evolve. Look what happens when you turn off the tap abruptly. You've got businesses closing their doors, manufacturing plants shutting down, and people losing their jobs because that continuity of supply simply wasn't there. Ideology trumped pragmatism. So while we evolve towards our windmill-powered velocycles to get to work, grant the licences, but let's not go oil prospecting ourselves. Your thoughts? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nearly one in five young Aucklanders has completely pressed pause on life. Shane Jones says New Zealand First has a radical plan to deploy unemployed youth into the military to learn basic discipline and routine. Critics will scream conscription, but doing nothing is a complete surrender. We ask if structured national service is exactly what our drifting generation needs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stop the press, the media has a new darling. Chlöe Swarbrick and the Opportunity Party can have a breather this week, a bit of downtime, because there's only one show in town and it's Paul Henry. The self-made millionaire, the former broadcaster, has thrown his hat into the political ring again. He wants to become a polly, and not just any old polly. He has no interest in sitting on the back benches, cooling his heels, learning the ropes. He is not there to shag spiders. He's made it perfectly plain that he wants to be a minister in the next coalition government. Prime Minister, hey, why not? There is no doubt when you hear him speak that he has a real passion for New Zealand and that he wants New Zealand to be a great place for his children and grandchildren, for your children and grandchildren. And there's no doubt that he's a great cheerleader for the ACT Party. “I think with ACT I can tangibly affect change. I think with ACT, it is the only party that I think can genuinely steer this country in the right direction. By right direction I mean create policies that inspire growth of our economy because our economy is perilously small, cut wasteful government spending in so many different ways, and hopefully create an environment whereby New Zealanders, I mean your introduction was spot on, where New Zealanders aren't angsting, they're not suspicious of everything all the time. I mean the thing that holds New Zealand back, because both of us travel a lot, we can both see New Zealand with a bit of perspective from offshore. What a brilliant country with extraordinary resources and potential it is. So why is it not being realised?" That was former broadcaster Paul Henry talking to broadcaster Mike Hosking this morning. Will Paul Henry have the discipline to sit through the turgid meetings and briefings that are a part of being a politician? A lot of people go into politics and they say they're going to cut red tape and they're going to get things done, and within a matter of months they end up hogtied in the corner defeated by the red tape. Paul Henry is a loose cannon – he doesn't have to do anything. He's perfectly fine where he is. He could do whatever the hell he wanted. He's very bright, he's very quick witted. These are both blessings and curses for the ACT Party. He doesn't need the gig. He has his own thoughts. It might be a libertarian party, but by crikey, once he starts speaking his own mind within Parliament, it can create issues when you have to abide by coalition rules. And of course, Paul Henry is not the ACT Party – he's one person among many. The party has broad ranging policies and very strong ideas on just about everything, and you would have to surely look at those closely. You might like Paul Henry, but you might not like the policies that come along with Paul Henry. Do celebrities make good parliamentarians? On the one hand, it brings profile to the party, especially if they've been languishing a bit, and it's fair to say that ACT has taken a back seat to New Zealand First this year in terms of column inches generated, probably even taken a back seat to the Opportunity Party this year. National's Christopher Luxon doesn't have the pizzazz, the jazz hands of Paul Henry, nor indeed does Chris Hipkins. But I don't think Labour voters would be looking to ACT as their alternate party – but who knows, stranger things have happened. When you look at former broadcasters that have gone into politics, they've done okay, I suppose. Maggie Barry's probably the best of the recent crop. She made minister, but I think it was pretty tough going. Do self-made millionaires make good MPs? John Key was a good Prime Minister. Didn't have to do the gig and when he got bored, he went. But I think it's widely agreed that he was a pretty good PM for the times. This is probably just going to be a flash in the pan. There'll be the big announcement, we got it yesterday, it's gripped the media news cycle to the extent that we're going to wrap up I think the 24 hours of, I don't know what it was really, excitement? It wasn't shock so much, but it just seemed to be wow, it sort of energized the conversation around ACT, it energized the conversation around politics. And that's got to be a good thing. Anything that gets people interested in politics, great, but it's got to go beyond one person, it's got to go beyond celebrity, it's got to go beyond face value. As I say, if you're voting for Paul Henry you have to be very careful, as people did for Winston Peters. They liked him and the party came second. So be aware that there are broad ranging policies, have a look at those before you decide oh, I like that Paul Henry, I'm going to give him a tick. And be aware too that quick witted, mercurial people who don't need the gig might not be around for a long time. It'll be a good time, but it won't be a long time. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How good is that Paul Henry announcement, eh? How good is that? ACT sent out a little media advisory last night about 7:30pm, saying there would be a major announcement. It would not be a policy announcement, no exclusive would be offered and there would be no embargoed material. I looked at it and immediately the texts started coming in. Is David Seymour resigning? Has somebody died? Is somebody pregnant? What's going on? I looked at it and thought, that's a lot of hype right there in that little media advisory. This better be good or the chat is going to be about damp squibs. But no, Paul Henry is absolutely worth all that hype. Paul Henry, I think, is the candidate get of the election so far. Don't forget, he was the highest-rated host of breakfast television in this country. He is immensely popular. He probably, I think, will single-handedly lift ACT's vote; at the very least, he will hold it up. Paul brings two things to ACT. The first is his absolute belief in New Zealand. That is authentic. He's been raving about New Zealand being paradise for years now. He's even done a TV show about it. When he says he wants to be in Parliament to sort out New Zealand's prosperity for the sake of his grandkids, I absolutely believe that to be true. The second thing he brings is entertainment. ACT has been struggling to break through on the right. The headlines have largely been hogged by New Zealand First. Paul Henry, I think, can get cut-through with his wit alone. Go and have a look at that press conference. He was very, very funny. Now, this is not to say that Paul Henry is going to go down well with everyone. There is a small group of people out there who absolutely hate his guts, but that is no loss to ACT because those people were most probably going to vote left anyway. My only hope for Paul is that he doesn't come to regret this decision because going into Parliament very rarely ends well for people who already have public profiles and successful careers. Somehow, though, I think if that is how it goes for Paul Henry, he's not going to give a damn anyway, so it probably doesn't matter. Ten out of ten. This announcement is brilliant for ACT's campaign. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The shifting support of minor parties is likely to be make or break for November's general election. The NZ Herald-Motu Research Poll of Polls shows the coalition has a 70 percent chance of being re-elected. The current parliamentary opposition's chances has slumped to 7.2 percent. Former minister Peter Dunne says support for Labour and National will remain fairly consistent. "Particularly, keep an eye on New Zealand First and the Opportunity Party - they seem to be where the movement's taking place, although New Zealand First's, I think, peaked a little bit. It's hard to say at this stage." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight, on The Panel, Wallace Chapman is joined by panellists Anna Fifield and Phil O'Reilly. First up, Kaikoura has been today's victim of ferocious weather, with the river bursting its banks. Motel owner Fiona Wei explains what she's seen. Then, China's latest missile tests in the South Pacific are "incredibly unwelcome" according to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. International relations expert Robert Patman gives his analysis. And The Post's national affairs editor Andrea Vance has come out of the blocks with a scathing opinion piece on New Zealand First's candidate list.

Yes, it's election year. How can you tell? They're all coming up with policies now, aren't they, designed to appeal to their core constituency. Winston Peters played a blinder by announcing to the party faithful at a campaign meeting in Warkworth over the weekend that he wants to see voting rights reserved for citizens of this country only. If his party is returned to Parliament, he will move to reform voting rights. Current electoral law allows some non citizens to vote after 12 months continuous residence if they are lawfully in New Zealand and not required to leave by a specified date. In his speech to attendees, Peters argued that that existing standard is far too lenient. And when you look at other countries that have the same policy, I think it's Malawi, Ecuador and Chile. Certainly our neighbours Australia do not. If you're not a citizen, you don't vote in Australia. I have friends who have been in Australia for years and years and years, decades, and they can't vote unless they are citizens, and one of them recently became a citizen just so he could. He did have that right, he had children that were born there and he wanted to be able to vote so he could help inform the future of the country. Winston Peters said to general acclaim, voting in general elections should be reserved for those who have made the full legal and civic commitment to this country. Permanent residence gives people the right to live, work, study and build a life in New Zealand. Citizenship, he said, is different. It's a formal bond of allegiance, belonging, responsibility and democratic authority. New Zealand First believes that distinction should matter again. Sort of like marriage over living together, shacking up. He wants to see a marriage between people who live in New Zealand and the government of New Zealand. Okay, fair enough, but if we're going to make changes on how we vote, why stop there? I have long argued, and I'm sure you've long agreed, that there should be a basic comprehension test before people can vote. Like, really. Some of the some of the comments and the questions that you will hear leading up to elections are truly terrifying. Their vote counts the same as people who have a basic grasp of MMP and democracy and the different parties and what they stand for. Maybe a basic comprehension test? Should people be allowed to vote if they're citizens but they've lived overseas for more than 10 years? Why should they be allowed to influence the direction of the country when they don't even live here? They have no skin in the game. If you haven't made any payments on your student loan while living overseas, you shouldn't be able to vote unless you've paid it back or you've got a system in place to pay it back. Why on earth should you be able to vote when you haven't paid back your loan to the taxpayers? If you're living overseas to avoid paying tax, I can think of a few high profile businessmen, you shouldn't be able to vote either. I mean, I've got a list as long as my arm. If we're going to start talking about who can vote and who cannot, I'd go a whole lot further than just reserving the right to vote for citizens. Anyone who has chose to make their home outside of New Zealand, who hasn't been back, who has no intention of coming back, anybody who is overseas and still owes a lot of money to the New Zealand taxpayer and has no system in place to pay it back, they shouldn't be able to vote either. What does your list look like? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Let me hit you with absolutely the weirdest political news of the day. Michael Laws, it's being reported, is going to announce he's running for New Zealand First. The '90s called and want their man back. It's not a good move for New Zealand First, it's a bad move. Michael Laws is trouble. He was trouble in the National Party when he was an MP. He was trouble in New Zealand First when he was an MP. He was trouble at Radio Live. He was trouble when he was Mayor of Whanganui. He is trouble right now in his role on the Otago Regional Council. He's a really, really smart guy, don't get me wrong, but he is not the guy New Zealand First should be trying to bring on board if they want to convince voters they are capable of running this country. Michael Laws is not their guy. He is fringe. He's been running a show on a media outlet - no disrespect to it - that has a very small audience of loyal followers and to everybody else it looks a bit weird and fringe. New Zealand First's biggest challenge right now is to appear credible because they really, really want to be supersized in this coalition. And if you believe the rumours going around, Winston Peters wants to finally, after all these years, have a crack at being Prime Minister. A few weeks and months ago, that kind of seemed possible because they'd captured the zeitgeist. They were promising bold policies that were cutting through to a large group of voters who had become incredibly frustrated by the normal run of things - run-of-the-mill politicians, policies, parties and so on. But in the past few weeks, that momentum seems to have evaporated and things have got a little bit weird, haven't they? Winston might have pushed it a bit far with the infighting involving his colleagues and the anti-Indian document, which seems to have given him what he wanted, yet now he's complaining about it and narking on us to the Indians. Then you've got the Michael Laws announcement which, if it happens, is going to double down on that weirdness. Taine Randell was a great get for New Zealand First. Stuart Nash was a good get for New Zealand First. But Michael Laws is a bad get because he brings the whole party down by association. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 2 July, 2026, reports Indian migration is being tightened up days out from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit. We ask former trade negotiator Stephen Jacobi if that's a risky move. Police Association boss Steve Watt on sweeteners being offered by Queensland to attract our cops. Opportunity Party leader Qiulae Wong explains economic policy but stumbles on some numbers. And on the Huddle, Oscar Kightley and Tim Wilson on whether "blast from the past" Michael Laws should be a New Zealand First candidate at the election. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The ACT Party says it has killed three birds with one stone as new workplace legislation is passed. The bill reverses a number of changes in the 2015 Health and Safety at Work Act, and will shift focus to critical risks. It passed its third reading in Parliament yesterday, despite criticisms from New Zealand First. Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke Van Velden told Mike Hosking it grows the economy, supports small businesses, and stops wasting money. However, the legislation will no longer be implemented in November – instead pushed back until April. Labour is also promising to repeal the legislation, if elected. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We pull back the curtain on The Opportunities Party and look at whether it is quietly becoming part of Labour's broader coalition architecture. Plus Shane Jones joins us to front up after the government backed down on the conservation land battle. We look at why National got nervous and why New Zealand First refuses to give up targeting the estate for economic growth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

National made its first major election year policy announcement this week. If elected, it would make KiwiSaver compulsory, including for those over 65 still working, automatically enroll babies and provide government contributions to those on parental leave. The suite of changes would cost more than a billion dollars over four years. New Zealand First said National had copied its own policy, and others are asking what the changes might mean for Superannuation.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has accused the government of making covert changes to immigration settings to discriminate against Indian migrants. He made the claims during the first reading of the bill to ratify the India Free Trade agreement. Winston Peters spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

The Trade Minister's rejecting accusations National's gone behind India's back, to impose restrictive immigration settings explicitly for Indians. Winston Peters raised the claims during the first reading of the India trade deal in Parliament yesterday - it passed last night. The New Zealand First leader says officials chose not to announce the new criteria - for fear of India's reaction. Todd McClay told Mike Hosking it feels like Peters is playing games - and it's time for him to move on. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand First's leader's claiming National's been spooked and will tighten immigration rules for Indian citizens as part of the India trade deal. The FTA was before Parliament today and Winston Peters alleged National wants to discriminate against Indian migrants by imposing extra tests and criteria on them. He says they're not applied to migrants from other countries that have FTAs with New Zealand. Peters says National's gone from promoting mass migration to stricter rules - and they've been stung by the polls and done a complete flip without telling anybody. Trade Minister Todd McClay says NZ First is wrong. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 25 June, 2026, Conservation Minister Tama Potaka explains why he's backed down on selling conservation land. New Zealand First leader Winston Peters claims National has covertly changed course on migration settings for Indians. We talk to Spark Arena general manager Mark Gosling about it being rated one of the top 20 arenas in the world. And on The Huddle, we ask Nick Mills and Mark Sainsbury if Peters' claims could jeopardise the India free trade agreement. 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.

A political scrap has broken out over the government's planned health and safety overhaul, with ACT accusing New Zealand First of last-minute politicking. Deputy political editor Craig McCulloch spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

The Workplace Relations Minister says changes to the Health and Safety at Work Act are on track, despite mixed signals from New Zealand First. Leader Winston Peters says he's obliged to vote for the bill under the coalition agreement but is vowing to get rid of it next term. He told protesters yesterday —including families of Pike River victims— he wishes he didn't have to vote for the legislation. Brooke van Velden told Mike Hosking Peters knows what the deal is, and the changes have been discussed over the past two years. She says it's gone through the select committee process and the policy's been signed off, so isn't sure why criticism has reared its head. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 24 June, 2026, New Zealand Rugby's chief financial officer Chris Kinraid tells us where Moana Pasifika's fallen short in trying to stay in the Super Rugby Pacific competition. New Zealand First leader Winston Peters on how he'd tackle big tech to pay more tax. Otorohanga mayor Rodney Dow on why he's apologised for renaming the town "Harrodsville" to mark the 40th anniversary of a dispute with Harrods. And on The Huddle, Phil Goff and Jordan Williams take opposite sides on whether Chloe Swarbrick's "dobbed" New Zealand in it on breaching a trade agreement. 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.

Pike River families are disappointed by mixed messages from New Zealand First over planned health and safety law changes. Leader Winston Peters told protesters yesterday he'll dump the Health and Safety at Work Act amendments if re-elected next term. Stand with Pike spokesperson Sonya Rockhouse told Andrew Dickens Peters earlier told families he didn't support the bill in its current form, leaving them feeling encouraged. She says Peters did an interview this week which made them even more positive, but overnight his rhetoric has changed. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has met with some Pike River families, who fear workplaces are about to get more dangerous. The Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill would exempt businesses with fewer than 20 workers from legally having to manage non-critical safety risk. The families are asking NZ First to withdraw it's support for the bill. Winston Peters spoke to Lisa Owen.

New Zealand First's leader claims people implicated in an MBIE scandal should be jailed. Immigration Minister Erica Stanford says she was misled about ballooning costs for a border biometrics tech upgrade, which was axed with about $33 million dollars lost. The Public Service Commission and MBIE are undertaking reviews. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper explained further, and speculated on the possible consequences for the officials. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ACT and New Zealand First are in favour of a minimum non-parole period of 8 years for offenders who commit manslaughter by a strike to the head or the neck - the coward punch. But, National and the opposition parties are not keen. Board member of the Walk Without Fear Trust, Mike Angove, told Andrew Dickens he is disappointed in National's lack of support. "National have indicated that they're going to look at bespoke law, but essentially, remembering that Matt King, originally a National Party member, started this 8 years ago, almost 9 years ago. National has been right behind this the whole way, but they've faltered at the hurdle." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

- Get NordVPN with a special discount - https://www.nordvpn.com/goodareas - Get an exclusive 15% discount on Saily data plans! Use code 'goodareas' at checkout. Download Saily app or go to: https://saily.com/goodareas - Behram and Rob Barron review England's 115 run victory over New Zealand in the Lords Test - - To support the podcast please go to our Patreon page -  https://www.patreon.com/c/goodareaspodcast  - Head over to commbox.tv to learn more about our network. - This podcast is edited and mixed by Ishit Kuberkar,    he's at https://instagram.com/ishitk86   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Four New Zealand MPs have been quietly banned from China for a year after travelling to Taiwan on a junket. The group—ACT's Laura McClure, New Zealand First's David Wilson, Labour's Duncan Webb and National's Maureen Pugh—travelled as part of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Taiwan, which promotes cross-party engagement and economic ties. China didn't like it. They decided to impose a sanction but they didn't announce it publicly. Instead, last week the Chinese embassy contacted our Parliament and requested a meeting to deliver key messages, suggesting the bans could be lifted if the MPs apologised. Laura McClure was on with Heather this morning. She was asked, “Will you apologise?” and she said, “No. This is a type of foreign interference. I did nothing wrong.” MFAT also confirmed this is the first time China has sanctioned New Zealand MPs for such a trip, even though past delegations—including one involving John Key as a backbencher—have faced no consequences whatsoever. Now, this has provoked some angry responses. Human rights groups are speaking out—Pillar calls it intimidation—and Professor Anne-Marie Brady, who has had disputes with China, calls it a punishment we should retaliate against. She points out that in 2021 the European Union cancelled official dialogue with China after a similar sanction on politicians. But what China has done here is, to me, neither a meaningful punishment nor particularly damaging. A tit-for-tat retaliation like the one the European Union instituted would do nothing for New Zealand. A ban on four MPs visiting China for a year really isn't much of a punishment—they had no plans to go there anyway. Retaliation, however, could be damaging. What I think we should do instead is object strongly. This story happened last week and was kept under wraps until Laura McClure leaked it. I think that was a mistake. We should have gone public immediately—made a big noise about it. We should tell China, “This is not the way we behave.” We should urge them to grow up and point out that denying these MPs the chance to visit also denies China the opportunity to show New Zealand that it can be a reasonable member of the international community—that it can make a reasonable and humanitarian case on Taiwan. After all, we support the One China policy. But actions like this suggest that China itself does not follow that principle in spirit and instead intends to subsume Taiwan without respecting its rights. So we should say, “No, that was the wrong thing to do,” while at the same time taking no retaliatory action—maintaining the higher moral ground. Because, in my view, this was a poor show by China. It weakens them and their case—not us. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Right now, Australia is agog that One Nation is the highest-polling party and talk has turned to Pauline Hanson as Prime Minister. Former Queensland Premier Peter Beattie, who beat One Nation back in the 1990s, has issued a warning: confusing One Nation with the people who vote for it is a serious mistake. He argues many One Nation supporters are decent, hard-working Australians who feel ignored by the major parties. They're anxious about rising living costs, job security and how AI will reshape the workforce. Sound familiar? At heart, they believe Australia is heading in the wrong direction and no one in power is listening. Beattie says One Nation has tapped into these fears with a powerful scare campaign, blaming immigration for everything from housing prices to electricity costs. However, he argues the party remains “a party of complaint” - offering anger rather than solutions. He then lays out what the major parties must do to win back trust: deliver a clear, skills-based immigration policy; explain the benefits of multiculturalism; paint a genuine vision for Australia in 2050; prepare workers for an AI-driven economy; back innovation in key industries; invest seriously in regional infrastructure; and provide meaningful, ongoing cost-of-living relief - not one-off handouts. Doesn't that sound good? Wouldn't you like that here? In fact, it's advice that could easily be applied here - and heard by our mainstream parties - as supporters drift towards the Māori Party, ACT and New Zealand First, which are also, in many ways, parties of complaint. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Secretly, I think Nicola Willis and Winston Peters are enjoying their performative scrap against each other. Their war of words highlights the differences between each party and their philosophies and that's handy in an election year. Nicola's warnings over superannuation reinforce her credentials as the representative of fiscal prudence - the guardian of our economy. Winston's refusal to change super in any way, shape or form reinforces his credentials as a defender of the rights of the elderly. But it also reinforces something we should never forget about Winston Peters. He's in this Government and is being seen, along with his coalition partners, as a warrior against excessive Government spending. Yet his track record suggests otherwise. I mean, who can forget his Provincial Growth Fund - that $3 billion lolly scramble that was criticised by the Audit Office for a lack of oversight? Even in this coalition Government, he has continued to have a slush fund for regional development. The New Zealand First Regional Fund is a $1.2 billion capital fund established in the coalition agreement. And now, his Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been revealed to be a major funder of the Moana Pasifika rugby side since its inception. There is also talk he is willing to mount some sort of salvage campaign, again using taxpayers' money. I think it's important to remind ourselves that, in some respects, Winston Peters is an old-fashioned conservative -but he also resembles an old-fashioned socialist who believes in the primacy of Government and in the paternalistic splashing around of public money to curry favour. These are all things to remember if you are abandoning National for New Zealand First under the false belief that Winston will introduce greater financial rigour than already exists. It also serves as a reminder of why Winston went with Labour back in 2017 in the first place. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well, that Official Cash Rate decision is probably one of those moments where you find out whether you're a glass half-full or glass half-empty person. Because on the bright side, the Official Cash Rate didn't go up. On the downside, it looks like it's definitely going up next time. So yes, it's a reprieve - but it's only a reprieve for six weeks, excuse me, before the screws on the economy start turning again. Thanks to the new transparency rules at the Reserve Bank - which, frankly, we should all love - we know that the committee voted and it was split right down the middle. Three members of the committee wanted the OCR to stay at 2.25 percent. Three of them voted for it to be raised by 25 basis points immediately to calm down inflation pressures. But Anna Breman, who is the governor, has a casting vote. She said it needs to stay, so it stays put. But they didn't hide the fact that it is going to go up sooner than they had thought just three months ago. And it will go up by more than they thought just three months ago. Much of it appears to hinge on what businesses do with prices from here on in. Because what the Iran war is doing to prices is so widespread - and so many prices are going up, from fuel to fertiliser to food - that it runs a higher risk that businesses start jacking up more prices in a second round of increases. And that is what they're worried about at the Reserve Bank. So economists are now calling for three hikes in quick succession from here: July, September and October. Now, there are two problems with that. The first: all three hikes are before the election in November. National, especially, should be sweating, because poorer voters are not happier voters - they are voters who turn to New Zealand First. The second problem - and this is probably the biggest of them all - is what this is going to do to our recovery, our economic recovery. We are probably in negative growth this quarter. Next quarter is probably not that flash but at least positive. Entire sectors, like construction, are still struggling to get back on their feet. Unemployment is still in the fives. The Iran war is still pushing up fuel prices and therefore pushing up the price of everything. So, glass half full: at least we get another six weeks before the screws start turning. Glass half empty: when they tighten, they will be tightening fast on an economy that doesn't need that kind of pressure. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Labour Cabinet Minister Stuart Nash says he's found his true home in New Zealand First. He's contesting the Napier electorate for the party this election - against National's Katie Nimon. Nash had to lay low last year after getting in hot water for making vulgar comments about women. He's taken aim at his former party, and claims NZ First is the only party that stands up for hard workers. "This is the party that works hard to celebrate success, it stands up for those that work the hardest as opposed to complain the loudest." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has unveiled a plan for a new national bank

A former Finance Minister once forced to bail out BNZ says buying it back would be lunacy. New Zealand First is proposed re-nationalising the bank, buying it back from Australia's NAB and merging it with Kiwibank. Leader Winston Peters says bank profits should remain in New Zealand. But Ruth Richardson says the idea has no weight. "It makes New Zealand look like a tinpot country, where populist politicians feel free to nationalise private businesses. Why stop at banks? I mean, supermarkets like Woolworths are foreign-owned." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Buying back the Bank of New Zealand and making KiwiSaver enrolment compulsory at birth are among the commitments New Zealand First is making to voters this election. New Zealand First leader spoke to John Campbell.

The New Zealand First leader says they'll be telling the National Australia Bank we want our bank back - as he lays out plans for the Government to buy BNZ. The party will campaign on the purchase - after its sale in 1992 - and merging it with Kiwibank to create a National Bank of New Zealand. Winston Peters told Mike Hosking that the bank may not be for sale, but they'll make sure it is. He says he doubts the National Australia Bank would turn them down - so Kiwis won't be ripped off for much longer if NZ First gets back in. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We need to talk about what Chris Hipkins has said about immigration. First of all, Labour can frankly shut up accusing the Nats of anti-migrant rhetoric because this is a party that hasn't got a leg to stand on when it comes to migration. This is the party - and some of the very same people are still there - that campaigned on reducing immigration by up to 30,000 people in 2017, produced a list of Chinese-sounding names two years earlier and then shut down immigration completely, only to do the opposite by opening it up too much during and after COVID. So, on immigration - glass houses etc. But having said that, what National is proposing to do on immigration should worry businesses up and down this country that rely on migrants. And I'm looking at you - the aged-care sector wanting to bring in Filipino workers to look after our elderly; and I'm looking at you, Health New Zealand, needing to employ Indian nurses; and I'm looking at you, the construction sector, needing to bring in general labourers. Because Chris Luxon has made it clear in his speech he's shutting his door to businesses wanting to lobby him for migrant workers. He said: “My message to the business community is that when it comes to immigration, when I'm faced with a choice between social stability and your bottom line, I will choose the former every single time.” Now that begs the question to the Prime Minister: what does “social stability” mean? Is that basically you saying we've got too many Indian migrants? Which then begs the question: is National trying to match New Zealand First's anti-Indian rhetoric to avoid losing voters to them? Which then logically begs the next question: is Luxon putting his vote share at the election ahead of New Zealand's need to bring in the workers that we know we need? Because we've been through COVID, and we know that we do not do these low-skilled jobs - you need migrants to do them. So I think we should all be worried about this. I think businesses in New Zealand, in particular, should be very worried about this. And it begs a final question: if this is the position that National has taken, is there now even a single party in Parliament that is looking after New Zealand businesses? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christopher Luxon has jumped into the immigration debate, promising a careful approach, putting social cohesion ahead of business profit. It's already prompted scepticism from his coalition partner New Zealand First - which says the India free trade deal suggests otherwise. The Prime Minister made the comments in a speech to business leaders in Auckland this morning, also signalling a tighter-than-expected Budget to land in two weeks' time. Deputy political editor Craig McCulloch spoke to Lisa Owen.

People might remember as a kid collecting glass fizzy bottles to return to the dairy for a bit of pocket money. Well, New Zealand First's keen to bring back a nationwide container scheme, to reduce litter and council costs. One of its MPs has put a bill into the biscuit tin, where it could be randomly drawn and head down the path to becoming law. Zero Waste Network said about four million drink containers go to landfull or end up as litter every day in Aotearoa. Sue Coutts spoke to Lisa Owen.

National and ACT are downplaying a significant Budget leak from their coalition partner New Zealand First, as coalition tensions continue to bubble to the surface.

The coalition appears to have good odds of winning the next election, largely thanks to New Zealand First. The NZ Herald - Motu Research Poll of Polls suggests there is an 88.3 percent probability the coalition will win a second term. The model shows it's extended its lead over the opposition by two points in the last 12 months. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper explained how this data is calculated - and whether voters can take it seriously. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Free Trade Agreement with India has been signed, with National and New Zealand First continuing to disagree over what's been signed up to. Political reporter Giles Dexter examines how free the trade agreement actually is, and the coalition clash over investment and immigration.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has put his hand up, admitting he made a mistake by not consulting the Prime Minister's office before releasing a bombshell email chain about the government's stance on the Iran war. But he's not apologising for making them public saying there's no reason they shouldn't be out in the open. The Prime Minister isn't happy, his office said he expects more of the man who's spent four decades in public office. Political reporter Lauren Crimp spoke to Lisa Owen.

Former United Future leader Peter Dunne spent more than three decades as an MP, he was also a Minister. He supported a Labour coalition Government, New Zealand First was part of that arrangement and was also part of National led coalitions. Peter Dunne spoke to Lisa Owen.

"Enabled and entitled". That's how one political commentator described Shane Jones remarks about a "butter chicken tsunami". The New Zealand First minister made the comments while condemming New Zealand's free trade agreement with India. Despite strong criticism, he refused to apologise. A new poll from Horizon Research asked adults whether they agreed with the use of racial remarks in politics in order to increase party votes. Thirteen percent did, while 59 percent didn't. Massey University politics professor Richard Shaw spoke to Lisa Owen.

A war of words has broken out between coalition partners National and New Zealand First. Phil Goff, who was in government with Winston Peters, spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Police assistant commissioner discusses rise in fuel theft; Wilson Parking NZ CEO speaks to John Campbell; Westpac CEO discusses danger of AI deepfakes on social media; Phil Goff discusses National and New Zealand First tensions; Some Mokau businesses say they're on the brink of closure

New Zealand First's made a campaign promise to break up the country's supermarket duopoly in a bid to lower grocery prices. It said Woolworths and Foodstuffs dominate more than 80 percent of the market, driving up costs and squeezing suppliers. The party's plan is to split Foodstuffs into two competing cooperatives and ramp up enforcement powers and fines. Earlier this month, Harvest Market, a new independent grocery store opened in East Christchurch. Owner Elliott Booth spoke to Lisa Owen.