Podcasts about nz first

In a sit-down interview with The Hui, Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson took aim at the coalition government. She said that while the Greens are "readier than we have ever been" for an election, the current Government is "a pack of bastards".Chris Hipkins has come out swinging today making the observation that maybe NZ First should be called "Labour's Seconds" due to the number of former Labour MPs that were, and are, involved with Winston Peters' partyNicola Willis has fronted the media today about the increase in inflation to 4.1% saying that Trump ‘certainly made things harder' and looking for external excuses for the number, which may be true on some level, but they certainly didn't give Labour the same excuse when external excuses, in the form of a global pandemic, caused inflation to spike in the last term. Labour's finance spokesperson Barb Edmonds joins us live at 9pm to talk about today's announcement++++++++++++++++++++Like us on Facebook.com/BigHairyNetwork Follow us on Twitter.com/@bighairynetworkFollowing us on TikTok.com/@bighairynetworkSupport us on Patreon www.patreon.com/c/BigHairyNewsCheck out our merch https://bhn.nz/shop/Donate to our work https://bhn.nz/shop/donation/

Lara dials in for a chat with Rosetta and Milly about the latest NZ First conference, proposed changes to sick leave, and Paul Henry joining the ACT Party. Whakarongo mai nei!

The Deputy Prime Minister and Act Party leader denies the election will be fought by celebrities more interested in glitz than graft. Plus, he comments on NZ First’s oil and gas policy and why we should make life easier for agricultural drone users.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Childfund CEO Josie Pagani and Sherson Willis co-founder Trish Sherson joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! The big topic of debate is the latest election policy announcements out of NZ First and Greens both focusing on drastically different approaches to energy. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lara dials in for a chat with Rosetta and Milly about the latest NZ First conference, proposed changes to sick leave, and Paul Henry joining the ACT Party. Whakarongo mai nei!

On the Matt Heath and Tyler Adams Afternoons Full Show Podcast for the 20th of July 2026 - NZ First's energy policy was pretty popular with the ZB Afternoons audience... Then some good chat about businesses started young after a school project sparked a new business for an 18-year-old from Rotorua ... And to finish - was that the greatest Football World Cup ever? Get the Matt Heath and Tyler Adams Afternoons Podcast every weekday afternoon on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.See 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.

Newstalk ZB political correspondent Barry Soper joined Francesca Rudkin to discuss the big political news of the week. Paul Henry debuts his political career, the new ferries receive names, NZ First's convention makes headlines, and the Green Party calls for union membership as default setting for new employees. LISTEN ABOVESee 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.

Former All Black Taine Rendall entered the world of politics in April, announcing he would be joining NZ First. NZ First is set to officially launch its election campaign today at the party's annual convention, as they are buoyed by good polling. But Randell says he is already 'jaded' just four months in. "I was ready for it, but it is a bit of a shock, you know, there are some late nights and there is a lot more work than I thought in some aspects," he told Francesca Rudkin. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The NZ First leader comments on bird flu, celebrity candidates, being called a clown by a former Prime Minister, and we have our obligatory argument over the Indian Free Trade Agreement.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If anyone on a council at the moment can't understand why so many of us ratepayers are so hostile towards them, sometimes bordering on hatred, can I just suggest they take a look at what's going on with these agreements with iwi? That might actually give them a bit of an idea. If you haven't followed this, Chris Bishop is planning to replace the Resource Management Act shortly and his replacement law will not allow councils to sign any more of these agreements. These agreements are called Mana Whakahono a Rohe agreements. In some cases, and certainly in the more extreme examples, they effectively cede significant decision-making power to iwi. The new law will not allow any further agreements to be signed but it will allow existing agreements to continue. So, of course, what's happening is that councils are rushing to sign as many of these things as they can before the law changes. The Far North District Council is trying to sign five of them, apparently without involving elected councillors in the process. They're reportedly not even allowed to see the detail. I've had a letter today from the Mayor of Carterton drawing my attention to the fact that Greater Wellington Regional Council, which covers Carterton, is doing exactly the same thing, despite objections from two of its constituent councils: Carterton and Kāpiti. Environment Canterbury tried to rush one through this week, then got busted and pulled it from the agenda. The fact that councils are being cynical like this will come as no surprise to anyone because they did exactly the same thing with Māori wards when they knew that, in many cases, their own ratepayers did not support them. But this gets much more difficult for the Government because it, particularly the National Party and ACT, said this co-governance stuff would end. Yet they are allowing it to continue under their new RMA laws by permitting these agreements to carry over. They need to change that law. They need to change it before it becomes law if they really meant what they said. Importantly, if they want to retain the faith of the voters who backed them to end this stuff, then they need to act when they have the chance next week, when the select committee report on the RMA reforms comes back. They need to say that these agreements will be rendered void under the new law and that whatever has been signed in a last-minute rush will count for nothing. This is the Government's big test. It's the chance to prove that what it said about co-governance wasn't just hot air. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's time for our weekly politics catch-up with political scientist, writer, and former deputy leader of The Opportunities Party, or TOP as it was known then, Natalia Albert. Tonight: How much impact will Paul Henry have on Act's electoral fortunes, the politics behind NZ First's attempt to limit voting to citizens and why Labour is still missing in action.

After years of preparing for its arrival, New Zealand has confirmed its first case of the H5N1 bird flu strain in a wild seabird, with authorities warning the virus' potential impact on the country's unique native birdlife remains unknown.ACT leader David Seymour and Green co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick clash over benefit levels, the poverty trap and solutions to helping people find employmentNZ First wants more unemployed youth to join the military. Shane Jones announced the policy on Duncan Garner's podcast but now it appears maybe NZ First is walking it back a little bit.++++++++++++++++++++Like us on Facebook.com/BigHairyNetwork Follow us on Twitter.com/@bighairynetworkFollowing us on TikTok.com/@bighairynetworkSupport us on Patreon www.patreon.com/c/BigHairyNewsCheck out our merch https://bhn.nz/shop/Donate to our work https://bhn.nz/shop/donation/

Erica Stanford says a VPN ban was never on the table. Barrister and Free Speech Union Council Member Douglas Brown isn't convinced. Douglas joins host Dane Giraud for a freewheeling episode on three stories that end in the same place: someone else deciding what you can see online. The Post reported the Government had been looking at VPN restrictions as part of its under-16 social media ban. Within hours, ACT and NZ First ruled it out and the Education Minister denied it was ever considered. But the select committee report on online harm mentions VPNs 19 times and recommends them as an area for the regulator to explore. Douglas explains what a VPN actually is, who relies on them, and why an under-16 ban cannot be enforced without imposing age verification on every New Zealander. Then Citizen Vigilante, the Uwe Boll film starring Armie Hammer that was refused classification in Germany. Elon Musk shared it, it topped the charts, and the Streisand effect did the rest. From Thomas Paine's Rights of Man to Life of Brian to Spycatcher, suppressing a work has always been the surest way to promote it. Finally, the UK's plan to force social media platforms to give prominence to approved 'trusted news' providers, including the BBC. Who decides what counts as shared and accurate facts?Support the showhttps://www.fsu.nz/https://x.com/NZFreeSpeechhttps://www.instagram.com/freespeechnz/https://www.tiktok.com/@freespeechunionnz

The Associate Agriculture Minister's off to India to talk up Kiwi wool this week. Mark Patterson will meet the Indian Textiles Minister and visit the Bharat Tex conference - the country's largest textile expo. NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan says NZ First has fired back at this plan and labelled the visit a 'taxpayer funded trip'. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New numbers from the Waitakere Indian Association show Kiwi-Indians contributed more than $37 billion to the economy annually to March 2025. The association argues this demonstrates the community is critical to the success of the India-New Zealand FTA. NZ First has railed against the FTA, saying it'll allow more Indian migrants into the country. President Sunil Kaushal says the numbers are clear. "We need to set the record straight - the Kiwi-Indian community has been there for 200 years." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour Leader Chris Hipkins is open to working with the Government on a bill banning social media for under-16s. Speaking to Canterbury Mornings, Hipkins said any social media ban should go through the select committee process, and New Zealand should take lessons from Australia's recently introduced restrictions. "We've got to do more to keep our kids safe online, but the Aussie experience has shown that it's not easy". Hipkins also shared his views on recent policy announcements from NZ First, National and the Greens, as well as China's missile tests in the South Pacific. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lara Greaves chats with Rosetta and Milly about NZ First's proposed policy to reduce voting rights to NZ Citizens. Whakarongo mai nei!

Green Party MP Lan Pham joins us Live to discuss the party's "Drink Swim Fish" policy announced today, tackling water quality and strengthening environmental protections for our oceans.Paul Barlow co-hosts tonight, and gives an update on the state of politics and this weekend's top headlines.NZ First campaigning to limit voting to citizens only, and Winston Peters is out of the country during Indian President's visit to NZ, not long after complaining about the Indian Trade Agreement.++++++++++++++++++++Like us on Facebook.com/BigHairyNetwork Follow us on Twitter.com/@bighairynetworkFollowing us on TikTok.com/@bighairynetworkSupport us on Patreon www.patreon.com/c/BigHairyNewsCheck out our merch https://bhn.nz/shop/Donate to our work https://bhn.nz/shop/donation/

A historic visit is just the latest in a chain of landmark developments that are seeing us forge closer ties with India. Narendra Modi will arrive in Auckland next week - marking the first time an Indian Prime Minister has ventured to our shores in four decades. It comes on the heels of our countries signing a free trade agreement. Political commentator Brigitte Morton says it's a good sign for the trade agreement between both nations - and it could be seen as a positive move for New Zealand's Indian communities, given certain comments made by NZ First. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fresh New Zealand First candidate and veteran politician Michael Laws says he doesn't have too much baggage to return. He's a past National MP and has also already been with NZ First. He resigned from Parliament in 1996, after revelations his secretary had forged a signature to grant a poll contract to a company his wife part-owned. Laws told Heather du Plessis-Allan that he's learned valuable lessons. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's a political Friday Faceoff this week with esteemed journalist and editor of Politick Richard Harman and NZ Herald Political editor Thomas Coughlan joining Nick Mills in the studio. Starting with the Moa Point plant review in the hands Minister Simon Watts desk, which has no timeline for public release. Harman and Coughlan discuss why the government could be withholding it and how are they feeling 150 days into the ecological disaster. The panel analyse Michael Laws candidacy for NZ First, can he make a difference in the party? And can Peters handle all these personalities? And the tragedy of the man who died after waiting 9 hours in the Emergency Department of Waikato Hospital. Our panel look at the problems that led our country here and how we need to improve so it never happens again. Have those at the top of the Ministry of Social Development considered the realities of emergency housing before imposing targets for managers? The panel faceoff over whether the government has influenced these and reflect on Minister Tama Potaka's fumbles recently around this and the conservation clause that blew up last week. Plus, Minister Casey Costello suggests decreasing excise tax for tobacco, being banned from a cafe for a MAGA hat and the panel share their hots and nots. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time to talk history with Dr Grant Morris and this week after seeing some of the latest polling, he's keen to look into the history of small centrist political parties. The Opportunities Party is currently nearing 5% in the political polls. It is arguably a centrist party and could go with either Labour or National. In the 2002 election, Peter Dunne and his centrist party United Future experienced a large surge. In the 2017 election, Winston Peters and centrist NZ First held the balance of power. What examples do we have from our history of small centrist parties playing a key role in elections?

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 3rd of July, Erica Stanford is expanding the early childhood language push, and Te Ururoa Flavell is calling for a change in Te Pāti Māori leadership. All Blacks coach Dave Rennie joined for a chat ahead of his first test at this helm this weekend. And Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson talk the Michelin star hype, Fish and Chip Friday, and Michael Laws standing for NZ First as they Wrap the Week. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's Friday, which means Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson are back with Mike Hosking to Wrap the Week that Was. They discussed the Michelin star hype, Fish and Chip Friday, and the naming of former MP and broadcaster Michael Laws as an NZ First candidate. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, artist and local Government politician Oscar Kightley and Tim Wilson from the Maxim Institute joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Chef Jack Crosti, who has worked for Michelin-starred kitchens across the UK and Europe, has criticised the Michelin Guide after Tuesday night's inaugural awards ceremony in a post on social media. Do we think his criticisms are valid? What do we think of Erica Stanford's plan to help language development in under-5s? Do we think Michael Laws is really the right choice for NZ First? What do we think their plan is here? 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.

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.

Winston Peters is accusing National of discriminating against Indian citizens in the Indian free trade deal - a shocking about-turn from earlier criticism. The NZ First leader previously claimed the deal would lead to open-slather immigration. But he now says National's abruptly changed course by tightening immigration settings against Indian citizens. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper recapped the debate further. 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 only winner out of political polls is the media for the simple reason it gives them a chance to pontificate and clickbait. "Luxon fronts media after bad poll”. Why is that the headline as opposed to "Hipkins answers questions after poll collapse"? Let's do some simple math: there are about 53% of voters who are broadly centre-right. Pollsters will tell you this to be true. If you accept NZ First are doing well, their highest number is 15% so take that off your 53%, you are down to 38%. Take a chunk off for ACT, they seem to be about 7-9% so let's call it 8%, and you're at 30%, which is where National roughly are. The numbers make perfect sense. It's not a "bad poll", it's simple math. If there is one “real” story in any given poll, especially this week's one, it's that the main parties of Labour and National are sharing a shrinking slice of the vote, which if you like MMP is what is supposed to happen. The Greens, ACT and NZ First have established themselves as a permanent presence. We should be celebrating this, not because of specific policy, but because we voted for a system that spreads the vote and provides greater representation. That's what we wanted so that is good news. Also, you've got Opportunity at 4%. I don't think they'll get there, but if I'm wrong and they get the 5% and they go on to become the newest member of the permanent club, that is further support that will bleed away from the major players. The media coverage discusses none of this because I suspect they haven't thought about it, or indeed they may not even understand it. A lot of Europe with proportional systems have Governments led by parties who won the election with a vote in the 20's, if not low 20's. That is proportional representation. Here's the next big question: it's been ruled out by the Greens, but not Labour, so why not cut the head of Opportunity an electorate deal in Mt Albert? Mt Albert is tight. Helen White won it by a whisker. Opportunity could split the vote and hand the place to the Nats, or Labour could David Seymour it and Epsom her into Parliament and thus create a brand-new coalition partner. That's the really interesting part of the polls and machinations. But no, the media just want "Luxon fronts media after bad poll". They are stuck in the 90's. This is a way more gripping story than they are telling. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

NZ First leader Winston Peters wants overseas tech giants to pay more tax - as Government agencies send millions offshore. Stuff reports public service departments spent $18 million dollars on advertising with offshore tech companies last year, mainly Google and Meta. Peters says the Government needs to revisit the idea of hitting major tech firms with targeted taxes. "Other countries are looking at the heart of this as well, including the European Union, including countries like France, we should be part of the process and trying to get ourselves on board, even when we can apply it." LISTEN ABOVESee 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.

So, how to handle the avalanche of ideas that are starting to tumble our way even though we are still five months away from the election? The nuances of MMP mean the vast majority of what is promoted on the campaign trail will never see the light of day. This is a great advantage to small parties and those in Opposition. The simple thing to do is hear it all, debate it all, and work it out for ourselves. Trouble with that is you get fatigue and you get confusion. What's in, what's out, what might be in, what could be in. What will never happen, no matter how badly you want it. “Buy in” in this country is bad enough as it is. With the divisive nature —not to mention complete BS— of social media, people are already hopelessly confused as to what is real and what is not. The social media fanaticism currently of those telling you the entire conservation estate is to be sold is a good case in point – I personally know people who believe it, even though it isn't true. Making it slightly more complex is the lack of bottom lines. No one has one. There isn't a policy that a party will die on a hill for. So they can plead and promise, cajole and arm twist, it still —no matter what the idea— might not ever get to be a “thing”. Therefore, what do you vote on? The Greens and their envy taxes – never happening. The purchase by the State of the Bank of New Zealand – never happening. The Nats and compulsory Super – personally I doubt it will ever get up. It might, but probably won't. So what is it we are voting for? Well most of the stuff Labour says so far will happen if they win – bus rides, scans, doctors visits, and more tax on houses. The Greens won't stop that, so at least you know where you are at. Or from the Government's side – basically the status quo. Same parties, same policies, surely it will be the same rough coalition deal unless ACT or NZ First surge and have greater leverage. My guess is that won't happen. But if we air all ideas, we will get flummoxed, confused, and bored. And also disappointed when it it doesn't eventuate. So we need to pick our subjects, pick our topics with care, and not get bogged down by electoral fantasy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Luxon is in damage-control mode today, after Campaign Chair Simeon Brown made some strong comments at the Party's annual conference over the weekend. Brown's likened the two minor coalition parties to children, and has warned that voting for them doesn't help National. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says National's at risk of losing votes to ACT and NZ First, according to current polling. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and Child Fun CEO Josie Pagani joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! The Greens have admitted to making some maths errors in their new tax policy. How embarrassing is this? What will this tax plan do for voters, anyway? National's Simeon Brown compared coalition partners ACT and NZ First to children - is this a sign of things to come later in the campaign? What did we make of this? Do we think changes need to be made to KiwiSaver? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government's Conservation Amendment Bill includes plans to sell up to 60% of New Zealand's conservation land. The government argues that much of this land is not your typical conservation land - rather that it includes farmland and other unused areas without ecological benefits.  The bill's opponents, however, say this isn't the full story, and that the government's criteria for sale opens room to sell large portions of land currently inhabited by our native flora and fauna. The policy also paves the way for further sales of conservation land, especially concerning because of the minimal public influence on the decision, despite the fact that it affects public assets.  The concerns are further compounded by the release of a Curia Market Research poll this morning on public support for the sale of conservation land. Not only are the majority of the population opposed, but this opposition extends to the majority of National and ACT voters and half of NZ First voters.  Youth unemployment is also an issue in the news cycle this week, with rates at a thirty year high. Despite this government being in power for almost three years, improvements are difficult to find.  Lastly, last week saw announcements that Flying Out Record Store and Neck of the Woods will both be closing. These announcements follow the closure of Verona Cafe and Bar and the cancellation of The Others Way festival for 2026. With Auckland's arts and culture funding seeing cuts each year, there are calls for the government to take action to support these businesses and communities. For this week's catch-up with the ACT Party's Simon Court, News Director Castor asked about each of these issues, beginning with the Conservation Amendment Bill.

The National Party is addressing party faithful at its annual conference ahead of the election. National's campaign boss has compared ACT and NZ First to bickering children - but he saved the strongest criticism for Labour and the Greens and said the opposition parties would 'ruin' the country's books. Prime Minister Chris Luxon will soon address the conference and announce a Kiwisaver-related election policy. Newstalk ZB political reporter Ethan Griffiths explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Fisheries Minister says his contentious bill will be paused, for the time being. It faced backlash for planning to cut commercial fish size minimums - and stopping people viewing boat footage via Official Information Act requests. Shane Jones says there's it's caused disharmony across parties in Parliament. He says the contested bill needs more time. "The Greens can engage in political intercourse, the recreationists can engage in the process of an election - and let's see what happens." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Winston Peters says MBIE's size is an issue as he calls for the officials involved in the latest scandal to be jailed. Immigration Minister Erica Stanford says she was misled about cost increases for a project to upgrade border biometric systems, wasting more than $30 million. The Public Service Commission is investigating officials' behaviour. The New Zealand First Leader told Mike Hosking MBIE is far too big and is covering far too many areas. He says the computer programme INCIS was a failure, and the National Library computer programme and Transmission Gully both went over-budget. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NZ First leader on shaking things up with Shane Jones at Fieldays. Plus, he talks about the state of farming, a recent positive poll, and superannuation.See 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.

Newstalk ZB Senior Political Correspondent Barry Soper joined Andrew Dickens to chat about the political week that was. They discussed the MPs banned from China following a Taiwan visit last year, the Government moving to ban unelected members from voting in local councils, and the rise of the fringe parties. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm not one to get excited at election time about the outside chance that small parties like Opportunity make it into Parliament. But I reckon this year is different. If Opportunity plays this right, they might just do it. Yesterday's Roy Morgan poll had them at 6%. Now, I don't know how much stock I put in that poll because it was very volatile. National went up 5% and Labour went down 7.5%. Swings that big have got to be questioned because they don't seem credible. But this is now a trend for Opportunity. They are now close to, or over, 5% in multiple polls and knocking off 5% is the one thing they must do. It's the biggest hurdle for a new party. Voters don't want to vote for a party if they think it's not going to make it in. It's a weird part of our voter psyche that makes no sense. But never mind – it might not matter for Opportunity if they can keep polling this high. I reckon they are benefiting from the same thing NZ First is at the moment: frustration. Like with Pauline Hanson, Nigel Farage, and Donald Trump, voters are so frustrated by regular politicians ignoring them and their concerns for decades. That's why they want to blow things up, break up the supermarket duopoly, break up the gentailers, buy back the BNZ, and stop the immigration. For voters on the right, NZ First is their "blow it up" party. For voters on the left, it's Opportunity. They're the party for voters frustrated by Labour never being brave enough to do anything bold and for voters frustrated by the Greens being too weird. Opportunity is a radical left-wing party with a land tax and a universal basic income, fronted by a nice lady from Auckland. If they can play this right, if that polling holds up, 2026 might just, to coin a phrase on this show, be their year. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An MP facing Chinese sanctions is refusing to apologise for visiting Taiwan. ACT's Laura McClure has been banned from China for a year, along with NZ First's David Wilson, Labour's Duncan Webb, and National's Maureen Pugh. The four visited the self-governing island territory last month. McClure told Heather du Plessis-Allan it's an intimidation tactic – likely to put people off visiting Taiwan, but she hopes that won't happen. She says Taiwan has long-been an important economic and cultural partner, like China itself. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Roy Morgan's newest poll shows the National-led Government is still leading among prospective voters. Support for National increased 5 percent to 30.5 percent, support for NZ First dropped 0.5 percent to 11 percent and support for ACT dropped 0.5 percent to 10 percent. Meanwhile, support for Labour dropped to 26.5 percent, and support for the Greens increased 1.5 percent to 12.5 percent. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says this was a big drop for some parties, but it's still too early to tell how things will play out. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An RNZ investigation has revealed one-million dollars in political donations from people and entities linked to fast track applications since 2022. The bulk of this - almost ninety percent - has gone to National and NZ First. RNZ In Depth's Farah Hancock spoke with Guyon Espiner.

Ian Rogers, editor of BankingDay.com discusses NZ First's idea to buy back the BNZ from National Australia Bank. He spoke to John Campbell.