David Cohen on Different Matters, Jacinda and The Untold Stories

David Cohen is a Wellington writer and the author of eight books. In 2025 he released his political biography, Jacinda: The Untold Stories, co-authored by Rebecca Keillor, in November 2025. After Jacinda turned down Cohen's request to interview her for the book, he decided to create a platform for…

Stephen Rowe on Different Matters, liberterianism, AI in politics and AI in Porn

Stephen Rowe is full-stack digital strategist by profession, innovator by passion, and a storyteller at heart. With over a decade of experience under his belt, he has mastered the art of bridging and blending cutting-edge technology with human connection.  After graduating in 2015, he left Montan…

Helen Joyce on Different Matters, the trans movement and why it is uniquely poisonous

Helen Janeith Joyce is an Irish journalist and gender critical activist. She studied as a mathematician and worked in academia before becoming a journalist. Joyce began working for The Economist as education correspondent for its Britain section in 2005 and has since held several senior positions,…

Bariz Shah on Different Matters, Beyond Hope, and Islam

Bariz Shah, originally from Afghanistan, grew up in New Zealand in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, grappling with a sense of identity shaped by the tension between his cultural roots and his new environment. At age 18, Bariz ended up in an Auckland prison. He spiralled from schoolyard fights in…

Dr James Kierstead on Different Matters, Grade Inflation and its links

Dr James Kierstead is a Research Fellow at The New Zealand Initiative focusing on higher education policy, including academic freedom. James holds a BA in Classics from Oxford, an MA in Ancient History from the University of London, an MA in Political Science from Stanford and a PhD in Classics fr…

Mike McRoberts on Different Matters, reflections in the water, Te Reo Maori and Speaking my Language

One of New Zealand's most recognisable faces, Mike McRoberts was the TV anchor of the six o'clock news bulletin on Newshub for over two decades. Damien Grant interviews Mike McRoberts about his book, Speaking My Language. For much of his life, Mike felt burdened by not knowing his own language - t…

Dr Oliver Hartwich on Different Matters, Leonardo da Vinci, the enlightened world and where it's headed.

Oliver is the Executive Director of The New Zealand Initiative. Before joining the Initiative, he was a Research Fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies in Sydney, the Chief Economist at the Policy Exchange in London, and an advisor in the UK House of Lords. According to Hartwich, "...more th…

Benedict Collins on Different Matters, Meth, and how New Zealand got hooked.

Benedict Collins is a political journalist working for 1News in the press gallery in Wellington. From his first days as a reporter, he's had a strong interest in covering anything to do with illicit drugs and enforcement. He's covered punitive drug-testing sanctions applied to beneficiaries, the b…

Barbera Oakley on Different Matters, psychopaths, sociopaths, Machiavellianism and the evil genes behind them

Dr Barbara Oakley is a Distinguished Professor of Engineering at Oakland University. She conducts research on learning, cognition, and educational practices, bringing insights from neuroscience and psychology into the classroom. A New York Times bestselling author, she has written and co-authored n…

Musa al-Gharbi on Different Matters, the origins of woke ideology, symbolic capitalism and the new "woke" elite

Musa al-Gharbi is an American sociologist. He is an assistant professor in the School of Communication and Journalism at Stony Brook University.  Al-Gharbi is the author of the 2024 book We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite, a study of the history and political econo…