The Elephant

The Elephant is New Zealand's boldest new podcast and video series, fearlessly tackling the tough topics we often avoid discussing in a world where the risk of causing offence or risking cancellation …

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13 clip(s) in playlist

Is equity killing excellence?
In the final episode of The Elephant for 2025, we ask should the workplace reward fairness or flawless performance? DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusioin) promises opportunity for all. MEI (Merit, Excellence says only the best should rise. Miriama Kamo and Mark Crysell bring together Alexia Hilbertid…
34:23
Proud to be Pākeha?
Proud to be Pākehā? Or carrying the baggage of history? From Kiwi grit and humour to the legacy of the past, what does it really mean to claim this identity today? Miriama Kamo and Mark Crysell tackle the tough questions with Eliza McCartney, Tamati Rimene-Sproat, Dr Ella Henry, Andrew Judd, and D…
33:34
Free Speech
Where’s the line between free speech and hate speech, and who gets to draw it? After years of cultural shouting matches, The Elephant asks the question at the core of it all. Free-speech defenders say cancel culture is killing debate, while others argue some of this so-called “speech” is really ju…
37:12
What is womanhood?
The question “What is a woman?” ignites one of today’s fiercest cultural clashes. Join Miriama Kamo and Mark Crysell as they tackle this charged topic with former squash player and Race Relations Commissioner Dame Susan Devoy, psychologist and Women’s Rights Party member Linde Rose, teacher and jo…
35:28
Fleeing America
Kiwi travel to the United States has dropped by 10%, and it’s not just about airfares. With phones being searched and politics at the border heating up, Miriama Kamo and Mark Crysell are joined by expert guests to explore why so many New Zealanders are suddenly uneasy about visiting America. The E…
30:38
Is NZ broken?
After a winter of discontent, The Elephant asks the question everyone’s thinking... is New Zealand broken? Prices have soared, unemployment’s at a five-year high, and even with falling house prices, home ownership feels further away than ever. So what’s really driving the national mood, and what wo…
36:56
Drugs
Drug busts are breaking records. Meth, coke, MDMA, you name it. But no matter how tough the crackdowns get, the flow just doesn’t stop. Now, the Drug Foundation says it’s time to ditch punishment and focus on health. This week a new survey from the Helen Clark Foundation and Otago University shows…
31:34
ADHD
ADHD’s having a moment, on TikTok, in doctors’ offices, and in nearly every conversation. Once written off as a kid’s disorder, it’s now being diagnosed in record numbers of adults, especially women. But is this a long-overdue reckoning, or the latest mental health fad gone too far? Miriama Kamo a…
36:07
Contact Sports
A growing international movement is calling for New Zealand to ban children under 14 from playing contact sports, amid mounting evidence of long-term brain damage caused by repeated head knocks. Join Miriama Kamo and Mark Crysell as they thrash out the risks, rewards and realities of kids in conta…
36:30
The C Word
It’s one of the most charged, taboo, and divisive words in the English language, four letters that can stop a room cold. Join Miriama Kamo and Mark Crysell, along with guests - broadcaster Bree Tomasel, women's advocate Jackie Clark, and sociolinguist Dr Julia de Bres - to they dive headfirst into …
32:45Explicit