Has Kiwisaver become a bit of a political football?  Or is it more a tug-of-war?




With the original author Labour on one side, and on the other, National's developments for the superannuation scheme, Pillar CEO Nathan Seiuli questions whether Kiwisaver will serve New Zealanders well in retirement.  He joined Andrew Urquhart to weigh up the different policy implications for employees and employers, particularly asking if the responsibility to save for retirement is shifting in the right direction.




Text 8168, keyword 'Comments' to share your thoughts.

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Tune into Thoughts & Comments from 10:00am - 2:00pm on the Rhema Media App.




 For more from the show, visit the Thoughts & Comments page at rhema.co.nz.



Tune into Thoughts & Comments from 10:00am - 2:00pm on the Rhema Media App.

For more from the show, visit the Thoughts & Comments page at rhema.co.nz.

Produced using AI tools under human supervision.

Has Kiwisaver become a bit of a political football? Or is it more a tug-of-war? With the original author Labour on one side, and on the other, National's developments for the superannuation scheme, Pillar CEO Nathan Seiuli questions whether Kiwisaver will serve New Zealanders well in retirement. He joined Andrew Urquhart to weigh up the different policy implications for employees and employers, particularly asking if the responsibility to save for retirement is shifting in the right direction. Text 8168, keyword 'Comments' to share your thoughts.~~~~Tune into Thoughts &amp; Comments from 10:00am - 2:00pm on the Rhema Media App. For more from the show, visit the <a href="https://www.rhema.co.nz/listen-on-demand/video-podcast/thoughts-and-comments" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Thoughts &amp; Comments</a> page at rhema.co.nz. Tune into Thoughts &amp; Comments from 10:00am - 2:00pm on the Rhema Media App.For more from the show, visit the <a href="https://www.rhema.co.nz/listen-on-demand/video-podcast/thoughts-and-comments" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Thoughts &amp; Comments</a> page at rhema.co.nz.Produced using AI tools under human supervision.

Here you can catch up on all of the latest interviews from Thoughts & Comments with Andrew Urquhart.

Here you can catch up on all of the latest interviews from Thoughts &amp; Comments with Andrew Urquhart.

Thoughts & Comments Interviews

Thoughts & Comments brings social commentary to current issues and a faith perspective to the latest news. Hosted by Andrew Urquhart, a seasoned broadcaster with over three decades of experience. In each episode, Andrew chats with a wide range of guests and experts who bring their wisdom and insight to a huge variety of topics, including politics, psychology, societal trends, theology, geopolitical analysis, social policy, and spirituality. We’ll give you something worth thinking about! Thoughts & Comments with Andrew Urquhart, wherever you get your Podcasts.

Thoughts &amp; Comments brings social commentary to current issues and a faith perspective to the latest news. Hosted by Andrew Urquhart, a seasoned broadcaster with over three decades of experience. In each episode, Andrew chats with a wide range of guests and experts who bring their wisdom and insight to a huge variety of topics, including politics, psychology, societal trends, theology, geopolitical analysis, social policy, and spirituality. We&rsquo;ll give you something worth thinking about! Thoughts &amp; Comments with Andrew Urquhart, wherever you get your Podcasts.

Thoughts & Comments Podcast

Thoughts & Comments brings social commentary to current issues and a faith perspective to the latest news. Hosted by Andrew Urquhart, a seasoned broadcaster with over three decades of experience, chatting with a wide range of guests and experts who bring their wisdom and insight to a huge variety of topics, including politics, psychology, societal trends, theology, geopolitical analysis, social policy, and spirituality. We’ll give you something worth thinking about! Thoughts & Comments with Andrew Urquhart, wherever you get your Podcasts.

Thoughts &amp; Comments brings social commentary to current issues and a faith perspective to the latest news. Hosted by Andrew Urquhart, a seasoned broadcaster with over three decades of experience, chatting with a wide range of guests and experts who bring their wisdom and insight to a huge variety of topics, including politics, psychology, societal trends, theology, geopolitical analysis, social policy, and spirituality. We&rsquo;ll give you something worth thinking about! Thoughts &amp; Comments with Andrew Urquhart, wherever you get your Podcasts.

Thoughts & Comments

KiwiSaver Battle Between Labour & National

Brook Turner from Vision West joins Andrew Urquhart to weigh in on New Zealand's tax debate, questioning why the political conversation has narrowed to a choice between "no new taxes" or cutting essential services, with little discussion of the "nation building" tax is meant to achieve.




Turner argues that investing in community services delivers real economic returns, noting that housing and supporting a rough sleeper is far cheaper long-term than leaving them unsupported, which can cost citizens a million dollars over their lifetime. He contends that cutting programmes to avoid tax rises simply "kicks the can down the road" at greater cost to the nation, and calls for politicians to offer a genuine vision for what New Zealanders' contributions would build, rather than treating tax and generosity as opposing forces.



Tune into Thoughts & Comments from 10:00am - 2:00pm on the Rhema Media App.

For more from the show, visit the Thoughts & Comments page at rhema.co.nz.

Produced using AI tools under human supervision.

Brook Turner from Vision West joins Andrew Urquhart to weigh in on New Zealand's tax debate, questioning why the political conversation has narrowed to a choice between "no new taxes" or cutting essential services, with little discussion of the "nation building" tax is meant to achieve. Turner argues that investing in community services delivers real economic returns, noting that housing and supporting a rough sleeper is far cheaper long-term than leaving them unsupported, which can cost citizens a million dollars over their lifetime. He contends that cutting programmes to avoid tax rises simply "kicks the can down the road" at greater cost to the nation, and calls for politicians to offer a genuine vision for what New Zealanders' contributions would build, rather than treating tax and generosity as opposing forces. Tune into Thoughts &amp; Comments from 10:00am - 2:00pm on the Rhema Media App.For more from the show, visit the <a href="https://www.rhema.co.nz/listen-on-demand/video-podcast/thoughts-and-comments" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Thoughts &amp; Comments</a> page at rhema.co.nz.Produced using AI tools under human supervision.

Tax, Cuts Or Vision: What Kind Of NZ?

Dr Eric Crampton, chief economist at the New Zealand Initiative, unpacks tax as a defining election issue, noting that even without new taxes, "fiscal drag" from inflation is quietly pushing more Kiwis into higher tax brackets and driving up government revenue as a share of GDP.



He argues that post-COVID spending has outstripped pre-pandemic levels far beyond what population ageing alone explains, meaning voters must judge whether they're getting real value for that extra spend, or face either higher taxes or cuts. Dr Crampton is sceptical of taxing "the rich" alone or introducing a wealth tax, warning both often drive capital and investment offshore, and instead argues Labour's proposed capital gains tax is messier than needed given decades of existing workarounds. He instead favours raising GST paired with a low-income rebate (Canadian-style) as the least distorting way to fund government if more revenue is truly required ([www.nzinitiative.org.nz](https://www.nzinitiative.org.nz)).




Tune into Thoughts & Comments from 10:00am - 2:00pm on the Rhema Media App.

For more from the show, visit the Thoughts & Comments page at rhema.co.nz.

Produced using AI tools under human supervision.

Dr Eric Crampton, chief economist at the New Zealand Initiative, unpacks tax as a defining election issue, noting that even without new taxes, "fiscal drag" from inflation is quietly pushing more Kiwis into higher tax brackets and driving up government revenue as a share of GDP. He argues that post-COVID spending has outstripped pre-pandemic levels far beyond what population ageing alone explains, meaning voters must judge whether they're getting real value for that extra spend, or face either higher taxes or cuts. Dr Crampton is sceptical of taxing "the rich" alone or introducing a wealth tax, warning both often drive capital and investment offshore, and instead argues Labour's proposed capital gains tax is messier than needed given decades of existing workarounds. He instead favours raising GST paired with a low-income rebate (Canadian-style) as the least distorting way to fund government if more revenue is truly required ([www.nzinitiative.org.nz](https://www.nzinitiative.org.nz)).
 Tune into Thoughts &amp; Comments from 10:00am - 2:00pm on the Rhema Media App.For more from the show, visit the <a href="https://www.rhema.co.nz/listen-on-demand/video-podcast/thoughts-and-comments" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Thoughts &amp; Comments</a> page at rhema.co.nz.Produced using AI tools under human supervision.

Tax Election 2026: Who Really Pays the Bill?

With election campaigning now in full swing, host Andrew Urquhart is joined by commentator Tash McGill to unpack the tax policies dividing Labour, the Greens, National and ACT - from capital gains and wealth taxes to tax-free thresholds and no-new-taxes pledges. They explore why so few voters see themselves as "rich" enough to be taxed more, even as parties campaign on taxing wealth at one end or cutting it at the other.




Tash challenges the assumption that left-leaning policy is inherently about taxing the wealthy while right-leaning policy simply rewards them, pointing out that the same income can mean very different lifestyles depending on where someone lives. She argues genuine generosity can't be mandated through tax brackets, and highlights ACT's targeted small-business tax cut as an example of pragmatic, non-partisan policy that could matter more than broad ideological stances on wealth redistribution.



Tune into Thoughts & Comments from 10:00am - 2:00pm on the Rhema Media App.

For more from the show, visit the Thoughts & Comments page at rhema.co.nz.

Produced using AI tools under human supervision.

With election campaigning now in full swing, host Andrew Urquhart is joined by commentator Tash McGill to unpack the tax policies dividing Labour, the Greens, National and ACT - from capital gains and wealth taxes to tax-free thresholds and no-new-taxes pledges. They explore why so few voters see themselves as "rich" enough to be taxed more, even as parties campaign on taxing wealth at one end or cutting it at the other. Tash challenges the assumption that left-leaning policy is inherently about taxing the wealthy while right-leaning policy simply rewards them, pointing out that the same income can mean very different lifestyles depending on where someone lives. She argues genuine generosity can't be mandated through tax brackets, and highlights ACT's targeted small-business tax cut as an example of pragmatic, non-partisan policy that could matter more than broad ideological stances on wealth redistribution. Tune into Thoughts &amp; Comments from 10:00am - 2:00pm on the Rhema Media App.For more from the show, visit the <a href="https://www.rhema.co.nz/listen-on-demand/video-podcast/thoughts-and-comments" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Thoughts &amp; Comments</a> page at rhema.co.nz.Produced using AI tools under human supervision.

KiwiSaver Battle Between Labour & National

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