Jillaine Heather from the Free Speech Union discusses Chris Hipkins' last-minute pledge, made at a Wellington mosque the day before the election, to enact the Royal Commission's recommendation on hate speech. She argues this amounts to reintroducing blasphemy law by stealth, despite Parliament unanimously repealing blasphemy laws in 2019 and the policy appearing nowhere in Labour's manifesto.




Heather warns the proposed law would criminalise insulting or criticising any religion, pointing to overseas precedents in the UK, Pakistan and Europe where such laws have been weaponised and selectively enforced against minority and dissenting voices rather than protecting communities. With the Greens and Te Pāti Māori also backing the policy, she says the outcome may hinge on special votes and the Opportunities Party's position, and confirms the Free Speech Union is running a petition and preparing a briefing document for whichever government is formed ([fsu.nz](https://www.fsu.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.

Jillaine Heather from the Free Speech Union discusses Chris Hipkins' last-minute pledge, made at a Wellington mosque the day before the election, to enact the Royal Commission's recommendation on hate speech. She argues this amounts to reintroducing blasphemy law by stealth, despite Parliament unanimously repealing blasphemy laws in 2019 and the policy appearing nowhere in Labour's manifesto. Heather warns the proposed law would criminalise insulting or criticising any religion, pointing to overseas precedents in the UK, Pakistan and Europe where such laws have been weaponised and selectively enforced against minority and dissenting voices rather than protecting communities. With the Greens and Te Pāti Māori also backing the policy, she says the outcome may hinge on special votes and the Opportunities Party's position, and confirms the Free Speech Union is running a petition and preparing a briefing document for whichever government is formed ([fsu.nz](https://www.fsu.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

Labour's Eve-Of-Election Blasphemy Law Promise

Writer and commentator Jonathan Ayling reflects on a tense, anticlimactic election night and the negative, at times racist and abusive, online campaigning highlighted by recent Victoria University research into political Facebook posts. He shares how attending church the morning after voting, and joining others in singing, became an unexpected antidote to political hangover and division.




Ayling argues New Zealand's liberal democracy depends on citizens actively contributing to shared, non-political common ground rather than outsourcing "social cohesion" to government or professionals, warning that rising identitarian politics and polarization - even within churches - erode the unity that makes differing political views safe to hold. He calls for everyday participation in churches, sports clubs and schools to rebuild that cohesion, rather than passively waiting for politicians to heal divides.



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.

Writer and commentator Jonathan Ayling reflects on a tense, anticlimactic election night and the negative, at times racist and abusive, online campaigning highlighted by recent Victoria University research into political Facebook posts. He shares how attending church the morning after voting, and joining others in singing, became an unexpected antidote to political hangover and division. Ayling argues New Zealand's liberal democracy depends on citizens actively contributing to shared, non-political common ground rather than outsourcing "social cohesion" to government or professionals, warning that rising identitarian politics and polarization - even within churches - erode the unity that makes differing political views safe to hold. He calls for everyday participation in churches, sports clubs and schools to rebuild that cohesion, rather than passively waiting for politicians to heal divides. 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.

After The Election: Singing Our Way Back To Common Ground

Grant Marshall from Christian Savings joins Andrew Urquhart to unpack how the inconclusive election result, falling house prices and a weaker kiwi dollar are rippling through the New Zealand economy.



Marshall argues uncertainty rather than instability is the bigger risk, noting businesses and investors tend to delay decisions or turn conservative when government formation is unclear, even as markets and the Reserve Bank (already signalling a pre-Christmas OCR rise) continue operating independently. He weighs up the double-edged nature of falling house prices and a low kiwi dollar - good for first-home buyers and exporters, but a squeeze on business lending tied to home equity and costlier imports for retailers heading into Christmas - while dismissing the idea that New Zealand's economy simply switches off over the festive season ([www.christiansavings.co.nz](https://www.christiansavings.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.

Grant Marshall from Christian Savings joins Andrew Urquhart to unpack how the inconclusive election result, falling house prices and a weaker kiwi dollar are rippling through the New Zealand economy. Marshall argues uncertainty rather than instability is the bigger risk, noting businesses and investors tend to delay decisions or turn conservative when government formation is unclear, even as markets and the Reserve Bank (already signalling a pre-Christmas OCR rise) continue operating independently. He weighs up the double-edged nature of falling house prices and a low kiwi dollar - good for first-home buyers and exporters, but a squeeze on business lending tied to home equity and costlier imports for retailers heading into Christmas - while dismissing the idea that New Zealand's economy simply switches off over the festive season ([www.christiansavings.co.nz](https://www.christiansavings.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.

Election Uncertainty: What It Means for Your Money

Broadcaster John Cowan joins Andrew Urquhart to explore how we process painful memories and trauma in a healthy way, rather than simply trying to suppress or forget them. He notes that attempting to block out distressing thoughts often backfires, borrowing author Miranda Hart's line that "what we resist persists".



Cowan unpacks a therapist-used approach called imagery re-scripting, where instead of fighting a memory, you let it in and deliberately add the positive details that were also true of that time - kindness shown, lessons learned, love that was present. He also describes imagining your mature adult self stepping into the memory to comfort and reassure your younger, hurting self, changing the emotional charge of the memory without denying or sugar-coating what happened. Cowan, drawing on grieving the loss of both his parents within a year, says the memory itself doesn't disappear but can shift from a painful jab to a feeling of gratitude - while cautioning that deeper trauma may need professional counselling rather than self-help alone.



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.

Broadcaster John Cowan joins Andrew Urquhart to explore how we process painful memories and trauma in a healthy way, rather than simply trying to suppress or forget them. He notes that attempting to block out distressing thoughts often backfires, borrowing author Miranda Hart's line that "what we resist persists". Cowan unpacks a therapist-used approach called imagery re-scripting, where instead of fighting a memory, you let it in and deliberately add the positive details that were also true of that time - kindness shown, lessons learned, love that was present. He also describes imagining your mature adult self stepping into the memory to comfort and reassure your younger, hurting self, changing the emotional charge of the memory without denying or sugar-coating what happened. Cowan, drawing on grieving the loss of both his parents within a year, says the memory itself doesn't disappear but can shift from a painful jab to a feeling of gratitude - while cautioning that deeper trauma may need professional counselling rather than self-help alone. 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.

Labour's Eve-Of-Election Blasphemy Law Promise

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