Election Enrolment Cut-Off: Suppression or Self-Government?

Commentator and NZ Herald columnist Jonathan Ayling joins Andrew Urquhart to unpack two late-campaign controversies: the earlier-than-usual electoral enrolment cut-off, and Labour's eleventh-hour Kāinga Ora rent-to-own housing policy. He pushes back on claims from Chlöe Swarbrick and Trevor Mallard…

OCR Hold: Reprieve Or Just Delayed Pain?

Grant Marshall from Christian Savings joins Andrew Urquhart to unpack the Reserve Bank's surprise decision to hold the official cash rate, despite widespread expectations of a rise amid inflation pressures from oil prices. The vote was unusually close at four to three, with annual inflation easing …

Homelessness: Beyond Politics, Into Relationship

Helen Robinson, Chief Executive (Manutaki) of the Auckland City Mission, discusses the growing crisis of rough sleeping in central Auckland and the impact of new police "move-on" powers that took effect this week. She reveals that around 200 people sleep without shelter in central Auckland nightly,…

Behind The Scenes Of The Party Leader Interviews

Andrew Urquhart talks to Andrew Curtis who reflects on his series of election interviews with party leaders, recorded in the same studio for Shine TV. He reveals he has so far sat down with David Seymour, Marama Davidson, Winston Peters and Chris Luxon, while noting with a wry smile that a few othe…

GP Driven Offshore Over One Bad-Taste Email

Jillaine Heather, Executive Director of the Free Speech Union, unpacks the case of a well-qualified GP who left New Zealand after a late-night joking email to a drug company rep spiralled into a full Medical Council investigation. Despite apologising, the doctor was branded "overtly racist" and tol…

When The Child Becomes The Parent

Counsellor John Cowan joins Andrew Urquhart to unpack "parentification" - the role reversal where a child takes on inappropriate levels of responsibility within a family, whether caring for siblings, managing a disabled or unwell parent, or becoming a parent's emotional confidant (sometimes called …

Would Jesus Vote? Faith Amid Election Noise

Ethicist and broadcaster Frank Ritchie joins Andrew Urquhart fresh from a week-long monastic retreat at Southern Star Abbey, reflecting on a renewed sense of the cross's weight after walking the Stations of the Cross. He uses that experience to frame how Christians should approach the approaching 7…

Gangs, Grace & Government Funding: A Case For Partnership

Lieutenant Colonel Ian Hudson of the Salvation Army discusses the organisation's eight-year partnership with the Notorious chapter of the Mongrel Mob on drug addiction and rehabilitation, responding to recent political controversy over government funding for gang-linked initiatives led by figures s…

Israel's Election Deadlock: Two Right Blocs, No Winner

Geopolitical analyst Dr Jeffrey Miller, editor of the Gulf States Insight newsletter, unpacks Israel's first election since the Gaza war, which saw a record turnout near 80%, boosted by returning expatriates and a surge in Arab-Israeli voting. He explains that neither Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc (53 …

Labour's Late Housing Policy: Hope Or Hollow Promise?

Political commentator Tash McGill joins Andrew Urquhart to unpack Labour's last-minute rent-to-buy housing announcement, revealed just as early voting opened. The scheme would let Kāinga Ora tenants build a deposit via a weekly credit (around $5000 a year) and raises the first home loan income cap …