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Paul Goldsmith: Expanding citizen's arrests, move-on orders, and voting law reform After an eventful week led to senior minister Paul Goldsmith being landed with 11 ministerial portfolios - possibly the most a single minister has ever had - he joins Jack Tame to say why, with victims of crime declining, the Government has expanded citizen's arrest powers and is seeking to pass move-on order laws…
In less than a year, Opportunity have gone from sub-one percent support to eight percent in the latest 1News Verrian poll. On those numbers, leader Qiulae Wong would be entering Parliament joined by eight of her peers from the Opportunity party list come November. She joins Jack Tame to launch Opportunity's Clean Up Politics policy, which would strengthen lobbying transparency and political party…
After an eventful week led to senior minister Paul Goldsmith being landed with 11 ministerial portfolios - possibly the most a single minister has ever had - he joins Jack Tame to say why, with victims of crime declining, the Government has expanded citizen's arrest powers and is seeking to pass move-on order laws by the end of the term. And with National needing a new candidate for safe seat…
Simeon Brown: Energy prices, hospital pressures, and National's polling With power prices in the spotlight, Energy Minister Simeon Brown has become one of the key figures in Christopher Luxon's cabinet. He joins Jack Tame to explain why the Government isn't moving to break up the gentailers, the cost of maintaining frontline health services, and whether National's caucus backs Christopher Luxon.…
In late 2025, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith celebrated the passing of a new law which he said would speed up the voting count after a general election: unlike previous elections, in 2026, no one will be allowed to enroll once early voting starts, 13 days before election day, November 7. It's driving Electoral Commission Chief Executive Karl Le Quesne to make sure as many New Zealanders as…
With just one new housing development, the town of Prebbleton, on the outskirts of Christchurch, could increase its total number of households by over 25 percent. Birchs Village would bring 530 new houses to Prebbleton. After facing difficulties getting resource consent, the development has been listed with the Government's fast-track legislation. Q+A reporter Whena Owen meets the development's…
With power prices in the spotlight, Energy Minister Simeon Brown has become one of the key figures in Christopher Luxon's cabinet. He joins Jack Tame to explain why the Government isn't moving to break up the gentailers, the cost of maintaining frontline health services, and whether National's caucus backs Christopher Luxon. Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the answers to the questions…
Outspoken former Children's Commissioner cut short in role Dr Claire Achmad was given around five weeks' notice that she would be exiting her role of Children's Commissioner. First appointed to a five-year term to advocate for young people in New Zealand, that became a one-year term in 2025, and when she signed off on Friday July 31st, she left office two years earlier than she’d expected. She…
Migrant families can be split apart when family members are denied visas on the basis that their disability would be a burden to New Zealand's health system, a Green MP says. Green MP Lawrence Xu-Nan's members bill would remove the ability to discriminate and carve out a way for affected families to challenge these decisions: by making a complaint to the Human Rights Commission. Join Jack Tame and…
Twenty years from now, people will look back on high speed limits we have in cities now and find them just as unbelievable as smoking indoors - a relic of the past. That's the dream of a visiting Dutch academic. Professor Marco te Brömmelstroet holds the Chair on Urban Mobility Futures at the University of Amsterdam and spoke at the Public Transport Association conference at Te Papa this week.…
Dr Claire Achmad was given around five weeks' notice that she would be exiting her role of Children's Commissioner. First appointed to a five-year term to advocate for young people in New Zealand, that became a one-year term in 2025, and when she signed off on Friday July 31st, she left office two years earlier than she’d expected. She says that she has been a "fair and balanced critic" of…
Russia's principal security service says a Russian citizen has been detained in the country's far East. The man is accused of spying for New Zealand's SIS. Jack Tame sits down with Russia's Ambassador Stanislav Krans at the Russian Embassy in Wellington to ask more about the case. And nearly four and a half years into the military invasion of Ukraine, and following 35 rounds of New Zealand…
Chlöe Swarbrick: Greens want one-year ban on AI data centres The Greens have announced an election campaign policy to put a one-year moratorium on the consenting and building of AI data centres in New Zealand, citing a need to put in place strong regulations before the emerging tech industry can have irreversible impacts on the country's natural resources. Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick…
Anthony FitzGerald served as a judge for 27 years and has seen first-hand the fortunes of Auckland's homeless caught in the justice system. This week he appeared before a parliamentary select committee to oppose the Government's move-on orders legislation. He joins Tova O'Brien to explain why he thinks communities and businesses are being misled about move-on orders as a solution to antisocial…
Labour MP Arena Williams and National MP James Meager join Tova O'Brien to discuss the big stories of the week, including Stuart Nash's election-killing comments on maternity leave, what local investment in data centres should look like, and their future ambitions for leadership. Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the answers to the questions that matter. Made with the support of NZ on Air.
First-term ACT MP Laura McClure captured headlines by holding up an image in parliament that appeared to show her naked: the image was a deepfake. She is the backer of a bill that would explicitly criminalise the creation and distribution of pornographic deepfakes, after hearing the stories of Kiwi women who were victimised by AI-generated images. Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the…
The Greens have announced an election campaign policy to put a one-year moratorium on the consenting and building of AI data centres in New Zealand, citing a need to put in place strong regulations before the emerging tech industry can have irreversible impacts on the country's natural resources. Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick joins Tova O'Brien, and also discusses the party's energy and…
Former naval officer Chris Penk took over the helm of the defence portfolio from ministerial veteran Judith Collins in April of this year. Since then, the geostrategic environment has only grown in intensity and complexity with the continuation of conflict in Iran. Freshly returned from the NATO summit in Turkiye, and in the wake of a Chinese ballistic missile test in the Pacific, he joins Q+A to…
Paul Henry has worked in broadcasting for more than forty years, becoming one of the most recognisable names in New Zealand television from his time as a presenter, and more recently serving as a board member for TVNZ. On Tuesday he announced his candidacy for the ACT Party list. He says while the decision came together quickly, he wants to be in parliament to create a better future for his ten…
Historian Sarah Irving-Stonebraker joins Q+A to discuss her ideas around increasing societal alienation, and in her view why diminishing knowledge of shared history contributes to it. Irving-Stonebraker is in New Zealand to deliver the Maxim Institute's Sir John Graham lecture, which this year explores what it means to be a steward of history.
Mike Munro was one of the most senior behind the scenes figures in both Helen Clark, and Dame Jacinda Ardern’s governments. In an interview with Q+A with Jack Tame, he explains why politics is such a seductive profession for competitive people to get into, how the political arena has changed over decades, and what it was like to work in coalition with Winston Peters. Munro also offers insights…
'Perverse incentive': MSD staff metrics include emergency housing grants Ministry of Social Development (MSD) managers are being told they can face performance management if, among other measures, their staff approve too many emergency housing requests, documents obtained by Q+A reveal. Homelessness advocates say the scale of rough sleeping is unprecedented in New Zealand, and that government…
Former National MP and minister Alfred Ngaro joins Q+A to talk about his political journey towards becoming a candidate for NZ First, his socially conservative values, and Christian Zionist beliefs. Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the answers to the questions that matter. Made with the support of NZ on Air.
Senior NZ First MPs are on a long tour of town halls around the country, with more than 30 dates planned before the election campaign begins. Reporter Whena Owen went to Kaikōura to see Shane Jones in action, as controversies swirl over recreational fishing, the party’s coalition positioning, and limousine usage. Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the answers to the questions that matter.…
Labour strategists are hoping for a return to government just three years after one of their worst-ever election results. Campaign chair Kieran McAnulty sets out why he believes there could be a one-term National government. Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the answers to the questions that matter. Made with the support of NZ on Air.
Ministry of Social Development (MSD) managers are being told they can face performance management if, among other measures, their staff approve too many emergency housing requests, documents obtained by Q+A reveal. Homelessness advocates say the scale of rough sleeping is unprecedented in New Zealand, and that government policies are part of the reason why. Jack Tame put the documents, obtained…
Helen Clark: New Zealand's unsolved problems and fragile peace in Iran Productivity, sensible taxation and the ballooning cost of superannuation are among the uniquely thorny, long-lasting issues that New Zealand hasn't been able to conquer. It's a politically-motivated cycle of short-term flip-flopping on these important issues that The Helen Clark Foundation's new book, Facing Up To Our Future,…
The ACT Party has introduced a new campaign policy which it says will stop professional regulatory bodies - like the Medical Council, or Real Estate Agents Authority - from policing workers' privately-held beliefs. ACT says these regulators are increasingly overstepping their statutory roles and enforcing ideological views across their industry. ACT MP Simon Court joins Q+A. Join Jack Tame and the…
The Prime Minister and National Party faithful are gathering in Wellington for the party's 90th annual conference. With less than five months until the election, the biggest party in parliament is preparing to switch into campaign mode, with Christopher Luxon set to announce new policies. 1News senior political reporter Benedict Collins joins Q+A live from Wellington. Join Jack Tame and the Q+A…
Productivity, sensible taxation and the ballooning cost of superannuation are among the uniquely thorny, long-lasting issues that New Zealand hasn't been able to conquer. It's a politically-motivated cycle of short-term flip-flopping on these important issues that The Helen Clark Foundation's new book, Facing Up To Our Future, diagnoses as the problem - released, strategically, in a general…
Yet another challenge has been made to the embattled UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer's leadership. Former Manchester mayor and newly-elected Labour MP Andy Burnham is calling on the PM to consider his options for a handover of power just two years into the government's five-year term, the legacy party searching for renewed energy in the face of surging support for Nigel Farage's Reform party.…
Does Labour's public transport fare cap policy add up? The Labour Party - the biggest party in Opposition, maintaining a tight lead in this year's polls - has decided to open its election year campaign with a public transport fare cap policy: $20 a week in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, and $10 everywhere else. Labour's transport spokesperson, MP for Palmerston North Tangi Utikere, says…
New Ministry of Justice projections forecast a 35 percent growth in New Zealand's prison population over the next ten years, with those kept in remand - people who have been charged but not convicted, or convicted but not sentenced - set to swell by nearly fifty percent. Asher Emanuel, a public lawyer and author of bestselling book The Valley: Crime and Punishment in a New Zealand City, says the…
The United States appears poised to sign a deal to end the war in Iran following three and a half months of global disruption from the closed Strait of Hormuz. Energy analyst David Keat joins Q+A to discuss how the conflict has permanently changed energy markets. Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the answers to the questions that matter. Made with the support of NZ on Air.
The Government is pushing ahead with plans to build a liquefied natural gas terminal in New Zealand as a security buffer for when locally-made, renewable energy sources dry up. Reporter Whena Owen travels to Taranaki, the proposed site of the facility, to ask residents how they feel about having LNG in their backyard. Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the answers to the questions that…
The Labour Party - the biggest party in Opposition, maintaining a tight lead in this year's polls - has decided to open its election year campaign with a public transport fare cap policy: $20 a week in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, and $10 everywhere else. Labour's transport spokesperson, MP for Palmerston North Tangi Utikere, says the policy delivers cost-of-living relief at a net cost…
Federated Farmers swing big for Election 2026 Agricultural lobby Federated Farmers have a lot to celebrate in the last parliamentary term. Their 2023 election policy priority list has almost all been picked up by the coalition government, with projects like revised freshwater rules, rethinking forestry incentives in the Emissions Trading Scheme, and scrapping the Labour government's 'ute tax' all…
Any political parties wanting to contest the 2026 general election in November need to have their registration papers submitted by the end of this week. Political hopefuls - and returning hopefuls like the Alliance party - are rallying to get the required 500 financial members in time. Whena Owen reports for Q+A, meeting a set of smaller parties vying for the chance to win party votes. Join Jack…
When Elon Musk's Space X is listed on the NASDAQ, it's set to be the biggest IPO in history - valuing the company at $3 trillion New Zealand dollars. Two AI giants, Anthropic and Open AI, have also signalled they'll list in the coming months. Jonty Kelt, the founder at Fantail Ventures, Q+A to preview the historic launches. Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the answers to the questions that…
He told us what he was going to do: that's the stark conclusion of two extremism researchers who've uncovered previously unreported public communications from the Christchurch terrorist in the years leading up to the 2019 March 15 attack. Researchers Chris Wilson and Michal Dziwulski say the Royal Commission into March 15 failed to ask some of the most important questions after the attack - and…
Agricultural lobby Federated Farmers have a lot to celebrate in the last parliamentary term. Their 2023 election policy priority list has almost all been picked up by the coalition government, with projects like revised freshwater rules, rethinking forestry incentives in the Emissions Trading Scheme, and scrapping the Labour government's 'ute tax' all achieved in the past three years. Federated…
Five months from the election, immigration is being framed by political parties as a critical election issue, with the Prime Minister warning the wrong policies could damage social cohesion. In New Zealand in 2026, migration is the main source of population growth, with the nation's fertility rate slumping to 1.6, below replacement levels. Is an immigration backlash the inevitable response to a…
In Budget 2026, Treasury published New Zealand's latest child poverty statistics. It's a grim picture, and one that isn't improving much: the number of households in material hardship is estimated to be 14 percent, with a 2028 target of six percent. Children's Commissioner Claire Achmad joins Jack Tame to lay out the cost of persistent child poverty and discusses the workability of a forthcoming…
Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered her third and final Budget Day speech for the parliamentary term this week. A Budget delivering investment in health, infrastructure and defence, the Minister has described it as "responsible" - while Opposition voices have criticised the lack of stimulus for ordinary New Zealanders facing cost-of-living pressures. The big bonus is a forecast return to…
Return to surplus? Nicola Willis charts economic recovery Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered her third and final Budget Day speech for the parliamentary term this week. A Budget delivering investment in health, infrastructure and defence, the Minister has described it as "responsible" - while Opposition voices have criticised the lack of stimulus for ordinary New Zealanders facing…
Featuring David Seymour, Richard Dawkins, and Whena Owen's story on social investment
World-renowned biologist and writer Richard Dawkins is embarking on a speaking tour to mark the 50th anniversary of his first book, The Selfish Gene, a seminal text on the nature of genetics. He joins Jack Tame from his home in Oxford to reflect on how science has progressed, and shares his impressions on whether artificial intelligence technology can be considered 'conscious'. Richard Dawkins…
RNZ chief executive Paul Thompson will resign after 13 years in the job, board chair Jim Mather announced this morning. Mather says while the decision for Thompson to resign at the end of 2026 was made in December of last year, the announcement has been pulled forward by "recent unhelpful external commentary about his future". Deputy prime minister and ACT Party leader David Seymour, who is also a…
Deputy Prime Minister and ACT Party leader David Seymour is welcoming the reduction of New Zealand's public service by 8700 staff over the next three years. He joins Jack Tame to discuss a new map of New Zealand's 267 different regulators from the Ministry for Regulation. With less than six months to the general election, and the party polling slightly lower than its 2023 performance, David…
Erica Stanford: NCEA, immigration and "anti-Māori" criticism Minister for education and immigration Erica Stanford joins Jack Tame to discuss the new scheme replacing NCEA, facing down public criticism over removing school boards' Treaty of Waitangi obligations, and why the National Party is toughening its rhetoric on immigration. She also pushed back on education ministry plans to remove ESOL…
