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In this episode of The Select Committee, with election day just around the corner, we’re making our final predictions. Could The Opportunity Party hold the balance of power and determine the next Government? We look at the latest polling, the possibility of split voting, and whether National or Labour could come out on top. Next: is political conflict necessarily a bad thing? We discuss Josie Pagani’s argument that political disagreement is healthy and ask whether robust debate and competing ideas could strengthen our democracy, and whether civility is what we’re really missing. Finally, we look back at some of the election season's most ridiculous moments. From controversy over an Auckland Marathon run to shirtless political campaigning and underwhelming leaders’ debates, we reflect on some of the unexpected and entertaining stories that have made this election campaign one to remember. Wrapping the show is our favourite segment: Fantasy Beehive. MP performance is ranked using our highly advanced, completely proprietary technology. Subscribe to Maxim’s newsletter to receive our latest columns and podcasts straight to your inbox: https://www.maxim.org.nz/sign-up/

In this episode of The Select Committee, political attack ads are heating up as election day approaches. The Sensible Sentencing Trust's “Backing the Gangs” billboard has drawn criticism from the Greens, while an AI-generated ad takes aim at Chris Hipkins. Are these legitimate campaign tactics, or has political advertising gone too far? Next: with just over a week until the election, are voters still making up their minds? A recent poll suggests around 11% remain undecided. Could these voters change the outcome, or have most Kiwis already decided how they'll vote? Finally, Kerrin Leoni is back in the race! Just days after leaving Labour, she's standing as an independent in Tāmaki Makaurau—but her name will still appear alongside Labour on the ballot paper. Could voters be misled, and does this expose a flaw in our electoral system? Wrapping the show is our favourite segment: Fantasy Beehive. MP performance is ranked using our highly advanced, completely proprietary technology. Subscribe to Maxim’s newsletter to receive our latest columns and podcasts straight to your inbox: https://www.maxim.org.nz/sign-up/

In this episode of The Select Committee, gang politics have put Labour on the defensive. With Green and Te Pāti Māori MPs under fire for engaging with gang members on the campaign trail, Chris Hipkins is distancing Labour from their actions. Could the controversy cost Labour votes? Next: Labour wants to spend $28 million over four years to help get Kiwi kids off screens and onto sports fields. But will the funding actually get more children outside, or are there bigger barriers keeping kids indoors? Finally, is National making it harder for Kiwis to vote? Labour and the Greens are accusing the Government of voter suppression over changes to election enrolment deadlines and advance voting arrangements. Are these changes simply about making the election run more smoothly, or could some voters miss out? Wrapping the show is our favourite segment: Fantasy Beehive. MP performance is ranked using our highly advanced, completely proprietary technology. Subscribe to Maxim’s newsletter to receive our latest columns and podcasts straight to your inbox: https://www.maxim.org.nz/sign-up/

In this episode of The Select Committee, National and ACT have just released their fiscal plans, outlining how they intend to manage government spending and debt. But how do their approaches differ? We look at their plans to return to surplus, the pressure on New Zealand’s finances, and ACT’s proposal to raise the superannuation age to 67. Next: Labour and ACT agree on something! Both parties want to make school uniforms more affordable for families. But should parents have greater freedom to choose what their children wear, or should school boards make that call? Finally, could The Opportunity Party decide who forms the next government? With recent polls putting TOP around the crucial 5% threshold, we examine its potential role as kingmaker—and whether Christopher Luxon could reconsider his refusal to work with the party. Wrapping the show is our favourite segment: Fantasy Beehive. MP performance is ranked using our highly advanced, completely proprietary technology. Subscribe to Maxim’s newsletter to receive our latest columns and podcasts straight to your inbox: https://www.maxim.org.nz/sign-up/

In this episode of The Select Committee, we look at the latest Reid Research poll, which has National on 25.9%, raising questions about which, if any, National list MPs could make it back to Parliament—and whether some familiar names could be on the way out. Next: electricity, data centres, dry winters, and nuclear power. We take a look at Maxim’s latest research note, Understanding the Power Struggle, and ask whether we’re thinking about New Zealand’s electricity system in the right way. Finally, are political debates broken? With politicians surrounded by soundbites, social media, and focus-group politics, what would it take to make debates worth watching again? Wrapping the show is our favourite segment: Fantasy Beehive. MP performance is ranked using our highly advanced, completely proprietary technology. Subscribe to Maxim’s newsletter to receive our latest columns and podcasts straight to your inbox: https://www.maxim.org.nz/sign-up/

In this episode of The Select Committee, we look at how The Opportunity Party has ruled out some of its biggest policies and laid out five bottom lines. So how workable would they be for each major party?  Next: Chlöe Swarbrick wants the Finance portfolio. With Chris Hipkins ruling that out, how much influence could the Greens really have if their polling continues to rise? Finally, we look at tactical voting under MMP. Strategically splitting your electorate and party votes could change the shape of the next Parliament. Would you do it? Wrapping the show is our favourite segment: Fantasy Beehive. MP performance is ranked using our highly advanced, completely proprietary technology. Subscribe to Maxim’s newsletter to receive our latest columns and podcasts straight to your inbox: https://www.maxim.org.nz/sign-up/

In this episode of The Select Committee, we take stock as Parliament wraps up for the term. What did the coalition win? We look at Resource Management Act reform, education changes and falling crime rates, and ask how much credit the  Government can take? Next: where has it fallen short? We look at fiscal restraint, government spending and the size of the public service—and whether the Government has delivered on its promise to cut costs. Finally, we ask the big question: who came out on top within the coalition? National, ACT or New Zealand First? With the election campaign now underway, which party has made the most of its time in Government? Wrapping the show is our favourite segment: Fantasy Beehive. MP performance is ranked using our highly advanced, completely proprietary technology. Subscribe to Maxim’s newsletter to receive our latest columns and podcasts straight to your inbox: https://www.maxim.org.nz/sign-up/

In this episode of The Select Committee, National wants to break up New Zealand’s supermarket duopoly. Could the shake-up really deliver cheaper groceries, or are there trade-offs lurking beneath the headline? Next: ACT wants to freeze the minimum wage for three years—with workers under 20 potentially earning just $14.37 an hour. What is the economic case for holding wages steady, and what could it mean for workers struggling to keep up with the cost of living? Finally, we turn to AI and political campaigning in New Zealand. Where does satire end and deception begin?  Wrapping the show is our favourite segment: Fantasy Beehive. MP performance is ranked using our highly advanced, completely proprietary technology. Receive our latest columns and podcasts straight to your inbox: https://maximinstitute.substack.com Subscribe to Maxim’s monthly newsletter: https://www.maxim.org.nz/sign-up/

In this episode of The Select Committee, we examine the Greens’ plan for KiwiMart, a government-owned supermarket chain designed to increase competition and bring down grocery prices. Could it really deliver cheaper food, or would the costs end up outweighing the benefits? Next: a shock poll result for Labour. With ACT and the Greens gaining ground, is Chris Hipkins for the chop, or is Labour’s problem bigger than its leader? Finally, ACT wants to repeal the Zero Carbon Act. Is climate change losing its place as a political priority, and how should New Zealand balance emissions targets with our agricultural economy? Wrapping the show is our favourite segment: Fantasy Beehive. MP performance is ranked using our highly advanced, completely proprietary technology. Receive our latest columns and podcasts straight to your inbox: ⁠https://maximinstitute.substack.com⁠ Subscribe to Maxim’s monthly newsletter: ⁠https://www.maxim.org.nz/sign-up/⁠

In this episode of The Select Committee, we discuss Sir Brian Roche’s preference to consolidate the public service. Would fewer agencies improve accountability, or will this turn out to be another costly restructure? Paolo Garcia’s valedictory speech highlights the darker side of politics. He described the abuse he has faced and said safety concerns forced him to move house. What does his experience say about the need for political civility? Te Pāti Māori has released a sweeping tax plan, including a $30,000 tax-free threshold and a wealth tax on net assets above $2 million. What behavioural effects could follow, and how much it could a minor party realistically take into coalition talks? Wrapping the show is our favourite segment: Fantasy Beehive. MP performance is ranked using our highly advanced, completely proprietary technology. Receive our latest columns and podcasts straight to your inbox: https://maximinstitute.substack.com Subscribe to Maxim’s monthly newsletter: https://www.maxim.org.nz/sign-up/

In this episode of The Select Committee, we examine Labour’s fiscal promises for the election. Their policy includes returning to surplus by 2029/30 and keeping government spending at 33% of GDP. But do Labour’s numbers add up when further tax revenue has yet to be identified? Next: allegations of ballot theft and fraudulent voting in the 2025 local elections. A secret whistleblower and gang threats are also claimed. What does it mean for our general election? Finally, ACT’s “one law for all” policy would strengthen property rights and reinforce parliamentary sovereignty over the courts. Is this a different version of the Treaty Principles Bill? Wrapping the show is our favourite segment: Fantasy Beehive. MP performance is ranked using our highly advanced, completely proprietary technology. Receive our latest columns and podcasts straight to your inbox: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://maximinstitute.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to Maxim’s monthly newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.maxim.org.nz/subscribe

Something in our cultural moment has shifted. Across the globe, people feel disconnected. They’re unsure of where they belong, yet paradoxically more tribal. Education is shaped by ideology. Politics infuses every sphere. We struggle to disagree well. These are symptoms of what Dr Sarah Irving-Stonebraker calls our “Ahistoric Age.” She argues that we are forgetting how to remember. The past is often treated as irrelevant, discarded in favour of narratives of self-fulfilment and self-creation. As our historical understanding dims, so too does our ability to comprehend the present. We become foreigners in our own time. So how might history ground us when it so often divides? Dr Irving-Stonebraker explores what it means to steward history, and explains how recovering lost and overlooked stories can restore a sense of belonging and inheritance. When we can’t remember the past, not only are we condemned to repeat it; we actually lose what holds us together.

In this episode of The Select Committee, we examine TOP’s tax and universal income proposals after a bruising Q&A interview. Can TOP’s appeal survive the shift from political “vibe” to detailed policy scrutiny? We then turn to Te Pāti Māori’s election strategy, with its focus on winning Māori electorate seats while encouraging supporters to party vote elsewhere. If successful, the move could create an overhang in Parliament—a quirk of our MMP system. Finally, we reflect on the fallout from the attempted National Party coup. We discuss Christopher Luxon’s demotion of Minister Chris Penk: How this will affect National going forward? We wrap the show with our favourite segment, Fantasy Beehive, where we rank MP performance using our highly advanced, completely proprietary technology. Receive our latest columns and podcasts straight to your inbox: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://maximinstitute.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to Maxim’s monthly newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.maxim.org.nz/subscribe

In this episode of The Select Committee, we take a look at the National Party’s latest leadership drama. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has survived a coup attempt less than 90 days out from the election. We ask what this reveals about dissatisfaction within the caucus—and the media’s role in amplifying instability. Can National now present a genuinely united front? We then turn to Labour's two bad polls. It may be a good week for them to land, but what can Chris Hipkins do, and what role is The Opportunity Party playing in all this?  Finally, what comes next for National: another coup attempt, or is bad publicity actually good publicity? We wrap the show with your favourite segment, Fantasy Beehive: MP performance ranked using our highly advanced, completely proprietary technology.  Receive our latest columns and podcasts straight to your inbox: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://maximinstitute.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to Maxim’s monthly newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.maxim.org.nz/subscribe

In this episode of The Select Committee, we take a look at New Zealand First’s proposed Kiwi Kids Grant: $5,000 a year for each of a family’s first three children during their first three years. We ask what this policy says about our culture and whether it would actually lift the birth rate. We then turn to ACT’s classroom behaviour policy, which would allow disruptive students to be removed using reasonable and proportionate force. Is this a necessary intervention that protects students’ ability to learn, or does it risk escalating conflicts with students? Finally, we discuss Winston Peters describing a statement by Chris Hipkins as a “lie”, and Chlöe Swarbrick’s ejection from the House after accusing Speaker Gerry Brownlee of “double standards”. We ask whether Parliament’s declining standards are weakening the quality of political debate. We wrap the show with our favourite segment, Fantasy Beehive, where we rank MP performance using our highly advanced, completely proprietary technology. Receive our latest columns and podcasts straight to your inbox: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://maximinstitute.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to Maxim’s monthly newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.maxim.org.nz/subscribe