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Tax is everywhere in this election — but how much are politicians actually telling us? This week on Both Sides Now, we sit down with economist Brad Olsen to spill The Tax Tea and get into the stuff that tends to get left out of the campaign slogans. Is our tax system actually fair? What taxes should we have — and what shouldn’t we be taxing? Is debt really the big problem politicians make it out to be? And what does a good tax system actually look like? No “tax cuts good, tax hikes bad” soundbites here — just an adult conversation about where the money comes from, where it goes, and what voters should actually be thinking about when politicians start talking tax. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We kick things off with the Hager book — the latest political bombshell making waves in Wellington. We get into what’s in it, the reaction it’s sparked, and what it all means with the election just around the corner. To give the book some context Eve shares her experience of working at the Taxpayers Union. Then it’s another big week of policy drops, starting with Supermarkets 3.0 — Labour's plan to shake up the grocery duopoly, including new independent wholesalers, a crackdown on unfair contracts and junk fees, and more options for smaller supermarkets. The Greens want a fairer deal for small businesses, Labour has a tax cut for landlords — was this the right decision in a cost of living crisis? Plus screen-free early childhood education and limits on screens in primary schools, TPM’s proposed $200m independent LGBTQ+ commission, and the Greens’ latest push on lobbying. Then it’s the last week of Parliament: goodbye RMA, hello Planning Act and Natural Environment Act; the BSA is scrapped; council amalgamation and LNG are delayed; and we look at the MPs who’ve been kicked out along the way. We also get into the latest Ipsos Issues Monitor — what are actually the issues voters care about right now? And, of course, Social Media Moment of the Week: Nicola Grigg reminds us of the abuse politicians cop online, while Tamatha Paul and Max Key provide the political interaction that was not on our bingo car for the year. Finally, the Stuff Kingmakers debate is on this Thursday night — so we’ll be watching. Tune in online. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Both Sides Now, we’re joined by Freshwater Strategy's Dr Mike Turner, International pollster and political researcher, for a chat about pretty much everything you could want to know about politics and campaigning. We start with where the NZ election is at, what the latest polls are telling us and, perhaps more importantly, what they aren’t telling us. Mike takes us through how polling actually works, why polls can get it wrong and how much we should read into those numbers that dominate the headlines. We also go well beyond the election — talking about AI and what it could mean for the future of work, whether Gen Z and Gen Alpha are engaging with politics differently, and what younger voters might mean for the future of political engagement. Basically, if you’ve ever looked at a poll and wondered “how do they actually know this?” — we’ve got you covered. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Both Sides Now, we kick things off with Ed Sheeran vs Macklemore, has Ed made the right call? Then we get into the big policy stories of the week: National entering the supermarket chat. Labour taking aim at supermarket price gouging, the Greens putting $200m behind Te Reo Māori, and Te Pāti Māori’s plans for New Zealand’s energy system. And we get into ACT’s small business policy, including a proposed freeze on the minimum wage and a new youth training wage for under-20s, set at 60% of the minimum wage for up to a year. ACT says the policy is about making it easier for businesses to take on and train young people — but what does it mean for young workers? We also look at National’s plan to put more police on public transport — will it actually make people feel safer, and what would it look like in practice? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Both Sides Now, we’re doing a political whistlestop tour because all the parties decided to do a policy dump this week. We start with the Green's KiwiMart. We then run through Labour and ACT's climate change and policies. TPM and ACT’s plans for the Waitangi Tribunal, what do these policies surpassingly have in common? We then go into Labour's AI policy, National’s first-home buyer announcement, and NZ First’s push around superannuation for citizens — plus the latest twist on immigration. We finish with Opportunity’s IERF policy. It’s a lot, but we’re breaking down what’s actually being proposed, why the parties are pushing it, and what it could mean if they ever make it into government. Another week, another nine things to have an opinion about. Welcome to election year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Both Sides Now we kick things off with National’s student loan policy. What is National actually proposing, who stands to benefit, and does it meaningfully change the picture for young New Zealanders trying to get ahead? Then we turn to health, with a particular focus on women’s health and the latest announcements in this space. We look at what the parties are promising and why young people should care about the health system. And finally, we get into climate change. We unpack ACT’s proposed scrapping of the Climate Change Commission, what that could mean for the way New Zealand approaches emissions and climate policy, and National’s position on the Paris Agreement. We also have some tax chats coming up! As mentioned on the show, if you have anything you want the experts to answer please email us at [email protected] (no question is a silly question!) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We sit down with Rewiring Aotearoa's Mike Casey for a wide-ranging conversation about one of the biggest costs facing New Zealanders: energy. We get into power and petrol, and ask what can politicians actually do to make your power bill and petrol bill cheaper? We talk about the practical policy changes that could make a difference, what’s getting in the way, and whether politicians are making energy more complicated than it needs to be. Mike isn’t a politician, and that’s part of what makes his perspective so refreshing. He has a genuine focus on policies that actually work for New Zealanders — and he’s not afraid to give credit where it’s due or call out bad ideas, regardless of which side of the political spectrum they come from. In a political world that can sometimes feel very tribal, it’s refreshing to hear someone who can see both the good and the bad in parties across the political spectrum. A practical conversation about energy, politics and, ultimately, how we can make some of the biggest household bills a little cheaper.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the podcast, we get stuck into Te Pāti Māori’s decision to campaign for the candidate vote only and what it means for MMP, the Māori electorates and the wider election campaign. Then we attempt something that seems increasingly difficult in politics: having an adult conversation about tax. What should we actually be taxing, why do we tax it, and what does a fair tax system look like? We look at how the major parties are communicating their tax messages, what is getting lost in the political spin, and whether voters are being given enough detail to properly judge the choices on offer. And with the leaders’ debates being announced, we discuss what we actually want to see debated and, more importantly, what matters to young people. Are the issues that affect younger generations getting enough attention, and what questions should the party leaders be forced to answer before we head to the polls? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the podcast: leadership coup round two. And somehow, it was even more of a mess. If you are feeling overwhelmed by it all, don't worry, so are we! We unpack what actually happened inside National, why Chris Penk decided to make a move, who knew what and when, and what the whole saga says about Christopher Luxon’s leadership heading into the election. Luxon survived his second leadership challenge of the year, but the drama has certainly raised questions about the stability of the Government. Then, Opportunity is at 8%. Yes, you read that right. The latest 1News Verian poll has Opportunity clearing the 5% threshold and sitting level with NZ First. So what does that mean for the election, who is voting for them, and could they end up holding the balance of power? And finally… where are the left in all of this? Labour who? With Opportunity gaining ground and the political landscape getting increasingly unpredictable, we take a look at what is happening on the left and whether Labour is doing enough to actually cut through with voters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Both Sides Now we sit down with ACT MP Laura McClure for a wide-ranging conversation about her journey into politics and some of the issues she’s been pushing since entering Parliament. We chat about her bill tackling AI-generated deepfakes, why she thinks the law needs to catch up with rapidly developing technology, and what should happen when AI is used to create misleading or harmful content. Laura also opens up about her own political journey — including why she has previously voted for different political parties, what eventually led her to ACT, and what it was like making the jump into Parliament. We also get into the manosphere and the growing influence of online communities on young people, as well as some of the challenges politicians face when trying to have conversations about gender, social media and the internet. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's a slightly longer episode this week, but there was no shortage of topics to cover. We start by briefly discuss Winston Peters' latest remarks before turning to one of the biggest challenges facing New Zealand: youth unemployment. We discuss why more young people are struggling to find work, whether our education system is preparing people for the jobs of the future, and how AI is already changing the workforce. From university degrees to apprenticeships, we ask what skills will actually matter in the years ahead. We then shift to looking at the Prime Minister's decision to rule out working with Opportunity after the next election. What does that mean for Opportunity's chances, could it influence voters, and how might it shape the coalition options available under MMP? To wrap up, we discuss AI data centres and whether New Zealand should be going ahead with the one in Southland. We weigh up the economic opportunities, the energy demands, and whether the benefits outweigh the costs as countries around the world race to build the infrastructure that will power the next generation of AI. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another busy week in politics, and we're unpacking the stories behind the headlines. We start with the fallout from Stuart Nash's comments suggesting women who take time off to have children are "lazy". Were his comments taken out of context, or do they reflect a wider attitude towards unpaid care and parenting? We discuss why the comments have generated such a strong reaction and what they tell us about the political conversation around work and family. We also break down the Government's proposed changes to consent laws. What exactly is changing, why is it being reviewed, and could these reforms have been made now? Finally, we dive into this week's inflation figures. Annual inflation has jumped to 4.1%, up from 3.1% last quarter, with prices rising 1.5% over the June quarter—driven largely by higher fuel costs. What does that mean for interest rates, mortgages, and the cost of living? We unpack the numbers, why they matter, and whether this is likely to be a temporary spike or the start of a broader inflation problem. We of course have social media moment of the week to wrap up the episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we're talking celebrity politicians after Paul Henry announced he's standing for ACT. Is this the start of a trend, or just another reminder that politics and entertainment are becoming harder to tell apart? We also look at the UK's Count Binface, who might be a joke candidate on paper but ends up making some surprisingly sharp points. With the regulated period just around the corner, we check back in on the election predictions we made earlier this year to see how they're tracking. With the political landscape shifting, it's a good time to see what's changed and whether we're sticking by our original calls. And of course, we wrap up with our social media moment of the week, featuring Tamatha Paul and the Warriors jersey. An awesome example of how sport has a unique ability to bring us together. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Both Sides Now, we unpack two similar approaches to making solar power more accessible by National and Labour. Despite being from opposite sides of the spectrum we discuss the importance of seeing the two main political parties largely in alignment on New Zealand's energy future. We also discuss the government's proposed social media ban for young people and the role of VPNs. We share our experiences growing up with social media and what we think a ban will, or will not achieve. We then take a look at NZ First's proposed citizens' vote policy, is this the direction we want to see New Zealand heading in? Finally, with Matariki marking the Māori New Year, we reflect on the importance of the holiday, how it has been embraced across New Zealand, and what it represents as a time to remember the past, celebrate the present, and look ahead to the future. To wrap up, our social media moment of the week from MP Greg Flemming illustrates the spirit of Matariki beautifully: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1EyZnikjbh/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the podcast we're unpacking the Conservation Amendment Bill and separating the facts from the politics. There's been plenty of debate about what the Bill actually does, so we take a look at what's changing, why it's causing such a stir, and whether the concerns being raised stack up. We also dive into the Government's KPIs for emergency housing. What are they trying to achieve, are these the right measures to be using, and will they actually make a difference? Plus, Opportunity is back in the headlines. We look at their latest polling, whether they're making any real progress, and what it all means with the next election on the horizon. And for Social Media Moment of the Week, we're talking about National's AI-generated video. Is it a clever way to connect with voters, or does it miss the mark? We're not entirely convinced... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.