Tonight on the podcast...

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Westpac has stunned everyone. The Reserve Bank cuts the OCR, the government does a victory lap promising relief is finally coming, and then Westpac sprints out of the blocks with a mortgage rate hike.

Kiwis are on their knees, desperate for a break, and the bank that holds the government contract is the first to crank rates up. You honestly couldn’t make this stuff up.

This episode, we call it exactly as we see it, then bring in economist Ed McKnight to explain what’s really going on. Ed breaks down why wholesale funding costs have jumped, why Westpac moved before anyone else, and whether the other banks are about to follow.

He also maps out where rates might head next and how long the brief low-rate window really lasted.

Plus, we dig into spending trends, business confidence, and why sentiment is shifting even before mortgage rates fall for everyone. It’s a big chat, and it’s one you shouldn’t miss.

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Nicola Willis has walked straight into a political trap, and tonight we get into why it matters.

The finance minister didn’t just respond to a provocation from the Taxpayers’ Union and Ruth Richardson, she elevated them, turning a sideshow into a headline feud. We break down why that was a rookie mistake, and what she should have done instead.

Then Chris Bishop joins us to unpack the biggest RMA shake-up in 30 years. He explains how the new system could cut consent times, strip out pointless red tape and finally make it faster and cheaper to build in New Zealand. Bishop talks land costs, simplified zones, digital planning, fast-track projects and the potential for real economic growth if we get this right.

Plus we read your messages on government waste, council rates, and the frustration many feel about firearms rules. It’s a lively one.

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This one might just be the poll that flips the script. National’s finally seeing results after a long, flat year, Labour’s had a bump too, and the left… well, that’s another story altogether. The Greens face-plant, Te Pāti Māori collapses to 1 per cent, and voters look like they’ve simply walked away.

We dig into why this shift matters, how economic optimism is creeping back in, and why Christopher Luxon suddenly has a bit more spring in his step. Duncan’s blunt about the mess inside Te Pāti Māori, and pollster David Farrar joins us to make sense of the numbers, the mood, and what this might mean heading into next year.

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We’ve seen some wild housing stories over the years, but this one takes the cake. In today’s episode, we break down the quiet Kāinga Ora deal that handed almost 20 state houses to Tainui for $10 million… and then locked every non-iwi Kiwi out of buying them.

No tender. No open market. No chance for anyone else.

Duncan unpacks why this long-standing treaty clause is suddenly being used at scale, why it’s stirring real anger, and what it means for home ownership, fairness, and the idea of one New Zealand. Then our panel - Ashley Church and Rawdon Christie - jump in to debate whether this is racial division or simply a treaty promise being honoured.

We also get into Andrew Coster’s fight for credibility, the year’s political winners and losers, and the moments that truly shaped 2024.

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Are we actually getting the truth about the state of New Zealand’s finances? Today we dig into what the government says it’s cutting, what it’s really spending, and why the numbers simply don’t stack up. Net debt is rising, weekly borrowing continues, and the tough calls we were promised still haven’t shown up.

Ashley and Maurice jump in with their usual firepower, breaking down everything from the cost blowouts to the Treasury warnings keeping people awake at night. We also look at next week’s massive RMA reforms, which could genuinely shift the dial for housing if the government gets them right. But who wins, who loses, and why is farming carved out for now?

Plus, Maurice unleashes on rates caps, traffic management madness and the staggering cost of bureaucracy that punishes ratepayers. It’s a session full of straight talk, sharp numbers and zero spin.

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Andrew Coster’s exit should’ve been simple. Instead, we’ve ended up paying for a slow, messy departure that highlights everything broken about accountability inside the public service.

Today we break down what really happened behind the scenes, how Coster fought to stay on full pay, and why his golden handshake feels like an insult to taxpayers and to the woman failed by police leadership.

We dig into the IPCA findings, the culture that protected senior officers, and the decision to keep paying Coster even after the writing was on the wall. And the big question that should have everyone rattled: why has the door been left open for him to return?

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This one has everything. Politics, pressure, and a school lunch saga that went seriously sideways. Today we unpack the spectacular backfire that’s dominated the headlines, after principal Peggy Burrows tried to pin spoiled lunches on David Seymour’s free school meals programme… except the facts didn’t land where she hoped.

We run through what actually happened, why the provider’s records tell a totally different story, and how a stack of week-old meals left sitting at the school turned into a national spectacle.

Then, David jumps in from the back of a car heading through the Waterview Tunnel to explain the investigation, the delivery logs, and why millions of lunches have gone out without issue.

Another big day on Editor in Chief. Let’s get into it.

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We knew the rates cap was coming, but no one expected the government to drag it out this long. On today’s episode, we dive into the plan to finally rein in council rate hikes… in 2029. That’s six years after National took office. People need relief right now, not in the next political lifetime.

Duncan reckons it’s a great policy torpedoed by hopeless timing, and Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers’ Union joins us to break down why councils are already licking their chops.

With spending up, payrolls swelling, and some councils proposing record increases, the delay effectively gives them three years to pump rates even higher.

We also get into the government’s wider economic credibility, the slow-walked reforms, Nicola Willis’ spending story, and whether this National-led government is sleepwalking toward becoming a one-term wonder.

Find out why Duncan says this delay is nothing short of a masterclass in political uselessness.

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We’ve got a Code Blue on our hands. Today we dive into the explosive claims from a senior health leader who says our hospitals are so stretched they’d be treated like a patient in full emergency mode. We talk about why Kiwi-trained nurses are being left on the bench while overseas staff walk straight into jobs, and why the system feels like it’s working against its own people.

Chris Luxon also gives the green light to move-on orders for Auckland’s homeless, and the team unpacks whether the plan is workable or just wishful thinking. Then we check in on Labour’s conference, their “ready to govern” pitch, and the policies that look good on paper but come without the numbers to back them.

Plus, Duncan shares a private nursing job opportunity for anyone keen to put their skills to use. Big stories, big opinions, and plenty to chew on.

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