Duncan Garner - Editor In Chief

Chris Hipkins has repeatedly said ministers were not told about key health concerns around the Covid vaccine rollout for 12 to 15 year olds.

But a new tranche of official papers appears to move the timeline back.

Duncan Garner has covered this issue before. This episode is the update. The new documents suggest Hipkins may have been closer to the information than previously understood, including a vaccine ministers meeting on August 13, 2021, which he chaired, and later references to myocarditis risk being removed from official communications.

Aly Cook joins Duncan to walk through the latest paperwork, what it shows, what remains unanswered, and why she believes it goes directly to Hipkins’ credibility.

This is not about being pro vaccine or anti vaccine. It is about trust, transparency, and whether New Zealand parents were given the full picture.

Watch the full episode and tell us what you think.

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What is really going on at the Far North District Council?

Duncan Garner is joined by councillor Davina Smolders, who says major governance changes are being pushed through without proper public scrutiny. She raises concerns over unelected iwi representatives getting voting rights on a council committee, ratepayer-funded requests, new Mana Whakahono ā Rohe agreements, and language recognising Ngāpuhi sovereignty.

Smolders says another five agreements could be signed soon and argues the public deserves to know exactly what these deals mean before they are locked in.

Duncan asks the big questions. What power do these agreements actually create? Why has there been no proper consultation? And when will the Government step in?

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The government wants us to think they are being caring but responsible with this budget, but the economists aren't buying it. We look past the 30 press releases to find out what this means for your back pocket. From a sneaky new banking tax on savers to kicking real savings down the road, we break down why the math just doesn't add up.

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A special weekend episode of Duncan Garner: Editor in Chief, with two sharp cuts from two very different conversations.

First, Duncan talks to Aly Cook about documents she says raise serious questions about the youth Covid vaccine rollout, myocarditis safety information, and what Labour ministers knew at the time. The central question is blunt: if key safety information was kept out of public communications, were parents ever given the full picture?

Then Ashley Church and Maurice Williamson join Duncan for a Budget 2026 breakdown. Maurice digs into the numbers and questions whether the Government’s spending forecasts stack up, especially around police funding. Ashley looks at the politics of the Budget and whether National has finally read the room.

This episode is about trust, transparency, spending, debt, police, and whether voters are being told the truth.

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The dust is settling on Budget 2026, and we are digging past the political marketing to look at the real maths. Nicola Willis delivered a masterclass in selling a narrative, but when you look closely at the numbers, things look incredibly heroic. We break down the magic show, look at the massive debt track, and reveal the inexplicable cuts hidden deep in the police budget.

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It is Budget Day in New Zealand, and we are looking at the brutal truth behind the numbers. Nicola Willis says the adults are back in charge of the books, but is this just creative accounting? We look at how banking public service cuts, before they even happen, are the only reason we are getting back to surplus.

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We are told the country is broke, and every day Kiwis need to tighten their belts ahead of the budget. Yet Social Development Minister Louise Upston is claiming over $1,000 a week in taxpayer-funded allowance for a Wellington apartment she owns outright. It is completely legal, but it fails the sniff test. We break down the political hypocrisy.

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The cost of living crisis is keeping families awake at night all across New Zealand.

Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick steps into the studio with me to look at the massive gap between the rich and the poor, the reality of loan sharks targeting vulnerable Kiwis, and why she thinks our current economic model needs a total shakeup.

Chlöe shares her personal journey with financial stress and explains why she believes the system is rigged against regular workers.

This episode was made possible thanks to our friends at enable.me

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Labour wants New Zealanders to buy into a massive new Future Fund, but they refuse to tell us what assets are actually in it until after the election. Chris Hipkins claims voters do not want the details, but we think you deserve transparency when billions of dollars are on the line. Plus, researcher Aly Cook joins the show with a paper trail that completely challenges Hipkins' timeline on what he knew about youth vaccine risks.

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On the podcast today, Duncan looks into New Zealand’s staggering government spending. With another massive budget rolling out, why hasn't this government made the tough decisions to effect meaningful change? Duncan, Ashley Church, and Maurice Williamson break down our addiction to taxpayer cash, a bloated public service, and why the politicians are too terrified to rein it in.

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