Boris Johnson is one of the most instantly recognisable British politicians of this century. He was involved in politics in some capacity for 22 years as an MP, the Mayor of London, and as Prime Minister for three years from 2019 to 2022. He ultimately quit this role and politics off the back of a growing number of scandals, but his influence on British politics this century is indisputable. 

Johnson has now written a book about it all, Unleashed, and this week he arrived in New Zealand as part of that promotional tour and for a series of luncheons up in Auckland. Ahead of his visit, Thomas caught up with Johnson for a chat covering AUKUS and nuclear power, his relationship with Jacinda Ardern and New Zealand, and his thoughts on Donald Trump. 

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The Government has appointed a Crown observer at Wellington City Council. The council has been called “a shambles” after it stopped the sale of its stake in the airport and now has to cut community projects to plug the resulting hole in its budget.
On this week’s episode, Georgina speaks with former Cabinet minister and current Nelson mayor Nick Smith about how Crown observer Lindsay McKenzie can help turn things around at the troubled council.

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This week, Thomas is joined by Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls to recap the week in politics, which was dominated by the thousand-strong hīkoi to Parliament over the Treaty Principles Bill.

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Thomas is back from the US covering the election, which former President Donald Trump won in a landslide over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.

Also there was former Labour MP Naisi Chen, who was campaigning on the ground for the Democrats side. She joins Thomas to discuss what she saw and heard from voters, the factors that led to Trump winning, and what New Zealand politicians can learn. 

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For something a bit different this week, Thomas is joined by Scott Brown, who served as the US Ambassador to New Zealand during Donald Trump's term as President. He discusses his views on what the big issues to voters are, and why he believes Trump will be voted in for another term. 

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After a short hiatus, Thomas is back for a panel with Jason Walls and Jenee Tibshraeny. They discuss what the latest Government financial statements show about the state of ACC and the rest of the Government's books, as well as the improvements in the economy and who can take credit for it, the property market and the push to build more homes, and the renewed debate about Capital Gains Tax.

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Wellington City Council has voted to stop the controversial sale of its 34% share in the airport. The move has left a big question mark over the city's councils, with the long term plan now needing a re-think to plug a multi-million dollar hole left by the sale.

On this week's episode, Georgina speaks with Mayor Tory Whanau, who supported the sale, about the move and what's next, and she addresses her plans to run for re-election. 

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After a change in central government policy, councils have overwhelmingly voted to keep Māori wards, but we'll first have to ask the public what they think via a referendum.

There's concern these polls will put more costs on councils that they simply can't afford.

This week, Georgina talks to Newstalk ZB Wellington reporter Azaria Howell to discuss the political background to this law change and exactly how much these referendums are going to cost, and later talks with Far North District Mayor Moko Tepania about why his community supports having a Māori ward.

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This week has seen the Building Nations conference hosted by Infrastructure NZ take place in Auckland, with Ministers, Mayors and a range of experts speaking about the state of the country's infrastructure.

New Zealand is believed to have an infrastructure deficit in the billions, if not trillions - so how can we go about fixing it?

BusinessDesk Infrastructure Editor Oliver Lewis joins Thomas this week to dig into the issue. 

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Council leaders from around the country have met in a convention centre that the Prime Minister thinks is an example of wasteful spending and is just down the road from a burst water main that has turned a street into a paddling pool.

The Local Government New Zealand conference was held in Wellington this week at the city’s new $180 million convention centre Takina, and Georgina this week takes us through the highlights - most notably, Christopher Luxon's sharply worded speech about council spending. 

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