Nicola Willis had an interesting road to Parliament - after spending over a decade as a staffer to different members of the National Party, she very nearly got into Parliament in 2017 before the final results saw her just miss out. Coming in a few months later off the back of several resignations, Willis has skyrocketed to the top, becoming Deputy Leader at the end of 2021 - and now holding the prime finance portfolio her once boss Bill English used to hold.

So is she gearing up to potentially be the country's next Finance Minister? This week, Thomas talks to Willis about her time as staffer, her interest in social investment, housing and finance, her liberal views versus the rest of the National Party, and the departing advice Simon Bridges gave her. 

Follow On the Tiles on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes out on Fridays. 

You can find more politics news at nzherald.co.nz/politics
You can follow Thomas Coughlan on Twitter @coughlthom

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a first for On the Tiles, this week we're hosting a debate focused around New Zealand's response to the Ukraine crisis. Thomas moderates a discussion between National and Green's foreign affairs spokespeople, Gerry Brownlee and Golriz Ghahraman. They discuss what both their parties want to see from the Government in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and debate the sanctions that could be imposed, if the focus should be on refugees, and if the United Nations is fit for purpose. 

Follow On the Tiles on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes out on Fridays. 

You can find more politics news at nzherald.co.nz/politics
You can follow Thomas Coughlan on Twitter @coughlthom

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's episode, Thomas welcomes back regular panellists AAP New Zealand correspondent Ben McKay and Newsroom political editor Jo Moir. It's been a packed year for politics already, but this week saw a year's worth of developments: the three discuss Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the protests outside Parliament, National's Chris Luxon and his speech on New Zealand being divided, poll reversals for Labour, the Government's response to Omicron, and Ben discusses the latest developments in Australia politics ahead of their election. 

Follow On the Tiles on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes out on Fridays.

You can find more politics news at nzherald.co.nz/politics
You can follow Thomas Coughlan on Twitter @coughlthom

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Raf Manji has been around the political scene for some time, with a few attempts to break into Parliament through different electorates. Now, he's got new aims to get The Opportunities Party over the magic 5% threshold and into Parliament - and potentially Government - in 2023. He joined Thomas Coughlan to discuss his political motivations, what Labour and National need to do different around the economy and house prices, TOP's stance on social issues, and which parties TOP could work with in government.

Follow On the Tiles on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes out on Fridays.

You can find more politics news at nzherald.co.nz/politics
You can follow Thomas Coughlan on Twitter @coughlthom

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour MP and Minister for Transport and Workplace Relations and Safety Michael Wood is this week's guest for On the Tiles. He talks to Thomas Coughlan about his rocky first attempts to enter Parliament, his time on select committees before becoming a Minister in 2020, what he's learnt in his new roles, the backlash to Labour transport policies, including improvements for road and a second harbour crossing in Auckland, and the current state of the union movement globally.

Follow On the Tiles on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes out on Fridays.

You can find more politics news at nzherald.co.nz/politics
You can follow Thomas Coughlan on Twitter @coughlthom

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Margaret Wilson is a stalwart of the Labour Party, having served as its President, a staff member in Geoffrey Palmer's Prime Ministerial office, before serving as a MP, Minister and eventually Speaker during Helen Clark's Government. To reflect on her lengthy political career that she details in her memoir, Activism, Feminism, Politics and Parliament, Wilson joins Thomas Coughlan on this week's On the Tiles.
Follow On the Tiles on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes out on Fridays.

You can find more politics news at nzherald.co.nz/politics
You can follow Thomas Coughlan on Twitter @coughlthom

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Tiles is back for a new year of political chat - and to kick off 2022, Thomas is joined by Max Rashbrooke, author of Too Much Money, which argues for class to be discussed in political life alongside gender and race. The two discuss what role class has in political discussion and New Zealand life, growing inequality between the rich and poor in New Zealand the consequences of that, the advantages wealth gives you, and how political parties can tackle this inequality.

Follow On the Tiles on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

You can find more politics news at nzherald.co.nz/politics
You can follow Thomas Coughlan on Twitter @coughlthom

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the final episode of the year, Thomas is riding solo as he recaps some of the key moments of the year in politics - with Covid-19 dominating everything, plus a bit of economic chat, house prices and some of the key social issues that have dominated discussion during 2021. And what do the ups and downs of this year mean for 2022?

On the Tiles will return in January 2022!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's episode, Thomas goes one-on-one for Green Party MP Chloe Swarbrick to talk the Finance and Expenditure Committee, the aftermath to the Government's financial response to the pandemic, her mission to get more answers, and her perspective on some of the fiscal policies before Parliament.

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A crazy week for the National Party has ended with former Air NZ CEO Chris Luxon named their new leader. But is Luxon's sudden rise - the fifth leader to face Jacinda Ardern in Opposition - the end to a crazy four years after the end of the Key-English government? Luxon talked with Thomas Coughlan shortly after being named leader on November 30th.

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