Public Interest

The Alliance Party is back – and it wants to bring socialism back to New Zealand politics. But is there room for another party on the left?

Ollie Neas speaks to Alliance leader Victor Billot about the party's plans to revive public ownership, full employment and a bigger role for the state in the economy.

They discuss what separates the Alliance from Labour and the Greens, why Billot believes parts of the left have lost touch with working-class voters, and the Alliance's prospects for becoming a political force once again.

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Watch the first episode of The State of It, a new show from Public Interest featuring comedian Guy Williams and researcher Avigail Allan.

Join Guy and Avi as they tackle the state of crime and punishment in New Zealand. Why does New Zealand lock up so many people? Why do politicians keep promising to get tougher on crime? And what does a Melbourne Cup horse syndicate have to do with it all?

Public Interest is independent and entirely supported by our audience. If you value what we do, consider supporting us at publicinterest.nz.

National said urgent changes to local democracy were needed to lower costs and fix the basics. Then, just two months out from an election, it abruptly halted its council amalgamation plans, deferring decisions until after the election.

So what's going on here? What's really driving the reforms, and who stands to benefit?

Christchurch City Councillor Nathaniel Herz Jardine and Wellington City Councillor Sam O’Brien take us on a crash course through rates capping, the urban-rural divide and the politics of local government. Are National's reforms straight from the Federated Farmers wishlist? Are city-dwellers about to lose control over the water they drink? And why do rural interests wield so much power in local politics?

This is the first episode of Who Broke My City, a new series from Public Interest in which we explore how local government really works, who's calling the shots, and what it would take to fix our cities.

How do you manufacture a political movement?

Ollie Neas talks to investigative journalist Nicky Hager about his new book Dirty Work, which investigates the Taxpayers’ Union and a network of lobby and campaign groups that Hager argues have helped reshape New Zealand politics.

We discuss astroturfing, political donations, the manufacture of outrage, the Three Waters campaign – and how the methods Hager first documented in The Hollow Men and Dirty Politics have evolved.

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Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick wants the Greens to become the largest party of the left. But what would it take to get there?

Ollie Neas talks to Swarbrick about the Greens’ changing politics, economic inequality, corporate power, public ownership, Labour, and building a mass political movement.

Public Interest is independent and entirely supported by our audience. If you value what we do, consider supporting us at publicinterest.nz.

Nearly a decade after Jacinda Ardern swept into office promising transformation, what can we learn from where her government fell short?

Ollie Neas talks to economist Dr Geoff Bertram about the weakening of the New Zealand state, the limits of Labour’s economic approach, and what a future progressive government would need to do differently.

Public Interest is independent and entirely supported by our audience. If you value what we do, consider supporting us at publicinterest.nz

Bird flu has reached New Zealand. Ollie Neas talks to epidemiologist Professor Nigel French about the threat H5N1 poses to New Zealand, how prepared we are for an outbreak, and why climate change, intensive agriculture and other human activity are creating a “perfect storm” for the emergence of new diseases.

Public Interest is independent and entirely supported by our audience. If you value conversations like this, please consider supporting our work at publicinterest.nz

Around the world the centre-right is collapsing and the far-right is insurgent. Is the same about to happen here in New Zealand?

Ollie Neas is joined by political commentator Bryce Edwards and Massey University associate professor Sean Phelan to discuss the state of the New Zealand right in 2026. How has right-wing politics in New Zealand changed over the past decade? And beneath the blustery rhetoric, what does the right really want?

Public Interest is independent and entirely supported by our audience. If you value conversations like this, please consider supporting our work at publicinterest.nz.

Labour says New Zealand’s economy is no longer working for ordinary people. But do its new fiscal rules leave it enough room to actually change things?

Ollie Neas talks to journalist and commentator Bernard Hickey about Labour’s new fiscal strategy, the legacy of the Public Finance Act, and whether Labour’s lack of ambition is holding the left back.

Bernard Hickey is a journalist, commentator, and editor of The Kākā.

The Opportunity Party could decide the next government. But what does it actually stand for?

Ollie Neas sits down with party leader Qiulae Wong to discuss whether Opportunity is really left-wing or right-wing, why she thinks New Zealand is “stuck between two economies”, and the party’s approach to inequality, tax, unions, business and the role of the state.

They also discuss Opportunity’s proposed land tax and citizens’ income, citizens’ assemblies, the power of lobbyists and other vested interests, and what the party would do if it found itself holding the balance of power after the election.