Simeon Brown: Energy prices, hospital pressures, and National's polling

With power prices in the spotlight, Energy Minister Simeon Brown has become one of the key figures in Christopher Luxon's cabinet.

He joins Jack Tame to explain why the Government isn't moving to break up the gentailers, the cost of maintaining frontline health services, and whether National's caucus backs Christopher Luxon.

The last hold-outs against housing development

With just one new housing development, the town of Prebbleton, on the outskirts of Christchurch, could increase its total number of households by over 25 percent.

Birchs Village would bring 530 new houses to Prebbleton. After facing difficulties getting resource consent, the development has been listed with the Government's fast-track legislation.

Q+A reporter Whena Owen meets the development's would-be neighbours, who are fearful of what their future in the town holds if it goes ahead.

New laws: Will voters be turned away?

In late 2025, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith celebrated the passing of a new law which he said would speed up the voting count after a general election: unlike previous elections, in 2026, no one will be allowed to enroll once early voting starts, 13 days before election day, November 7.

It's driving Electoral Commission Chief Executive Karl Le Quesne to make sure as many New Zealanders as possible are aware of the changes and enrolled before they miss out. But even with no disruption to people's ability to vote, Le Quesne says this change won't deliver the efficiency savings the Government advertised.

He joins Jack Tame to share the Commission's election plan, including changes to the way EasyVote cards will be sent.

Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the answers to the questions that matter. Made with the support of NZ on Air.

In late 2025, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith celebrated the passing of a new law which he said would speed up the voting count after a general election: unlike previous elections, in 2026, no one will be allowed to enroll once early voting starts, 13 days before election day, November 7.

It's driving Electoral Commission Chief Executive Karl Le Quesne to make sure as many New Zealanders as possible are aware of the changes and enrolled before they miss out. But even with no disruption to people's ability to vote, Le Quesne says this change won't deliver the efficiency savings the Government advertised.

He joins Jack Tame to share the Commission's election plan, including changes to the way EasyVote cards will be sent.

Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the answers to the questions that matter. Made with the support of NZ on Air.

With just one new housing development, the town of Prebbleton, on the outskirts of Christchurch, could increase its total number of households by over 25 percent.

Birchs Village would bring 530 new houses to Prebbleton. After facing difficulties getting resource consent, the development has been listed with the Government's fast-track legislation.

Q+A reporter Whena Owen meets the development's would-be neighbours, who are fearful of what their future in the town holds if it goes ahead.

Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the answers to the questions that matter. Made with the support of NZ on Air.

With power prices in the spotlight, Energy Minister Simeon Brown has become one of the key figures in Christopher Luxon's cabinet.

He joins Jack Tame to explain why the Government isn't moving to break up the gentailers, the cost of maintaining frontline health services, and whether National's caucus backs Christopher Luxon.

Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the answers to the questions that matter. Made with the support of NZ on Air.

Outspoken former Children's Commissioner cut short in role

Dr Claire Achmad was given around five weeks' notice that she would be exiting her role of Children's Commissioner. First appointed to a five-year term to advocate for young people in New Zealand, that became a one-year term in 2025, and when she signed off on Friday July 31st, she left office two years earlier than she’d expected.

She says that she has been a "fair and balanced critic" of Government policy when it comes to child poverty, and that she has not been told by the Minister for Social Development, Louise Upston, why she wasn't brought back.

Dr Achmad sat down with Jack Tame in her final week in the role.

Spy allegations: NZ's relationship with Russia in focus

Russia's principal security service says a Russian citizen has been detained in the country's far East. The man is accused of spying for New Zealand's SIS.

Jack Tame sits down with Russia's Ambassador Stanislav Krans at the Russian Embassy in Wellington to ask more about the case. And nearly four and a half years into the military invasion of Ukraine, and following 35 rounds of New Zealand sanctions against Russia, he asks about the relationship between Russia and New Zealand.

Most people want fewer cars, Dutch academic says

Twenty years from now, people will look back on high speed limits we have in cities now and find them just as unbelievable as smoking indoors - a relic of the past. That's the dream of a visiting Dutch academic.

Professor Marco te Brömmelstroet holds the Chair on Urban Mobility Futures at the University of Amsterdam and spoke at the Public Transport Association conference at Te Papa this week. While there, he caught up with Jack Tame.

"Discriminatory" law focus of Green MP's bill

Migrant families can be split apart when family members are denied visas on the basis that their disability would be a burden to New Zealand's health system, a Green MP says.

Green MP Lawrence Xu-Nan's members bill would remove the ability to discriminate and carve out a way for affected families to challenge these decisions: by making a complaint to the Human Rights Commission.

Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the answers to the questions that matter. Made with the support of NZ on Air.

Migrant families can be split apart when family members are denied visas on the basis that their disability would be a burden to New Zealand's health system, a Green MP says.

Green MP Lawrence Xu-Nan's members bill would remove the ability to discriminate and carve out a way for affected families to challenge these decisions: by making a complaint to the Human Rights Commission.

Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the answers to the questions that matter. Made with the support of NZ on Air.

Twenty years from now, people will look back on high speed limits we have in cities now and find them just as unbelievable as smoking indoors - a relic of the past. That's the dream of a visiting Dutch academic.

Professor Marco te Brömmelstroet holds the Chair on Urban Mobility Futures at the University of Amsterdam and spoke at the Public Transport Association conference at Te Papa this week. While there, he caught up with Jack Tame.

Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the answers to the questions that matter. Made with the support of NZ on Air.

Dr Claire Achmad was given around five weeks' notice that she would be exiting her role of Children's Commissioner. First appointed to a five-year term to advocate for young people in New Zealand, that became a one-year term in 2025, and when she signed off on Friday July 31st, she left office two years earlier than she’d expected.

She says that she has been a "fair and balanced critic" of Government policy when it comes to child poverty, and that she has not been told by the Minister for Social Development, Louise Upston, why she wasn't brought back.

Dr Achmad sat down with Jack Tame in her final week in the role.

Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the answers to the questions that matter. Made with the support of NZ on Air.

Russia's principal security service says a Russian citizen has been detained in the country's far East. The man is accused of spying for New Zealand's SIS.

Jack Tame sits down with Russia's Ambassador Stanislav Krans at the Russian Embassy in Wellington to ask more about the case. And nearly four and a half years into the military invasion of Ukraine, and following 35 rounds of New Zealand sanctions against Russia, he asks about the relationship between Russia and New Zealand.

Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the answers to the questions that matter. Made with the support of NZ on Air.

Chlöe Swarbrick: Greens want one-year ban on AI data centres

The Greens have announced an election campaign policy to put a one-year moratorium on the consenting and building of AI data centres in New Zealand, citing a need to put in place strong regulations before the emerging tech industry can have irreversible impacts on the country's natural resources.

Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick joins Tova O'Brien, and also discusses the party's energy and tax policies.

Does the deepfake bill go far enough?

First-term ACT MP Laura McClure captured headlines by holding up an image in parliament that appeared to show her naked: the image was a deepfake. She is the backer of a bill that would explicitly criminalise the creation and distribution of pornographic deepfakes, after hearing the stories of Kiwi women who were victimised by AI-generated images.

Up-and-comers talk Stuart Nash, smartphone ban, and their leaders

Labour MP Arena Williams and National MP James Meager join Tova O'Brien to discuss the big stories of the week, including Stuart Nash's election-killing comments on maternity leave, what local investment in data centres should look like, and their future ambitions for leadership.

Does NZ need move-on orders? "No" says former judge

Anthony FitzGerald served as a judge for 27 years and has seen first-hand the fortunes of Auckland's homeless caught in the justice system. This week he appeared before a parliamentary select committee to oppose the Government's move-on orders legislation.

He joins Tova O'Brien to explain why he thinks communities and businesses are being misled about move-on orders as a solution to antisocial behaviour.

Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the answers to the questions that matter. Made with the support of NZ on Air.