After a three-hour caucus meeting this morning, National MPs have backed Luxon in a confidence vote. But is he really in the clear?

ABC Wantok Program for 12 August 2026.

Join Wallace for New Zealand's most explosive 30 minutes of politics. He is joined by panellists Andrea Vance, Chris Carter and Corin Dann. Tonight on The Whip we look at the continuing saga of Christopher Luxon's leadership of the National Party, he's survived another challenge, but can the party reconstruct itself leading into the election? Then, the Whip looks at the latest polls and what they say about where the vote will go. Wallace and the panellists also discuss Chris Hipkin's ruling out of NZ First as a governing partner and, apparently, not ruling out Opportunity. Then, Stuart Nash says he thought Chris Findayson was a friend, Findlayson says that's not the case? How do you work out who is actually a friend in politics?

No Stupid Questions for 12 August 2026.

The latest news from Melanesia.

An extra half hour of The Panel with Wallace Chapman, where to begin, he's joined by Nights host Emile Donovan. Then: linguist Rory O'Sullivan joins Wallace to discuss the phenomena of 'semantic bleaching' - where words or phrases are used in a completely different or 'wrong' way to what you're used to or grew up with.

The latest RNZ Pacific news.

In part two, we are off to Wellington where people are digesting different water bills as management comes under the new outfit, Tiaki Wai. But while a heftier price tag was expected, it's the change to billing periods that is proving a nasty surprise for some. Wellingtonian James Nokise joins the panel to describe the contents of his water bill. Then, four thousand students roam the halls of Auckland's Rangitoto College. it's the nation's largest school. The panel asks principal Greg thornton what's it like working in a school with the population of Raglan.

We're in Tongariro National Park for this week's "sonic" Moment of Calm.

First up, former Labour leader Phil Goff and the panel discuss the fallout from the three-and-a-half-hour National party caucus meeting that saw Christopher Luxon emerge with his job still intact. Then, The Press has reported on the story of an ED nurse with twenty years of experience at Christchurch Hospital has called it quits, after reaching breaking point with patients regularly being seen in corridors. Anne Daniels is the president of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation, and an ED nurse at Dunedin Hospital. She describes what's happening in the country's emergency departments.