Gone By Lunchtime

No, KC3 is not on the pod, but we have the next best thing: Otago University professor and royal correspondent Andrew Geddis, in conversation with Toby Manhire following the death of Queen Elizabeth after 70 years on the throne. What is the monarch’s role in New Zealand’s political apparatus? Can the head of state intervene in our stuff? And what might the accession of Charles mean for the republi...

The "squeezed middle" payment was meant to be a political circuit breaker, but it's left the government on the defensive. Annabelle Lee-Mather, Ben Thomas and Toby Manhire speak on what went wrong and the demands for an apology - does the scramble to explain adding GST on KiwiSaver fees just add to a sense that they're not in control of the story? Plus: Slán leat to Trevor Mallard and kia ora to n...

In a special episode to mark the publication of his book Yes, Minister, the former National cabinet minister talks to Toby Manhire about the Key years, the state of the National Party, the colleagues he’d admired and those he loathed. He reflects on his role in building and promoting principles of Crown-Māori co-governance, his time as attorney general, and why he lived in terror of winning an ele...

Two junior MPs, one new and the other very new, have become the centre of political attention in the last 10 days. Both have been suspended from their party caucus. Ben Thomas, Annabelle Lee-Mather and Toby Manhire examine the allegations by Labour's Sharma, the extraordinary way it played out and Jacinda Ardern's response. And what of National's Uffindell? Should he be punished for an assault mor...

Our biggest city is gearing up for its fifth Super City election, and the golden-voiced Todd Niall – formerly of RNZ and now senior Auckland reporter for Stuff – has seen them all. He joins Toby Manhire to discuss the leading contenders for the office some call the country’s second most important elected role, including Efeso Collins, Leo Molloy, Viv Beck and Wayne Brown, who have recent been join...

The Green Party AGM voted to make James Shaw reapply for his job, but so far his only challenger is Ron, aka Re-open Nominations. Toby, Annabelle and Ben ask what it means for the party. Plus: Thousands of people around the world have been given $350 they don’t deserve by the NZ government – is this a big cock-up or a big beat-up? Is enough being done to close the gaping loophole exposed in politi...

Guardian journalist Richard Adams joins Toby Manhire to recount the scandals and fabrications of "a government run by journalists" and assess the contest for a new Conservative leader and prime minister. Also: the state of the Labour opposition, and what Christopher Luxon and New Zealand can learn from the English education system. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The hell years of National since John Key's departure are revisited in jaw-dropping detail in Andrea Vance's new book. In a special edition of Gone By Lunchtime, she talks to Toby Manhire about the revelations, and whether Christopher Luxon can consign the bad times to history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Rats are back: Annabelle Lee-Mather and Ben Thomas have been released from isolation and there’s a lot to catch up on. With Toby Manhire, they discuss the surging winter COVID wave, the new measures and the health system; what Jacinda Ardern achieved at Nato, the EU and in Australia; and Christopher Luxon’s own trip abroad and his response on abortion and policy as MP Simon O’Connor cheers the...

Is a plasterboard shortage turning into a political crisis? Annabelle Lee-Mather, Ben Thomas and Toby Manhire unholster the tape measure. Plus: Who were the winners and losers in Tauranga’s byelection, Jacinda Ardern heads to Europe to speak at Nato, all the ups, downs and sleights of hand in a “minor” cabinet reshuffle, and the legacy of Trevor Mallard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit meg...

In this bonus episode, Toby Manhire talks to former Green MP Gareth Hughes about his new book on Jeanette Fitzsimons, a giant of green politics in New Zealand. They talk about her role in the Values, as co-leader of the Greens and within the Alliance in the formative years of MMP. Plus: what does he make of the Green Party in 2022? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn...

Ben Thomas, Annabelle Lee-Mather and Toby Manhire dress head to toe in union jacks to assess Jacinda Ardern's US visit and the furious Chinese response to her joint statement with Joe Biden on the Pacific. Plus: the prime minister returns to sobering domestic polls, a word for Queen Elizabeth, and the prospects of a King Charles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn m...

In a globetrotting edition of our politics podcast, Toby, Annabelle and Ben look at the Australian election and its meaning for New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern's trip to the United States, and how much hinges on a meeting with Joe Biden. Plus: A look back at last week's budget and the so-called "squeezed middle", electoral reform, and the NZ on Air funded Chlöe Swarbrick doco. Learn more about your ad...

Toby Manhire (Gone By Lunchtime; Auckland studio) and Bernard Hickey (When The Facts Change; parliament studio) join forces for a budget reaction crossover special. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Will Grant Robertson pull a cost of living rabbit out of the hat? Toby Manhire, Annabelle Lee-Mather and Ben Thomas talk budget day, the big emissions reduction plan, Te Pāti Māori and an early burst of coalition negotiations. Plus: can Jacinda Ardern forgive Trevor Mallard's trespasses, and what is the speaker playing at? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this bonus extra pop-up edition of GBL, Toby Manhire calls AAP NZ correspondent Ben McKay, currently watching the campaign from Tasmania, for the latest on the race. Can Anthony Albanese’s Labor dethrone Scott Morrison’s Coalition? Will the ‘teal wave’ crash ashore? How does Australia’s electoral system work? And just how different is Australia’s media and political culture to Aotearoa’s? Learn...

Five months in, how is the new National leader faring? Annabelle Lee-Mather, Ben Thomas and Toby Manhire give their verdicts. Plus: the Rotorua representation bill, grounded kiwis and existential kiwifruit garnish Ardern’s trip abroad. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As NZ dispatches a 1969 Herc, 59 personnel and “lethal aid” cash to support Ukraine, how big a shift is it in our contribution? Plus: will fair pay agreements be this government’s biggest achievement? What is Ashley Bloomfield’s legacy? What is Louisa Wall up to? And a word on Moana Jackson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vaccine mandates, passes and other restrictions are all on the way out. But our Covid numbers are worse than they've ever been. Leading pundit-podiologists Annabelle, Ben and Toby do the maths. Plus: David Seymour and Act call for a referendum on Māori co-governance, Louisa Wall quits parliament, and a Solomon Islands defence deal with China causes alarm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit me...

The morning after announcing he's quitting politics, former National leader and self-proclaimed “regular dickhead” Simon Bridges joins Gone By Lunchtime in a candid conversation to explain the decision and his future plans – and reflect on the people "who exploded on me". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Annabelle and Toby are joined by The Spinoff’s political editor Justin Giovannetti to talk about the latest from the parliamentary occupation and the government's response. Did Jacinda Ardern get it right? Was Chris Luxon right to diagnose a New Zealand divided? And should the action be called “an anti-mandate protest” or is it something else? Also: the dramatic wave of omicron washing across the...

As the anti-mandate occupation of parliament grounds enters its ninth day, Toby, Annabelle and Ben ask: just who are the protesters? Have the police got the response right? What about Trevor Mallard? And is it a good idea to engage? Plus: The latest from the Auckland mayoral race. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Annabelle, Ben and Toby celebrate their sixth year of close pod contact. Jacinda Ardern's opening up speech, reviewed. The Bellis saga, assessed. RATs, digested. The polls, examined. And Ben's Covid test result, revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gone By Lunchtime is taking a short break over summer. We'll be back with new episodes soon, but until then here's one of our favourites from 2021. From November: Judith Collins is out as leader of the opposition after a spectacularly messy 24 hours of politics. But who’ll replace her? The Gone By Lunchtime team assembles for an emergency edition of the podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. V...

Gone By Lunchtime is taking a short break over summer. We'll be back with new episodes soon, but until then here's one of our favourites from 2021. From October: Annabelle, Ben and Toby spend 24 hours Zorbing the length of the country in the cause of vaccination and political commentary. On the agenda: what comes after elimination, the vaccine rollout, and MMP at 25. Learn more about your ad choic...