On the Tiles

Last week, Opposition Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs Hon David Parker gave a speech addressing the state of New Zealand's international relations as part of an event for Diplosphere.  Thomas chaired a Q&A after the event between Parker and the audience, and On the Tiles presents the full speech by Parker and that Q&A for this week's episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy i...

Health care in New Zealand eats up a huge portion of the budget each year, and it's growing - The Government spent 7.3% of GDP on health in the year to June 2024, more than any year outside of Covid.  Treasury reckons spending is expected to grow to 10% of GDP by 2061 - so how can we get on top of it?  This week, Thomas is joined by Sir Bill English, who served as Health, Finance and Pri...

In the first political panel catchup for the year, Thomas is joined by Newstalk ZB Political Editor Jason Walls and NZ Herald Wellington Business Editor Jenee Tibshraeny to discuss a hectic period in local politics - ranging from the resignation of Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr, the firing of UK High Commissioner Phil Goff, the latest comments by Christopher Luxon, and Labour's reshuffle. ...

Competition for the top job in our biggest cities is heating up ahead of this year’s local body elections, with some potential candidates already causing a stir. Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has confirmed she wants a second term although many people in the capital are wondering why, given her tumultuous entry to the world of local government. In Auckland, Mayor Wayne Brown has said he is not...

This month, the Cook Islands signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with China, sparking tensions between the islands and New Zealand.  It has sparked renewed discussions about China's interest in the Pacific, and how New Zealand should respond, as the Asia-Pacific region remains a hotbed of diplomatic tension between the East and West. Marco de Jong, a Pacific historian and lecturer at...

The Government has declared 2025 the year of economic growth, with its current action plan for the next quarter honing in on various economic growth plans. Craig Renney, chief economist for the CTU, and former advisor to Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson, joins Thomas this week to discuss economic growth from a left-leaning perspective and what he thinks needs to be done.  See omnystudi...

On the Tiles is back for 2025, and to kick off the year, Thomas is joined by NZ Herald Wellington Business Editor Jenee Tibshraeny and Interest.co.nz's economic policy reporter Dan Brunskill to look ahead at the economy this year. They discuss their predictions, house prices, credit ratings, the HYEFU from the end of 2024, debanking, and what this all means for the Government and the country.&nbsp...

It's been a packed year of politics, with each party facing their own highlights and challenges. For the final On the Tiles of 2024, Thomas is joined by regular panellists Jason Walls and Jenee Tibshraeny for a recap of the events of the year, looking at the high and lowlights from across the Political Spectrum, thoughts for 2025, and who were the best performing politicians.  See omnystudio....

For the final Local Edition of 2024, Georgina is joined by  Herald senior writer Simon Wilson and former Mayor and Infrastructure New Zealand chief executive Nick Leggett to wrap the highs and lows of local politics. They discuss: The issues facing Tory Whanau and Wellington Council How Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown bounced back from a rough 2023 What central Government wants from councils ...

Boris Johnson is one of the most instantly recognisable British politicians of this century. He was involved in politics in some capacity for 22 years as an MP, the Mayor of London, and as Prime Minister for three years from 2019 to 2022. He ultimately quit this role and politics off the back of a growing number of scandals, but his influence on British politics this century is indisputable.  John...

The Government has appointed a Crown observer at Wellington City Council. The council has been called “a shambles” after it stopped the sale of its stake in the airport and now has to cut community projects to plug the resulting hole in its budget. On this week’s episode, Georgina speaks with former Cabinet minister and current Nelson mayor Nick Smith about how Crown observer Lindsay McKenzie can...

This week, Thomas is joined by Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls to recap the week in politics, which was dominated by the thousand-strong hīkoi to Parliament over the Treaty Principles Bill. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thomas is back from the US covering the election, which former President Donald Trump won in a landslide over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. Also there was former Labour MP Naisi Chen, who was campaigning on the ground for the Democrats side. She joins Thomas to discuss what she saw and heard from voters, the factors that led to Trump winning, and what New Zealand politicians can learn. ...

For something a bit different this week, Thomas is joined by Scott Brown, who served as the US Ambassador to New Zealand during Donald Trump's term as President. He discusses his views on what the big issues to voters are, and why he believes Trump will be voted in for another term.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a short hiatus, Thomas is back for a panel with Jason Walls and Jenee Tibshraeny. They discuss what the latest Government financial statements show about the state of ACC and the rest of the Government's books, as well as the improvements in the economy and who can take credit for it, the property market and the push to build more homes, and the renewed debate about Capital Gains Tax. See om...

Wellington City Council has voted to stop the controversial sale of its 34% share in the airport. The move has left a big question mark over the city's councils, with the long term plan now needing a re-think to plug a multi-million dollar hole left by the sale. On this week's episode, Georgina speaks with Mayor Tory Whanau, who supported the sale, about the move and what's next, and she addresses...

After a change in central government policy, councils have overwhelmingly voted to keep Māori wards, but we'll first have to ask the public what they think via a referendum. There's concern these polls will put more costs on councils that they simply can't afford. This week, Georgina talks to Newstalk ZB Wellington reporter Azaria Howell to discuss the political background to this law change and e...

This week has seen the Building Nations conference hosted by Infrastructure NZ take place in Auckland, with Ministers, Mayors and a range of experts speaking about the state of the country's infrastructure. New Zealand is believed to have an infrastructure deficit in the billions, if not trillions - so how can we go about fixing it? BusinessDesk Infrastructure Editor Oliver Lewis joins Thomas this...

Council leaders from around the country have met in a convention centre that the Prime Minister thinks is an example of wasteful spending and is just down the road from a burst water main that has turned a street into a paddling pool. The Local Government New Zealand conference was held in Wellington this week at the city’s new $180 million convention centre Takina, and Georgina this week takes us...

Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has unveiled changes to allow new council-owned water companies to be able to access more cheap borrowing from the Local Government Funding Agency.  To discuss what these changes mean, in the wake of years of public debate over the previous Government's 'Three Waters' proposal, this week Georgina is joined by the Minister to get the explanation on how this wi...

This week Thomas is joined by Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls to discuss the latest political drama, namely the Greens and their ongoing internal strifes after suspending MP Darleen Tana, and Act and Te Pāti Māori clash over political pins and stickers, and accusations of race-based bullying.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's episode, Thomas has a long-form chat with Labour leader and former Prime Minister turned Leader of the Opposition, Chris Hipkins, to discuss seven months in the role, Labour's analysis of its failed re-election campaign, what they'll do differently next time, and what needs to change in the political climate..  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the last few weeks, Tauranga residents have been able to vote in their first local election since the city council was replaced with commissioners at the end of 2020.   Preliminary results are in, and in a landslide result, former Olympic rower Mahé Drysdale is expected to become the city’s new Mayor.   For this bonus episode of On the Tiles: Local Edition, he catches up with Georgina ahead o...

It has been a tumultuous week in US politics, with former President and Republican candidate Donald Trump nearly assassinated in a shooting days out from the Republican National Convention. This happened as US President Joe Biden remains defiant over his future, despite growing calls for him to drop out. To discuss what might happen next with both parties, and the November election, Thomas is join...

Labour's deputy leader, and former deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Social Development, Carmel Sepuloni joins Thomas this week. She discusses how Labour lost Auckland and their response to crime in the city, before a deep dive on welfare, benefits, and what needs to be done to fix this issue.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.