On the Tiles

WARNING: This episode discusses mental health, depression and suicide. In May, Brody Cameron, the son of Act MP Mark Cameron, died as the result of a suspected suicide. Mark has not spoken publicly about this tragedy since it happened, but joins Thomas for his first in-depth interview on Brody's death and his own mental health struggles. Suicide and depression help services: If it is an emergency...

As councils struggle with rising rates, failing infrastructure and blown out budgets, one of the solutions proposed to keep these institutions afloat has been city deals to improve the relationship between central and local government. To explain how these could work and what progress is being made on them, Georgina this week talks with Local Government NZ President Sam Broughton.  See omnystudio....

Parliament has spent all week scrutinising the Government Ministers and heads of public agencies in a first-of-its-kind Scrutiny Week. In this special episode of On the Tiles, Thomas gets reactions on what we learned from the proceedings from Claire Trevett, Adam Pearse and Sophie Trigger.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's a little over six months since the 54th New Zealand Parliament was sworn in, and there have been plenty of highs and lows from the different parties. So which MPs across the House have been performing the best? This week, Thomas is joined by Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls to discuss the best MPs from National, Labour, the Greens, ACT, NZ First and Te Pāti Māori.  See omnystudio.com/...

It has been nearly five years since the Tauranga City Council was sacked by the Government and replaced with Commissioners, after infighting and dysfunction between councillors and the Mayor.  Now, the council is going to return to "full democracy", and a new Mayor and councillors will vote them in next month. Georgina is joined by Bay of Plenty Times senior journalist Kiri Gillespie to discuss wh...

For a special episode going through Budget 2024, Thomas is joined by NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny and Interest.co.nz's Dan Brunskill to discuss the highlights, lowlights, surprises - or lack thereof - from the Budget, and what it signals about the economy and the years to come for this Government.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Green MP and MP for Rongotai, Julie Anne Genter, made headlines at the start of May after she crossed the debating chamber and yelled at Minister Matt Doocey during a Parliamentary debate. She is now facing disciplinary action by the Greens and has been referred to the Privileges Committee.  Now, in her first sit-down interview since this incident, Genter talks to Georgina about the incident, the...

We are well and truly in Budget Month - while it's not delivered until May 30th, the Government has started their pre-Budget funding announcements, while Finance Minister Nicola Willis has delivered her first preview speech. This week, Thomas is joined by Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny and Interest.co.nz's Dan Brunskill to discuss what we could expect from a Budget that's promi...

After years in Parliament, former Green Party co-leader James Shaw this week exits politics. Shaw's careers has seen many highs - particularly around passing world-leading climate change legislation - as well as coalition struggles and internal party strife, which became an issue once again this week. As he leaves the Beehive, Shaw joins Thomas to reflect on his time in politics, his friendships a...

Diplomat Terence O’Brien was at the centre of New Zealand’s foreign relations for nearly half a century, forging new ties with Asia, negotiating New Zealand’s market access to what became the European Union, or running the first successful campaign for a seat on the United Nations Security Council. His new post-humous memoir, Consolations of Insignificance, comes out next month. His son, Diplosphe...

The Coalition Government has seen its first cabinet reshuffle.  Melissa Lee has lost her Broadcasting Minister portfolio and has been demoted out of Cabinet.  Meanwhile, Penny Simmonds has lost her Disability Commission portfolio.   To discuss this, The Front Page's Chelsea Daniels is joined by the host of the On the Tiles podcast, and NZ Herald deputy political editor, Thomas Coughlan. .   See om...

Councils across the country are grappling with an infrastructure deficit and sky-high rates -but what options are available to them to fund and finance these projects, and how much involvement should central Government have in bailing them out?  This week, Georgina is joined by New Zealand Infrastructure Commission general manager of strategy Geoff Cooper to discuss the extent of the problem, the...

In a first for On the Tiles, Thomas and Georgina have teamed up for a chat with Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk about his early wins in the portfolio, and a special focus on earthquake risk for buildings and if the Government, and country, needs to change its approach to risk.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Seymour sat down with On the Tiles to talk about his new Reglation Ministry and how the Government handled its first 100 days. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Grant Robertson has this week left politics, after nearly three decades at the Beehive - first as an advisor to Margaret Hobbs and Helen Clark, before serving as the Wellington Central MP and later Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. In an exit interview with Thomas, he reflects on his early career, entering as a MP, twice running for the Labour Party leadership, and goes deep in his refle...

Barbara Edmonds made history last month when she was named Labour's first ever female finance spokesperson. Stepping into Grant Robertson's shoes, Edmonds has a challenge over the next three years to sell Labour's vision on finance, after years of back and forth on new taxes. She talks to Thomas about going up against the coalition Government, wealth tax versus capital gains tax, and Labour's reco...

We've made it through the first 100 days of the coalition government - so which ministers have performed well and what policies have stood out? How much money does the country have left? And was Christopher Luxon's living allowance debacle a worrying sign? Today, Thomas recaps the first 100 days with NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny and Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls...

Wellington has been divided over the City Council's secret Reading Cinema deal. The building was closed in early 2019 after an earthquake risk was discovered and it has since become a symbol of the tired state of Courtenay Pl. The council has been working on a $32 million deal behind closed doors but details were leaked late last year, sparking a debate over whether it was appropriate for a cash-s...

The Government has announced their plans to repeal and replace Labour's Three Waters plans. Georgina is joined by Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate and Lower Hutt Mayor Campbell Barry to discuss their reactions to the changes, why they want more answers on the Government's plans, and the huge cost likely coming for ratepayers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Parliament next week is set to kick-off a marathon four week sitting period, which comes as the coalition government looks to get through the final parts of its 100-day plan - including some pretty big legislation around crime and justice.  Thomas is joined by Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls to discuss what's left of that 100 day target, how Labour is performing in Opposition so far, and...

In the second instalment of our series on the Treaty of Waitangi / Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the Government's plans, Thomas is joined by University of Auckland sociologist Elizabeth Rata to discuss her views on the Treaty, where it sits as a legal document, and how principles play into this.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Tiles is back for 2024, and we're kicking off with the story set to dominate over the next year. As the Government prepares to have a debate on the principles of Treaty of Waitangi, Thomas talks with Victoria University of Wellington professor Dr Luke Fitzmaurice-Brown (Te Aupōuri) to discuss what the principles are, the differences between the Treaty and Te Tiriti, and what the consequence...

For the last episode of the year, Thomas is joined by NZH Wellington business editor Jenée Tibshraeny and economist Brad Olsen to discuss this week's mini-budget and what it revealed about the state of the economy, and how the National-led government will need to respond.  New episodes return on January 26th. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this special bonus episode, Georgina Campbell runs through the big takeaways from Nicola Willis' 'mini budget' and the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While this may have been the year of Election 2023, there was plenty to digest from local politics around the country.  From extreme weather in the north and east, to blurred lines between private and public life in the capital, and then perhaps the most attention a southern council has received in decades, there has been a lot going on over the last 12 months.  To discuss who performed the best,...