Behind the Story

It’s been a bumpy few years for the Māori language in New Zealand (or is that Aotearoa?). Liam Rātana, Ātea editor at the Spinoff Ātea, joins Toby to walk through the various measures pursued by the Act, NZ First and National parties – and what impact that has had on the broader tide. Plus: In How Good, Alex Casey gives her verdict on new NZ film Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant. At Large with Toby Manhire...

Opportunity is pitching itself as an alternative kingmaker to Winston Peters and New Zealand First for the 2026 election. But is the kingmaker scenario really that common across 10 MMP elections? Peter Dunne, who has seen the inside of many post-election negotiations, says not. He joins Toby to talk about the role smaller parties play in our elections, the challenge that awaits Opportunity as it h...

The Labour Party has registered just 25.9% in a new poll for the Taxpayers’ Union by Curia. That’s lower than their calamitous result in 2023, and lower than National, who themselves fell to a low 29%. Lyric Waiwiri-Smith joins Toby to talk through the pickle that Chris Hipkins finds himself in. Is the small target strategy backfiring, are there bold visions to come, and what can they do to turn i...

Sam Stubbs once looked a lot like a finance bro – he’d made a small fortune at places like Goldman Sachs in London and Hong Kong. But 10 years ago, the gamekeeper turned poacher; Stubbs founded Simplicity, a KiwiSaver non-profit. In the years since it’s spawned a housing developer and now an infrastructure engine, InfraKiwi. Stubbs is rarely shy about sharing his views on politics, and so he’s pay...

Tim Groser was posted to Washington by John Key on the basis that the trade minister turned ambassador would likely be engaging with a US administration led by President Hillary Clinton. Instead, in came Donald Trump. The former National Party MP joins Toby to revisit those years, Trump’s approach to trade and the international order, and whether New Zealand is right to keep its head largely below...

The annual conference for senior doctors and dentists is about to start but one person is missing: the minister of health has pulled out. In an election year, with health ranked the second top issue for voters, and countless headlines about hospitals and workforces at breaking point, what would members of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists be telling Simeon Brown if he were there? We...

Suddenly politicians of almost every stripe are jumping on board the rooftop solar train. But does the argument for a transformation in our energy mix really stack up? Mike Casey, the celebrated electric cherry orchardist and CEO at Rewiring Aotearoa, joins Toby to talk through the vision, the hurdles ahead, and the lessons he learned from the campaign. Where did it all go right? Plus: Emma Gleaso...

Christopher Luxon sailed into NZ politics six years ago as a champion of localism. Since becoming prime minister, his government has fallen deeply out of love with devolution. Changes including a rates cap and National’s ruling out of a bed tax have especially irked Wayne Brown, mayor of Auckland and the most powerful local politician in New Zealand. He’s gone from denial to anger to … what exactl...

A new law has been drafted to ban social media for under-16s in New Zealand. Robbie Nicol joins Toby to answer all the big questions. Which platforms meet the definition of “social media”? How will it be enforced? When will the rules kick in? And is it really a government bill? Winston Peters doesn’t think so. We work through some of the objections, from NZ First, Act, the Greens and Labour. (Sinc...

After years of malaise, the economy is bouncing back – or it is, at least, in some pockets of the country. Shamubeel Eaqub joins Toby to crunch the numbers that tell us which parts of New Zealand are on the up, which parts are stuck in the doldrums, and why. Plus: In How Good, Lyric Waiwiri-Smith reports from Election Meltdown, the political comedy show at Circa Theatre in Wellington. At Large wit...

Whether it’s Woolworths’ little plastic Disney Ooshies or New World’s fancy Smeg knives, supermarket promotions have seeped into the national consciousness, prompting secondary markets and school bans. Alex Casey joins Toby to talk through the allure of these campaigns in a cost of living gloom, and to look back at some of the greatest and strangest supermarket promotions of the 21st century. At L...

Schools and elderly care centres are getting smashed, health providers are splitting at the seams thanks to a late seasonal surge in respiratory illness. Emma Gleason joins Toby to talk through the impacts and how we can respond. Plus: Hayden Donnell continues his peanut butter passion project. Which peanut butter will take out the smooth crown? At Large with Toby Manhire is produced by Te Aihe Bu...

Former National minister Tim Groser joins Toby to explain why they’re plunging a drill into the magma beneath the Taupō volcanic zone – and how supercritical geothermal success could prove a gamechanger for energy security, for climate change and for the economy as a whole. Plus: In How Good, NZ Fashion Week is under way. Emma Gleason picks her highlights. At Large with Toby Manhire is produced by...

Tiki Taane has been making music since the last decade of the last millennium in Christchurch. From the early successes of Salmonella Dub through some really dark days and on to a thriving solo career, he’s seen a whole lot of changes in musical form and production, and a revolution in the music business. Today, with the 20th anniversary of Past, Present, Future just around the corner, he’s still...

A nightmarish fortnight has ended with the prime minister summoning MPs to Wellington for an urgent in-person National Party caucus meeting. On the agenda, not for the first time: his own leadership. Spinoff editor Veronica Schmidt joins Toby Manhire to trace the path to Christopher Luxon’s moment of truth and ask: what will the MPs be weighing as they make their way to that 9.30am showdown? Plus:...

As we count down the days to a knife-edge election, where do the parties stand? Spinoff parliamentary reporter Lyric Waiwiri-Smith joins Toby for a stocktake: the headline policies, the slogans, and of course the mojo. Plus: In How Good, Alex Casey learns to sing. At Large with Toby Manhire is produced by Te Aihe Butler, Jin Fellet and The Spinoff. Read more at ⁠thespinoff.co.nz⁠. Learn more about...

At last we’ve got a date for the opening of the City Rail Link – is it really going to transform Auckland? Hayden Donnell joins Toby to talk through the decade-long, multibillion project, how it will change things from an economic and practical standpoint, who deserves the credit on the Donnell index, and where we sit on the utopian-to-sceptic spectrum. Plus: In How Good, Claire Mabey raves about...

New Zealand has not seen jobless numbers like this for a decade. Bernard Hickey of the Kākā joins Toby to talk through the latest quarterly numbers, the reality they reflect, whether there is something brighter on the horizon, and how they fit with the mood Christopher Luxon encountered in Rotorua the other day. Plus: In How Good, Tara Ward gives her verdict on the new NZ television drama Ms X.At...

The prime minister got a shock when he saw the media coverage of his breakfast meeting with Rotorua businesspeople – it talked of him scolding them about a “parent-child mentality” in government-business relations, urging “adult” behaviour and recounting his own attitude in Chicago corporate life. So his office issued a transcript of the exchange, which didn’t much help. Duncan Greive, founder of...

Nigel Farage faces a stern challenge in a Clacton byelection from an alien space warrior with a bin on his head and a manifesto packed with nonsense. New Zealand has its own history of joke political parties (most famously the McGillicuddy Serious Party) but the satirical larder looks bare today. Ben Uffindell, who led the Civilian Party to admirable failure in 2014, joins Toby to talk about the r...

At the last election, you could enrol on election day. This time the deadline is 13 days before. University of Otago professor Andrew Geddis joins Toby to talk through the changes, who is most affected, and whether the justifications stack up. Plus: In How Good, medals at the Commonwealth Games are good, but a mascot with a cone on its bonce is better, says Madeleine Chapman. At Large with Toby Ma...

Some say the case for moving to Australia is dimming – Shamubeel Eaqub works through the data with Toby Manhire to assess the arguments for and against. Plus: In How Good, Tara Ward on scaling the Wuthering Heights in Dunedin and the world. At Large with Toby Manhire is produced by Te Aihe Butler, Jin Fellet and The Spinoff. Read more at ⁠thespinoff.co.nz⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

The Māori electorates are always fascinating, but this time there’s an extra edge-of-the-seat quality. Lara Greaves, associate professor at Victoria University of Wellington, joins Toby to talk through the parties competing, the overhang potential, and why voters choose one roll ahead of the other. Plus: In How Good, Hayden Donnell is besotted by Maurice Williamson’s luscious beard. At Large with...

As Christopher Luxon declares he’ll “die trying” to get something done in banning social media for New Zealand children under 16, it’s a good time to ask: how is the pioneering Australian prohibition going? Hal Crawford, editorial director at Mumbrella and former boss of Newshub NZ, joins Toby to explain, seven months in, what is working, what isn’t, and what he’d say to the NZ PM if he was called...

Since 1990 the Reserve Bank has been tasked with taming inflation independently from the government of the day. But is the tool it uses today, the official cash rate, with its focus on hitting an inflation rate of 1%-3%, causing more pain that it’s alleviating? Bernard Hickey joins Toby to make the case. Plus, in How Good, Liam Rātana on NZ Wars: Stories of Waerenga-a-Hika. At Large with Toby Manh...