Duncan Garner - Editor In Chief

Duncan stands up in court to face the music after getting caught driving 12 days short of his suspension ending. He takes full responsibility for getting the timeline wrong but calls out the breathless media coverage. Plus, we look at how confusing NZ license laws are and why rural Kiwis get hammered harder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Justice Select Committee finally reported back on the coward punch legislation, and it is a massive letdown. Despite big promises to get tough on one-punch thugs, they completely failed to recommend mandatory minimum sentences. We talk to Mike Angove from the Walk Without Fear Trust about how everyday Kiwis have been handed a complete pup by parliament. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

Labour's new party list is out, and it looks less like a fresh start and more like a job protection scheme for politicians who have already been rejected by the public. We break down the lineup with pollster David Farrar to see who is safe and who got sidelined. Plus, we look at a staggering $230,000 advisor role at ACC that proves the message about government spending cuts is clearly not getting...

The word racist is being thrown around far too easily these days, and it is quickly becoming completely meaningless. Tainui leader Tukoroirangi Morgan is labeling this the most racist government ever, claiming National is stripping away Māori rights at the Waitangi Tribunal. But has he suffered a massive memory fade? We look at the actual facts of what has been lost. Learn more about your ad choic...

Tainui leader Tukoroirangi Morgan has claimed at the Waitangi Tribunal that Christopher Luxon's National-led government is the most racist New Zealand has ever seen. Duncan Garner says it is time to call this out and hold Tuku's feet to the fire because the claim simply doesn't survive contact with reality. To call this political landscape the most discriminatory in our history means completely fo...

National is finally closing the loophole that allows unelected members of the public to get voting rights on council committees. Local Government Minister Simon Watts has moved to stop it, but let’s be honest, it’s the bare minimum. We talk to ACT MP Cameron Luxton, who drafted the original bill months ago, about why National took so long to protect our democracy. Learn more about your ad choices....

Chris Hipkins has repeatedly said ministers were not told about key health concerns around the Covid vaccine rollout for 12 to 15 year olds. But a new tranche of official papers appears to move the timeline back. Duncan Garner has covered this issue before. This episode is the update. The new documents suggest Hipkins may have been closer to the information than previously understood, including a...

What is really going on at the Far North District Council? Duncan Garner is joined by councillor Davina Smolders, who says major governance changes are being pushed through without proper public scrutiny. She raises concerns over unelected iwi representatives getting voting rights on a council committee, ratepayer-funded requests, new Mana Whakahono ā Rohe agreements, and language recognising Ngāp...

The government wants us to think they are being caring but responsible with this budget, but the economists aren't buying it. We look past the 30 press releases to find out what this means for your back pocket. From a sneaky new banking tax on savers to kicking real savings down the road, we break down why the math just doesn't add up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A special weekend episode of Duncan Garner: Editor in Chief, with two sharp cuts from two very different conversations. First, Duncan talks to Aly Cook about documents she says raise serious questions about the youth Covid vaccine rollout, myocarditis safety information, and what Labour ministers knew at the time. The central question is blunt: if key safety information was kept out of public comm...

The dust is settling on Budget 2026, and we are digging past the political marketing to look at the real maths. Nicola Willis delivered a masterclass in selling a narrative, but when you look closely at the numbers, things look incredibly heroic. We break down the magic show, look at the massive debt track, and reveal the inexplicable cuts hidden deep in the police budget. Learn more about your ad...

It is Budget Day in New Zealand, and we are looking at the brutal truth behind the numbers. Nicola Willis says the adults are back in charge of the books, but is this just creative accounting? We look at how banking public service cuts, before they even happen, are the only reason we are getting back to surplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are told the country is broke, and every day Kiwis need to tighten their belts ahead of the budget. Yet Social Development Minister Louise Upston is claiming over $1,000 a week in taxpayer-funded allowance for a Wellington apartment she owns outright. It is completely legal, but it fails the sniff test. We break down the political hypocrisy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/...

The cost of living crisis is keeping families awake at night all across New Zealand. Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick steps into the studio with me to look at the massive gap between the rich and the poor, the reality of loan sharks targeting vulnerable Kiwis, and why she thinks our current economic model needs a total shakeup. Chlöe shares her personal journey with financial stress and expla...

Labour wants New Zealanders to buy into a massive new Future Fund, but they refuse to tell us what assets are actually in it until after the election. Chris Hipkins claims voters do not want the details, but we think you deserve transparency when billions of dollars are on the line. Plus, researcher Aly Cook joins the show with a paper trail that completely challenges Hipkins' timeline on what he...

On the podcast today, Duncan looks into New Zealand’s staggering government spending. With another massive budget rolling out, why hasn't this government made the tough decisions to effect meaningful change? Duncan, Ashley Church, and Maurice Williamson break down our addiction to taxpayer cash, a bloated public service, and why the politicians are too terrified to rein it in. Learn more about you...

We are diving deep into a massive local issue that could break the back of New Zealand’s business. A local tribe in Tauranga is demanding up to half a billion dollars in compensation over the expansion of the Port of Tauranga. Duncan chats with Regional Development Minister Shane Jones about whether national infrastructure is being held to ransom and what this means for our economy. Learn more abo...

Labour is playing a dangerous game of politics by camouflaging six months out from the election. Chris Hipkins and Carmel Sepuloni are refusing to front with any concrete policy, hoping voters will forget six years of failure. Plus, we reveal the exclusive results from our editor-in-chief poll on the proposed public service job cuts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The sky is not falling in, but the public service is finally getting a much-needed reset with eight thousand workers set to go. Duncan breaks down why this is a serious correction to a problem that exploded under the previous government. Plus, Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour joins the show to explain why these budget savings are locked in and what it means for the future of Wellington. Learn m...

Today on the podcast, we look at the government's latest promise to cut down the size of the public service. Duncan breaks down why this feels like a rerun and questions if it highlights a first-time failure. Plus, Education Minister Erica Stanford joins us to discuss her major curriculum reforms and new primary school funding. We also check out your feedback on Winston Peters' big policy bombs. L...

Winston Peters is back in the headlines with a couple of massive policy ideas, but we reckon he is only half right. While making KiwiSaver compulsory is a smart move that is long overdue to fix our retirement time bomb, his plan to buy back the BNZ for billions is total nostalgia dressed up as economic policy. Maurice Williamson and Ashley Church join us to break down the madness. Learn more about...

We dig into a private Ngāi Tahu newsletter that Duncan says is full of corporate puffery designed to hide the truth about a $180 million mining standoff. Plus, Maurice Williamson and Jordan Williams join us to talk about the latest "too close to call" polls, why Aucklanders are facing record rate hikes, and if the government has the guts to be ruthless in the upcoming budget. Learn more about your...

We are on a collision course with a massive 30 billion dollar problem. Duncan and economist Ed McKnight look at the uncomfortable truth about our retirement age and why it might have to hit 72 just to keep the lights on. They also discuss why no real change can happen while Winston Peters is in the room. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The latest political polls are out, and they are looking incredibly tight. Duncan breaks down why the chances of a hung parliament are rising and what a potential "three-headed monster" on the left would look like for your back pocket. We also catch up with Taupō District Councillor Christine Rankin to talk about the toxic state of co-governance and why she thinks the current government needs to f...

Te Pāti Māori is in total collapse, and we are witnessing the most rapid exit of a political movement in New Zealand history. Duncan breaks down the internal warfare and ego-driven leadership that squandered an extraordinary platform. We also catch up with pollster David Farrar to talk about Winston’s rise, Luxon’s personal numbers, and the recent scandal that rocked the Press Gallery. Learn more...