The Iron Duke Podcast

Three of the brainiest legends you ever would stumble across in navy blue suits on Lambton Quay give you their final election reckons of the season. With the polls on a knife edge there is plenty to unpack - overhangs, strategic voting and the question that's on the TOP of everyone's minds!

And just like that, we're just three weeks out from the 2026 Election! Jesse and Henry bring you up to speed on the latest developments in what remains an incredibly tight race. Have a burning question about politics, policy or anything election related? Get in touch with one of the Iron Duke team and we'll tackle your questions on next week's episode. Who knows... you might even sc...

Debate season is in full swing as we hit the home straight of the election race. Henry, Ben and Jesse take you through what's been gracing our screens and the week in politics. 

Everyone's favourite political musers are back for another week! Taking you through our first leaders debate, who was their winner and who perhaps needs a little more rehearsal before they're allowed back into our living room...

With just over one month to go until Kiwis cast their ballots, Jesse and Ben sit down to unpick the discussion about strategic voting on both the left and right, the newly announced bottom lines from Opportunity, and the latest policy announcements as the campaign heats up. 

This week on the podcast Jesse, Ben & Henry cover all things new policy from the political parties as we close close into election - with less than two months on the clock. We discuss the Nat's first home buyer policy, NZF's big citizenship tranche, ACT's promise to scrap climate policies, Labour's AI "policy", the Greens big supermarket nationalisation, TPM'...

Happy two months until the 2026 General Election! This week Jesse, Ben and Henry talk all things election policy - in other words; tax, tax, tax. 

Only four months after the previous caucus vote, National MPs were urgently called back to the capital amid fresh leadership murmurings in the media. Once again, Christopher Luxon emerged from the caucus room as leader of the National Party and Prime Minister. But what will this latest bout of instability mean for the campaign? Who benefits — and who is best placed to capitalise? With fewer than 9...

This week Ben and Henry take you through a series of topics in what has been a feisty start to this year's pre-election period. Enjoy this episode as we bring you up to speed on all things policy and politics. 

Welcome back listeners! This week on the show, Jesse, Ben and Henry have a take or two on the following topics: might our domestic economy be finally turning (again); the philosophical policy debate challenging whether only New Zealand citizens should be granted voting rights; and one of us takes issue with this whole KiwiSaver thing...  Have a good long weekend.  

This week the team at Iron Duke Studios takes you through their peaks and pits on a local, domestic and international level. We talk about the democratic challenges arising from Wellington's Golden Mile project, whether this election will be when TOP finally slip into Parliament, and is Trump's Iran deal a flop? 

Another lap around the fiscal sun means one thing: it’s time for the Iron Duke Podcast Budget 2026 special. Join the team as they unpack some of the key items from this year's fiscal package. 

This week we are back in the studio with a full podcast team - Jesse, Ben & Henry - where we go through some of the already announced pre-Budget 2026 policies. With the main item on the menu being the most spicy so far: a reduction in headcount.  Tune in for our BUDGET SPECIAL episode next week. 

In this week’s podcast, Jesse and Ben discuss the Prime Minister’s big scene-setting pre-Budget speech, delve into what we know about the Budget already, and look at whether a “job-rich” Budget is a sign of bad economic times to come.

This week on the Iron Duke Podcast, Jesse and Ben discuss what has been a big two weeks for the Coalition - in particular the growing tension between the National Party and New Zealand First. 

This week we return back to our standard format of peaks/pits, hots/nots.  We discuss how Tova O'Brien is two-for-two on her new weekly segment with Prime Minister Luxon, the mining royalties for regions policy proposal, and the moralaties around banning greyhound racing. 

Continuing a run of ‘special episodes’, Jesse and Ben unpack the National Party’s ministerial reshuffle - the winners, the losers, and what it signals about the Government’s direction. Who knows, there may even be a couple of Easter Eggs in there too if you listen closely... 

This week we discuss the latest health sector results - which are surprisingly positive - as well as the latest on the emerging fuel crisis and how the Government and Reserve Bank is reacting to it.  Note, listeners may need to turn volume up as we have an audio malfunction this week. 

This week on the poddy, the team break down the Government’s response to the fuel security crunch (and why our earlier calls are holding up), the proposed Datagrid investment in Southland, and how enabling transport tech could quickly turn into a mass-surveillance political hot potato.

This is our second in a round of special episodes on what is happening in Iran and how it is affecting us at home in New Zealand. This time around, we dive into Luxon's tough week at work with the media and discuss how this all may play out when it comes to election time. 

A special episode on what is happening in Iran and what this means for us at home in New Zealand.  Note, this was recorded on the afternoon of Tuesday 3 March. The Iron Duke Podcast will continue to monitor the situation.  Until then, we will see you next week. 

Double trouble this week with Jesse & Ben going head-to-head - discussing the critters in our rock pools, what this LNG stuff is all about, whether we care about the State of Origin, and the Inquiry into the RBNZ's monetary policy decision from the pandemic period.

Welcome back to 2026 — and it’s election year! This week we cover some of the big trends to watch, including the economy, privacy, and artificial intelligence. We also venture some hot takes on how the year will shake out. In a nutshell: Ozempic will ruin everything. 

This week we're joined by the big cheese himself - Phil O'Reilly. Join us as we whiz through the year in policy and politics.

For the Iron Duke Podcast's penultimate episode for the year of 2025, the team discuss whether our long summer break is too long, whether the RMA reform consultation period will not be long enough, and the state of the darn New Zealand media. The more positive stories of the day include the potential of growth of our economy going from green shoots to shrubs, Wellington Regional Council launc...