Thoughts & Comments Podcast

Nathan Seiuli, founding head of civil liberties group Pillar, reviews the outgoing Parliament's three-year term as politicians head into campaign mode. He grades the National-led coalition a "B at best", crediting them for shrinking a bloated public service inherited from Labour's expansion years, but criticizing moves like move-on orders, gang patch bans, proposed social media restrictions and talk of reviving blasphemy laws as ci...

Andrew Urquhart speaks with Professor Grant Schofield, an expert in preventative medicine, about New Zealand First's health policy which draws on work from the Make New Zealand Healthy trust. Schofield explains he was part of a scientific advisory team that offered comprehensive health reform policy to all political parties, focused on shifting spending from treating sickness to preventing disease; and rejects claims of plagiarism ...

TUE 15 SEP ~ Are political bias, bureaucratic stalling and buried incompetencies the hallmark traits of the civil service?

Arian Tashakkori from civil liberties group PILLAR joined Andrew Urquhart to discuss recent examples of clashing loyalties and conflicts of interest, including public service unions handing out "change the government" stickers during strikes; and the tension between service continuity versus accountability to el...

"This is a cost-of-living election," observes a political analyst; and the Green Party may have just found their meal ticket.

Dr Bryce Edwards of the Democracy Project unpacks the Greens' proposal that's banking on the people to break New Zealand's supermarket duopoly with a $2.8b publicly-owned chain promising consumer savings. Although the Opposition party hasn't yet calculated the profit and affordability margins, Dr Edwards poin...

Has Kiwisaver become a bit of a political football? Or is it more a tug-of-war?

With the original author Labour on one side, and on the other, National's developments for the superannuation scheme, Pillar CEO Nathan Seiuli questions whether Kiwisaver will serve New Zealanders well in retirement. He joined Andrew Urquhart to weigh up the different policy implications for employees and employers, particularly asking if the responsibil...

Faith in the midst of horror, quiet heroes... God with skin on. 

A Ground Zero chaplain recalls the moments, days and weeks after terror struck the Twin Towers on September-eleven, 2001. 

25 years later, Father Emile Frische still feels the weight of the tragedy as he describes the shock and heartbreaking scenes ...

A tragic, violent and symbolic end to an age of innocence.

That's one confronting way to view the September-11 terror attacks on the USA. Brendan Malone reflects on one of the most momentous days in modern world history, when calculated aeroplane hijackings on American soil ushered in a new era of suspicion and division. He recalls the immediate shock, the loss of national innocence, and the lasting fear, uncertainty and mistrust.

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WED 2 SEP - Will bad slogans decide the polls and should Ministry staff change with outgoing governments? Family First's Simon O'Connor brings his political insights to bear as electioneering ramps up.

The ex-MP discusses party slogans and the likelihood that tax will dominate debate, alongside co-governance and Te Pāti Māori's proposed 'bottom line' policy of subordinating Parliament's sovereignty to the Treaty of Waitangi.

Mr O'C...

TUE 1 SEP - A once-devoted mum succumbs to psychosis and commits an unspeakable crime... or did she. 

Despite Lindsay Clancy's insanity plea, internet speculation has proliferated like wildfire as her trial draws to a close. Blame aside, the human loss is all but lost amidst the noise of a worldwide web of conjecture. 

Brendan Malone joins Andrew Urquhart to reflect on how a horrific tragedy has become internet fodder ...

The Free Speech Union is critiquing a renewed attempt to legislate against blasphemy.

Responding to calls for religious criticism to be classed as 'hate speech', CEO Jillaine Heather points out that it's a thinly-veiled attempt to restrict unpopular or divisive opinions, and could be used against minorities. She also questioned the timing of the government's proposed social media ban for under-16-year-olds, saying that the duty of l...

A local documentary by Jo Robertson entitled "What Happened to Sex?" has premiered this week, exposing a hidden darkness that has been stalking increasingly-younger children.

Family advocate and podcaster Brendan Malone says that a generation of youth are learning about sexuality from sources other than their parents, and without cultural, developmental or age-appropriate filters. The LifeNet speaker explains how the self-giving lo...

Civil liberties champion Nathan Seiuli weighs up proposed online laws intended to protect children from internet harms. The founding head of PILLAR argues that a statutory ban risks expanding beyond its original scope, grants power to subjective arbitrators, and removes parental responsibility.

Instead, Mr Seiuli advocates for family-level solutions like New Zealand-made parental control tools (e.g. Safe Surf) over state interventio...

The NZSIS annual report has again identified the Chinese Communist Party as New Zealand's top security threat, and the Asian superpower's reaction is telling.

Nick Hanne of civil liberties group Pillar explains that the intelligence agency pinpointed increasingly pervasive interference beyond local Chinese groups into New Zealand politics, business, and community organisations. He says the Chinese embassy's veiled warning underscore...

For some it's a season, for others, a lifelong calling. And for humanitarian worker Stephen Court, even an ambush on his young family could not shake the conviction that he was exactly where God wanted him. 

World Vision NZ's Director of International Partnerships sees humanitarian work as the holistic outworking of God's vast love, and says the need for global aid is greater than ever. He joined Andrew Urquhart in the studio ...

Is a political candidate's religious affiliation enough to earn your vote?

John Peachey (www.TheThinkfarm.org) discusses how Christians can approach Elections 2026, maintaining that voters should consider evidence of a candidates's professed faith. He highlights three key criteria he finds useful in making an informed and prayerful decision:

• Character
• Competence
• God's direction

The leadership mentor points to renow...

Although last week's leadership turmoil has settled, the election trail remains volatile as more parties get into campaign mode.

Following Te Pāti Māori's low-key campaign launch, Dr Bryce Edwards explains their MMP "gaming" strategy which asks voters in the seven Māori electorates to give TPM their candidate vote, not their party vote. Combined with a surge in young Māori voter registrations, the Democracy Project analyst says...

A former National MP notes Chris Penk's impending departure from Parliament makes him the latest Christian MP to be lost to the cut and thrust of politics.

Minister Penk was stripped of his Cabinet portfolios on Wednesday following his alleged part in the latest challenge to Christopher Luxon's leadership. Ex-Nat Simon O'Connor, now with Family First, discusses the likelihood that the real instigators remain a rot within Christopher...

Sacrificial lamb rather than a lone wolf - is that a more likely description of the National MP singled out in yesterday's Caucus announcement?

LifeNet's Brendan Malone joins Andrew Urquhart to discuss the repercussions of another challenge to the Prime Minister's leadership, focusing on MP Chris Penk's alleged involvement. Both note that the recently promoted Cabinet Minister had accomplished much good across his various portf...

A report shows demand for faith-based schools now outstrips both supply and schools' ability to expand, but is spiritual hunger driving the demand?

Andrew Urquhart talks with Reverend Dr Stuart Lange of the New Zealand Christian Network about whether the prevalence of liberal ideologies is sending parents to the relative safety of faith-based schooling - for example, Christian groups in state schools are now under 20%, compared to ...