Wood left high school early, associating with drugs and violence, committing crimes to maintain his habit. At 18 years old, he went to prison in Paremoremo Prison for murdering his 42 year old drug dealer, after he attempted to sexually assault Wood. Wood was convicted of murder and served 11 years in prison. Wood's mother passed away three days before the murder. He served part of his sentence in Paremoremo Prison, which he described as "New Zealand’s toughest facility." Wood completed his unde...
Jun 27, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 3Ep. 4
David "Chook" Henwood is one of the country's most decorated and respected police officers, who served for 37 years in South Auckland before retiring in 2007. He held the rank of Detective Sergeant and was awarded a record three silver merit awards during his time as an officer. Henwood was an early and, for a time, relatively lone voice in proclaiming the innocence of Teina Pora for the 1992 rape and murder of Susan Burdett - whose conviction would, 20 years later, be overturned in one of the c...
Jun 04, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Jonathan Ayling, Chief Executive of the Free Speech Union (New Zealand) has worked in Wellington for 8 years across roles as a Beehive staffer, senior political advisor, and in the NGO sector. Tune in as controversial writer and podcast host, Damien Grant, interviews a wide selection of interesting and entertaining individuals, authors, business people, politicians and anyone else actually willing to talk to him.
May 29, 2025•1 hr•Season 3Ep. 2
Dr. Lindsay is an American-born author, mathematician, founder of New Discourses, and self-described professional troublemaker. Known for his sharp wit and thought-provoking insights, he is a leading critic of Critical Race Theory and "Woke" ideology. His bestselling books, including Cynical Theories and Race Marxism , have sparked global dialogue and been translated into over a dozen languages. Through his podcast, speaking engagements, and media appearances on platforms like The Joe Rogan Expe...
Mar 19, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Peter Gregory Boghossian is an American philosopher and college professor. His main focus is bringing the tools of professional philosophers to people in a wide variety of contexts. Peter has a teaching pedigree spanning more than 25 years and 30 thousand students. Peter's primary research areas are critical thinking and moral reasoning. His doctoral research studies, funded by the State of Oregon and supported by the Oregon Department of Corrections, consisted of using the Socratic method to he...
Dec 08, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 18
Nigel Biggar CBE is Emeritus Regius Professor of Moral Theology at the University of Oxford and Distinguished Scholar in Residence at Pusey House, Oxford. In his recent book, Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning Nigel Biggar addresses the crucial questions in eight chapters: Was the British Empire driven primarily by greed and the lust to dominate? Should we speak of ‘colonialism and slavery’ in the same breath, as if they were identical? Was the Empire essentially racist? How far was it based on the ...
Nov 14, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 17
Roger Partridge is chairman and a co-founder of The New Zealand Initiative and is a senior member of its research team. He led law firm Bell Gully as executive chairman from 2007 to 2014, after 16 years as a commercial litigation partner. Roger recently published a report titled, Who Makes the Law? Reining in the Supreme Court , in which he warns of a looming constitutional crisis in New Zealand, as the Supreme Court increasingly oversteps its bounds, threatening the balance of power between the...
Oct 23, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 16
Martin van Beynen was born in Christchurch, and lived in West Auckland from the age of 11, where he attended St Peter's College. He later graduated from University of Auckland where he studied law and wrote for Craccum . He also completed a Diploma in Journalism at the University of Canterbury in 1989, and began working with the Otago Daily Times in Dunedin and joined The Press in Christchurch in 1991. After several roles, he was appointed senior writer in 2004 and was a leading columnist on The...
Sep 25, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Season 2Ep. 15
The book Resilience , written by the late Inge Woolf, covers her remarkable life story. Born in Vienna before the war, her story tells of fleeing from Nazi oppression and genocide, establishing a tenuous life in England, her arrival in New Zealand, marriage, tragedy and children. Join me Damien Grant, as I talk to lawyer, director, adviser, independent reviewer, chief executive, advocate, community volunteer and daughter of Inge Woolf, Deborah Hart. For more information, or to get in touch, visi...
Sep 16, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 14
Dr Oliver Hartwich is the Executive Director of the NZ Initiative; New Zealand’s premier free-market think tank. Before joining the Initiative, he was a Research Fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies in Sydney, the Chief Economist at Policy Exchange in London, and an advisor in the UK House of Lords. Oliver holds a Master’s degree in Economics and Business administration and a PhD in Law from Bochum University in Germany. Join myself, Damien Grant, and Dr Hartwich as we discuss the book A...
Sep 04, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 13
Dr Eric Crampton is the chief economist at The New Zealand Initiative, New Zealand's leading private think-tank. He previously served for over a decade as lecturer and senior lecturer in economics at the University of Canterbury. In this second interview with Dr Eric Crampton we discuss Paul H. Ruben's book, Darwinian Politics: The Evolutionary Origin of Freedom. Join me, Damien Grant, and Dr Eric Crampton as we discuss the environment of evolutionary adaptiveness (EEA), the origin of preference...
Aug 21, 2024•59 min•Season 2Ep. 12
Marilyn Waring is a New Zealand feminist, former politician, author of multiple books, academic, and activist for female human rights and environmental issues. She is best known for her 1988 book If Women Counted, and she obtained a D.Phil in political economy in 1989. Through her research and writing she is known as the principal founder of the discipline of feminist economics. Join me, Damien Grant as I interviews Marilyn Waring about her career in politics, her relationship with her father, a...
Aug 11, 2024•1 hr 26 min•Season 2Ep. 11
Toby Young is a British social commentator and the founder and director of the Free Speech Union in the United Kingdom, an associate editor of The Spectator , and a former associate editor at Quillette . Toby recently visited New Zealand on invitation from the NZ Free Speech Union. In this Episode we talk about his book, How to lose friends and alienate people , his magnificently chaotic years in Manhattan, working for Vanity Fair , his redemption, his marriage, his brief period of abstinence fr...
Jun 21, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Evan Paul Moon is a New Zealand historian, a professor and author of New Zealand history and biography. Moon is widely recognised for his study of the Treaty of Waitangi, and has published two books on the topic. More recently he published Ans Westra: A Life in Photography, the story of the photographer Ans Westra, who died in 2023. Join me, Damien Grant as he interviews Dr Paul Moon, about the life, success and family of Ans. We also discuss what I got from the book. Something Dr Moon perhaps d...
Jun 10, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Jonathan Rauch is an American journalist, philosopher and author of eight books and many articles on public policy, culture, and government. He has also written on topics as widely varied as adultery, agriculture, economics, gay marriage, height discrimination, biological rhythms, number inflation, and animal rights. Join Damien Grant as he interviews Jonathan Rauch, who is currently in New Zealand on behalf of the Free Speech Union. The discussion starts with Plato, later progresses to Cancel C...
May 16, 2024•59 min•Season 2Ep. 8
The Honourable Christopher Francis Finlayson is a New Zealand lawyer and former Member of Parliament, representing the National Party. He practiced law in Wellington as a solicitor before going to the Bar in 2002. He was elected to Parliament in 2005 and became Attorney-General and Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations in 2008. During his Ministerial career he also held a number of other portfolios. He was chair of the Privileges Committee of Parliament from 2011-2017. Together with James...
May 01, 2024•54 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Steven Braunias is a New Zealand author, columnist, journalist and editor. He is the author of 13 books. In his book, Missing Persons , which was winner of the 2023 Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Non-Fiction, Braunias tells Twelve extraordinary tales of disappearance including former journalist Murray Mason, found dead in the Auckland Domain; the mysterious death of Socksay Chansy, found dead in a graveyard by the sea; the tragic disappearance of backpacker Grace Millane; the enduring mystery of the...
Apr 23, 2024•1 hr 13 min
Alex Calder is a professor at the Faculty of Arts, English and Drama, New Zealand of Auckland University. He also edited the book, Gallipoli to the Somme , written by Alexander Aitken. Aitken began to write about his experiences in 1917 as a wounded out-patient in Dunedin Hospital. Every few years, when the war trauma caught up with him, he revisited the manuscript, which was eventually published as Gallipoli to the Somme in 1963. Join Damien Grant as he interviews professor Alex Calder about th...
Apr 01, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Graham Linehan is an Irish comedy writer and anti-transgender activist. He created or co-created the sitcoms Father Ted (1995–1998), Black Books (2000–2004) and The IT Crowd (2006–2013), and he has written for shows including Count Arthur Strong, Brass Eye and The Fast Show. Early in his career, he partnered with the writer Arthur Mathews. Linehan has won five BAFTA awards, including Best Writer, Comedy, for The IT Crowd in 2014. Tune in as controversial writer and podcast host, Damien Grant, in...
Mar 13, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Season 2Ep. 5
James Hollings is Programme Leader, Journalism, for Massey Niversity. He has worked in senior roles in news organisations, including as production editor and as a senior correspondent in health, agriculture, industry and the arts. His doctoral dissertation was on the decision-making processes of reluctant witnesses. James Hollings, together with Kirsty Johnston, recently published The Crewe Murders Inside New Zealand’s most infamous cold case. The murder of Harvey and Jeannette Crewe in their Pu...
Feb 14, 2024•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 4
Dr Eric Crampton is the Chief Economist at The New Zealand Initiative and previously served for over a decade as Lecturer and Senior Lecturer in Economics at the University of Canterbury. In this episode Eric and Damien discuss the book, How the Dismal Science Got Its Name , by David M. Levy. Tune in as controversial writer and podcast host, Damien Grant, interviews a wide selection of interesting and entertaining individuals, authors, business people, politicians and anyone else actually willin...
Feb 08, 2024•55 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Philip Matthews is a senior journalist, reviewer and editorial writer whose work has appeared in the NZ Listener, Metro, Sunday Star-Times, Landfall, The Press, The Wire, The Spinoff and a host of other publications during his 25 years in the business. For more than 10 years he was an award-winning film reviewer for the NZ Listener, with two stints as the magazine’s arts and books editor. Damien interviewed Philip Mattews about his book, The Quiet Hero: Andrew Bagshaw. Genetic scientist Andrew B...
Jan 31, 2024•58 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Joe Bennett is one of New Zealands most highly decorated columnists and has won the New Zealand Colomnist Award of the Year multiple times. Born in England, Joe Bennett has lived in New Zealand since 1987. Thirteen collections of his columns have been published in New Zealand and three world-wide. He has had four travel books published by Simon and Schuster UK, and his work has been translated into Chinese, Korean, Greek and American. Where Underpants Come From was the Whitcoulls Travcom Travel ...
Jan 24, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Jordan Henry Williams (born 1986) is New Zealand lawyer best known for his political activities, which are often connected to the National or ACT parties, and his lobbying for liberal and conservative causes. Jordan is also one of the cofounders of the Taxpayers Union which recently celebrated its ten years in existance.
Dec 21, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Gareth Thomas Llewelyn Hughes is a New Zealand activist, Political Commentator, and a former politician of the Green Party. He was a member of the New Zealand Parliament for eleven years, from 2010 to 2020. He is also the author of the book, A Gentle Radical, The Life of Jeanette Fitzsimons. Join me as I speak to Gareth about Jeanette's early life, what drove her to vaticalism, the limits to growth and other pholosphical ideas that drove her, and her election to Parliment and her running in and ...
Dec 14, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Lord Hannan of Kingsclere is an author and columnist. A former member of the European Parliament and advisor to The Board Of Trade, he writes for ConservativeHome and The Washington Examiner. He is currently a sitting member of the House of Lords where he takes the Conservative whip, and has since 2020 served as an adviser to the Board of Trade. He is the founding president of the Initiative for Free Trade. Tune in as controversial writer and podcast host, Damien Grant, interviews a wide selecti...
Dec 05, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Don has been one of New Zealand's leading economic and financial policy advisers, and over the years he has provided advice to governments in many parts of the world – in New Zealand most obviously, but also in recent years in Indonesia, Cambodia, the Bahamas, Saudi Arabia, and the Pacific Islands. Brash was Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand for fourteen years from 1988 to April 2002, leader of the Opposition and leader of the New Zealand National Party from October 2003 to November 20...
Nov 28, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Paul Diamond is a writer, broadcast journalist and historian. His radio programmes have won Qantas Media and Media Peace Awards. He was also awarded a David Low Chevening Fellowship in 2001 to study at Oxford University. Diamond’s first book, A Fire in your Belly (2003) is a significant collection of interviews with Maori leaders. Makereti: Taking Māori to the World (2007), is a biography by Diamond, and was the inspiration for the exhibition about Makereti (Maggie Papakura) at the National Libr...
Nov 08, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Todd Lauchlan is the managing director of JLL and a real estate professional with over 25 years of experience in office leasing, investment sales, transactions and managing corporate clients. I am a strategic thinker adept at combining technical skills with strong leadership abilities to implement quality business decisions. Tune in as controversial writer and podcast host, Damien Grant, interviews a wide selection of interesting and entertaining individuals, authors, business people, politician...
Nov 02, 2023•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 11
In this interview with Dr David Cumin from the Israel Instatute of New Zealand, we talk about the history of anti-Semitism, the history of the state of Israel and some of the activities that have led to the current crisis with the Hamas attack on Southern Israel. Tune in as controversial writer and podcast host, Damien Grant, interviews a wide selection of interesting and entertaining individuals, authors, business people, politicians and anyone else actually willing to talk to him. For more inf...
Oct 18, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Season 1Ep. 10
