Methamphetamine use has exploded over the past year and the government is "actively" looking at ways to respond. At the same time, Associate Police and Customs Minister Casey Costello is looking at how to tackle the wider network of organised crime in New Zealand. Political Reporter Lillian Hanly takes a closer look at the Ministerial Advisory Group on Transnational, Serious and Organised Crime and how the increased availability of illicit drugs in the country is having an impact. Go to this epi...
Jun 13, 2025•16 min•Ep. 209
The latest RNZ-Reid Research Poll shows the left-bloc would have enough seats to govern. Is this a punishment for the pay equity changes? And what about the punishment for a haka? Political Reporter Lillian Hanly goes through the results. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jun 06, 2025•16 min•Ep. 208
In Focus on Politics, RNZ deputy political editor Craig McCulloch sits down with the incoming and outgoing deputy prime ministers to mark the historic handover. David Seymour is vowing to keep speaking freely, while an unshackled Winston Peters shifts into campaign mode. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
May 30, 2025•16 min•Ep. 207
In Focus on Politics this week, the coalition debuts its second Budget - taking the knife to numerous government programmes in order to boost health, education and defence. RNZ deputy political editor Craig McCulloch takes a deeper look at the Budget of trade-offs. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
May 23, 2025•16 min•Ep. 206
In Focus on Politics, RNZ's deputy political editor Craig McCulloch walks through the week at Parliament, a week featuring C-bombs and unprecedented punishments. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
May 16, 2025•16 min•Ep. 205
In Focus on Politics, RNZ Deputy Political Editor Craig McCulloch breaks down the government's shock shake-up of the pay equity regime - the changes, the fallout and what's next. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
May 09, 2025•16 min•Ep. 204
The coalition is pushing for more public-private partnerships (PPPs) in an effort to boost infrastructure investment. Political reporter Anneke Smith takes a closer look at the government's plan and asks one expert about the pros and cons of PPPs. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
May 02, 2025•16 min•Ep. 203
The government has finally released its Defence Capability Plan, with phrases like 'enhanced lethality' and 'force multiplier' laying bare how much the strategic outlook has changed. For Focus on Politics this week, political reporter Giles Dexter digs into the plan, where the money's going, and how New Zealand's partners might respond. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details...
Apr 11, 2025•16 min•Ep. 202
The new RNZ-Reid Research Poll shows the political race has tightened since the election, but the coalition parties are still holding on to a slim lead. Deputy political editor Craig McCulloch breaks down the numbers as RNZ ventures into the province of polling. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Apr 04, 2025•16 min•Ep. 201
There was outrage from across the political spectrum this week, following comments by Green MP Tamatha Paul about police beat patrols making people feel "less safe". It came the same week a Justice Select Committee report stated public trust in the police is at about 68 percent. Political reporter Lillian Hanly looks back at the different perspectives on the issue. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details...
Mar 28, 2025•16 min•Ep. 200
In Focus on Politics, Anneke Smith examines the Prime Minister’s performance in India and takes a look at what the Foreign Affairs Minister got out of his talks with top US officials in Washington DC. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Mar 21, 2025•16 min•Ep. 199
In Focus on Politics, RNZ's political editor Jo Moir breaks down a bad poll for the coalition, and the ongoing fallout from the school lunches programme, including new liquidation woes. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Mar 14, 2025•16 min•Ep. 198
Housing advocates and those supporting homeless youth say it's now near impossible to get into emergency housing. The coalition celebrated reducing the number of households in emergency motels by 75 per cent - a target it's met five years early. But critics say homelessness has increased as a result of tougher rules. In Focus on Politics, RNZ Political Reporter Lillian Hanly takes a look at access to emergency housing, after the government tightened its criteria last August. Go to this episode o...
Mar 07, 2025•16 min•Ep. 197
In Focus on Politics, RNZ's political editor Jo Moir takes a look at New Zealand’s relationship with China as three Chinese warships sit off the coast of Australia, and the Cook Islands signs new agreements with the superpower, without first consulting New Zealand. Foreign Minister was in Beijing this week for high-level meetings, and RNZ's Corin Dann was there to report from the ground. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details...
Feb 28, 2025•16 min•Ep. 196
A damning report has found the safeguards government agencies have to protect data they share with third party providers to be sorely lacking, and wide open for misuse. Allegations Census and vaccination data shared at Manurewa Marae was misused are up for further investigation, but the trust in the public service has taken a hit. For Focus on Politics this week, political reporter Giles Dexter looks at the report and its findings, and what steps the public service will take to win that trust ba...
Feb 21, 2025•16 min•Ep. 195
Facing falling poll numbers and focusing squarely on growth, the prime minister's agenda this week has faced multiple distractions - and they all seemed to have one name. It's a trend that seems likely to continue into the second half of the government's term. Political Reporter Russell Palmer spoke to David Seymour and Mike Munro for Focus on Politics this week about coalition dynamics. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details...
Feb 14, 2025•16 min•Ep. 194
In this week's Focus on Politics, Lillian Hanly goes to Waitangi and experiences the manaakitanga, the politics, and the ceremony of New Zealand's national day. Thousands of people make the trip north each year to the place where Te Tiriti was first signed - though this year, the prime minister was notably absent. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Feb 07, 2025•16 min•Ep. 193
ACT leader David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill is being considered by the Justice Select Committee. It received an unprecedented number of written submissions and the committee made a selection to ensure hearing a broad range of views for the first sessions on the Bill. RNZ political reporter Lillian Hanly takes a look back at the first ten hours of oral submissions. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details...
Jan 31, 2025•16 min•Ep. 192
The end-of-year has arrived, and with it, the traditional suite of end-of-year reviews and thinkpieces. RNZ deputy political editor Craig McCulloch looks back on the ups and downs of politics in 2024. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Dec 19, 2024•16 min•Ep. 191
In Focus on Politics, RNZ's political editor Jo Moir sits down with new Minister for Rail Winston Peters to discuss the future of the Interislander ferries, and what next year will bring for the New Zealand First leader. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Dec 13, 2024•16 min•Ep. 190
They call it scrutiny week at Parliament - a prolonged political prosecution - where the opposition is given the opportunity to grill ministers and department bosses and sometimes receive a little return fire. Broadly speaking, commentators have not been overly impressed with the opposition's approach. In this week's Focus on Politics, the second ever scrutiny week has launched many headlines, but is it doing what it was meant to? RNZ Political Reporter Russell Palmer examines a nascent parliame...
Dec 06, 2024•16 min•Ep. 189
In Focus on Politics, RNZ deputy political editor Craig McCulloch sits down with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to reflect on his first year in charge. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Nov 29, 2024•16 min•Ep. 188
Mark this up as a moment in history - as Parliament held court to one of the largest protests it has ever seen - more than 42,000 people descending on the capital - to close out a nine day hīkoi that travelled across the motu. They rallied in opposition to the government's agenda for Māori, but chiefly the Treaty Principles Bill, championed by ACT's leader David Seymour. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon decided against meeting the organisers, saying they were affiliated to Te Pāti Māori. RNZ Pol...
Nov 22, 2024•16 min•Ep. 187
Tens, if not hundreds of thousands, of survivors tuned into this week's Crown apology for abuse in care. They came looking for meaningful words and a plan for restitution. The government delivered a sincere apology but survivors will have to wait until 2025 for a new redress scheme. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Nov 15, 2024•16 min•Ep. 186
Mark this one down in the history books: Donald Trump, on his way back to the White House after a nail-biter race for the American presidency. No doubt the ramifications will be momentous for the United States - but what for New Zealand? RNZ deputy political editor Craig McCulloch breaks down the consequences. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Nov 08, 2024•16 min•Ep. 185
The government wants to speed up house building, aiming to allow builders to sign off their own work. It would be a risk-based approach, only used for straightforward jobs or by trusted groups - and paired with harsher penalties for rule-breakers. In Focus on Politics this week, RNZ Political Reporter Russell Palmer sits down with Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk to nail down some details and his thinking around the government's self-certification scheme aimed at getting homes built...
Nov 01, 2024•16 min•Ep. 184
Multiple parties brushed up against scandal this week as National struggled to defend a bumbling minister and the Greens farewelled a rogue MP. Meanwhile New Zealand First and Labour were at loggerheads over an alleged conflict of interest. It all played out in the same week the Government intervened at Wellington City Council - trying to sort out the capital kerfuffle. Deputy political Craig McCulloch looks back at a busy week in politics. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details...
Oct 25, 2024•16 min•Ep. 183
Wellington City Council has been under scrutiny this week, with the coalition government threatening to intervene. Last week, the capital's councilors voted to stop the sale of its 34 percent stake in the Wellington Airport. The decision has left the council's Long Term Plan in limbo - its investment plan for the next ten years. Political reporter Lillian Hanly breaks down the capital kerfuffle. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details...
Oct 18, 2024•16 min•Ep. 182
Fresh off a trip to the United Nations General Assembly leaders' week, the foreign minister Winston Peters is defending New Zealand's support for a resolution calling for Israel to leave occupied Palestinian territories within 12 months. That decision raised some eyebrows back home, as it was out of step with our Five Eyes partners, and Act leader David Seymour believes it was a big enough change in position to warrant having a conversation at Cabinet - but that did not happen. Political editor ...
Oct 10, 2024•16 min•Ep. 181
Casey Costello is the Smokefree Minister accused of helping Big Tobacco - something she strongly denies. The pressure on her has only grown amid questions about the advice she's relied on to push through tax cuts on heated tobacco products. In Focus on Politics this week, RNZ deputy political editor Craig McCulloch lays out the latest revelations surrounding New Zealand's Smokefree strategy as overseen by the minister and NZ First MP Casey Costello. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more detai...
Oct 04, 2024•16 min•Ep. 180
