Nicola Willis had an interesting road to Parliament - after spending over a decade as a staffer to different members of the National Party, she very nearly got into Parliament in 2017 before the final results saw her just miss out. Coming in a few months later off the back of several resignations, Willis has skyrocketed to the top, becoming Deputy Leader at the end of 2021 - and now holding the prime finance portfolio her once boss Bill English used to hold. So is she gearing up to potentially b...
Mar 25, 2022•29 min
In a first for On the Tiles, this week we're hosting a debate focused around New Zealand's response to the Ukraine crisis. Thomas moderates a discussion between National and Green's foreign affairs spokespeople, Gerry Brownlee and Golriz Ghahraman. They discuss what both their parties want to see from the Government in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and debate the sanctions that could be imposed, if the focus should be on refugees, and if the United Nations is fit for purpose. Follow ...
Mar 03, 2022•27 min
In this week's episode, Thomas welcomes back regular panellists AAP New Zealand correspondent Ben McKay and Newsroom political editor Jo Moir. It's been a packed year for politics already, but this week saw a year's worth of developments: the three discuss Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the protests outside Parliament, National's Chris Luxon and his speech on New Zealand being divided, poll reversals for Labour, the Government's response to Omicron, and Ben discusses the latest developments in Au...
Feb 24, 2022•58 min
Raf Manji has been around the political scene for some time, with a few attempts to break into Parliament through different electorates. Now, he's got new aims to get The Opportunities Party over the magic 5% threshold and into Parliament - and potentially Government - in 2023. He joined Thomas Coughlan to discuss his political motivations, what Labour and National need to do different around the economy and house prices, TOP's stance on social issues, and which parties TOP could work with in go...
Feb 17, 2022•51 min
Labour MP and Minister for Transport and Workplace Relations and Safety Michael Wood is this week's guest for On the Tiles. He talks to Thomas Coughlan about his rocky first attempts to enter Parliament, his time on select committees before becoming a Minister in 2020, what he's learnt in his new roles, the backlash to Labour transport policies, including improvements for road and a second harbour crossing in Auckland, and the current state of the union movement globally. Follow On the Tiles on ...
Feb 10, 2022•33 min
Margaret Wilson is a stalwart of the Labour Party, having served as its President, a staff member in Geoffrey Palmer's Prime Ministerial office, before serving as a MP, Minister and eventually Speaker during Helen Clark's Government. To reflect on her lengthy political career that she details in her memoir, Activism, Feminism, Politics and Parliament, Wilson joins Thomas Coughlan on this week's On the Tiles. Follow On the Tiles on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your po...
Feb 04, 2022•43 min
On the Tiles is back for a new year of political chat - and to kick off 2022, Thomas is joined by Max Rashbrooke, author of Too Much Money, which argues for class to be discussed in political life alongside gender and race. The two discuss what role class has in political discussion and New Zealand life, growing inequality between the rich and poor in New Zealand the consequences of that, the advantages wealth gives you, and how political parties can tackle this inequality. Follow On the Tiles o...
Jan 20, 2022•44 min
For the final episode of the year, Thomas is riding solo as he recaps some of the key moments of the year in politics - with Covid-19 dominating everything, plus a bit of economic chat, house prices and some of the key social issues that have dominated discussion during 2021. And what do the ups and downs of this year mean for 2022? On the Tiles will return in January 2022! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 22, 2021•32 min
In this week's episode, Thomas goes one-on-one for Green Party MP Chloe Swarbrick to talk the Finance and Expenditure Committee, the aftermath to the Government's financial response to the pandemic, her mission to get more answers, and her perspective on some of the fiscal policies before Parliament. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 09, 2021•22 min
A crazy week for the National Party has ended with former Air NZ CEO Chris Luxon named their new leader. But is Luxon's sudden rise - the fifth leader to face Jacinda Ardern in Opposition - the end to a crazy four years after the end of the Key-English government? Luxon talked with Thomas Coughlan shortly after being named leader on November 30th. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 30, 2021•15 min
In an emergency episode of On the Tiles, Thomas Coughlan is joined by Newstalk ZB's Jason Walls to analyse a chaotic 24 hours for the National Party. What was Judith Collins thinking in demoting Simon Bridges, and was this a 'bridge too far' after other shows of strength? What does this mean for National's already beleaguered board? Who will replace Collins as leader and what will her legacy be? And which National MP emerged on top from this mess? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat...
Nov 25, 2021•38 min
In this week's episode, Thomas has a one-on-one chat with National Party MP and former leader Simon Bridges. They discuss Bridges' new book, why he thinks the country should do more on climate change, personalities trumping ideology, his stance on conversion therapy, and why he isn't a big fan of capitalism. Plus, Bridges reflects on the state of the Covid response, the Facebook post that brought him down, and whether he wants to go again as leader. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...
Nov 18, 2021•48 min
In today's episode, senior political reporter Thomas Coughlan is joined by Newsroom political editor Jo Moir and Australian Associated Press NZ correspondent Ben McKay to discuss the anti-vax protest that descended on Parliament on Tuesday and what it was like on the ground. They also dissect the latest polls that show a drop in support for the Government, and wade through the muddy circumstances of the contentious Three Waters debate. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Nov 11, 2021•42 min
This week Thomas is holding down the fort for a special look at the country's books and how the economy is faring after a year of Covid-19. Our panel, made up of guests Interest.co.nz journalist Jenée Tibshraeny and former economic advisor to Labour and CTU economist Craig Renney, discuss the Crown's accounts, debt, inflation, interest rates, and what's next for New Zealand's economic future. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 21, 2021•48 min
In today's episode, political reporters and dumpling enthusiasts Derek and Thomas are joined by National Party Covid-19 spokesperson Chris Bishop to discuss the ongoing outbreak in Auckland, what National would do differently - and how their strategy has changed in the wake of Delta and the latest research. Plus, they discuss the latest political polls and why National is still languishing behind Labour. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Oct 15, 2021•46 min
As New Zealand continues to tackle the Delta outbreak of Covid-19, Derek and Thomas are joined by Newsroom's Jo Moir to discuss the Government's change in strategy and the confusion over elimination versus eradication - aided by a deep dive through the Beehive transcripts. They also discuss vaccine mandates and how other parties have responded to the latest developments. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 07, 2021•35 min
The 'lost' first episode of On the Tiles makes it debut one month late! This week Derek and Thomas are joined by University of Otago professor Michael Baker to discuss the Government's plans to reopen the border, which the Prime Minister has said won't be affected by the ongoing Delta outbreak in Auckland. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sep 23, 2021•39 min
This week, Covid-19 and the Delta outbreak continue to dominate politics - did the Government make the right call on the 'in principle' decision around moving Auckland down alert levels? Plus, Derek and Thomas are joined by National's pollster David Farrar to discuss what the party and Judith Collins are getting wrong in opposition. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sep 16, 2021•38 min
In our first episode in the middle of the Delta Covid-19 outbreak, Derek and Thomas discuss the Government's response, how the outbreak has changed the narrative around the vaccine rollout, and missteps from the leaders of National and Act. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sep 10, 2021•34 min
Listen to On the Tiles every Friday wherever you get your podcasts, with central government episodes hosted by NZ Herald deputy political editor, Thomas Coughlan, and monthly Local Edition episodes with Wellington issues reporter, Georgina Campbell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sep 09, 2021•30 sec
