Taxpayer Talk

Epizódok

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  Taxpayer Talk: Grover Norquist on No New Taxes and holding politicians to it 12.09.2026 48p

  This week, Jordan is joined by Grover Norquist, founder of Americans for Tax Reform and the man behind the original Taxpayer Protection Pledge, to talk about how a simple promise not to raise taxes became one of the most powerful forces in American conservative politics. With both National and ACT campaigning on no new taxes, Grover explains how voters can turn a slogan into a commitment politicians are afraid to break. From George H.W. Bush’s “read my lips” lesson to fiscal drag, levies, tar...
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  Taxpayer Talk: Jordan Williams and Oliver Hartwich on MMP Gaming and Overhang Chaos 03.09.2026 20p

  Te Pāti Māori’s call for supporters to split their votes has put one of MMP’s strangest quirks back in the spotlight: overhang seats, strategic voting, and whether parties can game the system to change who forms the next government. Jordan Williams is joined by Oliver Hartwich from the New Zealand Initiative to unpack what it all means, why the strategy could backfire, and whether New Zealand’s electoral system is heading for a serious credibility problem. From Māori seats and tactical voting...
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  Taxpayer Talk: Paul Henry on ACT, Tax Cuts, and Taking an Axe to Wellington 31.08.2026 1ó 4p

  In this episode of Taxpayer Talk, Peter Williams is joined by broadcaster-turned-ACT candidate Paul Henry for a lively, wide-ranging conversation on the campaign, the state of the centre-right, and why he thinks this election is too important to sit out. From ACT’s push for smaller government and lower taxes to superannuation reform, Treaty politics, immigration, and the future of taxpayer-funded media, Henry makes the case for a sharper, braver government - and explains why he wants to be pa...
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  Taxpayer Talk: Simon Court on the RMA shakedown holding New Zealand hostage 19.08.2026 33p

  In this episode of Taxpayer Talk, Peter Williams is joined by ACT’s infrastructure and resource management spokesman Simon Court to take aim at the planning rules he says are stopping New Zealand from building the homes, roads, ports, quarries, power lines, and infrastructure we desperately need. From eye-watering consent costs and “cultural shakedowns” to lizard surveys, gold-plated planning rules, and councils blocking growth while infrastructure falls apart, Simon explains why the RMA repl...
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  Taxpayer Talk: Deputy PM David Seymour on woke regulators, KiwiSaver, and ACT’s election fight 09.07.2026 40p

  In this episode of Taxpayer Talk, Peter Williams is joined by ACT Leader and Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour for a wide-ranging pre-election interview on coalition tensions, regulatory overreach, free speech, KiwiSaver, Treaty politics, and ACT’s record in Government. From “political neutrality” rules for regulators and the Ministry of Regulation’s war on red tape, to compulsory savings, bond markets, the Treaty Principles Bill, and whether ACT can grow its vote, Seymour makes the case th...
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  Taxpayer Talk: Jordan Williams and economist Cam Bagrie on Budget 2026 28.05.2026 16p

  Jordan is fresh out of the Budget 2026 lockup and joined by economist Cam Bagrie to unpack whether the Government’s numbers really stack up. They warn the Budget is heavy on promises, light on proof, and may rely too much on inflation, backloaded savings, and heroic assumptions to get back to surplus. From rising borrowing costs and “promise-enomics” to the demographic time bomb of superannuation and healthcare, this is a blunt post-Budget reality check on whether taxpayers are being served b...
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  Taxpayer Talk: Nick Clark and Jordan Williams on why council amalgamation could make town halls even worse 25.05.2026 1ó 4p

  In this episode of Taxpayer Talk, Peter Williams is joined by Nick Clark from the New Zealand Initiative and Jordan Williams (Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director) to break down the Government’s plan to slash New Zealand’s 78 local authorities down to as few as 15. They explain why bigger councils do not necessarily mean lower rates, better services, or fewer bureaucrats — and why amalgamation could actually make local government less accountable, less local, and even more expensive. From the ...
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  Taxpayer Talk: Ruth Richardson on New Zealand’s fiscal reckoning 21.05.2026 43p

  In this episode of Taxpayer Talk, Peter Williams is joined by former Finance Minister and Taxpayers’ Union Chair Ruth Richardson for a no-holds-barred warning about New Zealand’s worsening fiscal mess. From exploding debt and runaway interest costs to bloated bureaucracy, superannuation reform, and a Government that still hasn’t found its “brave pills”, Ruth lays out why the country may be sleepwalking towards a fiscal crisis — and what needs to change before taxpayers are left carrying the c...
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  Taxpayer Talk: Professor Elizabeth Rata on the decline of education in New Zealand 23.04.2026 1ó 2p

  Why did New Zealand’s education system "turn to custard" in 1971? In this episode of Taxpayer Talk, host Peter Williams sits down with Professor Elizabeth Rata to explore how the nation moved from a world-class, knowledge-rich curriculum to one dominated by "social constructivism" and "learnification”. Elizabeth also lifts the lid on how the rejection of liberalism and nation-building has failed several generations of Kiwi children, and the challenge of turning around the "oil tanker" of mode...
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  Taxpayer Talk: Oliver Hartwich on restoring democratic control of the Public Service 13.04.2026 39p

  In this episode of Taxpayer Talk, Peter Williams sits down with Oliver Hartwich, Executive Director of the New Zealand Initiative, to discuss why he believes the country’s public service is "fundamentally broken" and incompatible with implementing good policy. Oliver explains how the 1988 reforms inadvertently created a state where department heads are more beholden to the Public Service Commissioner than their own ministers, and how the bureaucracy can subvert political will. Drawing o...
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  Taxpayer Talk: Marian Tupy on why the world Is better than you think 02.04.2026 38p

  What if the world is actually getting better — and we just can't see it? In this episode, host Jordan Williams sits down with Marian Tupy, senior fellow at the Cato Institute and founder of HumanProgress.org, to challenge the doom and gloom dominating today's headlines. Drawing on his books Super Abundance and 10 Global Trends Every Smart Person Should Know, Tupy makes a data-driven case that life expectancy, poverty, child mortality, and war are all trending in the right direction — and expl...
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  Taxpayer Talk: David Farrar on the methodology and influence of political polling 19.03.2026 37p

  Our latest Taxpayers’ Union–Curia poll sent Wellington into a frenzy at the beginning of March. But in this week’s Taxpayer Talk, Peter Williams sits down with Curia founder - and Taxpayers’ Union co-founder - David Farrar to separate the signal from the spin. Are polls actually driving political decisions, or just measuring them? And why do politicians pay attention, even when they ignore the results? David lifts the lid on how polling really works (spoiler: no, they’re not ringing every Kiw...
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  Taxpayer Talk: Roger Partridge on selling public assets to build better infrastructure 04.03.2026 43p

  The New Zealand Initiative Chair Roger Partridge joins Taxpayer Talk with Peter Williams to discuss a new report arguing New Zealand could unlock more than $24 billion for essential infrastructure by recycling mature Crown-owned commercial assets. Roger explains how redirecting capital tied up in government-owned companies such as Air New Zealand, Kiwibank and the mixed ownership electricity generators could help fund hospitals, schools, roads and water systems — without raising taxes or incr...
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  Taxpayer Talk: Federated Farmers’ Mark Hooper on the Flawed Replacements of the Resource Management Act 16.02.2026 45p

  Federated Farmers National Board member Mark Hooper joins Taxpayer Talk with Peter Williams to critique the government’s "deeply flawed" replacement of the Resource Management Act with the Natural Environment Bill and the Planning Bill. Mark walks Peter through why the new framework fails to deliver a faster, cheaper, better system, arguing that a predicted 46% reduction in consents is insufficient and warning that farmers could face double the red tape through a combination of complex farm p...
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  Taxpayer Talk: The Colourful Life of Cartoonist Garrick Tremain 24.01.2026 48p

  In November 2025, Garrick Tremain joined Peter Williams to discuss his colourful life as one of New Zealand’s finest and most influential political cartoonists of the contemporary era Support the show
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  Taxpayer Talk: David Cohen, author of Jacinda: The Untold Story 19.12.2025 46p

  Author David Cohen joins Jordan Williams for a no-holds-barred chat about his new book, Jacinda: The Untold Story. Billed as a refreshingly un-mushy take on Jacinda Ardern’s premiership, David drew on hundreds of interviews to cut through the PR gloss and media fawning. His verdict? Ardern was a talented brand manager, powered by what he calls a “missionary zeal” — but that communications-first style came at a cost, with big policies like KiwiBuild never properly stress-tested. Support the show
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  Taxpayer Talk: Jamie Beaton on how to fix New Zealand's failing education system 06.11.2025 50p

  Entrepreneur and Crimson Education founder Jamie Beaton joins Taxpayer Talk to discuss his extensive academic career, including his 11 degrees, and to offer a strong policy critique advocating for replacing the NCEA high school qualification with a more rigorous, globally standardized system. Support the show
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  Taxpayer Talk: Rowan Pike on NZ's and Aussie's illicit tobacco boom 23.10.2025 23p

  This week on Taxpayer Talk, Jordan is joined by international consultant Rowan Pike, a former Australian Federal Police officer and Customs and Border Force expert, to unpack the explosive rise of illicit tobacco in Australia. With around half of all cigarettes now sourced from the black market, Rowan reveals how sky-high excise taxes have fuelled organised crime, gang violence, and a thriving underground trade. Drawing on his frontline experience, he explains how well-intentioned policies ...
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  Taxpayer Talk: Cameron Luxton on the Gene Technology Bill 16.10.2025 30p

  This week on Taxpayer Talk, Peter Williams is joined by ACT MP Cameron Luxton for a wide-ranging discussion on the Government’s new Gene Technology Bill and what it means for innovation and regulation in New Zealand. Cameron shares his perspective on the Bill’s Māori advisory committee and how ACT approached its position. Peter and Cameron also discuss the Bill he has drafted to improve transparency and accountability in local government by banning unelected voting members on council committe...
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  Taxpayer Talk: Roger Partridge on Unscrambling the Ministerial Maze 26.09.2025 29p

  This week on Taxpayer Talk, Peter Williams is joined by Roger Partridge from the New Zealand Initiative to unpack his new report: Unscrambling Government: Less Confusion, More Efficiency. Right now, New Zealand has 81 ministerial portfolios, 28 ministers, and 43 departments. That’s three times as many portfolios and nearly twice as many departments as comparable countries. No wonder things feel messy. Roger argues this sprawling Cabinet structure makes it harder to know who’s accountable, pus...