Duncan Garner - Editor In Chief

Episodes

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  David Seymour’s $400m Health Plan & The Battle For Epsom 18.10.2026 1h 11m

  We are in the final stretch of the election and it is looking like the tightest race in decades. ACT leader David Seymour joins us live to break down his party's $400 million health policy, primary care funding, cutting the public service, and why he refuses to hand over Epsom. Plus, Ashley Church and Maurice Williamson join the panel to crunch the numbers on our latest poll of polls. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Mike King Speaks Out: Gumboot Friday, Vulnerability, and His Untold Story 16.10.2026 1h 29m

  Mike King sits down with Duncan Garner for a deeply personal, wide-ranging yarn about where he has been and where he is headed. From his early years in a gang to navigating late puberty, school failure, and complex family dynamics, Mike opens up about the moments that shaped him. We dive into why so many Kiwi kids feel lost today, the truth about youth mental health, and what Gumboot Friday is really fighting for. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Chris Hipkins Slams Green Party and Te Pati Māori After Leaked Mongrel Mob Meeting 15.10.2026 16m

  Green and Te Pati Māori MPs visited a South Auckland gang pad to meet senior Mongrel Mob members and posted the photos online. With the election on a knife-edge, the judgment of these politicians is under heavy scrutiny. Chris Hipkins has called the photos abhorrent and completely unacceptable. We ask what on earth they were thinking and whether this error hands the election to their opponents. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Luxon vs Hipkins: A Winner on Points. A Loser on Wages. 14.10.2026 1h 1m

  Christopher Luxon looked stronger. Then Chris Hipkins found his weak spot and kept hitting it. Duncan Garner, Ani O’Brien and Jordan Williams deliver their verdict on the NZ Herald leaders’ debate. Luxon gets the edge overall, but his minimum wage answers come under fire, while Hipkins faces tough questions over COVID decisions and trust. Plus, the panel tackles government spending, the Greens’ Mongrel Mob visit and Luxon’s refusal to work with the Opportunity Party. Would he really choose opposition over picking up the phone? Did either leader win over undecided voters, or was Ryan Bridge the best performer of the night? Join Team Duncan. Text DUNCAN to 3598 for a link to sign up. With thanks to LifeDirect for supporting Editor-in-Chief. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Why Wellington’s Uniform Mandate Won't Fix NZ Economic Crisis 13.10.2026 11m

  Four weeks out from the election, Wellington is telling schools how to manage uniform costs. Is this really how we tackle a massive cost of living crisis, or is it just a cheap distraction? We dig into why central government needs to butt out of local decisions and start answering the big questions about who will actually run the country and how families are going to get ahead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  The Editor-in-Chief 13.10.2026 2m

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  TOP’s Hung Parliament & National Drug Testing Policy 12.10.2026 22m

  The election is so close we could be looking at a completely hung parliament, leaving the major parties scrambling for votes. Kylee Wong joins us to lay down a challenge on how kingmaker negotiations should work, while National and ACT push tough welfare calls to rally their bases. We dig into whether these policies show true strategy or sheer desperation, and ask if MPs should face the same drug tests. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Could TOP Decide the Election? Qiulae Wong on Tax, Winston and Her Bottom Lines 11.10.2026 1h 12m

  Would Qiulae Wong put National or Labour into power? And what would she demand in return? The Opportunity Party leader joins Duncan Garner to explain her five bottom lines, why tax reform isn’t a condition of a deal, and where she stands on Winston Peters. Duncan presses her on the cost of living, supermarket competition, power bills and how much a minor party could actually deliver. Then Ani O’Brien and former National minister Maurice Williamson give their verdict on Wong’s answers and debate strategic voting, a possible hung Parliament and whether National has left its toughest decisions too late. Could the smallest shift in votes decide who gets the keys to the Beehive? With thanks to LifeDirect. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Luxon vs Hipkins: Who Won, Who Dodged and Who Missed Their Moment? 11.10.2026 58m

  A snarky debate, rehearsed answers and plenty of missed opportunities. Did either leader give New Zealanders a reason to feel confident? Duncan Garner, Ani O’Brien and former National minister Maurice Williamson give their verdict on the TVNZ leaders’ debate between Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins. Where did Luxon let Hipkins off the hook? Was Hipkins better at debating than answering the hard questions? And why wasn’t there more scrutiny of the coalition partners who could shape the next government? From the cost of living and tax promises to health, education and law and order, the panel picks apart the exchanges that mattered. Join Duncan LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 7pm for more Election 2026 coverage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Opportunity Party Kingmaker? Qiulae Wong on TOP Bottom Lines & Coalition Deals 11.10.2026 1h 14m

  Opportunity Party leader Qiulae Wong joins Duncan Garner in the studio as TOP surges in the polls and positions itself to potentially hold the balance of power this election. With the party sitting around the key 5% threshold, Qiulae breaks down TOP's five non-negotiable bottom lines, including cracking down on supermarket competition, regulating lobbying, reforming health, and recommitting to climate targets. Maurice Williamson and Ani O'Brien join Duncan on the panel to dissect whether Christopher Luxon can keep ruling TOP out, how vote splitting affects National and minor parties under MMP, and what a tight election result could mean for New Zealand's political landscape. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Māori Statutory Board Voting Rights Removed: Auckland Council Co-Governance Debate Explained 09.10.2026 35m

  The government has officially stripped non-elected members of voting rights on Auckland Council committees, including the Auckland Māori Statutory Board. It brings us back to a basic democratic principle: if you want the power to vote, you should have to stand for election and face the voters. But while the core principle makes sense, the process behind it has been messy and rushed. We break it down with Maurice Williamson and Ashley Church. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Editor-in-Chief Poll of Polls: Can The Left Take The Lead Due To MMP? 07.10.2026 12m

  Our latest rolling poll of polls averages out the numbers and hands this election to the left. National is narrowly ahead in the party vote, but MMP arithmetic means Labour, the Greens, Te Pāti Māori, and TOP could have enough seats to form a government. Last night's debate showed just how tight this contest really is, even if most voters have already made up their minds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Duncan Breaks Down Nicola Willis Calling Chris Hipkins A Liar & Winston Peters Untrustworthy 05.10.2026 23m

  Nicola Willis has used nuclear political language, calling Chris Hipkins a liar over Labour's alternative budget. She claims there is a $10 billion-plus hole in their pay equity promises. We break down the biggest takeaways from our interview, including her warnings about Winston Peters, supermarket competition reforms, and why Chris Hipkins refused to front up on the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Election 2026 Fiscal Clash: Nicola Willis Calls Labour's Budget Plan A Fraud 04.10.2026 1h 18m

  The 2026 election battle is officially underway, and cost of living is front and centre. We sit down with Finance Minister Nicola Willis to unpack Labour’s fiscal plan, soaring petrol prices, and whether supermarket structural changes can actually lower your grocery bill. Plus, we look at the brutal MMP mathematics that could leave senior ministers without a seat in Parliament. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Winston Peters $120 Weekly Family Promise: How Will NZ First Pay For It? 02.10.2026 9m

  Buried in the minor parties debate, Winston Peters dropped a massive election grenade: an extra $120 a week for working families. That is over $6,000 a year, but when pushed on how to pay for it, he pointed to economic growth, mining, and a future fund we know little about. Promises are easy, but numbers are hard. We look at whether this holds up or triggers a massive spending auction. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Where Is Chippy? Chris Hipkins Ducks Hard Questions On Labour's Tax Plan 01.10.2026 35m

  Chris Hipkins goes missing when asked how Labour will pay for its promises. Duncan Garner tracks down the missing Labour leader who refuses to front for the Editor-in-Chief podcast after getting put through the political wringer on his uncosted $18 billion budget. Plus, former All Blacks captain Tane Randall joins the show to talk about standing for New Zealand First, cutting SME taxes, and getting small businesses growing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  The Left Are Fighting Over The Finance Minister Role & Treasury Budget 30.09.2026 12m

  It is only day three of the election campaign, and the left is already fighting over the Treasury keys. Chlöe Swarbrick wants the finance portfolio, Chris Hipkins says Barbara Edmonds gets it bottom line, and Labour is talking up a mini budget to cover its promises. We break down the massive numbers, the pay equity demands, and why the arithmetic simply does not add up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  NZ Poll Surge: Greens Hit Historic High & Indian Immigration Scandal 30.09.2026 31m

  The latest poll just blew the election wide open with a massive Green surge, leaving National and Labour tied at 28%. But behind the headline numbers, who actually holds the balance of power? Plus, New Zealand First candidate Bernadette Soares joins us to blow the whistle on dodgy migration deals, worker exploitation, and why she believes current immigration settings are failing everyday Kiwis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Why John Key Is Wrong: Maurice Williamson EXPLAINS MMP Vote Splitting 28.09.2026 31m

  National is facing an internal battle over how best to return a centre-right government under MMP. Former Cabinet Minister Maurice Williamson argues that with National polling around 30% while holding a large number of electorate seats, extra party votes for National will not produce extra MPs. He suggests National voters strategically give their party vote to ACT or New Zealand First to maximize the right-wing seat count. However, party heavyweights John Key and Chris Bishop reject the strategy, urging voters to stick to two ticks for National to ensure a stable government. Meanwhile, polling scenarios from the Sensible Sentencing Trust suggest a small 3% shift in party votes could materially alter the election outcome. Duncan Garner breaks down the parliamentary arithmetic, evaluates Labour and National's campaign launches, and sits down with Maurice Williamson to debate the numbers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Exclusive Chris Bishop Interview & Boring Campaigns Helping Minor Parties? 25.09.2026 34m

  Christopher Luxon versus Chris Hipkins is shaping up as one of the most vanilla, stale political battles in recent history. With both major party leaders playing it safe, the real fire is coming from the fringes. Winston Peters wants to buy back BNZ, TOP is pitching massive tax overhauls, and David Seymour wants Paul Henry as broadcasting minister. We ask who is actually offering real change, plus RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop joins us to break down the government’s massive planning overhaul. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices