Hospital Crisis, Dirty Money and Trumps Midterm Nightmare

Hospital Crisis, Dirty Money and Trumps Midterm Nightmare

August 24, 2026 · 51 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the health of democracy in New Zealand and the United States, focusing on healthcare issues and political reforms.

Hosted by Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson , Cross Party Lines returns to its usual programming for an episode that is almost entirely about the health of democracy itself: in New Zealand’s hospitals, in its political donation system, in its local body elections and in the United States with 74 days to go. Thanks to Frank Risk Management, the 100% Kiwi owned insurance brokerage. Get more info at frankrisk.co.nz. In this episode: * Health, housing and the election’s tier-one issues — Phil opens with a forensic and at times furious account of New Zealand’s hospital emergency departments: patients waiting up to fifty hours for a bed, wards operating at two to three hundred percent capacity, people in acute pain sitting in bright lights unable to sleep. Chris adds property rights as his personal tier-one issue — invoking the OECD Secretary General Matthias Cormann’s argument that the rule of law is the single most important ingredient in a wealthy, functioning economy, and connecting it to the greyhound racing shutdown, the MACA amendment and sixty Treaty settlements he signed. * Cleaning up New Zealand politics — donations, lobbying, ballot theft and postal voting — Phil walks through…

People in this episode

Hosts: Phil Goff, Chris Finlayson

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Frank Risk Management

Mentioned in this episode

Places: New Zealand, United States

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