On the Tiles

Last week, Opposition Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs Hon David Parker gave a speech addressing the state of New Zealand's international relations as part of an event for Diplosphere.  Thomas chaired a Q&A after the event between Parker and the audience, and On the Tiles presents the full speech by Parker and that Q&A for this week's episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the first political panel catchup for the year, Thomas is joined by Newstalk ZB Political Editor Jason Walls and NZ Herald Wellington Business Editor Jenee Tibshraeny to discuss a hectic period in local politics - ranging from the resignation of Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr, the firing of UK High Commissioner Phil Goff, the latest comments by Christopher Luxon, and Labour's reshuffle. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This month, the Cook Islands signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with China, sparking tensions between the islands and New Zealand.  It has sparked renewed discussions about China's interest in the Pacific, and how New Zealand should respond, as the Asia-Pacific region remains a hotbed of diplomatic tension between the East and West. Marco de Jong, a Pacific historian and lecturer at AUT, who has been doing a lot of research into AUKUS, joins Thomas this week to discuss what's happening in the region. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Tiles is back for 2025, and to kick off the year, Thomas is joined by NZ Herald Wellington Business Editor Jenee Tibshraeny and Interest.co.nz's economic policy reporter Dan Brunskill to look ahead at the economy this year. They discuss their predictions, house prices, credit ratings, the HYEFU from the end of 2024, debanking, and what this all means for the Government and the country. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the final Local Edition of 2024, Georgina is joined by  Herald senior writer Simon Wilson and former Mayor and Infrastructure New Zealand chief executive Nick Leggett to wrap the highs and lows of local politics. They discuss: The issues facing Tory Whanau and Wellington Council How Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown bounced back from a rough 2023 What central Government wants from councils  Rising rates and costs Which mayors from small towns performed the best - and who needs improvement? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government has appointed a Crown observer at Wellington City Council. The council has been called “a shambles” after it stopped the sale of its stake in the airport and now has to cut community projects to plug the resulting hole in its budget.On this week’s episode, Georgina speaks with former Cabinet minister and current Nelson mayor Nick Smith about how Crown observer Lindsay McKenzie can help turn things around at the troubled council.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thomas is back from the US covering the election, which former President Donald Trump won in a landslide over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. Also there was former Labour MP Naisi Chen, who was campaigning on the ground for the Democrats side. She joins Thomas to discuss what she saw and heard from voters, the factors that led to Trump winning, and what New Zealand politicians can learn. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a short hiatus, Thomas is back for a panel with Jason Walls and Jenee Tibshraeny. They discuss what the latest Government financial statements show about the state of ACC and the rest of the Government's books, as well as the improvements in the economy and who can take credit for it, the property market and the push to build more homes, and the renewed debate about Capital Gains Tax.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a change in central government policy, councils have overwhelmingly voted to keep Māori wards, but we'll first have to ask the public what they think via a referendum. There's concern these polls will put more costs on councils that they simply can't afford. This week, Georgina talks to Newstalk ZB Wellington reporter Azaria Howell to discuss the political background to this law change and exactly how much these referendums are going to cost, and later talks with Far North District Mayor Moko Tepania about why his community supports having a Māori ward.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Council leaders from around the country have met in a convention centre that the Prime Minister thinks is an example of wasteful spending and is just down the road from a burst water main that has turned a street into a paddling pool. The Local Government New Zealand conference was held in Wellington this week at the city’s new $180 million convention centre Takina, and Georgina this week takes us through the highlights - most notably, Christopher Luxon's sharply worded speech about council spending. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Thomas is joined by Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls to discuss the latest political drama, namely the Greens and their ongoing internal strifes after suspending MP Darleen Tana, and Act and Te Pāti Māori clash over political pins and stickers, and accusations of race-based bullying. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the last few weeks, Tauranga residents have been able to vote in their first local election since the city council was replaced with commissioners at the end of 2020. Preliminary results are in, and in a landslide result, former Olympic rower Mahé Drysdale is expected to become the city’s new Mayor. For this bonus episode of On the Tiles: Local Edition, he catches up with Georgina ahead of the final results to discuss what’s next for the city. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's deputy leader, and former deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Social Development, Carmel Sepuloni joins Thomas this week. She discusses how Labour lost Auckland and their response to crime in the city, before a deep dive on welfare, benefits, and what needs to be done to fix this issue. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.