Q+A 22 March 2026: “Extreme risk”. How Iran war exposes NZ’s national security vulnerabilities

About this episode

Retired Major-General John Howard discusses New Zealand's national security vulnerabilities in light of the Iran war.

“Extreme risk”. How Iran war exposes NZ’s national security vulnerabilities The world has fundamentally changed, and New Zealand is not yet grappling with what that means for our national security, says Retired Major-General John Howard. After a distinguished 40 year career in the military, Howard is now speaking out about what the war in Iran represents, the limits of New Zealand’s military capabilities, and the lack of strategic thinking around our military and economic vulnerabilities. In particular, Howard highlights the potential for fuel shortages, and that it is unclear how fuel will be allocated between the population at large and critical industries if necessary. Mayors speak out against road funding changes They’re lifelines for small communities, but special purpose roads are about to lose their full government funding. Whena Owen meets a group of regional mayors who are raising the alarm. Meet the urban planner who wants less planning World leading urban planner Alain Bertaud speaks to Q+A about his vision for how cities should be allowed to develop through organic choices and markets, rather than central planning. Bertaud is renowned for his work in cities around the…

People in this episode

Host: Jack Tame

Guests: John Howard, Alain Bertaud, Todd Stephenson

Topics covered

• national security
• Iran war
• military capabilities
• fuel shortages
• urban planning
• euthanasia

Keywords

• New Zealand
• military
• economic vulnerabilities
• road funding
• urban development

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Iran, NZ, New Zealand, New Zealand’s, Auckland

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