Wayne Brown: NZ being run 'like a wrecking yard'

About this episode

Wayne Brown discusses Auckland's City Deal and the future of New Zealand's political landscape.

Wayne Brown: NZ being run 'like a wrecking yard' Running on a strident anti-Wellington platform, Auckland mayor Wayne Brown was re-elected to a second term in 2025 by a more than 100,000-vote majority. In April of this year, he signed New Zealand's first-ever city deal with central government, an agreement which contains no new funding arrangements for Auckland, and kicks one of Brown's biggest campaigns - a bed tax - into discussions for 2027. He joins Jack Tame to discuss Auckland's City Deal, Auckland Transport, and his pitch for a grand coalition between National and Labour in 2026 - a path he describes as the only way to reverse the long-term decline of New Zealand. Behind the scenes of Auckland's $5.5 billion rail project When Auckland's City Rail Link opens for business in the second half of 2026, the city will boast New Zealand's longest escalator, three brand-new stations, and a whole suite of costly but essential improvements to existing infrastructure. The price tag sits at $5.5 billion, split between central government and Auckland Council - with the Super City's largest-ever rates increase, 7.9 percent, mooted to cover the ongoing costs. Is a longer life always…

People in this episode

Host: Jack Tame

Guests: Wayne Brown, Dr Ezekiel Emanuel

Topics covered

• Auckland City Deal
• Auckland Transport
• New Zealand politics
• healthcare
• infrastructure

Keywords

• Auckland
• City Deal
• Wayne Brown
• New Zealand
• infrastructure
• healthcare
• politics
• Dr Ezekiel Emanuel

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Auckland Transport, National, Labour, NIB Health Innovation Summit

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