The Collective

Waitangi Weekend in an Election year, with a historically unpopular PM, weirdly close polls, a new tranche of laws designed to stop people from voting and a million people who didn't vote last time being called on to step up - you better believe we're back to look at all!Join Sean Ackland, Jordan Rivers and Paul Barlow, while Brie takes a well earned break - with guests this week to look at the issues and into the crystal ball.

Education has been under an onslaught over the past month. The government’s surprise announcement that they were removing Treaty obligations and the substantial pushback from educators, schools and iwi has over shadowed curriculum changes that contain less Maori, and will perpetuate racism and inequity according to Maori education leaders. Alongside this was reversing the School Lunch changes which lead to almost 1000 public complaints and the continued rise of Seymour’s Charter School Projects, which include signing off on a trust that doesn’t exist and claims of cronyism in their set up and questions about their agendas and purpose. We’ll be exploring what these changes really look like overall in terms of what our teachers teach and our young people learn.Trust and democracy go hand in hand - we the voters need to trust the people we elect, we need to trust the institutions and services they provide for the greater good, like police, education, health care, even the processes politicians work through, can be trusted to work for us. Over the last month, we’ve seen major incidents happen which impact that relationship - the fall out from the McSkimming cover up has impacted trust in the police, the coalition forcing through the Regulatory Standards Bill despite 98% opposition to the Bill in submissions - it all impacts how much trust people have in the democratic process, surprise changes to curriculums, arguments between coalition party leaders impacts in trust voters have given them to work together, and surprise changes to bipartisan climate change targets creates distrust for voters that some parties are not concerned about the greater good of us all. Going into the election year, do voters need to have concerns about who they trust to lead the country after 2026?Social Media is a key tool in a modern election, a battleground for campaigns - but also a target for many wanting change. Will a ban on social media for those under 16 really have a positive impact as claimed by those pursuing it, could it lead to young voters being left feeling disconnected to public opinions and views when it comes to shaping how they will vote when they’re eligible? Is it the dreaded nanny state the right seem to vilify or a wide reaching step to protecting young people from harm? Join Sean Ackland, Brie Elliot, Jordan Rivers and Paul Barlow as they dissect, contextualise and probe the issues of the past month