Both Sides Now

This week on Both Sides Now, we kick things off with Ed Sheeran vs Macklemore, has Ed made the right call?

Then we get into the big policy stories of the week: National entering the supermarket chat. Labour taking aim at supermarket price gouging, the Greens putting $200m behind Te Reo Māori, and Te Pāti Māori’s plans for New Zealand’s energy system.

And we get into ACT’s small business policy, including a proposed freeze on the minimum wage and a new youth training wage for under-20s, set at 60% of the minimum wage for up to a year. ACT says the policy is about making it easier for businesses to take on and train young people — but what does it mean for young workers?

We also look at National’s plan to put more police on public transport — will it actually make people feel safer, and what would it look like in practice?

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This week on Both Sides Now, we’re doing a political whistlestop tour because all the parties decided to do a policy dump this week.

We start with the Green's KiwiMart. We then run through Labour and ACT's climate change and policies. TPM and ACT’s plans for the Waitangi Tribunal, what do these policies surpassingly have in common?

We then go into Labour's AI policy, National’s first-home buyer announcement, and NZ First’s push around superannuation for citizens — plus the latest twist on immigration. We finish with Opportunity’s IERF policy.

It’s a lot, but we’re breaking down what’s actually being proposed, why the parties are pushing it, and what it could mean if they ever make it into government.

Another week, another nine things to have an opinion about. Welcome to election year.
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This week on Both Sides Now we kick things off with National’s student loan policy. What is National actually proposing, who stands to benefit, and does it meaningfully change the picture for young New Zealanders trying to get ahead?

Then we turn to health, with a particular focus on women’s health and the latest announcements in this space. We look at what the parties are promising and why young people should care about the health system.

And finally, we get into climate change. We unpack ACT’s proposed scrapping of the Climate Change Commission, what that could mean for the way New Zealand approaches emissions and climate policy, and National’s position on the Paris Agreement.

We also have some tax chats coming up! As mentioned on the show, if you have anything you want the experts to answer please email us at bothsidesnownz@gmail.com (no question is a silly question!)
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We sit down with Rewiring Aotearoa's Mike Casey for a wide-ranging conversation about one of the biggest costs facing New Zealanders: energy.

We get into power and petrol, and ask what can politicians actually do to make your power bill and petrol bill cheaper? We talk about the practical policy changes that could make a difference, what’s getting in the way, and whether politicians are making energy more complicated than it needs to be.

Mike isn’t a politician, and that’s part of what makes his perspective so refreshing. He has a genuine focus on policies that actually work for New Zealanders — and he’s not afraid to give credit where it’s due or call out bad ideas, regardless of which side of the political spectrum they come from.

In a political world that can sometimes feel very tribal, it’s refreshing to hear someone who can see both the good and the bad in parties across the political spectrum.
A practical conversation about energy, politics and, ultimately, how we can make some of the biggest household bills a little cheaper.
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This week on the podcast, we get stuck into Te Pāti Māori’s decision to campaign for the candidate vote only and what it means for MMP, the Māori electorates and the wider election campaign.

Then we attempt something that seems increasingly difficult in politics: having an adult conversation about tax. What should we actually be taxing, why do we tax it, and what does a fair tax system look like? We look at how the major parties are communicating their tax messages, what is getting lost in the political spin, and whether voters are being given enough detail to properly judge the choices on offer.

And with the leaders’ debates being announced, we discuss what we actually want to see debated and, more importantly, what matters to young people. Are the issues that affect younger generations getting enough attention, and what questions should the party leaders be forced to answer before we head to the polls?
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