Both Sides Now

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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This week on the podcast: leadership coup round two. And somehow, it was even more of a mess. If you are feeling overwhelmed by it all, don't worry, so are we!

We unpack what actually happened inside National, why Chris Penk decided to make a move, who knew what and when, and what the whole saga says about Christopher Luxon’s leadership heading into the election. Luxon survived his second leadership challenge of the year, but the drama has certainly raised questions about the stability of the Government.

Then, Opportunity is at 8%. Yes, you read that right. The latest 1News Verian poll has Opportunity clearing the 5% threshold and sitting level with NZ First. So what does that mean for the election, who is voting for them, and could they end up holding the balance of power?

And finally… where are the left in all of this? Labour who? With Opportunity gaining ground and the political landscape getting increasingly unpredictable, we take a look at what is happening on the left and whether Labour is doing enough to actually cut through with voters.
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This week on Both Sides Now we sit down with ACT MP Laura McClure for a wide-ranging conversation about her journey into politics and some of the issues she’s been pushing since entering Parliament.

We chat about her bill tackling AI-generated deepfakes, why she thinks the law needs to catch up with rapidly developing technology, and what should happen when AI is used to create misleading or harmful content.

Laura also opens up about her own political journey — including why she has previously voted for different political parties, what eventually led her to ACT, and what it was like making the jump into Parliament.

We also get into the manosphere and the growing influence of online communities on young people, as well as some of the challenges politicians face when trying to have conversations about gender, social media and the internet.
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It's a slightly longer episode this week, but there was no shortage of topics to cover. We start by briefly discuss Winston Peters' latest remarks before turning to one of the biggest challenges facing New Zealand: youth unemployment. We discuss why more young people are struggling to find work, whether our education system is preparing people for the jobs of the future, and how AI is already changing the workforce. From university degrees to apprenticeships, we ask what skills will actually matter in the years ahead.

We then shift to looking at the Prime Minister's decision to rule out working with Opportunity after the next election. What does that mean for Opportunity's chances, could it influence voters, and how might it shape the coalition options available under MMP?

To wrap up, we discuss AI data centres and whether New Zealand should be going ahead with the one in Southland. We weigh up the economic opportunities, the energy demands, and whether the benefits outweigh the costs as countries around the world race to build the infrastructure that will power the next generation of AI.
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