Context

As fresh polling fuels political debate, Guyon and Corin look back on our most explosive poll results - including the one that truly changed the game. What makes voters change their minds?
In this episode of Context, a potted history of Political Polling. With the National Party making headlines with its latest numbers, Corin and Guyon examine one of the most explosive poll results in NZ history: Subscribe: @RNZvideoAt the centre of the story is the 2004 Orewa speech by Don Brash: one of the most controversial speeches in New Zealand political history. It drew fierce criticism but at the same time it triggered a huge surge in voter support for National producing one of the biggest polling swings ever seen.So what explains that shift? Why did voters respond so strongly and what does it reveal about the gap between political commentary and public opinion? We also explore: How political polls work in New Zealand Famous polling moments, from Jim Bolger’s “bugger the pollsters” to modern campaigns The role of media coverage, debates, and messaging in shaping voter behaviour Whether a sudden swing like Orewa could still happen in today’s political climate As new polls continue to shape the narrative around Christopher Luxon and the National Party, this episode asks a bigger question: should we pay attention to Polls?
Watch the video version of the episode here.
Or you can watch the full series on the RNZ website here.
Thanks to Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.
Have a topic you'd like Corin or Guyon to explore? Send your ideas to [email protected]
Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

As New Zealand closes in on its first trade deal with India, we look back at the agreements that shaped the country: from Britain’s betrayal in the 1970s to closer economic relations with Australia. For a small nation at the edge of the world, survival has often meant learning to hustle
New Zealand's free trade agreement with India has been decades in the making, ut this isn’t the first time trade deals have reshaped the country. In this episode of Context, Guyon Espiner and Corin Dann trace the story of the agreements that transformed New Zealand’s economy: from the shock of Britain joining the European Economic Community in 1973, to CER with Australia, the fight over TPP, and the huge impact of our China free trade agreement. The stakes are high, our economy depends on these deals.
Along the way:
Why New Zealand became one of the world’s biggest champions of free trade
The industries that were lost along the way
The protests and political battles that followed
And whether the global backlash against globalisation could bring the free trade era to an end.
Watch the video version of the episode here.
Or you can watch the full series on the RNZ website here.
Thanks to Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.
Have a topic you'd like Corin or Guyon to explore? Send your ideas to [email protected]
Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

As new tensions in the Middle East rattle global energy markets, we look back at the oil shocks of the 1970s and how they reshaped New Zealand’s energy story: from carless days, to Muldoon’s massive Think Big projects - and how we’re grappling with the challenge today.
As our government tries to fix NZ's energy crisis, and tensions in the Middle East rattle global energy markets, we look back at the oil shocks of the 1970s and how they reshaped New Zealand’s energy story: From carless days, to Muldoon’s massive Think Big projects, what worked, what didn't and what do we need to do now? When oil producers in the Middle East tightened supply during the 1973 oil crisis, the shockwaves reached even the bottom of the world. Fuel prices surged. New Zealand faced an energy crisis. The response from Robert Muldoon was bold and controversial: the massive Think Big programme: dams, synthetic fuel plants and huge state-backed energy projects designed to make the country less dependent on imported oil. How do those big projects stack up now? In Context, Corin Dann and Guyon Espiner trace how geopolitics in the Middle East reshaped New Zealand’s energy system and why those lessons matter again today.
Watch the video version of the episode here.
Or you can watch the full series on the RNZ website here.
Thanks to Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.
Have a topic you'd like Corin or Guyon to explore? Send your ideas to [email protected]
Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Guyon Espiner & Corin Dann are back for a new season of Context. Using their decades of journalistic experience, the explore the history behind what's happening today, diving into NZ’s political past and asking, "How did we get here?" As the country heads into election year, they revisit New Zealand’s most dramatic political moments.
You can watch the full series on the RNZ website here or on YouTube
Thanks to Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.
Have a topic you'd like Corin or Guyon to explore? Send your ideas to [email protected]
Watch video episodes on the RNZ website:
Context with Guyon Espiner and Corin Dann
Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

From Telecom to Air New Zealand, the BNZ to our power companies why did governments sell our state assets, and what did we get in return? Now the Government is eyeing a sale of its Chorus debt. Join Guyon Espiner and Corin Dann as they look back at four decades of selling the family silver.
Watch the video version of the episode here.
Or you can watch the full series on the RNZ website here.
Thanks to Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.
Have a topic you'd like Corin or Guyon to explore? Send your ideas to [email protected]
Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details