Duncan Garner - Editor In Chief

What is really going on at the Far North District Council?

Duncan Garner is joined by councillor Davina Smolders, who says major governance changes are being pushed through without proper public scrutiny. She raises concerns over unelected iwi representatives getting voting rights on a council committee, ratepayer-funded requests, new Mana Whakahono ā Rohe agreements, and language recognising Ngāpuhi sovereignty.

Smolders says another five agreements could be signed soon and argues the public deserves to know exactly what these deals mean before they are locked in.

Duncan asks the big questions. What power do these agreements actually create? Why has there been no proper consultation? And when will the Government step in?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The government wants us to think they are being caring but responsible with this budget, but the economists aren't buying it. We look past the 30 press releases to find out what this means for your back pocket. From a sneaky new banking tax on savers to kicking real savings down the road, we break down why the math just doesn't add up.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A special weekend episode of Duncan Garner: Editor in Chief, with two sharp cuts from two very different conversations.

First, Duncan talks to Aly Cook about documents she says raise serious questions about the youth Covid vaccine rollout, myocarditis safety information, and what Labour ministers knew at the time. The central question is blunt: if key safety information was kept out of public communications, were parents ever given the full picture?

Then Ashley Church and Maurice Williamson join Duncan for a Budget 2026 breakdown. Maurice digs into the numbers and questions whether the Government’s spending forecasts stack up, especially around police funding. Ashley looks at the politics of the Budget and whether National has finally read the room.

This episode is about trust, transparency, spending, debt, police, and whether voters are being told the truth.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The dust is settling on Budget 2026, and we are digging past the political marketing to look at the real maths. Nicola Willis delivered a masterclass in selling a narrative, but when you look closely at the numbers, things look incredibly heroic. We break down the magic show, look at the massive debt track, and reveal the inexplicable cuts hidden deep in the police budget.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It is Budget Day in New Zealand, and we are looking at the brutal truth behind the numbers. Nicola Willis says the adults are back in charge of the books, but is this just creative accounting? We look at how banking public service cuts, before they even happen, are the only reason we are getting back to surplus.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices