On the Tiles
Each Friday, NZ Herald Deputy Political Editor Thomas Coughlan covers off the biggest political news in New Zealand, going behind the headlines and giving the inside perspective direct from the Beehive, featuring interviews with politicians, press gallery reporters and economic and political experts. You can find more politics news at nzherald.co.nz/politics/
Episodes
New Zealand's trade deal with China makes it one of our most important foreign partners - but it's a relationship proving increasingly controversial as China faces diplomatic battles with many of our other allies.
Sam Sachdeva, author of the new book The China Tightrope, joins Thomas to discuss our relationship past, present and future, and how different leaders have handled the juggle. Plus, they dig into a problematic week with ...
Current polling shows that much of the public is unhappy with the direction New Zealand is going in - but those polls also how it is incredibly tight between the left and right of the political spectrum. So why isn't National rating better with the wider country?
In the first of a series of examinations of the state of different political parties pre-election, Thomas talks to political commentator, lawyer and member of the Nationa...
In a special monopod, Thomas runs over the major stories of the week - from the first post-Budget poll, how people have responded to that Budget, and how Christopher Luxon's u-turn on housing could shake up the election.
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After getting his initial thoughts out there yesterday from inside the Budget lock-up, Thomas is joined today by Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny and Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls to discuss the policy winners and losers from Grant Robertson's sixth Budget, the Government's approach to spending, and which policy is the clearest election bribe.
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Live from inside the Budget 2023 lockup, this special episode has Thomas talking to Infometrics' Brad Olsen about some of the major figures from this year's Budget, with immediate reaction on what it could mean for the Government and inflation.
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Gore District mayor Ben Bell made history in October last year when, at the age of 23, he was voted in as the country’s youngest ever mayor.
But his tenure has been fraught with scandal and conflict so far, with his relationship with his chief executive Stephen Parry deteriorating to the point a mediator had to be called in.
For this special bonus, Georgina is joined by NZ Herald Christchurch senior reporter, Kurt Bayer, to di...
For the last of our Budget 2023 episodes, after talking to the left and right of the political spectrum, this week Thomas sits down The Opportunities Party leader Raf Manji for a centrist view on our economic outlook, his party's approach to taxes and the size of government, and what is coming for Ilam.
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Earlier this week, Restore Passenger Rail drew headlines after protests in Wellington sparked angry backlash from members of the public. For today's Local Edition, Georgina talks to spokesperson James Cockle about why they are taking this action and how long they plan to carry on for. Plus, Transport Minister Michael Woods and Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau respond to their actions - with Woods also weighing in on another rail matter...
Former National Party finance minister Ruth Richardson is best remembered for 1991's 'Mother of all Budgets', but she also helped push through the Fiscal Responsibility Act while in Opposition. She joins Thomas this week to share her memories of fiscal and monetary policy from her time in Parliament and as Minister, her thoughts on current policy today, and on the IRD's study released this week into who pays how much tax in New Zea...
Budget Month is upon us - well, it's not May yet, but with four weeks to go, it's Budget Month for On the Tiles! To kick a series previewing and discussing Budget 2023 and all things government finances, Thomas is joined by economist Craig Rennie to discuss his time in Grant Robertson's office, what goes into preparing a budget, and what announcements we should and shouldn't expect on May 18th.
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In March 2003, the United States and the United Kingdom led a coalition of countries in invading Iraq under the guise of finding 'weapons of mass destruction'.
New Zealand did not join the war, a decision that was debated at the time, but 20 years on, history has not looked kindly on those who supported the Iraq War.
For a special episode of On the Tiles, Thomas is joined by former Prime Minister Helen Clark to discuss her memori...
Councils across New Zealand are going through the motions at the moment - most notably in Gore, as the Mayor and Chief Executive remain at loggerheads, while Auckland has quit Local Government New Zealand. To dig into what's happening with these councils, their budgets, and councillors looking to make it to the Beehive, Georgina is joined by former mayors Justin Lester and Nick Leggett for a panel on the latest local politics news....
Labour MP Stuart Nash this week lost his place in Cabinet after revelations he had sent confidential information to former donors. While his time in Cabinet is over, questions have now been raised about how the Prime Minister's office handled an Official Information Act request that could have revealed the controversial email sooner.
Thomas is joined by Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls this week to discuss into what happen...
The sudden resignation of a Police Minister can really take over the political week - so this week, while Thomas is covering the latest developments from the Beehive, On the Tiles presents an episode of The Front Page, with host Damien Venuto and ZB Political Editor Jason Walls explaining the rapid-fire scandal that cost Stuart Nash one of the top government portfolios.
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Dr Ayesha Verrall has only been in Parliament since 2020, but after a few years as an MP, she is now a key part of Labour's frontbench, holding the Health portfolio, alongside Research, Science and Innovation.
Both portfolios have been hot topics of discussion in recent weeks, from controversies around health targets and the exit of Rob Campbell as Te Whatu Ora chair, to backlash from some sectors over the inclusion of Mātauranga...
Getting an annual budget across the line is no easy task for mayors, with councillors acting as both their caucus and opposition, not to mention the public consultation process.
Baldwin Boyle Group and a Heart of the City board member Chamanthie Sinhalage-Fonseka says mayors lead the direction of budgets and often go through them line-by-line with senior council officers before the draft version is tabled.
Auckland Council is fac...
The Reserve Bank made headlines this week by raising the official cash rate by 50 basis points despite the impact of Cyclone Gabrielle.
The OCR now sits at 4.75 per cent, its highest level since 2008, and the impact of this will eventually feed into the economy as fixed mortgage rates expire.
Speaking to Thomas and NZ Herald Wellington Business Editor, Jenée Tibshraeny, Deputy Reserve Bank Governor Christian Hawkesby admits t...
Judith Collins got a big promotion last month in the National portfolio reshuffle - but the resignation of a certain Prime Minister a few hours later dominated the news cycle. In her return to On the Tiles, Collins talks to Thomas about her new portfolios, why she keeps lasting in politics after 21 years, and her thoughts on Ardern's resignation and Chris Hipkins.
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Auckland has faced devastating flooding over the last week, but as much attention has been on the response of Mayor Wayne Brown as it has been on the damage. Senior NZ Herald writer David Fisher this week added to the discourse after revealing messages Brown sent tennis colleagues that criticised the media. Fisher joins Georgina Campbell this week to discuss Brown's response to the floods, his leaked messages, and why his response ...
It has been a hectic and surprising start to the political in New Zealand since Jacinda Ardern's shock resignation as Prime Minister last week. A new PM has already been sworn in, with Chris Hipkins and deputy Carmel Sepuloni now leading the charge for the party to remain in power in October's election.
This week, Thomas is joined by Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls to recap their shock at the resignation, what Ardern's le...
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