The Leighton Smith Podcast

After a brilliant academic career, graduating with multiple degrees in various subjects, Kurt Schlichter joined the military and served in Operation Desert Storm, the Gulf War and in Kosovo.

He co-founded a law firm in Los Angeles in 1994 and has been a freelance writer since 1984. Andrew Breitbart seconded Kurt to help establish Breitbart News and now writes three columns a week for Townhall.com. And all that is only part of the s...

The Australian election on May 3 is just as important as the next New Zealand election in 2026.

With the flood of Kiwis who have fled this country as a result of the Ardern devastation, most have moved to Australia.

The outflow has been horrific and most of them will not return.

Nick Cater covers issues of relevance to any prospective NZ emigrants that could influence how their future is affected.

Following the Mailroom we address ...

The term “lawfare” is getting plenty of attention; basically it represents the corruption that’s becoming more widespread in the courtrooms of the Western world.

Judicial activism and the politicisation of the law and legal system makes for a duo of issues that need addressing by the legislatures of countries which are the targets of the misuse of such activities.

In what we think is a very productive discussion on a number of curr...

Matt Margolis is an independent author of books and editorial opinion.

His first successful book was “The Worst President in History”.

We talk at length about judicial activism and its proliferation, and other broader issues.

We share the opinions of Ramesh Thakur and Kurt Schlichter, along with some very good correspondence in the Mailroom with Mrs Producer.

File your comments and complaints at Leighton@newstalkzb.co.nz

Haven't li...

On March 16, the New York Times published “We Were Badly Mislead About The Event That Changed Our Lives”. It reports that 77 Nobel Laureates and 31 scientific societies were involved in the cover up that included deliberately planning to mislead journalists. (Actually, the NYT can be accused of failing to do its job).

Guy Hatchard analyses what really took place in New Zealand and elsewhere under the heading of "A strange mental il...

Dr Michael De Percy is a Senior Lecturer in Political Science at the University of Canberra. He graduated from both the Australian National University and the Royal Military College, Duntroon.  

He was also appointed to the Australian Research Council’s College of Experts in 2022. 

Sound interesting? I can only say that if he’d been my lecturer at ANU, I might well have chosen a different career path.  

We have an ex...

Ex-politician Rodney Hide is fighting a battle. It began a couple of years ago, and it continues today. 

It involves the 'Relationship and Sexuality Education Curriculum' being taught in his daughter’s school. It’s actually taught in all schools. 

Rodney is not the only parent unhappy about what’s being taught, but he stands almost alone in trying to address it. To him it is a matter of principle.

But we also discuss othe...

James Roguski is a fighter for what he regards as the truth.

He is a researcher, author, natural health proponent and activist.

Three years ago, Roguski uncovered documents regarding proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations and contributed to them being rejected. 

But the battle goes on.

The WHO, mRNA, and other controversial areas are his concern. Controversial, yes, but worth listening to.

We contribute in...

The unforeseen arrangements between China and the Cook Islands have induced greater interest in South Pacific geopolitics than we can ever remember.

How we deal with this surprise confrontation will be fascinating to observe.

One thing is obvious; the Kiwi's “benign strategic environment” has had its feathers ruffled.

In 2019 George Friedman published “The Storm Before The Calm”, which suggested the sort of events we are now experi...

New Zealand and the Cook Islands agreements require regular consultation on defence and security issues.

But the Cooks have just signed a secret partnership with China, catching the NZ government unawares.

If that’s not bad enough, there is a second cause for major concern. It includes our Parliamentary Sovereignty, ownership of the entire NZ coastline and an activist Supreme Court indulging its collective ego.

Muriel Newman, an ex...

Peter Boghossian resigned from his position as Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Portland State University, where he had taught for ten years.

He left under pressure. His letter of resignation is on his website, and is compulsory reading. It is entitled, “My University Sacrificed Ideas for Ideology”.

We interviewed him first in 2015. He now travels a great deal, gives speeches frequently, and writes and is published on numerous ...

It’s no secret that New Zealand is confronted with numerous and problematic issues.

There is a common belief that leadership is a major cause of those problems. And not just political leadership; it is widespread.

There is a weakness that can only be confronted by strength of character and a determination that is in short supply.

Deputy Leader of NZ First, Shane Jones provides “character” that may not please some, but is worthy of ...

Leighton is on summer break, so we are highlighting some of his favourite guests from 2024.

He began his tertiary education at the University of Auckland, continued it at London School of Economics and Princeton University,

He was Director of the PhD Program at Imperial College London. He has been awarded numerous prizes along the way, and returned to NZ twelve years ago.

He is Professor of Macroeconomics at Auckland University and...

Leighton is on summer break, so we are highlighting some of his favourite guests from 2024.

Ramesh Thakur is well known to this audience; he has appeared on the Leighton Smith Podcast more than once.

There was much to catch up on.

His views on the world and its various parts are substantiated by life experience. He taught at a number of universities including Otago and ANU Canberra and Rector at the U.N. University. He was also an ...

Leighton is on summer break, so we are highlighting some of his favourite guests from 2024.

Dr Paul Marik belongs to a group of physicians who have devoted their lives to their patients survival, and effectively been punished for it.

How can a man with a reputation as the “most published and influential clinician and researcher in critical care medicine in the United States" be forced from his career?

File your comments and complai...

Leighton is on summer break, so we are highlighting some of his favourite guests from 2024.

The legal fraternity in this part of the world is delighted at the Supreme Court’s decision on Smith v Fonterra. But not everyone feels that way.

In his inevitable style, Professor James Allan critiques the decision and the direction a collection of un-elected ex-lawyers are “usurping power to themselves at the expense of the elected branche...

Leighton is on summer break, so we are highlighting some of his favourite guests from 2024.

An insidious phenomenon has become widely evident around the western world, and it is alive and well in New Zealand. 

The attack has been against every institution that props up the pillars of our democratic freedom.

Retired Judge Anthony Willy justifies his accusations (from his essay “Blowing In the Wind”, NZCPR.com).

It’s an importan...

Leighton is on summer break, so we are highlighting some of his favourite guests from 2024.

Since 2020, the W.H.O. has orchestrated and condoned one of the most devastating assaults on individual and societal health the world has seen.

At the behest of highly conflicted sponsors, this international bureaucracy promoted policies that overwhelmingly harmed the world’s disadvantaged.

Lacking any contrition, the W.H.O. is now seeking i...

Leighton is on summer break, so we are highlighting some of his favourite guests from 2024.

One of the best and most interesting interviews we’ve done.

Tony O’Brien was born and raised in New Zealand. His life has followed a fascinating path, working in Australia, Britain, Canada, Hungary and beyond in a variety of capacities.

In his work he "did not have a plan, just took advantage of opportunities as they presented."

He is intell...