Cross Party Lines

Hosted by Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson with Sam Collins, Cross Party Lines returns with a wide-ranging episode that moves from the rituals of Waitangi Week to the most serious questions of global security — before closing with a sobering discussion on power, corruption, and trust in public life.

In this episode:

Waitangi Week, politics and performance — A clear-eyed assessment of what unfolded in the Far North: protest, resignation,...

Hosted by Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson with Sam Collins, Cross Party Lines returns with a grounded, institutional-focused episode that looks at how democracy works when it’s doing its job — and where it still needs strengthening.

This week’s conversation centres on law, legitimacy, national rituals and rare moments of bipartisan progress.

In this week’s episode:

Judith Collins and the Law Commission — A deep dive into Collins’ appoin...

Hosted by Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson with Sam Collins, Cross Party Lines returns for a weighty, wide-ranging episode that moves from tragedy at home to turmoil abroad — and asks what leadership looks like when the stakes are this high.

This week’s conversation is shaped by three forces: climate reality, global disorder, and election-year positioning.

In this week’s episode:

* Climate change and human cost — Following a devastating ...

Hosted by Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson with Sam Collins, Cross Party Lines unpacks New Zealand Politics so that you don’t have too.

Recorded slightly earlier than usual (Saturday 17th January), this episode is designed to age well — focusing on some age old issues and questions.

In this episode:

* 30 years of MMP — As New Zealand marks three decades under Mixed Member Proportional representation, Chris and Phil debate whether the sys...

Hosted by Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson with Sam Collins, Cross Party Lines returns after a short summer break with a look ahead to what 2026 might hold — for New Zealand politics and the wider world.

This episode focuses on long-range thinking, asking what sort of country New Zealand wants to be — and what politics should be focusing on as the election year approaches.

In this episode:

* What policies should define 2026 — Phil lays o...

Hosted by Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson with Sam Collins, Cross Party Lines closes out 2025 by stepping back from the weekly headlines and taking stock of a year that felt frenetic, unsettled and politically revealing.

This episode is a wide-ranging end-of-year review — part reflection, part reckoning — as the panel looks at what genuinely mattered in politics over the past twelve months.

In this episode:

* The biggest surprise of 202...

Hosted by Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson, with Sam Collins. Cross Party Lines unpacks New Zealand politics so that you don’t have too.

With Chris absent due to a family bereavement, Sam and Phil dedicate the episode to public submissions - listener questions.

In this episode:

* What actually wins elections — Door-knocking, street-corner meetings, social media and direct voter contact. Phil reflects on decades of campaigning and why see...

Hosted by Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson with Sam Collins, Cross Party Lines unpacks the week in New Zealand and global politics so you don’t have too. Genuine cross-party debate — not point-scoring.

This week’s episode is recorded in the shadow of tragedy, sharing our condolences to those impacted by the tragic events in Bondi.

In Episode 7:

* America and the rule of law — Trump’s new National Security Strategy, intrusive ESTA visa p...

Hosted by Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson with Sam Collins, Cross Party Lines unpacks the week in New Zealand politics so that you don’t have too and featues the kind of cross-partisan honesty you won’t get anywhere else.

In Episode 6:

* Police culture under the microscope — After Andrew Coster’s high-profile interview, Phil and Chris go deeper into the real issue: hierarchy, silence, and why junior officers rarely challenge senior ran...

Hosted by Sam Collins, Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson, Cross Party Lines breaks down the week in New Zealand politics so you don’t have to — with genuine cross-partisan insight.

In Episode 5:

* Regional Council Reform — National’s plan to abolish regional councils and replace them with mayor-led boards lands with a thud. Phil and Chris unpack what’s sensible, what’s risky and why reform without groundwork is a recipe for chaos.

* The U...

Hosted by Sam Collins, Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson, Cross Party Lines unpacks the week in New Zealand politics so you don’t have to. Each episode gives you clear, cross-partisan insight from two political heavyweights who’ve sat inside Cabinet rooms, campaign buses and coalition negotiations.

In Episode 4:

* KiwiSaver, finally taken seriously — National kicks off its 2026 campaign with a plan to lift contributions to 12%. Phil and ...

Hosted by Sam Collins, Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson, Cross Party Lines breaks down the week in New Zealand politics from both sides of the aisle - with clarity, context and a little humour.

In this week’s episode:

* Winston Peters breaks ranks — Why the Deputy PM is publicly contradicting his own coalition, what’s driving it, and what the Cabinet Manual has to say about it.

* The McSkimming scandal — What the case reveals about struc...

Fifty years ago today, Australia’s Governor-General sacked Prime Minister Gough Whitlam - an act that stunned a democracy and reshaped political convention forever.

In this Cross Party Lines bonus episode, Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson revisit that extraordinary day - the personalities, the chaos, and the what-ifs that still echo across the Tasman. From Whitlam’s defiance to New Zealand’s own 1984 near-miss under Muldoon and Sir Dav...

Hosted by Sam Collins with Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson, Cross Party Lines unpacks the week in New Zealand politics from both sides of the aisle - minus the noise. Each episode tackles three or four stories shaping the country, with insider context you won’t get from the daily outrage cycle.

In Episode 2:

* “Move-on” powers & homelessness - What Minister Paul Goldsmith’s proposal actually does, why Housing First and wraparound suppo...

In our first episode, Phil, Chris and Sam tackle:

* The implosion inside Te Pāti Māori — is this the end of the party as we know it?

* Labour’s Capital Gains Tax — why fairness, timing, and communication could define the next election.

* Prince Andrew and the Monarchy — what the UK’s royal reckoning means for New Zealand’s constitutional future.

Hosted by Sam Collins, Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson, Cross Party Lines unpacks the week in...

Cross Party Lines is a weekly podcast about the political landscape in New Zealand and around the world. Proudly going beyond the headlines, looking at the structural challenges, challenging the status quo and explaining our place in the complex geopolitical stage.

New Episodes every Tuesday.

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