Duncan Garner | Editor-in-Chief

LAST NIGHT ON THE PODCAST:

The latest RNZ–Reid Research poll (August 2026) reveals a tight, volatile political landscape where neither traditional bloc holds a clear majority to govern outright.
Left Block (55 Seats): Labour leads overall with 39 seats (32.2%) despite slipping 1.8 points as National's tax attacks hit home. The Greens follow with 12 seats, while Te Pāti Māori holds 4.

Right Block (59 Seats): National sits at 35 seats (29.1%), picking up a modest 0.4-point bump. Coalition partners New Zealand First (15 seats) and ACT (9 seats) complete the 59-seat total.

The Kingmaker: The Opportunities Party (TOP) has captured 6 seats, leaving both major blocs short of the 61-seat threshold needed to form a government.
Want to find out more? Team Duncan members can see our latest Editor-In-Chief Poll of Polls right now. To join Team Duncan, head over to plus.rova.nz or text "DUNCAN" to 3598.

Also on the podcast:

$20B MORE SPENT & NO MAJORITY IN SIGHT!

Is National actually spending more than Labour did? Why won't Chris Hipkins explain how he pays for his promises? Duncan exposes the brutal economic reality: National promised to rein in state spending, yet they’re spending $20 billion more a year than when Labour left office. Meanwhile, Labour's tax numbers still don't add up. Neither side gets a free pass! Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers Unions joins Duncan to discuss this and more.

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 46

Duncan Garner | Editor-in-Chief

🚨 IS CHRISTOPHER LUXON ABOUT TO BE ROLLED?

National MPs have been summoned to an urgent caucus meeting tomorrow morning as speculation over the Prime Minister’s leadership reaches breaking point.

Does Luxon have the numbers to survive? Is a challenger ready to move? And could New Zealand have a new Prime Minister by lunchtime?

Duncan Garner goes LIVE shortly after 10am tomorrow, joined by political commentator Ani O’Brien and former National Cabinet minister Maurice Williamson.

They’ll bring you the result, the reaction and what it means for National with an election looming.

🔔 Set your reminder and join us LIVE here. youtube.com/live/Q5RppuE_tyY?si=BbOyJH0KqfZvtBzf

Your call: Will Luxon still be Prime Minister tomorrow afternoon?

1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 38

Duncan Garner | Editor-in-Chief

On the Podcast Tonight:

$3,000 MILLION IN COST OVERRUNS: Who signed off on this?
Auckland’s City Rail Link was originally estimated at $2 billion. It has now blown out to a staggering $5.5 BILLION for just 3.5 kilometers of tunnel and four CBD stations.
That’s $3 billion of public money lost to gold-plated design upgrades, over-engineered stations, and fancy additions that nobody asked for. The artwork is just the tip of the iceberg: $1.376 MILLION spent on just TWO bronze sculptures outside Te Waihorotiu Station (Wāhine for $744k and Horotiu for $632k). $1.54 MILLION allocated for precinct public art planning up to 2019 alone.

$400M+ EVERY SINGLE YEAR needed in perpetuity, $235M to run the stations and $167M just to pay interest on the debt.

Even former CRL CEO Sean Sweeney admitted it: the stations were over-engineered, and the project could have been delivered for HALF THE COST if built with basic, functional discipline like the Copenhagen metro.

While Auckland families and small businesses face crushing cost-of-living pressures and soaring rates bills, faceless officials treated ratepayer money like Monopoly money.

Where was the accountability from Labour and National ministers? Where was the oversight from council?

ACT MP and Minister Simon Court joins Duncan Garner to expose the financial negligence behind the CBD rail tunnel, the lack of governance, and why everyday Aucklanders are left paying through the nose for decades to come.

Did we build a train network we could afford, or the most elaborate design project they could dream up?

1 month ago | [YT] | 59

Duncan Garner | Editor-in-Chief

TONIGHT ON THE PODCAST: The $9 Billion Fiscal Showdown & TOP's Ex-Candidate Speaks Out

National is putting Labour on notice with a classic "show me the money" play, demanding to know how spending plans will be funded without hitting working Kiwis with higher taxes. But with debt soaring from $60B to $180B, costing us $9 billion a year in interest alone (that’s 4 Dunedin hospitals every year), are National’s own claims of $51B in savings actually genuine cuts, or just reallocating cash? Duncan breaks down the numbers both sides are trying to avoid.

PLUS: Former The Opportunities Party (TOP) candidate Matthew Phillips joins the show after stepping down. Why he withdrew from the race over online conduct and language.

Is Luxon right to demand Labour show their budget, or does National need to show real cuts first? And is it time for a leadership shakeup in National?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4rpx...

1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 36

Duncan Garner | Editor-in-Chief

Four words the mainstream media CANNOT STAND…

I told you so.

For two years, they looked the other way while local government co-governance expanded behind closed doors. They cowered in the corner, scared to ask the basic questions.

Well, the truth just caught up with them.

In tonight's episode, I am calling out the councils, the media failure, and standing up for what is right

1 month ago | [YT] | 366

Duncan Garner | Editor-in-Chief

Are the Greens actually listening to farmers, or has ideology already decided the answer?

South Island farmer Simon travelled 1,000 kilometres to Wellington to explain what is happening on the ground.

Wilding pines spreading. Conservation land deteriorating. Farmers doing pest control, fencing and restoration work while the system remains trapped in bureaucracy.

He even invited the Greens to visit his farm and see it for themselves.

But will any of it change their vote?

In today’s episode, Duncan speaks directly with the farmers who say New Zealand’s 40-year-old conservation system is failing the land it is supposed to protect.

Watch the full episode and tell us: Should farmers have a greater role in managing conservation land?

2 months ago | [YT] | 19

Duncan Garner | Editor-in-Chief

COMING UP ON THE PODCAST TODAY:

The latest Roy Morgan numbers are in, and the political landscape is shifting!

National is in the lead, but the Greens, NZ First, and ACT are locked in a tight battle for the middle. TOP is making a surprising surge to 6.5%.

What does this mean for the road to the next election? We will break it all down on tonight's podcast. Don’t miss it!

2 months ago | [YT] | 53