Duncan Garner Podcast

Labour got addicted to spending.
National got elected to stop it.
So why is the bill still going up?

This week’s Budget will show the truth: National talked tough in opposition, but in government it has kept the same giant machine running.

More borrowing. More spending. More taxpayer money out the door.

And here’s the bit no politician wants to say: New Zealand isn’t just run by a big-spending government. New Zealand has become addicted to government money.

So who’s actually worse? Check the full episode here: https://youtu.be/fouZoBpm35A

1 week ago | [YT] | 103

Duncan Garner Podcast

🚨 HALF A BILLION DOLLARS? FOR A PORT EXPANSION?

This is where New Zealand is now.

A Tauranga hapū connected to Ngāti Kuku and Whareroa Marae is seeking compensation and revenue-sharing arrangements reportedly worth $335 million to $475 million over 35 years over the Port of Tauranga expansion.

The port says it has offered $1 million upfront plus $25,000 a year ongoing.

Shane Jones joined me and did not hold back. His view is simple: major infrastructure cannot be held to ransom every time New Zealand tries to build something important.

And this is not just about Tauranga.

It is about roads, ports, dams, mines, pipelines, energy projects and whether this country can still get anything done without being dragged into endless payouts, delays and cultural vetoes.

So here’s the question:

Is this fair compensation, or has consultation become economic blackmail?

👇 Have your say below.

1 week ago | [YT] | 13

Duncan Garner Podcast

Do you back cutting 8,000 public service jobs?

We asked this across YouTube and Facebook, and the result was pretty blunt.

Around 7 in 10 broadly back cuts.

But here’s the part that matters.

Are we cutting waste, or are we cutting services people actually need?

Cut the consultants?
Cut the layers?
Cut the meetings about meetings?

A lot of you say yes.

But what about the people answering phones, processing cases and keeping the system moving?

That’s where it gets tricky.

So tell us below:

Where should the Government cut first?
And what should be completely off limits?

Full episode link here: https://youtu.be/hrgg_IraSB8

1 week ago | [YT] | 237

Duncan Garner Podcast

Do you back the Government cutting 8,000 public service jobs?

Duncan’s asking this on the show tonight.
The Government says 8,000 public service jobs need to go.

Some say it is long overdue.

Some say it will hit real people and their families.

Some say it does not go far enough.
So where do you land?

Vote below and tell us why in the comments. We’ll pull the best responses into the show.

https://youtu.be/xB7-I-xB_g4

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 99

Duncan Garner Podcast

"NCEA is broken and can't be fixed." — Minister of Education Erica Stanford.

She's moving fast to replace it with a knowledge-rich, internationally benchmarked curriculum. But is the "pace" she mentions too much, or exactly what NZ schools need right now?

👇 What's your experience with the current system? Let’s talk below.

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 5

Duncan Garner Podcast

Winston Peters wants New Zealand to buy back the BNZ.

Compulsory KiwiSaver? Smart.

Buying back a bank for what could be close to $29 billion?

Madness.

This feels like nostalgia dressed up as economic policy and I reckon it could hurt him.

Am I wrong?

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 72

Duncan Garner Podcast

Winston Peters has just dropped two major policy bombs: Making KiwiSaver compulsory and buying back the BNZ. One is a masterstroke for the future, and the other… well, I call it "economic madness."

What’s your take on the BNZ buyback? Watch the full breakdown with Maurice Williamson and Ashley Church here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxjCO...

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 49

Duncan Garner Podcast

7.9%? 10%? More? 🚨

Auckland rates are on the move and the numbers are stinging. Is this a necessary evil for a growing city, or just another blow to struggling families?

Catch the latest on the Duncan Garner Podcast here: Auckland Rates Increase: Will It Be 7.9%, 10% Or Lower?

Tell me: What would you cut from the Council budget first? ✂️

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 0

Duncan Garner Podcast

Te Pāti Māori was handed a historic opportunity.

Six Māori seats. National attention. Real leverage. A chance to become a permanent force in New Zealand politics.

And what have they done with it?

Court cases. Expulsions. Breakaways. Internal warfare. Noise.

Māori voters gave Te Pāti Māori power, but the party looks more interested in fighting itself than using that power to deliver real gains for Māori whānau.

My latest column for rova asks the question plainly: has Te Pāti Māori squandered its moment?

Read it here: www.rova.nz/articles/te-pti-mori-squandered-its-mo…

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 142

Duncan Garner Podcast

I’m genuinely disappointed by what’s happened to Maiki Sherman.

Not because she was perfect. She wasn’t.

But because I spent nearly 20 years inside Parliament, and I know exactly how that place works.

Rules were broken all the time. By journalists. By MPs. By ministers. By people who were later promoted, protected, forgiven, knighted and sent off to cushy jobs.

So why Maiki?

Why was she thrown overboard when others survived far worse?

In this episode, I tell the stories I’ve never properly told before about the real culture inside Parliament.

Booze, fights, lies, double standards, and a system that protects its mates.

Watch the full episode now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkSOb...

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 65