Cross Party Lines Trailer

Hosted by Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson, Cross Party Lines returns — fresh off the stage at Featherston — for an episode that opens with a tribute to one of New Zealand’s greatest legal minds and moves through a week of elections, populist tremors and an education debate that has been going around in circles since the 1990s. Thanks to Frank Risk Management, the 100% Kiwi owned insurance brokerage. In this episode: * The Trump-Xi summit — pomp, ceremony and a ridiculous mouse — Chris reaches for the Latin poet Horace to deliver his verdict: all the hype, all the ceremony, and nothing of substance emerged. No breakthrough on Taiwan, 200 Boeings ordered instead of the promised 500, and none of the Nixonian moment that a genuine Sino-American summit could have been. * The pre-budget squeeze — $300 million less and nowhere to hide — The government has cut its operational allowance from $2.4 billion to $2.1 billion, meaning $300 million less new spending in a budget that already has to find money for defence, health, education and law and order. Phil is blunt: there will be cuts, the lolly scramble is off, and Labour faces the same fiscal straitjacket as the government it hopes to replace. * NCEA — a debate going around in circles since the 1990s — Phil and Chris both remember this argument from when they were on opposite sides of the House. The OECD’s early 2000s push toward skills over knowledge went too far; the pendulum is swinging back; but the question is whether it’s swinging with the evidence or against it. Phil is particularly troubled by a cabinet paper that acknowledges the reforms will likely reduce achievement rates for Māori, Pasifika and low-income students — a problem New Zealand already has and cannot afford to worsen. Along the way: a tribute to Sir Ken Keith, New Zealand’s only ever ICJ judge; the opera about Nixon in China that Chris thinks was pretty bad; why nationalising the BNZ for $24 billion is both impossible and unaffordable; a mystery special guest joining Chris in two weeks while Phil travels to China; and a big live show announcement coming next week. Cross Party Lines exists to lift political literacy and create space for calm, good-faith political conversation. New episodes every Tuesday. If you value thoughtful debate, follow the podcast and share it with someone who might too.

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 seeing the candidate in person still matters more than almost anything else. * Urgency in Parliament — Is it being abused? Why select committees matter, when urgency is justified, and how democratic scrutiny quietly disappears when legislation is rushed through at 2am. * Money and democracy — Party donations, disclosure thresholds, public funding, and whether New Zealand should go further to keep vested interests out of politics. * Short-term politics vs long-term country — Why three-year terms drive wasteful policy reversals, what infrastructure planning actually needs, and whether New Zealand should finally move to a four-year parliamentary term. * Winston Peters and coalition politics — Is he keeping his options open or simply maximising leverage? Phil draws on first-hand experience from 1996, 2005 and 2017. * China, the US, and small-country diplomacy — How New Zealand balances values and interests, why multilateralism still matters, and when engagement crosses into endorsement. * Te Tiriti, representation, and social cohesion — Why Māori success benefits the whole country, why Treaty issues shouldn’t be weaponised, and how identity and democracy can coexist. * Respect across the aisle — Phil reflects on political figures he admired from the other side, and why democracy works better when disagreement doesn’t become dehumanisation. Cross Party Lines exists to lift political literacy and make space for calmer, more constructive political conversation. New episodes every Tuesday. If you value thoughtful politics, follow the podcast and share it with someone who might too.