What we stand for

Some of our published contributions to the public policy debate

Ben Craven Ben Craven

Episode 69: Hungry kids and leaking classrooms?

It’s another Maddy and Henry special as we await the return of the big man, Jesse Corlett. This week we go big on education, discussing the axing of much of the school build programme, as well as the end of free lunches for kids as we know them. We also cover off the million dollar man’s cheeky $52,000 entitled entitlement before saying ma te wa to Newshub.

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Ben Craven Ben Craven

Episode 68: What is Grant leaving behind?

With Jesse MIA, Maddy and Henry sit down to cover the latest in the Beltway's comings and goings. The big news is Grant Robertson's departure, which Maddy says is an opportunity for Labour to refresh and rejuvenate. With that, we also cover speed cameras, the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and National's welfare stance.

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Ben Craven Ben Craven

Episode 67: Brown vs Brown

This week we cover off Trump, debt to income ratios, the cost of skiing, mental health emergency lines, the show down for control in Auckland and how Jesse's parking of the family wagon is about to get a hell of a lot more expensive.

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Ben Craven Ben Craven

Episode 66: Who won Waitangi?

A short work week but a long week in politics! This week we cover off Waitangi - the good, the bad and the plagiarized. We also deep dive into a couple of heavier policy challenges that seem to have resurfaced in recent weeks including capital gains tax, minimum wage increases and just why the world seems to be so unfair for ute owners.

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Ben Craven Ben Craven

Episode 65: Byron's last hurrah!

After a solid run of 65 episodes, this is Byron’s last as co-host on the Iron Duke Podcast. But they say when one door closes, another door opens – and in this case its two. We are excited to announce Jesse Corlett and Henry Levett joining MBS as co-hosts of the podcast. Jesse and Henry are introduced to listenerville, we take you through our peaks and our pits, and round it out with a final goodbye and some of Byron’s most memorable moments.  

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Ben Craven Ben Craven

Episode 64: What's in store for 2024?

In his penultimate episode, Byron kicks off 2024 with a splash (thanks to Wellington's crumbling water infrastructure) and takes a deep dive into Houthi attacks on cargo ships in the Red Sea. Maddy tackles public transport across the Motu and looks at the surge in tourist arrivals. We round it out with a discussion about what it means to take pride in our cities.

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Madison Burgess-Smith Madison Burgess-Smith

What business actually needs from this Government

So far, New Zealanders’ focus has been on the details of the new Government’s coalition agreements and who new ministers will be. But it's important when thinking about what business will want from this new Government to first take a broader, long-term view.

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Madison Burgess-Smith Madison Burgess-Smith

Fickle migration policy risks damaging our future prosperity

Our immigration policy swings around from being highly permissive to quite restrictive, depending on the political mood. Frequent changes to our pathways to residency and citizenship for new migrants and their families have often been criticised by migrants and potential migrants to New Zealand.

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Madison Burgess-Smith Madison Burgess-Smith

Episode 57: An ode to Winston Peters

We are on the election home straight! This week we recap the madness of the campaign trail, get out of our bubble to have a chat about whats happening in the US House of Representatives, and lastly, make an impassioned plea for you to tick any box other than NZ First.

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