Episodes

  • Hardcore lobbying and the emotional senior staffer

    Hardcore lobbying and the emotional senior staffer
    Jun 5 2026
    The story of Mike Smith's climate court action, the parliamentary response, and hard-copy briefings from lobbyists that went mysteriously missing has officially reached "saga" mode. Ben Thomas, Annabelle Lee-Mather and Toby Manhire dive into the mire and debate whether there are dots to join. Elsewhere in this GBL buffet episode, they offer their budget verdicts, assess the latest bout of entitleditis besieging our MPs, search valiantly for Labour Party policy, revisit a busy weekend for Chris Penk in Singapore navigating "freerider" chat and radioactive conversations. Plus: a celebration of the new king of Twitter, MP Joseph Mooney. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    49 mins
  • Budget special with Bernard Hickey

    Budget special with Bernard Hickey
    May 28 2026
    Bernard dashes out of the lockup to patch in to the studio and talk through with Toby the top lines from today's budget, the rosy economic forecasts on which it is built, and the battle lines it draws for the campaign ahead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    35 mins
  • Live at Auckland Writers Festival with Tova O'Brien guest star

    Live at Auckland Writers Festival with Tova O'Brien guest star
    May 21 2026
    In a special six-months-to-the-election edition, Toby, Annabelle and Ben, joined by a special surprise guest who may or may not be the brilliant Tova O'Brien of TVNZ Breakfast, size up the State of Things across the parties and putative combinations.Recorded live at the Kiri Te Kanawa theatre for the Auckland Writers Festival on Friday May 15, 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • Jane Wrightson on Super squabbles, Seymour and the state of the media

    Jane Wrightson on Super squabbles, Seymour and the state of the media
    May 18 2026
    In a special edition of Gone By Lunchtime, Toby talks to Jane Wrightson, who is retiring after two terms as retirement commissioner. She shares her thoughts on the political football around Superannuation and KiwiSaver, the reforms to retirement-village legislation. Reflecting on a career that includes senior roles as chief censor, at the BSA and NZ on Air, and as an RNZ board member, Wrightson responds to recent remarks by David Seymour, the plan to dismantle the broadcasting regulator, and the debate over merging NZ on Air and the NZ Film Commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    43 mins
  • The book everyone, politicians especially, should read in 2026

    The book everyone, politicians especially, should read in 2026
    May 12 2026
    In a bonus episode of Gone By Lunchtime, Toby Manhire talks to Asher Emanuel, author of The Valley: Crime and Punishment in a New Zealand City. A gripping, true story of a group of people whose lives keep winding back to the Hutt Valley District Court, it offers an eye-opening insight into the human impacts and systemic fractures at the heart of the New Zealand criminal justice system. https://www.unitybooks.co.nz/products/valley-1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    39 mins
  • The deepest breach in the Luxon coalition, and a National reboot

    The deepest breach in the Luxon coalition, and a National reboot
    May 6 2026
    Messages suggesting the prime minister sought to support the US-Israel attacks on Iran landed with more than one explosion. Not only did it undermine Luxon’s position on the war and its impact, it delivered the deepest fissure yet in the coalition, with the PM saying his foreign minister had put politics ahead of the national interest. Annabelle Lee-Mather, Ben Thomas and Toby Manhire peer into that chasm to assess the severity of the wound and work out just what Winston Peters is playing at as the election draws closer. Plus: Is a new, rebooted, freshly assertive National Party strategy becoming clear? How wrong were we about Luxon’s pledges to secure a free trade deal with India? And a new, grumpy-parent style ultimatum has been issued to local councils: sort out your amalgamation or we’ll do it for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    56 mins
  • Luxon stares down rebel moan squad across 100 white-knuckle hours

    Luxon stares down rebel moan squad across 100 white-knuckle hours
    Apr 22 2026
    On Friday morning a bombshell report revealed a group of unnamed National MPs questioning Christopher Luxon's leadership, with the chief whip, Stuart Smith, said to have been "ghosted" by the PM. One hundred hours later, Luxon called their bluff and put a motion of confidence in himself. Annabelle Lee-Mather, Ben Thomas and Toby Manhire step through that extraordinary period, taking on a string of questions. Including: Who are the moany five MPs and what do they actually want? How bad was the Sunday night poll for him and his party? How did the prime minister manage in response? What was Stuart Smith up to and where did he disappear to? Did Luxon show tactical nous by calling the vote? How about that broadside against the media? Do Labour want him in or out? Does this draw a line under the speculation? And if you aren't yet shattered by this endless procession of question marks, is it possible to have a political soap opera without the matinee idol and grandmaster of the great New Zealand political story, Winston Peters, stepping in and stealing the scene? Oh, and also: was it ever really a coup? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    48 mins
  • The force majeure election

    The force majeure election
    Apr 9 2026
    Donald Trump has gone within hours from genocidal threats against Iran to talking about a joint venture with Tehran tolling the Strait of Hormuz. A fragile ceasefire is very good news, but the havoc is set to continue to flow down into the New Zealand economy. Now with the perilous Cyclone Vaianu bearing down on New Zealand, perhaps the government should just declare it a force majeure election. Toby, Annabelle and Ben gather to discuss the swirling crises, Winston Peters' encounter with Marco Rubio at the State Department in Washington, and whether the government is getting its response right. Plus: is it "overthinking" to detect some retribution in Christopher Luxon's decision to strip the roles of leader of the house and campaign chair from Chris Bishop, how might Simeon Brown adjust the campaign rudder, and did the PM really just forget about Tama Potaka? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    41 mins