Cross Party Lines

Trumps War, Commuter Policy and Missing Money

Hosted by Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson, Cross Party Lines returns for an episode that moves from the Iran peace deal to the election campaign taking shape around them.And all thanks to our foundational partner, Frank Risk Management, the 100% Kiwi Owned Insurance Brokerage.In this episode:* The Iran deal — incomplete, expensive and Trump’s to own — A purported peace deal between the US, Israel and Iran arrived as this episode was recording, and both Phil and Chris give it a cautious and sceptical reception. Chris has read the Obama agreement and the Trump version side by side: Obama’s was more comprehensive.* Election season: polls, Peters and the Rakesh Naidoo affair — With four months to go, the election campaign is warming up fast. National is hovering at 29-30%, low enough that — on David Farrar’s own modelling — they would return just two list MPs, potentially losing Nicola Willis and Chris Bishop from cabinet. The Opportunities Party is polling near the threshold in one poll and nowhere near it in two others; Phil’s warning to progressive voters is direct: a TOP vote that doesn’t cross 5% is effectively a vote for the current government.* Where’s the money coming from — and who’s counting it? — Nicola Willis has accused Labour of $18 billion in unfunded promises. Phil points out that National announced its fiscal plan two weeks before the 2023 election. Both agree the real fix is a Parliamentary Budget Office — independent, empowered to cost everyone’s promises, and long overdue. Australia has one. Canada has one. Victoria and New South Wales have one. ACT and New Zealand First have blocked it. Phil and Chris end the episode in rare complete agreement: this is an idea whose time has come.Sharp, wide-ranging and more electorally focused than usual, this episode is a reminder that with four months to go, the campaign has already started — and some of the most consequential moves are being made before a single vote is cast.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.🎟 Live shows — Auckland 8 August, Wellington 12 August. Wellington is 85% sold. Get your tickets now at tapliveevents.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crosspartylines.substack.com

53 min

Beijing, Buried Emails and Telling America Where to Go

Hosted by Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson, Cross Party Lines welcomes Phil back from China with a packed episode that moves from the streets of Beijing to the corridors of Parliament — and closes with a sharp verdict on American politicians who can’t stop telling other countries what to do.Thanks to our foundational partner, Frank Risk Management, the 100% Kiwi owned insurance brokerage.In this episode:* Phil’s China dispatch — infrastructure, trade and a more controlling Beijing — Phil’s first China visit in nine years left him genuinely impressed and genuinely concerned in equal measure. The infrastructure shames us and the air in Beijing is so clean it’s unrecognisable from the smog-choked city he visited in the 2000s.* Lobbying, Gmail accounts and the OIA that disappeared — Emails sent to the Prime Minister’s principal policy advisor’s private Gmail account — from Fonterra in June 2024 and Z Energy in July 2024, both lobbying on the Mike Smith climate litigation — were never disclosed under OIA requests. Phil is unambiguous: two separate incidents, two private email accounts, no disclosure. This was not a stuff-up. Chris thinks it was probably cock-up rather than conspiracy, but agrees the Official Information Act needs teeth.* Hegseth, Vance and the Americans who won’t stay in their lane — Pete Hegseth managed to enrage most of Western Europe with an immigration rant at D-Day commemorations. JD Vance tried to weaponise the killing of an 18-year-old student by a British-born Sikh to score points about mass migration. Phil’s response is the most direct of the episode: New Zealand has nothing to apologise for, the Yanks were late for both world wars, and Mike Moore’s line captures it perfectly — we might do anything you ask, we won’t do anything you tell us.Wide-ranging, historically rich and sharper than usual on democratic accountability, this episode is a reminder that the same principles apply whether you’re talking about Beijing, Wellington or Washington: transparency matters, sovereignty matters, and the rules only work if everyone plays by them.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.🎟 Live shows — Auckland 8 August, Wellington 12 August. General sale now open at tapliveevents.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crosspartylines.substack.com

51 min

Budget In, Stuart Out — and Is Australia Actually Better?

Hosted by Chris Finlayson, Cross Party Lines welcomes a familiar face from across the Tasman, special guest co-host Annette King — beaming in from Sydney while Phil is in China.All thanks to our foundational partner, Frank Risk Management. The 100% kiwi owned insurance brokerage.🎟 Live shows — Auckland 8 August, Wellington 12 August. Podcast listeners get pre-sale access. Head to tapliveevents.com and use code CPL26 (all caps).In this episode:* Nicola Willis’s budget — a bit of this, a bit of that — Annette gives her verdict: not easily named, cautiously welcomed on health and defence, but carrying the familiar ring of a surplus promise that every New Zealand government makes and few deliver. The conversation deepens quickly into the long shadow of the Muldoon decision to abolish the contributory super scheme in the 1970s — a move both Annette and Chris agree was one of the great shames of New Zealand politics.* Australia’s CGT tweak, broken promises and the lessons for New Zealand — Jim Chalmers’ budget included changes to capital gains tax concessions for investors — not promised, immediately attacked by the Liberals as a broken promise, and now a test of whether Labour can hold its nerve. Annette has enormous respect for Chalmers as a treasurer and thinks the changes are defensible — but acknowledges that the optics of doing what Bill Shorten proposed in 2019 and lost an election over are not straightforward.* The Liberal Party’s death spiral, One Nation’s rise and the Barnaby Joyce problem — Tony Abbott, newly installed as Liberal Party president after losing his own seat to a teal in 2019, is Chris and Annette’s exhibit A for a party that has lost the plot. The old Liberal heartland — Wentworth, Warringah, North Sydney — is now teal territory. One Nation has won its first lower house seat. And the Liberal response, apparently, is to move further right. Both agree this is a guaranteed path to irrelevance.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. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crosspartylines.substack.com

51 min

Cuts, Culture Wars and the Cost of a Frigate

Hosted by Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson, Cross Party Lines dive into a budget week episode that is almost entirely domestic: 8,700 public service jobs cut, state house rents going up, culture war bills clogging Parliament, and a defence announcement both men broadly welcome but want to interrogate.Cross Party Lines is made possible by Frank Risk Management, the 100% Kiwi owned insurance brokerage.In this episode:* 8,700 jobs — efficiency or ideology dressed as savings? — The government’s announcement of a 14% public service reduction draws a forensic and at times sharp response from both sides. Phil’s theory: this was never about efficiency — it was about finding $2.5 billion before the credit rating agencies moved again, and the justification was built around the number, not the other way around.* Social housing - who pays the bill?— The social housing changes draw Phil’s sharpest words of the episode: $31 a week more from people who are, by definition, at the bottom of New Zealand’s social and economic heap. Chris asks whether Margaret Thatcher had a good idea selling council houses to their occupiers and we pass judgment on Nicola Willis’ “lotto” comment.* Defence — necessary, expensive and long overdue — The pre-budget defence announcement draws broad agreement: New Zealand spent two decades at 1% of GDP on defence during what Helen Clark correctly called a strategically benign environment. That environment no longer exists. The frigates are nearly 30 years old. Ships sit at Devonport without enough crew to sail them. Any government serious about defence has to make the career attractive enough to keep the sergeant majors you can’t simply replace.Along the way: a tribute to Jules Topp, Stuart Nash’s road-to-Damascus conversion to New Zealand First forensically dismantled, ministerial housing horror stories including Phil’s garage demolished by the USA and Chris tormenting Annette King about childhood dentistryCross 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.Live shows announced — Auckland 8 August, Wellington 12 August. Podcast listeners get early access to tickets next week. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crosspartylines.substack.com

48 min

Budgets, Basics and Bilaterals

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. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crosspartylines.substack.com

37 min

Question Time: Live from Booktown (Bonus)

Hosted by Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson, this is a special bonus episode of Cross Party Lines — the live Q&A from the Featherston Booktown Festival, released separately so nothing from that remarkable afternoon gets left on the cutting room floor. Before the questions, Sam takes the temperature of the 400-strong room with four quick audience polls.The audience then takes over:* Could the Opportunity Party break Winston Peters’ cycle?* Should political parties be state funded?* The Electoral Act rollback — disenfranchisement by design?* Is voting for the two big parties really enough to stop populism?Along the way: Trevor Mallard in the audience demanding short questions, Judith Tizard’s advice on grand coalitions, Marion Hobbs telling Chris not to read The Economist during Question Time and Sam’s emotional farewell to his first and last live audience.This bonus episode is a reminder that when you put 400 curious New Zealanders in a room and give them a microphone, something rather good happens.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. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crosspartylines.substack.com

24 min

Amalgamation, Press Release Policy and the Populist Threat (Live From Booktown)

Hosted by Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson, Cross Party Lines goes live for the first time — recorded on stage at the Featherston Booktown Festival, with Sam Collins moderating one final time before he heads to the campaign trail as Labour’s North Shore candidate.All thanks to our foundational partner Frank Risk Management, the 100% Kiwi owned insurance brokerage.In this episode:* Council amalgamation — good idea, terrible process — The government’s three-month ultimatum to councils to amalgamate or be reorganised from Wellington draws a forensic dissection from both Phil and Chris. Phil draws on his experience overseeing the Auckland supercity — broadly a success, but built on a Royal Commission, proper legislation, and time. Chris notes the Local Government Act 2002 is long overdue for reform, and that no minister in recent memory has been willing to do the unglamorous work of actually fixing it.* Policy by press release — BSA, citizenship tests and the art of bad lawmaking — A slew of government announcements prompts Chris to lay out what good lawmaking actually looks like, drawing on the intelligence legislation reform he led under Key — two years, bipartisan support, no urgency, proper select committee process. The proposed scrapping of the Broadcasting Standards Authority gets short shrift from Phil: abolish something, fine, but replace it with something that works better, not voluntary self-regulation with 1.25 staff members and eight meetings a year.* Populism, Farage, One Nation and the Iran quagmire — The live audience gets the full international picture. Reform UK’s surge in the UK local elections gives Chris the heebie-jeebies. Phil traces the money: Gina Rinehart bankrolling Pauline Hanson with a $1 million donation and a $1.5 million plane; a British tech expat dropping £5 million on Farage; Elon Musk contributing $251 million to Trump. These are not insurgents — they are billionaires buying political movements that claim to fight elites.Along the way: the mayor of South Wairarapa’s legendary gravy, Trevor Mallard spotted in the audience, the CIA being politely addressed for the benefit of anyone listening.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.🎙 This was our first ever live show. If you were there — thank you. If you weren’t — follow us so you don’t miss the next one. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crosspartylines.substack.com

50 min

Coalition Sabotage, Demographic Bombs and a King Conquers Congress

Hosted by Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson, Cross Party Lines returns with an episode that moves from a coalition-shaking email leak to the demographic time bomb nobody in government wants to defuse — and closes with a verdict on King Charles III’s Washington masterclass. All thanks to our foundational partner, Frank Risk Management, the 100% Kiwi-owned insurance brokerage.In this episode:* The Peters email — deliberate sabotage or massive inadvertence? — The release of emails showing Christopher Luxon privately pushing for a different stance on the US strikes on Iran has cracked the coalition open. Phil is unequivocal: this was deliberate. Peters saw the emails, knew they would damage Luxon, and released them anyway. Chris is slightly more measured on process, but equally clear that this kind of behaviour simply never happened in his time as a minister, or Phil’s.* New Zealand’s demographic time bomb — and the politicians who won’t touch it — The Koi Tū population report lands with a stark set of numbers: fertility at 1.55, well below the 2.1 needed for replacement; a workforce-to-retiree ratio collapsing from seven-to-one in the 1960s to two-to-one by 2065; and a superannuation and healthcare bill that simply cannot be funded without sustained quality immigration. Phil and Chris ask the question neither Peters nor Seymour will answer: if you’re against immigration, what exactly is your plan?* King Charles in Washington — a masterclass, nine out of ten — Last week Phil predicted Charles would do well. This week, the verdict is in. Multiple standing ovations from Congress. Subtle but unmistakable defences of constitutional democracy, checks and balances, NATO and Ukraine — delivered with wit, warmth and an Oscar Wilde quote. The final score: Charles one, Trump nil.Along the way: Chris getting a telling off from Marion Hobbs for using the word “excrescence” in Parliament, Phil revealing Helen Clark used to ring him at half past midnight from two floors up, Singapore recycling wastewater through 150 kidneys before it reaches your hotel tap, and Chris announcing the winner of his warship competition — a copy of his book is on its way to Whanganui.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. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crosspartylines.substack.com

47 min

Caucus Chaos and the King of Soft Power

Hosted by Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson, Cross Party Lines returns with an episode that moves from caucus chaos to media warfare — and lands on the most delicate diplomatic mission of the year: King Charles III heading to Washington to deal with Trump.Thanks to our foundational partner, Frank Risk Management. The 100% Kiwi owned insurance brokerage.In this episode:* Luxon’s confidence vote — solved or deferred? — Christopher Luxon won his caucus vote, but Phil and Chris are divided on what it actually means. Chris thinks a line has been drawn and the malcontents should now knuckle down. Phil is less convinced: you only call a confidence vote when confidence is in doubt, the handling was untidy from start to finish.* Don’t bash the media — and other lessons politicians never learn — Simeon Brown’s complaint against TVNZ and Luxon’s decision to pull out of his weekly Breakfast slot prompted a forensic and at times hilarious discussion about the eternal folly of politicians going to war with journalists.* King Charles goes to Washington — What can King Charles III realistically achieve on his US visit? Phil draws on multiple personal meetings with Charles — including a 45-minute bilateral at Government House where Charles arrived fully briefed, asked exactly the right questions, and left Phil giving him ten out of ten as a diplomat. Whether he can move the dial on a man Chris describes as a three-year-old trapped in the body of an 80-year-old is another question entirely.Sharp, wide-ranging and willing to call things exactly what they are, this episode is a reminder that in politics, the words you use in public — whether you’re a minister, a king or a coalition partner — always end up meaning more than you intended.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. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crosspartylines.substack.com

46 min

War Heroes, Caucus Plots and All Black Flops

Hosted by Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson, Cross Party Lines returns without Sam for the first time — and the boys don’t miss a beat. In a wide-ranging Anzac week episode, they move from wartime gallantry to National Party treachery, and from All Blacks in Parliament to the politics of immigration dog-whistling. All thanks to our foundational partner Frank Risk Management, the 100% kiwi owned insurance brokerage.In this episode:* Haane Manahi and the Victoria Cross that never was — Phil opens with a moving account of an event he attended in Rotorua the night before recording: a film celebration of Sergeant Haane Manahi, who was recommended for a Victoria Cross by Field Marshal Montgomery himself — only for the British War Office to scratch it out and replace it with a lesser medal.* National’s leadership crisis — five rebels, or twenty-five? — With the National Party caucus meeting looming and the media in full speculation mode, Phil and Chris take forensic stock of where things stand. Chris is blunt: changing a leader in April of election year is lunacy, the five alleged plotters are losers, and Luxon deserves more sympathy than he gets for inheriting a poisoned chalice with no apprenticeship.* All Blacks in Parliament and the Taine Randall question — New Zealand First has selected former All Black captain Taine Randall to stand in Tukituki, prompting a tour through the graveyard of sporting superstars who have tried and failed at politics — from David Kirk to Chris Laidlaw to Graham Thorne. Phil and Chris are unconvinced the profile will translate. But the deeper question is what policies Taine is actually signed up to — including New Zealand First’s rhetoric on immigration.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.🎟 Tickets for the live show at Featherston Booktown Festival — Saturday 9 May. Get in at booktown.org.nz This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crosspartylines.substack.com

46 min

New Candidates, Old Scores and Orbán's Defeat

Hosted by Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson with Sam Collins, Cross Party Lines marks a milestone this week — Sam Collins signs off as moderator after announcing he is standing as the Labour candidate for North Shore. Thanks to our foundational partner, Frank Risk Management.In this episode:* James Christmas and the Tāmaki question — The panel turns to Tāmaki, where James Christmas — described by Chris as the smartest person he ever worked with — has defected from National to ACT, setting up one of the most intriguing three-way candidate contests of the election. Phil asks the uncomfortable question: what does it say about the National Party when talent walks out the door?* Judge Aiken — The Judicial Conduct Panel found Judge Emma Aiken in serious breach of comity for calling out a false statement she overheard at the Northern Club — but stopped short of recommending her removal. Phil and Chris broadly agree the panel got it right on both counts.* Orbán, the Pope and Trump — Three international stories dominate the second half. First, the stunning scale of Hungary’s election result — Fidesz reduced to 55 seats, the new centre-right government holding a two-thirds majority despite active interference from both Trump and Putin. Second, Pope Leo XIV’s sharp Easter address — “enough of the idolatry of self and money, enough of war”. Finally, the Iran peace talks in Islamabad: 20 hours of negotiations, Iranian framing throughout, and a Trump administration that has now openly floated threats Phil and Chris both read as implying nuclear weapons. Neither is laughing it off.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.🎟 Last chance for tickets to the live show at Featherston Booktown Festival — Saturday 9 May. Get in at booktown.org.nz This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crosspartylines.substack.com

51 min

Cabinet Demotions, Grand Coalitions and Rocket Science

Hosted by Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson with Sam Collins, Cross Party Lines takes a break from the weekly news cycle for an Easter special — handing the microphone to listeners for a wide-ranging Q&A that covers cabinet reshuffles, grand coalitions, MMP thresholds, polarisation and Rocket Lab’s military contracts. Thanks to our foundational partner, Frank Risk Management, the 100% kiwi owned insurance brokerage.In this episode, the panel tackles questions straight from the audience:* The Bishop demotion — revenge or rationale? — Listeners wanted to know why Chris Bishop’s reshuffle was read as a punishment. Phil and Chris unpick the moves with forensic clarity: stripping Bishop of the campaign chair role he was demonstrably excellent at, while loading an already stretched Simeon Brown with energy on top of health, suggests this was less about capability and more about Luxon settling scores from last November’s leadership whispers.* Should New Zealand ever have a grand coalition? — A listener question about Labour and National governing together draws on history from the 1930s wartime cabinet to Germany’s social democrats today.* Could New Zealand join the EU? Has free trade failed us? And what about Rocket Lab? — A listener floats New Zealand joining the EU; Phil and Chris explore what closer alignment with middle powers might look like instead. On the closure of Wattie’s and McCain’s plants, they examine whether free trade has delivered for regional New Zealand or left it exposed. And on Rocket Lab’s military contracts, Chris invokes Yes Minister’s The Moral Dimension — genuinely uncertain whether Sir Humphrey or the Minister had the better of the argument.This Easter special is a reminder that the best political conversation doesn’t need a news hook — just good questions and two people who’ve seen enough to know the difference between what politicians say and what they actually mean.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.🎟 Tickets still available for the live show at Featherston Booktown Festival — Saturday 9 May. Get in at booktown.org.nz This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crosspartylines.substack.com

49 min

Small Print, Big Threats and the Fight For Tāmaki

Hosted by Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson with Sam Collins, Cross Party Lines returns with an episode that moves from the murky obligations of a joint statement to the foundations of democracy itself — and finishes with a close read of the parliamentary chessboard ahead of the election. Made possible by Frank Risk Management, the 100% Kiwi owned insurance brokerage.In this episode:* The Strait of Hormuz statement — commitment or blank cheque? — New Zealand joined 29 other countries in signing a joint statement condemning Iranian interference with commercial shipping and pledging readiness to contribute to “appropriate efforts” for safe passage. Phil breaks down why that language matters — and why signing up to condemn Iran while staying silent on the US and Israeli actions that triggered the conflict is both inconsistent and potentially compromising. Chris is equally wary of feel-good multilateral statements that could quietly obligate New Zealand to put naval assets in harm’s way. Both welcome Labour’s new Foreign Affairs spokesperson Vanushi Walters, who earned strong marks from Phil for her composed, principled debut — and a predictable spray from Winston Peters, which they take as something of a compliment.* Democratic resilience — what’s actually at stake — Phil and Chris both spoke at a cross-party Democratic Resilience and Transparency Forum in Parliament last week, and this episode is the debrief. Chris makes the case for an independent Parliamentary Budget Office, a reformed Official Information Act with real teeth, a Commissioner for the Future, and — most controversially — an age limit of 70 for Members of Parliament. Phil went broader: surveys showing 20-25% of Western citizens now prefer a strong unencumbered leader over democracy. Both agree: liberal democracy cannot be taken for granted, and the lessons of history that their parents’ generation paid for in blood are being forgotten.* The fuel crisis response, Think Big’s ghost and the Tāmaki wildcard — As petrol heads toward $3.70 a litre, the panel looks at whether New Zealand’s policy response measures up. Phil points to Victoria and Tasmania offering free public transport for a month as a smarter and fairer intervention than the government’s $50-a-week payment to 140,000 selected households. Chris — now a committed airport bus evangelist — wonders aloud whether Muldoon’s Think Big programme wasn’t entirely without merit, prompting a firm but good-humoured rebuttal from Phil. And the episode closes with a forensic look at Brooke Van Velden’s surprise exit from Tāmaki, what it means for ACT, and why the seat could become one of the most interesting contests of the 2026 election.Principled, historically rich and genuinely cross-partisan, this episode is a reminder that the health of democracy — like the price of petrol — is everyone’s problem, not just the government’s.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.🎟 Tickets moving fast for the live show at Featherston Booktown Festival — Saturday 9 May. Get in quick at booktown.org.nz This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crosspartylines.substack.com

47 min

Diesel, Debt and Democracy

Hosted by Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson with Sam Collins, Cross Party Lines returns with an episode that moves from the kitchen table to the Crown balance sheet — and takes in the rise of populism across the Tasman along the way. Thanks to our foundationa partner, Frank Risk Management.In this episode:* Cost of living — With diesel up 67% in under a month and food prices running at 4.6% annually, the Iran crisis has stopped being abstract. The panel takes aim at fuel companies potentially pricing ahead of their costs, asks why a one-way flight to Auckland now costs $500, and grapples with what honest political leadership looks like when a crisis is going to hurt for years, not months. Phil paints a sobering picture of families at the supermarket checkout — and argues the government needs to direct support to those genuinely in need rather than spread it thin. Chris notes that Reagan’s misery index question — are you better off than you were three years ago? — is about to become the defining frame of the election campaign.* Treasury’s prescription: sell more, tax more, spend less — A speech by Treasury’s chief strategist laid out a bleak fiscal picture and called for hard choices. The panel digs in. Chris makes a case for asset sales — Landcorp farms to iwi, Air New Zealand to Singapore — and calls for a mature conversation about a capital gains tax. Phil pushes back on selling assets to cover day-to-day spending, drawing on the cautionary tales of NZ Rail, Thames Water and Air New Zealand’s own privatisation disaster. Both agree the early tax cuts were a mistake, that the interest bill is now crowding out meaningful public investment, and that New Zealand needs a serious debate about what the state should own — not argument by slogan.* South Australia and One Nation — Labor won the South Australian election comfortably, but the real story is One Nation finishing second — ahead of the Liberals — with 21.8% of the vote. Phil and Chris connect the dots from Adelaide to Wellington: the same grievance politics, the same forgotten blue-collar voter, and the same warning about what happens when a major party loses its identity. Chris draws a sharp distinction between genuine Conservative liberalism and the populist right, and both panellists turn their fire on New Zealand First — a party that, unlike One Nation, can’t claim to be an outsider. It has been in government twice in three years and must own the decisions made at that table.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.🎯 Help us reach 10,000 followers — hit follow on Spotify or Apple today.🎟 Catch the team live at the Featherston Booktown Festival — Saturday 9 May. Tickets at booktown.org.nz This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crosspartylines.substack.com

49 min

Reshuffles, Refineries and Royal Commissions

Hosted by Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson with Sam Collins, Cross Party Lines returns with an episode that sweeps from the parliamentary pecking order to the Strait of Hormuz — and lands on a question New Zealand still hasn’t answered about its own pandemic past. Proudly supported by our foundational partner, Frank Risk Management, the 100% kiwi owned insurance brokerage.In this episode:* Party reshuffles and the next generation — Across Labour, National, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori, the political talent pool is being redrawn ahead of the election. Phil makes the case for Labour’s newly promoted women — Vanushi Walters in Foreign Affairs and Camilla Belich in Justice — as serious future leaders. Chris offers a generous farewell to Shane Reti and a pointed observation about why timing, more than talent, makes or breaks a political career. And the Greens’ membership-driven list process gets put under the microscope — democratic in theory, but does it deliver the candidates a party needs to actually win?* Oil shock, drones and the future of New Zealand’s defence — With petrol above $3 a litre and South Korea already restricting refined oil exports, the Iran war has stopped being an overseas story. The panel takes apart the Marsden Point debate — who actually closed it and why the critique doesn’t hold up — before pivoting to a much bigger question: is New Zealand’s entire approach to defence procurement dangerously out of date? Phil argues the wars in Ukraine and Iran have made large ships and fighter jets obsolete, and that drones and asymmetric capability are where New Zealand’s defence dollar should go. Chris wonders aloud whether the aircraft carrier is already yesterday’s weapon. Both agree the last thing you want as your spokesperson in a fuel crisis is Shane Jones.* The COVID Royal Commission — vindication, lawfare, or time to move on? — The second Royal Commission into New Zealand’s COVID response landed with 63 recommendations and a broadly positive verdict. Chris, who represented Jacinda Ardern and Grant Robertson before the Commission, explains why their decision not to appear in the public witness box was entirely proper — and why Winston Peters’ call for a third commission is less about accountability and more about using legal process as a political weapon. Phil and Chris find rare cross-party agreement: New Zealand got it mostly right, the work has been done, and the country needs to act on what it knows rather than relitigate what it can’t change.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.🎟 Catch the team live at the Featherston Booktown Festival — Saturday 9 May. Tickets at booktown.org.nz This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crosspartylines.substack.com

53 min

Those Polls, That War and the Return of Inflation

Hosted by Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson with Sam Collins, Cross Party Lines is back with an episode that flows from domestic political turbulence straight into the fires of the Middle East — and lands on the economic storm heading New Zealand’s way. Proudly supported by our foundational partner, Frank Risk Management, the 100% kiwi owned insurance brokerage.In this episode:* National in freefall — is Luxon’s leadership terminal? A damning Taxpayers Union Curia poll puts National at just 28%.The panel unpacks what the numbers really mean, when voters start paying attention, and whether a leader change this close to an election is a lifeline or a death sentence. Phil draws on the hard lessons of Labour’s Palmer-to-Moore pivot in 1990.* Iran, international law, and the ghost of Iraq — Nine days into the US strikes on Iran, there is no clear objective, no post-war plan, and the civilian death toll is rising. Phil draws a sharp line from the WMD lies of 2003 to the intelligence being ignored today — and argues that every US regime-change attempt, from Iraq to Libya, has left a failed state in its wake. Chris questions what happens to the rules-based international order when the country that built it decides the rules no longer apply. And what does a Chinese move on Taiwan look like in a world where “might is right” has been normalised?* Inflation is back — and this time, wages won’t save you — Oil nearly doubled since January. LNG up 70% in a week. War surcharges on every container at sea. The panel examines how the Iran conflict threatens to derail New Zealand’s economic recovery, hammer small businesses already on the edge, and hand the opposition a weapon the government has no good answer for. Phil and Chris debate whether Nicola Willis can avoid Grant Robertson’s fate — and whether freezing the fuel excise increase would even matter.This episode is a reminder that the decisions made in Washington and Tehran don’t stay there — they show up in your petrol tank, your mortgage rate, and the ballot box.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. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crosspartylines.substack.com

46 min

Homelessness, Local Power and War in Iran

Hosted by Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson with Sam Collins, Cross Party Lines returns with an episode that moves from homelessness policy at home to war and international law abroad.There may be many headlines this week — but there is really one global story dominating the conversation.In this episode:* Move On Laws and rough sleeping — Are proposed “move on” powers a practical response to visible homelessness, or political theatre dressed up as law and order? Phil argues the answer lies in Housing First and sustained social support, not fines or prison. Chris reflects on the balance between individual rights and community rights — and whether both can be protected without abandoning compassion.* Local Government under fire — Following criticism of councils at the Local Government Conference, the panel asks whether central government is undermining its own partners. Is local government being scapegoated for cost-of-living pressures? Should the Local Government Act be revisited? And why does funding reform matter more than slogans?* Iran, Trump and the future of international law — The second half of the episode turns to the US strikes on Iran. Was there an imminent threat? What does the War Powers Act require? And what happens when great powers sidestep the UN Charter principles New Zealand helped shape in 1945? Drawing comparisons with Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, Phil and Chris question whether regime change without strategy ever delivers stability — and what this moment means for the future of the rules-based international order.Along the way: reflections on American history, congressional authority, the danger of “might is right,” and why small countries like New Zealand have the most to lose when international law is weakened.Serious, candid and unflinching, this episode is a reminder that whether we’re talking about Queen Street or Tehran, politics is ultimately about consequences — and who bears them.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. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crosspartylines.substack.com

47 min

Infrastructure, Brain Drains and Dog Whistles

Hosted by Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson with Sam Collins, Cross Party Lines tackles three of the biggest structural questions facing New Zealand: how we build the country, how we keep our young people here, and how we respond when politics drifts into populist rhetoric.This week’s episode moves from infrastructure to immigration — and ends with a firm defence of decency in public life.In this episode:* The Infrastructure Gap — Following the release of Te Waihanga’s National Infrastructure Plan, Phil and Chris debate whether New Zealand’s problem is underinvestment, poor coordination, political short-termism — or all three. Why do we spend near the top of the OECD as a share of GDP but rank near the bottom for results? And is bipartisan buy-in the only way to avoid stop-go mega-projects and pork-barrel politics?* Keeping Young Kiwis in Aotearoa — With net departures to Australia surging again, the panel revisits the myth of “rabbit out of the hat” election policies like interest-free student loans. Did it really change the trajectory in 2005 — and what would actually address the long-term productivity gap with Australia? From capital investment to university reform to targeted student loan relief, the discussion turns to how New Zealand can compete in a shared labour market with a larger, wealthier neighbour.* Populism and the Politics of Immigration — Shane Jones’ latest comments on Indian migration spark one of the most forceful conversations yet on the podcast. Phil and Chris challenge the rhetoric head-on, arguing that migrants add more than they take, that demographic change strengthens rather than weakens the country, and that cruelty dressed up as “plain speaking” corrodes democratic culture. The episode closes with a broader question: how should mainstream parties confront — not normalise — dog-whistle politics in an election year?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 politics, follow the podcast and share it with someone who might too. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crosspartylines.substack.com

45 min

Māori Seats, Ministry Cuts and Election-Year Inquiries

Hosted by Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson with Sam Collins, Cross Party Lines returns with an episode that moves from minor party positioning to the power of inquiries, and ends with a timely reflection on civility in public life.Recorded against the backdrop of severe storms in the lower North Island, the episode opens with a renewed call for cross-party cooperation on climate adaptation — before turning to the politics shaping 2026.In this week’s episode:* Minor party signals for 2026 — New Zealand First’s proposed referendum on Māori seats and ACT’s plan to cap ministers and slash departments. Is this substantive reform, symbolic positioning, or electoral dog-whistling? Phil and Chris unpack the history, the precedent, and the political math behind both announcements.* The politics of inquiries — With investigations announced into Moa Point, Bay of Plenty landslides, COVID policy, and Reserve Bank decisions, the panel explores when inquiries strengthen democracy — and when they risk looking like election-year theatre. What makes an inquiry credible? Independence, integrity, and timing.* Civility in an attention economy — From Shane Jones’ inflammatory rhetoric to Pam Bondi’s combative congressional performance in the US, the episode closes on a broader question: how does democratic debate survive in a media landscape that rewards outrage over substance? The answer, according to Phil and Chris, lies in precision, discipline, and the quiet power of asking better questions.Cross Party Lines exists to lift political literacy and create space for thoughtful, good-faith political conversation.New episodes every Tuesday. If you value calmer politics, follow the podcast and share it with someone who might too. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crosspartylines.substack.com

46 min

Waitangi Wrap Up, Nuclear Risk and Mandelson's Fall From Grace (Again)

Hosted by Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson with Sam Collins, Cross Party Lines returns with a wide-ranging episode that moves from the rituals of Waitangi Week to the most serious questions of global security — before closing with a sobering discussion on power, corruption, and trust in public life.In this episode:Waitangi Week, politics and performance — A clear-eyed assessment of what unfolded in the Far North: protest, resignation, symbolism. Phil and Chris reflect on precedent, dignity, and what leadership looks like in moments of discomfort.The quiet collapse of nuclear restraint — A deep dive into the expiry of the New START Treaty between the US and Russia, why arms control has mattered for decades, and how the erosion of nuclear agreements creates genuine existential risk — particularly as more unstable actors enter the equation.Why New Zealand still has a role — From nuclear-free activism to multilateral diplomacy, the case for New Zealand finding its voice again on global disarmament rather than staying permanently “under the radar.”The Epstein files and elite accountability — A forensic discussion of Peter Mandelson, power without consequence, and how misbehaviour at the top corrodes trust in democratic systems. Comparisons with New Zealand’s stricter political culture — and why that culture must be defended.Serious without being sanctimonious, this episode is a reminder that politics is ultimately about stewardship — of institutions, trust, and the future — and that when restraint collapses, the consequences are rarely abstract.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 politics, follow the podcast and share it with someone who might too. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crosspartylines.substack.com

50 min

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