Every Friday, near the end of the political week, Laura Walters, Tim Murphy, Marc Daalder and a range of Newsroom's political reporters will dissect the big issues and put politicians’ performances under the microscope in a lively 20 minute show aiming to take viewers and listeners inside the beltway.Watch Raw Politics every week on YouTube or listen on your favourite podcast app. And send us your burning political questions to laura.walters@newsroom.co.nz (https://newsroom.co.nz) and we’ll endeavour to find the answer and explain the issues.
Raw Politics: The end of an era for the two major parties
This week on the Raw Politics podcast: Is National and Labour's dominance over? Politicians get desperate on supermarkets; plus what to do about the police Are we at the end of days for the dominance by two big anchor parties in our governments, or will normal order be restored once things get back to ... normal? Today, the Raw Politics panel discusses Labour and National's combined polling being stuck down below 60 percent and whether the two 'major' parties will soon just be two of five or six parties of varying strength. Join senior political reporter Marc Daalder and associate editor Sam Sachdeva at Parliament and Newsroom co-editor Tim Murphy in Auckland for analysis of the reasons behind National and Labour's decline. The panel also examines National's radical, interventionist plan to force NZ-owned grocery co-operative Foodstuffs to carve itself up into separate businesses to compel competition in the supermarket sector - while leaving Australian-owned corporate Woolworths exempt. Our third topic is the ongoing series of controversies involving our police department, from its top executives to its high profile, flawed pursuit of Tom Phillips and his children and then the peculiar political attacks against a top officer who decided to stand for Labour. Finally, we offer recommendations for you to read, watch or listen to over your weekend: Sam: Fact-checking Farmer Kev and Landlord Larry: Do Opportunity’s tax tales stack up? – Emma Ricketts, Stuff Tim: David Williams' Newsroom electorate profile of Christchurch Central, where the Greens are getting serious and the majors are nervous Marc: Why rebuilding after climate disasters is no longer enough – David Wallace-Wells, NY Times Raw Politics will be available wherever you get your podcasts at the end of each week, and to watch on YouTube.
11 Sept 2026
Raw Politics: Labour grabs the defibrillator, Greens think outside the (red) square
This week on the Raw Politics podcast: Labour’s search for its second wind, hands up for a public supermarket, and Paris in election timeEight weeks until the election and Labour gets shocked out of its sleepwalk to possible defeat.Today, the Raw Politics panel discusses how Labour can and will react to one, yes, one poll placing it at 25.9 percent public support but its own internal polling obviously drifting lower as well.Join senior political reporter Marc Daalder and associate editor Sam Sachdeva at Parliament and Newsroom co-editor Tim Murphy in Auckland for analysis of Labour’s acknowledged shift on to the front foot and concentrating on its policies now rather than its years of “oppositional” politics.The panel also examines a steady strengthening of the Greens’ polling and the party’s bold – and much criticised on the right – policy to create a state-owned supermarket chain by forcing the two big players to give up stores and distribution centres across the country. Is it a Soviet-style dead hand of government or a breakthrough?Our third topic is the politics of climate change. A big conference this week brought the main parties to the same stage and indirectly led to sharp accusations from Labour over “National and its mates” wanting to withdraw NZ from the Paris climate agreement, and an aggressive denial.Finally, we offer recommendations for you to read, watch or listen to over your weekend:Tim: An important interview on Stuff by Patrick Gower with the family of the man who died (https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/361030212/waikato-ed-toilet-death-health-nz-apologises-9-hour-18-minute-wait-without-seeing-doctor-admits-man) in a bathroom at the waiting room of Waikato Hospital’s A&E earlier this year.Marc: The NZ Herald’s team coverage (https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/budget-2026-government-got-advice-on-8b-gst-hike/premium/IJQUKZF5SJCD7FFKAC6NOHMRTM/) of the Government’s late Thursday dump of its documents related to the development of the May Budget.Sam: Analysis of Labour new AI polic (https://newsroom.co.nz/2026/09/10/labour-rides-public-wave-to-dump-on-ai/)y, by Newsroom’s own Fox MeyerRaw Politics will be available wherever you get your podcasts at the end of each week, and to watch on YouTube.
3 Sept 2026
Raw Politics: Draining the swamp and entrenching the Treaty
This week on the Raw Politics podcast: the coalition eyes drastic change in the public service, Te Pāti Māori eyes drastic change in our constitution, plus why health imperils every governmentThe Government's making no secret of its plan to cull, reshape and redirect government departments and ministries if it gets a second chance after November 7. Today, the Raw Politics panel discusses the scale of the planned abolitions, mergers and straight out headcount cuts ministers want to line up through 2027 and beyond.Join senior political reporter Marc Daalder and political editor Laura Walters at Parliament and Newsroom co-editor Tim Murphy in Auckland for analysis of the radical overhaul planned for the public service in a potential second term. The panel also examines Te Pāti Māori's plans for constitutional reforms and paramountcy of the Treaty and how big an appeal its announcements will have among Māori voters, with the risk of likely coalition partner Labour copping any electoral backlash from voters on the general roll. Our third topic is the perennial political landmine of the health system, a threat to the prospects of any government. While National and Labour feud over the number of additional nurses in the system under this administration, real world events like a death in an A&E waiting room and a hospital's nurses declaring a state of emergency have the potential to derail any minister's bid to talk up health investments. Finally, we offer recommendations for you to read, watch or listen to over your weekend: Marc: Azaria Howell of Newstalk ZB's scoop on the Brian Roche cutting the public service letter (https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/sir-brian-roche-letter-discusses-reducing-public-service-agencies-from-42-to-15-20/2HOHOPNDGNGUZNZXDZMVFVVAVA/). Laura: Māni Dunlop of Te Ao Māori News' in-depth explainer on TPM’s bottom lines (https://www.teaonews.co.nz/2026/09/02/te-pati-maoris-te-tiriti-entrenchment-plan-how-would-it-work-and-could-it-happen/), where other parties sit, and the history and future of constitutional reformTim: Our own Marc Daader's magisterial piece on Newsroom on the latest UN environment report: Global warming will pass 1.5C - what are you going to do about it? (https://newsroom.co.nz/2026/09/03/global-warming-will-pass-1-5c-what-are-you-going-to-do-about-it/)Raw Politics will be available wherever you get your podcasts at the end of each week, and to watch on YouTube.
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