Episodes
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China’s ambassador, Wang Xiaolong, issues a warning to New Zealand about the consequences of joining AUKUS. Plus, Guyon asks him about the CCP's influence in New Zealand , the potential of a Trade war with Trump and a hot war over Taiwan.
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To watch the video version of this episode with Simplified Chinese subtitles, click here 本期节目的中文字幕版本请点击此处。
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As demand for ADHD medication skyrockets, Guyon Espiner asks leading psychiatrist Dr Sam McBride why more people than ever before are being diagnosed with the condition - and to what degree unregulated online testing and Big Pharma are playing in the surge.
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Missing episodes?
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Extreme storms and unbelievable heat. Climate science pioneer, Michael Oppenheimer, tells Guyon how weather events will change as the atmosphere heats up - and what we need to do to prepare ourselves. Plus, he tells us what he thinks about soup-throwing climate activists.
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The Prime Minister admits he needs to cut back the corporate language after calling people, "customers". Plus, why he allowed the Treaty Principles Bill and his final word on a capital gains tax
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Elite SAS commander, Jamie Pennell, on the brutal tactics of the Taliban. Plus the crucial character trait needed to make it into the SAS and the moment he found out he lost a fellow soldier
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The rugby great became the face of mental health in New Zealand, so why does he think he’s failed and what does he plan to do about it? Plus, he challenges Guyon to open up about his own health and asks if New Zealand’s macho culture has really changed.
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Labour's Barbara Edmonds talks to Guyon about the huge fiscal challenges ahead for NZ and whether it's time to lift the superannuation age. Plus, the heart-breaking backstory that motivated her to get into Politics.
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Former White House staffer, John Bolton, on why a second term for Trump would be far worse than his first. Plus, he tells Guyon why it's time for New Zealand to rethink its nuclear-free policy.
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Author of “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck” Mark Manson, talks to Guyon about the potential upsides of AI therapy and the reasons so many Americans idolise Trump. Plus, he reveals how his life completely changed after visiting NZ.
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ANZ's Antonia Watson talks to Guyon about billion dollar bank profits, whether we're paying too much for our mortgages and why she thinks it's time for a Capital gains tax.
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Geopolitics expert Peter Zeihan tells Guyon what New Zealand needs to do right now if it wants to survive the end of globalisation, why China's days are numbered, and who's going to win the US election.
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A frightening future awaits for much of the world.
That's the prediction of Peter Zeihan, a graduate of Otago University who has become a best selling author on geopolitics and international relations.
His book The End of the World is Just the Beginning was a New York Times best seller in 2022.
Guyon Espiner asked Peter Zeihan, two years on, with the possible return of Donald Trump to the White House, how does he see global tensions playing out and what might this mean for New Zealand?
Your book came out in 2022. Have you cheered up at all since then?
“No, because since the book came out, the Ukraine war has gotten hot and heavy, and we're seeing the beginnings of a very, very probably end of days-style trade dispute between the entire world and the Chinese.
“There are definitely some specifics here and there that have been a little bit more optimistic than I thought, but the bare bones, the idea that the structures that brought us everything in the last 75 years, that they're dying, unfortunately, that's pretty baked in at this point.”
One of the key planks that you write about is the end of globalisation. Why will that happen?
“At the end of World War 2, the Americans found themselves looking across the plains of Europe at the red armies and realising this was not a fight we could win, we needed millions of people to not just stand up, but to stand between the US and the Soviet army.
“And since the Europeans had just been through the most horrific war in human history, getting them to sign up for an open-ended conflict was going to require some severe inducement.
“Globalisation was [the United States’] answer.
“We would send our Navy out - the only Navy to survive the war - and patrol the open ocean so that anyone could send any cargo anywhere, import anything from anywhere, access any market anywhere, if in exchange, you would sign up for the Cold War.
“And that gave us the world that we know.
“But never ever, ever forget that it was always a byproduct of an American security plan that honestly has now been outdated for 30 years.
"[In addition,] as we all globalised, we also industrialised and urbanised.
"When you live on a farm, kids are free labour, but when you move into a condo in a city, kids are an expense…
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Champion boxer Mea Motu gets real about what motivates her in the ring, how her kids saved her life, and why she won’t stay silent on domestic abuse.
*Content warning: Contains discussions of domestic violence and suicide.
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Mea Motu is a world champion boxer, but before she even got into the ring as a professional, she had to fight for her own life.
Mea Motu escaped an abusive relationship, which went on for years leaving her homeless at times and fearing for her life.
She's boxed with a broken rib, a dislocated shoulder and asthma, all the while raising five children and speaking out about domestic violence and mental health.
Mea only started her professional boxing career in 2020. Now she's a world champion. She tells Guyon Espiner how she’s done it.
“Just hard work and hard dedication. A lot of sacrifice. But also, I've had a lot of support with family.
“The biggest support is my gym, and my coach and his wife [Isaac and Alina Peach] who have backed me, supported me, believed in me, and invested in me.”
Winning the World Title in 2023 with a broken rib - and not telling her coach beforehand.
“No! I was scared that he might pull me out of the title and reschedule me. And this was my one-shot opportunity, and I didn't want to lose that.
“It was a big challenge. It was very mental. It was really trying to hold myself together, finding certain positions to work around and not get hit there. I did get hit there.
“But also, just embracing the punch and trying to attack with it. So, it was very hard and difficult. I didn't find it easy, but I luckily had the guidance of my cornermen.”
Defending the World Title with a dislocated shoulder
“The belief of [my] cornerman and my coach [enabled me to win.] He just knows what to say. He knows how to intuit me and make me believe I know who I am and what I'm fighting for.
“And he knows how to really just grab my attention and be like, ‘are you OK?’
“He checks that I'm OK no matter what. Every time I come back. ‘Are you OK?’ And I'm like, ‘yes.’ ‘Anything hurting?’ And I'm like, ‘yes.’
“And then he'll find a strategy of how we can get through it. He knows us inside and out. That's his job as a coach.
“It's really mental. The physical is the easiest.
“It's the mental, like, really listening and really being in tune with your coach and knowing and believing what he's about to say…
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Waikato-Tainui leader Tuku Morgan tells Guyon why he's so fired about the backlash against te reo, how young Māori have the power to change the future and why he's not sorry about that underwear scandal.
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Tukoroirangi Morgan helped establish Māori Television, has been the spokesman for the Māori King, and was once described as the most reviled politician in New Zealand.
He grew up in poverty, in a home where te reo Māori was the first language and has spent his life fighting for that language, as a journalist, a politician, a member of the Kiingitanga, and - currently - as chair of Waikato Tainui.
Now, he says that Māori face an existential battle against the government for their rights, their culture, and their language.
Guyon Espiner asks Tuku about whether he stands by his recent claim: that the government have rendered Māori an almost nullity.
"Absolutely. There are achievements that have been won as a result of courage and determination by our forebears."
"Leaders before my time were able to fashion a pathway so that people like me and my grandchildren could enjoy Te Reo Māori, and have the opportunity to do things for ourselves, both socially and environmentally."
"As the chair of Waikato-Tainui, I have a responsibility to make sure that those things that were entrenched in our treaty settlement are promoted and upheld by this government - including the preservation of our Reo, and the notion of holistic wellbeing for all my people."
Te Reo seems to be thriving in New Zealand society today. More people are speaking it, learning it, non-speakers understand more of it. Will government policy really have a negative effect on that?
"It’s the public narrative that they promote - this notion that our language is irrelevant and inappropriate in modern society. I think the undeniable responsibility of the crown is to be a good partner. And that partnership was enshrined in the Treaty of Waitangi. We should be working together not against each other."
"Modern New Zealand society has embraced Te Reo Māori [but] what we have is a whole bunch of ageing white males who continue to perpetuate this notion that Te Reo Māori is a sidebar."
"Even [former political ally Winston Peters] is a problem. There is only one place where this language belongs, and it's here in this country. We can't go anywhere else. Our existence, our uniqueness as a people, hinges around our Reo, our culture."…
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Mental health advocate Mike King tells Guyon why taking government cash is like taking money from Gollum; the day he realised his homophobic comedy was doing real damage, and why kids don't talk to their parents about their mental health.
*Content warning: This video contains strong language and references to suicide, self-harm and alcohol.
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Mike King once described himself as an aggressive, politically incorrect, foul-mouthed, standup comedian. Now, he's one of the most high profile mental health advocates in Aotearoa.
In Budget 2024 his charity I am Hope got $24 million to provide free counselling for young people. There’s now a political fight about how the money was awarded.
Guyon Espiner sits down with Mike to ask about that and bigger questions over whether we have a mental health crisis in Aotearoa and how we should deal with it.
The aim of I Am Hope is to “forever change the way New Zealanders think, act and feel about mental health and suicide.” How so?
"And drive positive societal attitudinal change. And that's the key. Our whole Kaupapa is about changing the way people think, act and feel."
"I've been speaking to schools for the last 13 years. I've listened to over 250,000 young people. And here's what I know. 40% of kids in school will have a major crisis associated with some type of suicidal thinking before they leave school. Not in their lifetime - before they leave school.
Which is staggering to a whole lot of people. Guess what? It's normal. We've all had the thought. If you haven't left the house at least once in your life going, what's the point? You're living in a marshmallow."
"The stat that scares me is, 80% of those kids never ask for help. And the reason they never ask for help is because they're worried about what other people will think, say or do. And what's our message to young people who are travelling that journey? Reach out and ask for help! Excuse me?! “I've just told you, I'm scared of sharks. And your solution is to go swim with sharks, and maybe a dolphin will come along!”
So, what needs to change is, we all need to look in the mirror and ask ourselves, what am I doing to make it more comfortable for young people to reach out and ask for help?"
"And the answer to that is, we're not doing enough. We're busy telling kids what to do, this is what you need to do. We need to start showing them vulnerability."…
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Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union tells Guyon about the group's funding, its connection to the Atlas Network, and why he once joined the Green party.
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Jordan Williams is the head of the Taxpayers' Union. With 200,000 members, it’s one of the largest lobby groups in New Zealand.
For the last decade he’s called out wasteful government spending and been a high profile advocate of free speech and transparency.
Guyon Espiner spoke to Jordan Williams about what the Taxpayers' Union is trying to achieve, where it gets its funding, and where it fits in the international movement advocating right wing economic reform.
What is the Taxpayers' Union?
"Well, it's the same pitch as it was when we launched it just over 10 years ago."
"There are hundreds of groups of special interests out there, generally on the centre left, that argue for more money for their particular pet cause. It might be, you know, the protection of the albino snail or whatever. We’re the ones on the other side, to argue for “Mom-and-Pop" taxpayers, the ones that pay the bill.
Until government spending is being spent well, and you've got no government waste, why should we reach deeper into families’ back pockets to tax more?"
"Post-election, we're taking [staffing numbers] a little bit more cautiously, to see where the new equilibrium is. At some point, I think early last year, during the Three Waters debate, I sort of looked and realised, on our payroll, we had 18 staff. This thing started with me, just part time, and then me and a mate."
"We are now the largest, per capita, taxpayer group in the English-speaking world. We’re not quite the largest per capita in the world. The Finns have that, but they've been going, I think, 100 years, and they actually have software that do your taxes. So, it's a little bit of a different business model. They've got quarter of a million financial members."
Donations and Donors
"It is, particularly post-COVID, grassroots fed. More than 80% of our income in 2022 and 2023 is pretty similar. It’s all small donations, online donations, averaging between about $75, $85, depending on the campaign. That’s the bulk of it."
"Sir Bob [Jones] is very generous, and cumulatively, he would be our largest donor because of the office in Wellington, which he donates [rent-free.]"…
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Longevity expert Stephen Cave explains to Guyon how living to 150 years old could soon be a reality, and why the consequences of immortality would be horrific for all aspects of our world.
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The ancient quest for human immortality has collided with ultra-modern developments in biology and AI. Billion-dollar start-ups, funded by tech moguls, seek to add decades to human life.
But philosopher and writer Stephen Cave, a researcher at Cambridge University in Britain, says life extension technology is fraught with ethical problems.
Guyon Espiner talked to Stephen about why we need to start taking the promise of extending our lifespans seriously.
"The claim that we're on the verge of defeating ageing or disease is an ancient one, as old as human history. Ancient Egyptian papyri were talking about the elixir of life. Mummification was just a backup plan for them. Throughout history we see these kinds of claims repeated, over and over again, and the one thing that all these people who claim to have found some kind of rejuvenation elixir have in common, is that they're now all six feet under pushing up daisies."
"So why should we think this time is different? Well, I think there are a number of reasons. One of them is the reality of scientific and technological breakthroughs. Life expectancy has doubled in the last 150 years from around 40 to around 80 or so in industrialised countries."
"Now, a lot of that has been from tackling infant mortality. If a lot of people die very young in their first few years, then that pushes down the averages. In industrialised countries, since the 1950s, life expectancy has continued to creep up at about two years per decade. And that's through treatments at the end of life - making cancer diagnoses that would have rapidly been terminal manageable and heart disease and so on."
"Life expectancies are genuinely creeping up to unprecedented levels. And right now, there are vast amounts of money and huge amounts of talent being poured into the anti-ageing research industry."
The modern quest for the Fountain of Youth is being driven by billionaires with money to spend
"They might make breakthroughs, but whether it's in time for them to achieve what they want, who knows? Because there is a very long history of the super-rich and powerful investing their resources into the pursuit of anti-ageing. It is the one thing that insults their power, the one thing that right now, money can't buy. They're still getting older. …
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Former Greens Co-Leader James Shaw on why the party should consider working with National in future, why he's been called a "tree Tory", and what he's got planned after politics.
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James Shaw has bowed out of politics after nearly 10 years as co-leader of the Green Party. He took the Greens into cabinet for the first time and wrestled with the future of the planet as climate change minister.
Last year the Greens gained 15 MPs - their biggest caucus ever. But James Shaw leaves Parliament with his party reeling from a series of resignations and scandals, and questions about whether it's become too close to Labour and strayed too far from its mission.
The state of New Zealand right now
"I think we're going through a rough patch, as a country and as a planet, and so I think that's a vibe check on how people are feeling right now, rather than a statement of what's factually so. You know, I have a bit of a dark view of where things are at right now as well."
"It's going to be a bit of a cliché, but I scan the news, and I see what the current government is up to, and I've been sitting 10 metres across the aisle from them whilst they've been doing it over the course of the last six months, and a lot of it appals me.
But I'm also really conscious that these things are temporary. Inflation is temporary; the state of Global Affairs waxes and wanes over time. We go through periods of high unemployment, low unemployment, and so on. So, if you try to take a long arc of history view, some of those things become, in some ways, less significant, because they are always there in one form or another."
"I think that there are things that we have not been paying attention to for some decades - infrastructure, increasing inequality in terms of socio-economic stratification, and so on. But I also think that we're a more progressive, much more multicultural, more tolerant, more inclusive society than we were 40 years ago."
Are you optimistic about our country's future?
Yeah, I am.
The health of the Green Party
"The most recent polls have had us on about 14%, which is a historic high watermark. And yes, I know it's been an incredibly rough year. You've talked about resignations and scandals, but actually, the death of Efeso Collins was really the greatest blow, and has been very, very hard for our caucus and for our staff. …
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ACT leader David Seymour tells Guyon how it feels being part of the coalition Government, what race-based policies he'd like to change, and whether we can really afford tax cuts.
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Just a few years back, ACT's David Seymour led a party of one. Now he's one of New Zealand's most powerful, influential and controversial politicians. And he's destined to be Deputy Prime Minister next year.
ACT aims to continue the unfinished business of right-wing economic reforms started in the mid 1980s, but is David Seymour's agenda a recipe for increased prosperity, or increased inequality?
Guyon Espiner sat down for a frank and honest discussion with David Seymour about finally being at the decision-making table with Christopher Luxon and political rival Winston Peters.
"I've always seen politics as a very hot contest, I think it's extremely collegial, for a couple of reasons. You've got three parties that want this government to be a success - their success is tied to the success of the government.
But putting aside the politics, I think there's also the fact that people know that we're in one of those periods which is make or break for New Zealand. We don't have that sort of shared sense of purpose. People talk about division and lack of trust, and the institutions that they don't trust as much There's been a lot of talk around the media, but I don't think it's just the media. It's also government. It's almost everybody, really. People don't trust each other as much."
"Related to that is the lack of social mobility. Once upon a time, the incentive was to go to school, work hard, get a job, save some money, put it aside, maybe invest it carefully, and buy a house. Now there's a whole generation of people saying, well, hang on, I did all that stuff. But now I'm coming out as a graduate, I might be earning $50,000, I might have a student loan that's pretty close to that. And to buy anything that looks vaguely like the house my parents had, I'm looking at a million dollars. I've got to save four times my income for a deposit."
How do you rate the quality of the public service?
"Extremely variable. There are people in there who are very capable, and extremely committed. In some areas, I've been blown away by the quality of the advice that we've had."
"In other areas, I think it's fair to say that...we haven't really seen the quality of advice coming through, and it's been faster to do it ourselves. …
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Film director Roseanne Liang tells Guyon about her huge new Hollywood project, why she's obsessed with Terminator 2, and what movies tell us about humanity.
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Roseanne Liang is a New Zealand film director going global. She's gained cult status for dystopian web series Creamerie, and WWII creature-feature Shadow in the Cloud.
But the action movie aficionado first made her name with a very personal story - her own love story with her Pākeha husband. My Wedding and Other Secrets became something of a cultural touchstone for the experience of many Asian New Zealanders.
As she talks with Guyon Espiner about her life so far, Liang is preparing to call action on her next movie - a high-octane Hollywood action flick starring Angelina Jolie and Halle Berry.
"Oh god! I can't tell you that much about it. It is a closely guarded Warner Brothers studio movie. It's a spy versus spy, thriller, action fun movie, which is been described as a Bond versus Bourne mash-up. It's my cup of tea."
"It was a confluence of really some really amazing events. When a short action movie that I made called Do No Harm screened in Sundance and SXSW that year, I signed with one of the biggest agencies in America called WME. Then my former agent left WME to become Halle 's business partner. She always remembered me, and when this project came across their desk, they reached out to me. I talked to both of these incredible women And we decided that we'd step out and make this this movie together.
It's a big studio movie, La Femme Nikita meets Mission Impossible. It's very much a modern movie about gender equality, women and feminism, but also just a great, muscular action movie that happens to star two of the most incredible female action stars of our time."
Doctor or Director?
"There's a Sliding Doors-type moment around the late 90s, where I'm about to commit to seven years of undergrad at medical school. Then I got seduced by the dark side of the arts and gave up my place in medical school. I haven't looked back since then. And honestly, I think about the other version of me who's a doctor right now, and I'm quite happy with this particular reality for me."
Parental Guidance
"I was very geared towards receiving good grades and yes, some of that work ethic was instilled in me by my parents. But I was also a bit of a self-flagellator as well. I really wanted to do a good job. My two sisters were very, you know, "scary," like very impressive. They were both Dux of St Cuthberts before me. …
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Community leader and former boxer Dave Letele tells Guyon his thoughts on the new Government's crackdown on gangs, whether bootcamps really work, and if he'll ever get into the political ring himself.
Content warning: Contains strong language and references to self-harm and alcohol.
Watch the video version of the episode hereDave Letele's life has been defined by transformation. From a complicated upbringing to a successful boxing career to tipping the scales at more than 200 kg, he's been through countless challenges.
Now he spends his days using what he's learned to help others in need, through his Butterbean Motivation programme.
He tells Guyon what he thinks of the new Government's crackdown on gangs, whether boot camps really work, and if he'll ever get into the political ring himself.
Maunga climbing
"I started my journey getting off the bed and going for a walk at One Tree Hill, massively overweight and extremely depressed, wanting to end my life. But while I was walking these maunga, I wasn't thinking about life. I was just thinking about getting up the hill and how hard it was."
" we were up at Mount Eden, and we had people there from all walks of life. People from LinkedIn, chairmen, CEOs. And then, you had people overcoming addictions. You had former and current gang members. The sun was shining, and it was just a special moment."
"My memory of Mount Eden, as a kid, was playing in the playground there, before or after prison visits. I spoke to some of the people there and a lot of their memories are of looking out of the frosted glass from Mount Eden Prison. And then to be there, free and doing something special, it's just showing them that it's possible and that we're all destined for something better.
Yeah, it was a special moment."
Memories of visiting family in prison
"There were many times when there was my father, or uncles, or family friends that we'd visit in Mount Eden prison. I remember visiting my uncle Bonzo there. And, you know, it was a big thing. We'd get packs of fruit from the dairy, and we'd take them up to the prison. You could take food in, back in those days. And we'd look forward to him bringing out the chocolate.
But the memory - the good part of the visits - was not necessarily going and visiting, because you get treated like a dog even when you're visiting prison. It was playing on that playground. That awesome flying fox there. Anyone that's visited Mount Eden Prison as a kid, you'd remember that playground because we all went there." …
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