Free to Disagree

Chris Bishop’s biggest achievement may not save his political career

The New Zealand Initiative — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 11:59:56 +1300

Chris Bishop passed the new Planning Act with one working day to spare, and may not be in the next Parliament to see it work. Damien accused him of regulatory capture earlier this year and now says he has achieved more in three years than most politicians manage in a career. The polls take over from there, with Te Pāti Māori on 0.4 per cent while holding several electorates, and National and Labour’s fiscal plans separated by a rounding error. The episode ends on Donald Trump, after a week that included a planned live-streamed execution, a diesel deal with Putin and a suggestion that Ukraine should replace its president.

Is National losing voters to ACT, or driving them away?

The New Zealand Initiative — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 11:52:32 +1300

Three polls landed this week, with National under 30 per cent on the party vote while holding 44 electorate seats, and Opportunity sitting either side of the threshold depending on which poll you read. The question is whether National’s voters have gone tactical or left the party altogether.

From there to diesel, after Donald Trump pressured Europe into releasing its reserves, with New Zealand holding about 28 days of supply and no plan for what happens next. The episode ends on whether New Zealand needs a written constitution, or whether what actually protects property rights is something no document can supply.

The surplus that is always three years away

The New Zealand Initiative — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 17:05:58 +1300

The Treasury's pre-election update showed spending up, revenue down and debt rising after three years of a government elected on restraint. Oliver and Damien ask who ends up as finance minister after 7 November, and whether any of them will confront superannuation and interest heading for $44 billion by 2031. They then turn to John Key, who has warned the National Party conference against tactical voting, with a National overhang now a real prospect. They finish the episode on National and Labour's combined share falling to 56 per cent, a historic low, which Oliver's new Quadrant essay traces to the big parties losing their members, their loyalty and their links to the communities they once represented.

Nicky Hager's book and the Taxpayers' Union

The New Zealand Initiative — Fri, 25 Sep 2026 11:53:16 +1200

Nicky Hager's new book on the Taxpayers' Union has had several of its claims publicly contradicted within days of publication. Oliver and Damien discuss the fallout and what it has already cost the organisation. Next, 51 prominent New Zealanders signed an open letter to every party leader about property rights and freedom of contract, and Oliver explains why several chief executives who agreed with every word would not put their names to it. And finally, they turn to the economics behind the proposed Foodstuffs breakup, and the report the government says backs its case.

National's plan to break up Foodstuffs

The New Zealand Initiative — Wed, 16 Sep 2026 16:50:07 +1200

National has announced it would split Foodstuffs into separate Pak'nSave and New World chains, in the name of more competition. Oliver and Damien ask whether breaking up a family-owned cooperative is likely to persuade an Aldi or a Lidl to come here, or convince them to stay away for good. Next, Oliver watched every party leader speak at a recent conference, and came away wondering why the campaign is being fought on such small ground. And finally, plans to overhaul the 2028 census have fallen apart after Labour withdrew support, and they ask whether the country still needs one.

The Greens’ $2.8 billion supermarket plan

The New Zealand Initiative — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 12:05:21 +1200

The Greens want to buy 120 supermarkets and a couple of distribution centres for $2.8 billion, which one analysis puts at a saving of $68 a household a year. Oliver and Damien ask what nationalisation would actually deliver, and why New Zealand First is proposing something similar for the BNZ. Next, the AfD took nearly 44 per cent in Saxony-Anhalt, and Oliver explains what is driving German voters away from the political centre. And finally, a Greens MP called English a bastard language in Parliament, and Damien explains why that may be closer to a compliment.

Do celebrity candidates actually win votes?

The New Zealand Initiative — Fri, 04 Sep 2026 11:54:40 +1200

Paul Henry is standing for ACT and Taine Randell for New Zealand First. Oliver and Damien ask whether celebrity candidates actually win votes, and why New Zealand tends to produce the reverse, politicians who become famous through politics. They then unpack deadweight loss and why higher taxes change behaviour in ways revenue forecasts often ignore. And finally, they turn to MBIE's failed biometric project and whether New Zealand has created a permanent bureaucratic class too insulated from ministers and too weakly accountable when things go wrong.

The social media ban National couldn't sell to its coalition

The New Zealand Initiative — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 11:53:40 +1200

National has introduced a bill banning under 16s from social media, and both coalition partners have refused to back it. Oliver and Damien ask whether such a ban could work, and whether the state should be involved at all. Next, Oliver reports back from a capital gains tax event at a centre-left think tank, where nobody in the room liked Labour's version of the tax. And finally, Iceland votes on Saturday on whether to resume talks about joining the European Union, and they get to the Cod Wars, a banking collapse and what a country of 400,000 people manages to do.

Could MMP break?

The New Zealand Initiative — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 11:58:05 +1200

Te Pāti Māori have told supporters to give them their electorate vote and send their party vote elsewhere. Oliver and Damien ask what happens if National voters start doing the same, and whether MMP survives it. Next, they discuss coalitions and deficits, and Oliver's argument that every additional party in a coalition makes a balanced budget harder. And finally, Donald Trump scaled back a military exercise with South Korea on Truth Social, and they ask what it means for America's allies in the Pacific.

Luxon survives his third coup attempt

The New Zealand Initiative — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 12:00:09 +1200

One day after Christopher Luxon survived a confidence vote, Oliver and Damien ask whether he has finally shown the country who he really is. Next, they discuss Chris Penk's departure from politics and what it costs National. And finally, overseas, a drone carrying 800 grams of Semtex was found beside a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig Airport, and they ask why no Western government will say who put it there.

Are voters just going on vibes?

The New Zealand Initiative — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 16:52:39 +1200

Free to Disagree is a new weekly podcast produced by The New Zealand Initaitive. Join Oliver Hartwich and Damien Grant as they talk about New Zealand politics and economics. Two friends on broadly the same side of politics who find plenty to disagree about anyway. Each week they discuss three big issues, leading up to the election.

In this episode they start with the economy, where unemployment is at its highest since 2015 and inflation is running hot, so what should the Reserve Bank do? They turn to TOP, polling at 8 per cent when almost nobody has read its policies, and ask whether voters are just going on vibes. And with 7 November closing in, they debate whether the coalition is really coming back.

Recorded on Thursday 6 August 2026.