Gone By Lunchtime

On the eve of the opening of the 53rd parliament of New Zealand, Toby Manhire, Annabelle Lee-Mather and Ben Thomas dress up as Black Rod. As 120 familiar and fresh faces swarm upon the tropical paradise of Wellington for a brand new parliament, the Gone By Lunchtime trio ruminate on the politics to come. What state is the National opposition in after an AGM that saw Peter Goodfellow hang on to the presidency despite his party's dismal election? Was he right about the celebrity tyranny of Jacinda Ardern, or was John Key more on the money in urging his kinfolk to examine their own shortcomings? How susceptible, meanwhile, is the majority Labour government as house prices continue to soar into the stupidsphere? Plus: Rawiri Waititi and outdated oaths, Stuart Nash and tourist poo, and an incoherent bit about fireworks.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Toby Manhire, Annabelle Lee Mather and Ben Thomas return, electrolytes replenished after the election marathon, to assess the newly-announced Labour cabinet and more. It’s been 17 days since the election, and about 24 hours since the Labour announced the composition of its new cabinet. Really wanted to do a Nothing Compares 2 U reference there but just couldn't get it to work. Anyway, the important thing is Gone By Lunchtime is back and fully revitalised with a raft of new cabinet appointments to discuss, not to mention the Green-Labour agreement and the fate of the referenda. Was Kelvin Davis right to turn down the role of deputy PM? Did Ben actually manifest Ayesha Verrall’s ministerial appointment? Is Jan Tinetti real? And whatever happened to TrueBliss? All these questions and more answered – or at the very least asked – on this week’s Gone By Lunchtime.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Greens MP Chlöe Swarbrick joins Annabelle Lee Mather, Ben Thomas and Toby Manhire to pick over the remains of election night in a special Sunday edition of Gone By Lunchtime. It's the morning after a very successful election night for Labour, and a pretty good one for the Greens too – especially in Auckland Central, where Chlöe Swarbrick looks to have turned the electorate green for the first time. She joined the Gone By Lunchtime trio in the studio the morning after to talk the campaign, election night and the cannabis referendum, and get some advice from Annabelle's mum (Sandra Lee, Auckland Central MP 1993-1996). Also on this rare Sunday edition of the pod: What will Labour do with its historic victory? Is there a place for the Greens? What happens to National after their annus horribilis? And what is Winston Peters' legacy?   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Bulletin's Alex Braae, fresh from his tour of Aotearoa, joins Toby Manhire to reveal what he witnessed on the road in this special pre-election bonus episode of Gone By Lunchtime. For 40 days and 40 nights (roughly, who's counting) Alex Braae packed up his Bulletin in his old kit bag, threw it in the back of a Jucy van and toured the country to take the campaign pulse. He joins Toby Manhire for a special bonus edition of Gone By Lunchtime to discuss the mood of the nation beyond the main centres, the small parties' prospects and the seats he's fizzing about watching on Saturday night.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Annabelle Lee-Mather, Ben Thomas and Toby Manhire gather around the giant orb of truth for the last time before polls close to assess the parties' campaigns, select the seats they'll be drooling over, and put their pundit reputations on the line by predicting the final election outcome.     We're leaving together. But still it's farewell. And maybe we'll come back, to earth, who can tell? After a long, fascinating, long, intriguing and long campaign, the Gone By Lunchtime triumvirate size up the main parties' campaigns, nominate some of the seats they'll be watching closely on election night, and foolishly issue predictions for the outcome. Featuring a special cameo by Sandra Lee.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Annabelle Lee-Mather, Ben Thomas and Toby Manhire assess the Press debate in Christchurch, National's leaky redux, the advance voting surge and the rest of the big stories with a week and a half to go. In 10 short days the skies will clear and for a few blessed hours the only hint of politics will be dogs outside polling stations on The Spinoff. Can Judith Collins close the gap? Has her caucus reverted to its self-sabotaging leaky ways? How did she fare in last night's third of four leader debates against Jacinda Ardern? The Gone By Lunchtime trio provide definitive answers on all of these matters, as well as looking at Collins' suddenly visible Christianity: heartfelt devotion, or fiscal holy? Which of the Māori seats hangs most in the balance? And what explains the rush for early voting?   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Toby Manhire, Annabelle Lee Mather, Ben Thomas and a very special guest go over what we learned from last night’s Newshub leaders’ debate between Jacinda Ardern and Judith Collins.  It’s a four-person episode of Gone By Lunchtime this week as special guest Mihingarangi Forbes (The Hui, RNZ’s political podcast Party People) joins Toby Manhire and Annabelle Lee Mather, both of whom were in the audience at last night’s Newshub leaders’ debate, and Ben Thomas, who wasn’t. How was it, what did we learn, and how did Jacinda Ardern and Judith Collins perform? Was democracy the winner on the day? Or Patrick Gower? Also, how much fish should we be eating? There’s also a couple of new polls to assess, some other debates to look forward to, an SFO announcement – and an election day looming in a little over two weeks.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Election debate season is finally upon us, and the Gone By Lunchtime trio are here to talk Tuesday night’s two big debates. The Hui’s livestreamed Waiariki candidate debate between Hannah Tamaki, Rawiri Waititi and Tamati Coffey, and TVNZ’s leaders’ debate between Judith Collins and Jacinda Ardern. One was raucous, robust, interesting and entertaining. The other was the leaders’ debate. There’s also, after weeks in the polling darkness, a new set of Colmar Brunton numbers to crunch, and a new multi-billion dollar fiscal hole has opened up. Join Toby Manhire, Annabelle Lee Mather and Ben Thomas as they don their hard hats with the light on top and go exploring for political insights. – Sign up to The Spinoff's newsletter Rec Room for weekly recommendations along with all our latest videos and podcasts.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ben Thomas never attends a party without a whakataukī in his pocket, and he does not disappoint in this week's edition of Gone By Lunchtime. Along with Annabelle Lee-Mather and Toby Manhire, Ben sprinkles the wisdom on everything from the Māori Party policy to jettison "New Zealand" in favour of "Aotearoa" to the Labour Party policy to suffocate the tax debate in the 2020 campaign. Are National and Labour about to pull muscles in their scrap for the centre ground? Why can't the Greens make an impression in the space left unclaimed? Does Winston Peters have a point in lambasting the cabinet decision to extend the current alert levels? How excited does the word "Prefu" make you? Plus: why is Jami-Lee Ross? All this and more on this week's edition of Aotearoa's only(?) politics podcast. – Sign up to The Spinoff's newsletter Rec Room for weekly recommendations along with all our latest videos and podcasts.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The 2020 election has risen, bleary eyed, from its slumber, and so have Annabelle, Ben and Toby. This week: Labour are promising a Matariki holiday, National are promising a health-driven response to meth addiction, and the Greens are trying to put the train back on the rails with the aid of several million apologies from James Shaw following the Green School debacle. Meanwhile, Winston Peters has found a path back to power: chugging ciggies, playing ping pong, and calling Jack Tame "James" a lot. Plus: In an exclusive bonus feature, Toby chats to comedian Alice Snedden about the new season of Alice Snedden's Bad News. – Sign up to The Spinoff's newsletter Rec Room for weekly recommendations along with all our latest videos and podcasts.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Join the the country's most mellifluous political pod trio, the Alert Level Three, for another late night lockdown edition of Gone By Lunchtime. Covid-19 continues to dominate the political agenda, with Jacinda Ardern and cabinet having extended level three for the Auckland region until the end of the weekend. Annabelle Lee-Mather, Ben Thomas and Toby Manhire discuss the risks of lockdown fatigue, the new rules around masks, and the general sense of pre-election limbo. Plus: has the National Party finally worked out the formula for effective opposition in the face of the Covid crisis, with Dr Shane Reti at the forefront? And the definitive answer on whether or not the voting age should drop to 16. Bonus content: Listen right to the end to hear Ben's review of Mountain Dew flavoured Doritos.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Toby Manhire, Annabelle Lee-Mather and Ben Thomas forget how to record a podcast over Zoom. Most elements of life under lockdown feel a little bit easier the second time around, but not recording an episode of Gone By Lunchtime. After being held up for over an hour by a confusing tech issue (Ben’s new phone doesn’t have a headphone jack), the renowned podcasting trio finally get stuck into the week’s political issues, of which there are a few. Topics include: the election date (it’s changed), community transmission (it’s back), Gerry Brownlee, Judith Collins, conspiracy theories, why National should run a Fat Freddy's Drop inspired campaign, and the concept of “political edging”. Ben's a bit mean about Ashley Bloomfield, there’s a bit of Zorb chat, and a nostalgic shot out to Merv and the Bad Boys of Brexit too. Miss those guys.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Merv Lee-Mather, Merv Thomas and Merv Manhire gather to discuss the most pressing issues of election 2020. With 39 days to go until New Zealand goes to the polls, talkback caller 'Merv' has lit up the election campaign, delivering a deeply unmellow curtain-raiser to the National Party's Auckland Central candidate selection. Plus: the Labour launch, NZ First's terrible poll, and what is Gerry Brownlee playing at?   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Toby Manhire, Annabelle Lee-Mather and Ben Thomas denounce new poll results that very slightly contradict their opinions. The scale of the summit for the National Party? A poll came out last week with Labour at 53%, and that was considered good news for Judith Collins and the Strong Team. With a month before advanced voting begins, Annabelle, Ben and Toby assess the state of the race, as well as the Act surge and Seymourmania, the valedictory speeches, the state of social liberal thinking in National, the battle for Auckland Central, the Māori seats (which are up for grabs), and the Burnham inquiry.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

For the third Politics in Pubs event, recorded live at Meow in Wellington, former National Party leader Simon Bridges joins Danyl Mclauchlan to talk the events of 2020, what the role of the opposition leader is in a time of national crisis is, what he thinks of the election campaign so far, the challenges facing New Zealand politics... and of course baby yaks. Politics in Pubs is supported by The Spinoff Members (https://members.thespinoff.co.nz) and in association with Verb Wellington (https://www.verbwellington.nz). Live sound by Sam Shallcrass, livestream by Tane Hipango.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Toby Manhire, Annabelle Lee-Mather and Ben Thomas dust off the bazookas scattered around New Zealand politics in this week's Gone By Lunchtime.  A new Newshub poll has put Judith Collins' National Party on 25.1%, Jacinda Ardern's Labour on 60.9%, and many jaws on the floor. Gerry Brownlee has dismissed it as a "rogue poll". Annabelle, Ben and Toby impersonate Nate Silver and assess the veracity of the thing, and ask: is this the result of the disarray in National or Ardern's performance through the Covid crisis? Plus: Was the Iain Lees-Galloway appropriately handled or a dirty politics throwback? Marama Davidson and James Shaw launch the Green campaign. Winston Peters lashes out (again). And is the political marriage of Jami-Lee Ross and Billy Te Kahika Jr a serious prospect or a sideshow? Either download now, subscribe through Apple Podcasts, or visit Gone By Lunchtime on Acast or Spotify   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Toby Manhire, Annabelle Lee-Mather and Ben Thomas on the Andrew Falloon scandal and its implications for a beleaguered National Party, a big weekend for Winston Peters and NZ First, and the chorus calling to charge arriving New Zealanders for their hotel isolation.  Less than two months out from the election, the National Party remains bedevilled by controversy. Just a few days after she became leader, Judith Collins has successfully demanded the resignation of Andrew Falloon, dismissing one of the claims around the circumstances under which unsolicited pornographic images were sent by the first term MP to more than one young woman as "clearly a lie". The latest saga came to light wrapped up in declarations around the role of mental health. Are these messages reasonable or reprehensible? Did Collins handle the scandal appropriately? Where does it leave the National Party? Annabelle, Ben and Toby take on these questions, as well as the state of Winston Peters and New Zealand First. With the party languishing well below the 5% threshold in polls, does the weekend's conference and big leader speech suggest there is a way back to parliament for Team Winston? Plus: both the National Party and the government now look set upon introducing charges of around $3,000 for returning New Zealanders, to contribute to the costs of their mandatory hotel isolation. A fair demand to pay a share in the broad effort of the team of five million, or a breach of the basic right of citizens to come home, born of plain meanness?     See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Toby Manhire, Annabelle Lee-Mather and Ben Thomas reel at the announcement that Todd Muller has resigned as leader of the opposition.   At 7.30am, just 53 days after he replaced Simon Bridges as leader of the National Party, Todd Muller announced his immediate resignation from the job. How did it come to this, and who is likely to emerge as the new leader, with less than 10 weeks to an election? Will deputy Nikki Kaye be promoted by caucus tonight? Is it Judith Collins' time? Can Simon Bridges complete the great arc of redemption? What about Gerry Brownlee or Mark Mitchell? Or maybe just chuck a baby yak in charge.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Toby Manhire, Annabelle Lee-Mather and Ben Thomas on ministerial resignations in the recent and middle-distant past, a new book from Judith Collins, and the reinvention of Simon Bridges The Gone By Lunchtime triumvirate convenes to chew on all the issues, or at least some of them. Such as: Judith Collins' new book; the resignation of David Clark as health minister; the Clare Curran interview from the weekend and toxic politics; the Labour Party congress and "let's keep moving"; the social media cult of Simon Bridges; and the departure of Paula Bennett. And, mostly important, a major mea culpa over vulgar and offensive statements in the last podcast.     See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the second of our pre-election events, a collaboration between Spinoff Members and Verb Wellington, Danyl Mclauchlan talks to Chlöe Swarbrick, the MP seeking to tip the table of politics from inside parliament.  The third Politics on Pubs, featuring Danyl with Kevin Hague and Tamatha Paul, takes place tonight, 6pm, at Meow in Wellington. Limited tickets are still available, and there will be a handful of door sales: come early! Details here. Chlöe Swarbrick first leapt into the spotlight with an audacious, cynic-defying and unsuccessful run for the Auckland mayoralty. After being courted by a number of parties, she ran with the Greens, and has made her mark for, among other things, winning international headlines by dropping an "OK boomer" (at Todd Muller, no less) in parliament and proving comfortably the most lucid political voice in favour of legalising cannabis.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.