Chlöe Swarbrick wants to take on corporate power, redistribute wealth and expand public ownership. But can the Greens build the mass political movement needed to make this happen? Since becoming co-leader of the Green Party in 2024, Chlöe Swarbrick has been clear about her ambition to grow the Greens
Watch the latest episode of Undercurrents on why Jacinda Ardern’s government fell short of its transformational ambitions – and what lessons the left should draw as another election approaches. It’s been nearly a decade since Jacinda Ardern became leader of the Labour Party, which swept into government promising transformation.
A highly pathogenic strain of bird flu has been causing carnage around the world. Now it’s made it to New Zealand. What can it tell us about the pandemics of tomorrow? Since emerging around 2019, a highly pathogenic strain of H5N1 bird flu has swept through Europe, Africa and
Watch the latest episode of Undercurrents on the fracturing of the political right, the rise of ‘anti-woke’ politics, and the forces reshaping New Zealand politics. A decade ago, when Donald Trump first came to power and Britain voted to Brexit, it was tempting to think that it couldn'
Labour says the economy isn’t working for ordinary people. But its new fiscal rules could leave a future Labour government with little room to do anything about it. Last month, Labour released its new fiscal strategy: a set of high-level rules it says will govern how it taxes,
Opportunity wants to transcend left and right. But can a party of "pragmatism" take on the vested interests Qiulae Wong says are holding New Zealand back? In the 30 years since New Zealand’s first MMP election, no new political party has made it into Parliament without already
New Zealand’s property economy has created enormous wealth for homeowners and investors. But where does it leave the people paying the rent? As rents fall in parts of New Zealand, some have claimed we’re finally in a “renter’s market”. But the bigger picture tells a different story.
Watch the latest episode of Undercurrents on the rise of the Democratic Socialists of America, the return of mass politics, and what it could mean for New Zealand. Zohran Mamdani’s victory last year as mayor of New York has made him an international political phenomenon. In New Zealand, much
A new lawsuit alleges satellites launched from New Zealand may be providing intelligence used by Israel in Gaza. Could Rocket Lab’s launches be making New Zealand complicit? Rocket Lab is one of New Zealand’s great business success stories. But much of that success rests on its deep ties
New Zealand was once a world leader on pay equity. Dame Marilyn Waring explains how the government wound back decades of progress – and why the fight to properly value women’s work is far from over. It has been more than a year since the government’s shock announcement that
Watch the latest episode of Undercurrents on how farming has shaped the country, why its political influence endures, and the battle over New Zealand’s economic and environmental future. To borrow the words of countless politicians, farming is the "backbone" of the New Zealand economy. What's
Calls to raise the retirement age or introduce means-testing for the pension are growing. But is there really a retirement crisis, or has the debate been driven by flawed assumptions and vested interests? Since the days of the First Labour Government, a universal pension has been a cornerstone of
In Brief
Climate change and war are usually treated as separate issues. Journalist Abby Martin says they're inseparable. One of the defining but often overlooked facts of our time is the extraordinary footprint of the US military, whose 800 or so bases encircle the planet. These bases help make the
Undercurrents
Watch the latest special edition of Undercurrents: a two-part exploration of New Zealand's cost of living crisis. For years, we have been told the cost of living crisis is primarily the result of global forces, government profligacy, or the seemingly impersonal laws of inflation. The prescription: higher
In Brief
New Zealand's media has been under pressure for decades. Now the government is putting the boot in. How did we get here – and what does it mean for democracy? Journalism everywhere is on the retreat as newsrooms shrink, media ownership concentrates, and a tidal wave of clickbait and
In Brief
A proposal to lease the operation of Lyttelton Port to a consortium led by global ports giant DP World has reignited debate over the future of one of Christchurch's most valuable public assets. In the 1990s, the head of the Business Roundtable dubbed New Zealand's second
Undercurrents
Watch the latest episode of Public Interest's fortnightly current affairs show, Undercurrents. Since it was elected in 2023, the coalition government has unleashed a whirlwind of change on New Zealand’s education system. It has scrapped NCEA, overhauled the primary and secondary curricula, re-established charter schools, banned
In Brief
The Pike River disaster was meant to transform workplace safety in New Zealand. Fifteen years on, journalist Rebecca Macfie says that consensus is unravelling – and the country is forgetting the lessons that cost 29 men their lives. For a time after the Pike River disaster, it seemed that a new
In Brief
The government is backing down on the most controversial part of its proposed conservation reforms. But New Zealand's conservation estate remains under threat, conservation advocate Bianca Ranson says. Last month, the government's Conservation Amendment Bill passed its first reading, heralding what ministers described as the biggest
Undercurrents
Listen to the latest episode of Public Interest's fortnightly current affairs show, Undercurrents. Since the coalition government took office in 2023, New Zealand has seen the most significant rollback of workers' rights in decades. Fair Pay Agreements have been scrapped, pay equity laws weakened, health and safety
In Brief
New Zealand's richest now hold wealth equivalent to almost a third of the country's annual economic output. What does that tell us about how our economy works? The release of the latest edition of The National Business Review's annual Rich List this week has
In Brief
Max Harris is one of New Zealand's leading progressive thinkers. Now he's running for Parliament – for the Labour Party. Is that a sign Labour is changing? This week Labour released its candidate list for the 2026 election, and among the new names, perhaps one stood out
Undercurrents
Watch the latest episode of Public Interest's fortnightly current affairs show, Undercurrents. Since taking office in 2023, the coalition government has rolled out a sweeping programme of tough-on-crime policies: increasing sentences, expanding police powers, building more prison beds – even tasking police with moving rough sleepers off
In Brief
What began as a story about the government's climate policy has turned into something much bigger: a story about corporate lobbying, access to political power, and now allegations of a cover-up. Political commentator Bryce Edwards believes it could also change how New Zealand thinks about its democracy.