Weekly insight into the political issues that matter from RNZ's gallery team.
Latest episodes
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47 min
Opportunity cost: Luxon's improbable proposition
What happens if Opportunity holds the balance of power, but Christopher Luxon refuses to pick up the phone? On the latest Caucus, we pick apart Luxon's implausible proposition and…
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52 min
Zombie walking to the election: 28 percent later
This campaign, the Caucus podcast has teamed up with Focus on Politics. Jo Moir, Craig McCulloch and Tim Watkin discuss the multi-party debate, the strategic contest between the Gr…
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46 min
Debate and switch: campaign week two
This campaign, the Caucus podcast has teamed up with Focus on Politics. Join Tim Watkin, along with Jo Moir and Craig McCulloch from RNZ's press gallery team, every week in the lea…
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51 min
New Caucus, Who Dis?
In the biggest multi-verse event of 2026, the Caucus podcast has teamed up with Focus on Politics this campaign to take you inside the fight for power. It's Caucus, but reshuffled…
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16 min
A pre-campaign catchup as parties flee Parliament
The 54th Parliament has adjourned, and politicians have been let loose on the campaign trail. Before they fled the building, political reporter Giles Dexter sat down with the parti…
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16 min
Unexpected item in National's policy area
National is campaigning to 'pursue' breaking up Foodstuffs, as the party of business surprisingly ponders intervening in private enterprise. Political reporter Giles Dexter shops a…
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16 min
National's olive branch: bed tax out, council cash in
National has offered councils a peace deal after rebuffing their calls for a bed tax. Instead, it's offering to give them a share of the revenue raised by an existing "tourist tax"…
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16 min
Coalition in clean up mode
The government has found itself cleaning up some legislative mess. Beneficiaries and pensioners having payments wrongly suspended forced a double apology from the Prime Minister an…
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16 min
National and Labour dance around areas of agreement
In Focus on Politics, the major parties are finding more areas of agreement ahead of the election campaign - often to the frustration of their partner parties. Political reporter R…
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16 min
An urgent call to fix the aged care crisis
The aged care system is at breaking point. A new report calls for an urgent overhaul. RNZ political reporter Lauren Crimp takes a look at the suggested solutions, and whether polit…
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16 min
National's nightmare: come again, coup again
A second attempt to oust Christopher Luxon ended much like the first - with the National leader still standing. But this time, the party's internal revolt has dealt more damage. RN…
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16 min
Sorry, not sorry: Luxon's shocker week
Christopher Luxon spent much of this week putting out fires of his own making. And others set by Winston Peters. RNZ's deputy political editor Craig McCulloch has more.Go to this e…
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16 min
National bolts the door as Opportunity knocks
Christopher Luxon's surprise rule-out of Opportunity may have reshaped the election campaign. So was it a masterstroke or misfire? RNZ deputy political editor Craig McCulloch analy…
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17 min
Stuart Nash's swan song
Stuart Nash thought he'd found a political lifeline with New Zealand First. Instead, one text message triggered another spectacular downfall. RNZ deputy political editor Craig McCu…
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16 min
Three Wise Pol Eds and a Poll
RNZ political editor Jo Moir, Stuff political editor Jenna Lynch and NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan are joined by RNZ's lowly deputy political editor Craig McCulloch to…
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16 min
Outrage over emergency housing targets
Following revelations the Ministry of Social Development had implemented performance measures related to cutting the number of people in emergency housing, political reporter Laure…
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16 min
National converts to KiwiSaver
National made its first major election year policy announcement this week. If elected, it would make KiwiSaver compulsory, including for those over 65 still working, automatically…
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16 min
Officials in firing line over $30m immigration failure
A failed immigration technology project has left taxpayers more than $30 million out of pocket. Immigration Minister Erica Stanford says officials misled Cabinet. Now an independen…
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16 min
Labour joins election race with fare cap promise
Labour has finally joined the election campaign, unveiling its first major policy of the year: a public transport fare cap. But questions remain over the numbers, the funding, and…
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16 min
Penk's verbal nuclear bomb inflames defence debates
In Focus on Politics, Russell Palmer recounts how and why a debate about nuclear free policy ended before it began, links to defence spending, and the impact on the relationship wi…