Guyon Espiner & Corin Dann explore the backstory to today’s front page, diving into NZ’s political past and asking, "How did we get here?" But there's a twist: One knows the topic, the other doesn’t.
Latest episodes
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44 min
The Rise and Fall of Minor Parties
As the Opportunity Party climbs above the crucial 5% threshold,, Context looks back at New Zealand's minor parties. From kingmakers and coalition partners to spectacular failures,…
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49 min
Property Nation: NZ's Housing Obsession
Today's housing downturn has decades of booms and busts behind it. Context explores how governments, investors and global shocks helped turn New Zealand into a country where proper…
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39 min
Winston Peters' Foreign Policy Fallout
A controversial remark in Parliament becomes the starting point for a deeper story. From Chinese gold miners and the poll tax to free trade and modern geopolitical tensions, Guyon…
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40 min
Who Gets Saved? The History of Government Bailouts
National is spending millions to bail out Golden Bay Cement. But when Watties and Heinz faced closure, the Government turned its back. So why do some companies get rescued while ot…
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38 min
The Tax New Zealand Won't Touch
New Zealand is the only country in the OECD without wealth tax - so why are we so afraid to tax the rich? The This week, Context looks back on the wealth taxes we had, why we got r…
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44 min
New Zealand's GE Wars
Genetic engineering has sparked protests, divided governments and resulted in one of the most famous interviews in NZ history. As Parliament once again looks at our GE laws, Contex…
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42 min
Sin and Scandals: When the Personal becomes Political
Labour leader Chris Hipkins cries in response to a social media post by his ex-wife. Should we be listening? We chart the history of political scandals from the Profumo Affair thro…
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47 min
NZ's Royal Problem: The Power of the Crown
After Andrew Mountbatten Windsor's arrest for his links to Epstein, questions arise about his place in the line of succession. We explore how New Zealand remains tied to the Crown…
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44 min
Pharmac: Bitter Pill or Best Medicine?
New Zealand is the only country with a drug-buying agency like Pharmac - but how did we get here? This episode traces its origins, and through politics and patient stories explores…
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44 min
Words Matter: The Speech that Shifted the Polls
As fresh polling fuels political debate, Guyon and Corin look back on our most explosive poll results - including the one that truly changed the game. What makes voters change thei…
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44 min
NZ's Free Trade Hustle
As New Zealand closes in on its first trade deal with India, we look back at the agreements that shaped the country: from Britain’s betrayal in the 1970s to closer economic relatio…
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42 min
Think Big: Muldoon's Attempt at Energy Independence
As new tensions in the Middle East rattle global energy markets, we look back at the oil shocks of the 1970s and how they reshaped New Zealand’s energy story: from carless days, to…
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45 sec
Context Season 2 | Trailer
Guyon Espiner & Corin Dann are back for a new season of Context. Using their decades of journalistic experience, the explore the history behind what's happening today, diving into…
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43 min
The Great NZ Sell-Off
From Telecom to Air New Zealand, the BNZ to our power companies why did governments sell our state assets, and what did we get in return? Now the Government is eyeing a sale of its…
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41 min
Pension Wars: The NZ Super Promise That Changed Politics
It's the third rail of New Zealand politics: Touch it and you die. From Richard Seddon's groundbreaking old-age pension, to Rob Muldoon's Dancing Cossacks to, Jim Bolger's "No ifs,…
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42 min
How MMP changed politics
New Zealand’s MMP voting system promised fairness and diversity — but has it delivered? In this episode of Context, Guyon Espiner and Corin Dann look back at how MMP came to be, fr…
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45 min
Behind the picket lines
From the Cook Strait ferry strikes to the fiery union battles of the 1970s, New Zealand’s history is written in industrial action. Now, as nurses, teachers and doctors walk off the…
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31 min
The Wild History of Inflation in NZ
From Muldoon’s Price Freeze to Today’s Cost of Living Crisis. Corin and Guyon look back to a time when the PM set the price of milk and froze wages on a whim. Plus, how the NZ rese…
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45 min
NZ's United Nations History
As Winston Peters heads to the UN, Context looks back at how NZ has shaped the world stage — from Peter Fraser at its founding to peacekeepers in Korea and Timor, and a fiery clash…
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45 min
Booze, Bans & Backlash
Why is alcohol reform such a political minefield in New Zealand? With new reforms on the table, Guyon Espiner and Corin Dann trace liquor laws back through a century of history; fr…