Hosted by Sam Collins, Phil Goff and Chris Finlayson, Cross Party Lines breaks down the week in New Zealand politics so you don’t have to — with genuine cross-partisan insight.

In Episode 5:

* Regional Council Reform — National’s plan to abolish regional councils and replace them with mayor-led boards lands with a thud. Phil and Chris unpack what’s sensible, what’s risky and why reform without groundwork is a recipe for chaos.

* The UK Budget Blowback — UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves breaks Labour’s “no new taxes” promise, what can Barbara Edmonds and Nicola Willis learn? And is Brexit still the anchor dragging the whole ship down?

* The NZ Labour Party Conference — A surprisingly upbeat weekend for Labour. What Chris Hipkins and Barbara Edmonds got right, and did it go down well with the public?

Plus: Air New Zealand’s declining brand loyalty, Beethoven’s Ninth, Boris Johnson’s minimum-wage blunder, and why populism is reshaping democracies faster than institutions can keep up.

Cross Party Lines exists to lift political literacy and bring good-faith conversation back to Kiwi politics.

New episodes every Tuesday. Follow the show and share it with a friend — it genuinely helps grow the kōrero.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crosspartylines.substack.com