Corporate welfare or visionary move: Inside Wellington's Reading Cinemas deal

We've made it through the first 100 days of the coalition government - so which ministers have performed well and what policies have stood out? How much money does the country have left? And was Christopher Luxon's living allowance debacle a worrying sign?

Today, Thomas recaps the first 100 days with NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny and Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls. 

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Wellington has been divided over the City Council's secret Reading Cinema deal.

The building was closed in early 2019 after an earthquake risk was discovered and it has since become a symbol of the tired state of Courtenay Pl. The council has been working on a $32 million deal behind closed doors but details were leaked late last year, sparking a debate over whether it was appropriate for a cash-strapped council to be funding Reading’s multimillionaire owners to fix one of the city’s most common gripes.

This week, the council met to discuss a move by a group of councillors to stop the deal - which ultimately failed.

Today, Georgina is joined by Wellington City councillors John Apanowicz - who supported the deal - and Nicola Young - who opposed it - to get both sides of the tense debate. 

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The Government has announced their plans to repeal and replace Labour's Three Waters plans. Georgina is joined by Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate and Lower Hutt Mayor Campbell Barry to discuss their reactions to the changes, why they want more answers on the Government's plans, and the huge cost likely coming for ratepayers.

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Parliament next week is set to kick-off a marathon four week sitting period, which comes as the coalition government looks to get through the final parts of its 100-day plan - including some pretty big legislation around crime and justice. 

Thomas is joined by Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls to discuss what's left of that 100 day target, how Labour is performing in Opposition so far, and PM Christopher Luxon's Waitangi speech controversy. 

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In the second instalment of our series on the Treaty of Waitangi / Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the Government's plans, Thomas is joined by University of Auckland sociologist Elizabeth Rata to discuss her views on the Treaty, where it sits as a legal document, and how principles play into this. 

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On the Tiles is back for 2024, and we're kicking off with the story set to dominate over the next year. As the Government prepares to have a debate on the principles of Treaty of Waitangi, Thomas talks with Victoria University of Wellington professor Dr Luke Fitzmaurice-Brown (Te Aupōuri) to discuss what the principles are, the differences between the Treaty and Te Tiriti, and what the consequences of this debate could be. 

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For the last episode of the year, Thomas is joined by NZH Wellington business editor Jenée Tibshraeny and economist Brad Olsen to discuss this week's mini-budget and what it revealed about the state of the economy, and how the National-led government will need to respond. 

New episodes return on January 26th.

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In this special bonus episode, Georgina Campbell runs through the big takeaways from Nicola Willis' 'mini budget' and the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update. 

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While this may have been the year of Election 2023, there was plenty to digest from local politics around the country. 

From extreme weather in the north and east, to blurred lines between private and public life in the capital, and then perhaps the most attention a southern council has received in decades, there has been a lot going on over the last 12 months. 

To discuss who performed the best, who sullied their mayoral chains, and what the big issues are in the years to come, Georgina is joined for a local election debate by NZ Herald senior writer Simon Wilson and Chief Executive of Infrastructure New Zealand, and former mayor of Porirua, Nick Leggett.

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This week, Thomas is joined by former RNZ political editor Jane Patterson as she leaves the Press Gallery. They discuss high and lowlights from her two decades spent at the heart of politics, and discuss how the relationship between media and politicians has changed over that time. 

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