Public Interest

New Zealand

New Zealand Health System

Te Tiriti O Waitangi

Fonterra

Energy Crisis

Labour Party

New Zealand Budget

Lyttelton Port

Rocket Lab

Kiwisaver

Dairying

Pay Equity

New Zealand Education Reform

Climate Change

Economy

Gaza

New Zealand Superannuation

National Party

Fees Free

Conservation Amendment Bill

Making sense of politics, power and the economy in Aotearoa NZ. Independent, accessible, audience-funded.

37 ratings

Publishes	Twice weekly	Episodes	26	Founded	4 months ago
Number of Listeners		Categories	PoliticsNews

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Guests Host Charts Talking Points

Latest Episodes

In Brief: Is it really a renter’s market?

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: rents increased 25% between 2020 and 2025, low-income New Zealanders pay some of the highest rents in the w... more

23 Aug 2026 • 28 min

Undercurrents: What can New Zealand learn from Mamdani and the DSA?

The Democratic Socialists of America is winning elections and building political power across the United States. What explains its success – and could something similar happen here in New Zealand?

Longtime DSA organiser David Duhalde and union organ... more

18 Aug 2026 • 1 hr 2 min

In Brief: Are Rocket Lab launches helping Israel target Gaza?

A new lawsuit alleges satellites launched from New Zealand by Rocket Lab may be providing intelligence used by Israel in Gaza.Ollie Neas speaks to plaintiff Yasser Abdulaal, a Palestinian New Zealander, and his lawyer Sam Vincent about the case, Rock... more

12 Aug 2026 • 21 min

In Brief: Marilyn Waring on pay equity and the value of women’s work

More than a year after the government’s shock rewrite of New Zealand’s pay equity laws, the fight over the value of women’s work continues.

Dame Marilyn Waring joins Public Interest to discuss what the changes have meant for workers, the decades-lon... more

9 Aug 2026 • 27 min

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Recent Guests

Yasser Abdulaal

Palestinian New Zealander advocating for Gaza and plaintiff in the case

Episode: In Brief: Are Rocket Lab launches helping Israel target Gaza?

Sam Vincent

Lawyer involved in the case against New Zealand's payload permits

Episode: In Brief: Are Rocket Lab launches helping Israel target Gaza?

Marilyn Waring

Economist, feminist scholar, former EMP and global pioneer in feminist economics

Independent scholar

Episode: In Brief: Marilyn Waring on pay equity and the value of women’s work

Mike Joy

Dairy farmer turned freshwater ecologist and environmental scientist

University of Victoria / New Zealand freshwater science community

Episode: Undercurrents: Is big agriculture holding New Zealand hostage?

Geoff Bertram

Economist with decades of experience researching NZ economy and agricultural policy

University of Otago / NZ economic research circles

Episode: Undercurrents: Is big agriculture holding New Zealand hostage?

Bill Rosenberg

Wellington-based economist

Council of Trade Unions (former economist and director of policy); reference groups for Retirement Commission

Episode: In Brief: Why are we panicking about superannuation?

Abby Martin

Journalist focusing on US military and imperialism

Empire Files

Episode: In Brief: Abby Martin on Earth’s Greatest Enemy

Peter Thompson

Associate professor in media and communication at Victoria University of Wellington, co-founder of the Better Public Media Trust

Victoria University of Wellington

Episode: In Brief: How the media reached crisis point

Mark Wilson

Branch Secretary, Lyttelton with the Rail and Maritime Transport Union

Rail and Maritime Transport Union (Lyttelton)

Episode: In Brief: Is Christchurch about to privatise its port?

Host

Ollie Neas

Host of Public Interest / Undercurrents

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Spotify	#89	New Zealand/Trending
Apple Podcasts	#26	New Zealand/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts	#102	New Zealand/News
Apple Podcasts	#155	Singapore/News/Politics

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

In Brief: Marilyn Waring on pay equity and the value of women’s work

Q: How should we understand the government's rollback of parts of this regime? If it's not saving money, is it ideology, sexism, or small-mindedness?

She argues that the rollback is driven by ideology and the impulse to 'kick the weakest,' highlighting the secrecy, lack of evidence, and political calculations behind the changes, and contrasts this with the longstanding, evidence-backed process that valued unpaid and care work in the economy.

In Brief: Marilyn Waring on pay equity and the value of women’s work

Q: Now, I want to start by talking about the impact that this government's changes to the pay equity regime have had. What have you heard from women across New Zealand about the impact that this has had or will have in the future?

Marilyn outlines immediate economic effects on families, the cancellation of many claims, the devaluation of women's work, and the broader cultural and political pushback against the regime, emphasizing how changes undermine decades of progress and access to fair compensation for women in care, education, and related sectors.

In Brief: How the media reached crisis point

Q: Does that mean that TVNZ in effect runs as if it were a commercial broadcast even though it receives public funding?

TVNZ does not receive direct public funding for operations; its public funding mechanisms are limited to contestable funds for local content from NZ On Air or Te Mangapāhū, which creates a hybrid and sometimes confusing public-service remit alongside commercial pressures.

Undercurrents: Is big agriculture holding New Zealand hostage?

Q: We hear that farming is the backbone of the economy. Is that actually true, and what does the data say?

The guests explain that farming's share of GDP and overall economic activity has fallen, while environmental and health costs from intensive dairying have grown, suggesting the traditional backbone metaphor is outdated and masking the true costs.

In Brief: What’s behind the health and safety reforms nobody wants?

Q: What exactly are the main features of the new reforms and why are they controversial?

The reforms introduce a carve-out for small firms and focus on a so-called critical risk category, effectively letting many businesses operate with minimal obligations unless a risk is deemed critical, which is poorly defined; this approach has drawn fierce criticism from businesses and safety advocates who warn it weakens protections and accountability.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About Public Interest

What is Public Interest about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show centers on politics, power, and the economy in Aotearoa NZ through in-depth conversations with leading voices in unions, policy, climate justice, and public reform. Across episodes, topics such as public ownership versus privatization, government budget choices, social welfare, education funding, health system integrity, and climate and Indigenous rights are explored with a critical, long-form approach. Guests range from union leaders and political actors to researchers, journalists, and activists, offering practical insights, historical context, and actionable perspectives for listeners who want deeper understanding of how policy and power shape everyday life. A notable strength is its independent, audience-funded model which can ... more

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How many subscribers and views does Public Interest have?

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Which podcasts are similar to Public Interest?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Public Interest:

1. At Large with Toby Manhire
2. Cross Party Lines
3. Gone By Lunchtime
4. The Detail
5. Mediawatch

How many episodes of Public Interest are there?

Public Interest launched 4 months ago and published 26 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Public Interest?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

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What guests have appeared on Public Interest?

Recent guests on Public Interest include:

1. Yasser Abdulaal
2. Sam Vincent
3. Marilyn Waring
4. Mike Joy
5. Geoff Bertram
6. Bill Rosenberg
7. Abby Martin
8. Peter Thompson

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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