This week on the Raw Politics podcast: Why is it so hard to believe any party when they promise tens of billions of spending in NZ over many decades? And, we ask if it really matters to get to 100 percent renewable energy in this country.


Raw Politics takes on two big, bold but unlikely spending goals outlined by the Government this week - the multi-billion dollar plan for cross-harbour tunnels in Auckland and the billions to be spent on wind and solar energy to meet an 'aspirational' climate target.

Labour is certainly not ceding territory to National this campaign on investing big-time in roading, but its tunnel plan costing up to $45 billion left many in the city in Tui advertisement territory, with the two-word reaction of 'Yeah, Right'. The panel looks at parties' records of following through on such big bold visions and asks if the big numbers are just props to impress the uninformed.

Later in the podcast, our climate writer Marc Daalder explains the Government's song and dance act this week in revealing that it has persuaded giant funds manager Blackrock to get its clients behind a $2 billion investment in renewable energy here. New Zealand is already one of the highest in the world for renewables as a proportion of energy output and, overall, electricity use accounts for under 5 percent of the country's total emissions.

This week's recommendations from the panel include a strong academic opinion piece on Newsroom over both major parties' obsession with roads, a Herald investigation into John Tamihere and Te Pāti Māori, and a story in which a party leader suggests an interviewer might have been high.


Every week, Newsroom editors and political journalists talk through the big issues and scrutinise politicians’ performances in a lively 25-minute show aiming to take viewers and listeners inside the actions and motivations of our elected leaders.

Watch Raw Politics on YouTube, or download or listen to it as a podcast on Spotify, or via Apple Podcasts.