Erica Stanford: NCEA, immigration and "anti-Māori" criticism

Erica Stanford: NCEA, immigration and "anti-Māori" criticism Minister for education and immigration Erica Stanford joins Jack Tame to discuss the new scheme replacing NCEA, facing down public criticism over removing school boards' Treaty of Waitangi obligations, and why the National Party is toughening its rhetoric on immigration. She also pushed back on education ministry plans to remove ESOL funding for year 0 and year 1 students in the second half of this year, saying the ministry had “got ahead of itself” and that wouldn’t now be happening. Stanford also touched on the government’s pause in rolling out a social media ban for under-16s, saying there was a legislative programme still under way, and that the National Party was still committed to moving something on age verification. Where's the policy? Chris Hipkins on Labour's election plans Less than six months out from a general election, New Zealand's highest-polling party has only revealed a handful of policies. On big issues like the cost of living, fuel security and immigration, Chris Hipkins says the Labour Party will be sharing their vision for the country after Budget Day. Chris Hipkins joins Jack Tame for his first appearance of 2026 to discuss his flagship education policy of the previous government, Fees Free - now set to be cancelled, with a price tag to date of $2 billion. He also considers whether Labour in New Zealand can take any lessons from Sir Keir Starmer's turmoil in the UK. “Oligopoly”: How a lack of competition hurts public pockets OECD economist David Haugh joins Q+A with Jack Tame to talk about a major new report detailing the weak state of competition in the New Zealand economy, and why ordinary New Zealanders are being economically hurt by the structure of key markets. His report also critiqued the government’s LNG plans, and he responds to an assertion from PM Chris Luxon that those sections of the report are “a load of rubbish”. The “global Goliath” and risk of worldwide societal collapse Cambridge researcher of existential risks Luke Kemp talks to Q+A about the threats facing the continued survival of humanity, why wealth inequality is such a major risk factor, and how in such a globalised world, a collapse would be much more difficult to survive than previous societal collapses. Kemp’s book is Goliath’s Curse: The History and Future of Societal Collapse, and he’s been in New Zealand as part of the Auckland Writers Festival. Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the answers to the questions that matter. Made with the support of NZ on Air.