This week on the podcast, we covered a LOT — from the government’s surprise Fees Free announcement hot off the press, a breakdown of our episode with Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson and what the UK local council elections might signal globally as Reform makes major gains.
We unpacked the new Helen Clark Foundation social cohesion report, including the striking finding that 28% of people feel alienated from society, and explored the growing divide between the “connected”, the “ambivalent”, and the “alienated”. We also looked across the Tasman at the rise of One Nation in Australia and the broader trend of grievance-driven politics and polarisation.
We also touched on the scrapping of the Broadcasting Standards Authority and the resignation of Maiki Sherman.
And finally, we had an honest discussion about why so many young women are hesitant about having children. Policies like paid parental leave and subsidised childcare matter, but they only scratch the surface. The mental load, career impacts, financial pressure, and expectations placed on women all shape decisions around family — at a time when birth rates continue to fall well below replacement level.
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