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Big Hairy News
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BIGHAIRYNEWS

MON - THURS AT 9PM

Kia ora koutou e te whānau, and welcome to Big Hairy News.

Award winning podcasters Pat and Chewie host a news commentary show that is broadcast weekdays.
Big Hairy News, or #BHN, gives the space needed to cover off the stories covered rather than the two and a half minutes the mainstream media gives guests between weather and the next ad break.


Available on

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Hosts

Pat

Pat


Pat Brittenden is a longstanding radio broadcaster. Pat has won broadcasting awards on four continents and has a passion for making news accessible, relatable and real. Pat's penchant for allegory normally starts with "it's like in rugby when..." Pat is camp mother and father to his fellow BHN broadcasters who is often the one insisting that "if we don't know then it's an opinion ah Chewie?" BHN is Pat's baby and we're excited to see his baby grow up into a badass news commentary teen.

Chewie

Chewie


'Chewie' is a talented storyteller, a trained broadcaster, a war nerd and enthusiastic beer drinker. Chewie has an encyclopedic knowledge of news and if you throw a topic at him he'll know the origins of the story, the main characters of the story and between one and three things you never knew about the topic and didn't know you needed to know. A fan favourite it just 'aint BHN without our little wookie.

Latest

#BHN Uncle Tics LIVE at 9pm | Shoot, Shag, Marry with Paul Henry | McAnulty and Bishop on Nash

#BHN Stuart Nash's sexist accusation | Willis on the "Trump spike" | NZ will miss climate targets

#BHN Barb Edmonds LIVE on inflation | Mārama on the "pack of bast**ds" | Hipkins on "Labour's 2nds"

Shorts

#BHN Where is this government making savings off the back of the rich?

#BHN What priorities are clear with this budget?

#BHN NZ has more homeless people than ever in history, what does this government do about that ?

#BHN Is it time for Labour to say 'We told you so' about three waters?

#BHN Why does the media exclude context as to why the number of public servants increased

#BHN The change to social housing is a transfer from the poorest NZers to wealthy landlords

#BHN This government is going to put term limits on people in social housing...then what?

#BHN Case workers at MSD might be getting positive performance reviews based on housing fewer people

#BHN The changes to social housing will lead to more homeless people

#BHN ACT wants to disestablish ministries but also started a new ministry

#BHN Someone show me the money the government is saving that comes from the wealthy please?

#BHN No privatization of Kiwibank this term

#BHN The BSA has been canned before a solution is found as to what will be in its place

#BHN Nicole McKee wants to reduce the number of ministries with no explanation on why

#BHN How did Mike Smith uncover the evidence?

#BHN Luxon tries to convince journalists that he hasn't thought about Opportunity Party #shorts

#BHN Barb Edmonds on Lousie Upston taking $1000 a week housing entitlement #Shorts

#BHN NNB says the govt will be upfront and transparent, just like they were with the ferries #Shorts

#BHN The students are now paying for the poor financial decisions made at the start of this govt

#BHN Do you feel that tax cut Nicola Willis gave you in budget 2024? #Shorts

#BHN BETTER government is Better #Shorts

#BHN If the government partially sells Kiwibank, then the NZ public are making it the gold standard

#BHN Marama brings it back to the obscenity of the situation #Shorts

#BHN Morale is gone from public servants #Shorts

#BHN Why does the govt only look to claw back money from the poorer parts of society?

#BHN The problem with politics is this government is making people with hard lives have harder lives

#BHN This is the most Anti-Democratic govt we've ever had #Shorts

#BHN Hosking doesn't understand why Luxon doesn't just get rid of the Waitangi Tribunal #Shorts

#BHN Parties will try to win over two kinds of voters

#BHN Labour is desperate for Luxon to stay as the PM up to the election #shorts

#BHN Will the average NZer even see this law change? Because we are drowning in awful policy #shorts

#BHN I thought central government were not supposed to get involved in local government business

#BHN UK govt admit the SM ban won't work, it's a checklist item to say they've tried #shorts

#BHN Many kiwi's don't understand the progressive tax system and fall for the fearmongering

#BHN The BSA did far more than just patrol broadcasting standards #Shorts

#BHN Keir Starmer has resigned as UK Prime Minister #Shorts

#BHN Mr Luxon is the sequel to the Labour led government #Shorts

#BHN Marama responds to being called greedy by Ryan Bridge for wanting to tax herself more #Shorts

#BHN Health policies should not be lead by money and fishing for votes but lead by experts #shorts

#BHN The Govt redacted the truth about the LNG terminal #Shorts

#BHN Who benefits from a political editor losing their job on election year?#Shorts

#BHN The double standards of this coalition... #shorts

#BHN Luxon's lazy unfounded criticism of the Green's fiscal policies #Shorts

#BHN The role of parents in young people s social media use #Shorts

#BHN Increased KiwiSaver contributions are essentially cuts to the public sector

#BHN Does the government know that the South Island exists?

#BHN Helen Clark said it was 'quite extraordinary' to have Luxon want to publicly support Trumps

#BHN Never mind the funding, there is also no hope in budget 2026 #shorts

#BHN This government never asks 'then what' to look at consequences of their legislation #shorts

#BHN How did it feel to uncover NZ's biggest political scandal to date? #shorts

Recent Episodes

#BHN Uncle Tics LIVE at 9pm | Shoot, Shag, Marry with Paul Henry | McAnulty and Bishop on Nash

#BHN Uncle Tics LIVE at 9pm | Shoot, Shag, Marry with Paul Henry | McAnulty and Bishop on Nash

LIVE Watch on YouTube Youtube

Leighton 'Uncle Tics' Clarke and Josh 'the Tourette's Barber' Hughes join us tonight LIVE at 9pm to talk about life with Tourette's and Felix Shaw's petition to "Recognize Tourette Syndrome as a government-funded disability in Aotearoa" as it's currently not seen in law as a disability in Aotearoa NZ The ACT Party is accusing Labour of "manufactured outrage" after it complained about new candidate Paul Henry's participation in a risqué radio game. "People want politicians who are real," ACT leader David Seymour said. "Not ones that pretend to be outraged." In the past, David Seymour was very keen to be offended when TVNZ Breakfast shot salt at a Trump doll. Hypocrisy? Kieran McAnulty and Chris Bishop were on TVNZ's Breakfast show this morning talking about Stuart Nash's history of awful behaviour. They also then covered off how with that history, NZ First still saw fit to have him as one of their candidates and took a moment to mention the other NZ First MPs who have also said some shocking things but seem to be safe in Luxon's cabinet

#BHN Stuart Nash's sexist accusation | Willis on the "Trump spike" | NZ will miss climate targets

#BHN Stuart Nash's sexist accusation | Willis on the "Trump spike" | NZ will miss climate targets

LIVE Watch on YouTube Youtube

Politicians across the spectrum are expressing disgust at NZ First candidate Stuart Nash as he attacks his National Party opponent in the Napier electorate for taking maternity leave - naming her as the “laziest MP I have ever come across”. Christopher Luxon called it "sexist" and Chris Bishop said the comments from Nash were “disgusting” Finance Minister Nicola Willis says while inflation has been largely driven by fuel prices, rates are also an issue that needs attention and she, and National, are trying to sell the idea that it wasn't for the external pressures like the closure of the Strait of Hormuz then inflation would only be at 2,9%...funny I can't remember National giving Labour a pass on external pressures and allow them to celebrate what inflation WOULD BE if it wasn't for COVID. The Climate Change Commission has found New Zealand is not on track to meet domestic climate change targets, but the Prime Minister says he disagrees. Mr. Luxon said that his Government would respond to the Commission’s latest emissions monitoring report, but “our position is really clear ... we’re on track to deliver EB budget 1, EB budget 2. There’ll be more work for EB budget 3, but we’re on track to deliver net zero and we might even deliver it a little earlier”

#BHN Barb Edmonds LIVE on inflation | Mārama on the "pack of bast**ds" | Hipkins on "Labour's 2nds"

#BHN Barb Edmonds LIVE on inflation | Mārama on the "pack of bast**ds" | Hipkins on "Labour's 2nds"

LIVE Watch on YouTube Youtube

In a sit-down interview with The Hui, Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson took aim at the coalition government. She said that while the Greens are "readier than we have ever been" for an election, the current Government is "a pack of bastards". Chris Hipkins has come out swinging today making the observation that maybe NZ First should be called "Labour's Seconds" due to the number of former Labour MPs that were, and are, involved with Winston Peters' party Nicola Willis has fronted the media today about the increase in inflation to 4.1% saying that Trump ‘certainly made things harder’ and looking for external excuses for the number, which may be true on some level, but they certainly didn't give Labour the same excuse when external excuses, in the form of a global pandemic, caused inflation to spike in the last term. Labour's finance spokesperson Barb Edmonds joins us live at 9pm to talk about today's announcement

#BHN Luxon's ok when National's budget is out | Paul Henry on candidacy | Greens announce Kiwipower

#BHN Luxon's ok when National's budget is out | Paul Henry on candidacy | Greens announce Kiwipower

LIVE Watch on YouTube Youtube

The Green Party is proposing sweeping energy reforms, aimed at slashing household power bills and stripping market dominance from major electricity corporations with the establishment of a new publicly owned electricity entity named Kiwipower which would compete directly with the four major electricity providers, which control over 85% of both retail and generation markets, and build a more resilient network with the funding of solar power schemes. Christopher Luxon was very clear on RNZ this morning that when their budgets changes because "we take our costings as best we can at the time" and that "construction costs bounce around a lot" that is fine, but if Labour's budgets say for ferries or Auckland light rail change then it's a mismanagement from a feckless government. P aul Henry has announced his candidacy for the ACT Party list. He says while the decision came together quickly, he wants to be in parliament to create a better future for his ten grandchildren. He joined Jack Tame to discuss what that future might look like.

#BHN Rata Jamieson,Labour joins LIVE | Retail NZ "move on orders too far"| PMO Missing Report update

#BHN Rata Jamieson,Labour joins LIVE | Retail NZ "move on orders too far"| PMO Missing Report update

LIVE Watch on YouTube Youtube

Rata Jamieson, the Labour Candidate for Ilam joins us live to discuss politics, why she is running and what matters most to her. The CEO of the lobbying group Retail NZ has made an oral submission against the current draft of the "move-on orders" bill. The Ombudsman investigation into the "missing report", handed directly to the PM's senior advisor and caused speculation of corruption, has concluded, and Z Energy boss has spoken out to clear up misconceptions of what and how the situation was reported.

Clips

#BHN We want amalgamation, but not too much, just the goldilocks spot

#BHN We want amalgamation, but not too much, just the goldilocks spot

Watch on YouTube Youtube

Centralising water...bad...too much amalgamation, centralising Polytechs...bad...too much amalgamation Councils amalgamating...good...because National good, Labour bad?

#BHN Hipkins responds to the half a million people Winston wants to cut from the voter base

#BHN Hipkins responds to the half a million people Winston wants to cut from the voter base

Watch on YouTube Youtube

Chris Hipkins responds to the half a million people Winston wants to stop from having a say on the country they've committed to making their home, just because they don't hold a passport.

#BHN Is National is scared of BHN alum Dr Gary Payinda in Whangarei?

#BHN Is National is scared of BHN alum Dr Gary Payinda in Whangarei?

Watch on YouTube Youtube

The PM doesn't do many public meetings, so we were wondering if his decision to attend one in Whangarei was an admission that National is a bit worried about the candidacy of Gary Payinda

#BHN Marama Davidson being the adult in the room batting away David Seymour's snide comments

#BHN Marama Davidson being the adult in the room batting away David Seymour's snide comments

Watch on YouTube Youtube

Marama Davidson being the adult in the room batting away Ryan Bridge and David Seymour's snide remarks

#BHN Environmental protection policy is also good economic policy to ensure future economic success

#BHN Environmental protection policy is also good economic policy to ensure future economic success

Watch on YouTube Youtube

Environmental protection policy is also good economic policy for our future economic success - something this govt never seems to understand.

#BHN Luxon, master negotiator of this coalition, negotiated a great deal for New Zealand? Yeah Right

#BHN Luxon, master negotiator of this coalition, negotiated a great deal for New Zealand? Yeah Right

Watch on YouTube Youtube

Luxon doesn't think it's odd that New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters (who just happens to be the biggest critic of the Indian FTA) is out of the country during a high profile visit by the Indian Prime Minister himself.

#BHN Qiulae Wong says NZ First uses racist and transphobic language but Opportunity could still work

#BHN Qiulae Wong says NZ First uses racist and transphobic language but Opportunity could still work

Watch on YouTube Youtube

Qiulae Wong says NZ First uses racist and transphobic language but Opportunity could still work with them.

#BHN The govt of Equality: Equally poopy drinking water for all.

#BHN The govt of Equality: Equally poopy drinking water for all.

Watch on YouTube Youtube

The govt of Equality: Equally poopy drinking water for all.

#BHN Big Brain Ryan tries to get his head around geo-politics and protecting Pacific nations

#BHN Big Brain Ryan tries to get his head around geo-politics and protecting Pacific nations

Watch on YouTube Youtube

Big Brain Ryan tries to get his head around geo-politics and protecting Pacific nations.

#BHN The Green Party is not anti-mining, but they're pro evidence-backed policy decisions

#BHN The Green Party is not anti-mining, but they're pro evidence-backed policy decisions

Watch on YouTube Youtube

Is there a world in which the Green Party would ever support mining in NZ? Not to support the Trump war machine, or the AI bubble, but to support everyday technology or medical devices?