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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

Youtube YouTube Apple Apple Podcasts Spotify Spotify

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 Arena Williams: Youth and Consumer Rights | MP Helen Haines attacked | Student Riots in France

#BHN Leaders Special: Chris Hipkins, Labour

#BHN Paul Barlow on healthcare shortages | Hipkins nails it on ZB | AI story that should concern all

Shorts

#BHN Special episode of The Collective tonight-last day to enroll to vote 🗳 Tune in at 7pm! 📺

#BHN An estimated 1 million Kiwis live overseas and outnumber the number of retirees that vote 🌍

#BHN Show me an election where there hasn't been an attack on gangs 💥 💯

#BHN Phil Goff on the cynical move by this government to suppress votes 🗳️

#BHN Chewie's dad was taken off the general roll and put on the Māori roll without his input 😳

#BHN Understaffing affecting our most vulnerable, where are the top 10% helping out?

#BHN How many people will be disenfranchised by these changes to voting enrollment, and for what?

#BHN Mental decline in motion - "I wasn't being racist, because something happened after that" 🤦‍♂️

#BHN Marama talks about Moana Jackson and explains Matike Mai, in a nutshell 🌏

#BHN A major party candidate shouldn't have Benedict Ong energy, this is embarrassing for National🗳️

#BHN Who does Qiulae Wong find to be more honest, Luxon or Hipkins? 🤔⚖

#BHN Parties on the right have ruled out OPP, why are they still talking about workin with everyone?

#BHN Qiulae Wong on restricting the ability for people to vote 🤔

#BHN Did Opportunity rule out working with Winston Peters? 🌍 Yes, and no...

#BHN Opportunity policies look very left leaning, what policies do they have the right would love?

#BHN If OPP know the right won't support capping political donations, working with them how?

#BHN Is the best thing about a left wing government winning seeing Mike Hosking leaving for Aussie?

#BHN National create an absolutely juvenile attack ad for something Labour had nothing to do with 😱

#BHN Media aren't giving voters the context that we require 📰

#BHN Wynston Peters is stuck on a conversion therapy roundabout.

#BHN The one MP that Mariameno would poach from another party is... 🤔

#BHN Who is going to win Te Tai Tokerau?

#BHN Tania Waikato has been incredibly effective nationally, will it translate to votes in Waiariki?

#BHN Tau Henare on the success of the Green Party's remarkable 20% gain! 🌱

#BHN If Goldy, Nicky, Gerry and Bish don't get back in even if National wins, finance minister...? 🤏

#BHN Nicola Willis says women will be financially better off under a Luxon led government

#BHN David Seymour couldn't help but take a dig at Adrian Rurawhe when trying to pay his respects

#BHN Debate Chamber Chippy released into the wild, Labour will be keen for an uptick in the polls 👀

#BHN Chloe's reaction to losing Adrian Rurawhe, a well loved and respected speaker and colleague 💔🙏

#BHN Forecasts are only right when they make National look good 💼💰🤔

#BHN Wynston wants to fix certain things, but he has had 3 years to do so, and no dice 🎲🤠

#BHN What's the worst case scenario if we do get three more years of this?

#BHN This govt is smashing young people, are we expecting too much from this "leader".

#BHN PREFU doesn't acknowledge how hard it is for a lot of us to get by.

#BHN Craig Renney tells us why it's so important that Barbara Edmonds is the next finance minister.

#BHN PREFU says that inflation is going to drop from 4.1% to 1.9% in a year. How? Who knows.

#BHN John Key appears to be in a bugger's muddle around how MMP works.

#BHN Craig Renney tells us how much a minimum wage freeze would affect workers financially.

#BHN Where are the 13% 'undecided' voters in the Verian Poll going to land?

#BHN Nicky Hager's 'Dirty Work' has a chapter outlining Jordan Williams' abysmal attitude to women

#BHN Chris Hipkins himself said tax cuts for landlords above hungry children was wrong.

#BHN Why is it Jordan Williams won't speak to TVNZ about the sexual harassment claims?

#BHN The TPU saturate, with press releases every 1.4 days over the last year.

#BHN Labour's messaging around CGT and interest deductibility is terrible.

#BHN Luxon getting Pissy, a bit Trumpian, towards reporters asking legitimate questions.

#BHN Finally, the hit job on Maiki Sherman will be uncovered! Who's read the book? Thoughts?

#BHN The TPU sneezes and the media catch a cold. Open Brief keeps tabs on their influence.

#BHN Tax expert confused by Jordan Williams' claim of "double taxation".

#BHN Chewie being removed from a 'free speech' party rally is an oxymoron #nzpol #nzpolitics

#BHN Luxon explains his negotiation skills equals what NZ First offers #nzpol #nzpolitics

Recent Episodes

#BHN Arena Williams: Youth and Consumer Rights | MP Helen Haines attacked | Student Riots in France

#BHN Arena Williams: Youth and Consumer Rights | MP Helen Haines attacked | Student Riots in France

LIVE Watch on YouTube Youtube

Labour Candidate and MP for Manurewa Arena Williams chat with us about Labour's policies for youth, such as the Digital Services Duty of Care and Keeping Kids of Screens policies, and Right to Repair policy to tackle anti-consumer practices by big corps. Australian MP Helen Haines was brutally attacked earlier this week, and has since lost both her legs due to her injuries. Women MPs here in New Zealand have since responded to discussed the impact this has had for them. Riots, led by young people and school students, have erupted across Paris leading to a brutal police response. But the media have failed to report the reasons for young people protesting and showed more sympathy for smashed windows and looted shops than students surviving a chronically underfunded education system.

#BHN Leaders Special: Chris Hipkins, Labour

#BHN Leaders Special: Chris Hipkins, Labour

LIVE Watch on YouTube Youtube

Join us for our leaders special with Labour leader, Chris Hipkins. We've made space for all the political leaders to have a whole show with us, the conversation will be wide ranging, and you have the opportunity to ask questions in the chat as well. Join us Tuesday 27th live at 9pm for a candid chat with Chris Hpkins

#BHN Paul Barlow on healthcare shortages | Hipkins nails it on ZB | AI story that should concern all

#BHN Paul Barlow on healthcare shortages | Hipkins nails it on ZB | AI story that should concern all

LIVE Watch on YouTube Youtube

Paul Barlow joins us tonight to talk about healthcare staffing shortages - do the right know how bad it is? Chris Hipkins nailed it on Mike Hosking this morning correcting Hosking's right-wing narrative that Labour is fully responsible for the actions of TPM and the Greens, where National has no responsibility for what Seymour and Peters do or say We have a wild story tonight to show you the dangers of AI. A NZ lawyer, who used to be in the NZ Police and now practices using his perspective as someone 'on the other side' to help clients. It looks like this lawyer also has a YouTube channel helping explain your rights in things like what you should do when you are pulled over. The YouTube channel also talks about his background as a police officer which gives the content an air of credibility...the problem is, the YouTube channel, which used his name and his likeness...has nothing to do with the NZ lawyer, it's completely AI and someone else is behind it. We're also going to try to give you some stories tonight that you need to hear, like Abdul El-Sayed destruction of a racist question he only received for being Muslim and Jamiee West, the Indiana Democrat who is exactly the politician we need right now

#BHN ReCap of TV3 Powerbrokers debate | Chloe on Opportunity | Stuff Leaders debate recap

#BHN ReCap of TV3 Powerbrokers debate | Chloe on Opportunity | Stuff Leaders debate recap

LIVE Watch on YouTube Youtube

We'll take ReCap of TV3 Powerbrokers debate featuring the leaders of ACT, the Green Party, New Zealand First and the Opportunity Party. Chloe Swarbrick seemed to be hinting at something that Winston Peters has been saying this cycle, which is perhaps all the talk about Opportunity, is the reason Opportunity is doing well in the polls We take a look at last night's Stuff Leaders debate where Chris Hipkins landed several blows to several of Luxon's claims

#BHN Harry Tam LIVE at 9.30 | Tracey Lee LIVE at 9pm | Chloe and Marama on Te Ao with Moana

#BHN Harry Tam LIVE at 9.30 | Tracey Lee LIVE at 9pm | Chloe and Marama on Te Ao with Moana

LIVE Watch on YouTube Youtube

Tracey Lee joins us tonight LIVE at 9pm to talk about the million New Zealanders living away from Aotearoa who are still eligible to vote and her initiative to make everykiwivotecounts.nz Again, we hear the National Party narrative about gangs and the $3 million given the "the mob" for meth rehabilitation. That money was given to Hard2Reach, an organization set up by Harry Tam. Harry is a name oft mentioned by Christopher Luxon but never really heard from so we have him LIVE tonight at 9.30 to get an understanding of the story from someone in the middle of it. Chlöe Swarbrick and Marama Davidson were on Te Ao with Moana to discuss the cost of living, being labelled radicals, and the controversy that dominated headlines last week.

Clips

#BHN Luxon can't promise a new govt by Christmas so what was the point of changing enrolment rules??

#BHN Luxon can't promise a new govt by Christmas so what was the point of changing enrolment rules??

Watch on YouTube Youtube

Luxon said he wanted to speed up post-election negotiations so he changed same-day enrollment, but now he can't promise a Govt before Christmas...so what was the point of changing enrolment rules?

#BHN An estimated 1 million Kiwis live overseas and outnumber New Zealand retirees

#BHN An estimated 1 million Kiwis live overseas and outnumber New Zealand retirees

Watch on YouTube Youtube

An estimated 1 million Kiwis live overseas and outnumber New Zealand retirees

#BHN How could you POSSIBLY know where the Greens sit with some of our biggest issues...

#BHN How could you POSSIBLY know where the Greens sit with some of our biggest issues...

Watch on YouTube Youtube

Moana asks the Green Co-Leaders a few quickfire-yes-no questions and it's made very clear what the Green Party stands for and their priorities this election.

#BHN Special episode of The Collective tonight - last day to enroll to vote! 🗳 Get in! ✅ Tune in! 📺

#BHN Special episode of The Collective tonight - last day to enroll to vote! 🗳 Get in! ✅ Tune in! 📺

Watch on YouTube Youtube

#bhn Special episode of The Collective tonight - it's the last day to enroll to vote! Get in! Tune in at 7pm! 📺 And check you're enrolled, now 🗞 #election2026 #nzpolitics #thecollective

#BHN How did Harry Tam's 'Hard 2 Reach' programme become a political football?

#BHN How did Harry Tam's 'Hard 2 Reach' programme become a political football?

Watch on YouTube Youtube

How did Harry Tam's 'Hard 2 Reach' programme become a political football?

#BHN Chloe Swarbrick challenges Nicola Willis to a fiscal policy duel

#BHN Chloe Swarbrick challenges Nicola Willis to a fiscal policy duel

Watch on YouTube Youtube

Chloe Swarbrick challenges Nicola Willis to a fiscal policy duel

#BHN Helen Haines' brutal attack reminds us women in politics are the biggest targets of violence

#BHN Helen Haines' brutal attack reminds us women in politics are the biggest targets of violence

Watch on YouTube Youtube

Australian MP Helen Haines was brutally attacked earlier this week, and has since lost both her legs due to her injuries. Women MPs here in New Zealand have since responded to discussed the impact of increasing abuse and threats against women in politics.

#BHN Students protest for the bare minimum from the French Govt. Italy, Spain, Serbia follow suit

#BHN Students protest for the bare minimum from the French Govt. Italy, Spain, Serbia follow suit

Watch on YouTube Youtube

Protests, led by young people and school students, have erupted across France leading to a brutal police response and descended into riots. But the media have failed to accurately report the reasons for young people protesting and showed more sympathy for smashed windows and looted shops than students surviving a chronically underfunded education system, not to mention a cost-of-living crisis.

#BHN Arena Williams on Labour's Social Media Policy and fighting for Consumer Rights

#BHN Arena Williams on Labour's Social Media Policy and fighting for Consumer Rights

Watch on YouTube Youtube

Labour Candidate and MP for Manurewa Arena Williams chat with us about Labour's policies for youth, such as the Digital Services Duty of Care and Keeping Kids of Screens policies, and Right to Repair policy to tackle anti-consumer practices by big corps.

#BHN Chippy brings it to Hosking 🙌 Luxon's mates think that he's business weak 📉

#BHN Chippy brings it to Hosking 🙌 Luxon's mates think that he's business weak 📉

Watch on YouTube Youtube

#bhn Chippy brings it to Hosking 🙌 Luxon's mates think that he's business weak📉 #election2026 #nzpolitics