A report into the shady world of political donations has found that many donors enjoy access to politicians in exchange for the money they give to political parties. Money for Something, a report by Max Rashbrooke and Lisa Marriott into political donations, spoke to eight donors about their reasons for donating to political parties. Donors were granted anonymity in the report, allowing them to speak frankly about what they expected for their money. Rashbrooke joins Thomas today to discuss what they learned from the report and what they want changed around donor laws. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It has been six weeks since Wayne Brown won the Auckland mayoralty, and he has dominated local government headlines since then. He has come in with promises and pledges to shake up the Super City, and has taken aim at the council-controlled organisations, while facing a difficult financial situation.  In the new monthly edition of On the Tiles: Local Edition, Georgina Campbell talks to NZ Herald Auckland reporter Bernard Orsman, who has had some rare conversations with Wayne Brown, to discuss the first few weeks of Brown's new role and the challenges he faces in the months ahead. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most of us would have noticed that the price of everything has gone up. Interest rates, mortgages and inflation are making headlines daily. The Reserve Bank has been in the spotlight for much of this, with opposition MPs and some commentators blaming the central bank for some of the issues we've seen, and a recent monetary policy review on their policies under Covid has added to that criticism.  To discuss this, Thomas is joined by NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny to talk to former Deputy Reserve Bank Governor, Grant Spencer, to get his perspective on what the Reserve Bank got wrong during the pandemic, what a central bank should stand for, and if parties should be discussing tax cuts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This weekend will see Labour Party members, MPs and minister - as well as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern - gather in Auckland for the party's annual conference. It has the scene of many dramatic political events in the past, but as the party looks to try and stay in power next year, will it be a quieter affair or  Thomas is joined by former Labour Party minister, MP and President, Ruth Dyson, to discuss what the conferences are really like, what will be top concerns and priorities, and what a change in voting habits means for the big parties. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The votes have been counted across the country, and many cities in New Zealand will have new mayors running things this week. For the final episode of On the Tiles: Local Edition, Georgina Campbell is joined by Thomas Coughlan, Simon Wilson and Michael Sergel to dissect the results in the major cities and what the shakeups mean for them, as well as how things turned out for the country's smaller centres. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thomas Coughlan introduces a guest podcast from Bernard Hickey's The Kākā. Just before local body elections close Hickey speaks to NZ Herald senior writer Simon Wilson about the potential makeup of the new council and the attributes of mayoralty contenders Efeso Collins and Wayne Brown.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the sixth episode of On The Tiles - Local Edition, Georgina Campbell has updates on low voter turnout, drama in Auckland's race, and the abuse at debates in Wellington. Newstalk ZB's Pierre Nixon joins the podcast to chat about former National MP Nick Smith's return to politics. Georgina also speaks to Local Government New Zealand President Stuart Crosby about public transport and how councils can get on top of bus cancellations.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the fifth episode of On the Tiles - Local Edition, Georgina Campbell has updates on the race in Auckland, Christchurch mayoral candidates are being reminded of the requirements of the job, and pushback from candidates on Three Waters. Newstalk ZB's Georgia O'Connor-Harding also pops on the pod to discuss one of the hottest contests happening: Invercargill. Georgia also speaks to Dr Mona Krewel, the director of Victoria University of Wellington's Internet, Social Media, and Politics Research Lab to talk about candidates with links to a high-profile disinformation group.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Housing has been a hot topic in New Zealand for years, but things have heated up in recent weeks as house prices have dropped, highlighting just how high prices have gone, and making many wonder how low they could go. The uncertainty around the local housing market has been such a hot topic, the new Housing Technical Working Group made up of members from the Reserve Bank, Treasury and Ministry for Housing and Urban Development has looked into this issue.   In this week's episode, Thomas is joined by NZ Herald Wellington Business editor Jenee Tibshraeny to interview Dominick Stephens, Deputy Secretary and Chief Economic Advisor at the Treasury and chair of the group, about what the findings of their report were. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the fourth episode of On the Tiles - Local Edition, Georgina Campbell updates on some major polls concerning the races in Wellington and Christchurch, while Auckland sees a big change in its race. She then speaks with NZ Herald political reporter Michael Neilson about the Māori wards that have been introduced this year, and NZME Taupō editor Daniel Hutchinson to discuss the race that's seen Mayor and Deputy Mayor go head to head.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.