Raf Manji has been around the political scene for some time, with a few attempts to break into Parliament through different electorates. Now, he's got new aims to get The Opportunities Party over the magic 5% threshold and into Parliament - and potentially Government - in 2023. He joined Thomas Coughlan to discuss his political motivations, what Labour and National need to do different around the economy and house prices, TOP's stance on social issues, and which parties TOP could work with in government. Follow On the Tiles on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes out on Fridays. You can find more politics news at nzherald.co.nz/politicsYou can follow Thomas Coughlan on Twitter @coughlthomSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour MP and Minister for Transport and Workplace Relations and Safety Michael Wood is this week's guest for On the Tiles. He talks to Thomas Coughlan about his rocky first attempts to enter Parliament, his time on select committees before becoming a Minister in 2020, what he's learnt in his new roles, the backlash to Labour transport policies, including improvements for road and a second harbour crossing in Auckland, and the current state of the union movement globally.Follow On the Tiles on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes out on Fridays. You can find more politics news at nzherald.co.nz/politicsYou can follow Thomas Coughlan on Twitter @coughlthomSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Margaret Wilson is a stalwart of the Labour Party, having served as its President, a staff member in Geoffrey Palmer's Prime Ministerial office, before serving as a MP, Minister and eventually Speaker during Helen Clark's Government. To reflect on her lengthy political career that she details in her memoir, Activism, Feminism, Politics and Parliament, Wilson joins Thomas Coughlan on this week's On the Tiles.Follow On the Tiles on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes out on Fridays. You can find more politics news at nzherald.co.nz/politicsYou can follow Thomas Coughlan on Twitter @coughlthomSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Tiles is back for a new year of political chat - and to kick off 2022, Thomas is joined by Max Rashbrooke, author of Too Much Money, which argues for class to be discussed in political life alongside gender and race. The two discuss what role class has in political discussion and New Zealand life, growing inequality between the rich and poor in New Zealand the consequences of that, the advantages wealth gives you, and how political parties can tackle this inequality. Follow On the Tiles on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.You can find more politics news at nzherald.co.nz/politicsYou can follow Thomas Coughlan on Twitter @coughlthomSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the final episode of the year, Thomas is riding solo as he recaps some of the key moments of the year in politics - with Covid-19 dominating everything, plus a bit of economic chat, house prices and some of the key social issues that have dominated discussion during 2021. And what do the ups and downs of this year mean for 2022?On the Tiles will return in January 2022!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's episode, Thomas goes one-on-one for Green Party MP Chloe Swarbrick to talk the Finance and Expenditure Committee, the aftermath to the Government's financial response to the pandemic, her mission to get more answers, and her perspective on some of the fiscal policies before Parliament.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A crazy week for the National Party has ended with former Air NZ CEO Chris Luxon named their new leader. But is Luxon's sudden rise - the fifth leader to face Jacinda Ardern in Opposition - the end to a crazy four years after the end of the Key-English government? Luxon talked with Thomas Coughlan shortly after being named leader on November 30th.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In an emergency episode of On the Tiles, Thomas Coughlan is joined by Newstalk ZB's Jason Walls to analyse a chaotic 24 hours for the National Party. What was Judith Collins thinking in demoting Simon Bridges, and was this a 'bridge too far' after other shows of strength? What does this mean for National's already beleaguered board? Who will replace Collins as leader and what will her legacy be? And which National MP emerged on top from this mess?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's episode, Thomas has a one-on-one chat with National Party MP and former leader Simon Bridges. They discuss Bridges' new book, why he thinks the country should do more on climate change, personalities trumping ideology, his stance on conversion therapy, and why he isn't a big fan of capitalism. Plus, Bridges reflects on the state of the Covid response, the Facebook post that brought him down, and whether he wants to go again as leader.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's episode, senior political reporter Thomas Coughlan is joined by Newsroom political editor Jo Moir and Australian Associated Press NZ correspondent Ben McKay to discuss the anti-vax protest that descended on Parliament on Tuesday and what it was like on the ground. They also dissect the latest polls that show a drop in support for the Government, and wade through the muddy circumstances of the contentious Three Waters debate.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.