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Podcast Episode

Undercurrents: Why did Ardern’s government fall short?

Public Interest··5 October 2026·1h 27m

About this episode

Nearly a decade after Jacinda Ardern swept into office promising transformation, what can we learn from where her government fell short?Ollie Neas talks to economist Dr Geoff Bertram about the weakening of the New Zealand state, the limits of Labour’s economic approach, and what a future progressive government would need to do differently.Public Interest is independent and entirely supported by our audience. If you value what we do, consider supporting us at publicinterest.nz