Leighton Smith Podcast #347 - September 30th 2026 - Rodney Hide (Part 1)
Rodney Hide entered Parliament as a list member of the ACT Party in 1996. He became ACT Leader in 2004, and following the 2008 election he w...
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The Leighton Smith Podcast
After 33 years behind the Newstalk ZB microphone, Leighton can’t give it up completely. There were so many requests to continue his opinionated commentary that the prospect of podcasting was...
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20 of 404 episodesLeighton Smith Podcast #346 - September 23rd 2026 - Jim Allan
Prof. James Allan is a highly respected thinker, speaker, debater and a man of intelligence and knowledge. He is also an accomplished author...
Leighton Smith Podcast #345 - September 16th 2026 - Alwyn Poole
Alwyn Poole; Education & More. “The first point on how to improve all things education in NZ is that, so long as any government thinks that...
Leighton Smith Podcast #344 - September 9th 2026 - David Schnauer
New Zealand once ranked among the world’s most prosperous nations. Not any longer. Armed with experience in both Law and Economics, retired...
Leighton Smith Podcast #343 - September 2nd 2026 - Michael F. Spratt
After a casual visit to New Zealand, this small American family couldn’t forget it. Mike and his wife went home, sold up everything and move...
Leighton Smith Podcast #342 - August 26th 2026 - Ashley Church
In these times it’s difficult to stay updated with the “good, the bad and the ugly.” In this environment it’s easy to be ill-informed. Indep...
Leighton Smith Podcast - August 19th 2026 - Shane Jones
As Leighton is on a short break, for this week's episode we dig into the archives for a repeat of his interview with NZ First Deputy Leader...
Leighton Smith Podcast #341 - August 12th 2026 - 100 Years of ZB
With the celebration of 100 years of broadcasting from 1ZB, we have devoted Podcast 341 to three interviews with the station's past and pres...
Leighton Smith Podcast #340 - August 5th 2026 - Patrick Basham
Let’s be honest, there’s a lot going on in the world - so much so that it’s difficult to keep pace. Take America for example. A transformati...
Leighton Smith Podcast #339 - July 29th 2026 - Don Brash
Worries about the outcome emerge in almost every election. This 2026 election has much of the constituency concerned about a result that cou...
Leighton Smith Podcast #338 - July 22nd 2026 - Sarah Irving-Stonebraker
In our culture today there is a strange set of attitudes toward history. On one hand there’s a highly politicised approach to the past, in w...
Leighton Smith Podcast #337 - July 15th 2026 - Salvatore Babones
Salvatore Babones is a quantitative comparative sociologist (explained in the interview), at the University of Sydney. He is an American liv...
Leighton Smith Podcast #336 - July 8th 2026 - J R Bruning
JR Bruning analyses her article, “An Election Agreement that has locked in a Road User Charging Revolution” and asks why this was necessary...
Leighton Smith Podcast #335 - July 1st 2026 - Muriel Newman
The New Zealand Centre for Political Research (NZCPR) was established twenty one years ago. Founded by Muriel Newman, the NZCPR is more impo...
Leighton Smith Podcast #334 - June 24th 2026 - Nick Cater
Proven favourite Nick Cater turns up for the first time this year. Unsurprisingly, the Australian economy leads the discussion. We focus on...
Leighton Smith Podcast #333 - June 17th 2026 - Dr George Friedman
Depending on perspective, it’s not difficult to agree with George Friedman’s interpretations of “how the world turns”. I first met George in...
Leighton Smith Podcast #332 - June 10th 2026 - Dr Ramesh Thakur
Dr Ramesh Thakur is well known on the Leighton Smith Podcast. He is an Emeritus Professor of Public Policy at the Australian National Univer...
Leighton Smith Podcast #331 - June 3rd 2026 - Barry Soper
“Based in the Parliamentary Press Gallery since 1980, Barry Soper has covered every New Zealand Prime Minister since, earning a reputation f...
Leighton Smith Podcast #330 - May 27th 2026 - Thorsten Polleit
"Socialism is based on bureaucratic planning. This means a restriction of personal freedom. The dream of equality, a goal even of democratic...
Leighton Smith Podcast #329 - May 20th 2026 - Leonard S. Hong
Leonard S. Hong arrived in New Zealand at the age of three. His story is one of choosing the right parents, hard work, and applied effort to...