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...
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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...
Episodes
20 of 400 episodesLeighton 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...
Leighton Smith Podcast #328 - May 13th 2026 - Oliver Hartwich
An inventive way to encourage the understanding of the stupidity in New Zealand's governance... Oliver Hartwich, Executive Director of the N...
Leighton Smith Podcast #327 - May 6th 2026 - David Bell
The International Health Reform Project (IHRP) is aiming to restore a rational framework to the polarised debate surrounding the World Healt...
Leighton Smith Podcast #326 - April 29th 2026 - Rodney Hide
I’ve known Rodney Hide for a long time; through his career in politics and beyond. I’ve seen changes in his life, both personal and professi...
Leighton Smith Podcast #325 - April 22nd 2026 - Guy Hatchard
"The science behind the risk of myocarditis following mRNA vaccination’, "A wake up call - The adverse health effects of forever genetic com...