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Gone By Lunchtime

The Spinoff

A New Zealand politics podcast hosted by The Spinoff's Toby Manhire with Annabelle Lee-Mather and Ben Thomas.

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27 episodes
weekly
Avg 41 min
English

Episodes 27

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Friday · 44 min
We are all covered in ash and yearning for the ocean
There are somehow still three weeks to go but fear not: the hosts of Gone By Lunchtime are here to give you the energy and optimism you need to make it to election night.
October 6 · 38 min
Were we watching the same debate?
To the windows, to the wall - our hosts debrief the first televised debate between the Chrises Luxon and Hipkins.
October 2 · 41 min
The debate explosion
Reuniting 'IRL' in the Spinoff podcast studio, our hosts dissect the first action-packed week of the 2026 election campaign.
October 1 · 8 min
Why won’t Christopher Luxon go on Q+A? We asked Jack Tame
This week Jack Tame came in to talk about how he’s preparing to host the first leaders’ debate in 2026, how the campaign is taking form, and the struggle to get the prime minister (and others) to talk to him on Q+A.
September 25 · 51 min
What is this election really about?
The latest Ipsos Issues Monitor has revealed the big issues New Zealanders are concerned about, and which parties they think are best equipped to deal with them. And how alarmed should we be about the OIA mischief at the MoE? TBC.
September 18 · 36 min
Fifty days out, the campaign ignites
Our hosts reconvene to digest the latest political headlines, including (but not limited to): National’s pledge to “pursue” a breakup of Foodstuffs, the Department of Internal Affairs’ report on the Phillips children and Act’s commitment wind down the Waitangi Tribunal.
September 4 · 39 min
Only 64 more days of tax, tax, tax, tax, tax, tax, tax, tax, tax
Like spring saplings emerging from the sodden earth, our hosts reconvene to assess the state of our politics. Is Chris Hipkins hugging National close, or is he in fact spooning them? And can Simeon Brown answer a question without mentioning the opposition's love of taxes?
August 27 · 7 min
Luxon vs Brown, and how the govt fell so violently out of love with localism
Toby Manhire speaks to Spinoff staff writers Joel MacManus and Hayden Donnell about how (and why) the prime minister went from being a champion of localism to leading the most profoundly anti-localist government in living memory.
August 21 · 40 min
Post-coup chat, with guest star Chris Penk
Our hosts reflect on the past nine days since the PM stared down his second caucus uprising. On an unrelated note, Chris Penk joins the podcast to share what he’s been up to lately.
August 12 · 31 min
Emergency pod: Do you get déjà coup?
As the dust clears on the prime minister’s second leadership vote, our hosts convene an emergency podcast to make some sense of the failed coup.
August 7 · 43 min
What is Mr Luxon doing?
Annabelle, Ben and Toby discuss the latest a series of recent, unforced errors from the prime minister, from the Rotorua Business Chamber breakfast to an off-the-cuff, informal commitment to constitutional reform while live on air.
July 23 · 54 min
Someone take away Stuart Nash's phone, please
Our hosts reconvene to evaluate the short-lived political resurrection of Stuart Nash, the surprise candidacy of Paul Henry for Act and the latest development in the ongoing saga of RMA reform.
July 8 · 52 min
Are the Oppies unstoppable?
Toby, Annabelle and Ben return to assess the latest political tidings, including the ascension of The Opportunity Party, the impending arrival of Narendra Modi to our shores, and which pop culture reference best describes the political exhumation taking place in the New Zealand First party list.
July 3 · 3 min
Jamboree season in an election year
Fresh from the bright lights and bitter recriminations of the National, Labour and Act party bashes, Lyric Waiwiri-Smith and Joel MacManus join Toby to reveal all, in this excerpt from the Spinoff’s new podcast, At Large with Toby Manhire.
June 24 · 53 min
Unhappy families
Annabelle, Ben and Toby reconvene to unpack the coalition infighting kicked off by Simeon Brown’s party conference speech, before appraising the latest policy moves (and missteps) from the parties Green and Labour.
June 23 · 29 min
At Large with Toby Manhire: Britain’s great big prime minister problem, continued
Toby Manhire speaks to the Guardian's Richard Adams about the latest drama in British politics, and Lyric Waiwiri-Smith about the evolution of British romance.
June 5 · 48 min
Hardcore lobbying and the emotional senior staffer
Our hosts digest a veritable buffet of political headlines from the past few weeks, including (but not limited to) the saga of the missing briefing documents, a run-in with the US secretary of war in Singapore and a slightly belated budget wrap.
May 28 · 34 min
Budget special with Bernard Hickey
Bernard Hickey joins Toby Manhire to discuss the top lines from today's budget, the rosy economic forecasts on which it is built, and the battle lines it draws for the campaign ahead.
May 21 · 1 hr 5 min
Live at Auckland Writers Festival with Tova O'Brien guest star
Toby Manhire, Annabelle Lee-Mather and Ben Thomas are joined live on stage by Tova O’Brien to assess the political landscape six months out from the general election.
May 18 · 43 min
Jane Wrightson on Super squabbles, Seymour and the state of the media
Former retirement commissioner Jane Wrightson joins Toby Manhire to reflect on a storied career in governance, recent remarks by David Seymour about the RNZ board and the dismantling of the BSA.

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