Coherent
Melanie Nelson hosts in-depth interviews unpacking the political issues shaping Aotearoa New Zealand today. Join us as we explore the sweeping reforms transforming our society, affecting areas like the environment, Indigenous rights, and social cohesion. Our conversations provide clarity, context and hope in uncertain times.
Episodes
19 episodes
#18: Eugenie Sage: Modernising Conservation or Selling it Off?
Video episode available on my Substack. Former Green MP and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage joins Melanie for ...
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1:10:16
#17: Sir Geoffrey Palmer on the RSB: Unworkable, Unconstitutional, Unacceptable
Why the Regulatory Standards Bill would paralyse Parliament, empower unelected overseers, and unravel democratic lawmaking in New ZealandIn this episode of Coherent, Melanie Nelson speaks with former Prime Minister and ...
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1:01:35
#16: Dame Anne Salmond: Democracy at Risk — The RSB and the Fight for Our Future
Video episode available on my Substack. In this powerful and far-reaching conversation, Dame Anne Salmond joins Melanie to confront the deeper ideological project behind ...
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1:05:13
#15: Dr Rebekah Graham: The RSB, Disability, and the Politics of Exclusion
Video episode available on my Substack. In this wide-ranging and deeply grounded conversation, I speak with Dr Rebekah Graham — community psychologist, writer, and advocate for...
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1:04:07
#14: Economist Paul Dalziel: RSB Flawed Principles, No Standards
Video episode available on my Substack. Economist and Wellbeing Economy Alliance Aotearoa research fellow Paul Dalziel joins Melanie on Coherent to analyse the Regulatory St...
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53:18
#13: Dr Carwyn Jones on the RSB: Constitutional Reversal and the Rise of Anti-Treaty Lawmaking
Video episode available on my Substack. What does it mean when a government proposes to put most law through a libertarian filter? In this episode of Coherent, I...
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54:28
#12: Bill Rosenberg: How the RSB Privileges Power and Undermines the Public Good
Video episode available on my Substack. In this episode of Coherent, economist and former Productivity Commissioner Dr Bill Rosenberg joins Melanie Nelson to unpack th...
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56:12
#11: Democracy or Oligarchy? Chloe Swarbrick on the Regulatory Standards Bill
Video episode available on my Substack. Green Party Co-leader Chloe Swarbrick joins Melanie to dissect the Regulatory Standards Bill — a proposal she describes as a “neoliberal sausa...
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29:37
#10: Melanie Baker-Jones: Climate, Risk, and the Regulatory Standards Bill
Video episode available on my Substack. What does climate action look like in a legal framework that prioritises present-day costs, private property rights, and minimal stat...
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1:04:14
#9: Marie Doole: Regulatory Capture and the Risks Inside the Regulatory Standards Bill
Video episode available on my Substack. In this episode, Melanie speaks with environmental policy expert and regulatory researcher Marie Doole about the rising threat of...
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48:16
#8: Max Harris: The Hidden Agenda in New Zealand’s Regulatory Overhaul
Video episode available on my Substack. What if a single piece of legislation could quietly reshape how all future laws are made — limiting the role of government, elevating cor...
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1:09:44
#7: MP Duncan Webb on the RSB: How Property Rights Trump People, Prices, and Democracy
Video episode available on my Substack.Labour MP and regulation spokesperson Duncan Webb joins the Coherent podcast to sound the alarm on the Regulatory Standards Bill (RSB) — a piece of l...
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33:14
#6: What Happens to Public Health When Corporates Set the Rules? | Dr Gary Payinda on the RSB
Dr Gary Payinda has spent nearly two decades working as an emergency doctor in Northland — one of the most under-served regions in New Zealand. In this powerful episode, he shares his deepening alarm about the direction of our public heal...
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1:03:07
#5: Economist Geoff Bertram: What the Regulatory Standards Bill Reveals About the Future of Government
In this episode of Coherent, economist Geoff Bertram joins me to explore the Regulatory Standards Bill (RSB) and the deeper ideological project driving it. With a career spanning decades in regulatory economics, macroeconomic po...
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1:07:31
#4 Russel Norman on the Regulatory Standards Bill: Deregulation, Democracy, and the Fight for the Environment
In this powerful episode of the Coherent podcast, Dr Russel Norman — Executive Director of Greenpeace Aotearoa and former Green Party MP — joins Melanie Nelson to dissect the Regulatory Standards Bill and its far-reaching implications....
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42:12
#3: Melanie Nelson - Libertarianism in legislation: Unpacking the Regulatory Standards Bill
In this episode, the tables are turned. Thanks to Bryan Bruce Investigates for initiating and sharing this podcast episode where he interviews Melanie Nelson, the host of the Coherent podc...
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26:17
#2: The “Everything Bill”: Jonathan Boston on Why New Zealand’s Regulatory Standards Bill Matters
The proposed Regulatory Standards Bill may seem like dry policy, but its implications could reshape how New Zealand governs itself. In this episode of Coherent, Jonathan Boston, ONZM, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy at Te Herenga W...
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47:53
#1: A Legal Straitjacket: Jane Kelsey on Neoliberalism and the Regulatory Standards Bill
In this compelling episode, Melanie Nelson interviews Jane Kelsey, a leading critic of New Zealand's neoliberal reforms and an expert in global economic governance. They explore the far-reaching implications of the proposed Regulatory Standards...
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1:04:12