On the Tiles The New Zealand Herald

Diplomat Terence O’Brien was at the centre of New Zealand’s foreign relations for nearly half a century, forging new ties with Asia, negotiating New Zealand’s market access to what became the European Union, or running the first successful campaign for a seat on the United Nations Security Council.

His new post-humous memoir, Consolations of Insignificance, comes out next month. His son, Diplosphere co-founder Dan O'Brien, joins Thomas to discuss his father's life in public service, and how some of his battles reflect our current foreign policy concerns. 
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The Coalition Government has seen its first cabinet reshuffle. 

Melissa Lee has lost her Broadcasting Minister portfolio and has been demoted out of Cabinet. 

Meanwhile, Penny Simmonds has lost her Disability Commission portfolio.  

To discuss this, The Front Page's Chelsea Daniels is joined by the host of the On the Tiles podcast, and NZ Herald deputy political editor, Thomas Coughlan. .

 
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Councils across the country are grappling with an infrastructure deficit and sky-high rates -but what options are available to them to fund and finance these projects, and how much involvement should central Government have in bailing them out? 

This week, Georgina is joined by New Zealand Infrastructure Commission general manager of strategy Geoff Cooper to discuss the extent of the problem, the questions we need to ask ourselves, and what exactly New Zealand can afford.
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In a first for On the Tiles, Thomas and Georgina have teamed up for a chat with Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk about his early wins in the portfolio, and a special focus on earthquake risk for buildings and if the Government, and country, needs to change its approach to risk. 
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David Seymour sat down with On the Tiles to talk about his new Reglation Ministry and how the Government handled its first 100 days.
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Grant Robertson has this week left politics, after nearly three decades at the Beehive - first as an advisor to Margaret Hobbs and Helen Clark, before serving as the Wellington Central MP and later Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister.

In an exit interview with Thomas, he reflects on his early career, entering as a MP, twice running for the Labour Party leadership, and goes deep in his reflections on his decisions made during the height of the Covid pandemic. 
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