Family First NZ

Drug Harm in New Zealand continues to rise. International Drug Cartels are flooding our communities with meth and cocaine, leading to a huge increase in addiction-fuelled crime and gang violence. The panel discuss what we can do about this from multiple angles. From Drug Courts, to Family, Church and Social connections. And no, sorry Green Party, the solution is not decriminalisation.

You would think that the Greens might be a little more careful about their candidates - given their history with Kerekere, Golriz, Darleen, Tamatha & Benjamin - and perhaps think about looking a little more diverse – and normal. Dream on. Things have just got... er... worser.

Transgender Doctor, 'Antisemitic' Bondi Beach Concert, Social Media Ban, Anzac Day Boos... much to chat about with our Australian correspondent Lyle Shelton.

Topics include - the transgender doctor (biological male) at the center of a changing room dispute that sparked a costly legal battle in the UK and has relocated to Australia to work in the NSW health system as a female doctor; concert to benefit Bondi Beach victims cancelled after Greek choir refuses to sing with Jews; five months after starting, how is the social media ban going; and why were people booing at...

On this episode of Family Matters, Simon interviews Gerard Holland, CEO of the Page Research Centre in Australia, about his speech at the @AspireConference 2026 in Sydney where he talked the very real challenges facing boys and men in modern society. Simon noted how profound and clear Gerard’s insights were, both what is contributing to these challenges but also the way out for boys and men.

Gerard cites worsening mental health, rising suicides (including Australia’s very high young male suicide rate), falling home ownership, delayed marriage and children, and more young men not in education, employment, or t...

What this week's story about a 'homophobic' slur by a 1News reporter really reveals is the huge hypocrisy of the cultural left and the media, and their manufactured outrage when pushing a narrative. Israel Folau didn’t even use a homophobic slur. He just posted a Bible verse and an explanation. The outrage and hysteria is selective, depending on who does it, and whether it has a Christian basis. If it does, all hell will break loose. Literally. Maiki should be safe.

A ThreeNews 6pm story last Thursday night is probably one of the most egregious examples of a news network deliberately misleading viewers with a certain narrative – and a whole lot of cutting and splicing and misrepresenting to achieve that end. It’s an eye-opening case study of everything that has gone wrong with the legacy media.

In this episode of Solid Ground, Simon celebrates the defeat of the UK’s euthanasia Bill before discussing the latest assassination attempt on President Trump. He notes that the ongoing rhetoric, mainly from the left of politics but also from Trump himself, is fuelling this violent behaviour. Simon also notes the worrying hypocrisy in activists who are the very thing they say they oppose.

He then turns his attention to New Zealand, with the NZ Herald preferencing trans ideology over accuracy in the search for a missing person. He also highlight a recent BSA ruling which shows th...

Quite the story broke in the US this week which uncovered damning information about one of the NZ media's favourite international sources on faaaaaaar right and white extremist groups. The SPLC organisation is being accused of secretly paying leaders of the very “hate” groups it was publicly tracking. The problem for the now-discredited SPLC - just like the recently deceased Disinformation Project - is that they have a clear underlying narrative and ideology which clouds their judgement; they are clearly on the extreme end of left wing politics; they appear to hate social conservative values, Christian organisations & traditional families; and...

In this episode of Daybreak – a tribute to Mary Grant; right bloc ahead in coalition stakes according to a new poll; MPs approve bill to allow online casinos; Meta opens teen AI chats to parental scrutiny; the police shows their true colours; Winston pushes message that it’s a no to Labour; the Green Party list isn’t that diverse when it comes to ‘cis white males who are responsible for all the violence’; woke Wellington doctor attacks Trump for petrol price increases but doesn’t seem to blame government for petrol taxes; a physically healthy mum to be euthanised i...

In this episode of Political Playback – the consultation on RSE; latest political polls and the massive assumption being made by the media reporting them; Luxon wins the caucus vote of confidence; the political game is on and NZ First v National is the first battle; did Chris Hipkins really make an offensive comment and did he actually apologise; is the Free Trade Agreement with India a good thing; is “butter chicken tsunami” an offensive phrase; what do kiwis really think about immigration; and why aren’t the Greens into diversity like they say they are.

A truly awful same-sex dads video, Biden targeting pro-lifers, Trump’s memes, forced teen abortions... so much to discuss with our US correspondent Glenn Stanton from Focus on the Family based in Colorado. Topics include the video that went viral which was posted by a same-sex couple; evidence that the Biden administration partnered with radical abortion activist organisations to target, surveil and imprison pro-lifers; the fall-out from Trump's Jesus meme and his disagreement with the Pope; and pro-abortion “ethicists” are now asserting that “justice for girls” demands that all underage pregnancies end in the death of the unborn child — even if it r...

In this episode of Solid Ground, Simon briefly discusses the latest political challenges for National, pointing towards his Substack for some insights into his view on things, but also encouraging people to tune into Political Playback (5pm, Thursday) where he and Bob will be talking much more in depth about things.

He highlights the tragic case of Spanish woman, Noelia Castillo who was 25 years old and sought euthanasia. Having been sexually assaulted and more, she developed mental health problems and on that basis successfully sought to die. Simon also discusses Chloe Swarbrick’s call to rely on su...

Bettina Arndt on feminism and real men!

Please note, while this is an important and insightful conversation, some content may not be suitable for children. We advise parental discretion.

In this episode of Family Matters, Simon interviews Australian writer and commentator Bettina Arndt AM about the very real challenges facing young men and boys in a highly feminised society. It is a fascinating and animated discussion, and also one that is challenging and robust!

Bettina was actually one of Australia’s first sex therapists and trained (though didn’t practice) in clinical psychology but...

In this episode of Daybreak – the media fail to roll the Prime Minister and are now very angry; we speak to ex-National MP Simon O’Connor for an analysis of what happened in the National caucus yesterday; Chloe argues that she’s actually the Leader of the Opposition; Raelene Castle is reappointed to further confuse female & male sports in NZ; Shane Jones loves butter chicken – sometimes; more evidence that pro-life judges on the Supreme Court were treated appallingly when Roe v Wade was overturned; nurses with higher cultural competence don’t always perform better; why you should avoid Dr Bronner’s...

Steve Maile is a NZ-born preacher who has lived in the UK for the past 40+ years. He is the senior pastor of Oasis City Church in Watford, but has also preached on the street in various cities around the world. Last weekend he was arrested by three officers while preaching the gospel in his home town of Watford. But Maile is not the first preacher - or even just a person praying silently - to be arrested in the UK. We speak to Steve.

In this episode of Solid Ground, Simon shares some of the insights on classical education from a recent conference he attending, noting how the past has a lot to teach us today . Simon also discusses recent research from the University of Auckland around cultural competency and nursing. The researchers found outcomes for patients was no better – and sometimes worse – from nurses with higher levels of cultural competency. Simon discusses the importance of respect but also that this finding is unsurprising, as training should be first and foremost about the clinical skills needed. He also discusses two of his latest podc...

In this episode we discuss: will we have a new Prime Minister by the end of the month, and what do we make of the polls; should we reduce the number of MPs from 120 to 65 – Brian Tamaki thinks so and wants a referendum on it; Trump posts what many felt was a blasphemous image – but were the panelists offended by it; the Iranian war is still happening so we ask this week’s panelists the same question as last week – can Christians support the war; and a new survey on media trust suggests that the media are winning the trust ba...

In this episode of Daybreak – the latest political polls; the appalling behaviour of the media; Greens struggle for a crowd with diversity, except for their male MPs who think they’re female; social media accounts of Labour & National; the Children’s Commissioner doesn’t want children in police custody irrespective of their crimes or risk to the public; are the Pope and Trump really at loggerheads; growing number of Americans say Trump is not religious; surveys confirm a return to church of Gen Z in the US; more evidence from the Charlie Kirk assassination which debunks the conspiracies; a baby wit...

In this episode of Daybreak – the latest political polling, the political right leading, and continued rise of NZ First; is National going to roll their leader; Taine Randall is questioned on his moral stances – and there’s a common question asked by the media; major red flags around the AUT trust in media report just released; JD Vance responds to the spat between Trump and the Pope – but 1News butcher their coverage of it; JD Vance also addresses to the horrific personal attacks on Erika Kirk; and the culture slowly but surely is returning to biology and knowing what a woman...

Here is Political Playback for 16 April 2026, with Bob McCoskrie and Peter Williams. In this episode of Political Playback – is Luxon’s inability to answer simple questions harming him; a potential Greens candidate says the Greens don’t have a true understanding of economic deprivation; we ask Peter whether we really need a ‘definition of woman’ bill; is trust in media really on the up, and does state-funded RNZ employing John Campbell give increased confidence; will the Government scrap the BSA; former All Black captain lines up for NZ First; are local councils implementing divisive and undemocratic policies; and was the recent...

In this episode of Solid Ground, Simon lets viewers know he and Rachel are currently in Perth for a classical education conference and then focuses on New Zealand’s proposed ban on prescribing puberty blockers to new under-18 gender dysphoria patients, now under judicial review. Simon notes that despite all the growing evidence of the harms and worse mental health outcomes around so-called ‘gender affirming care’, New Zealand legacy media are larging ignoring said evidence as well as other significant events overseas. He points to recent legal cases in the United States and a settlement for a nurse in the Un...

On this episode of Family Matters, Simon talks with Professor Dianna Kenny the author of Intransigence: Gender Ideology, Social Contagion, and the Scandal of Youth Gender Medicine. Professor Kenny is a former Professor of Psychology and Professor of Music at The University of Sydney, and is now a consulting psychologist and psychotherapist. She talks to Simon of how she be began receiving adolescent referrals after a psychiatrist colleague reported “strange” presentations of youths claiming they were born in the wrong body; after long-term psychotherapy and conjoint family therapy, several clients abandoned the belief and addressed their underlying issues. Through her...

The media are celebrating today. According to a new survey, trust in media has increased from just over three in 10 NZers to less than four in 10 NZers! That still means that more than 6 in 10 (63%) still don’t trust the media. But there’s an even more troubling statistic amidst the report. Kiwis are increasingly avoiding the news media. Almost four out of five of us are doing this - a significant increase.

In this episode of Daybreak – the latest Trust in Media report is out, and it’s not pretty reading for the media; we show you some examples of why the trust in media is low and news avoidance has increased so significantly – including the coverage of the recent Hungarian elections, and Radio NZ’s new breakfast host; some viewer feedback on transgender darts and the Maori version of How Great Thou Art; the ‘offensive’ image posted by Trump; writer Melanie Philips challenges the Pope’s statements about the Iranian war; Australia’s peak psychology body lurches to the radical side of transing...

In this episode of Solid Ground, Simon starts with comments on Donald Trump’s provocative meme including messianic overtones. While calling this post and others totally inappropriate, he also notes it is deliberate bait and while right to call it out, he encourages people not to get too worked up and waste emotional energy over it.

Simon then critiques an interview with John Campbell as he prepares to co-host Morning Report on RNZ. In the interview, Campbell dismisses those who have an issue with his political views which Simon notes is symptomatic of the ‘gaslighting’ of many in leg...

In this episode of StraightTalk we discuss: the war in Iran – is there an end in sight, or will we just see more Truth Socials; can Christians support the war – some church leaders here in NZ say no; is Winston Peters really a social conservative – a columnist in the NZ Herald says he doesn’t deserve the title; do we really need a bill to define what a woman and what a man is; and there’s a new rising star in the US Democrat party who says he’s a “progressive Christian” and that type of Christian is cool with the me...

It started with the suicide lie. Medical professionals told parents that if they did not wholly support their child’s attempts to change their sex, they might tragically take their own life. We now know that is false. The mental health of young people appears to get worse - not better - after they undergo the hormonal and surgical interventions promoted by gender clinics as “lifesaving". The latest research confirms that. The NZ media haven’t told you about all this research - because they are completely compromised by their Rainbow Ticks and Pride Pledges. That’s why we are here...

In this episode of Daybreak – latest developments in the Iran war including an admission from NATO; NZ Herald says drug problem is getting worse but fails to identify the glaringly obvious reasons; is the National party coaching its MPs to be more woke; should our media divorce themselves from the Rainbow Tick and Pride Pledge as the ABC in Australia has; Tova plays the Gotcha game with Luxon; social media bans continue to gain steam, while we watch Australia’s experiment; do you have “long COVID” and what’s the question they’re failing to ask; the media start campaigning...

Here's CounterCulture for 9 April 2026, and it's another great topic - "Trust in the media". Hosted by Samuel Bilton with panellists Ethan Aloiai, Ana Ika, and Ala Pomelile.

Trust in the media continues to decline. Since 2019, it has dropped year after year. The panel discusses why this has happened and what the media can do to try and regain some of the trust it has lost. Are you expecting the media to recover or would you say good riddance? And should the Government be funding the media or should the market have the final say? We discuss all...

In this episode of Political Playback – the latest political poll is good for the centre-right and especially good for NZ First; a breakdown of who is voting for NZ First; geopolitics, Iran, Trump & Luxon; how the political parties celebrated Easter; was the Easter / Christmas booze bill misrepresented; what’s happening with the puberty blocker ban; some church leaders say the Bible cannot justify the Iran conflict; Te Maori Party calls for a MP pay freeze; the Greens want to protect parody; and are the National party instructing MPs on how to be more woke?

We speak to our UK correspondent Sean Redfearn from Christian Concern based in London. Topics include the response to a recent Islamic public prayer event in Trafalgar Square, King Charles’ no-show on an Easter message this year, Christian street preachers under attack, and is there a youth revival in UK churches or not.

In this episode of Solid Ground, Simon discusses a newly announced US-Israel-Iran ceasefire and noting that it is already cracking as Iran objects to Israeli strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon and has closed the Strait of Hormuz again. Simon also questions various legacy media framing Iran as a victim, downplaying the horrors of the Islamic regime. Similarly, Simon questions why TV One news cannot say the word ISIS, after a terrorist attack in Türkiye, and why media are misrepresenting the motivations for such attacks. As he notes, if you cannot clearly state the who, why, or how – then the...

In this episode of Family Matters, Simon sits down with Sarah McLaughlin from @TheFIREorg - the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, one of the United States' foremost advocacy groups for freedom of speech and free thought. Sarah is FIRE's Senior Scholar, focusing on the dynamics of free speech around the globe.

Sarah is coming to New Zealand in late April as a guest of the Free Speech Union, talking around the country about how free speech is deteriorating worldwide - including in democracies like New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the USA.

She...

In this episode of Daybreak – latest political poll is good for NZ First and the centre-right; media push ‘panic’ messaging over Easter but trip over themselves; political parties talk about Easter – sort of; liberalisation of alcohol laws takes effect over Easter and is misrepresented by proponents and the media; NZ First private members bill to define male and female is drawn out of the ballot – now we watch whether the politicians can vote for biology; Ministry of Health refuse to say pregnant ‘women’; Human Rights Commission push transing children – to children; a new Finnish study reaffirms NZ’s decision to ban puberty blo...

Here it is - the latest episode of CounterCulture, diving into the topic of Feminism! There is sure to be some debate. Will we see a split of views from our panellists - 2 men and 2 women 😄

Louis Theroux has dived into the disturbing world of the Manosphere in his recent documentary. He does a great job of exposing the exploitation and poisonous messaging on this "red pill" community. However, he gives very little in response to the very real struggles young men are facing in today's modern world.

In this episode of Political Playback – MPs to debate the definition of a ‘woman’ after a private members bill is drawn; the Human Right Commission proves just how dangerous they are; the Ministry of Health can’t say the word “woman”; the latest political poll is bad for National; Luxon does a cabinet re-shuffle – was anyone watching; the BSA unilaterally determine their ‘authority’; is the Easter / Christmas / Anzac Day booze bill simply a smokescreen for further steps; is Hipkins’ trust at the same low level as the media’s; is the role of Prime Minister similar to that of a CEO; the Green party...

A private members bill to define in legislation the word "woman" has been drawn. The bill is sponsored by New Zealand First MP Jenny Marcroft. Now we will find out once and for all whether MPs can define Truth & biology - or whether they’re captured by ideology & fear. Let the (women’s) sports begin! xx

In this episode of Family Matters, Simon O’Connor interviews Jonathan “Jono” Mcfarlane, a former New Zealand’s Strongest Man, multiple Highland Games champion, and a Guinness World Record holder (for being able to throw a person the furthest; he did hold the record for throwing a 100 pound washing machine, but later beaten by actor who played ‘The Mountain’ in Game of Thrones’. As the International Olympic Committee (IOC) insists that athletes compete according to their biological sex, Simon and Jono talk the very real biological differences between men and women in sport. As Jono notes, his perspective comes from years of...

Bob shares his highlights from the past 20 years of Family First. Yes we’re 20 Years Strong - still here, even stronger, and still fighting for Kiwi families. Consider investing in our future by donating here: https://familyfirst.org.nz/donations/ For 20+ years we’ve been a leading pro-family and pro-life voice - we’ve played a key role in major public policy debates including opposition to the anti-smacking law, the redefinition of marriage, the liberalisation of abortion laws, and the 2020 cannabis and euthanasia referendums. We’ve also become one of New Zealand’s leading new-media commentators - recently we measured 4...