<p>Hosted by <strong>Phil Goff</strong> and <strong>Chris Finlayson</strong>, <strong>Cross Party Lines</strong> returns for a policy-heavy episode — a weekend of conference announcements, party platforms and pre-election positioning gives Phil and Chris more material than they can get through in an hour, and they try anyway.</p><p>All thanks to <a target="_blank" href="http://frankrisk.co.nz"><strong>Frank Risk Management,</strong></a> our foundational partner and the 100% kiwi owned insurance brokerage.</p><p><strong>In this episode:</strong></p><p>* <strong>$32 million, nothing to show and the eternal curse of government IT</strong> — Immigration New Zealand’s biometric system has consumed $32 million and produced precisely nothing. Phil and Chris trace the familiar pattern: INCIS in the nineties, Novopay, and now this. Chris wants a centralised specialist IT contract unit in government rather than every department reinventing the wheel. Phil adds a sharper question: if the public service can’t get biometrics right, what on earth makes anyone think it can safely replace 9,000 workers with AI?</p><p>* <strong>KiwiSaver, Green taxes and the election’s big policy weekend</strong> — National’s conference in Lower Hutt produced the headline announcement: compulsory KiwiSaver contributions rising to six percent. Chris calls it a seismic and welcome shift — one of Cullen’s great legacies, finally being taken seriously. Phil agrees in principle but worries hard about low-income workers living week to week, and raises a troubling allegation from a trade union that some employers are substituting KiwiSaver contributions for wage rises, meaning workers are effectively funding both sides. The Greens launched a sweeping tax package — inheritance tax above a million dollars, wealth tax, higher corporate rates, bank levies, tech company withholding tax.</p><p>* <strong>Starmer’s last days, reform’s wobble and the UK’s revolving door</strong> — Three British by-elections dominate the international segment. Andy Burnham cleaned up reform in Makerfield — a white working-class seat reform was confident about — while the Conservatives beat reform in Aberdeen South and held on in Angus East. Chris is delighted: reform may have peaked. Farage is being investigated over a £5 million payment. And Kemi Badenoch, about whom Chris had initial doubts, is fighting a genuine rebuilding effort from the pavement. Phil counts the prime ministers: if Burnham succeeds Starmer, Britain will have had seven in ten years.</p><p>Along the way: the Parliamentary Budget Office gaining rare cross-party momentum with both Willis and Sepuloni expressing support, Labour’s transport fare cap policy and the $30 million costing dispute versus National’s roads of national significance out by $30 billion and Chris washing his mouth out with soap for agreeing with Shane Jones twice…</p><p><strong>Cross Party Lines</strong> exists to lift political literacy and create space for calm, good-faith political conversation. New episodes every Tuesday. If you value thoughtful debate, follow the podcast and share it with someone who might too.</p><p><em>🎟 Wellington is almost sold out. Auckland still has tickets. Get in now at </em><a target="_blank" href="http://tapliveevents.com"><em>tapliveevents.com.</em></a></p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://crosspartylines.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_1">crosspartylines.substack.com</a>