Politics matters. At its heart it's about your job, your children's education, your parent's healthcare, how much tax you pay and what it means to be a New Zealander.
It's about the people who write the rules and get to decide what kind of country our children will inherit.
That's what Q+A is about.
We're here to ask those people the questions you want covered, and to draw out answers that reveal their real agenda. Heck, that's why the show's called Q+A.
It's because politics matters so much that it should never be dull.
So we've designed Q+A as a show for the beltway and the suburban green belt - compelling viewing for Mr and Mrs Key of Parnell and Mr and Mrs Bloggs of Taihape.
As it happens, My Key of Parnell will be the main interview on our first show. It's the first time the Prime Minister has sat down in a TV studio for a full-length one-on-one interview. He'll be quizzed by TVNZ' political editor Guyon Espiner.
We'll be talking about the economy and the critical choices his government is making at this pivotal moment in history. Just this week Key re-iterated his line that New Zealand is a gritty little country well-positioned to weather the economic storm.
Maybe. Sure, our government debt has been low, as has unemployment. The Reserve Bank has had plenty of headroom to lower interest rates and our banks, thankfully, didn't get lured into the quicksand that was subprime mortgages and derivatives. But you've got to wonder whether Key's being something of a Pollyanna in the face of the worst recession in three generations.
As I wrote recently on current affairs website Pundit, the Prime Minister has taken the role of Noddy that perky, smiley boy to Bill English's stern, serious Big Ears.
Our second guest is Andrew Little, talking with Paul Holmes. He's both the head of the country's biggest union, the EPMU, and now president of the Labour Party.
What's more he says he'll be standing for parliament in 2011. Many are picking he'll take over the safe Labour seat of Rongotai from Annette King. With workers being laid off at a rate of knots and Labour's poll numbers looking more than a little ugly, it'll be interesting to hear what he has to say.
Our guest panellists are Green party co-leader Russel Norman
and, fresh off the plane from Geneva, Business New Zealand chief
executive Phil O'Reilly. We hope you can join us.
Q+A - TV ONE, Sunday at 9am and live streaming on
TVNZ.co.nz
Current affairs and culture website
Pundit
