List of Back Benches episodes
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This is a list of episodes from the New Zealand political show Back Benches, which aired on the now-defunct channel TVNZ 7.
The date listed is the date (Wednesday) that the episode was filmed and aired live for the first time. Each episode was aired again on the subsequent Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Series One (2008)[edit]
| ACT | Green | Kiwi | Libertarianz | Labour | Māori | National | NZ First | Progressive | United Future |
| # | Date | Members of panel | Issues and topics discussed | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 April 2008 | Louisa Wall | Maurice Williamson | Jacqui Dean | Hone Harawira | |
| 2 | 9 April 2008 | Moana Mackey | Chester Borrows | Ron Mark | Sue Bradford | Free Trade Agreement with China |
| 3 | 16 April 2008 | Louisa Wall | Tau Henare | Keith Locke | Judy Turner | Asset sales |
| 4 | 23 April 2008 | Darren Hughes | Doug Woolerton | Hone Harawira | Judy Turner | Mike Williams; factory closures; the junior doctors strike |
| 5 | 30 April 2008 | Jacqui Dean | Dr Russel Norman | Te Ururoa Flavell | Rodney Hide | Food prices; Anzac day trading; inconsistent asset sales |
| 6 | 7 May 2008 | Moana Mackey | Chester Borrows | Sue Kedgley | Rodney Hide | Railway purchase; petrol taxes; New Zealand music month; eco-efficiency |
| 7 | 14 May 2008 | Jacqui Dean | Doug Woolerton | Sue Bradford | Hone Harawira | Methamphetamine |
| 8 | 21 May 2008 | Charles Chauvel | Sandra Goudie | Sue Kedgley | Hone Harawira | Budget; leadership; rising cost of petrol |
| 9 | 28 May 2008 | Louisa Wall | Chester Borrows | Keith Locke | Rodney Hide | Tax cuts; power cuts; the Government's apology to Vietnam veterans; hoodies; Epsom and Richard Worth |
| 10 | 4 June 2008 | Jill Pettis | Paula Bennett | Dail Jones | Dr Russel Norman | Polls; leadership; food |
| 11 | 11 June 2008 | Charles Chauvel | Chris Auchinvole | Judy Turner | Gordon Copeland | Rising costs of petrol and power; Auckland as capital city; Nándor Tánczos |
| 12 | 18 June 2008 | Judith Tizard | Chris Tremain | Ron Mark | Keith Locke | Violence; arming police; driving while using a cell phone; Peter Dunne |
| 13 | 25 June 2008 | Lynne Pillay | Eric Roy | Doug Woolerton | Hone Harawira | Gang violence; designer babies; the publics' distrust of politicians |
| 14 | 2 July 2008 | David Bennett | Doug Woolerton | Te Ururoa Flavell | Heather Roy | Flexible work hours; Zimbabwe cricket boycott; kids playing sport |
| 15 | 9 July 2008 | Darien Fenton | Sandra Goudie | Peter Dunne | Rodney Hide | Leadership; truckers protest; law and order; National's employment policy; Rodney and Lockwood Smith |
| 16 | 16 July 2008 | Sue Moroney | Chris Tremain | Ron Mark | Judy Turner | 3am bar closures; harsher penalties for hit and runs |
| 17 | 23 July 2008 | Shane Jones | Maurice Williamson | Hone Harawira | Maori Language Week; counting calories; meningococcal vaccines; Winston Peters; Shane Jones' office | |
| 18 | 30 July 2008 | Russell Fairbrother | Paula Bennett | Dail Jones | Gordon Copeland | Winston Peters saga; Condoleezza Rice |
| 19 | 6 August 2008 | Clayton Cosgrove | Sue Kedgley | Rodney Hide | Secret tapes; mixed-member proportional (MMP) representation voting system; an extra petrol tax for Aucklanders; Tariana Turia's office | |
| 20 | 13 August 2008 | Steve Maharey | Dr Russel Norman | Judy Turner | Heather Roy | Olympics; National's welfare policy; funding Herceptin |
| 21 | 20 August 2008 | Charles Chauvel | Chester Borrows | Sue Bradford | Olympics; climate change; eco bulbs; the Privileges Committee hearing; Steve Maharey's office | |
| 22 | 27 August 2008 | Annette King | Doug Woolerton | Hone Harawira | Emissions trading scheme; road tolls; cost of food | |
| 23 | 3 September 2008 | Lesley Soper | Metiria Turei | Hone Harawira | Peter Dunne | Winston Peters saga; John Key; emissions trading scheme. |
| 24 | 10 September 2008 | George Hawkins | Keith Locke | Judy Turner | Jim Anderton | Families Commission; leaked National policy; Winston Peters saga |
| 25 | 17 September 2008 | Charles Chauvel | Jeanette Fitzsimons | Peter Dunne | Election '08; gangs | |
| 26 | 24 September 2008 | Luamanuvao Winnie Laban | Ron Mark | Dr Russel Norman | Gordon Copeland | Privileges Committee findings; free trade deal with USA |
| 27 | 1 October 2008 | Grant Robertson | Stephen Franks | Sue Kedgley | Heather Roy | Candidates for Wellington Central; tax; economics |
| 28 | 8 October 2008 | Hamish McDouall | Nikki Kaye | Kevin Hague | Derek Fox | Tax; the economy; life sentences;[note 1] |
| 29 | 15 October 2008 | Charles Chauvel | Josephine Pagani[note 2] | Rodney Hide | John Key and Helen Clark; universal student allowance; showering | |
| 30 | 22 October 2008 | Doug Woolerton | Sue Bradford | Judy Turner | Gordon Copeland | Anti-smacking policy; coalition building; the financial crisis |
| 31 | 29 October 2008 | Phil Twyford | Paul Quinn | Angeline Greensill | Matt Robson | mixed-member proportional (MMP) representation; US election; Peter Dunne's hair[note 3] |
| 32 | 5 November 2008 | David Slack | Peter Cresswell | Martyn Bradbury | Jessica Hassell | New US President; New Zealand election[note 4] |
| 8 November 2008 | Stephen Franks | Sue Kedgley | Heather Roy | Vaughan Smith | Election Night Special[note 5] | |
| 33 | 12 November 2008 | Nikki Kaye | Charles Chauvel | Keith Locke | David Garrett | Coalition talks; the economy |
| 34 | 19 November 2008 | Alex Mitchell | Jacinda Ardern | Gareth Hughes | Kimo Winiata | New Cabinet; whether alcohol companies should sponsor sports teams; NCEA[note 6] |
| 35 | 26 November 2008 | Simon Bridges | Grant Robertson | Metiria Turei | John Boscawen | Public spending; Christmas spirit; White Ribbon Day |
| 36 | 3 December 2008 | Amy Adams | Kelvin Davis | Dr Kennedy Graham | Sir Roger Douglas | Eco bulbs; Hanover Finance's function in Fiji; Rodney Hide and city councils |
| 37 | 10 December 2008 | Louise Upston | Stuart Nash | Keith Locke | Banks; pre-Christmas sales; Official Cash Rate | |
| 38 | 17 December 2008 | Chester Borrows | Moana Mackey | Sue Bradford | Rodney Hide | 90 day "hire-and-fire" bill; the Bruce Emery case; maiden speeches |
- ↑ At the time of the filming and airing of episode 28, none of the panel guests were current MPs, but potential MPs. Kevin Hague became a list MP, and Nikki Kaye became the MP for the electorate of Auckland Central.
- ↑ Josephine Pagani was not an MP, but was ranked 3rd on the Progressive Party list at the 2008 election. She did not enter parliament as Progressive Party only gained 0.91% of the popular vote
- ↑ At the time of the filming and airing of episode 31, none of the panel guests were current MPs, but potential MPs. Phil Twyford and Paul Quinn became list MPs
- ↑ David Slack is a commentator, author and speech writer; Martyn Bradbury and Jessica Hassell are bloggers
- ↑ The panel guests of the Election Night Special were not all MPs, but candidates for the Wellington Central electorate seat. Sue Kedgley and Heather Roy were re-elected as list MPs, and Grant Robertson (not on panel) won Wellington Central.
- ↑ Alex Mitchell was President of the Young Nats; Gareth Hughes stood as the Green Party's candidate in the Ōhariu electorate; Kimo Winiata was president of the Young Māori Party, and is the son of Māori Party president Whatarangi Winiata
Recess (2008/09)[edit]
| # | Date | Issues and topics discussed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 December 2008 | Law and order; the environment; the economy |
| 2 | 31 December 2008 | US election; financial crisis; China |
| 3 | 7 January 2009 | |
| 4 | 14 January 2009 | Big issues of 2008; election campaigns |
| 5 | 21 January 2009 | Law and order; the environment; the economy |
| 6 | 28 January 2009 | International issues – global financial crisis; Chinese milk scandal. |
Series Two (2009)[edit]
| ACT | Green | Labour | Māori | National | Progressive | United Future |
| # | Date | Members of panel | Issues and topics discussed | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 February 2009 | Chester Borrows | Fran Mold | [note 1] | Local events; vigilantes in South Auckland; protests; legislation banning gangs | ||
| 2 | 11 February 2009 | ||||||
| 3 | 18 February 2009 | Chris Tremain | Grant Robertson | Catherine Delahunty | David Garrett | Fisher & Paykel; boot camps; junk food | |
| 4 | 25 February 2009 | Chris Hipkins | Dr Russel Norman | Heather Roy | Peter Dunne | First 100 days of new government; auditor-general's report on Department of Corrections; New Zealand Māori rugby team touring South Africa | |
| 25 February 2009 | Trevor Mallard | Sue Bradford | Charles Finny | Phil O'Reilly | [note 2] | Job Summit Special | |
| 5 | 4 March 2009 | David Bennett | Darren Hughes | Metiria Turei | Rodney Hide | Reactions and ideas of 2008 Job Summit; KiwiRail; schoolchildren and violence | |
| 6 | 11 March 2009 | Nikki Kaye | Claire Curran | Keith Locke | Te Ururoa Flavell | ||
| 7 | 18 March 2009 | Aaron Gilmore | Shane Jones | Rahui Katene | School safety; road funding; Auckland supercity | ||
| 8 | 25 March 2009 | Stephen Franks[note 3] | Dr Michael Cullen | Jeanette Fitzsimons | Sir Roger Douglas | ||
| 9 | 1 April 2009 | Amy Adams | Clayton Cosgrove | Sue Kedgley | David Garrett | ||
| 10 | 8 April 2009 | Todd McClay | Steve Chadwick | Sue Bradford | John Boscawen | Auckland supercity; 'Easter Trading Laws Special' | |
| 11 | 15 April 2009 | Hekia Parata | Phil Twyford | Dr Russel Norman | Heather Roy | Mt Albert and the by-election; Auckland supercity; Fiji | |
| 12 | 22 April 2009 | Michael Woodhouse | Luamanuvao Winnie Laban | Peter Dunne | Anzac Day; Afghanistan war | ||
| 13 | 29 April 2009 | Chester Borrows | Jo Goodhew | Dr Rajen Prasad | Jim Anderton | Flu strain H1N1 (swine flu); airport security; potty mouths in the South | |
| 14 | 3 May 2009 | Simon Bridges | Stuart Nash | Keith Locke | Hone Harawira | Mt Albert by-election; Fiji; the line between public and private life for MPs | |
| 15 | 13 May 2009 | Louise Upston | Charles Chauvel | Catherine Delahunty | David Garrett | Supercity legislation; gun control; New Zealand pop anthems | |
| 16 | 20 May 2009 | Aaron Gilmore | Grant Robertson | Sue Kedgley | Peter Dunne | Animal treatment; changes to justice system; Christine Rankin | |
| 17 | 27 May 2009 | Chris Auchinvole | Lianne Dalziel | Kevin Hague | Te Ururoa Flavell | Budget; boyracers; Kiwis' honesty | |
| 18 | 3 June 2009 | Chris Tremain | Annette King | Metiria Turei | Sir Roger Douglas | MP expenses; budget fallout; cell-phone ban | |
| 19 | 10 June 2009 | Melissa Lee | David Shearer | Dr Russel Norman | John Boscawen | Judy Turner | Mt Albert By-Election Special[note 4] |
| 20 | 17 June 2009 | Katrina Shanks | Jacinda Ardern | Dr Kennedy Graham | Flu strain H1N1 (swine flu); corporal punishment ("anti-smacking") referendum; sex education | ||
| 21 | 24 June 2009 | Paul Quinn | Carmel Sepuloni | Sue Bradford | Prison containers; court backlogs; Matariki as a public holiday | ||
| 22 | 1 July 2009 | Simon Bridges[note 5] | Clayton Cosgrove | Metiria Turei / Kevin Hague[note 6] | Rodney Hide | Te Ururoa Flavell | Pay equity; crime; tipping and tourism; Michael Jackson; MPs' expenses; tipping; electric cars |
| 23 | 8 July 2009 | Hekia Parata | Trevor Mallard | Peter Dunne | Foreshore and seabed controversy and Winston Peters; smoking | ||
| 24 | 15 July 2009 | Alex Mitchell | Patrick Leyland | Zachary Dorner | Peter McCaffrey | Haimoana Gardiner | Student loans; binge drinking; pimping for Olympic sport fundraising[note 7] |
| 25 | 22 July 2009 | Louise Upston | Stuart Nash | Keith Locke | Rahui Katene | Prisoner amnesty; annual leave and holidays; folic acid in bread | |
| 26 | 29 July 2009 | Hekia Parata | Jacqui Dean | Brendon Burns | Sue Kedgley | Greenhouse gas emissions; Māori Language Week and racism; happiness | |
| 27 | 5 August 2009 | Todd McClay | Carol Beaumont | Metiria Turei | David Garrett | Youth unemployment; MPs' expenses; youth drinking culture | |
| 28 | 12 August 2009 | Nicky Wagner | Clayton Cosgrove | Metiria Turei | Bob Shearing[note 8] | Boy Racers Special[note 9] | |
| 29 | 19 August 2009 | Nikki Kaye | Grant Robertson | Kevin Hague | Travel and currency of Australia and New Zealand; possible restructuring of Health system; Housing; dogs | ||
| 30 | 26 August 2009 | David Bennett | Brendon Burns | Catherine Delahunty | Sir Roger Douglas | Results and aftermath of smacking referendum; Māori seats on the Auckland supercity; gay adoption | |
| 31 | 2 September 2009 | Katrina Shanks | Paul Quinn | Chris Hipkins | Dr Russel Norman | Whanganui gang insignia ban; smacking referendum; Kashin the elephant's death; emissions trading scheme | |
| 32 | 9 September 2009 | Cam Calder | David Parker | Sue Kedgley | Rahui Katene | MMP referendum; night classes cut; mining on Department of Conservation land | |
| 33 | 14 September 2009[note 10] | Phil Twyford | John Carter | Sue Bradford | Rodney Hide | Dr Pita Sharples | Auckland Supercity Special[note 11] |
| 34 | 23 September 2009 | Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga | Damien O'Connor | Keith Locke | John Boscawen | Inquiry into smoking; Wanganui's 'h' debate; John Key's visit to the United States | |
| 35 | 30 September 2009 | John Hayes | Charles Chauvel | Peter Dunne | Paid parental leave; New Zealand as a republic | ||
| 36 | 7 October 2009 | Aaron Gilmore | Paul Quinn | Chris Hipkins | Trevor Mallard | Rugby world cup broadcasting rights and Māori Television's possible subsidy; school donations; Samoan tsunami and Civil Defence's readiness for a natural disaster; Tua versus Cameron: "Fight of the Century" | |
| 37 | 14 October 2009 | David Bennett | Darren Hughes | Jeanette Fitzsimons | David Garrett | Emissions trading scheme; methamphetamine; Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize | |
| 38 | 21 October 2009 | Chris Auchinvole | Maryan Street | Catherine Delahunty | Sir Roger Douglas | ACC; smoking in public | |
| 39 | 28 October 2009 | ||||||
| 40 | 4 November 2009 | ||||||
| 41 | 11 November 2009 | ||||||
| 42 | 18 November 2009 | ||||||
| 43 | 25 November 2009 | ||||||
| 44 | 2 December 2009 | Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga | Chris Carter | Sue Kedgley | Emissions trading scheme; 2025 taskforce | ||
| 45 | 9 December 2009 | Simon Bridges | Carmel Sepuloni | Kevin Hague | Heather Roy | Drink driving; dairy farming in New Zealand | |
| 46 | 16 December 2009 | Chris Tremain | Shane Jones | Metiria Turei | Rodney Hide | Christmas Show: 'best' and 'worst' of 2009 | |
- ↑ Francesca Mold was a political editor for TVNZ
- ↑ Charles Finny was the Chairperson of the Wellington Chamber of commerce, while Phil O'Reilly was the Chief Executive of Business New Zealand
- ↑ Stephen Franks is not a current MP – he stood in for Chester Borrows
- ↑ The Mt Albert By-Election Special was filmed at the 'Neighbourhood Brew Bar' in Mt Albert. The five candidates on panel were of the parties with seats standing candidates
- ↑ Gerry Brownlee was scheduled to appear on the panel for episode 22, but was caught busy on 'an idea'
- ↑ Turei and Hague shared the Greens slot because Turei had to speak in the House to a private member's bill
- ↑ Episode 24 featured members of the youth wings of the political parties
- ↑ Bob Shearing was a Christchurch City Councillor
- ↑ The Boy Racers Special was held at the 'Dux de Lux' bar in Christchurch
- ↑ The Auckland Supercity Special was held on a Monday, but was replayed later in the week at the standard times
- ↑ The Auckland Supervity Special was held at the 'Northern Steamship' bar in Auckland
Summer Tour (2009/10)[edit]
| # | Date | Location | Members of panel | Issues and topics discussed | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 December 2009 | Russell | Kelvin Davis | David Clendon | Di Maxwell[note 1] | The recession's effect on small towns; New Zealand's portrayal as a clean, green country | ||
| 2 | 30 December 2009 | Waipu Cove, Mangawhai | Shane Jones | Keith Locke | Mark Farnsworth[note 2] | Law and order; issues of 2009 | ||
| 3 | 6 January 2010 | Smitty's Sports Bar and Grill, Whitianga | David Bennett | Carol Beaumont | Catherine Delahunty | 1080; mining | ||
| 4 | 13 January 2010 | CornerStone Pub, Tauranga | Simon Bridges | Todd McClay | Jacinda Ardern | Economy and budget of 2010 | ||
| 5 | 20 January 2010 | The Works Café and Winery, Gisborne | Moana Mackey | Derek Fox[note 3] | Meng Foon | Foreshore and seabed controversy | ||
| 6 | 26 January 2010 | The Gintrap, Napier | Craig Foss | Chris Tremain | Parekura Horomia | Stuart Nash | Heather Roy | National primary education standards; economy of 2010 |
Series Three (2010)[edit]
| # | Date | Members of panel | Issues and topics discussed | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 February 2010 | Hekia Parata | Clayton Cosgrove | Metiria Turei | John Boscawen | New Zealand flag; tax system and raising GST; New Zealand's sexiest politician |
| 2 | 24 February 2010 | Louise Upston | Damien O'Connor | Sue Kedgley | Mining; New Zealand Police | |
| 3 | 3 March 2010 | Katrina Shanks | Trevor Mallard | Gareth Hughes | Peter Dunne | MPs' expenses; driving age |
| 4 | 10 March 2010 | Paul Quinn | Grant Robertson | Dr Russel Norman | Wellington Phoenix FC; Destiny Church | |
References[edit]
External links[edit]
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