Q+A with Jack Tame

Vanushi Walters, an Oxford-educated human rights lawyer and Labour foreign affairs spokesperson, critiques New Zealand’s recent Iran response and defends principled international law. Min-Kyu Jung, a Kiwi ex-lawyer turned Silicon Valley AI founder, talks about building legal AI and scaling abroad. Mike Casey, a cherry farmer and Rewiring Aotearoa CEO, pushes electrification amid fuel shocks. Feletti Teo, Prime Minister of Tuvalu, stresses climate threats and ties with Taiwan.

Feliti Teo, Prime Minister of Tuvalu and voice for his climate-threatened island nation. He discusses Tuvalu’s fight against rising seas, legal steps to protect maritime sovereignty, the Falepilli treaty with Australia, migration vs resettlement realities, and diplomatic pressure over Tuvalu’s ties with Taiwan.

Min-Kyu Jung, a lawyer-turned-founder and CEO of Ivo, leads an AI contract intelligence platform. He discusses how AI enables contract review and large-scale extraction. He talks about integrating LLMs into a robust product, tackling hallucinations, and why he moved the company to Silicon Valley for scale.

Mike Casey, CEO of Rewiring Aotearoa and cherry farmer who champions electrification and renewables. He discusses how farms beat diesel shocks with electric kit. He highlights rising interest in EVs and rooftop solar. He outlines how policy, grid capacity and financing shape the switch to cleaner, locally made energy.

Vanushi Walters, an Oxford-educated human rights lawyer now Labour's foreign affairs spokesperson, calls for principled, consistent foreign policy. She critiques recent shifts toward one-sided alignment, questions ambiguity over Strait of Hormuz commitments, and stresses defending international law, protecting the Pacific, and using quiet diplomacy alongside multilateral pressure.

John Howard, retired Major-General with 40 years in military intelligence, warns NZ faces fuel, supply-chain and defence vulnerabilities from the Iran war. Alain Bertaud, former World Bank urban planner, argues cities should grow by market-driven choices and better commute planning. They discuss strategic fuel allocation, defence readiness, urban density versus greenfields, and how planning affects daily life.

Alain Bertaud, veteran urban planner known for walking cities and World Bank work, argues for organic city growth guided by markets, not central plans. He talks about studying cities on foot, the importance of labour markets and transport for amenities, the tradeoffs between densification and greenfield growth, and why zoning reform and property rights debates shape development.

John Howard, retired Major-General with 40 years in military and US Defence Intelligence, warns NZ is unprepared for strategic shocks. He discusses how the Iran war exposes supply vulnerabilities, the risk of fuel shortages and allocation dilemmas. He questions NZ’s strategic planning, defence readiness and the implications for regional alignments.

Nicola Willis: How petrol will be prioritised in worst-case scenarios Finance minister Nicola Willis spoke to Q+A about how the war in Iran and unfolding fuel crisis could affect New Zealand in worst case scenarios, including if there are widespread cancellations of deliveries on force majeure grounds. She discussed how the government is considering prioritisation if that happens. She also discussed other scenarios in which there’s a much longer term issue with higher prices, and what that will mean for the wider economic position for the country. How CEOs are preparing for Iran war fallout Q+A canvassed a group of CEOs for a business insight into how they’re preparing their companies in case the fallout from the Iran war gets worse. We spoke to Port of Auckland CEO Roger Gray, Mainfreight Managing Director Don Braid, and Ballance Agri-Nutrients CEO Kelvin Wickham. The district with nowhere for elderly to go Q+A reporter Whena Owen goes to Wairoa where the district is facing an acute shortage of rest home places, after the last facility closed due to damage from Cyclone Gabrielle. But is help now on the way? How drones have taken over the “kill zone” in Ukraine Drones and other unmanned weapons systems have never been more effective on the battlefields of Ukraine, making the concept of front lines non-existent. Instead, a kilometres-wide area now sits between the two armies, where humans are constantly at risk of being targeted. Brigadier Stuart Nasse describes it as being like “the opening scene of Terminator 2”, and says the way war is waged has changed radically. He leads the multinational coalition on drones supporting Ukraine, and was in New Zealand to speak at the Centre for Strategic Studies. Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the answers to the questions that matter. Made with the support of NZ on Air.

Kimberly Prost, an ICC judge who defends international justice under pressure. Tim Wright, treaty coordinator fighting for nuclear disarmament. They discuss rising nuclear risks, why strikes on Iran deepen dangers, proliferation drivers and regional security dilemmas. The conversation covers threats to global trade routes and how military options complicate diplomacy and long-term stability.