The Panel

The Pre-Panel for 16 April 2026

Wallace Chapman and producer Tessa Guest preview tonight's edition of The Panel.

The Whip for 15 April 2026

Join Wallace for New Zealand's most explosive 30 minutes of politics. He is joined by panellists Ruwani Perera, Marian Hobbs, and David Farrar. On the show tonight: Is New Zealand about to have its third Covid election? Punter suggest that in a pessemistic economic era, National might be pivoting campaign strategy to once again draw to mind the memories of Covid-19 and its management under Labour. Also, Paul Goldsmith has revealed the Broadcasting Standards Authority could soon be on the chopping block. Is New Zealand's fuel plan going to carry us through the crisis? And as one commentator suggests, is it time to bring back Helen Clark?

The Panel Plus

An extra half hour of The Panel with Wallace Chapman, where to begin, he's joined by Nights host Emile Donovan. Then: linguist Rory O'Sullivan teases out the topic of universal intonation.

The Panel with Andrew Clay and Lizzie Marvelly, Part 2

In part two, Retail NZ is calling for a crack down on black market cigarettes. Rohan Pike agrees - he's a former officer in the Australian Federal Police and the Border Force. He says the black market in Australia is huge and should be avoided here at all costs. Finally, cemeteries are a universal fascination, but they're rarely part of holiday plans. One person who strays from that norm is Panel listener Gianluca, who talks about his tomb travels.

The Panel with Andrew Clay and Lizzie Marvelly, Part 1

Tonight, on The Panel, Wallace Chapman is joined by panellists Andrew Clay and Lizzie Marvelly. First up, the bottleneck at the Strait of Hormuz isn't going anywhere, and it's threatening a global recession. Australian National University international law Professor Donald Rothwell joins with his analysis. Then, in an annual AUT survey, public trust in news has risen for the first time in six years. What's driving the increase? Associate Professor in Media Studies, Peter Thompson, shares his thoughts.