The Panel for Thursday 26 February 2026

The Pre-Panel for 26 February 2026

Wallace Chapman and producer José Barbosa preview tonight's instalment of The Panel.

Photo: RNZ / Jeff McEwan

The Panel with Nicky Pellegrino and Allan Blackman, Part 1  

Tonight, on The Panel, Wallace Chapman is joined by panellists Nicky Pellegrino and Allan Blackman.  

First up, Research Economist Professor Paul Dalziel says the latest child poverty statistics released today show our country is backsliding on any of the progress made since the Child Poverty Reduction Act was passed.

Then, Wellington mayor Andrew Little says he's looking at changes to bus lanes, specifically bus lanes that win the city mountains in infringement notices. Oliver Gazley from Gazley Motors gives the panel the benefit of his opinion on the apparently over zealous collection of fines.   

Photo: Greater Wellington Regional Council

The Panel with Nicky Pellegrino and Allan Blackman, Part 2  

In part two, Sharon Harvey, associate professor at AUT specialising in applied linguistics, says the recent move by some to make English an official language completely misses the point. 

Then, backyard gardens in Dunedin have collectively grown a "tsunami" of plums this summer. A local community fruit co-op has been inundated by an entire TONNE of them.   

80kgs of homegrown plums in six boxes, picked in Dunedin backyards. Photo: Ōtepoti Community Fruit Harvest

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: Dayna Easton, Research Associate at the College of Medicine & Public Health at Flinders University explains why it’s hard to sleep on the first night somewhere new.

Photo: Unsplash / Getty Images