The Panel

OUR PANELLISTS

 

Penny Ashton - comedian, actor and marriage celebrant

Alan McElroy - professional stand-up comedian, MC, actor and writer hailing from Dublin

Cindy Mitchener - former TV executive, now runs a recruitment company

Leonie Freeman - Chief Executive of the  Property Council New Zealand

Peter Elliott - actor and presenter

Simon Wilson - senior writer at the NZ Herald

Rodney Hide - former Act Party leader

James Nokise - comedian and playwright

Lizzie Marvelly - singer/songwriter, editor of Villainesse, columnist

Miriama Aoake - writer, student and critic

Verity Johnson - commentator and columnist

Chester Borrows - former National Party MP and Head of the Safe and Effective Justice Advisory Group

Richard Langston - Journalist, currently with Country Calendar

Chris Clarke - former World Vision CEO, now Executive Director of Global Local

Mike Rehu - Sports and Media Commentator

Peter Vial - New Zealand Country Head at Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand

Jennie Moreton - financial advisor with Craigs Investment Partners in Christchurch

Michelle Boag - former National Party president, Public Relations specialist

Mike Williams - former Labour Party president, company director and CEO of the Howard League for penal reform

Neil Miller - beer writer and former political speechwriter and former researcher for the National party

Allan Blackman - Professor of chemistry at AUT

Clare de Lore - Listener columnist and former political reporter and chairman of the Press Gallery

Chris Wikaira - Director at Busby Ramshaw Grice specialist in Māori communication, media and political advice and analysis.

Lavina Good - Sky Sports commentator

Simon Pound - Ingrid Starnes co-founder and business podcaster and consultant

Michele A'Court - comedian, actor, presenter and writer

Gary McCormick - poet, radio presenter

Garry Moore - Former Christchurch Mayor and South Island enthusiast

Peter Fa'afiu - Management consultant, former New Zealand diplomat and trade negotiator

Ali Jones - member of the Papanui Innes community board in Christchurch, Public Relations specialist

Catherine Robertson - best selling author

Dame Diane Robertson - Former Auckland City Missioner

Jo McCarroll - editor of NZ Gardener magazine

Ganesh Nana - Economist and director at BERL

Kevin Milne - Journalist and former Fair Go presenter

David Farrar - Pollster for the National party, editor of Kiwblog. You can read his disclosure statement here

Nadine Higgins - journalist and columnist

Matt Nippert - investigative journalist

Beck Eleven - Christchurch columnist, unashamed cat lady and a researcher for new kids' TV show, Fanimals

Andrew Clay - comedian and writer

Dr Claire Matthews - banking expert and director of academic programmes at Massey University

Damian Christie - journalist and director of Aotearoa Science Agency

Alexia Russell - freelance journalist

Jock Anderson - former NBR editor and columnist

Scott Campbell - director of Campbell Squared public relations company in Tauranga and former political reporter for TV3

Tim Watkin -  founder of the political blog site, Pundit. Executive Producer of Podcasts & Series at RNZ

Professor Chris Gallavin - Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor at Massey University's College of Humanities & Social Sciences.  Poet and social commentator

Niki Bezzant - food and nutrition writer and speaker

Julia Hartley Moore - Private Investigator with Arbeth & Co, author

Max Ritchie - former Executive Director of the Neurological Foundation

Guy Williams - Comedian, columnist, television and radio host.

Amanda Millar - Journalist and documentarian

Raybon Kan - Comedian and columnist

Joe Bennett - writer and humorist 

Paula Penfold - investigative journalist at Stuff Circuit 

Victoria Stewart - partner and CEO of technology law firm, Simmonds Stewart

Jeremy Hansen - Journalist and architecture writer

Claire Robinson - Professor of Communication Design at Massey University

Jonathan Krebs - Civil and Criminal Barrister

Lynda Hallinan -  Former editor of NZ Gardener magazine, author and gardening columnist

Stephen Franks - public and commercial lawyer with Franks Ogilvie. Former chairman and Partner of Chapmann Tripp, former ACT Party MP

Nevil Gibson - NBR's Editor at Large

Dr Ella Henry - AUT senior lecturer in Māori Media, Co-operative Education, Māori Business

Mai Chen - Managing partner of Chen Palmer, specialist public law firm

Michael Moynahan - Chair of Creative New Zealand, the Chair of the Beach Heads Advisory panel for NZ Trade and Enterprise and former CEO of Harper Collins.

Bernard Hickey - economic journalist and managing editor of Newsroom Pro

Peter Dunne - Former cabinet minister and former leader of United Future.

Dellwyn Stuart - CEO of the Auckland Communities Foundation.

Alexia Russell - Freelance journalist 

Ian Telfer - Journalist,  former RNZ Dunedin reporter, stay home Dad.

Martin Cocker - CEO of Netsafe New Zealand 

Duane Major - Youth pastor and Awaroa beach campaigner 

Sally Wenley - freelance journalist

Heather Roy - business consultant and former ACT party MP

Selwyn Manning - founder of the Evening Report and Multimedia Investments Ltd 

David Slack - Writer and broadcaster 

Lisa Scott - Author and columnist

Andrew Hoggard - Federated Farmers National Vice President

Thomas Pyror - Associate Director at Sherson Willis

Mihingarangi Forbes -  journalist for The Hui

Mark Knoff-Thomas - Chief Executive Newmarket Business Association

Fete Taito - former gang member, former prison inmate, recent BA graduate UoA (dbl major) Sociology/Māori.

Nicky Pellegrino - Novelist and former Editor of the New Zealand Woman's Weekly

Martin Cocker - CEO of Netsafe

Ruth Money - Victim Advocate

Chris Gallavin - Massey University Pro Vice Chancellor

Victoria Stewart - founding partner of Simmonds Stewart

Rebekah White - Editor of NZ Geographic

Dr Karlo Mila - Pasifika writer, poet, researcher, mother and Programme Director of the Mana Moana Experience

Cas Carter - Communications consultant

Rajorshi Chakraborti - Indian-born novelist, essayist and short story writer now residing in Wellington

Andrew Frame - Napier based columnist

Jacqueline Nairn - actor and director

Emma Espiner - social commentator and medical student

Jerome Chandrahasen MC, actor and comedian 

Sanjay Kumarasingham - chair of Committee for Auckland's Growth Leadership panel and environmental engineer 

Julia Whaipooti - Member of the Independent Justice Advisory Group, Board Member and Spokesperson for JustSpeak and Senior Advisor at the Office of the children's commissioner.

Alan McElroy - comedian, actor and writer 

Jordan Carter - Chief Executive of Internet NZ and former Labour party candidate for Parliament.

James Elliott - lawyer and writer

Peter McKenzie - Co-founder of Active Citizenship Aotearoa

Susan Hornsby-Geluk - lawyer at Dundas Street employment lawyers

Anton Matthews - Christchurch restaurateur who runs Te Reo classes

Russell Brown - Journalist and owner of the Public Address

Sue Bradford - activist and former Green MP

Golnaz Bassam-Tabar - former journalist and founder of Authority PR

Mamari Stephens - Māori law academic 

Maryan Street - former Labour MP  

David Cormack - Managing Partner at The Draper Cormack Group, columnist for the NZ Herald and former comms manager for the Green Party

Kathryn Burnett - screenwriter, playwright and writing coach.

Ruwani Perera - journalist for the Hui

Mark Sainsbury - broadcaster, former political editor, MC and writer

Janet Wilson - journalist and co-founder of media training organisation Deadline Ltd

Bill Ralston - broadcaster, former political journalist and and co-founder of media training organisation Deadline Ltd 

Tayyaba Khan - founder of the Khadija Leadership Network

Conor English - Chairman Agribusiness New Zealand and former CEO of Federated Farmers

Ben Thomas - PR specialist and former parliamentary staffer

Chris Orr - Blind and Low Vision NZ

Tracey Barnett - Journalist and commentator

Sue Kedgley - former Green Party MP, Board member for Consumer NZ and Capital, Coast District Health Board

Chris Finlayson - former Attorney General and National party Minister

Laila Harré - former minister and trade unionist

Nick Leggett - former Mayor of Porirua and CEO of Road Transport Forum