Charlotte Cook leaning on a bench and smiling. Beside her is a stack of cookbooks and a bowl of tomatoes.

White text reads, "Grilled, with Charlotte Cook".

12m

The leaders of ACT, the Greens, Labour, and National face Midday Report’s Charlotte Cook, who grills them over policies, technique in the kitchen, and how they got into politics.

Produced by RNZ

4 episodes

Chris Hipkins

Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins discusses yoga, the impact of all the sausage rolls, and cost of living while boldly managing to bake a lasagne in 75 minutes.
Episode 1
12m

Marama Davidson & James Shaw

Green Party co-leaders Marama Davidson and James Shaw produce a pasta and salad combo. They boast about the benefits of Green policy and food while revealing what really annoys them about each other and the way they were drawn to politics.
Episode 2
11m

David Seymour

ACT leader David Seymour offers up his recipe for Aotearoa with a simple three-step chicken dish – but it might take a little longer to cook up than first thought.
Episode 3
12m

Christopher Luxon

To make an omelette, Christopher Luxon, the National Party leader, has to crack a few eggs. He reveals a small talent for rhythm, the secret to removing the squeezed middle, and salvages what could have been a more scrambled variety of breakfast.
Episode 4
13m

Trailers & bonus video

Trailer

The leaders of ACT, the Greens, Labour, and National face Midday Report’s Charlotte Cook, who grills them over policies, technique in the kitchen, and how they got into politics.
1m

More like this

  • Geoffrey Palmer

    Guyon Espiner talks to five former NZ Prime Ministers, starting with reforming lawmaker Sir Geoffrey Palmer, who became our 33rd PM in 1989.
    The 9th Floor/Episode 1
    60m

  • NZ's United Nations History

    As Winston Peters heads to the UN, Context looks back at how NZ has shaped the world stage — from Peter Fraser at its founding to peacekeepers in Korea and Timor, and a fiery clash with Israel.
    Context (New)/Season 1/Episode 5
    45m

  • Melissa Chan-Green | Til Death

    Content warning: discusses death and loss, and sexual assault. After his bride’s death just hours after their wedding, a devastated groom struggles to process his grief. Five years later, he turns to Melissa Chan-Green to tell his heart-wrenching story for the first time.
    re_covering/Season 5/Episode 8
    57m

  • Metiria Turei

    Did Metiria Turei mean to turn the 2017 election on its head? Earlier that year, the former Green Party co-leader made an admission that would upend their entire campaign.
    Matangireia/Season 1/Episode 1
    45m

  • What's going on with Te Pāti Māori?

    RNZ's latest Reid Research poll shows Te Pāti Māori's hold on the Māori seats could decide who forms the next government. We speak to Media Specialist Carmen Parahi and political commentator Shane Te Pou to discuss Te Pāti Māori's big win in Tāmaki, their controversial media ban, and an unapologetic MP's racially charged posts.
    MATA with Mihingarangi Forbes/Season 3/Episode 18
    28m

  • Chelsea Winstanley: Overcoming trauma and coming out on top

    Oscar-nominated film producer Chelsea Winstanley talks to Anika about overcoming trauma, taking risks, and coming out on top.
    It's Personal with Anika Moa/Season 1/Episode 1
    47m

  • Kenneth Roth

    Do Israel’s actions amount to genocide? Kenneth Roth has spent decades documenting human rights violations. He explains how genocide is defined—and whether it’s happening in Gaza. Plus, is Trump's power on the wane?
    30 with Guyon Espiner/Season 3/Episode 13
    32m

Video section home

Browse all
Piripi is wearing a shirt and a cap and looks into the camera smiling. He is leaning against the side of a vehicle. Text reads, "Oe, The Adventures of of Piripi Kaiwaru AKA Phillip! Narrated by his Mother" There is a small illustration of a truck under the text, as well as illustrations of deer horns and a kangaroo.
A group of people performing a haka outside amongst the trees. The person at the front is in focus and doing a pukana. Text reads, "NZ Wars: The Stories of Ruapekapeka".
An animated graphic of green trees and leaves in a forest, along with a red flower. The text in front reads "What Will I Be Today?"
Text reads, "House Talk" on a white brick wall background.
An adult person is holding a young child in their arms and hugging them. Text reads, "Blind Bitter Happiness".
The host, Mihingarangi Forbes, smiling at the camera. Text reads, "Mata".
A sand dune with the ocean behind it in a cove, everything shadowy and violet in the twilight. The text reads "Whitiki! Whītī! Whītī! E!"
An archival picture of a group of Pacific Islanders posing for a group picture. The text reads "Untold Pacific History"
Illustration of two women looking defiantly at the viewer. The background is yellow with illustrated yellow simple flowers. The text reads, "Conversations with my Immigrant Parents".
Alice Snedden looking into the camera and holding a megaphone up to her mouth in her left hand. In her right hand she holds up a stack of paper, on the first page is a simple drawing of the beehive with a text bubble that says, "No voting for you!!!". Text reads, "Alice Snedden's Bad News". Both the text and Alice Snedden are on a bright blue background.
Guyon Espiner on a black background, looking at camera with logo behind him
A bagpipe band stand in a field ready to perform. The text reads: "12,000 Miles from NZ to the Green."
A Little Blue Penguin sits in a rocky landscape. Text reads "Kororā, little blue penguin".
A coastal scene of a land mass with cliffs leading down to a beach and the ocean. Text reads, "My Cyclone Gabrielle, Four Filmmakers Four Views".
Troy Kingi wearing a traditional red poncho sits in the rocky Californian desert beneath a light blue sky. The text reads "Troy Kingi's Desert Hīkoi"
Eight seperate images edited into two rows of four, each showing different images of people and art. Text reads, "Marauders".
A sepia toned photograph laying on a table. The photograph is of a man looking over his shoulder at the camera, he is wearing headphones and sitting in from of a switch board. Text reads, "Coast Watchers Operation Pacific".
A background image made up of red orange and blue shapes. Text reads, "Shine One Katherine Mansfield" in the 'O' is a black and white photograph of Katherine Mansfield's face.
Dark purple background with text, "Art Stories in Aotearoa".
Three figures from different original images have been edited so that they're all standing next to each other and are of varying sizes. All three people are in the midst of performing. The background in a flat bright red colour. Text in the style of graffiti reads, "The Collective". A spray painted illustration of a crown appears above the 'e' in 'Collective'.
Woman looking into the camera, standing side on. She has a staunch expression and Is wearing a bright pink blouse. Text reads, "Breaking Silence". Text and woman stand against a dark, almost black background.
Text reads, "Treaty Talks Aotearoa, Hosted by Kara Rickard". Surrounding the text is an image of a version of the Coat of Arms, the 'Crown' figure is holding a Māori flag.
We see a coastline of New Zealand. On the right is the land; on the left is the ocean; above are clouds. Golden text in the middle reads: "STOLEN LANDS A HIGHLANDER'S QUEST."
Black text on a beige background, text reads "Fight for the Wild". Behind the text are three illustrations, one is of New Zealand the other is a disembodied head of a Tūī and the third is a fantail.