Episode 108 gets into race in education, free speech, politics, Covid data, public sector pay and a whole lot more.

Quill Thomas joins us first to talk about what he says he saw at school and university around ethnicity based scholarships, accommodation and opportunities. We get into whether targeted support creates equity or division, whether socioeconomic need would be a better way to do it and where the line sits between helping people who are genuinely disadvantaged and treating people differently because of race.

Then Conservative Party NZ leader Helen Houghton is back. Helen talks about the recent settlement and public apology following her inclusion in the “Women and the Alt Right” chapter of Byron Clark’s book, why she challenged it and why she sees the outcome as important for her reputation and free speech. The published settlement was an apology and did not amount to a court judgment finding defamation.

We also get into Helen’s own past, mistakes she’s made, accountability, rehabilitation, crime, punishment and whether someone’s worst chapter should define the rest of their life.

Then Barry Young joins us. The former Health NZ database administrator describes himself as a whistleblower after releasing Covid vaccination data and is now standing for the NZ Outdoors & Freedom Party in the 2026 election. We question him on what he believed the data showed, correlation versus causation, privacy, the legal case around the release, whistleblower protections and why he now wants to take the fight into Parliament. The party is currently registered with the Electoral Commission.

And Joe Hotai jumps in with a simple idea that definitely gets the conversation going… should every public servant, right up to the Prime Minister, be capped at $100,000 a year?

Race, equality, free speech, redemption, Covid, whistleblowing, political accountability and taxpayer money.

Another proper Shubz Says So.