Winston Peters has seen just about every economic cycle New Zealand’s thrown up, but this conversation digs far deeper than politics. We start with his childhood in Northland, where his parents began married life in a tent before upgrading to a tiny mining hut. Growing up in a family of eleven meant learning what poverty looked, felt and tasted like, and Winston says those early lessons on saving and sacrifice have never left him.

He talks openly about hard work too. Before politics, he was milking cows before school, tunnelling through rock in the Snowy Mountains, and working blast furnaces in Newcastle. Those years shaped his frustration with modern debates about “rights” without responsibility, especially when it comes to home ownership and building wealth.

We get into the squeeze facing young Kiwi families, with mortgages swallowing more than half their income and wages falling behind. Winston argues the answer isn’t crashing house prices, but lifting incomes and backing businesses that actually create value. He also makes the case for stronger national savings and a KiwiSaver system that genuinely prepares people for retirement.

Whether you agree with him or not, Winston brings clarity, confidence and a surprising amount of heart. This episode is a reminder that money isn’t just numbers – it’s upbringing, choices, and the country we want to build next.