The Hard Stuff With Nigel Latta - What Do Our Politicians Actually Do?

In this episode of The Hard Stuff, presenter Nigel Latta takes a peak behind the curtain of the Beehive in Wellington. Here, he looks at the lives of politicians — the pay, the perks and the scrutiny from the public. Latta talks with MPs, the Speaker of the House and political scientist Dr Bryce Edwards to make sense of the "special subset of society" that runs Aotearoa. Juggling the workload, the cutthroat debating chamber and the complexities of gotcha journalism, Latta wonders if politicians enter the lion's den to serve the public, or because they have a desire for power. Latta also discovers that he suits a horsehair wig. 

Politicians...I mean, they're disliked because they do a lot of crappy things. They do a lot of things that we disagree with, and...they are the targets of our anger.

– Political scientist Bryce Edwards is asked why people have a low opinion of politicians, at the start of this episode

Key Cast & Crew

Nigel Latta

Presenter

Bevan Crothers

Cinematographer

Mark McNeill

Executive Producer

Arwen O'Connor

Producer

Cameron Bennett

Director

Patrick Gower

Subject