Family Matters

Family Matters is our in-depth video series where we explore the issues that really matter for kiwi families – parenting, free-speech, marriage, drugs, gender and many more topical issues.

Family Matters - Roger Partridge on who makes the law in New Zealand

Family Matters: Roger Partridge on who makes the law in New Zealand

Roger Partridge from the think tank, the New Zealand Initiative, shares his latest research report - 'Who Makes the Law? Reining in the Supreme Court'. ...
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Family Matters - The Reality of Euthanasia in Canada

Family Matters: The Reality of Euthanasia in Canada

Canada's embrace of euthanasia is a warning to the likes of New Zealand. Family First's Simon O'Connor talks with Rebecca Vachon from Cardus - a ...
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Family Matters - Paivi Rasanen on religious freedom

FAMILY MATTERS: Paivi Rasanen on religious freedom

An extraordinary interview with a Finnish MP who is being taken to court for simply quoting the Bible. Family First's Simon O'Connor talks with Paivi ...
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FAMILY MATTERS- Andrea Mrozek on Marriage and Family

FAMILY MATTERS: Andrea Mrozek on Marriage and Family

Andrea Mrozek is a Senior Fellow at Cardus, an independent think thank in Canada. She studies the importance of family and marriage, and argues that ...
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Family Matters - John Anderson on where the West is going copy

FAMILY MATTERS: John Anderson on where the West is going

Former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia - Hon. John Anderson AO FTSE - joins Simon to discuss why the West has lost confidence in itself, ...
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FAMILY MATTERS - Katy Faust talks surrogacy and childrenS rights

FAMILY MATTERS: Katy Faust talks surrogacy and children’s rights

Surrogacy is returning as an issue here in New Zealand, with Parliament considering new legislation. Simon O'Connor from Family First talks with Katy Faust, the ...
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Brendan Malone on technocracy and the rising managerial class

FAMILY MATTERS: Brendan Malone on technocracy and the rising managerial class

Family First’s Simon O’Connor chats with cultural commentator, Brendan Malone, about the rise of 'technocracy' and the 'managerial class' here in New Zealand and around ...
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UK Doctor - Dermot Kearney - talks abortion reversal pills - PART TWO

FAMILY MATTERS: UK Doctor talks abortion reversal pills – PART TWO

Dr Dermot Kearney is a consultant cardiologist and general physician in the United Kingdom. He was recently investigated by their medical council for having prescribed ...
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FAMILY MATTERS - UK Doctor Dermot Kearney talks abortion reversal pills - PART1

FAMILY MATTERS – UK Doctor talks abortion reversal pills – PART ONE

Dr Dermot Kearney is a consultant cardiologist and general physician in the United Kingdom. He was recently investigated by their medical council for having prescribed ...
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Marriage Week with Wynand Jacobs

FAMILY MATTERS: Marriage Week with Wynand Jacobs

It's Marriage Week, so Simon O'Connor from Family First sits down again with Wynand Jacobs of Family Life NZ to talk about the resources and ...
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FAMILY MATTERS- Alisa Childers

FAMILY MATTERS: Alisa Childers – Deconstruction, Donald, Democrats & Demise

Alisa Childers is a wife, mum, author, podcaster, blogger, and speaker. She was a member of the award-winning CCM recording group ZOEgirl. She is currently ...
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FAMILY MATTERS- Concerns for Christians - Tim Dieppe

FAMILY MATTERS: Concerns for Christians – Tim Dieppe

Simon O’Connor from Family First talks with Tim Dieppe, the Head of Public Policy for Christian Concern – a United Kingdom based advocacy group. They ...
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FAMILY MATTERS- Embracing the untouchables

FAMILY MATTERS: Embracing the ‘untouchables’

Imagine being seen as so low, that as a human being you are treated worse than animals. This is the case of the ‘untouchables’ or ...
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FAMILY MATTERS- The ethics of euthanasia - Dr John Kleinsman

FAMILY MATTERS: The ethics of euthanasia – Dr John Kleinsman

Family First’s Simon O’Connor chats with Dr John Kleinsman, the Director of the Catholic Church’s ‘Nathaniel’ Centre of Bioethics. They discuss the key ethical objections ...
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FAMILY MATTERS- Protecting your conscience and freedoms

FAMILY MATTERS: Protecting your conscience and freedoms

As conscience rights come under increasing challenge in New Zealand, a new organisation – the Ethos Alliance – has formed. Family First’s Simon O’Connor sits ...
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FAMILY MATTERS- The Dutch Experience of Euthanasia - Professor Theo Boer

FAMILY MATTERS: The Dutch Experience of Euthanasia – Professor Theo Boer

Professor Theo Boer is a Professor of Health Care Ethics at the Protestant Theological University in Groningen; Member of the Dutch Health Council; and a ...
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FAMILY MATTERS- Sam Garaway - Christians Against Poverty (CAP)

FAMILY MATTERS: Sam Garaway from Christians Against Poverty (CAP)

Thousands of New Zealanders have been helped out of debt and financial trouble by Christians Against Poverty (CAP). Simon O’Connor from Family First talks with ...
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FAMILY MATTERS - Conservatism in the modern world

FAMILY MATTERS: Conservatism in the modern world

Family First’s Simon O’Connor chats with cultural commentator Brendan Malone about why conservatism is a valuable philosophy for modern times. They discuss what conservatism actually ...
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Protect families and vulnerable people from prostitution

FAMILY MATTERS: Protect families and vulnerable people from prostitution.

Family First's Bob McCoskrie made an oral submission against the Queenstown Lakes District Council’s (draft) Brothel Control Bylaw this morning. The prostitution law has failed ...
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FAMILY MATTERS - We should keep the Easter culture

FAMILY MATTERS: We should keep the Easter culture

There is yet another attempt to liberalise our Easter trading laws and the 1st Reading of the bill will likely happen next month (July). Family ...
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FAMILY MATTERS with Dr Joanna Howe

FAMILY MATTERS with Parent, Professor, Pro-Lifer Dr Joanna Howe

Family First’s Simon O’Çonnor speaks with prominent pro-lifer, Dr Joanna Howe, from Australia. Dr Howe has a Doctorate of Law from Oxford University, is a ...
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FAMILY MATTERS - Bridging the education gap

FAMILY MATTERS: Bridging the education gap

Family First's Simon O'Connor sits down and chats with Mark Bridges (yes - his brother in law!) about education in New Zealand. Mark is a ...
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FAMILY MATTERS - Tickle v Giggle is a serious case

FAMILY MATTERS: Tickle v Giggle (a serious case!)

Family First's Simon O'Connor talks to Sall Grover, the Australian founder of an independent female-only social media, networking platform, and app called ‘Giggle’. Sall shares ...
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FAMILY MATTERS - Happy adult human female day

FAMILY MATTERS: Happy adult human female day (2024)

As we prepare to celebrate Mothers Day, the role and definition of “mother” is under attack in our culture. Our latest episode of FAMILY MATTERS ...
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The government will reinstate the Three Strikes Law

FAMILY MATTERS: The ‘Three Strikes Law’ will protect families

The coalition government have announced that they’re going to reinstate the Three Strikes Law – the law that gives clear consequences for repeat violent offenders. ...
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FAMILY MATTERS - The teen mental illness epidemic is international

FAMILY MATTERS: The teen mental illness epidemic is international

It is no secret that the mental health of teenagers and even younger children in New Zealand is deteriorating. The rates of suicide for young ...
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FAMILY MATTERS- Child psychiatrist Dr Jillian Spencer challenges gender ideology

FAMILY MATTERS: Child psychiatrist Dr Jillian Spencer challenges gender ideology

Dr Jillian Spencer is an expert in her field, with over 20 years of experience as a medical practitioner and 10 as a specialist psychiatrist. ...
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FAMILY MATTERS - Do two parents matter more than ever

FAMILY MATTERS: Do two parents matter more than ever?

Brad Wilcox is Professor of Sociology, Director of the National Marriage Project and is a Fellow at the Institute for Family Studies. The Institute has ...
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FAMILY MATTERS: Raising conservative kids in a woke city

FAMILY MATTERS: Raising conservative kids in a woke city

There's a new book entitled "Raising Conservative Kids in a Woke City: Teaching Historical, Economic, and Biological Truth in a World of Lies." We speak ...
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FAMILY MATTERS - Explaining the wasted vote

FAMILY MATTERS: Explaining the “wasted vote” – Is it really wasted?

It’s General Election time - and because we operate under an MMP mixed member proportional voting system, the concept of the “wasted vote” always comes ...
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Fathers Matter

Why Fathers matter, on Father’s Day and year round

It's Father's Day this Sunday. Fathers matter, on Father's Day and year round. Here's a special message for Father's Day (previously released in 2021) - a short message ...
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FAMILY MATTERS - Anti-life is so popular

FAMILY MATTERS: Why is “anti-life” so popular in our culture at the moment?

What do abortion, euthanasia, transgenderism, toxic masculinity and ‘saving the planet’ all have in common? They are often labelled as ‘pro-choice’, but in fact, they ...
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Saving Children from Trans Ideology

FAMILY MATTERS: Saving Children from Trans Ideology – A Mum’s Story

California mum, lawyer, a self-confessed “liberal-lefty” and long-time Democrat voter Erin Friday is a leader of the parent advocacy group "Our Duty"
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hate speech laws

FAMILY MATTERS: The Government’s first step of controversial ‘hate speech’ laws

'Hate-speech' laws continue to be proposed by the Government under the pretence of ‘the public good’. But beneath the shiny veneer of good intentions lies ...
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family matters hate speech

FAMILY MATTERS: Hate speech laws intersect with ‘progressive’ Christianity

The government is struggling to define exactly what 'hate speech' is. In this episode of Family Matters, Samuel Bilton argues that our government is happy ...
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franklin graham interview

FAMILY MATTERS: A chat with Rev. Franklin Graham

We had 15 minutes with Rev Franklin Graham just before he preached to a packed stadium in Auckland. We discuss many topics, incl. ‘cancel’ culture, ...
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family matters truth biology

FAMILY MATTERS: Does the heart beat? Does truth exist? And other tricky questions…

How can we engage with the culture today on sensitive and emotionally charged topics such as abortion and transgenderism if something as fundamental as biological ...
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family matters transgender social contagion

FAMILY MATTERS: Is transgenderism contagious for young people?

In the previous episode, Family First’s Samuel Bilton investigated whether young people should be given the chance before their 18th birthday to attempt to change ...
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reducing youth crime

FAMILY MATTERS: Solving the crime wave begins at home

Tune into New Zealand’s news channels, and you’ll be confronted with images and stories of youth offending involving ram raids, burglaries, violent attacks, and sexual ...
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family matters tattoos puberty blockers

FAMILY MATTERS: Tattoos, puberty blockers & other permanent decisions

Family First’s Samuel Bilton investigates whether young people should be given the chance before their 18th birthday to attempt to change their sex, and permanently ...
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family matters harms of porn

FAMILY MATTERS: Effective conversations about the harms of porn

In 2017, the Ministry of Health acknowledged that “the content of pornography has changed significantly over the last 20 years and has become more extreme, ...
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family matters fatherless

FAMILY MATTERS: The importance of fathers

Samuel Bilton discusses the social effect of fatherlessness – both in families, but also displayed in the animal kingdom. Samuel questions why we don’t hear ...
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Family Matters Surrogacy

FAMILY MATTERS: Surrogacy – whose rights come first?

UK ethicist Gary Powell has been a gay rights activist for over forty years, and has been campaigning against surrogacy since 2014. He argues that ...
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media bias

FAMILY MATTERS: Media shows significant bias in abortion discussion

Clara was the result of a teen pregnancy outside of wedlock. She is very thankful her mother chose life – her life. But as she ...
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Family Matters consequences of vaccine policies

FAMILY MATTERS: Were there unintended consequences of vaccine policies?

  Vaccine mandates, vaccine passports, lockdowns and the “no jab no job” policy for COVID have significantly affected New Zealanders both positively and negatively – ...
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