
Campaign Cash, Data Centers and New Zealand’s Energy Crunch
Trent Loos welcomes Damian Buckley from New Zealand for a revealing look at politics, power, and money on both sides of the globe. They compare campaign spending, with U.S. midterm elections expected to cost $12 billion while New Zealand enforces far stricter limits. Trent questions who funds American campaigns and why state lawmakers return from free trips to Israel backing AI data centers despite public opposition. Ahead of New Zealand’s Saturday election, the conversation turns to paper pulp mill closures, new data center construction, and growing energy shortages threatening Fonterra’s dairy plants, plus a surprising look at rising electricity costs.







