The Panel for Thursday 12 March 2026

The Panel with Marian Hobbs and David Farrar, Part 1  

Tonight, on The Panel, Wallace Chapman is joined by panellists Marian Hobbs and David Farrar.  

First up, a third of households in New Zealand have struggled with food insecurity in the last year. That's a finding from a new report that has shocked foodbanks and food rescue charities that commissioned it. The Panel talk to Debbie Wilson, manager of the Hamilton Combined Christian Food Bank. 

Then, the Panel considers the question: should New Zealand revive Parliament's Upper Chamber as a check on power? They are joined by barrister Graeme Edgeler to debate the pros and cons.  

Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi

The Panel with Marian Hobbs and David Farrar, Part 2  

In part two, the panel hears from Arash Alaeinia an Iranian New Zealander based in Rotorua about his fears for Iran and his friends and family. 

Then, social media users have been outraged after a video started circulating of people harassing seals in Kaikoura. A woman was seen lobbing clumps seaweed onto a seal who became increasingly agitated. DOC South Marlborough Operations Manager Stacey Wrenn joins the Panel to discuss why this was not a good idea.   

A leopard seal. Photo: Yuriy Rzhemovskiy / Unsplash

The Panel Plus  

An extra half hour of The Panel with Wallace Chapman, where to begin, he's joined by Nights host Emile Donovan.   Then: Louis Theroux's latest documentary is Inside the Manosphere, in which he showcases the individuals driving the culture. Wallace talks to Steven Roberts, Professor of Sociology, School of Social Sciences at Monash University about he documentary and what it tells us about the subculture.  

Louis Theroux in Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere. Photo: Pip/Netflix