Episode 1: A Decent Society
In 1990, Jim Bolger leads National to a landslide victory under the “decent society” banner. But within hours, the hangover hits: the BNZ is on the brink, and the books are in a mess. Ruth Richardson wastes no time as finance minister in making the most of crisis mode.
11 Nov 2025
More about the episode
After the breakneck reforms of the 80s, Jim Bolger’s promise of a calmer, more inclusive New Zealand hits the spot. Emerging from the shadow of Muldoon and shaking off the nuclear baggage, Bolger leads the National Party to a landslide victory under the “decent society” banner. But even before the celebrations are done, the hangover hits: the state-owned BNZ is on the brink, and the government books are in a parlous state. Ruth Richardson wastes no time as finance minister in making the most of crisis mode, and within weeks is driving through some of the most dramatic social, economic and labour reforms New Zealand has ever seen.
Picking up where the award-winning first season of Juggernaut left off, this first episode includes new and exclusive interviews with Jim Bolger, Ruth Richardson, Jenny Shipley, Don McKinnon, Bill Birch, Michael Wall, Rob Eaddy, Michael Laws and more.
Click here for full details of archive material used in this series
Juggernaut 2 was made with the support of NZ On Air.
