Cameron Slater’s podcast recorded inside commercial Auckland studio

Video: The Good Oil Podcast recorded at PodLab studio in Auckland. The commercial production setup is owned by Jay-Jay Feeney and Dom Harvey. The programme features Cameron Slater’s political commentary platform. (File.)

Controversial blogger Cameron Slater is recording episodes of The Good Oil Podcast through a commercial production setup linked to PodLab, an Auckland-based studio business tied to established radio broadcasters.

The arrangement places Slater’s output inside a professional production environment.

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Image: PodLab is operating as a commercial podcast production company in Auckland, providing studio hire, multi-camera recording, live production, and post-production services for a range of clients, including professionally produced podcast content. (Supplied)

PodLab operates as a full-service podcast studio, providing recording facilities, production, and distribution services to a range of clients.

Industry pricing for comparable Auckland podcast studios shows professionally produced video podcasts can cost hundreds of dollars per hour to record, with full episodes often reaching well over $1,000 once editing and post-production are included.

That level of spend places The Good Oil Podcast within a commercial-grade media operation.

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Image: Jay-Jay Feeney and Dom Harvey, co-founders of PodLab. Both built long careers in commercial radio, including decades at The Edge, before moving into podcasting and launching PodLab in Auckland as a commercial studio venture. (Supplied / PodLab)

PodLab is co-founded by Jay-Jay Feeney and Dom Harvey, both prominent figures in the country’s commercial radio sector. Neither has publicly commented on individual clients or productions using the studio.

The involvement of established broadcasting figures highlights the overlap between traditional media operators and emerging podcast networks.

The production setup reflects the scale and backing of Slater’s current platform. His podcast is produced within that commercial framework

Image: Whale Oil was a highly influential and controversial New Zealand political blog run by blogger Cameron Slater from 2005 until it shut down in 2019. It began as a personal outlet but became known for its right-wing commentary, aggressive political posts and for publishing material linked to smear campaigns and attacks. (Supplied / thisquality / whaleoil.co.nz)

The Good Oil Podcast continues Slater’s publishing activity following years of legal battles and scrutiny. His Whale Oil site became central to the fallout from Dirty Politics, which detailed connections between bloggers and political figures.

Subsequent court proceedings found Slater liable in defamation cases tied to content published during that period.

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Previous thisquality reporting has examined Slater’s recent media activity.

Image: Cameron Slater sits down with Matt McCarten in a podcast episode. Screenshot from 'The Good Oil Podcast - Episode 22 - Matt McCarten' (YouTube / The Good Oil Podcast)

The Good Oil Podcast delivers political commentary and interviews across multiple platforms. Guests have included political commentators, activists, and public figures, with discussions often focused on government policy, media coverage, and issues aligned with conservative and anti-establishment viewpoints.

New episodes continue to be released, maintaining Slater’s presence in political media. He was approached for comment but did not address the questions raised, and a response later posted to X did not engage with the substance of the enquiry.

Image: PodLab operates as an independent commercial studio, providing production services without editorial involvement in the content created by its clients. (File.)

There are no allegations of wrongdoing against PodLab or its directors. The company operates as a commercial service provider within New Zealand’s podcast sector.

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A spokesperson for the company said it operates strictly as “a studio hire facility”, confirming that The Good Oil Podcast is among the clients using its space.

The company provides “studio hire and technical recording support” only and has “no editorial involvement whatsoever” in any content produced by clients.

They added that “what clients choose to say, record, or publish is entirely their own responsibility”, pointing to terms that require compliance with applicable laws and allow services to be terminated if those standards are breached.

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6 Comments

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Mike Rawiri

15 days ago

Have people forgot the defamation rulings and the damage done back in the Whale Oil days. Rebranding it as a podcast doesn’t wipe that history clean.

Tui

Reply to Mike Rawiri

Dirty politics wasnt that long ago and plenty remember it!!

History is history and Camerons record is pretty well establised by now. Thank you for posting.

Dean The Man

Bit of a strange look for any studio hosting him tbh.

Jane

20 days ago

Interesting seeing mainstream media figures connected to production around him.Whale Oil burned a lot of people…

Rachel T

Funny how some people keep getting polished platforms after everything that came out in Dirty Politics. A studio can rent space to anyone, sure, but Slater’s track record speaks for itself.

-1

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