Episodes

  • How many lives is that tax cut worth?

    How many lives is that tax cut worth?
    May 9 2024
    The Government has repealed various smokefree measures to ensure it keeps collecting $1.2 billion a year in tobacco taxes, in order to pay for tax cuts already being delivered to landlords. But an economic analysis done by Otago University's public health department has found keeping the smokefree measures would have been of benefit not only for public health, but also for the economy. The university's Professor Nick Wilson joins Bernard to discuss the fascinating figures resulting from that research. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    34 mins
  • Introducing Behind the Story: If you love a dog, you must also love disposing of its sh*t

    Introducing Behind the Story: If you love a dog, you must also love disposing of its sh*t
    May 3 2024
    The Spinoff has just launched a brand new series called Behind the Story, where site editor Madeleine Chapman sits down with a staff writer or contributor to gain more insight about a big story on The Spinoff from the week. We thought you might like to check out the first episode, and if you enjoy it please follow it wherever you get your podcasts! On Friday, Bulletin editor Anna Rawhiti-Connell sent her final newsletter, and took the opportunity to share what she’s learned about the news over two years of curating it for thousands of New Zealanders. Earlier in the week, she’d seen reports of Auckland dog owners discarding their pets’ turds on the ground after Auckland Council removed bins across the city. And so, the column “If you love a dog, you must also love disposing of its shit” was born. Anna joins Madeleine Chapman to talk about the power journalists have when framing a story and how to find the middle ground between boring and sensational. For The Spinoff editor’s thoughts on the week that was, as well as a handpicked collection of the week’s best reads, subscribe to The Weekend with Madeleine Chapman newsletter at thespinoff.co.nz/newsletters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    21 mins
  • The unreachable dream of the kiwi bach

    The unreachable dream of the kiwi bach
    May 2 2024
    Bernard Hickey talks with property academic Deborah Levy about her research into the changes in the way bach owners feel about their holiday homes. Where once the bach was the centrepiece of 'the kiwi dream’, a place for friends and families to gather, relax and create memories, they have now become a financialised asset to be added to the portfolio of the increasingly wealthy few. What's behind this change? What insights can this research give into the rest of our dysfunctional national property market? Listen in to find out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    33 mins
  • The meaning of digital cash

    The meaning of digital cash
    Apr 25 2024
    The Reserve Bank wants to know how the public feels about a potential new type of digital cash. This digital currency would be exchangeable one-for-one with ‘old’ forms of bank-issued electronic money and ye olde paper cash and metal coins, but would not outright replace the physical stuff. RBNZ’s Head of Money and Cash Ian Woolford joins Bernard to discuss what’s different with this new digital cash, what problems it could solve and how it might open up a whole new front in bank competition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    28 mins
  • The week the economic mood shifted

    The week the economic mood shifted
    Apr 18 2024
    Kiwibank chief economist Jarrod Kerr joins Bernard to discuss and dissect the trajectory of inflation and interest rates, both here in Aotearoa and around the globe. Inflation is stickier than expected and interest rates are likely to stay higher for longer, but what does that mean for the kiwi dollar? How do US Fed chair Jerome Powell's recent comments affect us? And what is going on with the price of gold? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    30 mins
  • Who is being hit hardest by inflation?

    Who is being hit hardest by inflation?
    Apr 11 2024
    Kiwibank economist Sabrina Delgado joins Bernard to discuss the ways inflation affects various groups in Aotearoa. From homeowners and renters to beneficiaries and pensioners, they explore how inflation impacts everyone differently, and reveal who is being hit hardest by the current spike. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    20 mins
  • When monopolies clash

    When monopolies clash
    Apr 4 2024
    Auckland Airport wants to put up its landing charges to help pay for a multibillion dollar revamp of its terminals. Its biggest customer, Air NZ, is complaining that the airport is over-charging. So who is right? What is fair? And what happens when two effective monopolies butt heads? Bernard Hickey talks to Auckland Airport CEO Carrie Hurihanganui about the dispute, how the Commerce Commission factors in, and what the airport is planning to mitigate its long-term impact on the changing climate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    39 mins
  • How do we get over the electrification tipping point?

    How do we get over the electrification tipping point?
    Mar 28 2024
    The evidence is clear: it's good for our pockets and for the planet, so what's stopping families and businesses from going electric? How do we address the electrification knowledge gap and other barriers that stand in the way of adopting cleaner, more affordable energy both as individuals and organisations? Bernard Hickey talks to Rewiring Aotearoa CEO Mike Casey about their recent report 'Electric Homes', and how NZ is one of the first countries to reach the "electrification tipping point". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    39 mins