National's housing spokesman Chris Bishop wants councils to zone enough land with enough pipes and roads to house 30 years worth of population growth, but not all through densification. In this week's episode of When The Facts Change, Bernard Hickey asks Bishop just how big he wants Aotearoa to be, and who will pay for all the extra infrastructure needed when that growth is on green fields. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 01, 2023•43 min
Aotearoa has been penny-wise and pound-foolish with its investments in maintaining and building public infrastructure and services. This week Bernard Hickey talks with wellbeing economist Katherine Trebeck about how the machinery of government, politicians and voters can think and plan differently to avoid that same pound-foolishness again Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 25, 2023•39 min
With the political and economic gravities pulling in various directions, the finance minister was tasked with providing support for the hardest hit by the cost-of-living crisis without heaping sugar in an already high-inflation sauce. And on top of that, it's an election year. To assess whether Grant Robertson managed to thread that needle, Gone By Lunchtime’s Toby Manhire sits down with When the Facts Change’s Bernard Hickey to discuss their Budget 2023 reactions. Learn more about your ad choic...
May 18, 2023•34 min
Most new homes in Aotearoa are still designed with bespoke elements and a multitude of building materials. It feels a lot like the early days of cars, when there were thousands of manufacturers with many more thousands of models of cars. Then along came Henry Ford and Toyota to standardise and mass produce cars, driving prices down and quality up. This week Bernard Hickey talks with Simplicity Living MD Shane Brealey about how to build the Toyota Corolla of homes at two thirds the cost of other ...
May 11, 2023•36 min
Buying a home with a partner you're romantically involved with has always been the norm, but what if you're not in a relationship or prefer to go solo? Bernard Hickey talks to Kiwibank's Philippa Scott and Pip Maxwell about their new Co-own mortgages, which allow flatmates, brothers, sisters, cousins, and groups of friends to save, borrow and own houses together in ways that fit around modern family structures. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 04, 2023•36 min
An IRD investigation into the wealth of New Zealand's richest 311 families found they paid an effective tax rate of just 9.5%, less than a third the 30% effective rate being paid by single PAYE-taxpaying renter on $80,000 a year. This week Bernard Hickey talks to the report’s commissioner, revenue minister David Parker, to break down what the report says and discuss the fairness New Zealand's current tax system. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 27, 2023•37 min
As companies struggle to replace staff of all skill levels, is there a group of potential workers being overlooked by employers because they don't fit the traditional mold? Bernard Hickey talks with Autism NZ CEO Dane Dougan about the benefits that come with hiring autistic people and what employers can do to make their workplace safer for autistic staff members. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 20, 2023•41 min
Aotearoa needs to double the size of its electricity industry over the next 30 years to meet our emissions reductions targets. We've done it before in 1945 to 1985 but can we do it again? With a myriad of privately and publicly owned companies waiting for market and regulatory signals, it seems unlikely. Bernard Hickey talks with electricity expert John Hancock about the prospects of doubling our power industry again and explains how we can get it done. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit me...
Apr 13, 2023•46 min
The surge in working from home looks here to stay, unleashing a whole new class of software tools for bosses to keep an eye on workers — and not always in a good way. Bernard Hickey talks to Multitudes.co founder and CEO Lauren Peate about the risks of employer surveillance, and how software can be made more ethical, more productive and less stressful. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 06, 2023•40 min
Since the devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle, insurers have begun rapidly repricing the land beneath homes for flood risk, which is creating a Wild West for home owners impatient to find out if their lands are going to continue to be insurable. Bernard Hickey talks to insurance and banking academic Dr. Michael Naylor from Massey University to explore what home owners can do to protect their housing insurance in a warming climate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 30, 2023•35 min
Chris Hipkins' dump of Ardern-era policy has potentially jeopardised a major part of the government's climate change response. Bernard Hickey talks to climate policy expert Christina Hood from Climate Compass to find out why this month’s Emissions Trading Scheme auction failed and how she feels cabinet have destroyed confidence in the market by accident. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 23, 2023•57 min
With Chris Hipkins transitioning into a new era of policy, what does that mean for the Green Party's agreement with Labour? Green MP Julie Anne Genter joins Bernard to discuss the Green Party's position on Labour's policy dump, who they're willing to go into government with, and her hopes for the upcoming election. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 20, 2023•47 min
Auckland mayor Wayne Brown has embarked on a money saving scheme to plug a $295 million "fiscal black hole" in the council's finances, but is it true? A Better Budget for Auckland's India Logan-Riley talks with Bernard Hickey about the flaws in Brown's logic and suggests an alternative to the mayor's belt tightening that doesn't involve slashing social services. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 16, 2023•37 min
Is the environment changing faster than we can adapt to? The emissions trading scheme incentivised livestock farmers to rid their land of animals in favour of converting it for pine forestry. However, the silt and leftover slash used to make those forests are the same things that wrecked havoc on horticultural lands during Cyclone Gabrielle. Alison Dewes and John Burke are two farmers who feel they've adopted a much better, and more sustainable farming practice - converting some of their grass p...
Mar 09, 2023•43 min
Who is really winning from skyrocketing inflation? National Party finance spokesperson Nicola Willis went head to head with Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr this week, blaming him and the government for being an active contributor to inflation by printing mass amounts of money during the COVID response. However, another factor may be to blame - corporate price gouging. Bernard Hickey explores how widening company profit margins may be the real reason behind the countries inflation issues. Learn ...
Mar 02, 2023•34 min
Amongst the tragedy of Aotearoa's recent climate disasters is an opportunity to enact lasting legislation to prevent it happening again. Climate policy academic David Hall is tasked with finding the economically and politically sensible ways that we can adapt to the climate crisis. He talks with Bernard Hickey about gnarly politicking and the changes we need to make to avoid environmental disaster. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 23, 2023•48 min
The effects of climate change are beginning to pool at the feet of New Zealand's coastal home owners. Climate Sigma managing director Belinda Storey says most beachfront properties will either need to be moved or demolished in the next 30 years. She and Bernard discuss the morally hazardous world of climate finance, the future cost of repairing mega-mansions, and how the taxpayer can avoid footing the full bill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 16, 2023•44 min
A replacement to the Resource Management Act of 1991 is currently going through the motions of parliament with hopes to create more resource and eco friendly industries in Aotearoa. However, Irrigation NZ CEO Vanessa Winning is worried the new version of the RMA could create perverse and unintended consequences. Bernards talks to her about how the government's good intentions could negatively impact our produce production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 09, 2023•47 min
How does Aotearoa stop relying so heavily on agriculture to prop up our economy? Online tax and accounting service Hnry just raised $35m to grow its software on-demand service across the globe. Bernard Hickey talks with AirTree partner Jackie Vullinghs about how venture capitalists are funding Aotearoa’s fastest growing, least-polluting and highest-wage export growth sector. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 02, 2023•33 min
Parts of the nation's capital have turned into a wasteland of red stickers, and 'for lease' signs. WellingtonNZ CEO John Allen has been given the challenge of breathing new life into the city's economy, businesses, and image. He talks to Bernard about housing and hotel shortages, sewerage on the streets, a movie industry on the brink of collapse, and all the other challenges facing Te Whanganui-a-Tara in the coming decade. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 26, 2023•44 min
Wellington has a new mayor determined to shake things up. At the beginning of the year, Tory Whanau was a mayoral candidate pitching her ambitious vision for the future of Wellington city. Now, she sits in the top spot and is tasked with turning that vision into a reality. She talks with Bernard, exactly one year on from when they last spoke on the podcast, to discuss economics, housing, and who she would be nervous about becoming the next transport minister. Learn more about your ad choices. Vi...
Jan 19, 2023•32 min
In a three-episode miniseries over summer Bernard breaks down the quotes from 2022 that changed everything... This episode, Elon Musk confidently strides into Twitter HQ to claim his new seat as CEO holding... A sink? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 12, 2023•10 min
In a three-episode miniseries over summer Bernard breaks down the quotes from 2022 that changed everything... This episode, Jacinda Ardern blames a "wicked perfect storm" for the cost of living crisis that swept over the entire country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 05, 2023•9 min
In a three-episode miniseries over summer Bernard breaks down the quotes from 2022 that changed everything... This episode, Adrian Orr tells New Zealanders to "cool their jets", signalling a dark storm cloud set to loom over the economy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 29, 2022•7 min
Well that took a turn, didn't it? With a war in Ukraine, supply chain mayhem and a deadly disease tearing through the workforce, this year was one for the history books. Bernard is joined by Kiwibank chief economist Jarrod Kerr to discuss the previous year, increasing interest rates and what it all means for 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 22, 2022•30 min
Why is it that women still earn less than men across many industries in New Zealand? Economist Isabelle Sim is using groundbreaking research to uncover why the stubbornly high pay gap really exists. She talks with Bernard about how other countries achieve pay equity, working mums, and why transparency is the best way forward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 15, 2022•46 min
The Treasury has just published a government mandated report on the overall wellbeing of our country. Typically, a country's success would be measured by GDP, employment rates, and net debt, but this report aims to redefine how New Zealand measures growth. Tim Ng from the Treasury talks with Bernard about how this shifting of the goalposts might affect the future of political investment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 08, 2022•53 min
We hear a lot about young people struggling with housing affordability, but much less is spoken of how the housing crisis will impact pensioners. A new report shows we're at serious risk of doubling the number of retirees facing rent and mortgage stress by 2048. While the debate around who should get NZ Superannuation and how much they should get has been mostly frozen in time since the late 1990s, the current landscape means the debate has now changed. Retirement Commissioner Jane Wrightson joi...
Dec 01, 2022•39 min
While billionaires build their bunkers in Queenstown, Julie Scott, CEO of the Community Housing Trust is building affordable homes with profits made by new suburb developers. She tells Bernard all about how inclusionary rezoning can be used to make the rapidly expanding region affordable for locals again Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 24, 2022•35 min
Methane and nitrous oxide produced by cows and sheep remain the biggest barrier to Aotearoa meeting its emissions reduction goal. Science writer Melanie Newfield talks with Bernard to break down The Government's recent policy announcement and discuss why gassy livestock is so crucial to the country's climate solution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 17, 2022•37 min
