When the Facts Change

When the Facts Change, Hosted by journalist Bernard Hickey, When the Facts Change is your essential weekly guide to the intersection of economics, business and politics in Aotearoa New Zealand. Presented by The Spinoff. When the Facts Change is currently on hiatus and is open for sponsorship. For more details, contact bec@thespinoff.co.nz

Last refreshed: January 3rd, 2026 at 4:41 AM ⓘ

Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.

Follow on

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

RSS

Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app

Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

Budget 2021: Reversing the mother of all budgets

This week’s episode is coming to you from parliament, where Bernard Hickey has been up to his elbows in the budget just released by finance minister Grant Robertson. This year’s budget is a big one – it’s the first one after Covid, and with a parliamentary majority, a very popular prime minister at the helm, a strong economy and low public debt, it was a huge opportunity for the government to do some things… so what did they do? Bernard shares his impressions of Budget 2021, then speaks to Kate ...

May 20, 2021•35 min

What have we got to lose by standing up to China?

New Zealand has made international headlines in recent weeks for deciding to take the word “genocide” out of a parliamentary motion criticising China for its treatment of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang province. Basically, we were afraid it would hurt our trade relationship. In this episode, Bernard Hickey wants to change our minds on how New Zealand deals with China, and explain why we should follow Australia's lead and stop worrying so much about trade and start standing up for our views on human rig...

May 13, 2021•48 min

Bonus episode: Sustainability with Kiwibank's Julia Jackson

The Spinoff business editor Michael Andrew is joined by Kiwibank sustainability lead Julia Jackson to talk about the evolving concept of sustainability, its growing influence on businesses and how New Zealanders can better integrate it into their lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 10, 2021•30 min

The value of investing in health and happiness

How does a government work out the best way to spend money to maximise not just GDP but the long-term health and happiness of its population? This is something our government is trying to do, or says it’s trying to do – but when it comes to the wellbeing side of the equation, is it doing a good enough job? In this episode, Bernard Hickey talks to Girol Karacaoglu, head of the school of government at Victoria University and one of the architects of the way New Zealand analyses happiness. He then ...

May 06, 2021•48 min

What will the Reserve Bank’s decisions mean for house prices?

Imagine if the value of your house doubled overnight. Could that actually happen? In this week’s episode, Bernard Hickey explains how it could – and how the Reserve Bank and government are doing things in the next couple of weeks to make sure it doesn’t. To find out more about how banks, lending and the housing market all operate, Bernard talks to Carmen Vicelich, CEO of Valocity Global. She knows exactly how banks decide who to lend to, when to lend to them and how much the property under the l...

Apr 29, 2021•45 min

New Zealand’s temporary migration scandal

A new report on temporary migration in New Zealand suggests the current settings are letting down migrants and contributing to a low wage, low productivity and low wellbeing society. To find out more, in this episode Bernard talks to Julie Fry, the economist who wrote the report, and asks Anu Kaloti from the Migrant Workers’ Association about the scale of temporary migrant exploitation in New Zealand and what needs to change. Because right now, we’re not exactly living up to our image as a kind ...

Apr 22, 2021•44 min

The real fight for climate and housing action is at council level

You may think the big decisions around housing affordability and climate change are being made in the Beehive, and that these are national policies. But in this week’s episode, Bernard suggests these issues are actually manifesting in a series of house-to-house and street-by-street fights at council level. To find out more, he speaks to Tamatha Paul from the Wellington City Council and Auckland city councillor Efeso Collins about how young renters and activists wanting higher density housing and...

Apr 15, 2021•50 min

Bonus episode: Shannon Te Huia, Kiwibank Local Hero of the Year

For the last 12 years, Kiwibank has supported the Local Hero Award, acknowledging the people making a difference to New Zealand communities. In this bonus episode of When the Facts Change, The Spinoff’s business editor Michael Andrew talks with Shannon Te Huia, the 2021 Kiwibank Local Hero of the Year. Shannon established Pūniu River Care in 2015, a marae-based initiative designed to improve water quality and biodiversity by planting trees along the banks of the Pūniu river in the Waikato. He ta...

Apr 13, 2021•38 min

Global capitalism’s 'doom loop' and how to stop it

This week we’re talking about global capitalism, and how it's in danger of destroying itself from the inside out. The concept is known as a “doom loop”: as the economy grows, those who own all the assets get more and more, those who don’t get poorer and poorer, and as a result growth slows as the machine grinds to a halt. And the key to stopping this doom loop lies in addressing inequality and productivity. To explore this idea and how it affects New Zealand, Bernard Hickey talks to the Producti...

Apr 08, 2021•38 min

The rise of the work from home economy

This week we're looking at the rise of the work from home economy that has grown out of global lockdowns. Bernard talks to Dr Paula O’Kane of Otago University about the encouraging evidence around productivity and flexibility as well as the negative effects of disconnection, Zoom fatigue and the blurring of work and home boundaries. He also speaks with Kiwibank’s Chief People Officer Charlotte Ward about how large organisations managed sudden remote working conditions and the long term changes b...

Mar 31, 2021•44 min

Unpacking Labour’s new housing package

The facts changed earlier this week when the government announced a major new housing package. In this episode, we’ll work out what it all means for buyers and renters with Kiwibank chief economist Jarrod Kerr, before talking to architectural designer, writer and housing advocate Jade Kake (Ngāti Hau, Te Parawhau, Ngāpuhi, Te Whakatōhea, Te Arawa) about a part of the market that didn’t get a lot of attention. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Mar 25, 2021•41 min

Can NZ's housing affordability problem ever be solved?

Welcome to When the Facts Change, a new podcast from The Spinoff together with Kiwibank. Each week host Bernard Hickey and guests will be peeling back the layers of New Zealand’s economy to reveal how it’s changing our lives and our society. This week, we’re talking about housing. Bernard is joined by Kiwibank chief economist Jarrod Kerr to discuss what’s going on with interest rates and whether more high-density housing will help solve our affordability issues. He then speaks with National hous...

Mar 18, 2021•46 min

Coming soon – When the Facts Change with Bernard Hickey

Created by The Spinoff together with Kiwibank, When the Facts Change with Bernard Hickey is your essential weekly guide to the intersection of economics, business and politics in Aotearoa. Every Friday, Bernard will be joined by expert and industry-leading guests, including a range of Kiwibank specialists, to peel back the layers of our economy and reveal how it’s changing our lives and our society. This series is for anyone curious about what changes in technology, the global economy, finance, ...

Mar 15, 2021•3 min

← Prev

Hosted on Megaphone by Spotify

For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android