When the Facts Change

The Reserve Bank surprised everyone this week by warning it may have to raise interest rates again to force inflation down, effectively eliminating the prospect of major mortgage rate cuts over the coming summer. Kiwibank Chief Economist Jarrod Kerr joins Bernard Hickey to dig in to the RBNZ’s unexpected hawkish outlook heading into 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Could a South Island cherry farm set the standard for an electric future? Mike Casey from Rewiring Aotearoa joins Bernard Hickey to discuss what it took to make the switch from running his cherry farm on fossil fuels to renewable electricity. He also explains the ways in which going electric will save our homes, farms and small businesses thousands each year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With cost of living forefront on people's minds, what are banks doing to alleviate pressure on the consumer? Bernard Hickey sits down with Kiwibank chief executive Steve Jurkovich to discuss how the economy is travelling, the pressures consumers are dealing with, and the regulatory adjustments he hopes to see in 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New fintech startup Aera says first-home buyers would need to save for an infinite number of years to secure a house deposit. Founder Derek Handley joins Bernard Hickey to discuss Aera's plan to help first-home buyers to get onto the property ladder, with a new take on the bank of mum and dad. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After leaving the CEO position at Z Energy, Mike Bennetts became an executive coach and has just published his own book: Being Extraordinary by confronting your ordinary. Mike talks to Bernard Hickey about how leadership is different from management, and how leaders can learn from their mistakes. You can find Mike's book at: https://www.taumataadvisory.com/beingextraordinary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In April and June of 2023, online scammers stole $4.2 million from New Zealanders. Bernard Hickey speaks to Kiwibank senior external fraud investigator Sareta Fraser about how bank customers and banks are in an arms race against increasingly ingenious and awful scammers. She lays out the tricks and schemes used by the scammers and offers tips and techniques that customers can use to protect themselves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What makes New Zealand one of the most geographically perfect places to harness the power of Tāwhirimātea? This week, Bernard Hickey talks with Giacomo Caleffi from Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners about how the NZ Super Fund could bolster their plan to build a massive offshore wind farm off the coast of South Taranaki. They discuss why offshore wind is so necessary in the transition to 100% renewable energy, and how renewable energy differs from renewable power. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are we using our energy networks as efficiently as possible? Bernard Hickey interviews Octopus Energy’s UK-based head of systems change, Marcia Poletti, about innovative ways power companies can adapt their current system to better support the energy grid. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All around the globe, business owners are struggling to launch, manage, and sustain their companies' increasingly necessary online presence in an impactful way. Bernard Hickey speaks to the marketing director at Smarketing Lab, Assia Salikhova, for some free consulting on how to build his podcasting empire in the social space. She explains the simple ways you can let nosy folks know that you and your business are alive and thriving. . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It turns out many offices are empty now, particularly on Mondays and Fridays, and workers aren’t there to sit at their open-plan desks. They’re there to join Zoom or Teams calls in quiet spaces, or to meet each other in conference rooms. Bernard Hickey talks to XYSense co-founder and CEO Alex Birch about how building managers, planners and bean counters can understand the best way to run an office of the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Liam Wallis, is the founder of HIP V HYPE, a design agency in Melbourne that helped design, fund and build the first Nightingale project apartments in Melbourne’s Brunswick. These apartments are designed from the start to be carbon neutral, healthier, and cheaper places to heat. He talks to Bernard Hickey about the number of times the air changes every hour in a normal house (20), and how often the air changes in a home like the ones built in the Nightingale projects. Liam is in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington this week delivering the annual Sir Ian Athfield Memorial Lecture for the New Zealand Institute of Architects in Auckland. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kiwibank chief economist Jarrod Kerr tells Bernard Hickey why there are early signs of a rebound in confidence and hope for the summer to come, and into next year, despite the interest rate hikes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The prime minister seems to be moving forward with his plan to ignore the infrastructure deficit by ruling out wealth and capital gains taxes. He joins Bernard Hickey to defend his stance as a steady, status quo government and tries to win the vote of Bernard in the process. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bernard Hickey discusses the need for much better bus and train connections within and between our smaller provincial cities with public transport advocate and award-winning singer-songwriter Anthonie Tonnon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why is Aotearoa's solar panel industry lagging so far behind the rest of the world? SolarZero CEO Matt Ward joins Bernard Hickey to talk about how using batteries to complement rooftop solar is changing the game and how he believes that the number of solar panels in Aotearoa are about to go through the roof. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bernard Hickey talks with CoGo founder Ben Gleisner about the potential to use bank data on spending to help businesses and consumers monitor and tweak their climate emissions. Gleisner talks about Aotearoa’s rocky and long pathway to open banking and the options for a type of ‘nudge’ economy towards decarbonisation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are we building our houses as smart as we possibly can? GEOBIND co-founder Alice Hosted says that Aotearoa could help solve its housing cost and carbon problems by using hempcrete walls. They discuss the pros to using hemp in building construction, and the current logistical frameworks that restrict its use in New Zealand. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bernard Hickey drills down into the future of geothermal electricity production in this week’s interview with Isabelle Chambefort from GNS Science. She’s excited about the potential for deep drilling to uncover ‘supercritical’ heat that supercharges geothermal power output, helping solve the dry year problem bedevilling or hydro dominated power system. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kiri Nathan isn’t just a leading figure in the Aotearoa fashion industry, she’s a true inspiration – a remarkable artist and guiding mentor to young indigenous designers. Kiri stands apart from her peers in the world of fashion, with her commitment to incorporating her whakapapa in her creations by using Māori patterns, textiles and weaving techniques. In this kōrero we discover what motivates Kiri and the obstacles she’s conquered to achieve respect and success in this notoriously tough industry. We also learn about the impact she’s had at a community level that goes far beyond her personal achievements. The epitome of integrity and resilience, Kiri’s story and tenacity provide plenty for us to learn from about how we can bring more of ourselves to our own fields of passion, but also use our knowledge and experience to encourage and empower others. Brought to you by The Spinoff Podcast Network together with Kiwibank Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the world globalises, open banking is becoming an increasingly attractive prospect to customers, so why aren't our banks onboard yet? Bernard Hickey talks with Josh Daniell at FinTech firm Akahu about what’s being done in Aotearoa to accelerate the move to open banking, something already well advanced in Europe, the UK, and Australia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Meet Robbie van Dam, a visionary entrepreneur and finalist for the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Spark Innovator Award for 2023. Through his company GoodNature, Robbie’s passion and commitment has helped revolutionise the pest control industry thanks to a groundbreaking trap that humanely kills pests with remarkable efficiency. With over 22 million pests killed worldwide and huge monetary savings in conservation efforts, Robbie’s inspiring story of challenging the status quo, making meaningful change and turning innovation into a global success is not to be missed. Brought to you by The Spinoff Podcast Network together with Kiwibank Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Māori economy is one of the fastest growing in the country, yet many tangata whenua still face major barriers when borrowing from banks to kickstart businesses. Kiwibank's head of Māori advisory Teaho Pihama sits down with Bernard Hickey to discuss the issues facing Māori when it comes to accessing capital and what practical solutions his team at Kiwibank are doing to give Māori greater access to lending. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr Ellen Nelson is a military veteran, esteemed academic, and Kiwibank local hero of the year for 2023. For this special kōrero we delve into Ellen’s passion for improving working conditions for parents and her campaigns advocating for flexible and inclusive workplaces. We find out what drives Ellen, covering her bold approach to leadership, mammoth volunteer effort leading the evacuation of Afghan refugees to Aotearoa and academic achievements focusing on women’s empowerment. Ellen’s relatability and openness offer valuable insights as we learn from her wisdom and experiences in creating a more inclusive and balanced society. Brought to you by The Spinoff Podcast Network together with Kiwibank Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

University of Auckland academic Troy Baisden and Catherine Leining from Motu Research talk to Benard Hickey about their new guide that gives a unique insight into how we can adapt fairly to a myriad of problems facing Aotearoa in the coming decades. They discuss what this research means, what the next steps are and what keeps them optimistic that we can achieve a just transition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Esteemed Matariki expert Dr Rangi Mātāmua brings a wealth of wisdom and expertise that extends beyond the stars, encompassing topics such as living by the Maramataka and food sovereignty. With Matariki, the Māori new year, on the horizon, there's no better time to delve into the significance of this celestial celebration with someone who played a pivotal role in its recognition on the public holiday calendar. As a renowned expert in indigenous knowledge and the Professor of Mātauranga Māori at Massey University, Dr Rangi Mātāmua is Kiwibank's New Zealander of the Year for 2023. In this very special episode, Dr Rangi joins host Jane Yee with a wealth of wisdom and expertise that extends beyond the stars, encompassing topics such as living by the Maramataka and food sovereignty. Gain applicable tips on how you can acknowledge Matariki and improve your relationship with the earth, all while being captivated by Dr Rangi's calming presence, delightful cheekiness, and profound wisdom. Brought to you by The Spinoff Podcast Network together with Kiwibank Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2021, the Reserve Bank told us that house prices were unsustainably high and would likely fall by around 15%. That has proven to be the case and the market is now considered sustainable. Yet, house price-to-income ratios are still two to three times higher than they were 20 years ago, and most people with regular incomes still struggle to buy homes. In this episode, Bernard Hickey talks to Reserve Bank researcher Dr Andrew Coleman about his research measuring house price sustainability and why house prices remain unaffordable, despite hitting sustainable levels. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As founder of Girls That Invest, Simran Kaur wears multiple hats: financial columnist, best-selling author, TEDx speaker, and financial literacy advocate. Her highly acclaimed podcast has garnered over four million downloads and topped the business podcast charts worldwide. At just 26 years old, Simran’s remarkable achievements, including speaking at the UK House of Parliament, defy her age. In this conversation Jane Yee gets to know the woman behind the success story, revealing Simran’s humility, generosity and determination to empower others. Get a glimpse into the motivation, mindset and resilience of this remarkable wahine and learn from her wisdom and experience to help improve your own financial health. Brought to you by The Spinoff Podcast Network together with Kiwibank Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A groundbreaking transformation is underway in the United States, as they embark on an industrial revolution that aims to replace a staggering one billion fossil-fueled machines with clean, electric alternatives fueled by the forces of nature—wind, sun, and water. This remarkable shift, ignited by a masterful manoeuvre within the world's largest and most complex political economy, has set the stage for an inspiring journey. Bernard Hickey sits down with climate tech entrepreneur and activist Saul Griffith to unravel the story of how Saul and his fellow activists collaborated with Joe Biden's White House to successfully take control of the climate debate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While you wait for the next episode of When the Facts Change, we thought you might enjoy This is Kiwi – a new series about inspiring New Zealanders brought to you by our friends at Kiwibank. Beyond his triumphs in professional sport, Dave Letele has always maintained an unwavering commitment to his community. Through the establishment of the BBM Motivation foundation, Dave has emerged as a beacon of hope, establishing free fitness classes, nutritional guidance, and smarter food banks to help those eager to reclaim their health. The Spinoff Podcast Network's Jane Yee sits down with the 2022 Kiwibank Local Hero of the Year for a deeply moving conversation that transcends accolades and achievements, as she uncovers the heart and soul of Dave Letele's work. They discuss becoming a true advocate for change, empowering rangatahi to break free from their disadvantages and embracing a future overflowing with limitless possibilities. Brought to you by Kiwibank together with The Spinoff Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For decades, the wealthiest New Zealanders have been reaping enormous private gains from public infrastructure investments. While those who benefit consider the game fair, the less fortunate bear the overwhelming burden of infrastructure costs. Bernard Hickey talks with Geoff Cooper, the head of strategy at the Infrastructure Commission, as they delve into groundbreaking policy ideas aimed at transforming the existing landscape. Together, they explore strategies to achieve better distribution of infrastructure costs and envision a society where all individuals contribute their fair share towards a brighter future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Both farmers and environmentalists fear Aotearoa becoming a sea-to-sea swathe of permanent Pinus radiata plantations that collect billions of dollars of carbon sequestration credits for investors, but few create long-term jobs and become deserts for native flora and fauna to thrive. But it doesn't have to be that way. There are plenty of redwood, eucalypt, and other fast-growing carbon sinks that foster native regrowth and birds, and which would keep billions of emissions credits in Aotearoa, rather than going overseas. Forestry consultant and carbon-farming veteran Mark Belton explains why a lot of farms just aren't economic and how plantations don't have to be just pine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AI is gearing to be as much of a cultural revolution as the birth of the iPhone, but it’s still yet to be seen how its implementation in the workplace will impact everything from efficiency to recruitment. In this week’s episode of When the Facts Change, Bernard Hickey talks to CK Lee, founder of receipt scanning app Taggun, about how he uses AI in his business and as a tool to improve his thinking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

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

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 choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 homes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

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

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

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 megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

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

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

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

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

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 paddocks back into native forest and wetlands. They talk with Bernard Hickey about the benefits and hidden profits that have come with this decision, and how government could best write policy for farmers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

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

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