When the Facts Change

Nov 07 2024 218 ep. 39 mins 1.7k
When the Facts Change Podcast artwork

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 together with Kiwibank.

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The cost of prison

Nov 07 2024 33 mins  
Our prisons are bursting at the seams. They cost at least $2 billion per year to run – and that’s before we consider the longer-term and wider-reaching costs to our health, education, housing, justice and welfare systems. University of Auckland indigenous studies professor Tracey McIntosh joins Bernard to interrogate the reasons why we, as a society, persist with ever-larger a

How to give employees what they want, when they want it

Oct 31 2024 37 mins  
Fintechs are changing the way we spend and save, but they are also set to change the way we could be paid for work, or more correctly, how workers are paid benefits on the fringes. Bernard Hickey talks to Steven Zinsli, the founder of Extraordinary (formerly HealthNow) about his new payments card system to help employers deliver extra benefits to employees through electronic cards,

An economic spring in our step

Oct 24 2024 28 mins  
The animal spirits of the economy are stirring back to life after a whopper of an interest rate cut - with expectations of one more to come. Bernard Hickey talks with Kiwibank chief economist Jarrod Kerr about how businesses are feeling heading into the Christmas sales season, and what might upset the metaphorical applecart. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adch

The hidden battery in your home

Oct 17 2024 31 mins  
What if your hot water cylinder could help solve New Zealand’s energy crisis? And how is an hour of free electricity helping with our notoriously problematic electricity market? Electric Kiwi co-founder and CEO Huia Burt sits down with Bernard Hickey to explore how they are helping New Zealanders tackle the cost-of-living crisis, all while reducing our national reliance on non-re

Is Nicola Willis cutting costs or cutting growth?

Oct 10 2024 29 mins  
Finance minister Nicola Willis is on a mission to crunch the size of government debt from well over 33% of GDP to under 30% within a few years, as well as fire up growth in an economy experiencing its worst-ever recession per capita. Doing one would be hard, but both at the same time seems a mission impossible for a politician wanting to win a second term. Bernard asks her how the

We’re all getting older and something has got to give

Oct 03 2024 32 mins  
As our national population grows older (and the superannuation system becomes increasingly burdened by the growing ranks of retirees), how will the government balance the books? The ratio of tax-paying adults to superannuitants is steadily falling, and raising the age of eligibility for super won't cover the forecasted shortfall. So what kind of fiscal policy changes are needed bef

Gazing into the infrastructure crystal ball

Sep 26 2024 32 mins  
Aotearoa’s biggest problems are largely caused by a lack of infrastructure - housing, transport, water, hospital and education - in the areas that need it most. So how could (or should) we plan the systems that keep our country running? And who is responsible for divining the future to make decisions that can have an impact for decades to come? Bernard Hickey is joined by Peter N

When the interest rates change

Sep 19 2024 33 mins  
Kiwibank chief executive Steve Jurkovich joins Bernard to discuss the current economic landscape and what’s happening (and likely to happen) with interest rates. Steve also shares his thoughts on the future of Kiwibank, open banking and if he considers possible banking plays by likes of Apple and Google to be a legitimate threat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.

Navigating our economy forward (by looking in the rear-view mirror)

Sep 12 2024 29 mins  
As recently as late May, the Reserve Bank thought it wouldn't need to cut rates until well into 2025. However, a batch of leading indicators revealed a slump in economic activity through June, and the RBNZ decided to hit the brakes by lowering the official cash rate in its August monetary policy statement. Reserve Bank chief economist Paul Conway talks to Bernard Hickey about why t

This is Kiwi: Dane and Stacey on choosing adventures over assets

Sep 08 2024 48 mins  
Selling everything and booking one-way tickets to Thailand marked the beginning of an extraordinary life for popular travel vloggers Dane and Stacey. With over 200,000 followers on Instagram and YouTube, the digital nomads have built a thriving business by offering travel tips, guides and an authentic peek behind the curtain of their lives. Join us as we find out how Dane and Stace