The Hoon
Bernard Hickey discusses political economy in Aotearoa-NZ and geo-politics with Peter Bale and guests, covering housing affordability, climate change inaction, and child poverty reduction.
Episodes
The Weekly Hoon: Luxon’s Opportunity and risk; Stories from the front line of NZ’s systemic health system collapse
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.It included regular guest Robert Patman talking about Donald Trump’s friendly relations with Vladimir Putin, events in the Middle East and what’s at stake for New Zealand.This week’s special guest
The heavy sinking lids in Labour’s Budget plan
I talked in the video above last night with Elliot Crossan about about his analysis of Labour’s fiscal plan, including how its National-like focus on returning to Budget surplus and cutting debt will force big real cuts in welfare and other Government spending. I have asked Labour spokesperson Barbara Edmonds for an interview.Here’s the essence of what Elliot is saying (bolding mine):Labour and Na
How NZ politicians are using Facebook in Election 2026
I talked with Dr Mona Krewel in the video above about how New Zealand’s political parties and leaders are using Facebook so far in Election 2026. She is the director of the Internet, Social Media and Politics Research Lab at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington and was reporting back after the first week of the 2026 New Zealand Social Media Study, including analysis of 544 Facebook po
KiwiStack Live with Bernard Hickey & Dr Rosie Gallen
Thank you to everyone who tuned into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.Here’s the post from Rosie we discussed. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thekaka.substack.com/subscribe
KiwiStack Live with Bernard Hickey & Huhana Hickey ahead of Election 2026
Thank you Ken Howell, Graham Collins, and many others for tuning into my live video with Huhana Hickey! Join me for my next live video in the app.Here’s the post we discussed. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thekaka.substack.com/subscribe
KiwiStack Live with Bernard Hickey & Morgan Edwards on when our Govt 'ran out of money'
University of Otago finance academic Morgan Edwards has discovered through an Official Information Act request to Treasury and the Reserve Bank that the Government ‘ran out of money’ 272 times since 1997 when the Crown Settlement Account went into overdraft, sometimes to the tune of billions of dollars.In theory, that’s not possible, but it happened.Here’s Morgan’s substack post documenting the in
KiwiStack Live with Bernard Hickey and Bryce Edwards on Cost of Living and Election 2026
The discussion above is about Bryce Edwards’ substack post on this University of Otago survey published this week.I also covered the survey results yesterday.Thank you Felicity Letcher, Morgan Edwards, Paul Singh, Gaylene Middleton, Alex Clarkson, and many others for tuning into my live video with Bryce Edwards! Join me for my next live video in the app. This is a public episode. If you'd like to
The Weekly Hoon: Election climate policies compared; Living costs & hospital collapses (should) dominate NZ election debates
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.It included regular guest Cathrine Dyer, including a discussion about this article she wrote for Newsroom.Bernard’s three things of note this week were:1. Starship’s cancer treatment closure is a
The Weekly Hoon: National & Labour budget tracks near identical; Climate distrust; Foreign aid cuts
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.It included regular guests Cathrine Dyer and Robert Patman and discussions about climate change science distrust, National’s election policy to cut foreign aid and the near identical fiscal polici
KiwiStack Live Election Mini-Hoon with Elliot Crossan
Thank you Maurizio Piglia, Brian Rathbone, Ken Howell, Tim, Tony Pomfret, and many others for tuning into my live video with Elliot Crossan! Join me for my next live video in the app. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thekaka.substack.com/subscribe
KiwiStack Live Election Chat with Michael Swanson
I had a great chat this evening with the University of Otago’s Michael Swanson about MMP and vote-splitting after he produced this excellent substack post:The Bastardisation of MMP Thank you to everyone who tuned into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thekak
The Weekly Hoon: The ‘find out’ stage of NZ’s climate + FTAs strategy; A roadtrip to focus on NZ’s health crises
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.It included regular guest Cathrine Dyer, plus special guests Auckland University Emeritus Professor Jane Kelsey, intensive care specialist Dr David Galler, who also publishes this substack david G
The Weekly Hoon: Nicky Hager’s book; OIA avoidance; Attacks on the UN; Cost of living & Election 2026
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics with regular guests Robert Patman and Cathrine Dyer, plus special guest:* Former NZ Herald Editor Gavin Ellis, who talked about his article on the Official Information Act, the future of media and
Election Hoon: How should the supermarkets duopoly be broken up?
National, Labour, NZ First, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori have all released policies for major state intervention in the supermarkets sector to break up or challenge the duopoly of Foodstuffs (Pak n’ Save, New World & Four Square) and Woolworths in recent weeks.National and NZ First have proposed breaking up Foodstuffs into separate competing Pak n’ Save and New World/Four square chains, while leav
The Weekly Hoon: Climate mis/dis-info; Arabian nightmares; National gazumps Labour again
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics with regular guests Robert Patman and Cathrine Dyer, plus special guests:* Technology commentator, futurist and substacker Ben Reid to talk about AI, data centres and future of everything; and,* W
The Weekly Hoon: Climate ‘Minsky Moments,’ the rise & rise of AFD; KiwiMart & perfect storms hit our hospitals
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics with regular guests Robert Patman and Cathrine Dyer, plus special guests:* Columnist on international affairs for The Guardian, Paul Taylor, who talked about the rise of AFD in Germany, and the di
The Weekly Hoon: Passing 1.5 degrees, the rise of Q & the Mecca agreement
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics with special guests, including:* International affairs expert Dr Geoffrey Miller, the author of the Gulf States Insights substack, talking about the recent Mecca Agreement; and,* Andy Reisinger, a
The Weekly Hoon: El Nino, Iran’s D-Day and the author of ‘Why we think what we think’
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-host Peter Bale talking with regular guests Cathrine Dyer and Robert Patman about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics. Bernard was taking a break.In this week’s edition:* Author and polymath Turi Munthe was on from Rome to talk about his new book: Why We Think What We Think: The Un
The Weekly Hoon: A winter flu crisis & homeless deaths; Climate blame avoidance game; NZ’s shameful silence over the US attacking the ICC
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking with regular guests Cathrine Dyer and Robert Patman about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.In this week’s edition:* Bernard and Peter talked about developments in New Zealand’s political economy in the last week, including the winter f
The Weekly Hoon: Luxon lives on; Iran is winning and the role of Jevons Paradox in climate change
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking with regular guests Cathrine Dyer and Robert Patman about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.This edition also included discussions with special guests Jonathan Lyons, PhD on Iran and NZME’s Fran O’Sullivan.* Bernard and Peter talked abo
The Weekly Hoon: Luxon's MMP musings; NZ's jobspocalypse; Big data centres & sovereignty
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking with regular guests Cathrine Dyer and Robert Patman about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.This edition also included discussions with special guest Don Christie, the MD of Catalyst IT, who talked about Catalyst’s manifesto for Electio
The Weekly Hoon: Helen Clark on why Winston Peters should be fired over his 'go home' comments, & on NZ's humiliation on a key UN vote
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking with regular guest Cathrine Dyer about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.This edition also included discussions with special guests:* Former PM Helen Clark on why PM Christopher Luxon should sack NZ First Leader and Foreign Minister Win
The Weekly Hoon: Climate gaslighting; Construction turnover & hazardous Houthis
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking with regular guests Robert Patman & Cathrine Dyer about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.This edition also included discussions with special guest:* Simplicity Chief Economist Shamubeel Eaqub on his third annual construction industry r
The Weekly Hoon: Luxon's (un)popularity; Middle Powers debate; Another Climate funding fudge
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking with regular guests Robert Patman & Cathrine Dyer about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.This edition also included discussions with special guest:* Green List MP Francisco Hernandez, talking about the Government’s tabling of its Clima
The Weekly Hoon: Downplaying climate scenarios; China's sabre-rattling & Chris Bishop's RONS U-turn
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking with regular guests Robert Patman & Cathrine Dyer about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.This edition also included discussions with special guest:* Green MP for Wellington Bays and Green Transport Spokesperson Julie Anne Genter, talki
The Weekly Hoon: Homelessness, Foreign Policy, the Reality of Everything & the gutting of safety reforms
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking with regular guests Robert Patman & Cathrine Dyer about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.This edition also included discussions with special guest:* Author and journalist Rebecca Macfie about the gutting of safety reforms put in place
The Weekly Hoon: Climate, housing, Iran and the revival of the Alliance Party
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking with regular guest Robert Patman from Dunedin about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.This edition also included discussions with special guests:* Author Jonathan Lyons, PhD, who publishes the Signal to Noise: History. Philosophy. Comme
The Weekly Hoon: Calling for a new RONS' suspension; Golden Mile decision; Religion's role in the Ukraine war;
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking with regular guests Cathrine Dyer from Wellington and Robert Patman from Dunedin about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.This edition also included discussions with special guests:* Transport analyst Connor Sharp talking about Greater A
The Weekly Hoon: An amazing SpaceX IPO; NZ's $6.5b emissions credits bill; Auckland's de-intensification & Labour's fare cap policy
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey talking with regular guest Cathrine Dyer from Wellington about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.This edition also included discussions with special guests:* BusinessDesk-$ podcaster and Listener tech columnist Peter Griffin on SpaceX’s float and what it mean
Protest growing against Govt's disability cost-cutting bill
This evening I spoke with I spoke with Victoria Coleman about the Disability Support Services Bill, which will gazump a court ruling that parents working as carers are full-time employees of the Government.Victoria works full time as a carer for her son, who has autism, Down Syndrome and two rare bowell disorders. She is campaigning against the Bill and has launched a petition against the bill.“It
Accepting 57,000 homeless mums with 33,000 homeless kids 'tells us who we are as a society'
I spoke with Victoria Crockford from the Coalition to End Women’s Homelessness this evening. She detailed the findings of the Coalition’s latest report, ‘Children and Young People Experiencing Homelessness,’ published today, including:* there are 33,000 children and young people experiencing homelessness and they face significantly higher rates of harm across multiple areas of their lives;* Childr
The Weekly Hoon: Johan Rockstrom's 'saturation point'; Data centre footprints; Trump vs Netanyahu; China vs four NZ MPs; Exports of forced labour
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey talking with regular guests Cathrine Dyer from Wellington and Robert Patman in Dunedin about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.This edition also included discussions with Louisa Wall, a former Labour MP and member of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China.
The Weekly Hoon: Budget 2026, a climate scandal, Saudi Arabia & Iran & disinformation flooding NZ's political debates
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey & Peter Bale talking with regular guests Cathrine Dyer from Wellington and Robert Patman in Dunedin about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.This edition also included discussions with Arab News Editor in Chief Faisal Abbas and disinformation researcher Sanjan
The Weekly Hoon: Govt housing & job cuts; Iran vs Trump; Competition & banking
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey & Peter Bale talking with regular guests Cathrine Dyer from Wellington and Robert Patman in Dunedin about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.This edition also included discussions with historian and author Jonathan Lyons, PhD on the conflict with Iran and Tex
The Weekly Hoon: Trump in China & posting late at night; Luxon on migration & more climate laws rewritten
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey & Peter Bale talking with regular guests Cathrine Dyer from Wellington and Robert Patman in Dunedin about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.This edition also includes a discussion with former Productivity Commission Chair and now independent economist Ganesh
The Weekly Hoon: The fuel & climate crises, plus deliberative democracy
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey & Peter Bale talking with regular guests Cathrine Dyer from Wellington and Robert Patman in Dunedin about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.This edition also includes a discussion with special guest Iain Walker, who is an expert in deliberative democracy and
The Weekly Hoon: The Middle East fuel crisis & more
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey & Peter Bale in Auckland talking with regular guests Cathrine Dyer from Wellington and Robert Patman in Dunedin about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.This edition also includes a discussion with special guest Paul Spoonley about his report this week with Pe
The Weekly Hoon: The Middle East fuel crisis & more
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey & Peter Bale in Auckland talking with regular guests Cathrine Dyer from Wellington and Robert Patman in Dunedin about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.This edition also includes discussions with special guests Jonathan Lyons, PhD from Vancouver and Shamubeel
The Weekly Hoon: The Middle East fuel crisis & more
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey & Peter Bale talking with regular guest Cathrine Dyer about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.This edition also includes discussions with with special guest Geoffrey Miller, a strategic analyst with a PHD in New Zealand’s relations with the Middle East.This w
The Weekly Hoon: The Middle East fuel crisis & more
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey & Peter Bale talking with regular guest Cathrine Dyer about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics .This edition also includes discussions with with special guests Rania Abouzeid, a New Zealand-born journalist calling in from Beirut, and BusinessDesk co-founder Pa
Mini-Hoon with Bernard Hickey and Anna Fifield
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thekaka.substack.com/subscribe
The Weekly Hoon: The Middle East fuel crisis & more
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey & Peter Bale talking with regular guest Cathrine Dyer about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics here, along with special guests Edward Miller and Max Rashbrooke, who are researchers and commentators.This week:* Bernard and Peter began with a chat about electric
Mini-Hoon Live with Bernard Hickey, Catherine Knight & Mike Joy on the Reality of Everything & Food
I recently hosted a ‘Mini-Hoon’ on Substack Live previewing The Reality of Everything symposium to be held at Victoria University of Wellington on June 26, which will examine the interconnected crises of climate change, energy, water & food constraints, economic instability & public health.I was joined by substacker Catherine Knight and academic Mike Joy to talk about the symposium, which Catherin
The Weekly Hoon: The escalating Middle East fuel crisis
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey & Peter Bale talking with regular guest Cathrine Dyer about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics here, along with special guest Roger Dennis, an independent strategist.This week:* Bernard and Peter began with a chat about the rise of reactionary and nationalist
The Weekly Hoon: The Middle East fuel crisis & how NZ is handling it
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey & Peter Bale talking with regular guest Cathrine Dyer about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics here, along with special guest Dileepa Fonseka , who is a columnist and reporter for BusinessDesk-$.This week:* Bernard and Peter began with a chat about the Iran wa
A Hoon on The Reality of Everything Symposium, interconnected crises & Climate Change
Last week I hosted a ‘Hoon’ on Substack Live previewing The Reality of Everything symposium to be held at Victoria University of Wellington on June 26, which will examine the interconnected crises of climate change, energy, water & food constraints, economic instability & public health.I was joined by regular Hoon guest Cathrine Dyer, conference speaker and Vic Uni Professor of Climate Change Jame
The Weekly Hoon: Middle East fuel crisis; accelerating climate warming & NZ's health system problems
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey & Peter Bale talking with regular guests Cathrine Dyer and Robert Patman about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics here, along with special guest Helen Clark.This week:* Bernard and Peter began with a chat about the Iran war, New Zealand’s looming fuel supply i
A Mini-Hoon with Chloe Swarbrick about fossil fuels, housing and fiscal strategy
I spoke with Green Co-Leader Chloe Swarbrick last night in a Substack Live Video for over 150 subscribers about the urgent need to decarbonise & provide housing, along with challenging the bipartisan assumptions about the size of Government and Government debt to GDP — the ‘30-30’ rule. We also talked about migration policy and population growth.The full interview is above for all.Chapters00:00 In
The Weekly Hoon: Middle East in crisis; NZ economy stagnant; Peters at odds with Luxon
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey & Peter Bale talking with regular guests Cathrine Dyer and Robert Patman about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics here, along with special guest historian and author Jonathan Lyons.This week:* Bernard and Peter began with a discussion about deaths of a record
A Hoon on The Reality of Everything Symposium, interconnected crises & Public Health
This week I hosted a ‘Hoon’ on Substack Live previewing The Reality of Everything symposium to be held at Victoria University of Wellington on June 26, which will examine the interconnected crises of climate change, energy, water & food constraints, economic instability & public health.I was joined by regular Hoon guest Cathrine Dyer, substacker and symposium facilitator Catherine Knight, conferen
A Mini-Hoon with Ben Reid on Citrini's report about AI that unnerved global stocks
This week a speculative post on Substack by Citrini about ever-faster AI tools creating a self-reinforcing doom loop of fewer jobs & lower wages for humans -- while AI owners win big -- shook global stocks. A link to the post is below.So I decided to have a Substack Live with Ben Reid, who writes about tech and AI for Memia. The resulting chat is above.Thank you James Wilkes, Nicola Francis, Summe
The Weekly Hoon: Good climate policy better for economy & affordability; Housing the homeless better than hiding them
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey & Peter Bale talking with regular guests Cathrine Dyer and Elaine Monaghan about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics here, along with special guest Associate Professor Polly Atatoa Carr from Waikato University’s Te Ngira Institute for Population Research.This w
A Mini-Hoon with David Skilling on productivity
Independent economist David Skilling gave a stark public presentation to Treasury officials and others yesterday that painted a brutal picture of New Zealand’s labour productivity and real wage catastrophe since 2010, pointing out our economy remained stuck in a low-investment rut with weakening trade connections.Skilling’s presentation in video form below is a must-watch and should be seen as a l
The Weekly Hoon: An intensification U-Turn in Auckland & Trump's coercive diplomacy in Iran
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey & Peter Bale talking with regular guests Robert Patman and Cathrine Dyer about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics here, along with special guests Simplicity Chief Economist Shamubeel Eaqub and Coalition for More Homes Spokesman Scott Caldwell.This week:* Berna
The Weekly Hoon: RBNZ Inquiry; Ukraine missile strikes; Solar or LNG?
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey & Peter Bale talking with New Zealand journalist Andrew Gunn in Kiev and Rewiring Aotearoa CEO Mike Casey in central Otago.We talked about:* Bernard’s time at the NZ Association of Economists’ forum at the University of Waikato on Thursday and Friday;* Nicola Willis’ announcemen
The Weekly Hoon: Insurance retreat; Gugong deaths; NZ becoming a 7th Australian state & critical minerals
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey & Peter Bale talking with regular guests Cathrine Dyer and Robert Patman, along with special guest David Farrar, talking about his Op-Ed in the The Post-$ arguing it’s time New Zealand became the seventh state of Australia.We talked about:* The water treatment plant problems in
The Weekly Hoon: Winston's Trumpism; Climate solutions, Trump's Armada & Iran's tragedy
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey & Peter Bale talking with regular guests Cathrine Dyer and Robert Patman, along with special guest historian and author Jonathan Lyons.We talked about:* Likely issues in Election 2026 due on November 7, including anti-migration comments from Winston Peters and his comments backi
The Weekly Hoon: A rupturing world order, a changing climate & an election
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey & Peter Bale talking with regular guests Cathrine Dyer and Robert Patman, along with special guests Auckland University Emeritus Professor Jane Kelsey and intensive care specialist Dr David Galler.We talked about:* Likely issues in Election 2026 due on November 7, including anti
The first Hoon of 2026: Breman vs Peters; Trump vs everyone; Elections vs us
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey & Peter Bale talking with regular guests Cathrine Dyer and Robert Patman.We talked about:* US President Donald Trump’s attack on the US Federal Reserve’s independence and why it matters to us;* RBNZ Governor Anna Breman’s defence of the Fed’s independence;* NZ First Leader and F
The final Weekly Hoon of 2025
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey & Peter Bale talking with regular guests Cathrine Dyer and Robert Patman.Our special guests this week were Philippa Yasbek, who heads Gun Control NZ and Doyen: NZ Jews Against Occupation, and Lee Feinstein, former US ambassador to Warsaw and senior diplomat under Democratic admi
The Weekly Hoon: Inside an important document
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey & Peter Bale talking with regular guests Cathrine Dyer and Robert Patman and special guest Sanjana Hottotuwa about the importance and meaning of Donald Trump’s new US National Security Strategy document for Aotearoa and the world.The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on
The Weekly Hoon: Govt's climate change mask drops
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured Bernard Hickey talking with regular guest Cathrine Dyer and special guest Lawyers for Climate Change Executive Director Jessica Palairet about this weeks news on climate change. Bernard also talked with tax policy expert and accountant Terry Baucher about the IRD’s announcement yesterday it wants to ta
The Weekly Hoon: The Opportunity Party's new leader
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking with regular guests Cathrine Dyer and Robert Patman and a special guest about the economy, politics, geopolitics and climate change.This week’s special guest was new leader of The Opportunity Party, Quilae Wong.This week:* Bernard and Peter talked with Qui
The Weekly Hoon: Mr Bone Saw, Ford Rangers & ATACMS
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking with regular guests Cathrine Dyer and Robert Patman and a special guest about the economy, politics, geopolitics and climate change.This week’s special guest was Drive Electric Chair Kirsten Corson.This week:* Bernard and Peter talked about Peter’s work on
The Weekly Hoon: A climate cop out; the BBC's crisis; Kids Kiwisaver & how to Jujitsu Nicola Willis on Govt debt
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking with regular guest Cathrine Dyer, and a special guest about the economy, politics, geopolitics and climate change.This week’s special guest was The IDEA Charitable Trust’s Max Rashbrooke Our topics this week were:* Bernard and Peter talked about the BBC’s
The Weekly Hoon: A climate policy bonfire; The meaning of Mamdani; Sudan's tragedy & the criminalisation of homelessness
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking with regular guests Robert Patman and Cathrine Dyer, and a special guest about the economy, politics, geopolitics, climate change, New York’s new mayor Zohran Mamdani, the gutting of Aotearoa’s Zero Carbon Act this week and revelations the Government is ‘m
Mini-Hoon: Simplicity's Sam Stubbs on InfraKiwi
I spoke with Simplicity Co-Founder Sam Stubbs about plans announced this morning to launch InfraKiwi, an NZX-listed vehicle funded from KiwiSaver and borrowing to buy new and existing infrastructure such as water companies, lines companies, airports, ports, hospitals, roads, public transport operators and schools from the Government and councils.Stubbs sees an oppotunity to use upwards of $295 bil
The Weekly Hoon: Labour's CGT-lite; Climate change flood maps; Trump meets Luxon; A new housing fund
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking with regular guests Robert Patman and Cathrine Dyer, and a special guest about the economy, politics, geopolitics, climate change, The Kākā’s future and how to fund the building of social housing by Community Housing Providers (CHPs) and others.This week’s
Mini-Hoon: S&P's Anthony Walker critiques 'Local Water Done Well'
Just briefly, I spoke last night with Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings Director of Government Ratings Anthony Walker last night about a research note S&P Global published yesterday titled: ‘New Zealand Water Reforms Don’t Guarantee Rating Relief For Local Councils.’He told me there was no guarantee the current Government’s ‘Local Water Done Well’ reforms would alleviate the negative outlooks S&P G
The Weekly Hoon: Climate back-tracking; Ukraine pivots; Foreshore & Seabed reversals & epic strike marches
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking with regular guest Robert Patman and special guests about the economy, politics, geopolitics, climate change, Jim Bolger’s funeral, Treaty of Waitangi issues and yesterday’s ‘mega-strike’ by doctors, teachers and nurses.This week’s special guests were Lawy
Mini-Hoon: Inside Labour's Future Fund policy
I spoke with Labour Finance Spokeswoman Barbara Edmonds last night about Labour’s first big policy idea for the 2026 election: a new sovereign wealth fund to invest in New Zealand infrastructure and growth businesses. It would be seeded with an initial grant of $200 million and topped up regularly with dividends from state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and potentially partially-owned SOEs such as the g
Mini-Hoon: A shocking plan to deregulate pharmacies
I spoke with Mangawhai Pharmacy owner Lanny Wong today to about plans barely-announced or covered this week by Associate Health Minister Casey Costello to deregulate the nation’s pharmacies. Lanny said she was shocked at the details revealed in full in Cabinet papers released proactively on Monday, particularly because there had been no consultation with the pharmacy sector, which would be upended
The Weekly Hoon: Jim Bolger, Methane, Climate Adaptation, Gaza, Gold & trust in money
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking with regular guests Cathrine Dyer and Robert Patman about the global economy, local and international politics and climate change.This week’s special guests were independent climate change policy expert Christina Hood and former NZPA foreign correspondent
Mini-Hoon: Arthur Grimes on how monetary policy worsened wellbeing for renters
I spoke with economist and Motu researcher Arthur Grimes yesterday about a paper he has just published today with Amelia Blamey and Norman Gemmell about the effects of monetary policy on wellbeing and inequality.The paper attached below and linked above and below is titled: Impacts of macroeconomic policies on objective and subjective wellbeing: The role of housing tenure and concludes:“Using surv
Mini-Hoon: Andrea Black on our sickening workforce
I spoke to Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS) Economist Andrea Black this week about a report she’s produced on the economic, social & financial costs of the worsening health of our workforce. The 52-page report, titled Managed decline: The Health of New Zealand 2011 to 2024, details a worsening in the health of the working-age population, in particular around mental health and obe
The Weekly Hoon: Climate health threats; The Gaza peace deal; Gold & bubbles; A social housing initiative
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking with regular guests Cathrine Dyer and Robert Patman about the global economy, local and international politics and climate change.This week’s special guest was Israel Cooper from The Home Foundation.We talked about:* The economy, the Reserve Bank’s rate cu
Mini-Hoon: Jarrod Kerr on how low the OCR may have to go
Last night I spoke with Kiwibank Chief Economist Jarrod Kerr last night after the RBNZ’s 50 basis point cut in the OCR. He says the cash rate may need to go under 2% to get the economy going again. Here’s his full note on the decision.We talked about:* How interest rates need to be below neutral to encourage growth.* The housing market’s stagnation was concerning for overall economic health.* Whet
Mini-Hoon: Natalie Allen on housing choices
Last night I spoke with The Urban Advisory’s Managing Director Dr Natalie Allen, who has released the first results of a new longitudinal survey on the experiences and aspirations around housing of renters and owners.The New Zealand Housing Survey is a nationwide study designed by The Urban Advisory and analysed by the University of Auckland. It was conducted with 2,587 adults aged 16 and over bet
Mini-Hoon: Ganesh Nana on a failing 'strategy'
Last night I spoke with economist Ganesh R Ahirao, who has written another letter with 19 other economists to PM Christopher Luxon and Minister of Finance Nicola Willis, calling on them to abandon their fiscally stringent approach to the economy.Here’s the letter:We discussed:* the Government’s sole focus on cutting interest rates as the way to boost the economy;* the need for investment in infras
Mini-Hoon: Bryce Edwards on councils & lobbyists
In the final week of council elections, I spoke with The Integrity Institute Director Bryce Edwards about the need for more transparency & vigilance around lobbyists & candidates in local democracies.It followed this detailed comment piece from Bryce.We talked about:* the lack of scrutiny in local government;* the influence of lobbying;* the need for greater transparency and integrity in political
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