Bernard Hickey

Winston Peters proposes Govt buy back BNZ to fire up competition, but state ownership didn't work with Kiwibank & gentailers; Peters wants babies enrolled in KiwiSaver with $1k kickstart

Willis sets arbitrary ceiling on public service at 55,000 people - 8,700 fewer than currently employed; Govt set to legislate to overrule Supreme Court precedent on Disability Services to save money

Govt refuses to say what Warkworth-to-Te Hana RONS will cost, even though business case showed massive subsidy by rest of NZ; Peters taunts Willis over Budget cuts; Picks n' Mixes; Cartoon of the Day

Govt hiking rents for state tenants by $33/week & lifting Accommodation Supplement by $30/week; Upston claiming $1,000/week in housing costs; Willis recants state tenants 'won lotto' comment

Bernard Hickey, Peter Bale, Cathrine Dyer & Robert Patman chat about the week in geopolitics, the economy & climate; Plus Jonathan Lyons on Iran & Tex Edwards on banking competition

RNZ details $1m of political donations from fast-track applicants; Survey finds landlord demand to buy & build new homes at record lows; Govt to help firms cut gas use, which cancelled GIDI fund did

Greens point to $1.4 billion missing from ETS auction revenues because policy rejigs gutted market confidence; Lester Levy's $1,950/day cost to the Health budget; Kiwifruit has a migrant abuse problem

Three outside members of MPC voted to hike OCR by 25 bps to 2.5%; Three RBNZ members voted to hold; Governor Breman forced into casting vote to hold; Three hikes forecast by election

Govt says 'tough love, sensible & grown up' pre-Election Budget beats spending 'lolly scramble' using debt; But strategy depends on much-more-indebted households borrowing to fill resulting GDP gap

Willis unveils sinking-lid Budget squeezing deficit into surplus by 2028/29, thanks to Treasury's forecast of 2.7% average GDP growth & 220,000 new jobs over four years, & barely any lollies