Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The Hoon

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, an Associate Professor at Australian National University, and lead author of the mitigation chapter of a new UN Environment Programme (UNEP)report titled: Limiting Overshoot, which finds the climate is set to overshoot the 1.5°C of global warming the world agreed not to go over, and will need to cool it down ASAP.

Regular guests Cathrine Dyer and Robert Patman took a break this week, but will be back next year.

During the podcast, we pointed to Geoffrey’s most recent piece:

Also, Peter referred to this New Yorker podcast during the discussion:

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free.

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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 Unexpected Origins of Our Deepest Beliefs. It will make you think. If you like the work of Yuval Noah Hariri you will love Turi.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free.

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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 flu crisis stress on an already-stressed hospital system, along with the deaths from cold of three homeless people;

* Peter, Bernard and Catherine then talked about Cathrine’s article for The Conversation with Massey Uni’s Robert McLachlan that asked: Why is NZ spending far more on responding to climate disasters than on reducing future risk?. Cathrine talked about this paper on blame avoidance.

* Peter, Bernard and Robert then talked about the latest US sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) and New Zealand’s shameful silence on the issue, along with the latest SIS report on China’s espionage in New Zealand.

* Peter mentioned this book by Sam Dalrymple: Shattered Lands: Five Partitions and the Making of Modern Asia.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free.

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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 about the developments in New Zealand’s political economy in the last week, including PM Christopher Luxon’s second win in a caucus confidence vote in four months.

* Peter, Bernard and Catherine then talked about the Climate Commission’s latest report on where the Government was failing to achieve its legislated emissions reduction goals, and the idea of Jevons Paradox. Cathrine referred to this IMF paper on the issue.

* Peter mentioned this article from the FT-$ (gift) article from Pilita Clark on ‘How to stop global warming.’

* Peter, Bernard, Robert and Jonathan then talked about Iran’s apparent victory over the United States, which Jonathan will be writing about on his Substack Signal to Noise: History. Philosophy. Commentary.

* Peter, Bernard and Fran then talked about the National Caucus’s leadership debate and the differences between Helen Clark, John Key and Christopher Luxon. They discussed Fran’s column in the NZ Herald-$ on how Clark handled Foreign Minister Winston Peters when they were in Government together.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free.

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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 Election 2026, and the need for sovereignty around Aotearoa’s data and resilience around our data centres.

* Bernard and Peter talked about the developments in New Zealand’s political economy in the last week, including PM Christopher Luxon’s surprise decision yesterday to commit National to holding a referendum on MMP, without talking to his coalition partners or his caucus about it, and the latest figures showing youth employment under-utilisation of 37%.

* Peter, Bernard, Catherine and Don then talked about the implications of big data centres in New Zealand, and the need for local data sovereignty and resilience.

* Peter mentioned articles from The Guardian and FT-$ (gift) as useful reads on the Ceuta migration issue.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free.

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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 Winston Peters over his ‘go home’ jibe in Parliament this week at Green MP Laurence Xu Nan.

* Clark also described as humiliating New Zealand’s decision under Peters this week to join Belarus in abstaining on a vote to reappoint the UN’s Human Rights Commissioner, after the US pressured UN members to do so.

* Janet H Anderson from the podcast Asymmetrical Haircuts, which covers international justice from The Hague. Janet, Helen and Peter discussed the UN vote and US pressure on the International Criminal Court.

* Peter talked about the Helen Clark Foundation’s launch of a this book edited by Peter Davis: Facing Up To Our Future: Challenges and Choices for New Zealand: New Zealand’s traditional “she’ll be right” optimism is no longer adequate to the challenges facing the country. This major collection brings together 21 of New Zealand’s leading thinkers to examine the decades-long problems no single government can solve alone.

* Bernard and Peter talked about local politics and the economy in the last 15 minutes of the show, including mentioning Opportunity Party Leader Qiulae Wong ’s appearance on The Hoon in November last year. She also did a mini-Hoon with Bernard last month when Opportunity got 6% in that month’s Roy Morgan poll.

* Peter mentioned SurfDogChampions as this week’s skateboarding dog story.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey. Regular guest Robert Patman will be back next week.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free.

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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 report for the New Zealand Chinese Building Industry Association (NZCBIA).

This week:

* Bernard and Peter talked about Peter moderating a panel for the Helen Clark Foundation’s launch of a this book edited by Peter Davis: Facing Up To Our Future: Challenges and Choices for New Zealand: New Zealand’s traditional “she’ll be right” optimism is no longer adequate to the challenges facing the country. This major collection brings together 21 of New Zealand’s leading thinkers to examine the decades-long problems no single government can solve alone.

* Bernard mentioned this substack post by Dr Andrew Dickson on NZ’s Number 8 wire mentality: The Productivity Gap is a National Fantasy. The number 8 wire legend and the productivity lament are two sides of the same coin. Why New Zealand’s economic architecture is built on lack.

* Bernard, Peter and Cathrine then talked the Climate Commission’s warning in its annual emissions report this week that the Government needed to double its emissions reductions to comply with the law.

* Bernard recommended listeners sample the videos now uploaded on the website for the Reality of Everything conference that Cathrine helped organize.

* Then Bernard and Peter talked with Robert about China, the international rules based order, the Houthis and Saudi Arabia.

* At the end, Bernard and Peter talked with Shamubeel about the NZCBIA report, Shamubeel’s LinkedIn post on inflation, and his T-shirt advertising the NZ Kiwi Hatchery near Rotorua.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free.

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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 Climate Adaptation Bill this week, which again delayed a decision on cost sharing between Government and Councils.

This week:

* Bernard and Peter talked about PM Christopher Luxon’s popularity. They referred to this interview with Christopher Luxon by Nic Fildes for FT-$ (gift): New Zealand PM warns against Ardern-era ‘sugar rush economics’

* Bernard, Peter and Cathrine then talked about the global and local backlash against data centres and AI.

* Then Bernard and Peter talked with Robert about America’s pushback against talk of a ‘Middle Powers’ strategy.

* Bernard and Peter then talked with Francisco Hernandez about the Government’s non-decision this week on climate funding.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free.

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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, talking about the Government’s RONS U-turn yesterday.

This week:

* Bernard and Peter talked about America’s 250th anniversary. They referred to this FT-$ (gift) article by Simon Schama about the US Declaration of Independence.

* Bernard, Peter and Cathrine then talked about Climate Minister Simon Watts’ letter to mayors saying they shouldn’t use ‘high impact emissions scenarios’ in their investment planning.

* Then Bernard and Peter talked with Robert about China’s missile test in the Pacific.

* Bernard and Peter then talked with Julie Anne Genter about the Government’s RONS U-turn yesterday.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey. Peter Bale will be back next week.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free.

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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 after the Pike River disaster. Rebecca wrote Tragedy at Pike River: How and why 29 men died

This week:

* Bernard and Peter talked about the climate in Europe, social housing policy in New Zealand and the political news of the week locally.

* Bernard, Peter and Cathrine then talked about the Reality of Everything symposium Cathrine helped organise last week and the excess deaths caused by Europe’s heat domes last month, which were worsened by climate change.

* Then Bernard and Peter talked with Robert about the 60th Otago Foreign Policy school in Dunedin last weekend, which Robert helped organize and Peter attended and spoke at. Peter’s reports from the conference are linked to below.

* Bernard and Peter then talked with Rebecca about the health and safety law rewrite.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey. Peter Bale will be back next week.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free.

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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. Commentary. substack, about the history of Iran; and,

* Alliance Party Leader Victor Billot on the party’s history, re-registration and policies.

This week:

* Bernard and Peter talked about the climate in Europe, social housing policy in New Zealand.

* Then Bernard and Peter talked with Robert and Jonathan about the Iran conflict.

* Bernard and Peter then talked with Victor about the Alliance Party.

* Victor read a poem written especially for The Hoon at the end. The skateboarding dog story was about Larry the Cat from 10 Downing Street, who has outlived six British Prime Ministers.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey. Peter Bale will be back next week.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free.

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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 Auckland’s call for the Te Hana to Warkworth section of the Northland RONS to be rescoped; and,

* Public Theologian and Civic Technologist Brittany C Farbo on the role of religion in the Ukraine War and Russia’s attacks on churches in Ukraine.

This week:

* Bernard, Peter and Cathrine talked about Wellington’s Golden Mile decision and South Dunedin’s attempts to deal with climate retreat.

* Then Bernard and Peter talked with Robert about the Iran conflict MOU.

* Bernard and Peter then talked with Britt about Ukraine.

* They finished with a chat with Connor about the RONS and transport policy.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey. Peter Bale will be back next week.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free.

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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 means for RocketLab; and,

* Former NZ Herald-$ columnist and former Metro, Cuisine & Consumer magazine Editor Simon Wilson on Auckland Council’s housing de-intensification vote and Labour’s $20 fare cap policy this week. Simon has just launched his substack; Hopetown by Simon Wilson. I highly recommend subscribing.

This week:

* Bernard and Peter began the show with their three news items of the week, including Peter pointing to the Maggie Haberman & Jonathan Swann scoop in the New York Times-$ (gift link) about Donald Trump’s Epstein files mess and Bernard pointing to the self-firing of CBS’ 60 Minutes host Scott Palley.

* Bernard, Peter and Cathrine talked about Treasury’s advice to the Government that it might have to buy up to $6.5 billion worth of climate emissions credits on onshore markets or from other Governments because New Zealand is on track to miss its Paris Accord commitments, which are now hard-coded into our trade agreements with the EU and UK.

* Then Bernard and Peter talked with Simon and Peter about SpaceX, RocketLab, Auckland housing and Labour’s new transport policy.

* Peter finished with Donald Trump’s ‘I Love Inflation’ quote as the ‘skateboarding dog’ item.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey. Peter Bale will be back next week.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free.

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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 will wipe out 40 families’ court cases. They are extinguishing live court cases They have used that as a smokescreen for an almighty power grab. So they’ve gone, we’ve got this massive fiscal risk, let’s wipe that out, but let’s also grab all the power we can get over these vulnerable people.” Victoria Coleman

Thank you to everyone who tuned into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

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;

* Children and young people experiencing homelessness are nearly three times more likely to have experienced abuse;

* Young people experiencing homelessness are more likely to disengage from education and interact with the justice system;

* Children under five experiencing homelessness are two times more likely to never have been enrolled with a Primary Health Organisation;

* Children under five experiencing homelessness are 1.6 times more likely to never have been enrolled in early childhood education;

* Children under five experiencing homelessness are significantly more likely to experience preventable hospitalisations, including respiratory illness and vaccine preventable disease; and,

* Māori and Pacific children continue to be disproportionately impacted by homelessness and most of the tamariki are located in Auckland, Northland, or Gisborne.

“What this research tells us about is who we are as a society, and I don’t think you can even read the headline and believe that enough is being done.” Victoria Crockford, co-lead of Coalition to End Women’s Homelessness.

Thank you Kaimataara, Andrew Riddell, Max Du Frene, Alex Clarkson, and many others for tuning into my live video with VictoriaC! Join me for my next live video in the app.

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.

This week:

* Bernard and Cathrine talked about Guyon Espiner’s interview on RNZ with Johan Rockstrom on economic growth’s ‘saturation point’ and this week’s UN report on the footprint of data centres.

* Then Bernard talked with Robert and Louisa Wall about Donald Trump’s latest moves to add tariffs to countries not complying with US standards for imports made with forced labour, and China’s sanctions on four MPs who visited Taiwan.

* Bernard referred to this FT-$ article on China’s repression of people in its western provinces.

* Bernard finished by mentioning this Reuters article about the discovery of the New World screw worm in Texas.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey. Peter Bale will be back next week.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free.

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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 Sanjana Hattotuwa.

This week:

* Bernard and Peter began with a chat about the Government’s Budget delivered yesterday afternoon.

* Bernard, Peter and Cathrine then talked about the Government’s failure to disclose lobbyist contact on behalf of Z Energy and Fonterra with the PM’s Office over a rewrite of climate laws that shut down a climate lawsuit against Z Energy, Fonterra and others. See the background on that here.

* Then Bernard, Peter, Robert talked with Faisal Abbas about the Iran conflict.

* Bernard and Peter finished with a discussion with Sanjana about disinformation flooding into New Zealand in election year, including his report this week on how it has spread and deepened since 2023. We also mentioned this Microsoft report from 2022 that showed on page 79 how Russian troll farms flooded 30% more anti-vaxx disinformation into New Zealand in late 2021 and early 2022 than pumped into Australia and the United States.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free.

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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 Edwards from Monopoly Watch NZ about bank competition.

This week:

* Bernard and Peter began with a chat the Government’s social housing spending cuts and shuffles announced yesterday, along with its pre-Budget announcement about cutting 8,700 jobs.

* Bernard, Peter and Cathrine then talked about Luke Kemp’s interview with Jack Tame on Q+A last weekend about ‘limitarianism.’

* Then Bernard, Peter, Robert talked about the latest in the Middle East and China with Jonathan.

* Then Bernard and Peter finished with a discussion with Tex about bank competition. They mentioned Tex’s scheduled appearance at this Auckland University debate this coming Wednesday evening: Rebalancing Markets: Competition, power, and a fair economy.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free.

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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 R Ahirao about his substack post referring to PM Christopher Luxon’s speech on Wednesday, which included comments on migration and previewed a $300 million cut in Budget 2026’s operating allowance.

This week:

* Bernard and Peter began with a chat about Christopher Luxon’s speech on migration and the Budget.

* Bernard, Peter and Cathrine then talked about the Government’s move to legislate to override civil legal action against Fonterra and others over the climate actions, the Government’s recognition of voluntary nature credits markets, and its proposal to reform the Conservation Estate. Cathrine referred to these comment pieces by Marie Doole via Linked here and here.

* Then Bernard, Peter Robert talked about the latest in the Middle East, China and the global rules based order. Bernard referred to an analysis about Donald Trump’s late-night social media habits.

* Then Bernard and Peter finished with a discussion with Ganesh about migration and productivity.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free.

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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 Executive Director of the newDemocracy Foundation (nDF) in Australia. He is visiting Wellington, Queenstown and Auckland next week for public meetings on deliberative democracy. Here’s the details.

This week:

* Bernard and Peter began with a chat about the global situation and how the Reserve Bank and the Government were sleepwalking into tightening fiscal and monetary policy into the face of a global supply shock.

* Bernard, Peter and Cathrine then talked about yesterday’s report from the Climate Commission about priorities for climate action.

* Then Robert talked about the latest in the Middle East, China and New Zealand’s food-for-fuel deal with Singapore.

* Then Bernard and Peter finished with a discussion with Iain about deliberative democracy.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free.

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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 Peter Gluckman and Georgia Lala for Koi Tū (Centre for Informed Futures) titled: People, Place & Prosperity - The case for a population strategy.

This week:

* Bernard and Peter began with a chat about the conflict in the Middle East and the fuel crisis, along with Christopher Luxon’s clash this week with Winston Peters over Luxon’s initial plan to express New Zealand’s support for the US attack on Iran.

* Bernard, Peter and Cathrine then talked about this week’s warning from Earth Sciences NZ about a formidable El Niño later this year and this report showing Europe’s climate warming twice as fast as the rest of the world.

* Then Bernard finished with a discussion with Paul about population strategy.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free.

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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 Eaqub in Auckland on Iran and social cohesion in New Zealand, respectively.

This week:

* Bernard and Peter began with a chat about the conflict in the Middle East and the fuel crisis, along with Christopher Luxon’s leadership vote in the National Caucus and the ensuing clash with Winston Peters.

* Bernard mentioned in passing a podcast series he recently listened to on the Suez crisis and compared New Zealand’s current fuel crisis to the 1973 fuel crisis. Peter referred to a Guardian article about Donald Trump’s voter fraud claims this week. He also referred to a podcast on Israel and a collapse in US voter support for Israel mentioned in an Ed Luce article in the FT. Bernard mentioned a WSJ-$ article on the drama in Trump’s White House.

* Bernard, Peter and Cathrine then talked about this week’s report from The Macdiarmid Institute on CleanTech. There’s more commentary on that from the Science Media Centre. Cathrine mentioned the ideas of Joseph Tainter, who wrote a book called The Collapse of Complex Societies.

* Bernard, Peter, Robert and Jonathan talked about events in the Middle East, including the history of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Jonathan’s substack post about how the assassination Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamanei also killed off his religious edict against nuclear weapons.

* Bernard, Peter and Shamubeel talked about yesterday’s second annual Social Cohesion in New Zealand report from the Helen Clark Foundation.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free. Also, here’s a couple of special offers: $3/month or $30/year for under 30s & $6.50/month or $65/year for over 65s who rent.)

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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 week:

* Bernard and Peter began with a chat about the conflict in the Middle East and the fuel crisis. They also talked about Bernard being in Wellington for the Kia Tika, Kia Pono—For A Just Society conference organised by Vic Uni’s Stout Research Centre for New Zealand Studies.

* Bernard, Peter and Cathrine then talked about research via James Hansen about a Super Duper El Niño, and research on an increased risk the AMOC will collapse early.

* Bernard, Peter, Robert and Geoffrey talked about events in the Middle East.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free. Also, here’s a couple of special offers: $3/month or $30/year for under 30s & $6.50/month or $65/year for over 65s who rent.)

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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 Pattrick Smellie, on his column about a big new renewable energy plan.

This week:

* Bernard and Peter began with a chat about the conflict in the Middle East and the fuel crisis. They mentioned this scoop (gift link) by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan in the New York Times yesterday.

* Bernard, Peter and Cathrine then talked about new research on the increasing intensity and frequency of weather events in Aotearoa, before another intense weather event expected this weekend. They also talked about the effects of heatwaves on humans.

* Bernard, Peter, Robert and Rania then talked about Israel’s strikes on Lebanon, which threaten to upend this week’s ceasefire and which are prolonging the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

* Bernard and Peter then talked with Pattrick about his column, which referred to this research this week by the Sustainable Business Council.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free. Also, here’s a couple of special offers: $3/month or $30/year for under 30s & $6.50/month or $65/year for over 65s who rent.)

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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 cars, a surfeit of news and Donald Trump’s speech yesterday. Peter recommended the last two episodes of the podcast Past, Present and Future . Bernard and Peter referred to the case that referred to NZME’s largest shareholder, Jim Grenon, and this article in Newsroom from Tim Murphy: Thumbs down for NZME’s Grenon in high-stakes court fight over tax

* Bernard, Peter and Cathrine then talked about how the responses to the fuel crisis were bedding in fossil fuel dependency.

* Bernard, Peter and Robert then talked about Trump’s speech and the events in Iran and the Middle East.

* Edward Miller then joined the show to talk about his Op-Ed in The Post-$ this week titled: ‘We’ve been left dangerously exposed by the failure to build a public diesel reserve’. He also recently wrote this on his substack: As oil prices surge, how realistic is a worst-case inflation scenario of 3.7%?

* Max Rashbrooke from The IDEA Charitable Trust then joined to talk about his columns: How to protect the poorest during a fuel crisis and The government’s fuel crisis package looks weaker with each passing day

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free. Also, here’s a couple of special offers: $3/month or $30/year for under 30s & $6.50/month or $65/year for over 65s who rent.)

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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 Catherine is helping organise and Mike is speaking at.

We started by talking about the need for the Symposium and referring to the National Emergency Briefing held in the UK last year, including an address on food security by Paul Behrens. The video of his address is below via Youtube.

Here’s recent posts on substack by Mike Joy and Catherine Knight on these topics.

Here’s Catherine’s substack post announcing the conference.

Thank you Lou Nash, Pauline Arnold, Terry A, Greg Nalder, and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

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 political parties globally, including in New Zealand.

* Bernard and Cathrine talked about the latest WMO report on the climate in 2025 and why New Zealand’s oil consumption rose to a five-year high last year.

* Bernard, Peter and Robert talked about the latest news in the Iran conflict.

* Bernard, Peter and Roger talked about the preparedness of New Zealand organizations for such a crisis.

* Peter referred to this video by LedbyDonkeys as the skateboarding dog.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free. Also, here’s a couple of special offers: $3/month or $30/year for under 30s & $6.50/month or $65/year for over 65s who rent.)

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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 war, the fuel crisis and Winston Peters’ move to block a ‘globalist’ WHO measure.

* Bernard and Peter then spoke with Cathrine about increased demand for EVs and whether the fuel crisis represented a tipping point for climate action.

* Then Bernard, Peter and Dileepa talked about the fuel crisis.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free. Also, here’s a couple of special offers: $3/month or $30/year for under 30s & $6.50/month or $65/year for over 65s who rent.)

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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 James Renwick and climate scientist Andy Reisinger, speaking independently and not in his role as a Climate Change Commissioner.

We started by talking about the need for the Symposium and referring to the National Emergency Briefing held in the UK last year, including an address by Zennström Professor of Climate and Energy at Uppsala University and Chair of Energy and Climate Change at the University of Manchester, Professor Kevin Anderson. The video of his address is below via Youtube.

We talked about the intersection of climate change with other crises, the realities of climate science, the urgency of action, and the systemic changes needed to address the climate crisis.

Here’s Catherine’s substack post announcing the conference.

And a follow-up post with the latest details.

Here’s the chapters in the video above:

00:00 Introduction to Climate Change and the Reality of Everything Conference

01:25 Overview of the Reality of Everything Conference

02:17 Insights from the UK National Emergency Briefing

04:49 The Current State of Global Warming

07:31 The Impacts of Climate Change and Tipping Points

10:58 Radical Transformations Required for a Sustainable Future

14:12 The Reality of Climate Change and Public Awareness

16:57 The Necessity of Rapid Change

19:33 The Consequences of Inaction

22:18 Engaging Politicians and the Public

24:44 The Role of Corporations and Governance

27:15 Exploring Solutions at the Conference

Thank you Susan St John, Mike Joy, Paul Singh, Melanie, Brian Rathbone, and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

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 issues and Marsden Point.

* Bernard then spoke with Cathrine about new research confirming an acceleration of climate change, about research showing a rise in carbon dioxide in bloodstreams, and the links between the Middle East conflicts and climate change.

* Then Bernard, Peter, Robert and Helen talked about the current mess in the Middle East, New Zealand’s weak response, our health system and an upcoming play about Helen Clark called ‘Helen Clark in Six Outfits’

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free. Also, here’s a couple of special offers: $3/month or $30/year for under 30s & $6.50/month or $65/year for over 65s who rent.)

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Context Setting

07:22 Fuel Crisis and Government Response

10:43 Housing Crisis and Emergency Solutions

13:20 Economic Policy and the 30-30 Rule

19:19 Debt Management and Economic Stability

24:15 Electrifying the Economy and Climate Change

27:28 Population Growth and Migration Policy

Cheers

Bernard

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 129 journalists reported in 2025 by the Committee to Protect Journalists, mostly in Gaza, and the risks of it worsening in an extended war in the Middle East.

* Bernard and Peter talked about New Zealand’s lack of resilience to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz for both diesel and fertiliser.

* Bernard, Peter and Cathrine talked about the impending dropping of clean car standards and the connections between war and climate change.

* Bernard, Peter, Robert and Jonathan talked about the implications from the widening war in the Middle East, including Israel’s role and Iran’s history.

Jonathan has written these books on Iran: The House of Wisdom: How the Arabs Transformed Western Civilization, and, Islam Through Western Eyes: From the Crusades to the War on Terrorism.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free. Also, here’s a couple of special offers: $3/month or $30/year for under 30s & $6.50/month or $65/year for over 65s who rent.)

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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, conference speaker and epidemiologist Professor Alistair Woodward from the University of Auckland, and fellow public health specialist Associate Professor Caroline Shaw from the University of Otago.

We started by talking about the need for the Symposium and referring to the National Emergency Briefing held in the UK last year, including an address by Professor Hugh Montgomery, a Professor of Intensive Care Medicine at University College London. The video of his address is below via Youtube.

We talked about the intersection of public health and climate change, emphasizing the urgent need for a comprehensive approach to public health in the face of climate, resource and economic crises.

We talked about tobacco control as a precedent for health policy, the social determinants of health, and the benefits of e-bikes. The conversation concludes with recommendations for policymakers to prioritize health and well-being in climate action.

Here’s Catherine’s substack post announcing the conference.

And a follow-up post with the latest details.

Here’s the chapters in the video above:

00:00 Introduction to the Reality of Everything Symposium

02:43 Understanding the Interconnected Crises

05:36 Climate Change and Health Risks

07:18 Tobacco Control as a Model for Climate Action

11:41 Social Determinants of Health and Climate Change

15:29 Transport, Health, and Climate Change Solutions

18:10 Rethinking Emergencies and Public Health

19:05 Transport Policies and Health Implications

21:20 Access Over Infrastructure: A New Perspective

22:19 The Hidden Health Costs of Transport

24:23 E-Bikes: A Healthier Alternative

25:34 Policy Solutions for Health and Climate Change

29:18 Public Health as Climate Action

31:48The Economic Case for Climate Action

Thank you Susan St John, Mike Joy, Paul Singh, Melanie, Brian Rathbone, and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

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, Summerhaze, David, Elaine, and many others for tuning into my live video with Ben Reid! Join me for my next live video in the app.

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 week:

* Bernard and Peter debated the Clerk of Parliament deciding to stop using X.

* Bernard and Cathrine talked about a paper showing climate policy inconsistency depresses economic growth and employment, along with another paper showing the social cost of carbon at over US$1,000/tonne, and a survey for The Post-$ showing voters here want flood protection projects, rather than motorways.

* Peter and Elaine talked about covering autocracies in Eastern Europe and Donald Trump’s State of the Union address.

* Bernard, Peter and Polly talked about how the Government’s ‘move-on’ orders are likely to affect young homeless people, and why ramping up Housing First by even more would be a better solution.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free. Also, here’s a couple of special offers: $3/month or $30/year for under 30s & $6.50/month or $65/year for over 65s who rent.)

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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 landmark moment ‘calling b******t’ on at least three decades of economic reforms focused on squeezing down the size of Government and keeping capital gains tax free at all costs.

I spoke with David in a Substack Live this morning, referencing his presentation below.

Thank you Ant O'Brien, Michael Sharpe, Steve Glicken, MD, James Wilkes, John Smart, and many others for tuning into my live video with David Skilling! Join me for my next live video in the app.

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:

* Bernard, Peter and Cathrine talked about the week’s news in climate change, including criticism of the Government’s climate non-action by outgoing Tower Insurance Chair Michael Stiassny, Marc Daalder’s piece for Newsroom on climate preparedness, the US move to wipe out a climate change finding and remove all regulation of emissions, and the impending shutdown of the Ministry of the Environment here.

* Bernard, Peter and Robert talked about Donald Trump’s ‘coercive’ approach to diplomacy with Iran, and the risk of imminent US strikes on Iran, which would trigger damaging Iranian counter-attacks on Israel.

* Bernard, Peter, Shamubeel and Scott talked about Chris Bishop’s watering down yesterday of housing intensification plans in Auckland and the Infrastructure Commission’s final 30-year plan presented earlier this week.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free. Also, here’s a couple of special offers: $3/month or $30/year for under 30s & $6.50/month or $65/year for over 65s who rent.)

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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’ announcement of a new inquiry into the RBNZ’s actions over Covid;

* The Government’s announcement of a levy on all electricity consumers to pay for LNG import infrastructure;

* Whether solar panels and batteries would do a better job than LNG.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free. Also, here’s a couple of special offers: $3/month or $30/year for under 30s & $6.50/month or $65/year for over 65s who rent.)

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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 Christchurch and Wellington;

* The gutting of the Washington Post’s newsroom;

* The effects of climate change on biodiversity, including the deaths of dugongs in Thailand, the deaths of bats in Western Australia, the freezing of iguanas in Florida;

* Insurance retreat in New Zealand; and,

* Rare earth minerals and a possible deal between New Zealand and the US;

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free. Also, here’s a couple of special offers: $3/month or $30/year for under 30s & $6.50/month or $65/year for over 65s who rent.)

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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 backing Donald Trump on withdrawing from the World Health Organisation;

* The dramas this week in Global Financial Markets around the reserve currency status of the US dollar and another stalling in the New Zealand economy;

* The fallout from this month’s extraordinary weather events made worse by unaddressed climate change, and some solutions, including this EECA report on shifting power demand off-peak and this Manu Caddie post;

* Donald Trump’s latest threats to attack Iran, along with the history of revolutions in Iran and the situation there now, including Jonathan and Robert. Jonathan has written these books on Iran: The House of Wisdom: How the Arabs Transformed Western Civilization, and, Islam Through Western Eyes: From the Crusades to the War on Terrorism.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free. Also, here’s a couple of special offers: $3/month or $30/year for under 30s & $6.50/month or $65/year for over 65s who rent.)

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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-migration comments from Shane Jones in the wake of protests against rockpool harvesting (RNZ) and the economy’s struggle to generate growth most can feel;

* This week’s extraordinary weather events made worse by unaddressed climate change, including this new UK paper on the environment and national security and the measures that should be taken to make Aotearoa more resilient;

* Trump’s latest rupturing of the global world order, including Mark Carney’s speech at Davos and Donald Trump’s latest threats to invade Greenland;

* How New Zealand adapts to the law of the jungle; and,

* What’s happening in our health system, and how to improve it, including discussions about this Andrea Black paper, this Deloitte paper and the launch this week of Kaitiaki Hauora, which is a national coalition of workers, iwi, union, and advocacy groups wanting to strengthen public health that includes David Galler.

Jane Kelsey has written these pieces for The Conversation on geopolitics so far this year:

* Trump is threatening more tariffs over access to critical minerals – will NZ be targeted?

* The World Trade Organization is on life support. Will Trump’s new rules finish it off?

Robert Patman has written this piece for The Conversation this year:

* As Trump rewrites the rules in Venezuela, NZ faces a foreign policy reckoning

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free. Also, here’s a couple of special offers: $3/month or $30/year for under 30s & $6.50/month or $65/year for over 65s who rent.)

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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 Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ criticism of Breman, despite his votes in favour of central bank independence over the years;

* How Trump’s strike on Venezuela is upending ever more global norms;

* record-high sea temperatures and how climate change is already a major part of the affordability story; and,

* a rocky election year ahead of misinformation in the absence of 3News, Sunday, Fair Go and a larger number of climate journalists.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free. Also, here’s a couple of special offers: $3/month or $30/year for under 30s & $6.50/month or $65/year for over 65s who rent.)

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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 administrations, Dean of the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies at Indiana University Bloomington, long-serving board member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free. Also, here’s a couple of special offers: $3/month or $30/year for under 30s & $6.50/month or $65/year for over 65s who rent.)

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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 Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free. Also, here’s a couple of special offers: $3/month or $30/year for under 30s & $6.50/month or $65/year for over 65s who rent.)

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

PS: Here’s a cookie recipe Peter recommends. Apropos of some good news.

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 tax company loans to shareholders as dividends if they’re not repaid within a year. As of March 31, 2024, 119,000 companies are owed $28 billion by 165,000 shareholders. Terry has a podcast on Interest.co.nz.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free. Also, here’s a couple of special offers: $3/month or $30/year for under 30s & $6.50/month or $65/year for over 65s who rent.)

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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 Quilae ‘Q’ Wong about The Opportunity Party’s name change, her background, her ambitions, the party’s land tax policy, the ‘Abundance’ agenda and the issue of wasted votes.

* Bernard and Peter talked with Robert about Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin’s latest attempt to railroad Ukraine into a capitulation, along with Europe’s reaction.

* Bernard and Peter talked with Cathrine about New Zealand giving up on phasing out fossil fuels (Marc Daalder’s piece in Newsroom), the abandonment of a big carbon capture scheme ( Kate Newton’s piece for RNZ), and Kirsty Johnston’s deep-dive for RNZ about the oil and gas industry capturing the Government’s climate policies.

* Bernard talked about the RBNZ’s rate cut and the economy’s outlook, along with the tragic loss of the first contributory pension scheme in 1975.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free. Also, here’s a couple of special offers: $3/month or $30/year for under 30s & $6.50/month or $65/year for over 65s who rent.)

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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 a CEO profile special series of articles for BusinessDesk-$, including that Brian Roche’s favourite book was by Jo Nesbo.

* Bernard, Peter and Cathrine talked about the Government’s decision this week to slash penalties for importing high emissions vehicles to save buyers of double-cab utes hundreds of dollars.

* Peter and Robert talked about Donald Trump’s attacks on the rules of international law, referring to this article by Philippe Sands in The Guardian. They also talked about the latest secret peace deal for Ukraine agreed between the United States and Russia, but which didn’t include Ukraine or Europe.

* Bernard and Kirsten talked about the state of climate policy in the wake of the shredding of the clean car discount scheme.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in last year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free. Also, here’s a couple of special offers: $3/month or $30/year for under 30s & $6.50/month or $65/year for over 65s who rent.)

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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 crisis.

* Bernard, Peter & Cathrine talked about the COP30 conference and Cathrine’s article on it for The Conversation.

* Bernard, Peter and Max talked about IDEA’s proposal for a Kids Kiwisaver.

* Bernard, Peter and Max talked about Max’s column for The Spinoff this week on how the left’s arguments against the Government’s debt aversion aren’t working, and what ‘jujitsu’ tactic might work better.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in this year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free. Also, here’s a couple of special offers: $3/month or $30/year for under 30s & $6.50/month or $65/year for over 65s who rent.)

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard

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 ‘move-on order’ legislation to allow Police to move homeless people out of CBDs for a day.

This week’s special guest was Auckland City Missioner Helen Robinson.

Our topics this week were:

* Bernard, Peter & Robert talked about the election of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and what it means politically inside, and potentially outside, the United States.

* Bernard and Peter talked about this week’s climate change policy changes with Cathrine.

* Peter and Robert talked about the latest crisis in Sudan.

* Bernard, Peter and Helen talked about this week’s ‘move-on order’ news around homelessness in our CBDs.

The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was produced and edited by Simon Josey.

The Hoon won the silver award for best current affairs podcast in this year’s New Zealand Podcast awards.

(This is a sampler for all free subscribers and anyone else who stumbles on it. Thanks to the support of paying subscribers here, we’re able to spread my public interest journalism here about housing affordability, climate change and poverty reduction other public venues. Join the community supporting and contributing to this work with your ideas, feedback and comments, and by subscribing in full. Remember, all students and teachers who sign up for the free version with their .ac.nz and .school.nz email accounts are automatically upgraded to the paid version for free. Also, here’s a couple of special offers: $3/month or $30/year for under 30s & $6.50/month or $65/year for over 65s who rent.)

Ngā mihi nui.

Bernard