Podcasts about aotearoa new zealand

In this episode, Rayne and guest-host Dr Michaela Richards chat with Emeritus Professor in the Study of Religion, Dr Paul Morris. Paul Morris talks with us about religious diversity and religious literacy, and the state of Religious Studies both globally and in Aotearoa New Zealand. Paul offers an incisive challenge to the ways in which we think about religion, secular privilege, and the role of religious inter-religious dialogue. 

Kia ora,Welcome to Friday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news Trump's back-down on tariffs came as corporate decision-makers concluded reshoring isn't a good idea. There are few moves to bolster US-based production.But first today, Fed boss Powell spoke overnight and he focused on the challenges they face keeping inflation under control. He noted long-term interest rates are now notably higher, driven mainly by risk premiums rather than shifts in inflation expectations, while estimates of the longer-run neutral policy rate have also risen. He noted the US economy has changed a lot since their last review and warned that inflation might become more volatile in future due to more frequent supply shocks, which will make it harder for central banks to achieve price stability. Throughout his remarks, Powell also stressed the critical role of anchored inflation expectations. Meanwhile US initial jobless claims slipped slightly to 205,200 but that was what seasonal factors accounted for and what analysts were expecting. There are now 1.783 mln people on these benefits, a reduction from last week, but it is up almost +100,000 from this time last year.Maybe surprisingly, American producer prices fell by -0.5% in April, following a revised flat reading in March and defying market expectations of a +0.2% increase. This was the first decline in the PPI since October 2023 and the sharpest drop since April 2020, during the early pandemic period. The retreat was largely driven by a -0.7% fall in service costs, the largest since data collection began in December 2009, and that was due to a -1.6% drop in margins for trade services, because businesses are absorbing much of the impact from higher tariffs. PPI is now up +2.4% from a year ago.Industrial production in the US didn't rise as expected in April. In fact factory output fell -0.4%, reversing the increase in March. And the prospects of shifting significant production "back to the US" seem remote in many diverse categories.There were two regional factory surveys released for May overnight, and both declined somewhat. The NY Fed's Empire State survey reported another modest decline. The Philly Fed's survey for their core rust belt region recorded a sharp improvement, better than the improvement expected. But it is still in decline.In a sign of the times a major lithium battery recycler has entered bankruptcy.US retail sales were little-changed in April, following the upwardly revised +1.7% front-loaded pre-tariff surge in March. 2024 gains mean they are +5.2% higher than year-ago levels.The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index in the US fell sharply in May to its the lowest since November 2023 and well below what was expected. Home builders are glum. Current sales conditions fell, sales expectations in the next six months edged lower, and they said traffic of prospective buyers has dropped recently.Meanwhile, housing starts in Canada jumped +30% in April from March and that was well above what was expected. It was their most since June 2023. US tariffs on Canadian softwoods is likely making Canadian house building costs lower.Across the Pacific, Japanese machine tool orders rose +7.7% in April from a year ago, but that growth was a slowing from +11.4% growth in March. But it was the seventh consecutive month of rising machine tool orders. Local orders dropped -5.4% from a year earlier while foreign orders jumped +13.3% on the same basis. India's exports were nothing special in April, certainly not reflective of a rising industrial power. They slipped from March but they were up +9.0% from a year ago due to gains in prior months.In Europe, industrial production rose by +2.6% in March from February, marking the strongest increase since November 2020 and rising from a good +1.1% gain in February. The result easily beat market expectations of a +1.8% rise. The surge was driven primarily by a rebound in output of durable consumer goods.In Australia, they added +75,500 jobs in April, almost 47,500 of them full-time positions. Their employed workforce grew +2.75% in the past year. Their jobless rate eased to 4.1% from 4.3% (although staying at 4.1% on a seasonally adjusted basis which is the metric others report). Inflation pressure plus this strong jobs report might have the RBA re-thinking the wisdom of a rate cut.Bulk freight rates fell -7.0% in the last week to be -18.5% lower than year-ago levels. Container freight rates were also -18.0% lower than year ago levels, but they did rise +8% last week with a surge in outbound cargoes from China across the Pacific on the sudden 'pause' in tariff hikes.The UST 10yr yield is at 4.45%, down -8 bps so far today.The price of gold will start today at US$3218/oz, and up +US$43 from yesterday.Oil prices are -US$2 lower today at just over US$61.50/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is just on US$64.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 58.7 USc, down -40 bps from yesterday at this time. Against the Aussie we are down -10 bps at 91.7 AUc. Against the euro we are down -30 bps at 52.5 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today just over 67.2 and down a net -40 bps from this time yesterday.The bitcoin price starts today at US$104,020 and up +0.8% from yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has remained modest at just under +/- 1.2%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again on Monday.

NZ On Air Head of Partnerships Raewyn Rasch introduces a case study of Sky Originals show Miles From Nowhere, where producers Ahmed Osman and Sam Wilton talk about the strategies they implemented to ensure inclusive representation of the Muslim community throughout the entire production process from casting to call sheets to creative decisions. Focused on representing the changing face of Aotearoa New Zealand, they explain how this level of equity and representation in front of and behind the camera can be achieved.  This session was presented by NZ On Air.  

Kia ora,Welcome to Thursday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news the price of gold is falling, long term benchmark interest rates keep on rising with larger risk premiums, and monetary policy regulators are coming round to the idea of rate cuts to bolster flagging economic expansion everywhere.But first in the US, mortgage application volumes rose marginally last week from the prior week for the period and holding on to the +11% jump of the previous period. Benchmark home loan rates were basically stable but at an elevated level averaging 6.86%.Canada building consents fell in March and by more than expected although to be fair it only cancelled the February rise and probably isn't too surprising given their election campaign and overall economic uncertainty around relations with the US.Meanwhile, Canadian vehicle sales took off in March, and to its best month since the pandemic, as buyers rushed to get hold of pickups, utes and light trucks ahead of the threat of sharply higher prices. On the other hand, car sales dived.In China, new yuan loan approvals were unusually weak in the April data released overnight. Banks approved loans at their lowest rate for an April since 2005, and at ¥280 bln, that was less than 10% of the good March level and less than half the year ago level, itself unusually weak. Of course, it reflects the initial impact of the trade war on Chinese businesses.In Australia we should note that large parts of Victoria and South Australia are in a severe drought condition, also even parts of Tasmania. Some say it is the worst "in a lifetime" with zero April rainfall extending into May. If there is any hope for livestock farmers it is that grain production has been high in other areas, enabling grain-fed beef to continue. Lucky for them, grain-fed beef demand is rising in China. Those drought conditions contrast with the endless rain Sydney is having.Next week on Tuesday, the Aussie central bank will be reviewing its 4.10% cash rate target. More analysts now see a -25 bps cut then. Although it is no certainty, financial markets also have it priced in.And staying in Australia, regulator ASIC is tackling Macquarie again. ASIC is suing Macquarie Securities alleging it engaged in misleading conduct by misreporting millions of short sales to the market operator for over 14 years. They allege that between 11 December 2009 and 14 February 2024, Macquarie failed to correctly report the volume of short sales by at least 73 million. ASIC estimates that this could be between 298 million and 1.5 billion short sales. The last ASIC action against Macquarie was just a week ago over compliance failures. Today's action is the fifth by ASIC against Macquarie since April 2024.The UST 10yr yield is at 4.53%, up +3 bps so far today.The price of gold will start today at US$3175/oz, and down -US$67 from yesterday.Oil prices are marginally lower today at just under US$63.50/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is just under US$66.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59.1 USc, down -30 bps from yesterday at this time. Against the Aussie we are up +10 bps at 91.8 AUc. Against the euro we are down -30 bps at 52.8 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today just under 67.6 and down a net -30 bps from this time yesterday.The bitcoin price starts today at US$103,147 and down almost -1.0% from yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has remained modest at just under +/- 1.1%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

The eleven regional film offices around New Zealand might be seen as competitors, but they've found a way over the last decade to cooperate and collaborate with each other in the spirit of ‘NZ Inc', recognising the healthy ‘coopetition' can be the best way to combine resources and achieve shared goals. They're working towards a vision shared by many, a well-functioning Aotearoa New Zealand screen industry. This panel discusses how and why the RFOs work together and what lessons can be learnt about this collaboration. And most importantly, what exactly does a well-functioning screen industry look like, from North to South? Join this outstanding panel are moderator Jaclyn Philpott (Association of Film Commissioners International) visiting from Los Angeles, Petrina D'Rozario  from Screen CanterburyNZ, Mark Westerby from Screen Wellington, Kahli Scott from Film Queenstown Lakes and Jade Kent from Film Bay of Plenty. 

Kia ora,Welcome to Wednesday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news the relief rally following the US-China trade de-escalation continues, for equities at least. But worries continue about recession and inflation. Investors want higher risk premiums. And it seems China is in no hurry to resume buying from US sources.But first up today, the overnight dairy Pulse auction delivered similar but slightly lower results for both SMP and WMP that were achieved at last week's full auction, basically confirming the recent shifts, especially the up-shift for WMP.The April US CPI inflation rate came in at 2.3%, a touch lower than the 2.4% expected and which applied for March. That was largely due to fuel costs falling more sharply (-11.8%). The costs of food (+2.8%), rents (+4.0%) and transport (+2.5%) were all higher.Last week's Redbook tracking of US retail sales recorded a +5.8% rise from the same week a year ago. We will likely see this fade as the tariff-induced buying eases off now.The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index dropped in April to its lowest level since October 2024. But the retreat wasn't quite as much as was expected.US household debt data updates were a mixed bag. Total household debt rose +$167 bln from the prior quarter to a record high of $18.2 tln in Q1-2025. Delinquency rates rose from the previous quarter, with 4.3% of outstanding debt now in some stage of delinquency.US importers of Chinese goods still face much higher costs. The net position after the tempest and pullback is 'worse' for inflation, and negative for trade. Struggle is all ahead for global trade.In India, CPI inflation fell to 3.2% in April, and that is its lowest rate since before the pandemic. Food prices were up only +1.8% within that. The current overall inflation rate is now well below their central bank's 4% mid-point target. If it stays there, a rate cut in India may be on the cards.In Germany, there was a sharp bounce-back in the ZEW sentiment survey tracking in May, putting the unusual drop in April behind it. The survey indicates growing optimism for the next six months, driven by the formation of a new federal government there, progress in resolving tariff disputes, and signs of stabilising inflation. Nearly all sectors reported improved sentiment in May.In Australia, updated data seems to indicate that Kiwis are losing the desire to visit there. That said there were 104,600 visits by Kiwis in March, -9.3% fewer than in March 2024 and almost -10% fewer than in March 2018 (a pre-pandemic equivalent). For the year to March 2025, we made 1.367 mln visits to Australia, little different (+1.4%) to the same year in 2024. It is a similar story for Aussies visiting New Zealand. In March 2025 it was -1.7% less than the same month a year earlier.Consumer sentiment in Australia has stayed weak in March, according to a widely-watched Westpac-MM survey.We should probably note that good weather and favourable growing conditions in almost all regions has boosted wheat production - and is pushing down prices. They are now back to levels they first achieved ten years ago and are almost -60% lower than their peak in 2022. For similar reasons, corn prices are falling now too.The UST 10yr yield is at 4.50%, up +4 bps so far today.There rate may go higher. A Reuters poll of bond investors shows them increasingly concerned about both a global recession, and rising inflation. That is, stagflation.The price of gold will start today at US$3243/oz, and up +US$20 from yesterday.Oil prices are up +US$1.50 today at just over US$63.50/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is just over US$66.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59.4 USc, up +90 bps from yesterday at this time. Against the Aussie we are down -50 bps at 91.7 AUc. Against the euro we are up +30 bps at 53.1 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today just under 67.9 and up a net +50 bps from this time yesterday.The bitcoin price starts today at US$104,161 and back up +2.7% from yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has remained modest at just on +/- 1.7%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

Kia ora,Welcome to Tuesday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news mostly about the China-US Geneva 'agreement' and market reactions.First up, China and the US agreed to cut tariffs on each other by -115%. For the US that means they will go down to 30%. For China, down to 10%. Supposedly the deal is for 90 days to allow further negotiations, but it will likely be endlessly extended. Oddly, China was the only major power to impose reciprocal tariffs and this deal seem to make them a clear winner with the US meeting most of China's demands for de-escalation. Other countries who regarded themselves as friends and who have or are still 'negotiating' with the US are now in a much worse position. That includes neighbours Canada and Mexico, Japan, and of course the EU.Separately, India who made a big effort to deal with Trump, is spurned, and they have other security reasons to feel offended (justifiably or not).US merchants will rush to return to China supply. But it isn't clear that China will be doing the same with US products. The US trade deficit with China, already elevated, is likely to surge after this type of 'Trump negotiation success'.The equity markets liked the retreat and Wall Street took off. The USD strengthened, probably in a way the American's don't want. The bond market sees more risks and increased its risk premium. Gold and bitcoin fell sharply.The size of the tariff taxes became clear in April with the release of the US Budget Statement. These taxes cost US importers $16 bln in the month, an increase of +US$9 bln from a year ago, or +$500 mln/day, far lower than the +US$2 bln/day claimed by Trump. Of course they will now fall from here and it seems will never reach the claimed levels so any budget boost to tackle deficits - a clearly stated policy objective - is likely now in the bin.The May report from the USDA shows that grain production worldwide is rising while consumption isn't. So prices are falling especially in the US in response to their trade policies. More will be used there as feed grains. Oddly, this report noted lower production and export opportunities for beef but overlooked mention of what is presumed to be a surge in beef imports. They did say dairy production will be lower and imports higher.Across the Pacific, Chinese vehicle sales came in for April up +9.8% from the same month in 2024. These sales ran at 2.59 mln units an all-time record high for any April. NEVs took a record 47% share in the month. In all this, foreign brands are struggling to get a share, or even keep their share of this expanding market.The UST 10yr yield is at 4.46%, up +8 bps so far today. Wall Street has taken off today on the China tariff news, up +3.1% in Monday trade. The price of gold will start today at US$3223/oz, and down -US$100 from yesterday.Oil prices are up +US$1 today at just over US$62/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is just over US$65/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 58.5 USc, down -60 bps from yesterday at this time. Against the Aussie we are down -20 bps at 92.2 AUc. Against the euro we are up +30 bps at 52.8 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today just under 67.4 and down -20 bps from this time yesterday.The bitcoin price starts today at US$101,401 and down -2.5% from yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been modest at just on +/- 1.5%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

Kia ora,Welcome to Monday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news with claims of "substantial progress" and "a deal we struck" by the Americans in their Geneva talks with China, but no indications of anything from the Chinese. Bluster from the White House doesn't count for much these days.But first in the coming week, US attention will shift to Wednesday's CPI data for April although no real surprises are anticipated. There will be April data for retail sales too, PPI data, housing starts, and the next sentiment update from the University of Michigan at the end of the week.China will report new loan data, house price data, and updates for industrial production and retail sales. Japan will release its Q1-2025 GDP data, and both South Korea and Australia will release labour market data updates. Locally we will get travel, population, retail and productivity data, not to forget the Q1 ready mixed concrete data (!).In Japan, household spending rose +2.1% in March from a year ago and far better than the expected +0.2% gain. It was the strongest growth since December. Helping was that the previous retreats of spending on food basically stopped, while spending on furniture and on recreation rose a good levels.China's April CPI inflation dipped -0.1% from a year ago, holding the same easing for a second month and that was what was expected. It was the third consecutive month of consumer deflation. Within that result, food prices were up +0.3% but beef prices fell -4.9% from a year ago, lamb prices were down -3.8%. Milk prices fell -1.2%.Deflation was more pronounced for producer prices, down -2.7% from a year ago, the steepest retreat for any month in 2025.Staying in China, April exports came in very much better than the pullback that was expected. In fact their trade surplus was almost as strong as the unusual March trade surplus. Few were expecting this 'good' result. Here are the results by trading partner.New Zealand exported twice what we imported from them. For Australia it was almost the same but the Aussies have a higher dependency on China than we do. For the US, they are still taking more that 10% of all Chinese exports although that is down from nearly 13% usually. But Chinese buying of American goods is now under 6% of all Chinese imports, down from the usual 16%. The Americans may have initiated the tariff war, but the Chinese have reacted far faster.Meanwhile China said its Q1-2025 current account surplus hit a record high, more than treble what it was in the same quarter a year ago. US demand saw their merchandise trade surplus leap, while their services deficit narrowed slightly.Across the Pacific in the US, that foreigners are avoiding travel there has been confirmed by new data that shows an historic drop in inbound travel spending. It has only been a sharper drop in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the early stages of the badly-handled response to Covid. The US as a travel destination is a significant reason they have run services surpluses. The travel boycott may build over fears it is unsafe, amid numerous reports of immigration officers detaining tourists or denying entry even for transit.Further the American spring real estate season is shaping up to be 'a dud'. High unsold inventories, high price expectations, and still-high mortgage rates are putting off buyers during this prime selling period.The US barbeque season is approaching and the cost of beef is rising and rising. Tariffs are raising prices and drought is thinning local cattle supply. That means the Americans are more dependent than ever on imported beef, especially ground beef. They are price takers so are paying both the premium for the supply shortfall, plus the full imported tariffs.Looking north, although the Canadian jobless rate rose a touch more than expected to 6.9% in April (and a 3 year high), and there was only a minor rise in overall payroll employment, there was in fact a strong rise in full-time jobs and an equally notable fall in part-time roles.The Canadian dollar fell on the jobless rise. The overall softness however probably means the Bank of Canada will cut its 2.75% policy rate again at their next meeting on June 5 (NZT).The UST 10yr yield is at 4.38%, unchanged from this time Saturday and up +16 bps for the week. The price of gold will start today at US$3323/oz, and down -US$15 from Saturday.Oil prices are holding today at just on US$61/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is still just under US$64/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59.1 USc, down -10 bps from Saturday at this time, down -30 bps from a week ago. Against the Aussie we are unchanged at 92.2 AUc. Against the euro we are still at 52½ euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today just under 67.6 and little-changed from Saturday, down -20 bps from this time last week.The bitcoin price starts today at US$104,041and up +0.9% from Saturday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been modest at just under +/- 1.7%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

Headed back up the hills, and today we are in the bizarrely snowy Carlow Alps, as no one has ever called them before. We didn't make it to the top of Mt. Leinster, because of the thick snow, but I did have a fantastic afternoon with Cathy & Martin.Cathy Fitzgerald grew up in Aotearoa New Zealand and has been living in rural South East Ireland, the home of her Irish ancestors for several decades. She is an ecological artist and ecoliteracy educator at Haumea Ecoversity, her independent online ecoliteracy learning platform for creatives, teachers and cultural professionals. She addresses a critical gap in higher education on holistic transformative learning, to empower people to act for personal, societal, planetary and intergenerational well-being. All of this drawing from the re-wilding of the Sitka Spruce plantation her and Martin live with, that is the ongoing 'Hollywood Forest Story'. Cathy's husband Martin Lyttle was born in Kenya, and grew up near Mt. Leinster, South County Carlow, very close to where he and Cathy now live. Martin has always gravitated towards geology, rocks, and mountains. Once a former geotechnical engineer, in recent years he has followed his passion for creativity in becoming a stone sculptor. He takes care to only work with local Kilkenny limestone and granite, with his unique sculptures of organic forms, fruits and vegetables, often hand-polished, relate to his interest in Nature's forms, gardening and care for the Earth.Find more information about Cathy's work here and here. Find Martin's art here and here.To help the podcast hike up more hills, comedic or otherwise, please be in touch with ideas of who I should be inviting on the podcast, and support me with some waterproof gear. All that and more ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Thank you to all the supporters as well as to the amazing band Bukahara for their permission to use their fabulous, on point song '⁠⁠Storytelling Animal⁠⁠' as our soundtrack.The World is Storytelling podcast is based on the book by the same name. Written by Arjen Barel, Ronni Gurwicz, and Stu Packer, it is the definitive guide to how sharing stories can be used for social impact and personal growth. Buy your physical or digital copy ⁠⁠today⁠⁠!

Kia ora,Welcome to Friday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news the US Fed looks more trapped in policy choices than it has for a long time.But first up today, a US-UK trade deal was announced to great fanfare. But in fact it isn't much. Rather it is a small set of carve-outs from the previous base case: Car tariffs on British-made cars would come in at 10% rather than 27.5%, steel tariffs would go to zero and the threat of future pharmaceutical tariffs would recede. The overall headline US tariff of 10% seems to still be in place; the UK has offered more market access to the US and a Boeing airplane order. But the US did not get changes on food standards or the UK's digital services taxation. The whole thing is very underwhelming. All headlines, no substance.But the equity markets liked it, even if the bond markets didn't. The USD rose on the news. Perhaps the equity markets also see progress coming in tomorrow's Swiss meeting between China and US representatives?Meanwhile, US jobless claims fell last week and by a bit more than seasonal factors would have assumed, coming in right at the level expected by analysts. There are now 1.846 mln people on these benefits, whereas a year ago there were 1.743 mln on them, a +5.9% rise.American labour productivity fell -0.8 in the March 2025 quarter as output decreased -0.3% and hours worked increased +0.6%. It is their first decrease in productivity since the volatile pandemic years, and prior to that, the first Trump presidency.March wholesale inventories rose marginally (+0.4%) but so did sales in the pre-tariff rush, so the inventory-to-sales balance was little-changed and not exhibiting any stress.Also not changing much were American inflation expectations in April, which isn't as sanguine as it sounds because they came in at the same elevated 3.6% level they jumped to in March. However, households' perceptions about their current financial situations deteriorated, with the share of consumers reporting that they are somewhat or much worse off compared to one year ago increasing. Similarly, households' expectations about their future financial situations deteriorated, with the share of those believing they will be somewhat or much worse off a year from now also rising.In Malaysia, their central bank held its policy rate at 3% overnight, as was expected. They have low inflation, 1.4%, and a good +4.4% economic expansion but one that is fading. And they are vulnerable to the tariff war. In the meantime, Malaysian industrial production is still expanding at a healthy clip.In Europe, German industrial production is on the come-back up +3.0% in March from February, and for the first time since May 2023, hardly lower than year-ago levels. Of course, this is data that predates the onset of the US tariff war.In England, their central bank cut its policy rate by -25 bps to 4.25%, also as expected. But two of their nine members voted for no change. It is their fourth rate cut since August 2023, when their rate reached 5.25% in the previous cycle. They currently have a 2.6% inflation rate, slowly easing, and a +1.4% economic expansion rate.With the Bank of England following the ECB down, along with Canada, soon Australia, and likely New Zealand, it does point out that the US Fed is now boxed in by US fiscal policy, basically unable to cut rates there because of the immediate inflation risks.In Australia, they changed their laws making it clearer that buy-now-pay-later contracts are covered by their National Credit Code (which is Schedule 1 to their National Credit Act). ASIC has now issued regulatory guidance for the BNPL sector.We should probably note that lithium prices have fallen further, with the bubble well and truly over, and prices back to their pre-bubble 2021 levelsThe reduction impetus is going out of global container freight rate changes, down just -1% last week to be -23% lower than year-ago levels. Bulk cargo rates stopped rising in the past week.The UST 10yr yield is at 4.37%, up +10 bps from this time yesterday.The price of gold will start today at US$3303/oz, and down -US$81 from yesterday.Oil prices are firmer today, up +US$1.50 at just under US$60/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is now just under US$63/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59.1 USc, down -60 bps from yesterday at this time, down a full -1c from Wednesday. Against the Aussie we are down -20 bps at 92.3 AUc. Against the euro we are unchanged at 52.6 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today just on 67.6 and down another -20 bps.The bitcoin price starts today at US$101,054 and up +4.6% from yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been moderate at just under +/- 3.0%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again on Monday.

In this panel discussion we get to hear on Housing in Aotearoa New Zealand from the following speakers at the New Zealand Green Building Council Housing Summit held on 7 May 2025 (more on NZGBC is here): Ali Hamlin-Paenga - Chief Executive of Te Matapihi (Site: https://www.tematapihi.org.nz)  Cate Kearney - Chief Executive of Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust (Site: https://www.ocht.org.nz)  Paul Gilberd - Chief Executive of Community Housing Aotearoa (Site: https://communityhousing.org.nz)                     Steven Moe – Chair of Community Housing Funding Agency (Site: https://chfa.co.nz)  Thanks to Bernard Hickey for the questions at the end as well.  Listen to his "When the Facts Change Podcast" and follow his work here https://thekaka.substack.com  Description of the session: "Partnering for a better result on housing supply Housing supply is more important than ever. With Community Housing Providers a vital, growing part of the solution, how are they stepping up to support mitigating the housing crisis? How will they be financed? Join Steven Moe from the Community Housing Funding Agency as he leads our panel talking strategic partnerships, the funding mechanisms, and the challenges in rolling out best practice in community housing initiatives." Thanks to the NZGBC team for all the work in putting the conference on! For more on seeds visit www.theseeds.nz 

Kia ora,Welcome to Thursday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news the global economy's track is no clearer today.First up, the US central bank kept it key policy rate unchanged at 4.50% for a third consecutive meeting in line with expectations. They are keeping their wait-and-see approach but watching to see if the tariff taxes drive up inflation and slow economic growth. They say they still see expanded economic activity despite signs net exports are volatile. So far they haven't seen the jobless rate move "and labour market conditions remain solid". But they are seeing elevated inflation, and they foresee risks of higher unemployment and higher inflation.Equity markets dropped on the release, as did benchmark bond yields. The USD hardly moved however.Earlier, it was reported that US mortgage application volumes jumped +11% last week from the previous week, ending the three consecutive slumps from earlier in the month. The rebound came after there was another small drop in benchmark mortgage rates.Across the Pacific, China's FX reserves rose in April to their highest level in more than six months (in USD).And staying in China, their central bank said it will cut the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) by -50 basis points, injecting about ¥1 tln in liquidity into their domestic economy. But the cut won't come until May 15 and will then be the first RRR cut in 2025. They also said they will lower the rate on seven-day reverse repurchase agreements by 10 basis points to 1.40%, effective tomorrow, Thursday, May 8. This is the first cut to this key policy rate since September 2024 and could lead to cuts in market and other regulatory rates.And despite denials on both sides, both China and the US said they will meet in Switzerland to discuss stuff on Saturday. Interestingly, the Chinese side will be represented by their lead person for China-US economic and trade affairs, but the US side won't be led by its USTR, but the more senior Treasury Secretary.In the EU there were no surprises in their March retail sales volume data, holding flat again.However, there was positive data out of Germany, where factory orders rose +3.6% in March from February, well above market expectations of a +1.3% gain and putting behind it February's lackluster result. It was their strongest increase since December, with broad-based gains across sectors.Meanwhile, Poland cut its official interest rate by -50 bps to 5.25%. Falling inflation and weak economic activity prompted the move, but it was unusual because they have elections due on May 18 and they are battling Russian election interference.In Australia, regulator ASIC said it has imposed additional conditions on Macquarie Bank's Australian financial services licence after multiple and significant compliance failures – some going undetected for many years and one for a decade.And it seems Peter Dutton wasn't the only party leader to lose his seat at the weekend election. The Greens leader will too. In fact, like the Liberals, the Greens vote fell rather sharply at that election.Separately, the OECD said the global trade in fake goods reached almost US$½ tln in the latest data they have - which is for 2021, posing risks to consumer safety and compromising intellectual property. The breakdown in trade cooperation since won't have lessened the problem.The UST 10yr yield was at 4.28%, down -3 bps from this time yesterday before the US Fed announcement, then slipped slightly further to 4.27%.The price of gold will start today at US$3384/oz, and down -US30 from yesterday.Oil prices are firmer today, down -50 USc at just on US$58.50/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is now just under US$61.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59.7 USc, down -30 bps from yesterday at this time. Against the Aussie we are unchanged at 92½ AUc. Against the euro we are down -20 bps at 52.6 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today just on 67.8 and down -20 bps.The bitcoin price starts today at US$96,653 and up +2.2% from yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been modest at +/- 1.6%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party's Ricardo Menendez-March, Oto spoke to him about The $2 billion boost for naval helicopters, the voting ban for prisoners and the party's new members bill to ensure that imported products meet animal welfare regulations. For this week's Get Action! He spoke to Tara Forde from Aotearoa Covid Action to discuss a petition of hers calling for improvements to the air quality in schools. And he spoke to Rachel Mackintosh from E Tu Union to discuss Brooke Van Velden's changes to pay equity claims Max spoke to National Co-chair of the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa, John Minto, about the attack on the ‘Conscience', a Freedom Flotilla boat which was loaded with life-saving humanitarian aid for Gaza, before being disabled off the coast of Malta. And he spoke to Ronan Payinda, a student at the University of Auckland, who led a study which looked into the location and frequency of Vape stores, around schools in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Saraid de Silva (she/her) is a Sri Lankan/Pakeha writer living in Tamaki Makaurau, Aotearoa New Zealand. Saraid has worked as an actor, theatre-maker, voiceover artist. In 2022, she graduated from Auckland University's Creative Writing Masters and became the inaugural winner of the Crystal Arts Trust Prize. She has also released three seasons of the documentary series Conversations With My Immigrant Parents for Radio New Zealand with co-creator Julie Zhu, and works as a writer for NZ's prime-time soap opera, Shortland Street.Amma has been praised by Diet Paratha, NZ Poet Laureate Chris Tse and Spinoff. It was also nominated for this year's Women's Prize for Fiction. Get the book here or at your local seller. “Annie Ano Fernando doesn't care much for men”And so begins a novel exploring trauma, displacement, queerness over three generations and three continents of the Sri Lankan diaspora.*1951, Singapore. Ten-year-old Josephina kills her abuser.This event becomes the defining moment in the lives of Josephina, her daughter Sithara, and her granddaughter Annie.The effects cascade through generations as Annie sets out across the world to discover what happened to fracture her family.Set in Sri Lanka, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia and London, Amma is a novel about how the past lives with us forever, and wherever we are.Written in sensuous, vivid prose, Amma is a story of the rich history and unknown future of the Sri Lankan diaspora -  and of one family desperately trying to find peace.

For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party's Ricardo Menendez-March, Oto spoke to him about The $2 billion boost for naval helicopters, the voting ban for prisoners and the party's new members bill to ensure that imported products meet animal welfare regulations. For this week's Get Action! He spoke to Tara Forde from Aotearoa Covid Action to discuss a petition of hers calling for improvements to the air quality in schools. And he spoke to Rachel Mackintosh from E Tu Union to discuss Brooke Van Velden's changes to pay equity claims Max spoke to National Co-chair of the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa, John Minto, about the attack on the ‘Conscience', a Freedom Flotilla boat which was loaded with life-saving humanitarian aid for Gaza, before being disabled off the coast of Malta. And he spoke to Ronan Payinda, a student at the University of Auckland, who led a study which looked into the location and frequency of Vape stores, around schools in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Kia ora,Welcome to Wednesday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news we are in for a day of significant announcements, but locally and internationally.But first up today, the overnight full dairy auction brought higher prices, up +4.6% in USD terms and up +3.0% in NZD terms. Of note, the butter price hit a new all-time record high of US$74992/tonne. Also, cheddar cheese rose a very sharp +12.0% from the prior full event, and the dominant WMP price was up a heady +6.2%. This has been a very positive outcome, even if it was on relatively low off-season volumes.There seemed to be two big background drivers. First, EU production is slipping and today's NZ auction prices seem to be equalising with European pricing. And secondly, there was a substantial increase in demand from Southeast Asian buyers, shifting from EU supply. Today's result will bring upside to the payout - if it is maintaintained in future events.Elsewhere, there was a good rise in US retail sales last week, up +6.9% from the same week a year ago in the Redbook survey. But as we have noted previously, it is now hard to separate the inflationary effect of the tariff taxes from volume gains. It is about now that the tariff-tax impact will start happening. All eyes are on Apple, because they won't be able to avoid price hikes much longer now.Retaliatory tariff taxes also juiced up US exports in both goods and services in March but it was minor and similar to February. US imports however shot up to a new all-time record high. So the American trade deficit also hit a new record exceeding -$140 bln for the monthNone of this is helping sentiment. The latest survey, this one the RealClearMarkets/TIPP Economic Optimism Index retreated in May from April when a gain was anticipated. It was at its lowest in seven months.Meanwhile, the US logistics managers index returned to more usual levels, but allowing it to do that were rises in inventory and freight costs, rather than the efficiency components.There was a well-supported US Treasury 10 year bond auction earlier today, and that delivered a median yield of 4.28% which was down -6 bps from the prior equivalent event a month ago.Tomorrow will be dominated by the US Fed's meeting outcome. Changed interest rates are unlikely, but there will be intense interest in how they view the present and future economic landscape.In Canada, the widely-watched local Ivey PMI turned into contraction in April.In China, the Caixin Services PMI expansion eased back in April, down from March's three-month high to be below analyst forecasts. This is now the softest expansion in their services sector in seven months. But this Caixin version reported a slightly faster expansion than the official version.There is a lot going on today, and amongst that we are expecting a significant Chinese briefing by their central bank and other regulators about new moves to respond to their economic pressures triggered by the tariff war.In Europe, their April services PMI didn't fall into contraction as expected. Rather it stayed just on the positive side. But it is an anemic expansion all the same.In Australia, household spending slipped in March from February, to be +3.5% higher than March 2024. Of special note was the very sharp -1.3% dive in Queensland.There was an even sharper retreat in building consents in Australia in March with a big -15% dive in consents for building apartments.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.31%, down -3 bps from this time yesterday.The price of gold will start today at US$3414/oz, and up +US$101 from yesterday, and heading back towards its April 23 record high.Oil prices are firmer today, up +US$2 at just on US$59/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is now just under US$62.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 60 USc, up +40 bps from yesterday at this time. Against the Aussie we are up +0 bps at 92½ AUc. Against the euro we are up +50 bps at 52.8 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today just under 68 and up +10 bps. The Japanese yen has strengthened to limit the TWI-5 shift.The bitcoin price starts today down a mere -0.3% from yesterday at US$94,563. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been low at +/- 0.9%.Join us at 10:45am for the release of the important March quarter jobs report for New Zealand. We are expecting no rise in employment and a rise in the unemployment rate to 5.3%. Variations from that might be market-moving.And then at 2pm we will be covering the RBNZ's half-yearly Financial Stability Report. This will be Christian Hawkesby's first big set piece presentation as Governor, a role he holds until at least October.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

Kia ora,Welcome to Tuesday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news all eyes are now turning to the US Fed and the results of their meeting about to start.But first up in the US, the widely-watched ISM services PMI for April came in better than expected with a modest expansion, off a nine month low in March. New orders drove the result as did higher inventories. Employment contracted again. Activity was little-changed but still expanding. However price pressures jumped to their highest since February 2023.This contrasts with the globally-benchmarked S&P Global/Markit version which reported its slowest growth for 17 months amid subdued demand and a slump in business confidence and rising costs. Financial markets are preferring to look at the ISM one, however.All eyes now turn to Thursday's (NZT) US Federal Reserve board meeting where most observers think they will hold policy unchanged to see how the price impact of tariffs works out.There was a well supported UST 3yr bond auction this morning and that delivered a median yield of 3.77%, up slightly from 3.70% at the prior equivalent event a month ago.In Washington, there are still no tariff deals. There are negotiations but it seems no-one is rolling over in the way the new US Administration assumed.And as you will already probably know, Warren Buffett has announced his retirement as CEO at the end of this year, when he will be aged 95 years. But he will remain chairman of Berkshire Hathaway.In Canada, things aren't good with their service sector suffering a steep contraction of activity in April.And recession fears are putting a real downer on their real estate markets.Across the Pacific, China is still on holiday. Singapore's April retail sales weakened from March, down a sharpish -2.8% to leave them up just 1.1% from the same month a year ago. Car sales were a significant factor in the month-on-month drop, but not all of it.The results of the weekend's Singaporean general election are in and there was no surprise that they had engineered a dominant win for their ruling PAP party, enough to retain their two-thirds-and-more majority. They won 87 of the 98 seats 'contested' with 67% of the vote. Their courts ensured the opposition could only run weak candidates. They have a 'democracy' in name only.Post-election in Australia, the ASX200 fell -1.0%, and their benchmark 10 year bond rose +10 bps from pre-election levels. Investors think they are facing at least six more years of a Labor-led government, three at least with a majority-Labor government.The key trends in the Aussie election were a stark gender divide with women overwhelmingly repelled by the Liberals, immigrant votes, including Chinese votes, increasingly attracted to Labor, and the rise and rise of Teal candidates (who are social liberals, economic conservatives). The opposition Liberal Party are likely to compound their mistakes by selecting two older socially conservative men to the top leadership.The other notable trend from the Aussie election was the near wipeout of the Greens. Even their leader is having trouble holding his seat.Global food prices rose in April but are only back to the same level they were in 2023 and well below March 2022 levels. But the rise was largely down to rises for meat (up +4.3% from year-ago levels), and especially dairy (up +23% on the same basis).The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.34%, unchanged from this time yesterday.Oil prices are weaker again, down -US$1 at just on US$57/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is now just under US$60/bbl. These are still four year lows, hurt by the combination of easing global demand along with rising output.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59.6 USc, down -20 bps from yesterday at this time. Against the Aussie we are down -20 bps at 92.3 AUc. Against the euro we are little-changed at 52.3 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today just under 67.9 and up +10 bps.The bitcoin price starts today down -1.0% from yesterday at US$94,803. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been modest at +/- 1.1%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

Meena is a social innovation consultant and design strategist tackling complex social challenges through human-centered design and community engagement dedicated to tackling complex social challenges through human-centered design and community engagement. With a background in social anthropology and design, she has worked across diverse settings, from urban slums to corporate boardrooms. Previously, Meena spent eight years at IDEO, where she led community engagement for OpenIDEO and advised IDEO U's initiatives. Her expertise lies in fostering collaboration, equity, and innovation to drive meaningful change. Born in Aotearoa New Zealand with Indian ancestry, she brings a global perspective to her work in social impact.Meena was the Spring Social Innovator in Residence with the ERA Chair in Social Innovation and the DESIS Lab at NOVA SBE.Follow Meena on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meanestindian/?originalSubdomain=nzand on Subtack: https://randomspecific.substack.com/Credits:Host: Anne-Laure FayardPost-production: Claudio SilvaMusic & Art Work: Guilhem TamisierRecorded at the Fidelidade Creative Studio, Nova SBE

Kia ora,Welcome to Friday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news the gold price is tumbling today, ending its recent spectacular rise.But first, American initial jobless claims rose to 223,600 last week, more than expected. There are now 1.907 mln people on these benefits, +153,000 more than at this time last year, a rose of +8.7%.But job cuts announced in April came in less than you might have thought at 105,400, certainly less than for March. But they are +62% higher than year-ago levels.The widely-watched ISM manufacturing PMI for April slipped into a deeper contraction than in March, although slightly less so than expected. Output shrank more sharply and prices rose faster. Meanwhile, new orders declined at a slower pace although new export orders fell steeply. This survey was quite a bit more negative than the S&P Global/Markit version we noted yesterday.One sector that has lost much of its momentum is the US construction industry. It atrophied somewhat in March, again.The expectation is that tomorrow's US non-farm payrolls report will deliver a rise of +130,000, about half the levels they had at the back end of 2024. But there may be downside risks to this estimate. A very weak result will put the Fed in a real bind, having to choose between rescuing jobs in a faltering economy, or pushing back on rising inflation. The last time they had serious stagflation was in the late 1970s, and then the Fed chose fighting inflation over preserving jobs and growth. It caused social unrest, but it beat inflation, and ended stagflation's curse - until now. But fifty years later, few people understand that curse and it's corrosive effects.Across the Pacific, the Bank of Japan held its key interest rate steady yesterday as the new American tariff policy casts a shadow over the Japanese economy. The central bank kept its policy rate at 0.5% during its first board meeting since Washington announced a wave of "reciprocal" tariffs in early April. The yen fell. The BOJ also stood pat at its March meeting following a +25 bps hike in January.And don't forget, China is on holiday, until Tuesday. So data releases there are sparse. It may be a good time for some of them to take a break; outbound export shipments to the US are reportedly down -50%. Despite that, there are signs the US is desperate to get trade talks going but Beijing is playing hard to engage.Australia reported a merchandise trade surplus of +AU$10.8 bln in March. This was a good improvement from the relatively low +AU$8.4 bln in March 2024, but similar to the average March in the prior five years (+AU$10.6 bln). (Australia usually reports seasonally adjusted values, and are much lower than the actual values this year, for some reason.)The Aussie federal election is in its final day now. Pundits seem to think the incumbent government will be returned but with a reduced majority, maybe even requiring a coalition partner. We will know soon enough.Global container freight rates fell -3% last week from the prior week to be -23% lower than year ago levels. Bulk freight rates were little-changed.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.23%, up +5 bps from this time yesterday.The price of gold will start today at US$3214/oz, and down -US$95 from yesterday.Oil prices are holding lower at just on US$58.50/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is now just under US$61.50/bbl. These remain four year lows, down to level last seen in April 2021.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59 USc, down -40 bps from yesterday at this time. Against the Aussie we are down -20 bps at 92.6 AUc. Against the euro we are little-changed at 52.3 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today just on 67.4 and down -10 bps.The bitcoin price starts today up +2.8% from yesterday at US$96,810. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been modest at +/- 1.9%.This briefing is taking a few days off for a short break. We will resume on Tuesday, May 5, 2025.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again on Tuesday.

Celebrating 500 episodes! What's my favorite thing about podcasting? Listen in! And then you'll love this gorgeous chat on magic, listening for the yes, and tuning into what YOU need as a writer. Iris Beaglehole is the enchanting author of the spellbinding Myrtlewood Mysteries series. As a self-identified druid, witch, and aspiring astrologer, Iris weaves magic into her stories and takes readers on a thrilling journey to the mystical town of Myrtlewood. When she's not crafting her fantastical stories, Iris can be found sipping tea with her feline companions and tending to her herb garden in Aotearoa New Zealand.

We are releasing our final Flags of the Moana tshirt drop! Listen in to see how you can win yourself a free tee

Kia ora,Welcome to Thursday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news the consequences of US policy changes are now starting to show up in the data.The big overnight news is the Q1-2025 US GDP report. The American economy shrank at an annualised rate of -0.3% in the period, the first retreat since Q1-2022. This was a sharp reversal from +2.4% growth in the previous quarter and well below market expectations of +0.3% growth. A surge in imports was one key factor as businesses rushed to stockpile goods in anticipation of higher costs from the tariff announcements. But that didn't include consumers because their spending growth cooled to 1.8%, the slowest pace since Q2-2023. Federal government spending fell -5.1%, the steepest drop since Q1-2022.That 'cooled' consumer spending reversed in March with a tariff-stocking-up rise for them too (especially for cars) ahead of the April cost increases. PCE inflation cooled a little, but not yet back to mid-2024 levels. Personal disposable income rose less than spending in March.Financial markets reacted negatively to the larger than expected GDP shifts.This weekend we get the April non-farm payrolls report and currently markets expect a smallish rise of +130,000. But that may be an over-estimate. The ADP survey of private business only added +62,000 workers to their payrolls in April, less than half of the downwardly revised 147,000 payrolls in March and well below market expectations of +115,000.April data is weaker than for March, so prospects for Q2-2025 economic activity do not look flash for the giant US economy. US mortgage applications sank again last week, and for a third straight week. A pullback in new orders and production levels in April saw the Chicago PMI contract for its 17th consecutive month.But US pending home sales jumped in March from February, ahead of tariffs which are expected to make new home purchases more expensive. But they are -0.6% lower than year-ago levels which itself was a weak base.And still in the US, it is becoming clearer who will be paying the tariffs. Retail giant Walmart has raised the white flag, telling Chinese suppliers to resume shipments suggesting to them it will 'absorb' the new border costs. Of course they will be passed on to consumers.Across the Pacific, we are looking ahead to the Bank of Japan rate decision later today, although the landscape has changed there and they are unlikely to raise their +0.5% policy rate now.Japan's industrial production was weakish in March, coming in lower than expected from the prior month to be little-changed from March a year ago. At the same time they reported retail sales +3.1% ahead of the same month a year ago which was lower than expected, also with current weakness from February.Nearby, Korea said their industrial production came in better than expected in March although not as strong as for February. Korean March retail sales however gave back a small bit of the outsized rise in February.In China, their May Day holiday starts today and runs to May 5, inclusive. (They were required to work on April 27 (Sunday) to give them five consecutive "days of rest". They may not be resting; travel bookings for domestic trips are up through the roof this year. (Don't forget, in China, the standard working week is 8 hours per day, 40 hours per week, which is a five-day work week (Monday-Friday). However, it's important to note that the 996 work culture, where employees work from 9am to 9pm, six days a week, is a common reality, especially in their tech industry.)Once again the official factory PMI for China came in with a small contraction (a definite slowing), while the private Caixin version came in with a small expansion, although a slight slowing. Separately, the official services PMI came in with a slightly better expansion. In all cases, new order levels retreated.In Europe, the German economy expanded slightly in Q1-2025 from Q4-2024. Inflation was steady in April at 2.2%, and retail sales were up +2.2% on a volume basis from March year-ago levels, but little change from February.That all helped the overall EU GDP to expand +1.4% in Q1-2025 from a year ago, up +0.4% from Q4-2024. It is rate that the EU outperforms the US, and this isn't so much because the EU is rising, more that the US is falling.Whichever way you sliced it, Australia's inflation came in at 2.4% in March from a year ago. That was true for the quarterly CPI, and the monthly inflation indicator. Both were little-changed from the respective prior releases. There's now talk of a post-election rate cut from the current 4.10% cash rate target.The pre-tariff shoring up saw air cargo demand spike in March, led by activity in Asia/Pacific, and the US. Come April and May, this spike is expected to reverse quite sharply. Passenger air travel is flattening right out, especially in North America. But it is being held up by strong China and India domestic demand, and still-good Asia/Pacific international demand.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.17%, unchanged bp from this time yesterday.The price of gold will start today at US$3309/oz, and down -US$10 from yesterday.Oil prices are down more than -US$2 at just under US$58.50/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is down more than -US$3, now just over US$61/bbl. These are four year lows, down to level last seen in April 2021.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59.4 USc, unchanged from yesterday at this time. Against the Aussie we are down -20 bps at 92.8 AUc. Against the euro we are little-changed at 52.3 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today just on 67.6 and essentially unchanged.The bitcoin price starts today down -1.3% from yesterday at US$94,182. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been modest at +/- 1.2%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

Kia ora,Welcome to Wednesday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news negative data is starting to flow more aggressively in the US as the consequences of dumb policy show through. It been a track to decline for the first 100 days of Trump II.First, the US Redbook index of retail sales rose +6.1% last week from the week before, but the strong suspicion is that much of this is inflation-related.And that is supported by a sharp drop in consumer sentiment reported by the Conference Board, down to a 13 year low in April and confirming the UofM earlier sentiment survey.US job openings fell by -288,000 to 7.192 mln in March, down -901,000 from a year ago to the lowest level in six months and well below market expectations of 7.5 mln. The drop was broad-based. Their quit rate rose to an 8 month high.The US trade deficit in goods widened sharply to -US$162 bln in March, the largest on record, and well above the expected -US$146 bln gap as tariff threats drove US importers to front-load their purchases. Unsurprisingly, that alos generated a spike in wholesale inventories.This bad trade result probably cements a very weak Q1-2025 GDP result. The next AtlantaFed GDP Now update will come tomorrow, and is unlikely to be pretty.The Dallas Fed's services sector survey pointed to weaker conditions and a weaker outlook.The Canadian election has resulted in a narrow win for the center-left (in North American terms) Liberals and the Quebec coalition partner. This is an unusual fourth consecutive win for the Liberals, and an unlikely one, very much aided by Trump trolling. It will be a tough gig because they are clearly facing recession, also flowing from the newly-fractious US relationship.The ECB survey on consumer inflation expectations in the euro-zone rose in March with the year ahead expectation up to 2.9%, its highest in a year.EU consumer sentiment dropped in March and to its lowest since December.And we should probably note that Denmark says it wants the EU to join the CPTPP.In Australia, there are three days left of campaigning in their federal election. Polling is tightening. Despite those polls still showing Labour ahead, much will depend on how voters rank their preferences, which could make it rather close.The overnight dairy Pulse auction came in better than the futures market signaled. The SMP price rose as expected and to its highest in a year, but the WMP price did not fall as expected, rather it showed a small gain and to its highest in three years.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.17%, down another -4 bps from this time yesterday.The price of gold will start today at US$3319/oz, and down -US$17 from yesterday.Oil prices are down -US$1.50 at just on US$60.50/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is down a bit less, now just under US$64.50/bbl. These are two-week lows as global trade tensions and weak US data dampened the demand outlook.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59.4 USc, down -0.2% from yesterday at this time. Against the Aussie we are up +10 bps at 93 AUc. Against the euro we are unchanged at 52.2 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today just on 67.6 and down -10 bps.The bitcoin price starts today up +1.3% from yesterday at US$95,401. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been low at +/- 0.9%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

Harry Broad reviews Preachers, Pastors, Prophets: The Dominican Friars of Aotearoa New Zealand by Susannah Grant published by Otago University Press

Kia ora,Welcome to Tuesday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news there have been some unusual events overnight. And that's putting it mildly.Canadians are voting in federal elections, ones where the winner will need to tackle a weird US administration. The US president injected himself into the campaign at the last minute with a claim Canadians should vote for him to make Canada the 51st state of the US. There are no exit polls yet, but it is likely to steel Canadians to reject the call in record numbers whatever the result is.The clear instability of the Trump action saw Wall Street fall almost immediately but has recovered slightly since. There are nerves on Wall Street about some impending Big Tech results out soon too.In the real world, Canadian wholesale sales slipped -0.3% in March.In the US, the Dallas Fed factory survey dived to its worst level since the pandemic, and before that its worst level since early 2016. The fall was worst in new orders. Inflation rose. Confidence in the future weakened. The US oil patch isn't a happy place.In Europe, we should probably note that there has been a major electricity grid failure in Spain and Portugal with much of the country blacked out, although service is now being restored.Separately, a key ECB figure said the European Central Bank may cut interest rates below the neutral level that keeps the economy in balance. He said euro zone inflation may come in lower than expected as a result of American tariff actions and require the much looser settings.In Asia, India said its industrial production rose +3.0% in March from a year ago, similar to the slowdown reported in February, a lot more tamer than the expansion rate has been recently although back to its long term average. This is not evidence their economy is booming from manufacturing.In China, their centr5al bank is signaling that both rate cuts and reserve ratio cuts are on their to-do list "at the right time". Both will boost liquidity and shore up any economic wavering.Singapore's unemployment rate ticked up a little, but only from an historically low level and only back to its long-run level.Singapore has a national election on Saturday, May 3. No surprise is expected in a contest closely controlled by the ruling party.Australia's federal election is on the same day and that outcome is a lot more uncertain.Australia is one of very few countries to have a AAA credit rating from Moody's, S&P, and Fitch. Now analysts at S&P are openly concerned about the cost of election promises in light of their budget forecasts that earlier showed long-term deficits rising. Election victory might be a bit of a poisoned chalice if it also comes with a downgrade, higher debt servicing costs and rising deficits. Public policy choices then become very hard, very necessary, and very unpopular.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.21%, down -4 bps from this time yesterday.The price of gold will start today at US$3336/oz, and up +US$17 from yesterday.Oil prices are down -US$1 at just under US$62/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is down a bit more, now just over US$65.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59.6 USc, unchanged from Saturday at this time. Against the Aussie we are down -30 bps at 92.9 AUc. Against the euro we also down -30 bps at 52.2 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today still just on 67.7 and down -30 bps as well.The bitcoin price starts today little-changed at US$94,137 and down just -0.1% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been modest at +/- 1.4%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

Kia ora,Welcome to Monday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news this week we may start to see some hard data from the US and how the Trump insurgency is affecting the world's largest economy. Already sentiment surveys seem pretty negative.For us, the week ahead will be dominated by the March quarter financial system data releases from the RBNZ on Wednesday.Internationally, we will remain trapped watching the chaotic policy changes from Washington and trying to assess how they may impact us. Wall Street's earning season releases will also be a big influence, especially results from Big Tech. And the Americans will release their Q1-2025 GDP results, PCE inflation data, and their ISM PMI survey results. And at the end of the week we will get the April non-farm payroll results for the US labour market.The Bank of Japan is scheduled to review its monetary policy, but they are unlikely to make any changes in the fog of uncertainty around trade policies. Australia will release its Q1-2025 CPI data (expect a dip to 2.2%). China will release its official PMI survey results.Over the weekend, China said its March industrial profits were better than expected, but private sector profits slipped again. However, overall profits rose +0.8% from a year ago. Also better were foreign company profits which were up +2.8% on the same basis.China said they are adding another ¥500 bln in medium-term lending facility funding. This is the second month they have pushed out substantial additional liquidity in this way.And China says more than 120 million people have benefited from their old-for-new consumer goods trade-in subsidy program, driving sales of more than ¥720 bln.And the BS meter is on high after Trump said that “we're meeting with China” on tariffs, comments aimed at soothing jittery financial markets. But Chinese officials say no talks have taken place.In fact, China cancelled some large pork and soybean orders to US suppliers. American farmers not only have to bear the brunt of trade policy gone rogue, they are also battling rouge weather.Singapore said its industrial production rose in March, a bounce-back from a weak February result. But the recovery wasn't as strong as analysts had expected.Across the Pacific, US initial jobless claims fell last week to +209,700 and to the level expected. But seasonal effects suggested this reduction should have been larger. There are now 1.89 mln people on these benefits, still higher than year ago levels. This is despite Federal pressure on States to deny long term undocumented workers access to benefits.New durable goods orders jumped in March by +10.9%, the largest rise in seven months. Capital goods orders rose +24.1%. But non-defense, non-aircraft capital goods orders were only up +1.8%. This is probably why the March or April PMIs didn't note a general rise in factory orders.US existing-home sales fell -5.9% in March from February to be -2.4% lower than one year ago.Meanwhile the Kansas City Fed factory survey reported lower activity, higher costs, and unchanged order levels.Nationally, the Chicago Fed's National Activity Index reported a small slip in March. This is consistent with the overall Fed Beige Book monitoring.And finally for the US, the UofM sentiment survey for April was -8.4% lower than for March, -32% weaker than a year ago. These are big drops. Year-ahead inflation expectations surged from 5.0% in March, an unusually high level, to 6.5% this month, the highest reading since 1981.North of the border, Canada reported February retail sales and they slipped from January to be +2.1% ahead of year ago levels. This data is volume data, so a real increase.And its election day in Canada (tonight NZ time). There has been a notable surge in early voting. Official data for this was released a week ago, and that showed 7.3 million electors had voted in advance at that stage. This is a +25% increase from the 5.8 million electors who voted in advance in the last federal general election in 2021. They have 27.6 mln eligible voters this time.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.25%, up +1 bp from this time Saturday.The price of gold will start today at US$3318/oz, and up +US$88 from Saturday.Oil prices have held from Saturday be still just over US$63/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is now just under US$67/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59.6 USc, down -10 bps from Saturday at this time. Against the Aussie we are down -10 bps at 93.2 AUc. Against the euro we unchanged at 52.5 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today still just on 68 and unchanged from Thursday, but up +40 bps from a week ago.The bitcoin price starts today at US$94,238 and down -0.8% from this time Saturday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has again been low at +/- 0.7%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

Curious for more? Each month, I share reflections on the nervous system, creativity, and our connection with the more-than-human world. If that's something that lights you up, I'd be so glad to have you along for the journey and explore together here

Kia ora,Welcome to Thursday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news that as tariffs kick in, the US gets higher prices and lower activity. The White House is signaling it wants to pull back from its bluster (whiff of panic?), although China is yet to respond.But first in the US, mortgage applications fell sharply last week to be just +6% above the weak week a year ago. Benchmark interest rates rose, which seems to have choked off new purchase borrowers, and refinance borrowers.Sales of new single-family homes rose +6.0% in March from a year ago at a seasonally adjusted annualised rate of 724,000 and the highest in six months, and much better than market expectations of 680,000 homes. But to be fair this latest level is still within the range it has been for the past 27 months. They still have unsold inventories of over 8 months of sales at the current rate, which is a lot for builders to carry.The latest US Treasury bond auction, for the key 5yr Note, was well supported but delivered a yield of 3.93%, down from 4.04% at the prior equivalent event a month ago. This is the maturity that foreign institutions prefer so is a good indicator of foreign support of US debt instruments. More than a quarter of all US Treasury debt is owned by foreigners, more than a third in the 2-5 year maturities. If we see a pullback, it will be in these auctions, and evidenced by rising yields.The S&P/Markit US Manufacturing PMI rose marginally in April from March to a small expansion, better than the market expectations of a small contraction. Although growth was modest, this marked the fourth consecutive month of expansion in factory activity. Meanwhile, the equivalent services PMI fell sharply to a two month low. There are warning signs here. Prices charged for goods and services rose in this latest month at the sharpest pace for 13 months, increasing especially steeply in manufacturing (where the rate of inflation hit a 29-month high) but also picking up further pace in services (where the rate of inflation struck a seven-month high). More generally, sentiment fell among the surveyed companies.The US Fed's April Beige Book is out and it is picking up similar themes; lower sentiment, stuttering demand, and rising prices. They are more muted in the Beige Book surveys, but they are still being noted.There were 'flash' PMIs out for other countries overnight too. The EU factory PMI contracted its least in 27 months, but their services PMI retreated a bit more. In India, both of their PMIs stayed very expansionary. In Japan, there was a "return to growth" in April. In Australia, the new order components are rising but most other aspects are not. Election uncertainty may be playing a role here.In China, they said they will issue ¥1.3 tln (NZ$300 bln) in ultra-long-term special government bonds starting today (Thursday). Some of that liquidity will be used to fund consumption incentives as they try to speed their shift away from export dependency.Coal prices hit a four year low yesterday as warm autumn weather in Asia, and lower industrial demand is being swamped by high output. Prices are now back to where they were in 2016. Rising supply and stunted demand is having the same price impact on oil.Global financial stability regulators are increasingly worried about the resilience of the financial sector, and have issued a warning about the consequences of dodgy and capricious public policy.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.38%, down -2 bps from this time yesterday.The price of gold will start today at US$3282/oz, and down -US$116 from yesterday.Oil prices have fallen -US$2.50 from yesterday to be now just over US$61.50/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is now just on US$65.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59.6 USc, down another -20 bps from yesterday at this time. Against the Aussie we are down -10 bps at 93.6 AUc. Against the euro we up +30 bps at just on 52.6 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today still just at 68 and unchanged from yesterday.The bitcoin price starts today at US$93,933 and up +2.7% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has again been modest at +/- 1.8%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And because tomorrow is the Anzac Day holiday, we will do this again on Monday.

Asetoa Sam Pilisi is a community leader and current PhD Candidate of Niuean and Samoan descent. He has done youth work and community work for many years in Auckland, New Zealand and Western Sydney, Australia - particularly with Pacific youth. He currently is completing a PhD in Public Health at the University of Auckland focussing on wellbeing, burnout, duty, service and collectivism in the local Oceanian community. He also is an active community leader in local Niue communities. Niue is one of the smaller islands of Oceania located in "West Polynesia" near Samoa, Tonga, Tokelau, Cook Islands, Tuvalu, Rotuma, Uvea and Futuna. With only 1564 living in Niue and 34,944 Niue peoples living in Aotearoa New Zealand, the language is at risk of being lost.The Moanan is not just an educational platform but an online community — connecting diasporas all over the world. We'd love to connect!Find us on all podcast streaming and social media platforms — including Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.Email hello@themoanan.comSend us a textThe Moanan is not just an educational platform but an online community — connecting diasporas all over the world. We'd love to connect!Find us on all podcast streaming and social media platforms — including Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.Email hello@themoanan.com

Kia ora,Welcome to Wednesday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news reality and expectations seem to be diverging.But first up today we can report that the weekly dairy Pulse auction for SMP and WMP brought little-change in the WMP price from the previous full GDT auction in USD, while the SMP price rose +3.0% on that same basis, but basically a recovery. However things are reversed in NZD due to the weaker greenback, with the WMP price falling -1.4% and the SMP price only up +1.7% in our currency.Internationally, the IMF warned that rising US tariffs are marking the start of a new global era of slower growth. Since January, sweeping import duties and retaliation are raising trade barriers to levels not seen since the Great Depression. The IMF cut its global growth forecast for 2025 to +2.8% from +3.3%, and sees continued weakness through 2026. The US will be among the hardest hit, with 2025 growth cut to +1.8% from +2.7%. Others like Mexico, Canada, China, and the EU will feel some effects but are likely to be minor compared to the US.Meanwhile, the US Treasury Secretary has told a private meeting the tariff war is unsustainable and will ease 'soon'. News of these remarks has led to a financial market rally. The problem remains however as neither Trump or China show any signs of backing down, and Bessent himself admitted that talks to de-escalate haven't even started. Markets might be getting ahead of themselves, as is Bessent.In the US, the Redbook retail impulse monitor was up +7.4% last week from the same week a year ago, the highest since the end of 2022. But this is becoming more of a measure of inflation than real sales activity as the tariff-taxes get passed through.The Richmond Fed's factory survey for the mid-Atlantic states reported weak results. It plummeted to -13 in April from -4 in the previous month, and well below market expectations. It is the sharpest decline in factory activity since November. Meanwhile their service sector gauge fell too.The latest and large US Treasury bond auction saw less support, but more than sufficient. However the median yield fell back to 3.74%, compared to the 3.94% at the prior equivalent event a month ago.Canadian producer prices rose +4.7% in the year to March, but they are rising at a quicker pace in recent months. Canada is in its final week of election campaigning.Across the Pacific, Taiwanese export orders rose to the elevated level of US$53 bln in March, but they have been doing this for so long now that the year-on-year gain isn't special for them, 'only' up +12.5%.In the EU, consumer sentiment fell more than expected in April to its lowest level since November 2023.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.39%, a -1 bp dip from this time yesterday. The price of gold will start today at US$3398/oz, and down -US$19 from yesterday.Oil prices have risen +US$1 from yesterday to be now just under US$64/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is now just on US$67.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59.8 USc, down -20 bps from yesterday at this time. Against the Aussie we are up +10 bps at 93.7 AUc. Against the euro we up +20 bps at just on 52.3 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today now just on 68 and little-changed from yesterday.The bitcoin price starts today at US$91,488 and up +5.4% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has again been moderate at +/- 2.6%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

Kia ora,Welcome to Tuesday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news that gold is rising, being the 'last man standing' as a perceived safe-haven asset. And American bond funds are having a moment, a negative one. Outflows are continuing, building selling pressure at the rate of about US$10 bln per week and have done so for the past five weeks now.The position of the US dollar and US Treasuries are being directly undermined by the US president. He and his advisers have been raging about the role of the Fed boss. If he tries to remove him, expect a larger market reaction, especially from the bond market. But so far it is all bluster.But first, it will be a short, truncated week post-Easter with just three business days until Frida's ANZAC Day holiday. Our March export results are one of the few data releases. We will also get an update this week from the RBNZ's six-monthly credit condition survey.Internationally, we will get the start of the March 'flash' PMIs for April. Wall Street will continue with its early earnings season results, dominated this week by big tech. US durable goods orders for March, and confidence survey results for April are also due for release this week.Over the weekend China left its key lending rates unchanged for the sixth consecutive month in April. After that, the yuan rose as did the Hong Kong and Shanghai stock exchanges. Expectations for a reserve ratio cut to boosrt bank liquidity are mounting there.China ramped up its budget spending in the first quarter at the fastest pace since 2022, allocating nearly 22% of planned outlays to counter weakening foreign demand amid an ongoing tariff war. The move is part of a broader strategy to boost domestic demand and support industries hit by trade tensions.Earlier they said foreign direct investment into the country is struggling again. In January it was down -14% from a year ago to ¥13.4 bln in the month. It rose to ¥16.6 bln in February. a +16% year-on-year gain. But it March it was only ¥6.9 bln, a -45% drop from from the same month a year ago. China prefers to look at this data "year-to-date" but that masks the current weakness.Japanese CPI inflation stayed high in March although it did slip to 3.6%, and the second consecutive decrease and the lowest of 2025.Across the Pacific, the US dollar has fallen to a three year low. Sentiment is being undermined by the Trump attacks on the US Fed. And it seems pretty clear that the US in now in a tariff-tax recession. Not only is the Atlanta Fed's GDPNow signaling a -2.2% economic contraction, the blue chip 'consensus' forecasts are now showing up with contraction forecasts too. And the spread into investors funds is happening rather quickly now. 90 of the top 100 best-performing exchange-traded funds of last year are down in 2025, with an average loss of -13%, according to Bloomberg Intelligence.American new housing starts unexpectedly dropped -11.4% in March from February to an annualised rate of 1.324 mln, the lowest level in four months and virtually the same as the same month a year ago. But the expectation is that these will fall from here as new-builds get much more expensive from the tariff-tax effect.US initial jobless claims came in at 220,000 last week, an increase although less of an increase than seasonal factors would have anticipated. But that puts them +5.1% higher than year-ago levels.Diving even more is the Philly Fed's factory survey in the heartland Pennsylvania manufacturing rust belt. This is the icon region the tariff-taxes are supposed to save. But they aren't feeling any benefit - although hardly surprising to everyone but MAGA zealots. New orders dropped to pandemic levels, and apart from the pandemic, the overall sentiment has seen its fastest and steepest drop since these survey records started in the 1970s.In Canada, they are a week away from their federal election (Monday, April 28, 2025 Canadian time). The polls are tightening but the incumbent Liberal Party still holds a comfortable lead over the Conservatives. Likewise in Australia, their federal election is in the week after that. Polls there also show a comfortable lead for the incumbent Labor Party. In both cases, the conservative forces are undermined by the toxic Trump effect. But on the other side, the Labor Party is wavering in some key heartland Sydney seats, hurt by "the Gaza issue".In Europe, they are in a better position to cut interest rates because they also don't have the inflation pressures the US has. And they have. The European Central Bank cut its policy interest rates by -25 bps on Thursday, as expected, marking the sixth consecutive cut since June and bringing the key deposit rate down to 2.25%. They say their disinflation process is progressing well and they have now dropped previous references to a "restrictive" policy stance. They also say that their growth outlook has worsened from the escalating trade tensions.On Thursday, Australia released its March labour market data and there was a good +33,000 rise in new jobs, bouncing back from the February drop. The March data saw the increase evenly split from an increase in full-time jobs and part-time jobs. Their jobless rate unchanged stayed at 4.2%. There are +308,000 more people employed in Australia over the past year, a rise of +2.2%. The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.40%, up +7 bps from this time Saturday. Wall Street is taking it on the chin in its Monday session, down a very sharpish -3.1% on the S&P500, and staying down. The Nasdaq is down -3.6%, the Dow down -3.3%, so a broad retreat. The price of gold will start today at US$3417/oz, and up +US$90 from Saturday.Oil prices have fallen (in USD), down -US$1.50 from Saturday to be now just over US$63/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is now just on US$66/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 60 USc, up +60 bps from Saturday at this time and its highest in six months. Against the Aussie we are up +50 bps at 93.6 AUc. Against the euro we unchanged at just on 52.1 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today now just under 68 and its highest since mid December.The bitcoin price starts today at US$86,811 and up +2.6% from this time Saturday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has again been moderate at +/- 2.2%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

In this episode of Citizens Climate Radio, Elise Silvestri explores how art can strengthen climate advocacy with Carrie Ziegler, an interdisciplinary Artist, Speaker, and Community Engagement Expert. Carrie talks about her process for creating and executing the Chrysalis Project: Transforming Together, an art and climate policy project that enacted powerful change over Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the participating students, Brisa Sabel, shares her experience of the successful campaign and the  joy and inspiration it gave her.  Peterson Toscano has a surprisingly good news story: like our responses to climate change, the format of CCR is adapting! [insert finalized details here] Listen to Carrie Ziegler discuss the power of art storytelling in making meaningful, local climate policy. Guest Bio: Carrie Ziegler Carrie Ziegler harnesses the collective power of art to drive social and environmental transformation. Through her Art in Action initiatives, she collaborates with diverse entities—local governments, organizations, schools, and universities—to create multi-dimensional works that blend participant creativity with pressing societal issues. These projects inspire active engagement, bringing communities together to create lasting change. Along with the Chrysalis Project, Carrie also led the Plastic Whale Project, where students created a life-sized whale out of plastic bags. The whale played a pivotal role in successfully passing a ban on single-use plastic bags in Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater, and Thurston County, Washington.   Based in Olympia, Washington, Carrie is recognized internationally, bringing her impactful vision to global forums, including Aotearoa (New Zealand), Ghana, France, Mexico, and Canada. She empowers Artists and Change Makers to maximize their societal impact through art, inspiring a broader movement of change driven by creativity. Complementing her hands-on work, Carrie is penning her inaugural book, Eclosion: An Artist's Path to Power and Peace. In this work, she intertwines her memoir with a practical guide for unleashing personal and collective potential, offering a blueprint for transformative change through art—a light for a world in desperate need of inspiration. Check out her work on her Instagram, @carriezieglerart.

Elise Silvestri explores how art can strengthen climate advocacy with Carrie Ziegler, an interdisciplinary Artist, Speaker, and Community Engagement Expert. Carrie talks about her process for creating and executing the Chrysalis Project: Transforming Together, an art and climate policy project that enacted powerful change over Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the participating students, Brisa Sabel, shares her experience of the successful campaign and the joy and inspiration it gave her. Peterson Toscano has a surprisingly good news story: like our responses to climate change, the format of CCR is adapting! [insert finalized details here] Listen to Carrie Ziegler discuss the power of art storytelling in making meaningful, local climate policy. Carrie Ziegler harnesses the collective power of art to drive social and environmental transformation. Through her Art in Action initiatives, she collaborates with diverse entities—local governments, organizations, schools, and universities—to create multi-dimensional works that blend participant creativity with pressing societal issues. These projects inspire active engagement, bringing communities together to create lasting change. Along with the Chrysalis Project, Carrie also led the Plastic Whale Project, where students created a life-sized whale out of plastic bags. The whale played a pivotal role in successfully passing a ban on single-use plastic bags in Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater, and Thurston County, Washington. Based in Olympia, Washington, Carrie is recognized internationally, bringing her impactful vision to global forums, including Aotearoa (New Zealand), Ghana, France, Mexico, and Canada. She empowers Artists and Change Makers to maximize their societal impact through art, inspiring a broader movement of change driven by creativity. Complementing her hands-on work, Carrie is penning her inaugural book, Eclosion: An Artist's Path to Power and Peace. In this work, she intertwines her memoir with a practical guide for unleashing personal and collective potential, offering a blueprint for transformative change through art—a light for a world in desperate need of inspiration. Check out her work on her Instagram, @carriezieglerart.

Not gonna transcript this, but bottom line enjoy your Easter when it comes, hiatus is continuing, current target for getting back to regular schedule is 6/29/25 (5th anniversary of the show). There will still be some new collab stuff coming out including a special on the fascinating 1769 conclave where the Holy Roman Emperor showed up in person while pretending to not be the Emperor, which will be on the History of Aotearoa New Zealand feed of all places: https://open.spotify.com/show/6VnykMReqvxl9QJMmzlN28?si=cb53cd96a14e4618

Another year - another drop in trust in the news here, according to the biggest annual survey of it. But the slump seems to have stalled and some outlets have even gained trust this time round - though we're still world leaders in ‘news avoidance.' Mediawatch looks at all this - and talks to a Canadian confronting the same trends there. New Zealanders' trust in the news has been falling for years - five years in a row according to the most comprehensive annual survey of it carried out that's carried out here. And we've also been leading the world in the proportion of people who say they actively avoid the news.So no wonder our news outlets fear the worst when the AUT's Trust in news in Aotearoa New Zealand report comes out. But the latest survey shows the slump trust in our news media has stalled - and local outlets are actually more trusted this year. How come? Also Mediawatch talks to a longtime journalist striving to restore trust in local media in Canada with the help of fellow 'Ink-Stained Wretches. And they're also coming to terms with the turmoil of Trump turning on former friends north of the border in a big way.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Mark Adams is one of Aotearoa New Zealand's foremost photographers. His focus on Samoan tatau, Maori-Pakeha interactions in Rotorua, carved meeting houses, locations of significance for Ngai Tahu in Te Waipounamu, and James Cook's landing sites reflect his deep engagement with our postcolonial and Pacific histories. A new exhibition Mark Adams: A Survey He Kohinga Whakaahua showcases more than 65 works spanning his 50-year career as a photographer.

Send us a textIn Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand we have just had the ANZAC day commemerations (25th April). In the spirit of peace we're sharing a story and a song all about 'building bridges' where two 'waring' brothers find help to reconcile their differences from an unlikely source.You can find our audios and books to purchase at https://imagined-worlds.net/story-shopOr join the live monthly Batt Cave storytelling club at https://ko-fi.com/tanyabatt0027/tiers Or if you are an educator for children 0 - 8 years subscribe to 'Batt on the Mat' - a monthly online, professional development storytelling and arts programme https://imagined-worlds.net/batt-on-the-matAnd finally, if you enjoyed our podcast, please share with friends and write a review. Or make a donation to support what we do here https://ko-fi.com/tanyabatt0027Kia Ora!

New research, which has been commissioned by the Helen Clark Foundation shows that many are expressing concern for social cohesion in the country. Tuesday Wire Host, Castor, spoke to the Movement Building and Advocacy Director for Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand, Lisa Woods, about this research, and why people may be concerned for social cohesion in New Zealand.

In Aotearoa-New Zealand, the proportion of doctors identifying as Māori has doubled from where it was a decade ago to over 5 percent. But there is still a long way to go before the workforce is representative of the broader population which is 17 percent Māori.The Auckland and Otago Medical Schools have in recent years turbocharged their intake of Māori and Pasifika students but these graduates don't seem to have trickled through to the RACP in great numbers. Just 3.5 percent of general physicians and 4.8 percent of paediatricians identify as Māori, and Pasifika doctors make up a further 1 and 2 percent respectively.In this podcast, three Māori medics discuss how the culture of training environments can be made more welcoming to junior doctors with diverse ethnic backgrounds. This discussion takes place in light of an independent review into the clinical examination for paediatrics in Aotearoa-New Zealand which found issues with standardization, transparency and cultural safety. 2024 was a tough year for Māori Health more broadly, as it saw the disestablishment of a dedicated Health Authority, Te Aka Whai Ora, after just twelve months of operation. Guests Dr Danny de Lore FRACP (Rotorua Hospital; University of Auckland)Dr Matthew Wheeler FRACP (Tauranga Hospital; University of Auckland)Dr Ngaire Keenan PhD (Sydney Children's Hospital, Westmead; University of Otago)ProductionProduced by Mic Cavazzini DPhil. Music provided courtesy of FreeMusicArchive includes ‘Periodicals', ‘In Paler Skies' by Blue Dot Sessions and ‘Wake Up' by Kai Engel. Music licenced from Epidemic Sound includes ‘Subdivision of the Masses' by Philip Weigl and ‘Abyss' by Luwaks. Image of Dr Danny de Lore property of RACP  Editorial feedback kindly provided by RACP physicians Zac Fuller, Aidan Tan, Hugh Murray, Sasha Taylor, Anne-Marie Juengling and Simeon Wong. Thanks also to RACP staff Nick McCurdy and Sarah Millar. Please visit the Pomegranate Health web page for a transcript and supporting references.Login to MyCPD to record listening and reading as a prefilled learning activity. Subscribe to new episode email alerts or search for ‘Pomegranate Health' in Apple Podcasts, Spotify,Castbox or any podcasting app. 

The History of Aotearoa/New Zealand asked for a little boost in the "what going on elsewhere in the world?" category ca. 1759. Well, we were inclined to be accommodating... It also just so happened that the Qing Empire under the Qianlong Emperor happened to be engaged in a tremendous border clash far to its south... Presenting: The Sino-Burmese War Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Each week we invite some of Aotearoa New Zealand's finest song writers into the studio to share their work with us. 

Each week we invite some of Aotearoa New Zealand's finest song writers into the studio to share their work with us. Today we are joined by The Veils A.K.A Finn Andrews The Veils released their 7th studio album - Asphodels - in January.

We'd love to hear from you – we have a talanoa episode coming up! Send us your written or voice recorded messages via email or instagram for us to discuss on an episode. Please submit before the end of March 2025. Dr Sam Manuela (Cook Islands) is a senior lecturer in the School of Psychology at Waipapa Taumata Rau University of Auckland in Aotearoa New Zealand who is well known in the field for his research on areas regarding Pacific ethnic identities and wellbeing. In this episode, Sam speaks to the role of science within Pacific communities and how western science and indigenous knowledges can compliment, rather than compete, with one another to achieve the best outcomes for Pacific communities. Send us a textThe Moanan is not just an educational platform but an online community — connecting diasporas all over the world. We'd love to connect!Find us on all podcast streaming and social media platforms — including Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.Email: hello@themoanan.com

Jesse Vogelaar is a writer and director whose works spans across Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand, flitting between the stage where he masters the art of improvisation, to advertisements, where he transforms the products of Samsung or Specsavers into savvy slices of commercial entertainment, to his growing body of short films, which includes You Lose, a short that Junkee called Australia's Greatest Work Of Art to Room for One More, a tale of a bloke trapped under his collapsed house, calling his mate, asking him to make a short film for him, to Accoladia, an absurd comedy about being the best of everything in the world.Jesse's work stands as a way of exploring the complexities of society through an absurd lens. It's a style of creativity which Jesse dubs 'imaginative logic', a term that makes complete sense when you let his work wash over you and change your world view.In the following interview, recorded ahead of Accoladia's appearance at Flickerfest, Jesse talks about his creative process, the way critics or writers like me apply our own logic to absurdist work, the freedom of advertising, and a lot more.To view some of Jesse's work, visit JesseVogelaar.com. I highly recommend you watch Room for One More, a brilliantly executed short film that is both absolutely hilarious, and quietly moving too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a world where everyone is worried about cost of living – what difference would it make to lift the wages of the lowest paid workers?Lyndy McIntyre has documented a campaign that did exactly that in Aotearoa New Zealand. Her book Power to Win documents that struggle and in this chat she explores some of the key strategies that made that campaign work.Power to Win is available:In Aotearoa through Otago University PressIn Australia from John Reed BooksIn North America from Independent Publishers GroupIn the UK and Europe from Gazelle Book ServicesFor more on ChangeMakers check us out:Via our Website - https://changemakerspodcast.org (where you can also sign up to our email list!)On Facebook, Instagram, Threads - https://www.facebook.com/ChangeMakersPodcast/On Blue Sky Social - changemakerspod.bsky.aocial & amandatattersall.bsky.socialOn X/Twitter - @changemakers99 or @amandatattsOn LinkedIn - Amanda.TattersallLiving Wage campaign in Aotearoa New Zealand:In May 2012 a new social movement was launched in Aotearoa New Zealand with the goal of lifting the wages of the lowest paid workers. It all began with the Service and Food Workers Union's mission to win back the power needed to achieve decent pay for its members after the passage of an anti-worker, anti-union law in 1991. After trying many strategies, in 2011 the union reached out to the community with an invitation to build power together to unite around the shared goal of addressing poverty wages. The outcome has been hugely successful and changed the lives of many thousands of workers and their families. In Living Wage Movement Aotearoa NZ faith groups, community organisations and unions work in partnership. These groups represent thousands of New Zealanders in organisations as diverse as Catholic social justice groups, the Māori Women's Welfare League, students associations and refugee advocacy organisations. The diversity of Living Wage Movement Aotearoa NZ is the strength of the movement and the secret of the success of the many campaigns that have won the living wage for thousands of workers — in corporates, across local and central government and in small businesses and NGOs.Read more about Living Wage Movement Aotearoa NZ here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode, Cal and Lou celebrate their tenth day in Aotearoa (New Zealand) with a list of ten differences between here and the United States of America. Or at least the top ten they've found this far. Stay tuned for more fun facts about their new home. Check out our tattoo studio: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.CaliLousTattoos.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or @CaliLousTattoos And our YouTube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/@tattoohomewreckers266 Please share your thoughts with us. On Instagram or TikTok @tattoo_homewreckers or leave us a voice mail ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://anchor.fm/tattoo-homewreckers/message⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Don't forget to like, follow, subscribe, and leave us a review if you liked it!

From a broke university student who knew nothing about money to becoming a successful mindset and business coach who's helping thousands of people build businesses and lives that they love - you're going to LOVE today's podcast guest. In this episode, I'm talking to the incredible Te Kahukura Boynton, who is an absolute powerhouse and founder of Māori Millionaire, here in Aotearoa (New Zealand). Te Kahukura overcame her own financial challenges by healing her money mindset and now she's leading over 60,000 individuals to do the same. This episode is an open conversation about Te Kahukura's personal journey with money and how she created her dream business (at the age of 18?!) with the purpose of bridging the wealth gap by sharing her own financial journey. We talk about her personal challenges and relationship with money, her business wins, money mindset blocks and so much more! Get ready to take notes because we're about to drop some seriously life-changing money advice! Let's dive in!

On sonic gratitude, developing our deeper gifts, the peril of expectation, the potency of the present, and the beauty of self-acceptance. (0:00) - Musical Journey and Transformative Work (5:12) - Early Career Challenges and Breakthroughs (12:25) - Personal Transitions and Professional Growth (14:57) - The Power of Gratitude and Creative Process (15:38) - The Role of Meditation and Yoga in Creative Work (19:35) - The Impact of Friendship and Support (19:57) - Arlie's Musical Projects and Future Aspirations (20:21) - The Influence of Elena's Writing on Arlie's Music (20:42)- The Importance of Self-Acceptance and Present Moment Awareness Arli Liberman is an award-winning screen composer, producer and guitarist who creates vibrant, immersive music for film, TV, multimedia and live experiences. With an unwavering dedication to his craft, Arli's approach to music serves as a transformative force that resonates both on and off the screen. As a screen composer, Arli has worked on a wide range of films, including Sam Kelly's gang movie 'Savage', winning the 2021 APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award. In 2024, he collaborated with Tiki Taane to create the score to the historical drama in Te Reo Māori 'Ka Whawhai Tonu - Struggle Without End' directed by Mike Jonathan, with the theme song 'Hold On To The Dream' featuring Louis Baker, released as a single. Arli composed the original score for NZ film 'The Mountain' (2024), with music by Troy Kingi, directed by Rachel House and produced by Piki Films and Sandy Lane Productions. In 2023, he scored 'Stylebender' a documentary directed by Zoë McIntosh about Nigerian - New Zealand mixed martial artist Israel Adesanya, which was premiered at Tribeca Film Festival. His signature sound can be heard on the 36th America's Cup theme, the opening titles of the FIFA Women's World Cup, The All Blacks Experience at SkyCity, and in the Auckland Art Gallery's filmic exhibition Te Mata. As a solo artist, Arli is also prolific, with his fifth solo album coming out on Bigpop Records, in addition to creating a new collaborative album with renowned composer Rhian Sheehan due out in 2024. Arli's production work on Ngatapa Black's album 'I Muri Ahiahi' earned a nomination for Māori Album of the Year at the Aotearoa Music Awards, and he has performed at MoMA New York and the Montreux Jazz Festival, among other international festivals. Originally from Israel, Arli was a member of the groundbreaking White Flag Project, a pioneering crossover band uniting Palestinian and Israeli musicians. Under the mentorship of platinum-selling English record producer Mark Smulian, he was urged to 'find the back door of the electric guitar sound', which marked the beginning of Arli's journey in developing his sonic identity. In 2009, Arli moved to Aotearoa New Zealand, where he continued to develop his innovative approach to music and began exploring the synergy between composition and visual storytelling.