Podcasts about aotearoa new zealand

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 talks are underway in Stockholm between the US and China over a trade/tariff deal. Prospects are not high.And the recent EU-US deal has the makings of unravelling. Both France and Germany are unhappy about the outcome, made worse by the US claiming verbally pharmaceuticals have been excluded when the EU negotiators said they were not excluded from the 15% written deal.The big casualty in all of these deals, including the Japanese one, is trust in the US. Smartarse public commenting by the US president - even some of his advisers - means the deals struck are unlikely to be respected by the US or trusted by the others. The result isn't "a deal", it is a fluid mess.New Zealand's situation in all this will be a footnote, probably sometime on Saturday.In the US, the Dallas Fed's factory survey improved sharply in July, but this was all about higher production. New orders are still contracting, even if at a slower rate. Elevated input price pressures continued in July. Improved sentiment is driving the raised output even in the absence of a pickup in new orders.Financial market eyes are now turning to Thursday's (NZT) US Federal Reserve meeting and decisions. Despite the overt Whitehouse pressure, financial market pricing shows virtually no-one is pricing in a rate cut.In Canada, wholesale sales came in better than expected, up +0.7% in June from May when a -0.2% retreat was anticipated. But despite that good recent gain, they will still be lower than in June 2024.Across the Pacific, from 2022 to 2024, Taiwanese consumer confidence rose. But since October 2024 it has been falling. However the July survey rose, the first break in the recent down-trend. It wasn't a big move from June, but they will take it.In China, they are taking something they don't want. Foreign direct investment recorded another net outflow in June, and a worse one than the highly unusual April net outflow. The reasonable start to 2025 is being undone faster now. In the six months to June they have had a net inflow of US$42.3 bln. In 2024 they had more than that in just the first three months and even that was much weaker than in 2023 (US$98 bln) or 2022 (US$112 bln). Fleeing investors isn't a good look for China.Indian industrial production expanded a rather weak +1.5% in June from a year ago, held back by surprisingly weak mining (coal) production.. In their factories however, the story is much better with manufacturing production us +3.9% from a year ago, a better rise than in May although less than the +4.5% expected.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.42%, up +3 bps from yesterday.The price of gold will start today at US$3,309/oz, down -US$27 from yesterday.American oil prices have risen +US$1.50 at just on US$66.50/bbl with the international Brent price is now at just under US$70/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59.7 USc and down -½c from yesterday and back to where it was a week ago. Against the Aussie we are unchanged at 91.6 AUc. Against the euro we are up +30 bps at 51.5 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at just on 67.6, down -10 bps from yesterday.The bitcoin price starts today at US$117,664 and down -1.3% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has remained low at just on +/-0.9%.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.

Securing intellectual property (IP) for our research is now a vital aspect of science delivery in Aotearoa New Zealand, though this was not always the case. In this episode of Scigest, Hilary Ireland speaks with Sue Muggleston, the recently retired IP Manager at Plant & Food Research, who played a key role in shaping the organisation's approach to protecting and commercialising its scientific discoveries. With a career spanning science, science communication, and leading the IP strategy at Plant & Food Research, Sue has been instrumental in launching technologies and spin-offs that benefit both businesses and the scientific community. She shares her insights into the importance of securing IP for translating discoveries into real-world impact. Sue also reflects on her leadership role with the Licensing Executives Society Australia and New Zealand (LESANZ), and discusses how effective IP frameworks support innovation, foster start-ups, and encourage ongoing scientific investment. If you've ever wondered how groundbreaking science transitions to the real world — and why protecting it is essential — this is the episode for you. To view our full catalogue of podcasts including extra links on some podcasts please go to our Scigest pages: www.plantandfood.com/scigest

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 - despite the US tariff news flooding the zone - the rest of the world economy is find a way to carry on.But first we should note that a 15% tariff deal seems to have been concluded between the EU and the US but one that excludes drugs and aluminium. It looks very like the Japanese deal. And the tariff tussle between China and the US looks like it has been extended another 90 days. The pressure will be on European and Japanese companies to become 15% more efficient, but US companies will relax, allowed to be 15% less efficient in their home markets. In the intermediate term this won't be good for global US competitiveness.In a look ahead this coming week, we will get our usual New Zealand monthly business and consumer sentiment survey updates. And our big end-of-month data dump from the RBNZ accentuated because it is end of quarter data. In Australia, it will be all about retail trade and inflation metrics.And Wall Street will be very busy with many more large companies releasing earnings.But the big interest rate influence will be from the central bank decisions from the US (no change expected), Japan (no change), and Canada (also no change). In all three cases the real interest will be on their commentary.Underlying all this will be July PMIs from most major economies, plus more Q2 GDP data, and many inflation updates.Over the weekend China released industrial profits data to June. They reported another slide, down -4.3% from June a year ago, the second straight monthly decline, amid persistent deflation pressures and growing trade uncertainty. State-owned enterprises experienced steeper losses while profit growth in the private sector slowed markedly. Profit gains were recorded in many sectors but one interesting one was in agriculture where profits were up more than +20%.In Russia, and as expected, they cut their policy rate by -200 bps to 18%. They signaled another cut is likely in 2025. They see disinflation on the rise, and household consumption lower. Part of that is due to the size of the diaspora of working aged men trying to avoid the death trap of the attempted invasion of Ukraine.In Europe, the ECB's survey of professional forecasters shows they don't expect much change in the coming year with things constrained by trade questions. They see inflation easing slightly, mainly due to the tariff effects, but GDP growth slightly stronger in the short term.The Ifo Business Climate Index for Germany edged up in July from June, to the highest level since May 2024. But the report was still full of cautious sentiment.In the US and as expected durable goods orders fell back in June after the May spike. Apart from the aircraft and defense sectors, it remained pretty ho-hum. New orders rose just +0.1%. Non-defense non-aircraft orders for capital goods fell when a rise was anticipated.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.39%, unchanged from Saturday.The price of gold will start today at US$3,336/oz, down -US$2 from Saturday.American oil prices have stayed softish at just on US$65/bbl with the international Brent price is still at just under US$68.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 60.2 USc and up +10 bps from Saturday and up almost +½c from a week ago. Against the Aussie we are unchanged at 91.6 AUc. Against the euro we are stable at 51.2 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at just on 67.7, unchanged from Saturday but up +20 bps from a week ago.The bitcoin price starts today at US$119,210 and up +2.4% from this time Saturday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been low at just on +/-0.7%.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 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 there are more tariff-deals being done, of the free trade type, but just not with the US and their mutually punitive style.In the US, jobless claims dipped last week, mainly on seasonal factors. There are now 2,016,000 people on these benefits, +5.3% more than the 1,914,000 on them this time last year.Sales of new single-family homes rose marginally in June from May's seven-month low to be well below what market expected. The number of unsold homes on the market rose to 511,000, the highest since October 2007 and now almost ten months of supply at the current sales pace.The July US S&P Markit factory PMI fell back into contraction which was very unexpected because a rise in the expansion was expected. However, this was masked by a strong rise in their service economy in July.The Kansas City Fed factory survey slipped back into contraction in July after its rare expansion in June. They reported increased factory activity but new order growth was weak and order backlogs fell sharply.In Canada, their advance estimate of retail sales suggests that sales increased +1.6% in June. That more than makes up for the -1.1% fall in May and is much better than the -0.3% fall expected.Meanwhile in Japan, the same S&P Global/Markit factory PMI unexpectedly contracted in July from June's 13-month high but minimal expansion. A small rise was expected.In India, they are starting to see rising international demand in their factory sector, and this pushed up their July factory PMI to a strong expansion.And India has signed a free trade deal with the UK, one touted to bring NZ$10 bln in mutual benefits.Also expected soon is a China-EU trade deal.In Europe, the eurozone PMI for July reported a further increase in business activity during the month, with the pace of expansion quickening to the fastest for almost a year amid a stabilisation of new orders. Output growth was at an 11 month high for them. Cost inflation is easing.Meanwhile, as expected the ECB rate review decision delivered no change. This effectively marks the end of its current easing cycle after eight cuts over the past year that brought borrowing costs to their lowest levels since November 2022. And don't forget, they remain in a tightening phase because they no longer reinvest maturing bonds issued during the pandemic emergency.In Australia, the S&P Global/Markit factory PMI expanded slightly faster in July, on the back of the sharpest overall rise in new business in over three years. This was despite export orders still contracting. The same report shows price pressures intensified, hinting at higher inflation in Australia in the coming months.And staying in Australia, research by the RBA shows that international students play a significant role in the Australian economy. They contribute to demand through their spending on goods and services and are an important source of labour for some Australian businesses. When there are large swings in international student numbers or when the economy has little spare capacity, this means that changing international student numbers can affect macroeconomic outcomes, particularly in sectors of the economy where supply cannot respond quickly. The rapid growth in international student numbers post-pandemic likely contributed to high inflation over this period, but was not a major driver. But they do push up rents.Container freight rates dropped another -3% last week to be -57% lower than year-ago levels, although to be fair the year-ago levels were unusually high. Outbound rates from China to the US are the weakest routes at present. But bulk cargo rates rose another +11% over the past week to be +13% higher than year-ago levelsThe UST 10yr yield is now at 4.41%, up +2 bps from yesterday at this time.The price of gold will start today at US$3,369/oz, down -US$18 from yesterday.American oil prices are marginally firmer at just under US$65.50/bbl but the international Brent price is still at just on US$68.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 60.4 USc and unchanged from yesterday. Against the Aussie we have dipped -10 bps to 91.6 AUc. Against the euro we are holding at 51.3 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at just on 67.8, up +10 bps from yesterday.The bitcoin price starts today at US$117,232 and up +1.2% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been low at just under +/-0.9%.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 a time when so many are grappling with division and polarization in their communities, where does one start to build connections to better understand when and why do you feel like you “belong” in your community? In this new podcast conversation, we talk with Anjum Rahman and Atarau Hamilton-Fuller from Inclusive Aotearoa Collective Tāhono, based in Aotearoa New Zealand. In the aftermath of the horrific Christchurch mosque attacks in 2019, their collective's work focused on visiting communities across the country to foster understanding, empathy, and a sense of belonging by encouraging participants to share personal experiences of inclusion and exclusion.Anjum and Atarau share about the unique, culturally grounded approach that they developed as their group hosted and facilitated “belonging conversations” across 46 cities and towns. These conversations, created with three simple yet revealing questions, helped create spaces where participants felt safe to be truly heard, learned the power of deep listening without judgement, and helped understand each other's shared humanity.As part of this discussion, we also demonstrate the conversation, exploring the three core questions to help understand why these discussions have been so powerful for participants.This discussion is essential listening for anyone seeking practical ideas for how to build understanding and foster genuine connection across different groups within the same community.Resources and Footnotes:Inclusive Aotearoa Collective TāhonoResource: What does belonging mean to you?Resource: How to Hold a Conversation on BelongingMore on Collective ImpactInfographic: What is Collective Impact?Resource List: Getting Started in Collective ImpactThe Intro music, entitled “Running,” was composed by Rafael Krux, and can be found here and is licensed under CC: By 4.0. The outro music, entitled “Deliberate Thought,” was composed by Kevin Macleod. Licensed under CC: By.Have a question related to collaborative work that you'd like to have discussed on the podcast? Contact us at: https://www.collectiveimpactforum.org/contact-us/

Questions to Ministers TODD STEPHENSON to the Minister for Regulation: Will New Zealanders benefit from the Ministry for Regulation's work to remove unnecessary rules and regulations; if so, how? Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his Government's statements and actions? CAMERON BREWER to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has she seen on the economy? KAHURANGI CARTER to the Minister for Disability Issues: Does she agree with the findings of the Youth MP Parliamentary Working Group report that disabled people, especially disabled students, are consistently failed by our system; if not, why not? CATHERINE WEDD to the Minister responsible for RMA Reform: What recent updates has he given about the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024? Hon WILLIE JACKSON to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Does she stand by her target of reducing jobseeker numbers by 50,000; if so, is the target closer or further away from being achieved? Dr VANESSA WEENINK to the Minister of Education: What recent announcements has she made regarding school property? DEBBIE NGAREWA-PACKER to the Minister of Health: What specific Maori health outcomes, if any, will improve as a result of his proposed changes to the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022? Hon GINNY ANDERSEN to the Minister for Infrastructure: What is his plan to ensure there is the workforce to deliver the infrastructure pipeline, and how does it address the fact that more than a quarter of builders say they don't have enough staff to meet future needs? TEANAU TUIONO to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: What new commitments, if any, has the Government made to protect Aotearoa New Zealand's marine environment following the United Nations Ocean Conference in France last month? MIKE BUTTERICK to the Minister for Trade and Investment: What opportunities will New Zealand exporters have following the third reading of the United Arab Emirates Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill yesterday? Hon PEENI HENARE to the Associate Minister of Housing: How have homelessness statistics changed in each major urban centre, according to the Homelessness Insights report he received in June 2025, both in absolute numbers and percentage terms, when comparing the most recent reporting period to the previous one?

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 of more big-country tariff negotiation updates.But first, US mortgage applications were little-changed last week as their benchmark 30 year mortgage rate rose.Meanwhile, American home resales fell in June from May to an annualised rate of under 4 mln and down -4.4% from June 2024. This was largely driven by declining sales of single family homes. But median prices inched up, now at US$435,300 (NZ$720,000). High mortgage rates are getting the blame.There was another US Treasury bond auction overnight, this one for their 20 year maturity. It was well supported with a median yield of 4.89%. That was little different to the 4.88% at the prior equivalent event a month ago.The US has said it has agreed a 15% tariff deal with Japan (a notable level lower than the arbitrary 25% previously imposed). The main thing Japan had to do was agree to buy things (like aircraft) that would probably have bought from the US anyway. But it also supposedly requires Japan to water down its standards for rice imports and open their markets to US cars. Both of those requirements show a distinctly naive understanding of Japan. Very likely they will drive an anti-US sentiment by consumers there, mirroring what is happening in Canada. Japanese investors loved the deal - for Japan. boosting the Nikkei225 +2.2% at its market opening yesterday and ending the day up +3.5%.The Japanese bond market - an enormous beast - reacted with Japan's 10-year government bond yield surging nearly +10 bp to around 1.60% approaching its highest level since 2008.In South Korea, the glow after resolving its presidential issues has seen its Consumer Sentiment Index rise in July from June, the fourth consecutive monthly gain and the highest reading since January 2018. The improvement reflects growing optimism fueled by the newly elected government and expectations for economic stimulus.Taiwanese industrial production continues to expand aggressively, up another +18% in June from a year ago, no surprise given the strong order inflows we reported earlier this week. But Taiwanese retail sales are nowhere near as positive, actually.In Europe, there is growing optimism some sort of tariff deal with the US is imminent. The US-Japan deal is being seen as a benchmark, and the optimism is fuel by the early judgement that Japan will come out on top in that one.In Australia, economic growth momentum is leaking away. At least, that is what the Westpac-Melbourne Institute leading indicator data shows. For them, the main drag coming from commodity prices, consumer and business sentiment, and total hours worked.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.39%, up +5 bps from yesterday at this time. The price of gold will start today at US$3,387/oz, down -US$40 from yesterday.American oil prices are holding at just over US$65/bbl but the international Brent price is still at just under US$68.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 60.4 USc and up +40 bps from yesterday. Against the Aussie we are unchanged at 91.6 AUc. Against the euro we are up +25 bps at 51.3 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at just on 67.7, up +20 bps from yesterday.The bitcoin price starts today at US$117,867 and down -1.1% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has remained modest, at just under +/-1.2%.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 precious metals prices are having a moment - in US dollars at least, largely because the US dollar is extending its retreat. The same impact is affecting commodities like copper. Prices are rising in the US as a consequence of tariff-taxes which are pushing down the value of the greenback.But first, the dairy Pulse auction for SMP and WMP brought better results than the futures markets expected. SMP was up +1.7% and slightly better than the +1.5% expected. But the big mover was WMP which rose +1.5% when a -4% retreat was expected. The continuation of better prices will be something of a quiet relief in this industry.In the US. the retail impulse continued to expand last week, up +5.1% from a year ago. But the suspicion lingers that much of this is the inclusion of tariff taxes, despite what the CPI indicates.And those tariff taxes hurt the results in the latest Richmond Fed factory survey. This was their worst result in ten months and was led by a sharp retreat in new orders. Input cost growth stayed up.The cost of those tariff-taxes on US companies was on full display in US earnings reports. For Stellantis (Chrysler) it was US$300 mln, for GM US$1 bln. Both ate away at reported profits significantly. It is hard to see these type of companies absorbing costs like this for much longer.Across the Pacific, Taiwanese export orders continued their outstanding growth, up almost another +-25% in June from the same month in 2024 which itself led year-ago levels. It is hugely impressive and continues a very strong 2025 monthly set. It is their electronics industry leading the way.Sentiment in Japan bounced back yesterday as it became a clearer bet that Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is expected to remain in office despite the embarrassing performance of his party at the recent upper house elections. But holding on, he will be a damaged leader. The upstart ‘Japanese First' Sanseito party has emerged as powerful force after these elections, and that was despite a 'secret' Russian campaign to support them (and destabilise Japan) that was exposed before voting.In the Europe, the ECB's latest credit survey fund a twist towards housing lending there. While credit standards for company loans remained broadly unchanged, credit standards tightened slightly for housing loans and more markedly for consumer credit. But this was because housing loan demand continued to increase strongly, while demand for company loans remained weak.In Australia, the vultures are out targeting vulnerable borrowers who are debt stressed. It has ASIC worried and they have launched a review into the debt management and credit repair sector in an effort to protect those experiencing financial hardship. Expect the Commerce Commission here to assess whether it needs to do similar work.Staying in Australia, the RBA released the minutes of its July 8 meeting and they revealed little new. They left its cash rate steady at 3.85% at this meeting, defying market forecasts for a -25 bps cut. The move was passed by majority vote, six in favour and three against. These minutes were full of "wait and see" sentiment, "data dependent" notes. Part of the waiting-to-see is because they doubt Trump will actually do what he threatens. They buy the TACO view apparently.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.34%, down -3 bps from yesterday at this time. The price of gold will start today at US$3,427/oz, up another +US$34 from yesterday. And that almost matched its record high on April 21.And the silver price has pushed on up over US$39/oz It isn't yet threatening its 2011 peaks (US$48) but the recent climb has some people quite excited.American oil prices are -US$2 softer at just on US$65/bbl but the international Brent price is only down -50 USc at just under US$68.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 60 USc and up +25 bps from yesterday. Against the Aussie we are unchanged at 91.6 AUc. Against the euro we are also little-changed at 51.1 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at just on 67.5, up +10 bps from yesterday.The bitcoin price starts today at US$119,198 and up +1.1% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has remained modest, at just under +/-1.2%.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 Voyagers: The Settlement of the Pacific (Apollo, 2020), the distinguished anthropologist Nicholas Thomas tells the story of the peopling of the Pacific. In clear, accessible language Thomas shows us that most Pacific Islanders are in fact 'inter-islanders', or people defined by their movement across the ocean and between islands, rather than 'trapped' in islands in a far sea. Thomas also described the European discovery of the Pacific, and emphasizes the role Pacific Islanders played in teaching European explorers about the Pacific. 'European' knowledge of the Pacific, Thomas claims, was very much 'intercultural' and relied on indigenous Pacific knowledge of the region. In this episode of the podcast, Nick sits down with Alex Golub to discuss his book and the history of the Pacific. They talk about the influence of Epeli Hau‘ofa's writings on Nick's concept of 'inter-islanders' and discuss the complexities of intercultural contact in the nineteenth century Pacific which are exemplified by 'Tupaia's Chart' -- the map made for Captain Cook by Tupaia, the Tahitian navigator who led Cook to Aotearoa/New Zealand. Overall, Voyagers is an excellent introduction to Pacific history which can be read by anyone with an interest in the Pacific. Associate professor of anthropology, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

Vincent Jones and Otis Murray are your experts on domestic cricket in Aotearoa New Zealand.Today on the podcast we chat about the recently announced Men's domestic contracts for the 2025/26 season. We also cover the Blackcaps tri-series tour so far and preview their Test Series against Zimbabwe.Enjoy!Substack: kiwicricketchat.substack.comLinktree: https://t.co/5ZT49TOccNX/Twitter: https://x.com/KiwiCricketChatInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/kiwicricketkorero_/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KiwiCricketKorero 

In this episode of Bad Diaries Podcast, Tracy talks with writer Annabel Smith about throwing her diary across the room, hearting Michael J. Fox, and singing SexyBack at karaoke. Annabel has taken part in three Bad Diaries Salons, including our third ever salon back in 2017, in Perth. Annabel is also the creative force behind the live spoken word series To Whom It May Concern: Complaint Letters Live, and Tracy and Annabel talk about some of the similarities and differences with Bad Diaries Salon, and the pros and cons of reading live vs writing it all down.Just a heads-up – we talk about verbal sexual harassment in this episode. Take care.Annabel Smith is a writer based in Perth, Western Australia. Her debut novel, A New Map of the Universe, was shortlisted for the Western Australian Premier's Book Awards. She's also the author of experimental speculative novel The Ark, and US bestseller Whisky Charlie Foxtrot. She was one of five inaugural recipients of an Australia Council Creative Australia Fellowship for Emerging Artists, for her interactive digital novel/app The Ark.Annabel has published essays, short stories and articles in many of Australia's prestigious literary journals, and is in demand as a teacher, reviewer, speaker and interviewer. She holds a PhD in Creative Writing from Edith Cowan University.Find Annabel on her Substack, Thinks I'm Thinkin'.Find full show notes for this episode on the Bad Diaries Salon website baddiariessalon.com, or get in touch via Instagram or Facebook – we're @baddiariessalon everywhere.Thanks for joining us for Bad Diaries Podcast! Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review us, wherever you get your podcasts.Bad Diaries Podcast Season 3 is recorded and produced in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand, on the iwi lands of Taranaki Whānui, and Ngāti Toa Rangatira. Seasons 1 & 2 were also recorded in Naarm Melbourne, Australia, on the lands of the Kulin Nation. We pay our respects to Mana Whenua, and to Elders past, present and emerging, of these lands.

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 China is having second thoughts about how some industries are operating with their super-competitive impulses.But first, a widely followed American leading index tracker weakened in June. The US Conference Board's LEIcontinued its fall which started in mid 2022 and has picked up its pace of decline somewhat. The LEI fell by -2.8% over the first half of 2025, a substantially faster rate of decline than the -1.3% contraction over the second half of 2024. For a second month in a row, the stock price rally was the main support of the LEI. But this was not enough to offset still very low consumer expectations, weak new orders in manufacturing, and a third consecutive month of rising initial claims for unemployment insurance.And a new attack vector on the US Fed by their Treasury Secretary probably won't help.But investors are happy, pushing the S&P500 up to a new record high, emboldened by tariff protections that will bring short-term gains.North of the border. Canadian producer prices were expected to fall in June continuing an easing that started in February. However they rose moderately to be +1.7% higher than a year ago. But the rise seemed to be caused by a jump in the precious metals corner of this index rather than more generally. So the impact isn't significant.More generally in Canada's economy, a central bank survey shows that tariffs and related uncertainty, along with spillover effects on the Canadian and global economies, continue to have major impacts on businesses' outlooks. However, the worst-case scenarios that firms envisioned last quarter are now seen as less likely to occur.A parallel survey of Canadian consumers revealed a concerned public, one that saw a tough future. But the US copped almost all the blame, and Canadians said they are prioritising local purchases now at the expense of US sourced goods and services. Travel to the US is off their agenda.Across the Pacific, the People's Bank of China kept key Loan Prime Rates (LPR) at record lows during the July fixing yesterday, as was expected. The economic resilience in the Chinese economy means they are keeping their powder dry, even though American tariffs and threats remain a concern. But those resonate less at present.China seems to be taking quite broad central policy actions to transform its industrial policies. Using the excuse of the "trade-war crisis" as motivation, it has released a digital transformation plan for their auto industry alongside similar initiatives for machinery and power equipment. Within those they are moving to promote the "orderly exit of outdated production capacity" as part of its broader industrial strategy.Part of the motivation is to rein in the ultra-competitive nature of Chinese commerce at present, a nationwide race to the bottom in terms of pricing while satisfying rising consumer standards. The big fear is that, uncurbed, it will bankrupt whole industries. They already have enough problems with their property sector. They think they don't need the same in the automotive, and machinery manufacturing sectors as well.In Australia, forecasting conducted for car dealerships suggest vehicles manufactured in China will make up almost half of sales within a decade in a major market shift.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.37%, down -6 bps from yesterday at this time.The price of gold will start today at US$3,393/oz, up +US$45 from yesterday.American oil prices are softer at just over US$67/bbl while the international Brent price is now just on US$69/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59.8 USc and up +15 bps from yesterday. Against the Aussie we are unchanged at 91.6 AUc. Against the euro we are down -20 bps at 51.1 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at just on 67.4, down -10 bps from yesterday.The bitcoin price starts today at US$117,913 and down a minor -0.2% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been modest, at just on +/-1.2%.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 Voyagers: The Settlement of the Pacific (Apollo, 2020), the distinguished anthropologist Nicholas Thomas tells the story of the peopling of the Pacific. In clear, accessible language Thomas shows us that most Pacific Islanders are in fact 'inter-islanders', or people defined by their movement across the ocean and between islands, rather than 'trapped' in islands in a far sea. Thomas also described the European discovery of the Pacific, and emphasizes the role Pacific Islanders played in teaching European explorers about the Pacific. 'European' knowledge of the Pacific, Thomas claims, was very much 'intercultural' and relied on indigenous Pacific knowledge of the region. In this episode of the podcast, Nick sits down with Alex Golub to discuss his book and the history of the Pacific. They talk about the influence of Epeli Hau‘ofa's writings on Nick's concept of 'inter-islanders' and discuss the complexities of intercultural contact in the nineteenth century Pacific which are exemplified by 'Tupaia's Chart' -- the map made for Captain Cook by Tupaia, the Tahitian navigator who led Cook to Aotearoa/New Zealand. Overall, Voyagers is an excellent introduction to Pacific history which can be read by anyone with an interest in the Pacific. Associate professor of anthropology, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In Voyagers: The Settlement of the Pacific (Apollo, 2020), the distinguished anthropologist Nicholas Thomas tells the story of the peopling of the Pacific. In clear, accessible language Thomas shows us that most Pacific Islanders are in fact 'inter-islanders', or people defined by their movement across the ocean and between islands, rather than 'trapped' in islands in a far sea. Thomas also described the European discovery of the Pacific, and emphasizes the role Pacific Islanders played in teaching European explorers about the Pacific. 'European' knowledge of the Pacific, Thomas claims, was very much 'intercultural' and relied on indigenous Pacific knowledge of the region. In this episode of the podcast, Nick sits down with Alex Golub to discuss his book and the history of the Pacific. They talk about the influence of Epeli Hau‘ofa's writings on Nick's concept of 'inter-islanders' and discuss the complexities of intercultural contact in the nineteenth century Pacific which are exemplified by 'Tupaia's Chart' -- the map made for Captain Cook by Tupaia, the Tahitian navigator who led Cook to Aotearoa/New Zealand. Overall, Voyagers is an excellent introduction to Pacific history which can be read by anyone with an interest in the Pacific. Associate professor of anthropology, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/world-affairs

In Voyagers: The Settlement of the Pacific (Apollo, 2020), the distinguished anthropologist Nicholas Thomas tells the story of the peopling of the Pacific. In clear, accessible language Thomas shows us that most Pacific Islanders are in fact 'inter-islanders', or people defined by their movement across the ocean and between islands, rather than 'trapped' in islands in a far sea. Thomas also described the European discovery of the Pacific, and emphasizes the role Pacific Islanders played in teaching European explorers about the Pacific. 'European' knowledge of the Pacific, Thomas claims, was very much 'intercultural' and relied on indigenous Pacific knowledge of the region. In this episode of the podcast, Nick sits down with Alex Golub to discuss his book and the history of the Pacific. They talk about the influence of Epeli Hau‘ofa's writings on Nick's concept of 'inter-islanders' and discuss the complexities of intercultural contact in the nineteenth century Pacific which are exemplified by 'Tupaia's Chart' -- the map made for Captain Cook by Tupaia, the Tahitian navigator who led Cook to Aotearoa/New Zealand. Overall, Voyagers is an excellent introduction to Pacific history which can be read by anyone with an interest in the Pacific. Associate professor of anthropology, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/australian-and-new-zealand-studies

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 US tariff news probably dominating this week as many countries get letters from Trump. That will likely include Australia and New Zealand.While the direct effect on us will probably be as expected, we will be more vulnerable to secondary impacts - although Canada, Japan, China and the EU all seem to be taking things in their stride, better than anticipated. It seems clear and confirmed tariff taxes are paid by the importing country companies, and the lasting damage will be to US companies and their competitiveness. The forced reassessments elsewhere may prove galvanising for resilience.But first, this week will be all about the New Zealand June quarter CPI result which will be released today at 10:45am. We will have full coverage. It is widely expected to come in higher at 2.8% and the RBNZ too has said it will be higher than what they expected in their May MPS review (2.4%).China will also review its Loan Prime rates today, but those are not expected to change from their record low levels.The ECB, Russia and Turkey will review policy rates this week and there will be a range of early July PMI data out for a number of countries. But nothing really major.But crucial will be the results of the Sunday Japanese upper house election. Those results are coming in now and it seems clear the current coalition government has lost significant support - and with it they are in for a period of less stable fiscal policy until things settle down.In the US, eyes will be on more corporate earnings, with more tech and industrial majors reporting this week including Google and Tesla.Eyes will also be on the will-he-won't-he question of whether Trump will try to fire Powell. (One irony in this saga is that Trump accuses Powell of overspending on a Fed building refurbishment - one initiated by Trump in his first term with the exhortation to 'don't be cheap' and to 'use more marble'.)Staying in the US, a surge in multi-unit house building in the Northeast propelled its overall June housing starts to a good rebound after the very weak May result. But starts for single family homes fell -4.6%, and the starts in the South fell -0.7%, in the West they fell -1.4% and in the Midwest the dropped -5.3%. It clearly remains a fragile sector.Stabilising was the sentiment survey from the University of Michigan for July. It ticked up slightly from June but is still almost -7% lower than year-ago levels. But it is off the canvas because it is now higher than any month since February. Inflation expectations eased back a bit too in July from June.Across the Pacific, Japan's annual inflation rate eased to 3.3% in June 2025 from 3.5% in the previous month, marking the lowest reading since last November. Most components eased, but not food, which rose 7.2%, the most since March, a surge due to the doubling of rice prices over the fast year.In Malaysia, their economy expanded by +4.5% year-on-year in Q2-2025, slightly up from +4.4% growth in the previous period. For them domestic demand was robust, but exports were a bit weaker than anticipated.In Australia, it will be a quiet week of economic data releases and there isn't much chance the release of the RBA minutes on Tuesday (tomorrow) will bring any surprises or special insights.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.43%, up +1 bp from Saturday at this time and back where it was a week ago. The price of gold will start today at US$3,348/oz, down -US$3 from Saturday.American oil prices are unchanged at just under US$67.50/bbl while the international Brent price is now just over US$69/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is still at 59.6 USc and unchanged from Saturday - but down -50 bps from a week ago. Against the Aussie we are also unchanged at 91.6 AUc. Against the euro we are still at 51.3 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at just on 67.5, unchanged from Saturday as well.The bitcoin price starts today at US$118,085 and up +0.3% from this time Saturday but essentially unchanged from a week ago. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been low, at just over +/-0.6%.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 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 Canada has conceded it has lost its dairy dispute with New Zealand.But first in the US, actual initial jobless claims in the US rose sharply to 261,000 from the previous week but that was less than seasonal factors would have suggested. There are now 2,017,000 people on these benefits, +4% more than year ago levels and the most in four months.After three down months, the Philly Fed factory survey recovered in July. New order intakes rose. But also rising was the prices firms paid for their inputs and what they charged their customers. 'Safe' behind a tariff wall, these firms are showing the expected reactions, ones that will make them internationally uncompetitive.Also rising were US retail sales in June. This also came after two retreating months, and was not expected. Year on year these sales are up +3.7% of which car sales rose +5.3%. Other than vehicles, the rise was +3.3% and still quite positive. However 2.7% of that can be accounted for by CPI inflation.US factory activity and retail sales may be rising but business inventories are not. And that is a resilient sign.One sector not showing any resilience is their house-building sector. The NAHB sentiment survey shows it remains at a low ebb, down near its 2022 lows. Affordability issues remain at the heart of the sector's woes, and they are hardly likely to improve as tariff-taxes flow through.In Canada, they have quietly conceded they have lost their dairy access dispute with New Zealand and will now honour the CPTPP treaty agreements. Although the US is not party to this dispute, the MFN clauses in its USMCA Agreement probably mean wider access for others to the Canadian dairy market.Across the Pacific and continuing its yoyo pattern, Singapore's June exports jumped. In fact they rose +14.3% from May to be +13% higher than year-ago levels.In Australia, their June labour market softened. They were expecting a jobs gain of +20,000 but only got +2,000. Their jobless rate ticked up to 4.3%. As a result, financial market pricing for an RBA rate cut on August 12 have risen.And inflation expectations in Australia are staying stubbornly high - although not as high in July as they were in June. The Melbourne Institute's Survey of Consumer Inflationary and Wage Expectations came in with inflation expectations at 4.7% which was down from June's 5.0% but apart from that still its highest since mid 2023. Expected wage growth fell slightly in July and remains relatively weak.A softening labour market but very high inflation expectations (and a frothy real estate market), will all make the RBA's assessments very difficult.More globally, container freight rates fell -2.6% last week from the prior week to be -55% lower than year-ago levels. But those year-ago levels were unusually boosted by Red Sea tensions. Currently, outbound rates from China are the weak spots in this market. Bulk cargo rates rose a sharp +34% last week to be back to year-ago levels. To be fair these current overall levels are basically 'average' over the past 35 years (so in inflation-adjusted terms they are very low).The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.47%, little-changed from yesterday at this time. Wall Street is firmer today with the S&P500 up +0.6%, enough to claim a new record high. Good corporate earnings are driving the mood.The price of gold will start today at US$3,336/oz, down -US$18 from yesterday at this time.American oil prices are up +US$1 at US$67.50/bbl while the international Brent price is now just under US$69.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59.3 USc and down -25 bps from this time yesterday. Against the Aussie we are up +30 bps at 91.4 AUc. Against the euro we are also up +10 bps at 51.2 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at just on 67.2, and unchanged.The bitcoin price starts today at US$119,100 and essentially unchanged from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has remained modest, at just on +/-1.1%.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.

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 US yield curve has steepened overnight on messy talk about the US Fed's independence, and arbitrary US tariff statements.In more direct economic news, US mortgage applications fell sharply last week, even after adjusting for the holiday weekend. There were -10% lower than the prior week. But they are still +18% higher than a year ago. To be fair, year-ago levels were unusually low. Rising interest rates are getting the blame for the recent fall-off in activityAmerican producer prices rose +2.3% in June which was much less than the May +2.7% rise and less than the expected +2.5%. A rather large and unusual monthly drop in logistics costs kept the overall index restrained.Meanwhile US industrial production inched higher, up +0.7% in June from a year ago. It was driven by a good rise in businesses equipment and mining but that masked a fall in the much larger sector manufacturing consumer goods. But to give better context, neither of those year-on-year gains showed up in June.And that flat recent trend is showing up in the Fed's July Beige Book surveys. Economic activity increased slightly from late May through early July. Five Districts reported slight or modest gains, five had flat activity, and the remaining two Districts noted modest declines in activity. There was nothing here indicating rising business or consumer sentiment and impending investment - pointedly, quite the opposite.Across the border, Canadian housing starts in June stayed high, and certainly higher than expected. They were expected to retreat somewhat after a strong May, but remained at those elevated levels.And staying in Canada, they have released data that shows the gap between the top earners and the bottom earners has reached a record divide. The bottom 40% of households now have less than 3% of all household wealth. The top 10% have almost half. It is a twist that foreshadows future social stresses.Later today we will get Japanese trade data for June, and that is expected to be positive.And as expected. the Indonesian central bank cut its policy rate late yesterday by-25 bps to 5.25%. They said the tariff-rate 'deal' with the US will be positive for them.Also later today we will be watching the June labour market report for Australia. Another good jobs gain is expected (+20,000), skewed sharply towards full-time positions. And we will get an update in Australian inflation expectations.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.46%, down -3 bps from yesterday at this time. The price of gold will start today at US$3,354/oz, up +US$27 from yesterday at this time.American oil prices are little-changed at US$66.50/bbl while the international Brent price is still just over US$68.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59.5 USc and up +10 bps from this time yesterday. Against the Aussie we are down -20 bps at 91.1 AUc. Against the euro we are also down -20 bps at 51.1 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at just on 67.2, and down -20 bps.The bitcoin price starts today at US$119,039 and up +1.4% from this time yesterday. And that takes it back to NZ$200,000. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been modest, at just on +/-1.5%.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 Pixelated Playgrounds, Bryan and Josh dive into Umurangi Generation, the vibrant, potent, and subversive photography game from Māori developer Naphtali Faulkner. Set in a near-future Aotearoa (New Zealand) under invasion and authoritarian control, the game asks players not to save the world, but to document its unraveling. Bryan and Josh explore how Faulkner's anger at systemic failure, fueled by the bushfires and pandemic response, shapes the game's unapologetic aesthetics, themes, and searing environmental storytelling. From graffiti-covered skate parks to militarized train stations, every frame you capture is an indictment, not an escape.Bryan and Josh also discuss Umurangi Generation's unique take on photography as play, protest, and preservation. Through its deliberately clunky movement, time-bound challenges, and varied levels, the game interrogates the tension between art and commerce, beauty and collapse. As Māori language and culture saturate its design, Umurangi Generation's world feels deeply personal and localized, yet globally resonant. This isn't a story of revolution or heroism—it's a quiet, furious insistence on witnessing collapse. Join us as we unpack how Umurangi Generation turns a camera into a weapon of truth in a world on the brink.Show Notes:Interview containing the Quote Bryan shared: The Umurangi Generation is Asking You To CareThree Word Reviews:Bryan - Documenting the FallJosh - Afraid of Judgement

Business Desk journalist Cecile Meier broke and exclusive story today stating that The School Lunch Collective has started using a cheaper offal mince blend, a move that has raised compliance questions. The offal blend is 25% cheaper and is a 50/50 blend of beef trim and beef heart. Cecile joins us LIVE at 9pm to talk over what she found out in the exclusive reportMore work done by Business Desk on school lunches can be seen here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Huov0vYjD0w Professor Michael Plank and his colleagues have published a study looking at excess mortality during the pandemic. The study, entitled "Estimating excess mortality during the Covid-19 pandemic in Aotearoa New Zealand" found that if NZ had have followed a different path, if we hadn't have followed an elimination strategy, we would have had a lot more deaths.Labour Leader Chris Hipkins talks to Ryan Bridge about the Government's decision to scrap Te Pūkenga just as it begins to turn a surplus=================================Come support the work we're doing by becoming a Patron of ⁠⁠#BHN⁠⁠ www.patreon.com/BigHairyNews⁠=================================Merch available at www.BHNShop.nz Like us on Facebookwww.facebook.com/BigHairyNews Follow us on Twitter.@patbrittenden @Chewie_NZFollow us on BlueskyPat @patbrittenden.bsky.socialChewie @chewienz.bsky.socialEmily @iamprettyawesome.bsky.socialMagenta @xkaosmagex.bsky.social

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 US inflation is rising and tariffs are getting the blame.But first, the overnight dairy auction brought prices +1.1% higher in USD terms, +3.6% higher in NZD terms. It was the first rise we have had in these full auctions since yearly May. This time, the expected +2.5% rise in SMP was matched by an unexpected rise of +1.7% in WMP prices. Butter prices were unchanged but cheddar cheese prices fell a sharpish -5.6%.In the US they got the expected rise in CPI inflation for June, up 2.7% when it was rising 2.4% in May. The Fed will have noticed that "core inflation" rose 2.9%. Food prices rose 3.0% and rents up 3.8%. The overall level was restrained by an -8.3% drop in petrol prices. As those year-ago petrol prices normalise in future months, they won't be restraining anything. Just in time for the pass-through of the tariff-taxes. An independent Fed will be concerned about the upwad trajectory.A Fed factory survey in the New York state recorded a rise in July, their first since February. But they are seeing input cost pressure picking up. However they also report it is easier to pass on those costs and seemed relieved about that.Canada also reported its June CPI inflation rate, coming in at 1.9%, up from 1.7% in May.India reported declining merchandise exports in June, in fact their lowest level of the year and almost -8% lower than year-ago levels. Imports fell too. But strong services exports (outsourcing services) balanced things out. In contrast to China, India's rise is domestically-driven, not foreign trade driven, making them somewhat insulated from the tariff-wars.China reported that its Q2-2025 economy expanded +5.2% in inflation-adjusted terms from Q2-2024. This was bang on what Beijing had set as a target, and what observers were expecting them to announce. Strong exports and consumer subsidies helped a lot.China said its retail sales were up +4.8% in June from a year ago, its industrial production up +6.8%. So that suggests they had the best of both worlds - rising industry and rising internal consumption. That they seem to have done this all with only a modest rise in electricity production (+1.7%) would be impressive if it was believable. They are almost certainly making big strides in energy efficiency but it is unlikely as reported. Despite these cred issues however, it is clear that the Chinese economy is not going backward.But even if they aren't as steep as they have been over any of the past 15 months, new house prices in China are still falling. Only 12 of the 70 largest cities had prices that held basically unchanged however. But for resales, none were in that category. The lure of housing speculation in China is but a distant memory. For most developers that is trouble. But pockets like in Shenzhen may be seeing a bit of a shine.In the EU, industrial production surprised with a good +3.4% gain in May, far better than expected and continuing the 2025 expansion. The gains were even stronger in the euro areaSo it will be no surprise to learn that German ZEW sentiment seems to be in full recovery mode; this data for July, so those industrial production gains have likely continued.In Australia, the Westpac/Melbourne Institute consumer sentiment survey showed a third consecutive rise in July, although a small one. Despite the surprise no-cut by the RBA recently, most consumers still expect interest rates to move lower from here. But they remain uncertain about the outlook for the overall economy and jobs. Housing-related sentiment dipped slightly but price expectations remained high.And staying in Australia, the RBA has reached the preliminary view that it would be in the public interest to remove surcharging on eftpos, Mastercard and Visa cards. They also want to lower the cap on interchange fees paid by businesses, and require card networks and large acquirers to publish the fees they charge. They are now in the 'consultation' phase, which will no doubt involve fierce pushback. Here the Commerce Commission has been looking at the same issues, and will report on the New Zealand changes they want to see, very soon.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.49%, up +6 bps from yesterday at this time.The price of gold will start today at US$3,327/oz, down -US$22 from yesterday at this time.American oil prices are down -50 USc to US$66.50/bbl while the international Brent price is just over US$68.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59.4 USc and down -30 bps from this time yesterday. Against the Aussie we are unchanged at 91.3 AUc. Against the euro we are also unchanged at 51.3 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at just under 67.4, and down -10 bps.The bitcoin price starts today at US$117,421 and down -2.0% from this time yesterday. And that takes it back below NZ$200,000. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been modest, still just on +/-1.9%.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 there may be trade policy chaos, and it may get worse, but you wouldn't know it from today's data, especially June data from China.But first, India said its CPI inflation is falling, and quite quickly now, taken lower by falling food prices. Their CPI fell for the eighth straight month, down to 2.1% in June, the lowest level since January 2019, down from 2.8% in May. Analysts had expected it to fall to 2.5% in June, so this is quite a sharper move lower. You may recall the recent 7.4% peak in October 2024, then also driven by food prices.The question now is, will the RBI cut its 5.5% policy rate. Many analysts don't think the Indian central bank is ready yet to do that. They next meet on August 7.In Singapore they said their economy was 4.3% higher in Q2-2025 than Q2-2024. Their GDP rose +1.4% s.a. in the three months through June. Analysts had expected the rise to be only +0.8% increase. Construction helped drive the June result, surging 4.4%. The Q1-2025 contract was revised to -0.5%. Apart from that Q1-2025 stumble, their expansion has been rising since early 2023.In Japan, machinery orders didn't fall as much in May as anticipated (after a big dip in April), so they ended +6.6% higher than year ago levels.In China, so far, the Trump tariffs or the uncertainty surrounding them have had no noticeable negative impact on their exports. They came in at US$325 bln in June, up +5.8% from a year ago and up +$9 bln from May. This was better than expected. Imports were also little-changed, up +1.1% from a year ago, slightly softer than expected. The main impact of the US tariff war against everyone is that China is benefiting as the US makes enemies everywhere. The details by country are here.China's trade surplus widened significantly to +US$115 bln in June, up from +US$99 bln in June 2024. China's trade surplus with the US widened to US$26.5 bln in June, up +47% from May.Meanwhile, new yuan loans rose in June, and by more than expected. Typically, we see a June rise as banks push to achieve quarterly targets. But this rise is far better than even for that, and better than the rise a year ago. Helping was a Beijing push to front-load bond sales being rolled out to support their economy during the tariff trade war. In the end they issued ¥2.24 tln in new loans in June, well above the expected ¥1.8 tln. (This data never shows how much is directed to SOE borrowing.)We should not forget the impact of the consumer subsidies being deployed to keep China's retail demand elevated. They seem quite effective, but clearly they cannot continue indefinitely. Some regions are already starting to turn them off due to cost reasons, so we won't have long to find the reaction to that.In the US all eyes are on what the June CPI inflation will come in at. It was 2.4% in May, and is widely expected to come in at 2.7% in June when it is reported tomorrow. Markets price no chance of a rate cut by the Fed at their next review at the end of the month.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.43%, little-changed from yesterday at this time. The price of gold will start today at US$3,349/oz, down -US$6 from yesterday at this time.American oil prices are down -US$1.50 just on US$67/bbl while the international Brent price is just over US$69/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59.7 USc and down -40 bps from this time yesterday. Against the Aussie we are down -10 bps at 91.3 AUc. Against the euro we are down -20 bps at 51.3 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at just on 67.4, and down -20 bps.The bitcoin price starts today at US$119,767 and up +0.8% from this time yesterday. And that takes it just on NZ$200,000. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been modest at just on +/-1.9%.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.

Mealybugs may be tiny, but they're causing big problems for Aotearoa New Zealand's wine industry by spreading the destructive Grapevine leafroll-associated virus 3 (GLRaV-3).

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 August 1 is the new deadline for tariff negotiations with the US. It's an endlessly moving 'deadline' bourne out of frustration at being unable to make any meaningful deals.This week will feature a first peek at June inflation components with the selected price data due out on Thursday. Maybe before that we will get the June REINZ data. In Australia, all eyes will be on their June labour market data due on Thursday too.Later today we will get China's June export and import data to be followed later in the week with China's big monthly data dump which will include their Q2-2025 GDP result. It will be a surprise if they have to admit a variance to their official target (5.2%?).In the US it will be all about tariff-setting, interspersed with June CPI data (also likely to match what their government wants - 2.5%). Canada will also release their June inflation result, with a more credible process, and markets expect (3.0%). Japan chimes in with its version, expected to be 3.3%.In the background there will be the start of Q2 earnings results from Wall Street majors, including some big banks.Over the weekend, Canada reported something of a surprise, because their labour market strengthened in June. Not only did they generate +83,000 new jobs in the month when no gains were expected, their jobless rate dipped when it was expected to rise. Even though +70,000 of those new jobs were part-time, the +13,000 new full-time jobs was much better than the -1,000 full-time job losses expected. Even wages rose +3.2% from a year ago, although they did slip slightly from May and have remained flat since January. Given the forces being applied by their bully neighbour, it is hard to know whether this overall June result is just an anomaly or an indication of resilience. Only time will tell.Canada also released May building consent data overnight and it was also unusually strong, up at a +12% pa rate from April. From a year ago the June consent values were up +5.1% on an inflation-adjusted basis. By any standard this is very good too.In the US, the level of tariff-taxes being imposed on Americans is becoming clearer. The latest US Government accounts show them hitting US$27 bln in June, US$113 bln for the nine months to June. Tariffs are paid by the importer and become a cost that will be embedded into how those products are sold. Treasury officials anticipate further growth in tariffs collected, expecting them to reach US$300 bln in the 2025 calendar year.Those added taxes allowed the US Federal Government to report a +US$27 bln surplus in June. In June 2024 they reported a -US$71 bln deficit. In the twelve months to June, they have accumulated a -US$1.9 tln deficit, more than the -US$1.8 tln in the 2024 fiscal year.The tariff boost for June got the benefit of some seasonal shifts, Treasury officials noted. Adjusting for those, June would have shown a -US$70 bln deficit instead of the +US$27 bln surplus actually reported, they said.The weekend brought new tariff threats to Mexico and the EU of 35%. They are moving to unilateral positions because they seem hopeless at negotiating, completely misunderstanding the process.Perhaps we should note that the US dollar has fallen -11% from the Trump II January inauguration to now. In the whole of the Trump I presidency it fell a net -10%. So the decline in the value of the greenback is just getting started this time, it seems. Holding American assets by foreigners is going to involve sinking currency pressures. And it will become much more costly for American investors to buy foreign assets for the same reason. With fiscal mismanagement rife, it is hard to see this 'improving' in the next few years.And some of that uncertainty is leaking into company balance sheets. Credit rating downgrades now exceed upgrade in the listed US corporate scene, the first time that has happened since 2021. Company cash balances are shrinking - not fast yet, but that is a turn. More companies are losing investment grade status. All this goes to the heart of company valuation levels. The forward 12-month P/E ratio for the S&P 500 is 22.3, far higher than historic benchmarks.And in Japan, we should keep an eye on parliamentary elections that will be held on Sunday, July 20 for their upper house. Given the the national government of conservative Shigeru Ishiba relies on a tenuous coalition with a small religious party, this has become a referendum on Ishiba's stewardship.And China announced a +2% increase in their national state pension starting January 2025. Because we are more than six months into this year, presumably back-pay will be involved. This year's increase, the 21st in a row, comes as studies project the system is on track to run out of money in about a decade. Until 2015, the annual increases were +10% but have shrunk away sharply since as the demographic forces have turned tougher. Their pension system is expected to run out of funds in about 10 years.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.42%, unchanged from Saturday, up +10 bps for the week.The price of gold will start today at US$3,355/oz, little-changed from Saturday, but up a net +US$18/oz from a week ago.American oil prices are still just over US$68.50/bbl while the international Brent price is just over US$70.50/bbl. That is up a net +US$2 in a week.The Kiwi dollar is now at 60.1 USc, unchanged from Saturday, but down -½c from this time last week. Against the Aussie we are up +10 bps at 91.4 AUc. Against the euro we are holding at 51.4 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today still at just on 67.6, but down -30 bps for the week.The bitcoin price starts today at US$118,763, a new record high and up +1.1% from this time Saturday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been modest at just on +/-0.9%.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 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 commodity currencies are in favour at the end of the week as global commodity prices get a halo boost from the taxes Americans are prepared to pay for commodities. Risk is in favour; 'greed is good' and blindness to the downside possibilities seems wilful. It helps that heavyweight investors have gone on their summer vacations.But first, US initial jobless claims came in at 240,800 last week, an increase and a bit more than seasonal factors would have expected. There are now 1.91 mln people on these benefits, +111,000 or +6.2% or more than at this time last year. That is their highest level since 2021.There was a smaller US Treasury 30yr bond auction earlier today and if it wasn't for the SOMA activity from the New York Fed, demand would have been lighter than at the prior event. In the end, it delivered a median yield of 4.84%, little-changed from the 4.80% at the prior equivalent event.In Japan, their June producer prices were up +2.9% from a year ago, a notable easing from the +4.3% rise in March. In fact, from May, Japanese producer prices slipped marginally. From early 2022, there has been an overall trend of these price increases easing and they may be now heading into a bit of a deflationary period.China's vehicle sales grew by almost +14% in June from the same month a year ago following an +11% rise in May. Sales of new energy vehicles (NEVs) surged more than +26% in June, marking the fourth consecutive monthly increase. In the first half of 2025, total vehicle sales climbed +11%, while NEV sales jumped more than +40%. They are on target for NEV sales to exceed 16 mln units - which is more than all vehicle sales in the US. China is on track for sales of 33 mln for the full year, easily the world's largest vehicle market.The Korean central bank kept its policy rate unchanged at 2.5% as expected. It last cut its rate in May.Australian business turnover data has revealed that May activity was softish, recording a small slip from April. May was held back by a fall in their mining sector. But from a year ago, May 2025 was overall +5.9% higher on a current price basis.Container freight rates fell -5% last week from the prior week, almost all on outbound cargoes from China. Overall rates are now half year-ago levels, although to be fair those year-ago levels were juiced up by the Red Sea crisis. Bulk cargo rates were little changed this week but are -25% lower than year-ago levels.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.35%, and up +1 bp from yesterday.The price of gold will start today at US$3,317/oz, and up +US$9 from yesterday.American oil prices are down -US$2 at US$66.50/bbl while the international Brent price is now just over US$68.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 60.3 USc, up +25 bps from yesterday. Against the Aussie we are down -10 bps at 91.6 AUc. Against the euro we are up +30 bps at 51.5 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at just on 67.7 and +20 bps firmer than yesterday at this time.The bitcoin price starts today at US$113,549, a record high and up +4.0% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been moderate at just on +/-2.0%.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.

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 of more tariff threats, but markets are over that drama, shoving its impact to the background. If there is news on a US-EU deal, then that will likely change.First in the US, even though the benchmark 30 year home loan interest rate was little-changed, mortgage applications rose a sharpish +9.3% from the prior week, and that was a rise for a third week in a row, a relatively unusual streak. Both refinance and new home purchases had good gains this week.One reason they may be more active is that Americans are shunning international travel, kind of like in the pandemic emergency, perhaps fearful of the reception they will get in both Europe, South America and Asia. And the feeling is mutual. EU-US airfares are diving and services are being cut back. But Canada is now a hit, with other-than-the-US destinations much more popular, and Toronto especially is getting a surge. In the world of travel, the US is the only major market suffering declines in visitors.The US Federal reserve released the minutes of its June 19 (NZT) meeting. And that hinted at a developing divide among members between those who support the Trump view that the tariff-tax impact on inflation will be transitory, and those that think it will be 'persistent' and do long-term and lasting damage to American cost competitiveness. And that divergence affected their view of when to next cut rates. At this meeting at least those with the fear of embedded inflation won out and rates were left unchanged. But financial markets have priced in two more -25 bps rate cuts later this year.At least one of their number are in a broader Apprentice-style competition for Powell's job - Christopher Waller.There was another US Treasury bond auction overnight, for their 10 year maturity, and it was normally supported. It delivered an median yield of 4.31% compared to the 4.38% at the prior equivalent event a month ago.Across the Pacific, Japanese machine tool orders rose in June from May, maintaining their better level in a trend that started in March. And it was demand from domestic manufacturers that were especially strong. Even though in total they were just marginally less than a year ago, that year ago benchmark was unusually strong for a 2024 month.The heart of the northern hemisphere holiday season is underway and financial market activity is lighter than usual. This period will likely last until the end of August, culminating at the American Labor Day long weekend.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.34%, and down -8 bps from yesterday.And we should note that Nvidia has become the first company to command an equity valuation of US$4 tln.The price of gold will start today at US$3,308/oz, and up a mere +US$2 from yesterday.American oil prices are unchanged at US$68.50/bbl while the international Brent price is still just under US$70.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is still just on 60 USc, essentially unchanged from yesterday. Against the Aussie we are down -20 bps at 91.7 AUc. Against the euro we are holding at 51.2 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at just on 67.5 and -10 bps lower from yesterday at this time.The bitcoin price starts today at US$109,140 and virtually unchanged (+0.1%) from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been low at just on +/-0.6%.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.

Pomegranate Health marks ten years of podcasting since its launch in June 2015. This episode will be one of two samplers that dip into the back catalogue of 131 episodes to showcase some of the most compelling stories. You'll hear how podcast themes are identified from all the domains of medicine and professionalism. And a little bit about the motivations of long-time producer and presenter, Mic Cavazzini.Pomegranate Health has several thousand listeners in over 150 countries. Three quarters of listeners are, predictably, in Australia and Aotearoa-New Zealand, but a full 14 per cent are located outside the traditional anglosphere. RACP is proud to provide this platform to showcase the great work and dedication of its members. It's also a place where physicians can learn from the other professionals and patient advocates that make up the health system. Sampled in this retrospective episode:Prof Meera Agar from ​Ep22: Early days for medicinal cannabisDr Paul Drury and Prof Sophia Zoungas from Ep41: Targeting DiabetesProf Rinaldo Bellomo from Ep70: Zeroing in on “the renal troponin”Dr Nic Szecket and Dr Art Nahill from Ep32: Cognitive biases in diagnostic thinkingProf Ian Harris and Assoc Prof Louise Stone from Ep25: Dealing with Uncertainty Part 1Dr Danielle Ofri from Ep38: Making a ConnectionMichael Pooley as Dr David Hilfiker from Ep75: Feeling guilty- Medical Injury Part 2 CreditsProduced by Mic Cavazzini DPhil. Music licenced from Epidemic Sound includes ‘Le Hustle' by Polyrhythmics, ‘Your Wave' by Cospe, ‘Soul Single Serenade' by Dusty Decks, ‘Hollow Head' by Kenzo Almond and ‘Illusory Motion' by Gavin Luke. Music courtesy of FreeMusicArchive includes ‘I got 99 broadswords but this one isn't one' and ‘Friends' by Komiku and ‘Cree' by Satellite Ensemble. Thumbnail image is the copyright of RACP. Editorial feedback kindly provided by RACP physicians Zac Fuller and Simeon Wong. Thanks also to RACP staff Kathryn Smith, Michael Davidson and Anne Fredrickson.  Please visit the Pomegranate Health web page for a list of thankyous over the ten years. Subscribe to new episode email alerts or search for ‘Pomegranate Health' in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox or any podcasting app.

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 US tariff threats are shifting from being aimed at trading 'partners' to a focus on commodities, today especially copper. Protection of favoured US business interests is the goal, cloaked in the labels of 'national security'.But first up today, the overnight dairy Pulse auction delivered less change than expected, essentially holding on to the SMP and WMP prices at the prior week's full auction. But in the meantime the NZD has retreated so both delivered good gains in NZD, up +1.1% for SMP and up +3.1% for WMP.The US retail impulse as measured by the Redbook survey delivered a very good +5.9% gain over the same week a year ago, but it should be noted that earlier base week was an unusual down one.And the New York Fed's national survey of consumer inflation expectations returned to a 'normal' 3% in June, and a five month low. But some components remain a worry. Those surveyed thing food prices will rise 5.5%, rents will rise +9.1% and medical care by +9.3%Meanwhile the NFIB Small Business Optimism Index for June was little changed at it long run levelThe popular US Treasury three year bond auction delivered unchanged demand and little-change on the median yields achieved. Today that came in at 3.84%, whereas the equivalent event a month ago was at 3.92%.US consumer debt grew a very modest +US$5 bln in May, half the expansion in April and well below the average for the past year. The slowdown was very acute for revolving debt, like credit cards.In Canada, the widely-watched local PMI turned positive in June following two toughish months.In Germany, both exports and imports were expected to decline in May from April, and they did, but by slightly more than was expected. But both remain higher than year ago levels.In Australia, the widely watched NAB business sentiment survey picked up and that was a much better outcome than the contraction expected. In fact this June result for business conditions broke the mould of the long-running decline that started in June 2022.That survey didn't point to anything special in terms of cost pressures. But those cost pressures clearly worried the RBA when it surprised financial markets with its no-change decision yesterday. The widely-expected rate cut didn't happen and so household budgets will have to wait for more relief. The RBA did pick up the resilience in the overall economy, but judged it too early to respond to perceptions of economic weaknesses. In fact they saw the balance of risks from trade and labour market cost activity not requiring a boost from a cut in interest rates.We should note that US tariff uncertainty is screwing around with some key commodity prices, especially copper, which has soared over the past day or so to over US$12,000/tonne and easily a new record high. Some US futures contracts are now up over US$13,000/tonne. US products that use copper are going to get a cost jolt. Because it is a jolt directly related to a new US tariff-tax, it won't affect products made outside the US.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.42%, and up another +3 bps from yesterday.The price of gold will start today at US$3,306/oz, and down -US$25 from yesterday.American oil prices are up another +US$1 at just under US$68.50/bbl while the international Brent price is now just under US$70.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now just on 60 USc, little-changed from yesterday. Against the Aussie we are down -50 bps at 91.9 AUc. Against the euro we are down -10 bps at 51.2 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at just on 67.6 and -10 bps lower from yesterday at this time.The bitcoin price starts today at US$109,015 and up +1.0% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been moderate at just on +/-2.3%.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.

Bhavani is a Mexican woman who has called Aotearoa New Zealand home for the past 14 years. Rooted in her heritage and guided by the richness of both cultures, she has woven a life of purpose and care as a mother, wellness guide, and space holder. She is the co-founder of Sanctuary Hill, a wellness retreat nestled in nature where people come to rest, reconnect, and restore. Her journey blends tradition, somatic wisdom, and community, always honouring the rhythms of the earth and the heart.

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 financial markets have turned cautious, unsure of what to make of the set of 'tariff letters'.In Washington, because they couldn't complete tariff deals in the "90 deals in 90 days" to July 9, they have moved the 'deadline' to August 1. The shambles extends. And the capricious tariff letters are starting to be issued, first to Japan and South Korea at 25%, and then a bunch of developing countries including Malaysia (25%) and South Africa (30%).Essentially, the US is pushing countries into China's orbit, and creating conditions where many will shy away from buying US goods due to the bald insult. US businesses are likely to suffer, not only from financial market reactions, but also on the demand front. Other governments' trust in the US is in free-fall.Separately, we can also report that the NY Fed's Global Supply Chain Pressure index was neutral in June, back to its long run 'normal level'. That amounts to an easing of the May pressure as the rush to beat the tariff-taxes faded.Across the Pacific, China said its foreign exchange reserves rose by +US$32 bln to US$3.317 tln in June and that is the highest level they have had in nearly ten years (December 2015).Singapore's foreign exchange reserves stayed very high in June, even if they did dip marginally from their record high level in May.In the EU, they report retail sales by volume (inflation adjusted) and it slipped in May from April. But it stayed higher than year-ago levels although by less than +1%.Meanwhile, Germany reported its May industrial production turned up and by much more than expected. Although to be fair, it is in a bit of an overall yoyo pattern. Still, on a volume basis it too is +1.0% higher than year ago levels.So overall, even though some of it is over a month old, this set of second tier data, from the US, to Asia, to Europe isn't painting a picture of special stress.How the Australian central bank see it will be revealed later today when the RBA issues its decision on its cash rate target. Market pricing has only two-thirds of a -25 bps cut priced in although most economists think it will happen, and take their policy rate down from 3.85% to 3.60%. That will flow through to homeowner's household budgets quickly because most have variable rate deals.However it its far from certain this will give the Aussie domestic economy the boost a rate cut should deliver. It almost certainly will juice up house prices, which are already rising in anticipation. But existing borrowers seem to have decided en masse that the cash gains from lower rates will be used to pay down debt rather than be spent in generating more economic activity, which is why the RBA is cutting. To get that effect, the central bank may have to cut again later in the year. There are reviews in August, September, November and December yet to come, so plenty of opportunities for more cuts.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.39%, and up +6 bps from yesterday.The price of gold will start today at US$3,332/oz, and down -US$4 from yesterday.American oil prices are up +US$1 at just under US$67.50/bbl while the international Brent price is now just over US$69/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now just on 60 USc, down an outsized -60 bps from yesterday. Against the Aussie we are down -10 bps at 92.4 AUc. Against the euro we are down -20 bps at 51.3 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at just under 67.7 and -30 bps lower from yesterday at this time.The bitcoin price starts today at US$107,923 and down -0.9% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has remained low at just on +/-0.8%.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 the world is working out how live with a capricious America.First though, the week ahead will feature Wednesday afternoon's OCR review from the RBNZ, preceded Tuesday by the RBA's cash rate review. The Aussies are expected to cut their rate by -25 bps to 3.60% but the RBNZ is expected to hold at 3.25%. We will be covering the outcomes and implications of both reviews.Both Malaysia and South Korea will also be reviewing their official rates. The Malaysian will likely leave their rate unchanged at 3.00%, and the South Koreans are expected to cut theirs by -25 bps to 2.25%.In the US, apparently negotiating trade deals is complicated (who knew?) so Trump is dispensing with all that and just "sending letters" unilaterally. "90 deals in 90 days" is too hard for him. He might have got one over the line with Vietnam (he claims but the Vietnamese haven't confirmed). He sort of got one with the UK but before the 90 day clock started. And the China one he claims leaves the US in a worse position. His Treasury Secretary is promising "a few more" over the next few days and weeks. "Best deal maker of all time".And we should probably note that the integrity of official US data, from the Census Bureau, the BLS and the BEA, all now under Trump control (in the Lutnick Commerce Department), is getting increasingly questioned. Sharp budget cutbacks is resulting in fewer actual surveys, more 'estimates by officials'. Even Fed boss Powell expressed concern over the issue in questioning at the recent Congressional testimony. The data reporters are moving to a "Make Trump Look Good" approach.Suspicion is rising because there are widespread indications tariff-tax price increases are being pushed through but the BLS data isn't reflecting that.In China we will get CPI and PPI updates for June later this week. It would be supremely ironic if users came to view Chinese economic data was more trustworthy than American. It no longer seems far-fetched.Across the Pacific in Japan, household spending jumped +4.7% in May from a year ago, reversing a -0.1% fall in April and far exceeding an expected +1.2% rise. It was their fastest growth since August 2022, and that August 2022 was only good because it was off the very weak pandemic-affected base a year earlier.Singaporean retail sales rose by +1.4% in May from a year ago, accelerating from a downwardly revised +0.2% rise in April. This was the third straight month of growth and the fastest annual increase since January. But to be fair, most of the increase was driven by car sales, a very expensive and exclusive corner of their retail sector.Next, halfway around the world, EU producer prices eased again in May so that it is only +0.4% higher than year ago levels, less in the euro area. The past three months have delivered producer prices lower than in each of the prior months.German factory orders dropped by -1.4% in May from April and that was weaker than expected, but the April gain was revised higher. The May weakness however came after some very large-scale computer, electronic and optical orders in April. From a year ago, these factory orders were up +5.3%.And we should probably note that EU house prices are rising, up +5.7% from a year ago led by 10%-plus gains in Portugal (+16%), Bulgaria (+15%), Croatia (+13%), Slovakia (+12%), Hungary (+12%), and Spain (+12%).In Australia, household spending rose in May and by more than expected with a good recovery from a weak month in April. This spending was up +4.2% from May a year ago. It was their best gain in 7 months.The FAO food price index was little-changed in June from May, holding its gains from a year ago. Within that, both meat and dairy prices rose.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.33%, and unchanged from yesterday. The price of gold will start today at US$3,336/oz, and unchanged from Saturday.American oil prices are unchanged at just under US$66.50/bbl while the international Brent price is also little-changed at just under US$68.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now just on 60.6 USc, unchanged from Saturday. For the week it is up +20 bps. Against the Aussie we are up +10 bps at 92.5 AUc. Against the euro we are up +10 bps at 51.5 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at just under 68 and up +10 bps from yesterday, and unchanged for the week.The bitcoin price starts today at US$108,921 and up +1.0% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been low at just on +/-0.5%.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.

Rev Jacynthia Murphy is of Māori descent and serves in a Pākehā parish. In this conversation with Rev Silvia Purdie and the Field Notes hosts she discusses her indigenous perspective on faith and her passionate environmentalism. She is one of the women featured in “Awhi Mai Awhi Atu: Women in Creation Care,” edited by Silvia (Philip Garside Publishing, 2022). Silvia is a counsellor and pastoral theologian who offers training for environmental sustainability and is communicates extensively about the mental health impacts of the climate crisis.

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 budget bill has now been approved by Congress setting up a big shift in fortunes for big business at the expense of those on low incomes - and handing their future generations a substantially larger deficit headache. In fact, one so large, it will impact the global economy.In the US, they are about to have another national public holiday, Independence Day, so there has been an early data dump there in advance.US non-farm payrolls expanded +147,000 in June, very similar to the May expansion and better than the expected +110,000. The variance from yesterday's ADP Employment Report will raise a few questions. Average weekly earnings went down in June from May, but were up +3.4% from a year ago. In May that annual gain was +3.8% so this metric is tightening. Month on month decreases have happened before but they are relatively infrequent and usually indicate overtime earnings are drying up.US initial jobless claims came in a 231,500 has week and similar to what was expected, taking the continuing claims level to 1.91 mln, +90,000 higher than year ago levels.These two labour market reports probably take pressure off the Fed to cut their policy rate at their next review at the very end of this month.US exports fell -4.0% in May whereas imports dipped a minor -0.1%. That saw their trade deficit rise from the prior month but stay considerably lower than the same month a year ago.US services exports dipped in the month. But locally the June ISM service sector PMI improved from its tiny May decline to a small June expansion. The S&P Global/Markit services PMI told a similar story. But both noted the rising cost worries.May American factory order levels were up sharply in May from April, to be +3.2% higher than year-ago levels. But aircraft orders drove the rise and without that the year-on-year gain was just +0.2% and far less than can be accounted for by inflation. Even the month-on-month gain without aircraft wasn't significant, but at least it was a gain.And Trump's boast he will do "90 deals in 90 days" resulting from his tariff pressure looks like it will fall completely flat. The US has announced one, with Vietnam, but the Vietnamese will only say they are still working through the details. The talks on all the others are dragging on inconclusively.In Canada, their export and import data for May was little-changed overall. But in fact that hides some pretty significant shifts. Their trade with the US fell a lot, and they how have the smallest share going to the US since 1997, twenty eight years ago. In short order, Canadians have managed to reorient their trade to others successfully.Across the Pacific, analysts had expected the Caixin services PMI for China to maintain its small but steady expansion. But it weakened. Not a lot, and it is still expanding, but it will be disconcerting all the same. And it is now at a nine month low.Surprising analysts who expected a +AU$5 bln monthly trade surplus, the actual Australian trade surplus for May came in at half that level, to its lowest level in five years. May exports fell faster, down -2.7% from April while May imports rose faster, up +3.8% from April. Interestingly, exports of gold are down -3.4% in May from a year ago - and that is in AU$ terms, not volume.Container freight rates fell -5.7% last week from the prior week to be -45% lower than year ago levels. Trans-Pacific rates fell -15% as the trade war crimps these supply chains. Bulk freight rates fell -13% in the past week and are now -33% lower than year-ago levels.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.34%, and up +5 bps from yesterday at this time.The price of gold will start today at US$3,326/oz, and down -US$20 from yesterday.American oil prices are little-changed at just under US$67/bbl while the international Brent price is down -50 USc at just over US$68.50/bbl. Last week's North American rig counts took an unusually sharp dip. There is certainly no evidence yet that investors are piling in to drill more aggressively.The Kiwi dollar is now just under 60.7 USc, down -10 bps from yesterday. Against the Aussie we are down -20 bps at 92.3 AUc. Against the euro we are unchanged at 51.6 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at just over 68 and down -10 bps from yesterday.The bitcoin price starts today at US$109,173 and up +0.5% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been low at just over +/-0.8%.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.

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 financial markets are awaiting the reconciliation of the US budget bill between the Senate and House versions. And they are waiting for news of "the countries lining up to make a [tariff] deal". There only seems to be one, Vietnam, and the details of that 'deal' remain murky.Meanwhile, American home loan interest rates fell last week to a three month low and that brought a surge in refinancing, although applications for a new mortgage were basically unchanged at a low level. That resulted in the total volume of mortgage applications rising by +2.7% last week from the prior week.Monitored job cuts in June shows it a relatively quiet month with 47,000 layoffs recorded. So far in 2025, the retail sector has cut the most private-sector jobs this year with 80,000 lost, hit by tariffs, inflation, and uncertainty. The expected DOGE cuts aren't as prominent yet due to the ongoing legal action uncertainty.But in contract, the US ADP Employment Report recorded a shrinkage in private payrolls in June by -33,000 when a +95,000 gain was expected. That's a big miss. This is a precursor for tomorrow's non-farm payrolls report for June which is expected to show a low +110,000 jobs gain. And while the ADP Report has a spotty track record matching the official data, you would have to suspect there are downside risks to the non-farm payroll estimates.Whatever the actual data shows, it seems pretty clear the stuffing is being knocked out of the once-strong engine of the US economy. 2025 is shaping up to be their weakest jobs growth since at least 2015 (pandemic excepted).US vehicle sales are also easing, down to a 15.3 mln annual rate and well below the March rate of 17.8 mln. The pre-tariff surge has created a shadow. But few analysts think it will rise much, mainly because of the tariff taxes.We don't have the equivalent China vehicle sales data yet but it will be very much higher (32.7 mln in the year to May), However they have their own problems of very rapid innovation and obsolescence, and worrying viability of large parts of their industry. Xiaomi's sudden entry into this sector is causing an existential shock for its rivals.Singapore's manufacturing PMI inched up out of contraction in June from May, snapping a two-month retreat as firms likely front-loaded orders ahead of looming American tariff deadlines. The recovery was primarily driven by faster expansion in new orders, new exports, and input purchases.In Australia, retail sales rose marginally in May to be +3.3% higher than year-ago levels. For context, Australian CPI was up +2.4% in the year to March, up +2.1% in their monthly inflation indicator for the year to May. So they have been getting 'real' volume increases although that may have faded recently. And this recent fade may bolster the case for a July 8 RBA rate cut.Meanwhile Australian building consents stopped falling in May as they had done in April, and are now +6.5% higher than May 2024. Multi-unit buildings are back driving the increase. The RBA's May 21 rate cut is getting the credit.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.29%, and up +4 bps from yesterday at this time.The price of gold will start today at US$3,347/oz, and up +US$10 from yesterday.American oil prices are much firmer from yesterday, up +US$1.50 at just over US$67/bbl while the international Brent price is up the same at just under US$69/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now just on 60.8 USc, down -10 bps from yesterday. Against the Aussie we are down -10 bps at 92.5 AUc. Against the euro we are down the same at 51.6 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at 68.1 and also down -10 bps from yesterday.The bitcoin price starts today at US$109,025 and up +2.6% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been modest at just over +/-1.9%.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 the US Senate has agreed the Trump budget, but only after the Vice President broke a deadlock with a casting vote. Financial markets are wondering about the wisdom in all this with equities hesitating, bond yields turning up, and the USD drifting lower. To be fair, none of these movements are large today. But the implications of massively higher US debt levels are as is the opening of the magic-money accounting they have adopted. It will be the bond market that makes the practical judgement.First however, the overnight dairy auction came in as weak as the futures market suggested it might. The SMP price fell -1.7%, but only to match the prior week's Pulse event. However the more important WMP price fell -5.1% and back to levels last seen at the beginning of the year. One local reason may have been the sharp increase in volumes offered, +10,000 tonnes more than at the prior event two weeks ago, and +6.7% more than the event in the same week a year ago. This volume offer jump came as milk production rose in all key producing regions (except Australia).Overall, prices were down -4.1% in USD terms at this even, down -5.2% in NZD as the greenback weakens further.The price downshift will have analysts reaching for their pencils although it might be too soon for them to backtrack on their 2025/26 payout forecasts. Fonterra's current season results are pretty much locked in and will be reported in late September. But their new year may be off to a soft start.Last week, the US Redbook index was +4.9% higher than year ago levels but still in the easing trend that started in early April.The May level of job openings rose unexpectedly to more than 7.7 mln largely on a surge for foodservice jobs. Analysts didn't see this coming but perhaps they should have given the sharp ICE immigration crackdowns underway. These roles at these volumes will be hard to fill.The latest factory PMI report from the ISM shows a sector still in contraction, being led by weak new order inflows. The internationally benchmarked S&P Global/Markit version reported an expansion and a moderate one at that, But both noted rising inflation pressures.It appears that the expected rise in June car sales didn't occur, dipping to its slowest pace of the year.Apparently its a good time to be in the logistics sector in the US with inventory levels rising and supply chains being stressed. The Logistics Managers Index is running at an unusually high level.The Dallas Fed regional services survey reported a continuing contraction, although not as steep in June as May.And the RCM/TIPP Economic Optimism Index was expected to bounce back in July but in fact it resumed the decline in a trend that started in December 2024.After falling to a recent low in April, Japanese consumer sentiment is on the rise again, back to where it was at the start of the year, but not yet back to 2024 levels. But at least it is rising.Yesterday we noted that the official factory PMI for China "improved" but was still showing a contraction. Today, the alternative Caixin factory PMI came in a little better than that, rising from May's tiney contraction to June's small expansion. These shifts don't mean a lot, but at least they are going in an improved direction. The Caixin survey noted "Higher new order inflows supported a renewed rise in production. That said, the rate at which new orders expanded was only marginal amid subdued exports." Trump's trade war may have kneecapped Chinese growth but it hasn't knocked them over.Overnight the ECB released the results of its May survey of consumer inflation expectations and they dipped to 2.8% when a small rise was expected. Consumers apparently thought inflation was running at 3.1% over the past 12 months. Separately the EU released its June CPI data and that shows it running at 2.0%, up from 1.9% in May.In Australia, large parts of the east cost is hunkering down for a lashing of strong winds and heavy rain. And that will include Sydney.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.25%, and up +2 bps from yesterday at this time.The price of gold will start today at US$3,337/oz, and up +US$45 from yesterday.American oil prices are marginally firmer from yesterday, up +50 USc at just on US$65.50/bbl while the international Brent price is up the same at just over US$67/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now just on 60.9 USc, unchanged from yesterday. Against the Aussie we are down -10 bps at 92.6 AUc. Against the euro we are down the same at 51.7 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at 68.2 and unchanged from yesterday.The bitcoin price starts today at US$106,292 and down -1.3% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has stayed low at just over +/-0.9%.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 the US budget debate has financial markets on edge.But first up today, the Chicago PMI did not report the expected modest bounceback in June from the very weak May result. In fact is stayed in a severe contraction, disappointing everyone involved. It's been nearly three years since they have had any regular expansion and 2025 looks like it is shaping up the be the worst of the three.The Dallas Fed's factory survey for June was weak as well featuring shrinking new order levels. At least it was little-changed from May.As you read this, the US Senate is debating, and about to vote, on the big Trump budget bill. After years of complaining about US deficit spending and refusing to move the debt ceiling law, they are weighing whether to accede to Trump's demand to give him a free pass on both, including 'hiding' US$3.8 tln of tax cut costs. If they pass the budget, it is likely the bond market will deliver a thumbs down response, one that will affect global financial markets.On the US tariff trade bullying, there are few negotiations going well at present, for any of the parties involved.In Canada, they seem to have conceded the digital services tax issue to try and make progress on bigger issues. But the DST is still a live issue in the UK-US talks.Meanwhile, things are softening in India too. Their industrial production was up +1.2% in May from the same month in 2024, their weakest expansion in nine months and well weaker than expected.In China, there were no surprises and little movement in their official PMIs for June. Their factory sector contracted very marginally - again - and the services sector expanded marginally, also again. Basically they describe an economy marking time. But also one resilient to the trade shocks thrown at it which were designed to throw it off balance. That just hasn't happened, yet anyway.German inflation came in at 2.0% in June, a touch less than anticipated and little-different from April and May's 2.1% level. As small as it was, they weren't expecting a dip. Food prices there rose a modest +2.0% but keeping a lid on other rises was the -3.5% drop in energy prices.In Australia, Cotality/CoreLogic said its Home Value Index rose +0.6% in June from May, up marginally from the prior month but it is the strongest monthly gain since June 2024. Improved market sentiment in most major cities was behind the firming and active first home buyers are behind that. On a yearly basis, national home values climbed 2.7%. Meanwhile, rental growth continued to ease, with national rents up +3.4% over the past 12 months, the slowest annual increase since early 2021.Global air cargo demand rose +2.2% in May from a year ago, up +3.0% for international airfreight. The Asia/Pacific volumes were up a very healthy +8.2% on the same basis, no doubt related to the rush to beat US tariff deadlines. These overall volumes would have been better if the North American components hadn't been so weak (+-5.8%).Meanwhile, May air passenger travel rose +5.0%, up +6.7% for international travel and up +13.3% in the Asia/Pacific region. The only region to decline was North America (-0.5%) and mostly because of weak domestic travel.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.23%, and down -4 bps from yesterday at this time.The price of gold will start today at US$3,2952/oz, and up +US$19 from yesterday.American oil prices are marginally softer from yesterday at just under US$65/bbl while the international Brent price is down -US$1, now just over US$66.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now just on 60.9 USc, up +30 bps from yesterday. Against the Aussie we are unchanged at 92.7 AUc. Against the euro we are little-changed at 51.8 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at 68.2 and +10 bps firmer than yesterday.The bitcoin price starts today at US$107,683 and up +0.2% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has stayed low at just on +/-0.9%.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.

Every tree in Aotearoa New Zealand's forests is about to be tracked - from space. A New Zealand data science company has just been award a million dollars from MBIE.

Aotearoa/New Zealand artist Marlon Williams spent five years on his latest album, Te Whare Tīwekaweka, which is entirely in the Māori language. The release coincides with the current New Zealand coalition government limiting the use of the Indigenous language in the public service, and the suspension of three MPs who performed a Māori haka in protest of a bill which has been criticised as reversing Indigenous rights. Marlon Williams speaks to Reged Ahmad about singing in his first language on the international stage, and performs a song from the album in the Guardian Australia studio You can support the Guardian at theguardian.com/fullstorysupport

Gareth Hughes is a former Member of Parliament, political commentator, author, and passionate advocate for economic transformation. With a decade of experience in Parliament representing the Green Party, Gareth held key roles including Party Whip, strategist, and Chair of the Social Services and Community Select Committee. Before his time in politics, Gareth led climate campaigns with Greenpeace, helping to drive awareness and action on critical environmental issues.Gareth now serves as Director of WEAll Aotearoa Wellbeing Economy Alliance, a Te Tiriti-led, non-partisan ‘think and do' tank focused on reimagining Aotearoa New Zealand's economy to prioritise the wellbeing of people and te taiao (the natural world). Through research, advocacy, and coalition-building, the WEAll Aotearoa team are helping to shape a future where thriving communities and ecosystems are at the heart of economic decision-making.In this episode, we discuss:Gareth's journey from climate activism to Parliament to economic systems changeHow his personal and political experiences shaped a deep commitment to systemic economic changeWhy the current economic model is failing—and why change is urgentWhat a well-being economy really means (and what it's not)Challenging common myths about economic growth and prosperityWhy Aotearoa needs an economy that works for everyone, within planetary boundariesThe mission and work of WEAll Aotearoa—empowering communities, policymakers, and businesses to co-create changeThe Wellbeing Economy Alliance—a global movement, now in 19 countriesTools and frameworks for action, including the Wellbeing Economy Policy Design GuideBusiness as a force for goodGareth's nationwide listening tour—hearing how everyday New Zealanders want the economy to workBarriers to shifting the system, and how we can overcome themWhat success could look like, and Gareth's message of hope and actionHow you can support WEAll Aotearoa and get involved in the movementGareth offers a hopeful, grounded, and inspiring conversation about how we can reimagine the economy to truly serve both people and the planet.To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website.Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee or becoming a member of Athletes for Nature.Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Bluesky, subscribe to this podcast, and share this episode with your friends and family.

This episode is a part of the homebirth around the World Series. In this episode, I chat with Renee, a community midwife or a ‘LMC' on the North Island of Aotearoa  ‘New Zealand'. I was really excited to chat with Renee as New Zealand is often looked up to in terms of its midwifery care and homebirth access. Renee shares her journey to becoming a midwife and how the system works in Aotearoa. We cover homebirth rates and access, the challenges, risks and a bit about funding. Homebirth Aotearoa New Zealand College of Midwives - you can find a definition of an LMC here too https://www.tewhatuora.govt.nz/for-health-professionals/health-workforce-development/midwiferyReferral Guidelines Support the showConnect with me, Elsie, the host :) www.birthingathome.com.au @birthingathome_apodcast@homebirth.doula_birthingathome birthingathome.apodcast@gmail.com

Around half of people with migraine disease turn to non-medication treatments to ease their symptoms, new research has revealed. The Migraine in Aotearoa New Zealand survey from University of Otago researchers asked participants about supplements and treatments they've used including magnesium and vitamin B2 or meditation, yoga and massage. Dr Fiona Imlach is an epidemiologist at the Department of Public Health at the University of Otago and founder of charity Migraine Foundation Aotearoa New Zealand. She says there is no one-size-fits-all approach to migraine treatment and that while there are some treatments out there that are not recommended, many non-pharmacological approaches can actually help - they just aren't available here.

Cherida Fraser, Wellington co-ordinator for the Aotearoa New Zealand sex workers collective spoke to Lisa Owen about how the Prime Minister has ordered a review of vetting processes for parliamentary staff after his Deputy chief press secretary Michael Forbes quit following allegations he recorded intimate audio of sessions with sex workers and was in possession of intrusive photos of women. There were dozens of photos and footage on the former staffer's phone and some appear to have been recorded in public places and shot through windows at night.

Multiple Sclerosis New Zealand is calling for more governmental investment in specialist neurologists, clinical nurse specialists and allied healthcare workers to better diagnose and treat the growing numbers of people with MS in Aotearoa New Zealand. National manager Amanda Rose told Jesse the need is urgent.

NOTE: SHOW LINKS FOR ALL THE MENTIONED PODCASTERS WILL BE ADDED SOON (AND WILL ALSO BE IN THE NOTES FOR NEXT EPISODE TO ENSURE THEY GET SEEN), FOR NOW GETTING THIS OUT WHILE I CAN! TRANSCRIPT: Good Evening Everyone, Welcome to Popeular History. My name is Gregg, and this is another admin update I'll try to keep from being too boring, in part by offering some observations and speculations about the new Papacy interspersed throughout. First, some personal updates. I was very tired by the end of last week, thank you for asking. I got some rest and then made sure Vice-Pope Mrs. Popeular History's primary Mother's Day present was rest. I am immeasurably grateful for her support, but the reality is even if she weren't so supportive of this passion project of mine and the fairly unhinged extremes I took it to in the last few weeks, I would still be immeasurably grateful to her for a million other things. She's the best partner I could have ever hoped to have for so many reasons, and all of you are welcome to be jealous.   I'd also like to thank my children for being malleable enough that I can pass on my love of the faith in general and also my nerdiness to them. Patrick, Catherine, Joseph, William, Gabriel, I love you all and thank you for sharing me with the internet a bit more lately. I try to shield my children from my more concentrated geekery so they can have somewhat normal childhoods, much like I try to spare my Vice Pope so she can have a somewhat normal marriage, but I will admit I felt a special sense of pride when I heard footsteps after I had invited any of my children interested in appearing on one of my livestreams to come on down to the studio. Those footsteps were from Catherine, who was by that point a good hour and a half into a livestream of the Pope's funeral that had began at 4am our time. To be clear, the kids aren't usually up at that time–I mean, neither am I–but wanting to be on the livestream she had asked to be awakened when it began, so I woke her and set her up with a watching station before kicking things off. Days later, she still excitedly references things from it. Just one of many special times from the last couple weeks. My thanks go not only to my immediate household, but to my family beyond as well, in particular my father, who came over at another particularly uncivil hour and summoned black smoke basically as soon as he arrived so I could go rest, as well as my in-laws, who bore with me through a packed weekend of a wedding and a papal funeral. And again, Vice Pope-Mrs Popeular history through it all.   Thanks are due as well to the lovely and supportive folks at work. I wouldn't want to name anyone who would rather I not name them, so I will be general when I say the atmosphere there has been lovely, and in particular I appreciate those who knew I was their best local source for answers to questions about Popes and Cardinals and conclaves and such. I lead a charmed life these days, and work, from my team to my coworkers to those above me and those supporting me, is full of amazing people I could not appreciate more.   Before I thank even more people, including you the listeners, let's talk about the New Pope, Leo XIV, specifically, his status as an American. And please, I beg you, don't be one of the contrarians who have been trying to make “United Statesian” a thing, it's fine to call Leo XIV the First American Pope. Of course you're welcome to use the opportunity to draw attention to the fact that Pope Francis is also from “the Americas”, but “American” is the demonym for a person from the United States and there is nothing wrong with using that word in that sense, so stop trying to make fetch happen.   Anyways, Pope Leo was born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois. The date is memorable for Catholics as the Triumph of the Cross, one of the more venerable feasts of the Church, commemorating Emperor Constantine's mother Saint Helena's apparently successful expedition to the Holy Land in search of the Cross Christ was crucified on, AKA the True Cross. Of course, many of my listeners are more captivated by the Chicago aspect, so let's hone in on that. First, to get this out of the way, yes, he was raised in Dolton, a community just *outside* Chicago, but contrarians should brace for more disappointment as it remains technically correct to describe Robert Francis Prevost as being “from Chicago”, having been born at Mercy Hospital in the Bronzeville neighborhood on the south side.   In a way, it would be somewhat surprising if Pope Leo *weren't* from the midwest, considering 80% of the 10 American Cardinals who participated in the conclave are midwesterners by birth. But also that number should actually closer to 90%, considering that's including the Irish-born Kevin Cardinal Farrell under the American tally, and by that logic the future Leo XIV should probably count as Peruvian. But I'm not gonna begrudge anyone who wants to claim the Pope as one of their own. Even without that wrinkle, I think we can agree Ireland can count as the midwest, especially given the whole Notre Dame thing.   If it were tallied as its own nationality, the Midwestern United States would be the second most represented county in the conclave, still actually in the same place that the United States currently occupies: comfortably behind Italy, and a bit ahead of Brazil.   Nor of course is Chicago unfamiliar to Cardinals in general, having had their senior cleric sporting a red hat–or getting one at the first opportunity–for  over a hundred years running, putting them in extremely rarified air, actually I think they're the only US see that can claim the red hat century club when it's set on hard mode like that, as New York's Cardinal Dolan wasn't elevated at the first opportunity, presumably because Cardinal Egan was still kicking around and Conclave-eligible for a while, and Archbishop Henning of Boston just got passed over last December despite Cardinal O'Malley having freshly aged out.   And my midwest Catholic trivia dump can't be complete without noting that spookily, Mar Awa III, the current Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, which shares the spotlight on my upcoming 0.22 supplemental, was also born in Chicago, which may further help the ecumenical relations I discuss in that supplemental episode. Here's hoping!   One more topic relating to Pope Leo's roots I want to touch on today: His Louisiana creole and black caribbean heritage. Both of His Holiness' grandparents on his mother's side were described as black or mulatto in census documents of their day, with his mother's father, Joseph Martinez, being listed as born in Santo Domingo, now the capital of the Dominican Republic, though it was then part of Haiti, the only country to have been born as the result of a successful slave rebellion, making black heritage from that region particularly poignant.   I'll note that His Holiness' melanin levels are such that he can fairly be described as white passing, and I'd consider it unlikely that the matter was discussed during the recent conclave, though I expect then-Cardinal Prevost was aware of this bit of family history. That said, it's certainly *possible* that it was a surprise even to him. One way or another, the basic fact is that these genealogical records exist. What to make of them, I leave to those more competent than I. I will commit to circling back to the topic in time, though. For now, it's time to thank, like, a lot of podcasters.   First and foremost, you probably wouldn't be listening to this if it weren't for Bry and Fry of Pontifacts. Their support has been critical in a number of ways and I could not be more appreciative of the way they've shared their platform with me, and so much more, right down to Bry making sure I checked my email when she saw that NPR had reached out for an interview. I tragically did not have Bry's attentive support on the inbox situation when PBS invited me on solo, so that one will always be a bit of a what-if, a hint of how much harder things are without the active support of so many. So again, thank you all, especially people I'm sure I'm forgetting since I'm extremely forgetful.   I think the safest thing to do is to thank the rest of the podcasters who have collaborated with me in order of appearance this year, starting back in February with the Intelligent Speech crew, in particular my fellows on the religion panel discussion, namely Trevor Cully of the History of Persia Podcast as well as the cheekier America's Secret Wars podcast, Aurora of the Swords, Sorcery, and Socialism podcast, and Bailey of Totalus Jeffianus. What a panel we had. And oh, by the way, apparently I've got the green light to share both that and my talk on the Original Grey Eminence, François Leclerc du Tremblay on this feed, so watch out for that in due course. Oh, and uh, shoutout to David Montgomery of The Siecle for his help with French pronunciation this year, not to mention various other assists through the years. All errors are my own, and David is a good guy to know.   Thank you to Jerry of The Presidencies podcast for having me on for one of his intro quotes, his process is impeccably professional just as one would expect after having listened to his show, and it was a great honor to take part.   Thank you as well to Thomas Rillstone of the History of Aotearoa New Zealand podcast for picking a surprisingly fascinating year to solicit info about, even if your release timing was ultimately made awkward by the death of the Holy Father. Oh, I suppose I can release that for you guys as well, though really, go check out his lovely show. Aotearoa is spelled: A-O-T-E-A-R-O-A   Moving on to my guests from the recent sede vacante, the first you all heard was Umberto from the So You Think You Can Rule Persia podcast, who, in addition to offering a fascinating overview of the history of transitions among the Islamic Caliphate also it turns out had the extremely clutch ability to offer live translations of Italian, which put our humble livestream ahead of EWTN, no offense to that major network.   The following day this feed was graced by the previously mentioned Aurora, now on as half of Tsar Power, along with Roberto, who is also from The History of Saqartvelo Georgia and Quest For Power. I'll let you sort all that out from the links in the show notes, but it's worth noting that you can expect more collaboration with Roberto on this feed, starting in the not too distant future with a conversation we unwittingly recorded just hours before Pope Francis' passing, talking optimistically about the future prospects of his papacy. Fortunately there's still cause for such optimism: Habemus Papam, after all.   Right before the conclave began, I put out a Cardinal Numbers First Judgment segment with John from Prim e Time, though admittedly that episode was originally recorded over a year ago. We did have a fresher appearance from John on the Youtube side of things, as he joined us to meet the new Pope after the white smoke, having cunningly signed up for the correct smokewatch to do so, much like Umberto our live translator. Ethan from Play History on Youtube was also kind enough to join us, helping hold down the fort along with Fry while I juggled toddlers and the white smoke first billowed out. Memorable times, all.   A special thank you to all those who shared the episode I had already prepared on Cardinal Prevost with the wider world, leading to thousands of exposures and hundreds of new listeners. Which, welcome if you're one of the new listeners. Thank you for tuning in, and I promise I'll update my Episode 0 soon to help you find your way.   Ok, it's time for another bout of new Pope stuff before I fill you all in on what to expect from me moving forward. I think it's appropriate that we take a look at what Pope Leo himself has outlined as important topics and themes here at the start of his papacy.   First, peace, which was literally the first word of Leo's papacy. An emphasis on peace is no surprise, for one thing, as the newly-elected Pope Leo himself pointed out, his greeting of peace was in the tradition of the resurrected Christ Himself, and thereby an appropriate greeting for the Easter season, which Pope Francis had opened right before his death and through which Pope Leo will continue to guide the Church until Pentecost on June 8th.   The topic of peace is even less surprising in light of the rare public message from the College of Cardinals that was released just before the Conclave, pleading for peace amid escalating war. In light of that, it would have been surprising if he *hadn't* come out advocating for peace. As is, it's definitely a core message, and needless to say a timely one too, with Pope Leo already echoing the late Pope Francis' observation that World War III is already being fought piecemeal.    The appeal for peace does seem to be getting a bit of traction, with India and Pakistan agreeing to a ceasefire, and the Trump administration proposing the Vatican as a mediator in the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine. If you don't look in the box marked Gaza or consider the actual likelihood of a breakthrough in Ukraine, you might be tempted to feel hopeful: admittedly as you can probably tell I'm more on the skeptical end myself, though I'd be happy to be wrong.   Another topic Pope Leo emphasized in his first speech–and repeatedly since–is togetherness, which could also be filed under dialog or even unity: the interplay between commonality and difference is critical here, and the most consistent analogy is one very suitable to his role as Pope, that of a bridge-builder, a pontifex in Latin, a traditional title of Popes for centuries, though probably not one that really traces back to the ancient Roman priestly title of Pontifex Maximus directly, as it seems to have been primarily added to the Pope's titles during the renaissance, when the classical world was very fashionable. Now, to really tie the old and the new together, I can tell you that a title once held by Julius Caesar is Pope Leo's handle on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter: @Pontifex.   When it comes to the Papacy, concepts like building bridges and promoting togetherness play out on multiple levels. First, as pastor of the giant flock known as Catholicism, we can talk about healing divisions within the church. Then, we can talk about healing divisions among all of Christianity, since the Pope is the head of the largest Christian group–and frankly it's always worth noting that most Christians are Catholics. But really, getting arrogant about it isn't the way to bring people on board, and from what I can tell so far Leo seems to have taken that lesson from Francis to heart–not that humility is a novel lesson in the history of the Papacy that Francis just invented, but still, give the guy his due..   Lastly, though certainly not leastly, what about healing divisions all over the world, not just among all Christians or even among all religions, but among all people? We're talking about the Vicar of Christ here, the idea of “not my circus, not my monkies” does not apply, and the more divisions across humanity are healed, the more likely we are to see enduring peace. So, Pope Leo has his work cut out for him, indeed I daresay we all do, as I am going to charitably assume you all want to make the world a better place.   Another priority of the new Pontiff is one that came to light even before his first speech: Vatican-watchers know that modern Popes don't just pick names at random, for example Pope Francis was strongly broadcasting that he was going to do something different by being the first  in the modern era to choose a truly new Papal name. As for Pope Leo, my first impression was quickly confirmed, as Pope Leo XIII looms large in modern Catholic history and his encyclical Rerum Novarum was a watershed moment in the development of modern Catholic Social Teaching, which is a foundational enough topic that I capitalized all those words and you will absolutely catch folks calling Catholic Social Teaching “CST” for short. Before Pope Francis, when you were talking about social justice in a Catholic context–which, by the way, is the context where the idea first gained traction, being popularized among the Jesuits in the early 19th century–anyways before Pope Francis, when you were talking about social justice in a Catholic context, you were talking about Pope Leo and Rerum Novarum, published in 1891 as a critique of modern economic systems from Capitalism to Communism and all over, emphasizing the fundamental importance of worker's rights given, well, the fundamental importance of workers themselves, as human beings with divine dignity. The Church has been revisiting Rerum Novarum on a regular basis ever since, and Pope Leo has explicitly centered it for those wondering what to expect from his papacy. To borrow the language of a generation slightly ahead of me, it's based, so get hype.   Of course lots of people are wondering what Pope Leo will get up to beyond these key starts of peace, unity, and social justice in the mold of so many of his predecessors. We can be here all day and I still won't be able to comment on every individual topic, nor will h e. We'll see more of Pope Leo in the years to come. Of course we can look to his past comments on anything you like, but the basic reality is Robert Francis Prevost is dead, and  Pope Leo XIV is a different man. At least, he may be, anyhow. History has shown election to the Papacy can change folks, but it's also shown that that's not always the case. Sorry to disappoint those looking for surefire answers, we'll find out together in the coming years and quite possibly decades, as, at 69, Pope Leo will likely be with us for a generation.   BUT, and this is a big but, I do think from what he's indicated so far and from the apparent expectations of the Cardinals who elected him, not to mention historical patterns, I do think it's very likely that Pope Leo will, on the whole, prove to be something of a centrist. That's not to say that he'll be middle-of-the-road on all issues–I really do expect him to lean into the Leonine legacy of Rerum Novarum-style social and economic justice with a major encyclical on the topic within the next few years–but on average I do not expect him to be as progressive as Pope Francis or as conservative as Pope Benedict. Again, how exactly that all will shake out remains to be seen, and I am very bad at making predictions anyways. After all, when I got asked directly about the possibility of an American Pope, I gave a simple “no” and moved on. In my defense, apparently the future Pope Leo did the same, allegedly telling his brother “they're not going to pick an American Pope” on the eve of the conclave that did just that.   Now I want to take a moment to thank some non-podcasters who have been very supportive of my work the last few years, specifically the priests at my home parish of Saint Francis de Sales. Shoutout Fr. Mike, Fr. PC, and Fr. Sizemore, who have all supported me in various ways both in relation to the podcast and off-mic. In particular I want to thank Fr. PC for helping review my upcoming worldbuilding episodes on mass and the Eucharist to make sure I didn't go too far off the rails, and Fr. Sizemore for his consistent support and encouragement of my work, as well as his willingness to promote it. Longtime listeners know that I am willing to set aside the Pope-colored glasses to offer necessary critiques of the Church at times–indeed, necessary critiques are actually themselves part of Pope-colored glasses anyways. It's been very cool to have that support even when offering that criticism at times, and I am, of course, grateful.   To give a little more personal insight, I think it's worth noting that I'm bringing Fr Sizemore and Fr PC up in part because they're on my mind and in my prayers a little extra these days since they are going to another parish as part of the normal juggling that occurs with basically any diocese. Back in the day such moves were less common, and could indeed be signs of darker things, but more recent practice has keeping priests from staying at a particular parish for too extended a period as a guard against exactly such dark things as may occur when a pastor is seen as the absolute bedrock of a faith community and is effectively given all sorts of extra deference and leeway and such to an inappropriate degree. In the end, Christ is the foundation, it's not about any particular pastor. Nevertheless, I will miss Fr Sizemore deeply, as excited as I am to see what he does at his new parish, and as excited as I am to meet our new pastor, Father Tom Gardner, and the other priest and a half that are coming to Saint Francis as part of the general shuffle. Interestingly, this will have our household lined up with a relatively young priest, a relatively young bishop, and a relatively young Pope, so these positions are likely going to be set in my life for a while yet.   And now that we've talked a bit about the future of my home parish, let's talk about the future of Popeular History.   First, as you've already seen if you're caught up on the feed, I have some content from Conclave Time still being edited and prepared for release on this feed. In the last week or so you've seen my chat with Benjamin Jacobs of Wittenberg to Westphalia and Why Tho?, who had me on as his guest of his 100th episode for the former. He's more like me than most, so if you enjoy this, go check him out. And if you don't enjoy this, well, I'm confused as to the sequence of events that has you somehow still listening, but even then, you should *also* still go  check him out. Just in case. You never know.   Also already released is a chat with Meredith of The Alexander Standard, another Rexypod in the mold of Cardinal Numbers and of course Pontifacts, reviewing, rating, and ranking all the successors of Alexander the Great from Perdiccas to Cleopatra VII. Meredith bravely volunteered to take the first spot on what was a near nightly guest list during the recent sede vacante, and we had a great chat that you should go check out if you haven't already.   Still to come most likely this month is a very extended conversation I had with Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy Podcast, a collaboration that was pretty long overdue. I first reached out to Steve over five years ago when Popeular History was just starting out, but I was too timid to propose a collaboration at the time. I was actually still too timid to suggest such a thing when Pope Francis' fading health got us talking again earlier this year, but fortunately for all of us Steve had no such scruples and when he suggested we get together over a couple of mics, well, so far we've got hours of good stuff that will be ready for your ears very shortly, I just wanted to get all this admin stuff and early Leo discussion out first so I did. But you can expect hours of Steve and I on this feed soon, and if you just can't wait–don't! Bec ause it's already out on his feed at the History of the Papacy Podcast. Part III talking Leo specifically is already in the works, with hopefully more to come from Steve and I collaborating in the years to come.   After that, you'll hear a chat I had with Quinn from Nobelesse Oblige, one half of another rexypod that ranks all the nobel laureates from 1901 until he and cohost Maggie run out of people. Their show was on hiatus, but is back now, so rejoice! All the best shows go on hiatus, like, a lot, amirite? Look, subscribe and you'll know when any shows with that particular habit get back. Anyways, that's gonna be another conclave second helping episode.   The third on the conclave second helping trilogy, likely appearing early next month at this rate with apologies to my patient guest, will be a great chat I had right before the doors were sealed with none other than Garry Stevens of the History in the Bible podcast, in which I fielded his conclave questions and talked about the recent movie as well. Thank you as always, Garry, especially for your patience as I edited my way through our chat!   After that puts a cap on my conclave coverage, it'll be high time to release the previously mentioned chat I had with Roberto of Tsar Power and more, right before Pope Francis passed.   And there you go, that's the plan for the next month or so. After all that, it'll be 5th anniversary time, and I think it'll be fun to do a bit of Q&A for that. The anniversary will officially on June 29th, so let's go ahead and say send in almost any question you like to popeularhistory@gmail.com by June 20th and I'll answer it for you on the show. The only limit I'm placing is that the question should be relatively family-friendly so I don't get flagged as explicit content by the powers that be.    After that, well, we'll see. Popeular History and Cardinal Numbers will be carrying on, I'm looking forward to finishing my longrunning Catholic worldbuilding series, as well as covering all the living Cardinals I haven't gotten to yet. And those items just represent finishing up the current stages. Plus, tere's gonna be more Pontifacts collaboration, including the much hyped Habemus Pointsam project, ranking all the Papal transitions with Bry! But do  keep in mind I had *just* put out a note indicating that I was going to stay on hiatus for a while longer right before all this happened, and the factors that lead me to that are still present. I've got a strong head of steam for when I'm officially back up to full production, but until then, you won't hear from me quite as regularly as I'd like. Actually, let's be honest, you're never going to hear from me as regularly as I'd like unless there's a wealthy patron who wants to hand over a living wage for myself and my family as compensation for me doing this full-time. And nah, I'm not counting on that. I do have a patreon though, so if you want to help offset my costs and fuel Taco Bell expeditions or moving to Rome, you know, little things like that, you can. Mary specifically said I can get Taco Bell every time I get a new patron, so thank you very much in advance. Also, a big thank you to Joe, my current patron, who hosts Prime Factors with his son Abram, and yes that's another Rexypod, in fact, yes, that's another Rexypod ranking the British Prime Ministers! Prime Time is the other one in case you've already forgotten, and now you can easily find both of them on one another's feeds as they recently did a collaborative special you should absolutely check out! I especially owe Joe as I forgot to keep mentioning him when speeding through my recent sede vacante coverage, a situation which will be remedied hopefully in small part by this note, and then eventually with judicious editing. Thanks again for your support, Joe!   If you'd like to support my work and are financially able to do so, go to Patreon.com/popeular. I'm going to do as much as I can even without many patrons, but more patron support  would go a long way to making things easier, I have to admit. So if you want to join Joe on the wall of ongoing thanks, there are still spots left! And if you can't support financially, no sweat, do what you gotta do, but please consider spreading the word about Popeular History and keeping me and my family in prayer while you're at it. Words of encouragement or any other words you'd like to send can be sent to popeularhistory@gmail.com or you can also find me on social media in a few spots, primarily on Bluesky these days at Popeular as I'm focusing more on direct content creation rather than trying to keep up with socials and the website and such. Oh, speaking of the website, Google Domains went caput so the website's kind of frozen, not that I was updating it much anyways apart from the automatic RSS feeds, which for what it's worth are still chugging along. But the rest you can ignore, in particular the big daily show announcement that's still up there, because that was fun while it lasted but that is definitely on the list of things that are not happening unless I get thousands of patreon dollars a month to make this a full-time job, which, again, I am realistic enough to not expect. It just turns out I can't take that notification down without tanking the whole site at the moment, or without, you know, a fair amount of extra work, and since the RSS feeds are still handy and my time is still fairly crunched, I'm reluctant to do that. So, uh, here we are. Awkward. Ignore the big daily show announcement. Thank you.   Now, I'm going to make a couple specific predictions about the future of Leo's papacy that I'd be happy to be wrong about. But before I do *that*, I want to note that after today, apart from the contemporary cardinals episodes, I plan to get back to history, leaving current events to other commentators generally, with the exception of a plan to have some commentary on contemporary news, Catholic and otherwise, available as bonus content for my Patreon subscribers. That would allow my regular listeners to have access to all the historical goodies I find without barrier, while still offering something interesting and informative, you know, hopefully, for my backers. If you hate the idea, let me know, and of course if you love the idea, sure, let me know that too. I'm thinking maybe some kind of monthly roundup, something like that.   Anyways, on to those predictions. First, while I genuinely believe we would have seen Sister Rafaella Petrini elevated to the College of Cardinals had Pope Francis lived to create another batch of Cardinals, I do not see that happening under Pope Leo, though he did reconfirm her in her role as President of the Governorate of Vatican City State as part of his general “as you were” instructions right after his election, reconfirming all of Pope Francis' appointments in one of the more unambiguous signs of continuity you can have. It's of course likely that there will be shuffling in time, but I think Petrini is safe in her role, I just don't expect her to be the first Cardinelle at the next opportunity, as Leo appears interested in a degree of centrist rapprochement.   Similarly, while I had fairly big hopes for the observances of the 1700th anniversary of Nicea that were due this month, namely a reunified dating of Easter, obviously those observances aren't happening right now. And, while it look like there are now plans for later this year, around the Feast of Saint Andrew–November 30th–I think that moment has passed, and I expect it's not something we'll see in year one of a Papacy. Again, I'd be happy to be wrong, but I don't think that's a “coming super  soon” type situation at this point. And that's it for today, thanks for sitting through a record-breaking amount of admin. Thanks, Joe!

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 

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.

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

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

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