Podcasts about ASB

Jörg Jenschke leitet das Projekt „Wünschewagen“ des ASB in München und im Umland. Kinderreporter Raphael hat sich bei ihm erkundigt, worum es in diesem besonderen Projekt geht und warum es so wichtig ist. Außerdem durfte Raphael einen Blick in den Wünschewagen werfen und beschreibt, was er darin so gesehen hat.

2025 has been a year of global shocks, shifting monetary policy, and cautious investor sentiment. In this episode, Nigel Grant (Head of Wealth Products, ASB) is joined by Chris Tennent-Brown (Senior Economist, ASB) and David Griffith (Client Chief Investment Officer and Head of Multi Asset Solutions, BlackRock) to reflect on the global and local themes that influenced markets and the New Zealand economy. They also discuss key changes to ASB portfolios and share practical tips for investors heading into the new year. *** This material has been created with the co-operation of BlackRock Investment Management (Australia) Limited (BIMAL) ABN 13 006 165 975, AFSL 230 523 on 03/12/2025. Comments made by BIMAL employees here represent BIMAL's views only. This material provides general information only and does not take into account your individual objectives, financial situation, needs or circumstances. Before making any investment decision, you should obtain financial advice tailored to you having regard to your individual objectives, financial situation, needs and circumstances. Refer to BIMAL's Financial Services Guide on its website for more information. This material is not a financial product recommendation or an offer or solicitation with respect to the purchase or sale of any financial product in any jurisdiction.

If you weren't already feeling confident about 2026, I've got two reasons you should. At least two major retail banks see signs of an economic recovery and we have a new Reserve Bank Governor. No pressure on Anna Breman, but she hasn't arrived a day too soon given that the old lot were still managing to stuff things up until literally the last chance they had, with Christian Hawkesby saying the wrong thing and sending wholesale market rates, and therefore fixed term interest rates, up by 30 basis points. To be fair to him, he was only the fill in. And if we're honest with ourselves it's more hope than certainty that the Swedish import will be any better than Hawkesby or Adrian Orr. But then again you could argue it really would be hard to be worse given the last four years. But we're here for the good news. The good news is that Anna Breman arriving as the new broom coincides with ASB, and now Kiwibank, all saying it's on. They're seeing signs of a recovery for 2026. Kiwibank's call arguably matters more than the others because they've been the gloomiest. They were calling for more rate cuts than the Reserve Bank was prepared for. They were warning it was more grim out there than the Wellington bankers realised. They were right. So here's hoping they are right again when they say sales are already up, and when sales go up, everything else follows. House prices are up 2-3% next year. The economy is growing 2.4% and then it's 3% the next year. I don't know about you but that combo - a new person in charge of the central bank and growing consensus that the recovery is now on - is probably the best Christmas present i could wish for. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The field for the Women's ASB classic draw has been confirmed. Kiwi Lulu Sun is among those playing, along with superstar Venus Williams. Tournament director Nico Lamperin told Piney they're extremely happy about the field they've managed to put together. He says the draw is a good reflection of some established players, world famous names, as well as the younger generation. “Venus is huge,” Lamperin says. “She's really the player that everybody wants to see.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Weekend Sport with Jason Pine Full Show Podcast for 13th December 2025, despite having their fast bowling depth tested, the Black Caps managed to deliver a convincing win against the West Indies. Former Black Caps seam bowler and current selector Gavin Larsen joined the show to discuss it. All Blacks winger Sevu Reece has announced he will be leaving NZR at the end of 2026 after signing a deal with French club Perpignan. He joined Piney to reflect on his rugby career in New Zealand. The field for the Women's draw for the ASB classic has been confirmed, and Tournament Director Nico Lamperin joined Piney to discuss how preparation for the 2026 edition of the tournament is coming along. Get the Weekend Sport with Jason Pine Full Show Podcast every Saturday and Sunday afternoon on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are signs that green shoots are starting to flourish economically. The latest card spending data from Stats NZ shows retail spending was up 1.6-percent last month, compared to November last year. Spending was up across the board - on the likes of groceries, household items and clothes. ASB Chief Economist Nick Tuffley told Ryan Bridge that the GDP for the second half of the year has had a strong rebound. He says they're expecting 0.8 percent for the upcoming quarter. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are signs that green shoots are starting to flourish economically. The latest card spending data from Stats NZ shows retail spending was up 1.6-percent last month, compared to November last year. Spending was up across the board - on the likes of groceries, household items and clothes. ASB Chief Economist Nick Tuffley told Ryan Bridge that the GDP for the second half of the year has had a strong rebound. He says they're expecting 0.8 percent for the upcoming quarter. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The ASX 200 finished the week on a very firm note up 105 points to 8697(1.2%). Up 0.7% for the week. Across the board gains, with banks surging as CBA rose 2.1% and NAB up 1.8% after its AGM. The Big Bank Basket rose to $272.70 (+1.8%). Other financials also did well, MQG bouncing 2.7% and insurers too better. QBE and SUN up over 1%. REITs bounced, GMG up 0.8% and VCX up 2.4% with healthcare too also doing well, CSL rallying 2.9% with SIG up 1.4%. Industrials better but not flying. Retail saw some shoppers out and about, JBH up 2.7% and MYR up 4.4% with losses in LOV and TPW continuing. Tech remained a sub-optimal place to be, TNE down 1.6% with XRO continuing to fall, down another 0.5% with the All-Tech Index off 0.2%.Resources again was the place to be. Gold miners soared as brokers started to amend forecasts for metal prices higher as 2026 comes into view. NST up 2.9%, GMD up 7.6% and NEM rising 5.7%. BHP and RIO also strong on copper exposure, and uranium stocks gained ground. PDN up 4.8% and DYL rising 4.9%. Lithium stocks were a little depressed.In corporate news, former ANZ CEO is suing the bank for his lost $13.5m bonus. ASB dropped 3% on news that Jim Chalmers will allow Hanwha to increase its stake to near 20%. 4DX jumped 8.8% on an options deal and BMC Minerals debuted.Nothing on the economic front.Asian markets pushed higher, Japan up 1.7% with HK up 1.4% and China up 0.1%. Want to invest with Marcus Today? Our MT20 portfolio is designed for investors seeking exposure to our strategy while we do the hard work for you. If you're looking for personal financial advice, our friends at Clime Investment Management can help. Their team of licensed advisers operates across most states, offering tailored financial planning services.  Why not sign up for a free trial? Gain access to expert insights, research, and analysis to become a better investor.

If you want to understand the future of learning and equip yourself with the best possible tools for operating at the top of your game, I believe becoming polymathic is your best bet. And to succeed in mastering multiple skills and tying together multiple domains of knowledge, it’s helpful to have contemporary examples. Especially from people operating way out on the margins of the possible. That’s why today we’re looking at what happens when a poet decides to stop writing on easily destroyed paper. Ebooks and the computers that store information have a shelf life too. No, we’re talking about what happens when a poet starts “writing” into the potentially infinite cellular matter of a seemingly unkillable bacterium. This is the story of The Xenotext. How it came to be, how it relates to memory and the lessons you can learn from the years Christian Bök spent teaching himself the skills needed to potentially save humanity's most important art from the death of our sun. Poetry. But more importantly, this post is a blueprint for you. The story of The Xenotext is a masterclass in why the era of the specialist is over, and why the future belongs to the polymaths who dare to learn the “impossible” by bringing together multiple fields. What on earth could be impossible, you ask? And what does any of this have to do with memory? Simple: Writing in a way that is highly likely to survive the death of the sun changes the definition of what memory is right now. And it should change what we predict memory will be like in both the near and distant future. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwQiW1XDAvI Encoding Literature Into Life: The Xenotext Christian Bök, often described as a conceptual poet, has run experiments with words for decades. For example, Eunoia is a univocal lipogram. That means, in each chapter, Bök used only words containing one of the vowels. This is a constraint, and it leads to lines like, “Awkward grammar appals a craftsman.” And “Writing is inhibiting.” There are other “programs” or constraints Bök used to construct the poem. As a result, you hear and feel the textures of your own mother tongue in a completely new way as you read the poem. But for The Xenotext project, Bök wondered if it would be possible to discover the rules and constraints that would enable himself, and conceivably other poets and writers, to encode poetry into a living organism. That leads to a fascinating question about memory that many mnemonists have tackled, even if they’re not fully aware of it. Can a poem outlive the civilization that produced it? If so, and humans are no longer around, how would that work? The Science of How Biology Becomes Poetry As far as I can understand, one of the first steps involved imagining the project itself, followed by learning how it could be possible for a poem to live inside of a cell. And which kind of cell would do the job of protecting the poetry? It turns out that there’s an “extremophile” called Deinococcus radiodurans. It was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most radiation resistant bacterium on planet Earth. As a life form, its DNA was sequenced and published in 1999. According to the Wikipedia page on The Xenotext, Bök started conceiving of encoding poetry into DNA and then inserting it into the bacterium circa 2002. But the project is about more than having poetry persist within a cell so it can transmit the work without errors later. It’s a kind of combinatory puzzle in which the bacterium acts as a kind of co-author. In order to pull this project off, Bök needed to enlist the help of scientists while mastering multiple skills many people would not normally consider “writing.” But as we head into the future, we definitely should. Radical Autodidacticism: Reaching New Heights Through Deep Discipline To this day, many educators talk about the importance of being a specialist. But The Xenotext project and the work Bök put into it forces us to redefine what it means to be a self-directed learner in the 21st century. When Bök decided to encode a poem into the DNA of an extremophile bacterium, he didn’t just “dabble” in science or explore various interests as a multipotentialite. Nor did he read a few pop-sci books and expect an organism to write a poem in return. No, he spent many years studying genomic and proteomic engineering. He coded his own computer program to help him “unearth” the poetry, all while writing grants and collaborating with multiple experts. The Skill Stack If you’re a lifelong learner with big dreams, it’s useful to examine how people with autodidactic and polymathic personality traits operate. One of the first skills is to allow yourself to dream big. Giving oneself permission like this might not seem like a skill. But since we can model any polymath or other person who inspires us, you probably won’t be surprised that many of the most inspiring polymaths regularly daydream. Picking a dream and pursuing it despite any obstacles is also a skill. And once you’ve got a project, the next step is to take a cue from a polymath like Elon Musk and break your goal down into the most basic principles. No matter how unusual or unlikely your dream, it’s a useful exercise. When it comes to analytical thinking and breaking a goal down so you can start pursuing it, it’s often useful to look at your existing competence. In Bök’s case, I believe he wrote Eunoia by culling words manually from dictionaries over many years. But he couldn’t brute force The Xenotext in that way due to all the biological chemistry involved, so he had to become what you might think of as a computational linguist. My point is not to diminish the originality of this project in any way. But I think it’s helpful to recognize that The Xenotext is not wildly divorced from the skills Bök already had. It’s an evolution that draws from them. There’s also the skill of what Waqas Ahmed calls synesthetic thinking in his book, The Polymath. Not to be mistaken with synesthesia, synesthetic thinking involves imagining an outcome through at least one other sense. In Bök’s case, The Xenotext involves imagining the use of living beings other than human as being part of art. And he has described the possibility that his work could reach “a sufficiently intelligent civilization that has fast computers and smart cryptographers.” This is the skill of sensing beyond our own species and taking the risk of trying to reach them. Even if we’re long gone. We Need Deathless Memory Now, I have a confession to make. One of the many reasons I’m so fascinated by The Xenotext is that my memory is incredibly weak. That’s why I use mnemonics with such passion, including for memorizing poetry. Recently, I had the chance to interview Christian Bök, who you can probably tell by now, I consider to be one of the most rigorous intellects alive. And right in the middle of the interview, I started reciting one of his books from Book I of The Xenotext. For all the mnemonics in the world, I choked. Now, sometimes, this happens just because I have mouth problems and things get a bit sticky. Other times, it’s exhaustion and yet other times, I manage to recite poems with no problem at all. I’m mentioning this human moment in my career as a mnemonist not because I have a deep need to confess. No, this fragile, ephemeral human moment while talking about encoding and retrieving information perfectly from its placement within a living cell suggests the possibility that life really can be the most durable storage device in the universe. And to see this project come to fruition after all the years Bök pushed through multiple struggles inspires me in countless ways. For one thing, Bök’s project strikes me as the ultimate memory strategy. Was Poetry the Original Hard Drive? As Bök reminded me during our discussion, poetry was a memory technology long before writing existed. Rhythm, rhyme, and meter were engineering tools used to ensure information survived the “game of telephone” across generations. In Bök’s words: “We certainly owe every great epic story of the sort like the Epic of Gilgamesh or the Iliad… stories that were intended, of course, to transmit important cultural information over long periods of time. We need poets to be able to create that work and make it memorable enough… to persist over time.” And it is in this context that Christian Bök realized something terrifying: “There’s nothing that we’ve built so far on the planet Earth that would probably last more than a few tens of billions of years at most.” Until his work on The Xenotext succeeded, we have had nothing to rely on apart from our brains assisted by techniques like the Memory Palace, or silicon prostheses. But the computers and servers we now use to store our collective memory are just as subject to rot as paper. Even our homes would be ground into “an almost undetectable layer of geological dust” in just a few million years. So Bök’s selection of a deathless bacterium isn’t just a petri dish stunt. By choosing a specific bacterium that is “widely regarded as one of the most unkillable things ever to have evolved on the planet Earth,” Bök has created a memory inside a “message in a bottle thrown into an enormous ocean” that might actually survive the death of our sun. How to Develop Your Own Polymathic Persistence  Reading this, you might be thinking, “I’m just a student,” or “I’m just a writer.” Bök could have thought that too. As he told me: “My assumption was that I’ve got training in English literature… Obviously, in order to embark upon such a project, I had to acquire a whole set of new skills, familiarize myself with a lot of very difficult discourses.” And so he made the decision to step outside of his lane, joining other innovators who have done the same. But how do you engage in a project that takes decades without burning out? Bök gave me three specific clues you can apply to your own learning journey. One: Embrace the Unknown Bök told me that if he had known how hard the project would be, he might not have started. He called this his “saving grace,” yet how many times do we turn away from our dreams because we don’t know the size of the mountain. Nelson Dellis told me something similar once about memory training. He’s a memory champion, but also a climber who has summited Everest. He said you don’t have to worry about whether the top of the mountain is there or not. Just focus on where you’re going to place your hands next. Two: Focus on Incremental Achievement Even as Bök’s project threw new obstacles at him, he told me: “I gave myself accomplishments or achievements that were incremental, that I knew I could probably fulfill, and would embark upon those doable tasks in an effort to acquire the required skill set in order to accomplish the remainder of these tasks.” In other words, he stacked small, doable wins on top of each other. And kept stacking until he had built a ladder to the impossible. Three: Tunnel Through the Noise Bök was candid about some of the loneliness on the path of the polymath. Sadly, he noted: This project, especially, has been beleaguered with all kinds of obstruction and difficulty that were added to the already difficult task at hand and the improbable kinds of risks that I had to adopt in order to be able to accomplish it. His advice having pushed through and made it to the other side? “If you’re going through hell, keep going. Don’t stop, because otherwise, you’re in hell… Just keep going, try to tunnel through.” Bök's work definitely makes a big statement when it comes to 21st century poetry. But for me, it's also a statement about memory and human potential. The Xenotext challenges us to stop thinking of computers as something that has eclipsed the human brain as the ultimate storage and retrieval device. It places our attention squarely back on the relationship between poetry and life, and the aspects of language that were in so many ways already a technology “infecting” our cells. If you want to become a polymath and enjoy a legacy that lasts, you must be willing to endure what Bök described as “36 different side quests” of complex projects, you must be willing to look at subjects and skills that seem “impossible” and learn them anyway. Ready to start your own “impossible” learning project? I have a guide that will help you develop your own curriculum: This Self-Education Blueprint will help you transform scattered curiosity into tightly interwoven levels of expertise. That way, the knowledge you accumulate gets put to use, and above all, helps others too.

As B.C.'s forestry industry takes more hits due to tariff and cost pressures, industry leaders and stakeholders are looking for solutions to sustain the sector. Jennifer Houghton with the Boundary Forest Watershed Stewardship Society talks about what will be needed for the industry to thrive in the long run.

ASB's latest quarterly economic forecast suggests New Zealand's economy is finally turning a corner after last year's recession. ASB Chief Economist Nick Tuffley spoke to Corin Dann.

Signs of a brighter economy in the year to come. ASB's forecasting annual growth of more than two-and a half percent in 2026. It points to an accelerated housing market, more resilient exports, and a renewed willingness to spend. Chief Economist Nick Tuffley told Heather du Plessis-Allan we can expect inflation to soften further, with the Reserve Bank seeing more stimulus in the pipeline. He says it's in wait and see mode - but seems fairly confident it won't have to cut interest rates any further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Get expert answers to the investment questions on Kiwi minds, with insights from the ASB and BlackRock Investor's Advantage roadshow. In this episode, Nigel Grant (Head of Wealth Products, ASB) is joined by Amehl Smith (Head of Private Banking, ASB) and Ngaire Angus (Head of Wealth Distribution, ASB) to break down the big themes - from AI and market shifts to term deposit rates and the property market. They discuss why an investor's mindset matters and share practical tips to help you get started and stay on track.

On the Early Edition with Andrew Dickens Full Show Podcast Monday 8th of December 2025, Andrew Coster has made explosive claims in an interview with Q&A, lawyer and former cop Matthew Hague shares his thoughts. Elliot Smith has the latest on the weekend's sport. A new report from ASB shows clear signs of life for the economy in 2026, Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen shares his thoughts. Plus, UK/Europe Correspondent Gavin Grey has the latest on a man arrested on suspicion of assault after a number of people were sprayed with what is believed to be pepper spray at London's Heathrow Airport and four people have been arrested after custard and apple crumble were flung at a display case containing part of the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London. Get the Early Edition Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week open banking officially went live for customers of the big four banks. That's ANZ, ASB, BNZ & Westpac. If you bank elsewhere your bank might not have enabled it quite yet. But exactly what is open banking? And how will it make a difference to you? To find out, Jesse is joined by Josh Daniell from open banking company Akahu.

It probably came out on the wrong day to get the coverage it deserved, but one of the last pieces in the economic turnaround told us we are basically there. Consumer confidence is back, up six points to 98. It needs to be 100 or more for expansion, but it's the highest figure since June and backs the business confidence, which last week was up a lot. Business comes first because they see the turnaround on sales. The spending numbers back that up because they are pretty real time and then you get confidence as a follow up, given although we are spending, some may not want to admit it may still feel like they are in a bit of a funk. But add it all together and the conclusion is inescapable. You can also add the ASB housing numbers if you want. Confidence in the housing market is at a 15-year high. Why? Because it's almost perfect – good supply, cheap money, but most importantly we seemed to have crossed the psychological barrier and given ourselves permission to start to feel good again. The irony is the growth that drives all this might just have been there all along. We get the Q3 GDP number later this month with Infometrics suggesting it is 0.9%. Add that to the rest of the year and we are well above the growth line. Not that a lot of the commentary has backed that up. Which is not to say some still do it tough. It's not to say it's the boom times. It's just to say there comes a point where the facts, figures and evidence can no longer be denied. Here is my next prediction: as a result of all this, 2026 might well be a very good year indeed. That's based on the idea that economies are about psychologies. Yes, they are about fundamentals but if the fundamentals are in place, then the next thing you look for is mood. And given the mood has been so repressed, when we decide to take the handbrake off there might just be no stopping us. As I said last week don't underestimate the Reserve Bank and the finality of their cut. They said this was it, they they've done their job, we are free to go and enjoy our lives. For those waiting and dilly-dallying, that was what they were waiting for. The next confidence survey will be over 100 and that will be the start of a trend for the year ahead. Remember where you heard it first. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last weeks OCR cut brought hope of lower interest rates but the wholesale market seems to have been spooked by the Reserve Bank ruling out further cuts. The term wholesale interest rates have jumped in response. ASB Chief Economist told Heather du Plessis-Allan, "we certainly put the the cost of wholesale borrowing up a bit higher as a result of this." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It probably came out on the wrong day to get the coverage it deserved, but one of the last pieces in the economic turnaround told us we are basically there. Consumer confidence is back, up six points to 98. It needs to be 100 or more for expansion, but it's the highest figure since June and backs the business confidence, which last week was up a lot. Business comes first because they see the turnaround on sales. The spending numbers back that up because they are pretty real time and then you get confidence as a follow up, given although we are spending, some may not want to admit it may still feel like they are in a bit of a funk. But add it all together and the conclusion is inescapable. You can also add the ASB housing numbers if you want. Confidence in the housing market is at a 15-year high. Why? Because it's almost perfect – good supply, cheap money, but most importantly we seemed to have crossed the psychological barrier and given ourselves permission to start to feel good again. The irony is the growth that drives all this might just have been there all along. We get the Q3 GDP number later this month with Infometrics suggesting it is 0.9%. Add that to the rest of the year and we are well above the growth line. Not that a lot of the commentary has backed that up. Which is not to say some still do it tough. It's not to say it's the boom times. It's just to say there comes a point where the facts, figures and evidence can no longer be denied. Here is my next prediction: as a result of all this, 2026 might well be a very good year indeed. That's based on the idea that economies are about psychologies. Yes, they are about fundamentals but if the fundamentals are in place, then the next thing you look for is mood. And given the mood has been so repressed, when we decide to take the handbrake off there might just be no stopping us. As I said last week don't underestimate the Reserve Bank and the finality of their cut. They said this was it, they they've done their job, we are free to go and enjoy our lives. For those waiting and dilly-dallying, that was what they were waiting for. The next confidence survey will be over 100 and that will be the start of a trend for the year ahead. Remember where you heard it first. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I've reached the conclusion that when it comes to the banks and mortgage rates, the only option you've got left is to hustle. You're on your own here. It has been 2 days since the Reserve Bank cut the official cash rate, and by how much do you think the big banks have cut their fixed rates? No, not a jot. Not, not a single basis point. Absolutely nothing has come off their fixed rates. It's not particularly helpful from the banks cause, you know, we're trying to get the country out of recession and the point of cutting the OCR is that the mortgage rates come down and then when you refix, you've got more disposable cash and the more cash you have, the more you're gonna spend and the faster we're gonna get out of this recession. So thumbs up and thanks very much to the big banks for not helping. Obviously, it's smart business for them. They need to make as much money as they can. The prediction is they will eventually cut the OCR cut their mortgage rates, but it'll be next year. It won't be this side of Christmas, and no one's going to be able to force them. There is, everybody has fired all their bullets at this stage. The Reserve Bank's cut as much out of the OCR as it can. The critics have written their columns, have given their interviews. Nothing's happened. The government's accepted all the recommendations of the select Committee inquiry, and I think we all know that that's a damp squib. And to be honest, when it comes to the government, for them to do anything meaningful to the banks, it would have to be. Something as massive as breaking up ANZ and ASB and the horror that that would send through the investment community would potentially be worse than us paying too much in mortgage interest rates at the moment. So, The only conclusion you're gonna reach is that you're on your own. No one is coming to save you from the banks. No one's gonna force them to pass on the OCR cuts if they don't want to. You're gonna have to hustle. So when you refix, demand a better rate. Look at what the advertised rate is and then tell them to shave 50 basis points off and if they don't cross the road to another bank that will. That is competition. You're on your own. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does the Reserve Bank's Official Cash Rate (OCR) mean for your mortgage, savings, and investment decisions? Nigel Grant (Head of Wealth Products, ASB) is joined by Chris Tennent-Brown (Senior Economist, ASB) and Manu Batra (Head of Home Lending Products, ASB) to unpack the latest OCR decision and what it means for Kiwi borrowers and savers. They break down why mortgage rates don't always move in step with the OCR, and how to balance lending and savings strategies as market conditions evolve.

Another cut to the Official Cash Rate is expected today but it could be the last for a long time. The Reserve Bank's reviewing the OCR at 2pm. Most economists expect the cash rate to be cut 25-basis-points to 2.5%. ASB Chief Economist Nick Tuffley told Ryan Bridge they expect the Reserve Bank to keep the door wide open to taking further action next year if needed. He says it will be wanting to use the three-month closedown period to really gauge whether it's needed. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Goof to ASB still good?

Investor confidence is picking up from last quarter's post-Covid lows, but sentiment remains split. In this episode, Nigel Grant (Head of Wealth Products, ASB) and Chris Tennent-Brown (Senior Economist, ASB) dig into the latest ASB Investor Confidence Survey results for Q3 2025 to explore what's making some regions and groups more optimistic than others. They discuss the factors driving investor confidence and decision-making - from global headline events to local influences like the price of milk - and why more people are looking beyond property to investment options such as shares, managed funds, and KiwiSaver.

When interest rates ease, what's the smartest way to put your extra cash to work - pay down the mortgage, invest, or a mix of both? In this episode, Nigel Grant (Head of Wealth Products, ASB) and Ngaire Angus (Head of Wealth Distribution, ASB) unpack the trade-offs between reducing debt and growing your investments. They share practical insights on finding the right balance for your financial goals and highlight common pitfalls to watch out for.

The boss of our largest bank says its latest rise in profit doesn't tell the full story. ANZ New Zealand's annual profit has reached a new record high of $2.53 billion – up 21% on last year. That compares to a 13% rise for Westpac and no major change for BNZ and ASB. But Chief Executive Antonia Watson told Mike Hosking when you exclude the bank's hedging investments, cash profit isn't rising nearly as fast. She says that headline growth in a cost of living crisis is very uncomfortable, but underlying profit is only up 4%. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The battle of the bank BS is back. BNZ, who announced their profit last week, talked of the strong competition out there. But I note their margin went up, up, 6 points to 2.43%. So if there is so much competition, how come the margin is up? Then came the claim from the Reserve Bank among others that the big banks are being tardy when it comes to passing on the Reserve Bank cuts to us punters. Smaller banks are sharper. SBS claims they have hoovered up almost 6000 new customers as changing banks has become easier. Remember SBS last week put out their 3.99% money, limited to certain people, but a market leader nevertheless. Now tied into all of this is the retail bank's long held argument that the margin is higher because they need the cushion, because the Reserve Bank makes them store away too much money for troubled times. But, those rules are changing and changing in the retail bank's favour. In other words; less money required therefore, in theory, it should mean smaller margins. You can also put in there the simple truth that has always been in play - there is nothing stopping us shopping around. We have a good number of retail banks and they do do deals. I know because I've done deals. Some banks will shave decent margins to get your business. The trouble is a lot of us are too lazy to try and moaning is easier than hustling. So who is right? Are the retail banks tardy? Is it a major issue? Is Nicola Willis right when she says things, and by "things" we mean rules, need to change? I of course have long argued that Willis is too much hype and it's not all that bad. But I'm increasingly moving towards accepting I'm wrong. As the Reserve Bank points out as wholesale rates drop the margins have risen, and on latest numbers, keep rising. Maybe, God forbid, Adrian Orr was right when he used to come on this programme and lambaste the banks for making too many excuses. What I do know is the conditions are increasingly right, either through wholesale rates or the changes to reserve rules, for us to see the margins fall and for the cuts to be passed through in full, and faster. And the longer that takes to happen the more we need to see the big banks as a problem and bad actors in the economy. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The battle of the bank BS is back. BNZ, who announced their profit last week, talked of the strong competition out there. But I note their margin went up, up, 6 points to 2.43%. So if there is so much competition, how come the margin is up? Then came the claim from the Reserve Bank among others that the big banks are being tardy when it comes to passing on the Reserve Bank cuts to us punters. Smaller banks are sharper. SBS claims they have hoovered up almost 6000 new customers as changing banks has become easier. Remember SBS last week put out their 3.99% money, limited to certain people, but a market leader nevertheless. Now tied into all of this is the retail bank's long held argument that the margin is higher because they need the cushion, because the Reserve Bank makes them store away too much money for troubled times. But, those rules are changing and changing in the retail bank's favour. In other words; less money required therefore, in theory, it should mean smaller margins. You can also put in there the simple truth that has always been in play - there is nothing stopping us shopping around. We have a good number of retail banks and they do do deals. I know because I've done deals. Some banks will shave decent margins to get your business. The trouble is a lot of us are too lazy to try and moaning is easier than hustling. So who is right? Are the retail banks tardy? Is it a major issue? Is Nicola Willis right when she says things, and by "things" we mean rules, need to change? I of course have long argued that Willis is too much hype and it's not all that bad. But I'm increasingly moving towards accepting I'm wrong. As the Reserve Bank points out as wholesale rates drop the margins have risen, and on latest numbers, keep rising. Maybe, God forbid, Adrian Orr was right when he used to come on this programme and lambaste the banks for making too many excuses. What I do know is the conditions are increasingly right, either through wholesale rates or the changes to reserve rules, for us to see the margins fall and for the cuts to be passed through in full, and faster. And the longer that takes to happen the more we need to see the big banks as a problem and bad actors in the economy. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nigel Grant (Head of Wealth Products, ASB) is joined by Kirk Hope (CEO, Financial Services Council) to unpack what the latest FSC Money & You report reveals about Gen Z's behaviour and attitudes towards money and debt. They discuss why financial confidence is slipping, how cost-of-living pressures are shaping decisions, and take a closer look at the support landscape for young New Zealanders.

Fonterra's farmer shareholders should get a decent payout from the sale of consumer brands like Anchor and Mainland. They've overwhelmingly voted for a $4.2 billion dollar sale to French company, Lactalis. ASB economists predict the sale will deliver a tax-free capital return of $3.2 billion - or $400,000 per farmer. Chief executive Miles Hurrell says that's close, with a wide spectrum of farm sizes. "Everyone will get their own cash in time accordingly, but yeah, $2 tax-free per share is a decent wedge of cash for most farmers." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Interest rates have dropped significantly, so many New Zealanders are reconsidering their savings strategies. Nigel Grant (Head of Wealth Products, ASB) and Ngaire Angus (Head of Wealth Advisory, ASB) discuss what a slowing economy and lower rates mean for savers with maturing term deposits. They offer practical guidance on aligning your savings and investment decisions with both short and long-term goals, helping you chart your next steps with confidence.

An economist says it's not just farmers who will benefit from Fonterra's sale of its consumer brands. ASB's chief economist Nick Tuffley spoke to Corin Dann.

New Zealand's economy could look to benefit from Fonterra's proposed sale. The proposed sale of Anchor and Mainland brands to French company Lactalis could unlock around 4.5 billion in additional spending. ASB Chief Economist Nick Tuffley says they estimate around 60 percent of shareholding farms could receive at least 200-thousand dollars. He says the likely pay out would happen in the first half of next year, so after then, the impacts on farm investments or consumer spending would be seen. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nigel Grant (Head of Wealth Products, ASB) is joined by Frank Jasper (Chief Investment Officer, ASB) and Will Porter (Investment Strategist, BlackRock) to discuss this year's strategic asset allocation updates for ASB portfolios. They unpack the five-year market outlook, explain the strategic asset allocation process, and share the key changes we've made to help your investments stay resilient and ready to capture opportunities in a changing environment. *** This material has been created with the co-operation of BlackRock Investment Management (Australia) Limited (BIMAL) ABN 13 006 165 975, AFSL 230 523 on 17/10/2025. Comments made by BIMAL employees here represent BIMAL's views only. This material provides general information only and does not take into account your individual objectives, financial situation, needs or circumstances. Before making any investment decision, you should obtain financial advice tailored to you having regard to your individual objectives, financial situation, needs and circumstances. Refer to BIMAL's Financial Services Guide on its website for more information. This material is not a financial product recommendation or an offer or solicitation with respect to the purchase or sale of any financial product in any jurisdiction.

A multi-million-dollar class action against ANZ New Zealand over historic disclosure obligations looks likely to go ahead. ASB earlier this month settled its part in the four-year class action for $135.6 million - without conceding liability or wrongdoing. ANZ Chief Executive Antonia Watson has voiced disappointment with the development. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nigel Grant (Head of Wealth Products, ASB) is joined by friend of the podcast Chris Tennent-Brown (Senior Economist, ASB) to unpack the Reserve Bank's latest OCR decision. Together, they break down how changes to the OCR influence mortgage and term deposit rates, why rates don't always move in step, and what it all means for your financial strategy in today's changing rate environment.

ASB recently agreed to pay $135.6 million to settle a class action for allegedly breaching the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act. ANZ has refused to settle, and it's prompted concerns over recent proposed banking reforms are at risk. Banking Reform Coalition convener Kent Duston explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Economists are split on how far the Reserve Bank will go with slashing the Official Cash Rate. The central bank will reveal its latest monetary policy decision this afternoon. There are strong expectations of a cut from three percent, but debate over its size. ANZ says a 25 basis point cut could be strategic at this point in the cycle, with the OCR near its bottom. But ASB Chief Economist Nick Tuffley told Mike Hosking he favours a 50 basis point cut. He says you can make a case either way, but he thinks it's time to give it a firmer nudge than what we've seen recently. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 7 October 2025, Palestine protestor Acacia O'Connor says she doesn't regret making Winston Peters' home address public, despite a person smashing his window as a result. Canterbury District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill wins his bet with Heather - and calls off a restructure of rural police. Lawyers of a class action lawsuit against ANZ are calling on the Government to walk back retrospective banking reform. It comes after ASB agreed to settle their own dispute for more than $135 million . Former All Black Mils Muliaina has joined the Auckland Business Chamber to become its first Pasifika director - he tells Heather about the Pasifika economy. Plus, the Huddle debates whether we should cut the number of elected local body politicians after news that 1 in 7 candidates will get the job unopposed. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ASB has agreed to pay $135.6 million to settle a class action after it was accused of breaching its disclosure obligations under the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act. The case against ASB alleged failures to provide compliant written disclosure of loan variations to a significant number of customers. ANZ is still hanging on as the remaining defendant of the class action. Scott Russell, the lawyer representing bank customers in the class action, says the lawsuit against ANZ hasn't been dropped. "We remain fully committed to our claim against ANZ...ANZ customers deserve a positive outcome similar to that." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The amount is less than half of the $300 million initially offered to ASB to settle in July. However, the final settlement is still subject to court approval.

Chris Tennent-Brown (Wealth Senior Economist, ASB) takes the mic for a solo mini episode, unpacking the headlines that matter most to Kiwi investors. From the Government's fiscal strategy and boardroom sentiment to Reserve Bank moves and market implications, he breaks down what's really going on, and what it means for your portfolio. With interest rate cuts on the horizon and uncertainty still in play, this episode offers timely insights to help investors stay focused and confident in their strategy.

Conventional wisdom is that safeguarding humanity from the worst biological risks — microbes optimised to kill as many as possible — is difficult bordering on impossible, making bioweapons humanity's single greatest vulnerability. Andrew Snyder-Beattie thinks conventional wisdom could be wrong.Andrew's job at Open Philanthropy is to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to protect as much of humanity as possible in the worst-case scenarios — those with fatality rates near 100% and the collapse of technological civilisation a live possibility.Video, full transcript, and links to learn more: https://80k.info/asbAs Andrew lays out, there are several ways this could happen, including:A national bioweapons programme gone wrong, in particular Russia or North KoreaAI advances making it easier for terrorists or a rogue AI to release highly engineered pathogensMirror bacteria that can evade the immune systems of not only humans, but many animals and potentially plants as wellMost efforts to combat these extreme biorisks have focused on either prevention or new high-tech countermeasures. But prevention may well fail, and high-tech approaches can't scale to protect billions when, with no sane people willing to leave their home, we're just weeks from economic collapse.So Andrew and his biosecurity research team at Open Philanthropy have been seeking an alternative approach. They're proposing a four-stage plan using simple technology that could save most people, and is cheap enough it can be prepared without government support. Andrew is hiring for a range of roles to make it happen — from manufacturing and logistics experts to global health specialists to policymakers and other ambitious entrepreneurs — as well as programme associates to join Open Philanthropy's biosecurity team (apply by October 20!).Fundamentally, organisms so small have no way to penetrate physical barriers or shield themselves from UV, heat, or chemical poisons. We now know how to make highly effective ‘elastomeric' face masks that cost $10, can sit in storage for 20 years, and can be used for six months straight without changing the filter. Any rich country could trivially stockpile enough to cover all essential workers.People can't wear masks 24/7, but fortunately propylene glycol — already found in vapes and smoke machines — is astonishingly good at killing microbes in the air. And, being a common chemical input, industry already produces enough of the stuff to cover every indoor space we need at all times.Add to this the wastewater monitoring and metagenomic sequencing that will detect the most dangerous pathogens before they have a chance to wreak havoc, and we might just buy ourselves enough time to develop the cure we'll need to come out alive.Has everyone been wrong, and biology is actually defence dominant rather than offence dominant? Is this plan crazy — or so crazy it just might work?That's what host Rob Wiblin and Andrew Snyder-Beattie explore in this in-depth conversation.What did you think of the episode? https://forms.gle/66Hw5spgnV3eVWXa6Chapters:Cold open (00:00:00)Who's Andrew Snyder-Beattie? (00:01:23)It could get really bad (00:01:57)The worst-case scenario: mirror bacteria (00:08:58)To actually work, a solution has to be low-tech (00:17:40)Why ASB works on biorisks rather than AI (00:20:37)Plan A is prevention. But it might not work. (00:24:48)The “four pillars” plan (00:30:36)ASB is hiring now to make this happen (00:32:22)Everyone was wrong: biorisks are defence dominant in the limit (00:34:22)Pillar 1: A wall between the virus and your lungs (00:39:33)Pillar 2: Biohardening buildings (00:54:57)Pillar 3: Immediately detecting the pandemic (01:13:57)Pillar 4: A cure (01:27:14)The plan's biggest weaknesses (01:38:35)If it's so good, why are you the only group to suggest it? (01:43:04)Would chaos and conflict make this impossible to pull off? (01:45:08)Would rogue AI make bioweapons? Would other AIs save us? (01:50:05)We can feed the world even if all the plants die (01:56:08)Could a bioweapon make the Earth uninhabitable? (02:05:06)Many open roles to solve bio-extinction — and you don't necessarily need a biology background (02:07:34)Career mistakes ASB thinks are common (02:16:19)How to protect yourself and your family (02:28:21)This episode was recorded on August 12, 2025Video editing: Simon Monsour and Luke MonsourAudio engineering: Milo McGuire, Simon Monsour, and Dominic ArmstrongMusic: CORBITCamera operator: Jake MorrisCoordination, transcriptions, and web: Katy Moore

In this episode, Nigel Grant (Head of Wealth Product, ASB) welcomes Ben Powell (Chief Investment Strategist for APAC & Middle East, BlackRock Investment Institute) for a wide-angle look at the global investment landscape. They unpack BlackRock's 2025 Midyear Global Outlook, diving into the shifting macro anchors and the “mega forces” driving long-term change. Ben shares where he sees opportunity in today's complex environment - and what it means for investors planning ahead. *** This material has been created with the co-operation of BlackRock Investment Management (Australia) Limited (BIMAL) ABN 13 006 165 975, AFSL 230 523 on 18/09/2025. Comments made by BIMAL employees here represent BIMAL's views only. This material provides general information only and does not take into account your individual objectives, financial situation, needs or circumstances. Before making any investment decision, you should obtain financial advice tailored to you having regard to your individual objectives, financial situation, needs and circumstances. Refer to BIMAL's Financial Services Guide on its website for more information. This material is not a financial product recommendation or an offer or solicitation with respect to the purchase or sale of any financial product in any jurisdiction.

ASB best in NFL?

ASB Senior Economist Chris Tennent-Brown joins host Nigel Grant (Head of Wealth Product, ASB) to unpack the latest ASB Investor Confidence Survey results for Q2 2025. They explore why investor confidence has dipped to its lowest level since the COVID-19 pandemic, and examine trends in demographic and regional sentiment. With signs that the worst of the slowdown is behind us, they discuss the economic outlook and offer timely insights and practical strategies for investors navigating today's uncertain and volatile environment.

Host Nigel Grant (Head of Wealth Product, ASB) is joined by Steve Cooper (CFO & COO, Parkable) and Lee Marshall (Managing Partner, Hunter Campbell) to unpack the latest Mood of the CFO report. They discuss the realities of New Zealand's two-speed economy, the economic outlook, and the policy changes CFOs are calling for. The conversation explores how finance leaders are navigating macroeconomic uncertainty, the rise of AI and technology in finance, and the ongoing challenges of talent and succession planning. Tune in for insights on board dynamics and the key issues shaping New Zealand's finance community in 2025.

Adult Spelling Bee 2 round-robin GAME 2 featured a couple ASB newcomers vying for a spot in the grand finale! Benjamin Karstad squares off against Ryan Walsh!

Munaf Manji and Griffin Warner break down MLB betting for Friday.

Apply to join us as a co-host! https://astrosoundbites.com/recruiting-2025   This week, Shashank, Cole and Cormac discuss a concept that has come up on many an ASB episode past: Bayesian statistics. They start by trying to wrap our heads around what a probability really means. Cole introduces us to a recent and attention-grabbing paper on a potential biosignature in the atmosphere of an exoplanet, with lots of statistics along the way. Then, Cormac brings up some counterpoints to this detection. They debate what it would take—statistically and scientifically—for a detection of biosignatures to cross the line from intriguing to compelling.   New Constraints on DMS and DMDS in the Atmosphere of K2-18 b from JWST MIRI https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/adc1c8   Are there Spectral Features in the MIRI/LRS Transmission Spectrum of K2-18b? https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.15916   Insufficient evidence for DMS and DMDS in the atmosphere of K2-18 b. From a joint analysis of JWST NIRISS, NIRSpec, and MIRI observations https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.13407   Space Sound: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGdk49LRB14

Andrew is the CEO of the NZGBC and in this episode we hear about the work they do as well as find out more about his life story.  I learned a lot about the way that homes are measured through the Homestar rating and the important work that the New Zealand Green Building Council - and its 700 members - are doing in this area.   NZGBC Website is here  Andrew also shared this Real-world success stories: Explore how other developers are leveraging Homestar to deliver high-performance homes: Homestar Case Studies    Design support: The Homestar Design Guide offers practical strategies for achieving certification, including moisture control, thermal envelope design, and energy efficiency. The financial upsides of energy efficiency healthy homes A recent Infometrics report shows that homes built to 6 Homestar can save homeowners over $62,000 - $99,000 in electricity and mortgage interest. These savings are driven by lower energy bills and access to discounted mortgage that ANZ's Healthy Home Loan provides. Developers or builders can save hundreds of thousands of dollars. The following banks provide significantly lower interest development finance for Homestar homes; ANZ, ASB, BNZ, Kiwibank and Westpac  The Circle: Careers With Impact book is here https://theseeds.nz/articles/the-circle-careers-with-impact/  For more episodes visit www.theseeds.nz