Podcast appearances and mentions of John Key

The news came in around quarter to 11 yesterday, and it was unwelcome confirmation of what many people had been experiencing, had been feeling. The economy had contracted, and worse, it had shrunk 0.9%, far worse than economists had been predicting. Economists at the Reserve Bank had forecast the economy would shrink just 0.3% during the June quarter. Retail banks said, "Oh, I don't think so. I think it'll be closer to 0.5." In fact, the figures released by Stats NZ yesterday showed GDP fell almost a full percentage point in the three months ended June, with declines in most industries. Manufacturing fell the hardest. It dropped 3.5% in the quarter, led by transport equipment, machinery, and equipment manufacturing, which fell 6.2%. Food, beverage, and tobacco manufacturing fell 2.2%. And that was reflected in the decreased export volumes of products such as meat, which we referred to yesterday when we were talking to Infometrics Chief Economist Gareth Kiernan. He was saying it was the drop in exports – if you haven't got the produce, you can't export it. Construction was down 1.8%, reversing a 1.2% increase in the three months ended March. So what does it all mean? Well, it means fewer jobs, it means fewer people earning, it means less money being earned. It means people scared of spending money if they do have money. It means less money sloshing around in the system. It means people doing it tough. Roger Douglas, he of Rogernomics fame or infamy, and the Finance Minister in the Fourth Labour Government, called for the head of Nicola Willis. He and Robert MacCulloch, the economist, released a statement yesterday that said Willis was sending New Zealand bankrupt by failing to get to grips with our ballooning fiscal deficits and public debt. Her own Treasury, they said, contradicts her claim that New Zealand is on a path to surplus. They say it is not. Treasury's long-term fiscal forecast showed out of control deficits due to pensions and healthcare spending from an aging population. Willis, they say, is not up to the job and is not levelling with the New Zealand public. Willis ignored that criticism, and looking at the GDP figures, says Trump's tariffs had an outsized impact on local business confidence, far out of proportion to what actually happened. She said yesterday's data is backward-looking. It's looking at what the economy was doing months ago, and she says that the economy is in fact improving. “I think when you think about your average Kiwi, they're saying, well, actually, I need to have confidence that I can pay my mortgage, maybe that I can buy a bigger house in future, that I can buy a house at all. And the biggest tailwind for that is lower interest rates. And we know that they are what has spurred previous recoveries. That's actually good economics. Our government has done everything we can to create the space for the Reserve Bank to do this, and they just have to keep doing that job. “For our part, we've chosen a balanced course of consolidating the books over a few years, which has been endorsed by international economists, by ratings agencies who say that our fiscal plan is a good one. We've delivered significant savings while investing in more infrastructure, in health services, and education services. I completely stand by that approach. And Roger Douglas may want me to slash spending overnight. That would be the wrong thing to do in terms of the commitment we've made to voters, but actually it would be the wrong thing economically.” So that was Nicola Willis holding the line. John Key, former Prime Minister, came on the Mike Hosking Breakfast this morning and put the blame squarely on the Reserve Bank. “This is a saying that Ruth Richardson once had, which was monetary policy needs mates, and that was her argument when she was really tightening up the economy, that the Reserve Bank needed that support because they were in tandem working with the government. I think what you've seen over the last 18 months or so is a government that has been working hard to get the economy straightened up after, frankly, the mess it inherited. But it hasn't had a mate in the Reserve Bank, and the Reserve Bank's job very clearly over time has been to say interest rates need to come down. “And I mean, look, two months ago, I got hammered for saying interest rates need to come down 100 basis points. Well, they came down 25, they're going to come down another 50. You can put a ring around it in the next monetary policy statement and they'll come down another 25 by Christmas. So the person that's not doing the job or the people that are not doing their job are the Reserve Bank, who frankly, if they just walked around Auckland and Wellington for five minutes, could have felt the fact that the government needed help through monetary policy.” So, the experts have had their reckons and I'd love to hear yours. Now they say, how often have you been hearing that there are green shoots growth coming? They say that things are getting better, that job vacancies are up, that business confidence is up slightly, that come Christmas most people will be off the big mortgage interest rates and onto lower ones, which will mean more money in your pocket? They're not relying on bringing in migrants to push up the housing market, give you the sugar rush that you get from basically a false economy. They're relying on the economy to rebuild itself, making it more resilient and stronger. That being said, this was a government, or the National Party was a party, that campaigned on better times ahead. We're the ones that can fix things. We're the ones that can turn the ship around. We're the ones that can fix the mess that Labour left us in. Either the mess was bigger than they thought, or the levers they're pulling aren't as effective as they thought, or we are a timorous lot. We've been knocked around too much, bashed around too much to feel particularly confident. When a lot of business has been suffering since 2022, probably, it's hard to feel confident. It's hard to feel optimistic. It's hard to feel confident about spending money or investing in capital, that sort of thing. I do think that better times are a-coming. It's just the way economies work. You know, there are cycles. And surely we've reached the bottom and now we're going to go up and then we'll reach the top and round we'll come again, no matter who's in power. So, you know, you can talk a big game, but I think what National has shown is that they are victims of the economic cycle. There were no magic levers they could pull. Could Labour have done any better? The answer to that is no. Absolutely not. That is a very hard no from me. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sir John Key says the Reserve Bank deserves much of the blame for the latest sharp drop in GDP. Our economy's contracted 0.9% in the June quarter. The Government says international turmoil and uncertainty over tariffs have driven the fall, which was much larger than expected. Key told Mike Hosking the OCR was also a major factor. He says two months ago he was criticised for calling for the OCR to come down 100-basis points, but that will probably now happen by Christmas. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon specifically referenced Ireland and Singapore as “two economies we often look to for inspiration on investment and technology”, John Key imagined the country as the “Switzerland of the South Pacific”. But based on the research of academic Angus Dowell on how big-tech cloud providers expand and dominate markets across the globe, he argues such comparisons are simplistic and misleading. Angus joins us tonight LIVE at 9pm to talk over the issueAngus' article here https://theconversation.com/politicians-love-comparing-nzs-economy-to-singapore-or-ireland-but-its-simplistic-and-misleading-264679An Israeli strike that Israel claims targeted top Hamas leaders Wednesday as they gathered in the Gulf nation of Qatar marked a major escalation in the war in Gaza with some in the middle east saying this ends the chance of a cease fire as Israel has now bombed 6 countries or regions in 2025In direct defiance of his co-leaders, Te Pāti Māori MP Tākuta Ferris is doubling down on his criticism of non-Māori people supporting Labour's Peeni Henare's by-election campaign. Ferris defended and repeated his comments during an unusual eight minute video he uploaded to social media at around midnight.=================================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

At the end of each week, Mike Hosking takes you through the big-ticket items and lets you know what he makes of it all. The Chinese parade: 8/10 Forget politics. As a “thing”, as a spectacle, as a “can you believe how in time those goose steppers are?”, it was spellbinding. Helen Clark and John Key and Dan Andrews and Bob Carr: 4/10 On balance, given what it was really about, I think it was a mistake. Trump's death: 2/10 A sad reminder of just how thick, gullible and worryingly naive some people are. And that's before you get to the morons who thought Taylor had DM'ed Eden Park as a wedding venue. I am not making it up. Teachers: 7/10 Big increases in enrolments. Just wait until the unions get hold of them and kill the buzz. The Tamaki Makaurau by-election: 2/10 Is this the most pitiful display of disinterest in modern democracy? If you thought Port Waikato was bad, this thing looks like it will hit it out of the park. That's if the park is open. LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEW See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anne Daniels President of the NZ Nurses Organisation joins the show to talk about this weeks' strike action.Chloe Swarbrick and David Seymour on Herald NOW to discuss the Paris Climate Agreement that Seymour has called for NZ to leave.Helen Clarke and John Key were in China for celebrations, representing NZ alongside some controversial guests.... And just a day later Judith Collins makes a secret visit to Kyiv Ukraine to show NZ's support.=================================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

Tonight on The Huddle, journalist Clare de Lore and former Labour Minister Stuart Nash joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! ACT leader David Seymour says the Paris Agreement needs to be reformed - or else New Zealand should walk away. Is he right? Will National get on board for it? Helen Clark and John Key are set to attend China's big military parade alongside Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un. What do we make of this? Will Luxon and Winston be glad they don't have to go? The Polish CEO who made headlines after he snatched a child's hat at the US Open has since apologised - do we believe this? NZI says we have three times as many ministerial portfolios as we need - do we need to make some cuts? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former New Zealand Prime Ministers John Key and Helen Clark will attend a large Chinese military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the Chinese victory against Japan in World War Two. The ceremony in Tiananmen Square on Wednesday will also feature leaders like Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un. National Minister Chris Bishop says he thinks the invitation reflects the historical circumstances of their Governments. "Helen Clark and John Key - their Governments had good relations, we did the free trade deal under the Clark Government, which continued on." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday, 1 September 2025, the $5 million dollar rule. Immigration Minister Erica Stanford tells Heather why foreign investors will soon be able to buy expensive homes in New Zealand. Should we make learning a second language compulsory? Juliet Kennedy from the NZ association of language teachers tells Heather why we should. Heather asks Associate Finance Minister Chris Bishop why Helen Clark and John Key are going to China's big parade - but no current Ministers were invited. Plus, the Huddle debates whether we've lost the health and safety plot, shutting one of Auckland's biggest parks because of some heavy wind. 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.

The Apostle Thomas… (pause) I wonder if he was agood bowler.Now, most of you know me well enough to knowI'm not exactly… gifted when it comes to sports.I'm about to tell you something, but I'll warn you:most of you probably won't believe me.”I actually won a game of bowling against myfamily last week?(Beats look around)And […]

https://www.bible.com/events/49481405 Church of the Nazarene – East Rockingham Campus  5 Keys of John Part 4  Stop doubting and believe…  We continue in our teaching series in the Gospel of John called “Five Keys of John”.  The gospel of John was written around 80-90AD, by Jesus' closest friend; The Apostle John.  John was the oldest and […]

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 22nd of August, the Air Force is getting planes and helicopters from the US, so we're finally starting to get a respectable fleet. All Blacks coach Scott Robertson takes a break from the wine and meat to tell us about the team' prospects this weekend in their second clash against Argentina. Kate Hawkesby and "some rando" John Key are back by popular demand to Wrap the Week - from a superyacht! Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Back by popular demand, Sir John Key is back alongside Kate Hawkesby and Mike Hosking to Wrap the Week that was. This week the former Prime Minister is calling in from a super yacht in Croatia, discussing the Warriors, Father's Day, and ChatGPT. Plus, Kate tells a story about Lebanese food. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

WELCOME  WHO IS JESUS?                                                      AW TOZER QUOTE  WEEK 1- JESUS IS GODS SON  WEEK 2 (WHO IS JESUS)   JESUS AND THE WRITER OF THIS BOOK ASK-   DO YOU BELIEVE?  BELIEVE WHAT? –   98 TIMES HE USES THE WORD BELIEVE  BUT EVEN DEMONS BELIEVE SCRIPTURE SAYS  THAT I'M THE SON OF GOD  DO YOU BELIEVE- […]

Five Keys (Truths) from John:   Sent into the World | John 17:13-21  Key Concepts  MESSAGE: (stand for the reading of the Word)  Illustration  Author and pastor Mark Sayers says there are two stories competing for our minds and hearts. The first story is broadcast loudly across pop culture, social media, and all media. It claims […]

Ratusan terpidana berbagai kasus mendapatkan remisi dalam HUT Ke-80 RI, dan ada pula yang mendapat bebas bersyarat, diantaranya terpidana kasus KTP Elektronik Setya Novanto, yang menerima remisi atau potongan masa tahanan total 28 bulan 15 hari selama di penjara. Lainya adalah terpidana kasus pembunuhan Ronald Tannur, John Key dan Shane lukas. Apa latar belakang pemberian remisi tsb?Talk bersama Kepala Subdirektorat Kerja Sama Pemasyarakatan Direktorat Jenderal Pemasyarakatan, Rika Aprianti.

It's Friday once more, but Mike Hosking's panel for Wrapping the Week looks a little different. Tim Wilson is off on holiday, so a special guest was brought in to replace him – Sir John Key. It took a while for Kate to guess the "rando" calling in, but once she did they got stuck in discussing clothing, wine, and whether or not Sir John can join Kate's pickleball league. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

THE BEST BITS IN A SILLIER PACKAGE (from Friday's Mike Hosking Breakfast) Starting with a Cliffhanger/Water's Back/What Teachers Make/Mark the Week/Some RandoSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I can't blame you if your assessment of Parliament today is that it's become a circus, because what happened today is kind of hard to defend or even explain. Chlöe was kicked out, Brownlee suspended her for a week and all of the Government parties voted for that punishment - and that includes New Zealand First, before Winston Peters then got up to tell Jerry Brownlee that the punishment wasn't fair, even though he just voted for the punishment. And then Debbie got up and said the C-word again. Now, Chlöe did actually break the rules. I mean, this is another one of those seemingly arbitrary or hard to explain rules in Parliament - that MPs can't accuse each other of being cowards. Nick Smith did it in 2003, he accused MPs across the house of not having the spine to debate a vote. He withdrew and apologized. Steve Chadwick did it in 2007, she accused the opposition of being absolutely gutless and spineless. She withdrew and apologized. John Key did it in 2015, quite famously when he yelled at Labour to get some guts over the war, but he got away with it and actually probably shouldn't have. So Chlöe did break the rules. But then, Debbie got up and said the C-word, and she didn't break the rules. So explain that. How is accusing other MPs of being spineless worse than dropping the C-bomb in the House of Representatives? I mean, sure, one is aimed at someone and the other one is just a swear word that's been dropped. But when you get into explaining that level of nuance on offensiveness, I think you've lost the audience. Plus, why is Gerry Brownlee all of a sudden the tough cop? I mean, this is the guy who was wringing his hands over the Māori Party getting kicked out of Parliament for 3 weeks for the haka in David Seymour's face and for refusing to turn up to the Privileges Committee and for them leaking the recommended punishment from the Privileges Committee. But when Chlöe says basically the same thing that John Key once said without punishment, Jerry comes down on her like a ton of bricks. Frankly, none of this makes sense anymore. I mean, it does on a level of detail and minutia, sure, but explaining it to a normal person, no sense whatsoever. But guess who's loving this? Chlöe's loving this, because Chlöe's learned from Te Pāti Māori and the haka that there's one surefire way to get attention, and that's to break the rules of Parliament and not be sorry. What a circus. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on the show… David Farrar .. He is the National party pollster.. The man who John Key once famously described as the best pollster in NZ … So what's going on in the polls Is Chris Luxon really in trouble and potentially leading National to a first term defeat… And Chloe Swarbrick versus the Speaker … who should win and who will win? Welcome to the programe  Website: https://www.rova.nz/home/podcasts/duncan-garner---editor-in-chief Instagram: @DuncanGarnerpodcast  TikTok: @DuncanGarnerpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

MOST KNOW THAT WE HAVE MULTIPLE CAMPUSES  WANTED TO SHARE FROM THE OTHER CAMPUSES  WE ARE GOING TO DO A COMBINED BAPTISM END OF SEPTEMBER FIRST TWO SERVICES  MORE DETAILS COMING  PASTOR JARED AND JOHNNY GOOD     JOHNNY'S MOM/DAD ATTEND EAST ROCK     JOHNNY IS BEING DEPLOYED THIS WEEK  JOHNNY GOOD BAPTISM  WE ALSO THIS […]

https://www.bible.com/events/49475044 Church of the Nazarene – East Rockingham Campus  5 Keys of John Part 2  I am the resurrection and the life.  We continue in our teaching series in the Gospel of John called “Five Keys of John”.  The gospel of John was written around 80-90AD, by Jesus' closest friend; The Apostle John.  John was […]

Isaiah 43:10b-11   Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior.  INTRO:  (SLIDE) John 1:1-5  1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. […]

https://www.bible.com/events/49471790 Church of the Nazarene – East Rockingham Campus 5 Keys of John Part 1 The Preeminence and Lordship of Christ We are beginning a new teaching series in the Gospel of John called “Five Keys from John”. The gospel of John was written around 80-90AD, by Jesus' closest friend; The Apostle John. John was […]

We chatted to the Prince of the Provinces, Matua Shane, on the eve of the Trump tariff announcement and on the menu was the risk of stagflation, the OCR, John Key's rock star economy, sleeping through the tsunami alerts, Jacinda and Kamala's books, and our joint Te Puke Rugby Club fundraiser. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

They haven't said it explicitly yet, but one day soon, our KiwiSaver contributions will rise to 12% and Kiwibank will be partially sold to foreign buyers. On the bank, Nicola Willis is flying a kite and talking about a potentially partial float of the stock exchange for the wee Kiwi battler. It needs capital to grow and take on the big banks. They're getting access to an extra half a billion through changes already announced. But they could yet get more, should National campaign on a partial float. It's sounding more and more like they will. And the question is whether most voters will care? I think not. Asset sales are not the great electoral disaster they were once portrayed as - just ask John Key who whipped Phil Goff's butt in 2011 on a platform of partially privatising assets. On KiwiSaver... the Government's already upped the amount we pay, and our bosses pay on our behalf, towards retirement. Our default contribution is going up to 4% over three years. Add your employer's and that's 8%. Scott Simpson was at a conference yesterday and there's an interest.co.nz report quoting him as saying basically it'll happen before long. At a gradual pace. But here's the thing... like the partial float of Kiwibank, this is all stuff that needs to happen. The Aussies' pensions funds boast $4 trillion in balances. That money is put to work. It funds infrastructure. It builds wealth. It grows a domestic economy. Our KiwiSaver balances, collectively, sit just above $100 billion. It's David and Goliath. So we need to save more. And if we're serious about a Kiwi bank taking on the Aussies and sticking it to them good and proper, we'll need some outside capital to give it that boost. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Can I suggest Jarrod Kerr for Governor of the Reserve Bank? Jarrod is Kiwibank's Chief Economist. He has been completely consistent in his ongoing commentary around interest rate cuts and the Reserve Bank's need to do more. To be fair, our own Greg Smith at Devon Funds Management has told us, and argued, a similar story. The Kiwibank economic report that got a decent amount of coverage over the weekend is Jarrod's - proof positives that he is right and Adrian Orr and Christian Hawkesby have been, and are, wrong. As long as they continue to be myopic and look at nothing but inflation they can argue two things. 1) It's in the band, even though it's dangerously close to not being, and will most likely breach it this year, 2) This ongoing, but increasing false, idea that they have cut enough and the efforts of that will flow through eventually. We are virtually in August and the 25 points cut in the latter part of this year that's supposed to be lift off is nothing of the sort and the Kiwibank report confirms it. It tells us what we know already - the further south you go the better it is. But here is the real news; even in the best, most lucrative, optimistic part of the country i.e Otago and Southland they only get 5/10. A half mark is as good as it gets. The rest of the country is miserable. Are there signs? Yes, but how long do you want to squeeze the economic lemon looking for juice? Dairy, meat and kiwifruit - all the stuff we have talked about, and celebrated, is not only doing the heavy lifting; it's doing almost all the lifting. Tourism is there in Otago. But its still only 86% of what it was six years ago. Confidence is hard to find, foreigners still can't buy a house when they invest millions, and for every dollar you get from lower interest rates you pay $2 more for your power and insurance and rates, which have become the new version of highway robbery. The economy needs help. It needs a major enthusiast, it needs a circuit breaker and the Reserve Bank and their view and actions are potentially it. Jarrod sees it, Greg sees it, John Key sees it and wants a full 100 points drop. But until anyone of them is Governor, we rely on Christian and his committee and that is where the problem lies. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Can I suggest Jarrod Kerr for Governor of the Reserve Bank? Jarrod is Kiwibank's Chief Economist. He has been completely consistent in his ongoing commentary around interest rate cuts and the Reserve Bank's need to do more. To be fair, our own Greg Smith at Devon Funds Management has told us, and argued, a similar story. The Kiwibank economic report that got a decent amount of coverage over the weekend is Jarrod's - proof positives that he is right and Adrian Orr and Christian Hawkesby have been, and are, wrong. As long as they continue to be myopic and look at nothing but inflation they can argue two things. 1) It's in the band, even though it's dangerously close to not being, and will most likely breach it this year, 2) This ongoing, but increasing false, idea that they have cut enough and the efforts of that will flow through eventually. We are virtually in August and the 25 points cut in the latter part of this year that's supposed to be lift off is nothing of the sort and the Kiwibank report confirms it. It tells us what we know already - the further south you go the better it is. But here is the real news; even in the best, most lucrative, optimistic part of the country i.e Otago and Southland they only get 5/10. A half mark is as good as it gets. The rest of the country is miserable. Are there signs? Yes, but how long do you want to squeeze the economic lemon looking for juice? Dairy, meat and kiwifruit - all the stuff we have talked about, and celebrated, is not only doing the heavy lifting; it's doing almost all the lifting. Tourism is there in Otago. But its still only 86% of what it was six years ago. Confidence is hard to find, foreigners still can't buy a house when they invest millions, and for every dollar you get from lower interest rates you pay $2 more for your power and insurance and rates, which have become the new version of highway robbery. The economy needs help. It needs a major enthusiast, it needs a circuit breaker and the Reserve Bank and their view and actions are potentially it. Jarrod sees it, Greg sees it, John Key sees it and wants a full 100 points drop. But until anyone of them is Governor, we rely on Christian and his committee and that is where the problem lies. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Education Minister's stressing schools can still be flexible as the Government pulls the plug on open plan classrooms. It was introduced by John Key's Government in 2011. Erica Stanford announced yesterday all new builds will now have more traditional layouts. She told Kerre Woodham there are good examples in the best modern learning environments. She's also looking into helping fund schools to modify existing open-plan rooms. Stanford told Woodham she's tasking the school property agency to look into ways to help schools revert their teaching spaces. In the meantime, she says, schools have five year property budgets, with a category for classroom modifications they can use. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Around about 30 years from now the AI bot, who will be presenting the 9am to midday show, will announce breathlessly that single-cell classes are to be done away with and open plan classrooms are planned for future school builds to allow greater collaboration between students and teachers. A more relaxed style of learning, yadda yadda yadda – what do you think? 0800 80 10 80, the AI bot will say, because as sure as God made little apples, this is going to come around again. Anybody who's been around since the 70s, perhaps earlier, will know that the great open plan versus single-cell classes debate has been going on, and on, and on for decades. Honestly, for people who preach collaboration and open minds, academics within education are awfully territorial and guard their own patch. Whole word learning versus phonics is another cracker, but we'll save that for the AI bot of the future. While open plan designs were originally designed to foster collaboration, they have often created challenges for schools. So it was stop the presses yesterday when the Minister of Education announced that open plan classrooms aren't meeting the needs of students and teachers. Colour me pink and call me shocked! Whoever would have thunk it? We did. We all knew it. They were originally intended to foster collaboration, and you can imagine a bunch of pointy heads sitting around a table saying: it'll be amazing – teachers will be able to draw support from one another, and those that perhaps aren't getting results from one student can look to another. Teachers will be able to foster the kind of energy and creativity that we need to see, and the children will be able to mingle. But no, it's been an abject disaster. It was an abject disaster in the 70s. It was an abject disaster in the 80s and it's been an epic disaster since John Key and Hekia Parata introduced them in 2011. Erica Stanford says in many cases, open plan classrooms reduce flexibility rather than enhance it. She says we've listened to the sector; new classrooms will no longer be open plan. But this is the good thing: they're not going back to the future again. They're going to create classes that prioritise flexibility over open plan layouts, so the use of glass sliding doors means spaces can be open when you want to have a wider collaboration, but then they can be closed for focused learning. This idea doesn't mean we're going back to the prefab – the cold, uninsulated prefabs for every class that possibly you went to school in. If teachers want to open up space, they can, when they want to shut themselves off, they can. There is no one-size-fits-all for every class and that is the way it should be. The thing I really liked about Erica Stanford's announcement was the flexibility. This is a good thing. This is a very good thing. And I want to hear positive, joyous, fabulous response to this announcement from the Minister of Education, as one Minister who really understands her portfolio. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many principals are welcoming the Government's decision to scrap open plan classrooms as a no-brainer. Education Minister Erica Stanford says all new builds will have more traditional layouts, reversing the decision from John Key's government. Christchurch's Shirley Boys' High School's paid $800 thousand to transform its open plan classrooms to single cells. Headmaster Tim Grocott told Heather du Plessis Allan they noticed an immediate improvement. He says they're a secondary school teaching individual subjects, so individual classes for teachers is crucial. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's concerns the Government's being too black and white with its decision to pull the plug on open plan classrooms. The idea was introduced by John Key's Government in 2011. The Education Minister Erica Stanford says now all new builds will have more traditional layouts. Auckland's May Road Primary School Principal Lynda Stuart told Andrew Dickens it shouldn't be a binary discussion. She says it works well when you've thought about neurodivergent children, others that need the space to move and you've designed an environment for them. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ray Chung has surely scuppered his chances of becoming Wellington's next mayor, hasn't he? Although, given the way voters in Wellington tend to cast their ballots given their previous form, perhaps not. Chung has sent an email to three of his fellow councillors with the heading ‘A sordid night on the town”, in which he proceeded to pass on a story he heard from a neighbour while out dog walking, trash talking Mayor Tory Whanau. It accused her of participating in an orgy with a couple of young men and taking drugs, and talked about the form of the woman involved, being Tory Whanau, having soft, pendulous breasts. Whanau released the email to the New Zealand Herald as an example of the dehumanising personal attacks she's experienced during her term as Wellington mayor and part of the reason she's not running for the mayoralty again. She said this sort of behaviour (the sending of gossip to fellow councillors), is unbecoming for a public official, it's creepy, it's gross. If he's going to stay in the mayoral race, he needs to commit to a clean campaign. Whanau, who wants to be elected as a councillor but not mayor this election, provided the email to the Herald saying she wanted voters to see evidence of the abuse she and other female politicians endured. This is the thing that stuns me: when questioned about the email, Chung said he had no idea if the contents were true. Absolutely none. He did no fact checking, he just found it interesting, thought his fellow councillors would agree. When pressed maybe three times, he thought perhaps he'd say sorry if it wasn't true, but didn't really see anything wrong with what he'd done. He said I passed on exactly what I was told, I'd call it gossip. And I suppose using the internet is just the modern form of whispering in someone's ear at the village fair. Now the best form of gossip and lying is to feed a story with a grain of truth. Whanau has form in drunken carrying on, it's not a huge leap the way it would be with a teetotalley, happily married young female mayor. Whanau says she can prove she wasn't at this supposed orgy which Chung says took place on New Year's Eve. She was at a function for ambassadors in the city and then went on to a rainbow community party on New Year's Eve. She says she can show that the story is malicious gossip. The scary thing about this is that people think they can say anything about anybody these days and get away with it. For all the faults of the mainstream media, we are accountable for the things we say and write. So if we get it wrong, we are censored. The records corrected and you know about it. We can certainly have opinions you disagree with, that's different, but if we had come out with a story like that, we could be sued for defamation. And in the past this radio station has been Most radio stations have been, because people take it one step too far, repeat something they've heard because they think it might be interesting. Wrong. It's false. It can be proved to be false, and they're censored, and they have to pay a fine, and they have to apologise and correct the record. I'd love to see how much faith people put in alternative media stories and sources, if they were held to the same level of accountability that we are. The internet is amazing, but it has always been an absolute cesspit of misinformation and lies as well. You know for a fact that the story about Clarke Gayford and the nanny, Clarke Gayford and the Whangarei court appearance, Peter Davis, John Key, Tory Whanau, all of these public figures, you know, for a fact that it's true because your neighbour's niece went to school with the nanny, or your wife's brother's best friend was in the police force in Kerikeri, used to be and he knows for a fact that the court registrar... It's utter bullshit. Complete and utter BS, but you want to believe it. It feeds into how you perceive these people and what you want to believe about these people, whoever they may be. There's a grain of truth to it. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that it could have happened. And again, that's what makes it all so dangerous. I just don't believe anything until I am stepping over the writhing forms of the people allegedly involved and trying not to stand on their pendulous soft breasts. I can't just put up a story because I think you might find it interesting, and I think you'll agree with the story, you'll agree with the narrative. You say where's your proof? Where's your evidence? And if I can't provide it, you can sue me for defamation. And that's a jolly good thing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

fWotD Episode 2981: Happy Feet (penguin) Welcome to Featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Thursday, 3 July 2025, is Happy Feet (penguin).Happy Feet was an emperor penguin who, in June 2011, arrived at Peka Peka Beach in the Kāpiti Coast District of New Zealand's North Island after travelling about 3,200 kilometres (2,000 mi) from Antarctica. He was one of the northernmost emperor penguins ever recorded outside of captivity, and the second emperor penguin to be found in New Zealand. After arriving, he ingested sand on the beach, mistaking it for snow, and filled his proventriculus with it. He soon became lethargic, dehydrated and overheated and was transported to Wellington Zoo, where he was given a 50 per cent chance of survival. Most of the sand was removed, and he was kept at the zoo for 10 weeks to recover.Happy Feet was released in the Southern Ocean on 4 September 2011, about 78 kilometres (48 mi) north of Campbell Island, at the 51st parallel. He was fitted with a satellite transmitter to track his location, but the device ceased transmission on 9 September, possibly due to the transmitter falling off or him being preyed upon.Happy Feet's arrival and recovery was reported on by more than 600 media outlets worldwide. The event raised the public's awareness of wildlife, and for some time received more media attention than New Zealand prime minister John Key. Named after the 2006 film Happy Feet, which features emperor penguins, he was one of Time's runner-ups for the 2011 Animal of the Year. He was the subject of a children's book written by Christine Wilton, who first sighted the penguin at the beach, and another children's book published by Penguin Books in late 2011.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:53 UTC on Thursday, 3 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Happy Feet (penguin) on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Salli.

Last week when Shaun Johnson was in the studio, we were discussing retirement. Not mine, but that's of growing fascination to me these days. When do you know? If you aren't getting cancelled, or run out of town, or falling apart, how do you know? John Key famously had nothing left in the tank. Johnson was explaining it was important for him to go out when he decided, not when he was dropped. The TV stuff he now does was something he was interested in, but didn't know how it would unfold. Johnson at 34 years old seemed young enough. I look at people like Tom Brady in his mid 40's. One more season, one more chance at greatness, and he goes out a hero with another Super Bowl win. I look at Aaron Rodgers, who has signed at Pittsburgh this year. He looks like he has gone a season too long. He looks like he is looking for work, when he should really be looking for life after football. Maybe this season will make a fool of me, but I doubt it. But all of that pales in comparison when it comes to Nico Porteous. He is walking away from his snow sports career at 23 years old. He doesn't want to use the word retirement, but equally he won't be at the Olympics anymore. As our most successful ever snow sport athlete, it is over. He also doesn't know what he is going to do, or what his future looks like. But he has enjoyed videos and production so maybe that's a path. How do you decide that at 23 years old? How do you know that it's right? Who advises you? How do you know they're right? Having spent your entire life aiming for the one big thing, sporting excellence, how do you pull the cord when you have, if you want, years to go? Are you one of those people who can walk away from that level of exhilaration and success and not look back? Is now knowing what's next part of the thrill? Will you keep the scrapbook of memories? Will you tell your kids or grandkids about the halfpipe? Will they ask how come Dad can do flips on skis when they first go to Cardrona? What a big call with so much ahead of him. Or was what he did plenty? Is that a good way to see life? I admire him. Is he reckless? Could be. Maybe he is an insightful genius. Either way, I admire him. At 23 years old I would have tortured myself, and probably still wouldn't have done what he has. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Neighbours at War was a popular reality show that ran for 10 years and eight seasons on TV2. Narrated by long-serving director Bill Kerton, it offered a quirky Kiwi take on a UK concept: take a seemingly unsolvable dispute over a boundary/ fence/driveway, and get a famous Kiwi to mediate the neighbours who can't agree. Mediators included Mark Sainsbury, Tom Bradley, Police Ten 7's Graham Bell, and John Key. The purposefully cheesy music, and emotion worn on the sleeve, helped make the Greenstone TV show a “much-loved New Zealand staple

Sir John Key does not believe US President Donald Trump intends to keep tariffs on most of the world. The former Prime Minister is speaking at the Ignite 25 Growth Summit business event in Auckland today. Key, who's supported Trump in the past, says the President is only focused on China in his new trade policies. He told Mike Hosking the stock, bond, and currency markets are not convinced that Trump is going to leave them where they are. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is little in life more nauseating than a sycophant. These are people who do not what they believe is right, but bend to the whim, flavour, or mood of the day. The corporate world is full of it. The tech giants have been badly exposed as they decide fact checking is for losers now that big Don is running the place. The battle is being fought locally as well. There is word New Zealand First are looking at a members bill to make banks do business properly. Currently, and this is also a major debate in Australia, banks have taken the stance that there are some businesses that they don't like. Those dabbling in fossil fuels is one of them. They have made getting money hard work. They have not done this because there isn't profit or because these businesses default. They have done this because fossil fuels are out, and climate change is in. The coalition in Australia, who at this stage are odds on to become the Government midyear, are going hard because fossil fuels are of greater importance to them than they are here. But the role of the banks, once again, is being called into question. In this country the Government is gunning for them over margins and competition. The last thing they need is another fight over their right, or predilection, for doing business with some people and not others. As the former chair of our biggest bank John Key quite rightly pointed out on this programme a number of times said, banks have a very large social licence. They are a backbone of an economy. It is not their job to play politics, or trend setter to the groovy mood of the day. Fossil fuels remain vital for keeping the lights on. You might not like that but it's true. If it changes, that's brilliant. Right now it isn't, or hasn't been, enough. Morals are personal choices, not business ones, and certainly not in businesses with the influence banks have. The thought that a Government might have legislate to make a business behave itself shows you how badly these places are reading the mood. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sir John Key doubts asset sales would achieve much. The former Prime Minister says cutting bureaucracy and allowing better foreign investment would have more of an impact. National says it may campaign on state-owned asset sales next election, a policy New Zealand First is dead against, while ACT's floating privatisation of health and education. Key told Mike Hosking people are opposed because of what he thinks is ideological mumbo jumbo. He says they just want to say everything is fantastic when its run by the state and you can't trust the private sector, but most things are done by the private sector already. Sir John Key says there's nothing much left to sell, anyway. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 29th of January, the Police force is set to see change in their middle management – Commissioner Richard Chambers shared the details. Privatisation is back on the minds of the Government, so Sir John Key gave his thoughts as to whether it'd serve New Zealand well. Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen round out the A-team, returning for Politics Wednesday. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is this the age of outsourcing? This is not a show about call centres in India. Rather, it's a look at a much deeper shift in who we are, how we think, and where value is created. In some ways, it's the most dizzying and philosophical shift of all. In this episode, we attempt to understand outsourcing at the macro level - how corporations have outsourced so much that they've become hollow. And we look at the micro level - how we've outsourced our minds and memories to technology. Contributors Margaret MacMillan, Emeritus Professor of International History at the University of Oxford and author of several acclaimed books. James Williams is an author and technology advisor. He worked for Google for more than 10 years where he received the Founders Award for his work on search advertising. He's the author of Stand Out of Our Light: Freedom and Resistance in the Attention Economy. John Key is author of The Corporation in the 21st Century. He's a visiting professor at the London School of Economics and a columnist for the Financial Times.Production team Editor: Sara Wadeson Producers: Emma Close, Marianna Brain, Michaela Graichen Sound: Tom Brignell Production Co-ordinators: Janet Staples and Katie MorrisonArchive Steve Jobs launches the Apple iPhone, 2007

We ask the former PM where his "rock star" economy has gone with NZ suffering its worst six-month period since 1991 (with the exception of the 2020 Covid shock). We also debate/discuss the age of eligibility for National Super, Trump, Winston's statesman-like persona and whether Seymour is riding roughshod over Luxon?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hear former Prime Minister Sir John Key (Director - Palo Alto Networks) and Misti Landtroop (Managing Director NZ- Palo Alto Networks), as they join Paul Spain to explore the evolving landscape of cybersecurity.Sir John Key shares unique perspective drawn from his current and past experiences, including:- Prime Minister of New Zealand- Minister responsible of Special Intelligence Service (SIS) and Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB)- Director at Palo Alto Networks- Director at ANZ Bank- Director at Air New ZealandThe episode is focussed on cybersecurity viewpoints - including predictions for 2025 from Unit 42, and reflects on the importance of continuous adaptation, education, and integration in the fight against cyber threats from various sources including powerful nation state actors. A range of other topics were discussed including weighing up the importance of privacy vs security.Special thanks to our show partners 2degrees, One NZ, Spark, HP and Gorilla Technology.

The former National deputy leader and cabinet minister died after a long battle with cancer. Sir John Key said Ms Kaye's initial breast cancer diagnosis in 2016 was much worse than either of them had let on publicly - but her dedication to politics had given her the strength to get through it and achieve a remarkable amount in her 44 years. Political reporter Giles Dexter has more.

Former Prime Minister Sir John Key says the late Nikki Kaye was a fierce, hardworking and wonderful friend and MP.

Two battleground states now have gone to the Republican candidate Donald Trump who's path to victory is now looking increasingly secure. He leads leads Kamala Harris now 246 votes to 187 - and has leads in the swing states which are still furiously counting votes. While the dominant electoral issues of the economy, abortion and immigration have been key voting factors for many Americans, there are other elements pushing people to have their say. Tim Groser, who was a minister in John Key's government as well as being New Zealand's ambassador to the United States between 2016 and 2018, during the last Trump administration spoke to Lisa Owen.

Tim Groser, who was a minister in John Key's government as well as being New Zealand's ambassador to the United States between 2016 and 2018, during the last Trump administration spoke to Lisa Owen.

Tim Groser, who was a minister in John Key's government as well as being New Zealand's ambassador to the United States between 2016 and 2018, during the last Trump administration spoke to Lisa Owen. Over the last ten days, Corin Dann has experienced the divisive nature of American politics first hand in the swing states of Arizona and Pennsylvania. He has walked the wall in the border town of Nogales and witnessed the pride and passion of Puerto Ricans as they rallied their community to vote. For his final thoughts, on the crazy train that has been this U.S election, Corin Dann spoke to Lisa Owen from Washington DC.

Don't cry no tears... unless its because you've discovered another supremely underrated Fall-related, Manchester band: The Teardrops. Gavin and Steve dive into the band's EP and a single from this unique group. Over the duration of the band's life it featured members such as Steve Garvey, Karl Burns, Tony Friel, Martin Bramah and John Key(?!), among others. Join us on Patreon for the full episode and to listen-along to the full (great) tracks! Are you searching for the (next episode) now? Are you looking for the real thing, yeah?  You may be missing out on more great Fall-related explorations… but not if you join us on ⁠WATF PATREON:  Full A & B-SIDE discussions (Now!), special (Patreon-only) bonus episodes, side excursions into Fall-member side projects, and early access to all episodes! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Join WATF Pod on PATREON and get them all! Including rare Fall content, merch, and exclusive chats with Gavin & Steve as they discuss everything Fall-related.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow WATF Pod on:  ⁠Instagram⁠  //  YouTube  //  ⁠Twitter⁠  //  ⁠Facebook⁠ For more Fall-related info, please visit our fellow Fall-heads' great work at:  TheFall.org  //  The Annotated Fall Theme Song by Gavin Watts: ⁠https://wearethefallpod.bandcamp.com/⁠ Produced and presented by Watts Happening Records: ⁠www.TheWattsHappening.com⁠ Advertising & Guest Inquiries - Contact:  wearethefallpod@gmail.com

Here is the first episode of the Matt & Jerry Show Victory Lap! Only 3 left... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A walkout at the Iwi Leaders' Forum, a call from John Key to turn down the temperature, and protests at parliament. Annabelle Lee-Mather, Ben Thomas and Toby Manhire test the air on the coalition government relationship with iwi Māori as former minister Tracey Martin urges National to back down on its coalition commitment with Act to repeal Section 7aa of the Oranga Tamariki Act. Plus: is Karen Chhour right that the pressure she's facing in parliament crosses the line? Should MPs in the house wear more or less party insignia? And how did Christopher Luxon go at the weekend's party conference? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices