Podcast appearances and mentions of kris faafoi

It appears more people are looking at downgrading their car insurance, to third party cover, as policy costs continue to rise. Figures from insurance price comparison website "Quashed" shows car insurance is up 7% compared to last year. Generally third party insurance covers someone for damage to other people vehicles and property, but not your own and is cheaper than a full insurance policy. Kris Faafoi from the Insurance Council of New Zealand spoke to Lisa Owen.

On Thursday's programme we reported that an Australian insurer has been told to scrap a whopping 60 percent hike of a home insurance premium after a customer raised a complaint. The Australian Financial Complaints Authority deemed the premium increase unjustified and unfair. We spoke to Rebecca Styles from Consumer NZ, who said New Zealand's Insurance and Financial Ombudsman is not able to consider such cases - and that there's limited action policyholders here can take when premiums dramatically increase. We also said the Insurance Council of New Zealand had declined to come on the programme. This was incorrect, and we apologise for the error. Insurance Council of New Zealand chief executive Kris Faafoi spoke to Corin Dann.

Kris Faafoi, Chief Exec of the Insurance Council, tells Garth Bray what recent climate events mean for New Zealanders who want to protect their assets. Why have insurance premiums gone up? Are they leveling out? What's the deal with reinsurance? And what does it all mean for homeowners and home buyers? We discuss the growing influence of climate events on insurance availability and affordability and get a revealing look at the future of our insurance sector—and the effects on our biggest investments. For more or to watch on YouTube—check out http://linktr.ee/sharedlunch Brought to you by Sharesies Appearance on Shared Lunch is not an endorsement by Sharesies of the views of the presenters, guests, or the entities they represent. Their views are their own. Shared Lunch is not financial advice. We recommend talking to a licensed financial adviser. You should review relevant product disclosure documents before deciding to invest. Investing involves risk. You might lose the money you start with. Content is current at the time.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Home insurance premiums have jumped up almost 25 percent in the past year - about six time faster than income. Insurance Council chief executive Kris Faafoi speaks to Lisa Owen

The cost of insuring a home is rising six times faster than incomes.  Data from Stats NZ show insurance premiums have increased 14 percent in the year to March, while incomes rose just 4.1 percent over the same period. The price of home insurance has increased 24.6 percent, while contents has increased 28 percent – both the biggest increase since the 1980s.  Insurance Council Chief Executive Kris Faafoi tells Mike Hosking a spike in premiums often follows significant events like natural disasters. It is important consumers maintain their level of insurance to protect important things in their life.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Monday the 6th of May, we have the Government's water plan for Auckland, so what could that mean for the rest of the country?    Insurance rates are going up six times faster than incomes so what can we do about it? Kris Faafoi with the Insurance Council speaks to Mike.  Andrew Saville and Guy Heveldt cover the miserable Warriors loss, the Super Rugby and problems with the game on the Commentary Box.  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.

The Insurance Council is backing calls for Kiwis to lift their understanding of the risks of natural hazards. The Reserve Bank has released an excerpt on insurance in its upcoming Financial Stability Report. It says insurers, Government, home buyers and lenders all need to up their knowledge, so that future insurance affordability challenges, can be better managed. Insurance Council chief executive Kris Faafoi says it's likely more places will become harder to insure as more risks are identified. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Insurance Council is backing calls for Kiwis to lift their understanding of the risks of natural hazards. The Reserve Bank has released an excerpt on insurance in its upcoming Financial Stability Report. It says insurers, Government, home buyers and lenders all need to up their knowledge, so that future insurance affordability challenges, can be better managed. Insurance Council chief executive Kris Faafoi says it's likely more places will become harder to insure as more risks are identified. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The departing Chief Executive of the Insurance Council of New Zealand says if Wellington is hit with an earthquake on a similar scale to the Canterbury quakes, it would “raise some questions” on whether NZ insurers would be able to continue to purchase reinsurance at an affordable cost.“I think reinsurers would still be there. But the ability to purchase reinsurance at a good rate and the degree of capacity that would be available, particularly for property in Wellington, could be really challenging,” he says in a new episode of interest.co.nz's Of Interest podcast.“Ensuring how we manage that risk is really critical because we're very dependent on offshore capital and reinsurance to help support our insurance programs in New Zealand.”The Insurance Council says to date, private insurers have incurred over $21 billion in expenses due to the Canterbury Earthquakes.Toka Tū Ake EQC has contributed an additional $10 billion, resulting in a total insured cost surpassing $31 billion for the event. The Insurance Council estimates the overall economic losses for the entire sequence are estimated to exceed $40 billion.This week marks the conclusion of Grafton's nearly 12-year tenure as CEO of the Insurance Council and he reflected on his time in the role on the podcast.He says lessons were learnt from the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury Earthquakes, which were then applied to responses to the Kaikōura earthquake in 2016 and the Auckland floods and Cyclone Gabrielle last year as well.“When that [Kaikōura] earthquake struck, which was just a little bit after midnight, I think, on the 14th November, a lot of people were thrown out of bed almost by the earthquake in Wellington. And after the shaking stopped, I rang my counterpart at EQC Ian Simpson [EQC's Chief Executive at the time] and said, ‘we've got to do better than Canterbury and can we meet in a few hours and work out where we go from here',” he says.“So, within four weeks, we had the foundations of an agreement which enabled insurers to manage and settle claims on behalf of EQC. And that meant that for the customer, there was one point of accountability and responsibility for their claims, their insurer. And so it didn't matter whether it was an EQC claim or an insurer claim, they didn't get bounced around between the two.”“So from that, we then developed a more formal and longer lasting agreement with EQC to be their agents. And I think also the experience of those events from Canterbury through to Kaikōura, meant that when the Auckland anniversary floods and Cyclone Gabrielle came along, we were well seasoned in dealing with these kinds of situations.”Kris Faafoi will be the Insurance Council's new Chief Executive from next week. Faafoi held a number of portfolios during the Sixth Labour Government before he quit politics in 2022, including Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Broadcasting and Media, Immigration and Civil Defence.You can find all episodes of the Of Interest podcast here.

Kia ora,Welcome to Friday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we have a quick news wrap-up so you can get back to your 'time-off'.First, American inflation has proved more sticky than markets had hoped, up to 3.4% in December, a rise from a five-month low of 3.1% in November. Market had expected a 3.2% rate. Energy prices went down at a slower pace as did food prices and rents. Core inflation came in only marginally lower than the prior month at 3.9% when a fall to 3.8% from the prior 4.0% was expected.US equities retreated in the news and bond yields rose marginally, with investors less certain a US Fed rate cut is coming soon.Meanwhile the signals from their labour market remain strong. US jobless claims fell last week from the low seasonal level the prior week. This data is still not revealing the long-expected labour market stress market bears have been warning about.Meanwhile we should note that Hertz is selling down its EV rental fleet in the US, reverting to ICE cars. Hertz previously set a target for 25% of its fleet to be electric by the end of 2024 but high operating costs mainly related to collision damage, and very weak resale values have them reassessing the move. They will take a -US$250 mln witeoff related to the move.The latest US 30 yr bond auction brought a median yield of 4.16%, down from the prior 4.28% a month ago. Both were well supported with competitive bidding.In China, December vehicle sales data for December is out revealing a record high 3.15 mln units sold in the month, and taking the annual total to just over 30 mln and also a new record high. NEVs accounted for 9.5 mln units for the year (no, China is not an all-electric market yet). Even for December NEVs sold almost 1.2 mln but that was only just over a third. (You may recall, New Zealand NEV car sales in December were more than 80%.)We will get China's December CPI inflation rate today at 3pm. Expect deflation again of -0.4% for the year after a -0.5% retreat in November.In Norway, with an 80:20 approving vote, their parliament pushed ahead with commercial plans to open the Arctic Ocean to seabed mineral exploration. That was despite environmental groups and the fishing industry's warnings that the move would put the biodiversity of vulnerable ecosystems at risk.Globally, containerised shipping freight rates rose again last week to be +15% higher than the surge the prior week, again all about the Red Sea risks. China to Europe rates were up almost +25%. Transpacific rates to the US barely changed. Going the other way, bulk cargo rates retreated rather sharply this week.Australian exports rose to AU$46.3 bln in November, +1.7% higher than October but -8.2% lower than a year ago. Meanwhile imports slipped rather sharply, down almost -8% from October, so their trade surplus got a boost to +AU$11.4 for the month.Locally we should note that the new head of the Insurance Council is Kris Faafoi, replacing retiring Tim Grafton. Faafoi is an ex-minister in the previous Labour Government. He will start in the role in April.The UST 10yr yield starts today at 4.03% and up +3 bps from this time yesterday. The price of gold will start today down another -US$9/oz at just on US$2017/oz.Oil prices have risen +US$1 to be now just over US$73/bbl in the US. The international Brent price is now just over US$78/bbl.The Kiwi dollar starts today at 62.1 USc and -10 bps softer from yesterday. Against the Aussie we are little-changed at 93.3 AUc. Against the euro we are marginally softer at 56.7 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today still just under 70.7.The bitcoin price starts today slightly firmer, now at US$46,017 and up +1.1% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours however has been very high at +/-4.3%. At one point bitcoin got up to US$49,000 but has retreated most of that since. In a 3-2 split vote, the SEC has approved the establishment of Bitcoin exchange traded funds. Now rather than storing Bitcoin in online wallets, speculators in Bitcoin ETFs would own shares in funds containing the digital currency.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again on Monday.

There's a small sense of satisfaction for me as the second quarterly monitoring report from the Commerce Commission came out on the petrol industry. Do you remember the Commerce Commission and the petrol industry? We were being fleeced by them, so a market study was conducted and, for better or worse, nothing really came out of it. There was a little bit of loosening when it came to access at wholesale level and some signs to be put out advertising their high octane prices. But the famous claim from then-minister Kris Faafoi that we would save over 30 cents a litre was shown to be bollocks. It's sort of ironic if you think about it. Faafoi and his claim have now left the building and he's off doing consulting work. The Prime Minister who told us how fleeced we were getting is long gone as well, presumably about to resign next month with news of her new ventures elsewhere. They come, they go, they make their claims and then they're forgotten. Anyway, the second report. Hold the front pages - the Commission has worked out that if you shop around you can save money. What a revelation. In Auckland, prices on Unleaded 91 vary 22 cents, it's 29 cents for premium 95 and 98 and 31 cents for diesel. I seem to remember that's what I said before the study ever started. There is no scandal, there is no fleecing, price, by and large, is dependent on where you are, what day, what brand, what type and how far you are prepared to drive. And that's before you get to the apps telling you where the bargains are anyway. In other words, anyone with a brain already had it worked out and what the Government were calling for was never going to come to pass. By the way, one of the great upsets before the study was places like Wellington seemed to pay more on average than anyone else. This latest report tells us that Wellington pays more on average than anyone.  So that hasn't changed, has it? The report concludes that if you shop around you can save up to $348 a year. That, as they helpfully point out, all adds up. Sort of like the money required to conduct market studies that lead nowhere. We've had reports on petrol, building supplies and supermarkets. Are you seeing the change? Are you noticing the savings? Are you monitoring the upheaval post the Commission reports? Or is it business as usual? Sometimes the so called scam or fleecing is really only a politician looking for a bit of noise and a cheap headline.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The PM has confirmed what pundits have predicted for weeks: the plan for a public media entity has been scrapped – before they even settled on a name for it. It's the second time in five years Labour's backed away from its public media policy, leaving RNZ and TVNZ in limbo again.

Women will hold the majority of seats in Parliament for the first time ever when Labour MP Soraya Peke-Mason is sworn in today. Peke-Mason's move to Parliament was announced in June, after news that Kris Faafoi would leave politics and Trevor Mallard would move on to a diplomatic posting. Because Gaurav Sharma announced his resignation last week, it means there's currently a 50-50 split between men and women in the House, with Peke-Mason set to tip the balance. She spoke to Corin Dann.

Kris Faafoi's move into lobbying has raised eyebrows - is there a case for regulating the industry?

Kris Faafoi masterminded the public media merger that's now in train, before quitting politics to spend more time with his family last June. Now he wants to spend more time with government again, lobbying for commercial clients. Critics complained about a 'revolving door' between lobbying and government, but the media is part of the equation too.

The National Party wants to stop ministers who've just quit Parliament from being able to immediately become political lobbyists. Former cabinet minister Kris Faafoi has started his own consultancy firm just months after quitting politics. Other countries have rules in place to prevent this from happening. At least two political parties support similar measures being introduced here. Here's political reporter Katie Scotcher.

Today on the second half of The Panel, Wallace and panellists Sue Kedgley and Conor English talk about Kris Faafoi's quick pivot from government minister to lobbyist. Plus they look at normalising anxiety and when reality TV is more fiction than real.

The revolving door from politics to the business world is causing a stir. Less than three months after leaving Parliament, former government minister Kris Faafoi is heading up a new PR and lobbying firm. The journalist-turned MP for Mana is now into his fourth week as chief executive of the company, called Dialogue22. Max Rashbrooke is the author of 'Inequality: A New Zealand Crisis' and expert on wage inequality and the pay gap. He spoke to Guyon Espiner.

Andrew on the collapse of SkyTV's attempt to buy Mediaworks, changes at TVNZ with the launch of their updated streaming brand TVNZ+, and with the recent Cabinet reshuffle, Kris Faafoi hands over the Broadcasting Minister reins to Willie Jackson. Andrew Holden is a journalist for more than 30 years including five as Editor of The Press (in Christchurch) and four as Editor-in-Chief of The Age in Melbourne.

The newly-minted Justice Minister is refuting the suggestion we're too soft on crime.Kiri Allan was handed the portfolio after Kris Faafoi announced he'll be leaving Parliament to spend more time with his family.She told Mike Hosking there's one key question when it comes to the Government's response to crime.Allan says they haven't changed anything in the sentencing regime or anything that would mean they're lighter, or less than, a previous government.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Just a minor reshuffle” the PM said on Monday - angering political reporters and pundits always on the alert for ministerial downfalls.  But it was definitely a major for broadcasting, where a minister making more time for his family has made way for a new one who's given mainstream media a hard time in the past.

Poto Williams has been axed as Police Minister, but the Opposition has already turned its sights to her replacement, Chris Hipkins. Two other big changes have happened, Trevor Mallard is headed overseas and giving up his role as speaker, and Kris Faafoi is leaving Parliament to spend more time with family. RNZ deputy political editor Craig McCulloch spoke to Susie Ferguson.

MPs have their work cut out for them in new portfolios.Kris Faafoi and Trevor Mallard are stepping away from politics, with other politicians stepping into their roles.Chris Hipkins replaces Poto Williams as Police Minister.Former detective and National MP Chester Borrows says told Tim Dower Hipkins is more experienced.“As the Police Association have pointed out, having him also as Minister of Education and minister of half of everything else is going to be a barrier to his ability to be able to work in that portfolio.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MPs have their work cut out for them in new portfolios.Kris Faafoi and Trevor Mallard are stepping away from politics,  with other politicians stepping into their roles.Michael Wood replaces Faafoi as Immigration Minister.Immigration lawyer Aaron Martin told Tim Dower immigration will be an uphill battle for the new minister, Wood.“Minister Faafoi was disinterested and seemed hands off.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a way, the big story and the big surprise out of the Cabinet reshuffle is what didn't happen, even though it's been screaming out for change.Nanaia Mahuta somehow holds on to Foreign Affairs, despite being out of her depth, asleep at the wheel and outwardly not all that interested, given what we've seen in the Pacific lately.Not only that, but she keeps Local Government too, where you might argue the balls-up of Three Waters is an even more spectacular failure than Foreign Affairs.It's hard to understand.But then, when you look at what has changed, maybe not so hard.Hopeless Poto had to go from the Police role. She's been an absolute disaster from the get go. Hard to believe she merits anything as important as Conservation .Associate Paperclips would probably be a stretch, but hey, that's politics.Hipkins taking over police is starting to look like Steven Joyce did for National. The Minister for Everything.  Hardworking, not exactly gifted, but very capable.Kris Faafoi, one time a colleague here at ZB, disappointing, but probably promoted beyond his abilities too soon and burned out. Sad really. Watch for a Faafoi Immigration Consultancy to emerge in the next couple of years.Kiri Allen on the other hand is outstanding, and absolutely deserving of the move to Justice. I suspect the PM would have lifted her further in the rankings given her gleaming talent, but Ardern knows Labour's not going to win the next election.So what matters now is the long term and Kiri Allen is without question a potential leader and therefore, one day, maybe, Prime Minister. Let's not spoil that now with a job that might sully her credentials or burn her out too soon like Faafoi.What's glaringly obvious from the reshuffle is just how scant the talent field is. Out of 65 MPs, and with the obvious exception of Kiri, where's the new talent, where's the fresh face and where's the inspiration?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Minor” changes have been made in the Cabinet reshuffle.Kris Faafoi and Trevor Mallard will leave their roles in Parliament, with Mallard among the outgoing MPs heading for overseas diplomat roles.Poto Williams has also been stripped of her role as Police Minister amid growing criticism from a rise in gang violence and ram raids.NZME Business Commentator Fran O'Sullivan joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to discuss what the next moves are for Faafoi, Mallard and Williams after the reshuffle.LISTEN ABOVE

The Sydney Morning Herald has come under fire for forcing Rebel Wilson to come out as gay.The paper gave Wilson a two-day deadline to comment on her new partner and then complained after she announced it on Instagram first.Another pre-departure test horror story as calls to scrap them get louder.A Kiwi who visited Sydney for work had his pre-departure PCR test denied because it was recorded one minute earlier than the 48 hour threshold, and Customs rejected the traveller's review.Cabinet has had a major reshuffle from what was branded as a “minor” change.Kris Faafoi has left Parliament to be with his family, with Trevor Mallard also leaving to take up a diplomatic role in Europe.Meanwhile, Poto Williams has been replaced as Police Minister by Chris Hipkins and will take up a new role in tacking conservation and disability issues.Neale Jones and Trish Sherson joined Heather du Plessis-Allan on The Huddle

Dramatic changes for the Labour Party.“Minor” changes in a Cabinet reshuffle have seen Kris Faafoi and Trevor Mallard leave Parliament, with Faafoi choosing to leave to be with his family, while Mallard will take up a diplomatic role in Europe.Mallard's replacement as Speaker is Adrian Rurawhe, while Faafoi's portfolios will be replaced by Kiri Allan in Justice, Michael Wood in Immigration and Willie Jackson in Broadcasting.Meanwhile, Poto Williams has been replaced by Chris Hipkins as Police Minister, who gives up his Covid-19 Minister portfolio to Ayesha Verrall, while Associate Minister Jan Tinnetti will take a more prominent role in Education.Jacinda Ardern has said Williams will take on conservation and disability issues.NZ Herald Senior Political Reporter Thomas Coughlan joined Heather du Plessis-Allan.LISTEN ABOVE

As usual there's big, bold talk from the Government, this time on supermarkets.This is their response to the Commerce Commission report into the industry. In simple terms, the market doesn't work as well as it could, and the Government are going to do something about it.The exact same thing happened in petrol. Commerce Commission said the market wasn't working as well as it could be and the Government said they would do something about it. In fact, Kris Faafoi, Minister at the time, said you could save 33 cents a litre by the time they were done.Simple question, are you saving 33 cents?So what will they do at the supermarket? The bit that sounds good is the players must open up their wholesale arms to other operators and conduct business at a fair price.What's fair? Who decides? Is it on individual products? Is it on individual products that aren't on sale, on special, or loss leaders? Or just average prices? New products? What about seasonal products? Products that are locally sourced? Or internationally sourced? What about specialist products? Or is it just an average basket of products?This mandatory wholesale grocery access scheme is going to be regulated and overseen by this new industry regulator. While that's being sorted out, they say it'll be up by the end of the year, the Commerce Commission does the work.So it looks like the Government dictates pricing, because the supermarket have to cut "fair" deals to anyone who wants one. It's the same as profits. David Clark was calling profits in the industry excessive. What's excessive?Are there penalties? What about appeal rights when parties don't agree?If, as a result of this, no one new enters the field, or if someone does but doesn't make it work, is that the industry's fault or a realisation the market of 5-ish million just isn't big enough for more big players?What role, if any, does shopping around have? You can save plenty if you look. The Herald Focus team did it last week, look it up, the variances were huge.This, yet again, is a government looking to run our lives. Yes, we all hate supermarkets like we all hate oil companies, telcos, airlines, and banks. But that doesn't mean we need David Cark in our trolley any more than we needed Faafoi at the pump.Let's check in, in 6 months shall we and see if the change to groceries is as spectacular as the change to petrol?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government's planned new Public Media Entity - backed with $109m a year in last week's Budget - was debated in a virtual meeting this week. But beyond expanded public funding for three years, little more is known about how it will be run, by whom and what it will produce.  

The great tragedy, or sadness, for me out of the Nanaia Mahuta revelation is that we are being let down so badly by hopeless people.Forget politics and your personal view of the world, surely what you want in the leadership of your country is enquiring minds, experience, and institutional knowledge. You want people, who even though you may not agree with, at least you can see what they are trying to do and why.One of the great privileges of this job has been to meet everyone who has run this place for the past 40 years, basically from David Lange on.Lange was brilliant. He was bright, well-read, and articulate. Different world view from me, certainly, as it turned out from Sir Roger Douglas, but came to the job with some credentials. Sir Roger himself had a plan, had a vision, and saved this country from economic calamity by floating the dollar and cutting the subsidies.Ruth Richardson. Yes, a purist. But she could back the arguments up with fact, knew what she wanted to do, and had the intellectual heft to make it happen.Helen Clark. Say whatever you like about her, but you can't possibly argue she isn't connected, isn't well read, and understands vast swathes of the world and how it works.Sir John Key. Self-made, been out in the world, understood the markets, money, and therefore the economy like few others.And so they go.Fast forward to Mahuta, who can't even pick up a phone. She was an appointment you knew from day one was odd. You wondered, "How the hell did that happen?" And now, we have evidence of the greatest crime of all, whether in politics or not, the lack of an inquiring mind.The best excuse they can come up with is that's not the way it's done.What crap.What insulting, condescending, and embarrassing crap. When you are in charge, it's done the way you want it done.People who can't be bothered do my head in. I detest laziness. The higher up the pole you are, the more you can do, and that's a privilege. What a thrill to be able to make a difference, to change a course, to be hungry, to grasp the detail, to immerse yourself into something you can affect and improve.And yet look at them.Clare Curran, hopeless and gone. David Clark was sacked for being an idiot. Kris Faafoi is asleep at the wheel and desperate to get out. Phil Twyford is an abject failure. Poto Williams is a disgrace hiding behind a lack of interest and Mahuta-type excuses about operational matters. Mahuta herself is too lazy and disinterested to even pick up a phone.For those of us who long for better, this is a shabby and incompetent let down. Being useless is one thing, but being lazy and useless is the ultimate crime.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joe Biden says the US would intervene if China made a move on Taiwan. Can we trust him despite the White House rowing back? Nanaia Mahuta has decided that China can be trusted when it comes to not torturing a man they want extradited for murder... Kris Faafoi now has to decide whether to extradite him. What do you reckon? Spark is starting to remove phone booths – Is anybody seriously still using them? The country remains at orange – which basically just means you have to wear a mask in shops etc. The Government is now also taking into account the risk of the flu putting pressure on hospitals. Do you have a problem with this, or is it time to ditch all these mandates and make mask use our own responsibility again? David Farrar, Kiwiblog and Pollster, and Hayden Munro, former Labour Party Campaign Manager, joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE 

After months of behind-closed-doors planning, Budget 2022 has at last put some fresh figures for the government's planned public media entity into the public domain. The increase in public funding is substantial, but the precise mix of commercial and public revenue is still unclear - as is the future beyond 2026.  

With Kris Faafoi, Rebecca Stevenson, Bernard Hickey and David Pocock.

The National Party says the government will not deliver on its promise of a rebalanced immigration system. The country will open to the world at the end of July with sector-specific settings to shift away from low-skilled migrant labour. Minister Kris Faafoi says Immigration New Zealand has hired 230 more staff and moved the application system online in preparation. Kris Faafoi says the new online system will mean people can track their application's progress online instead of ringing an 0800 number. National says significant questions remain around how Immigration New Zealand will cope with the demand. Party spokesperson on immigration Erica Stanford spoke to Susie Ferguson.     

The Government has announced our border will fully reopen on the 31st of july - students can come back, cruise ships can come back and pre-departure tests will eventually go.The announcement came with big immigration changes. There will be a green list of hard to fill skill roles that we will prioritise visas for, a reworked accredited employer work visa with new rules around having to pay workers a wage requirement of at least $28 and apparently sector-specific agreements to support a shift away from low-skilled migrant labour.Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi joined Mike Hosking.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Immigration Minister is talking up shorter visa processing times. The Government's announced a raft of immigration changes – including speedy pathways to residency for highly skilled workers, and the border fully re-opening from August. Kris Faafoi says the system is moving from paper-based to online. He told Heather du Plessis-Allan the Accredited Employer Work Visa should only take about 30 days. “From the employer doing the job check and us doing the migrant check, that is vastly an improvement on the previous regime which is about 50 or 60 days.” LISTEN ABOVE 

The Government is looking into whether it'll change the law to make it possible to send would-be terrorists back to their home countries.Immigration minister Kris Faafoi says policy discussions have advanced in the wake of the Lynn Mall attack in September last year, and they're looking at how other countries manage it.The Māori Authority completely back changing the law and chairperson Matthew Tukaki joined Tim Dower.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Immigration Minister's defending the Government's refugee record. It comes as the Australian Government has finally agreed to let New Zealand settle up to 150 of its refugees a year... for three years. It's part of New Zealand's annual 15-hundred refugees resettlement allowance, an allowance that hasn't been met for two years. But Kris Faafoi told Andrew Dickens that's not the Government's fault. “Absolutely brought in as many as we can, and then, as I say, the UN powered down its process around refugees significantly.” LISTEN ABOVE 

Ukrainians offered a safe haven in New Zealand under a new visa offer – will not receive financial aid as refugees.  The Government has announced a Special Ukraine Policy – lasting for one year from today. It lets Ukrainian-born New Zealand citizens and residents sponsor family members into a two-year visa. It's expected to affect about four-thousand people.  Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi told Andrew Dickens they are not included in our refugee quota. “It will allow those of working age to work, to support themselves, those who are under 18, to use the education system.” LISTEN ABOVE 

The Broadcasting Minister wants a diverse media environment.  The TVNZ-RNZ merger is due to be open for business in July next year.   Kris Faafoi, himself a former TVNZ journalist, says the new entity will have editorial independence and a public media focus.  He told Mike Hosking he doesn't want the merger to completely dominate the market. “Having that number of media companies in New Zealand, while it is a small market is really important to keep each other honest and I think it is important for the commercial market too.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

110 new journalism jobs have been bankrolled by the Public Interest Journalism Fund - the biggest investment yet from this recent government initiative. News media companies welcomed this big boost but critics claim giving the fund $55m of public money undermines editorial and financial independence. What will we get from the new roles paid for by the public purse?

TVNZ chief executive Kevin Kenrick will leave the state-owned broadcaster next February after almost a decade in charge. TVNZ will now have to find a new leader as the government progresses plans to create a new public media entity incorporating TVNZ and RNZ by 2023.

The first tranche of the government's $55m journalism Fund has been allocated - against a backdrop of criticism it could skew reporting of political issues. Māori journalism projects and a new training initiative are the major beneficiaries of the first $10m, but some of the money goes to things already funded from the public purse. Mediawatch asks talk to NZ On Air's head of journalism about that - and what the public will get for their money.

The clock is ticking for the government's proposed new public media entity. The next step is a business case and a new charter being drafted behind closed doors. But RNZ already has a charter that's now under review  - and could mean more scrutiny of government's plan.

Last month the government announced $55m of public money will be made available for “at risk” public interest journalism over the next three years. But a recently-released cabinet paper has another $20m in the mix. What's the money for - and how will it be spent?

The bosses of state-owned RNZ and TVNZ fronted up to MPs for their annual review at Parliament this week. The government's proposal to replace both of them by 2023 is the big issue for both of them - but that wasn't what opposition MPs zeroed in on.

The government has pledged $55 million for a new fund for public interest news and journalism - the biggest single boost in media funding for many years. Media companies countrywide will compete for the cash from NZ on Air over the next three years. Mediawatch looks at what it's for and what it means for our media.

Struggling news media companies hope the funding agency New Zealand on Air will bankroll more of their journalism, in addition to the local dramas and documentaries for TV it has funded from the public purse for years. Mediawatch asks its new CEO Cameron Harland if it wants that job - and how it's adapting to Covid chaos disrupting all the broadcasters it supports.

On Thursday media companies learned some will take away more than others from the government's first targeted Covid-19 crisis package. Meanwhile, the minister of broadcasting has signaled he'll follow Australia's moves to make online plaforms like Facebook pay for news content they carry.