Podcasts about mbie

MBIE has raised the alarm with councils and called for urgent action about some imported aluminium windows and doors that may not be fit for purpose. It said their test reports may be incomplete, missing key information and lab credentials. Window and Glass Association CEO Brett Francis spoke to Lisa Owen.

It's a special weekend for Wellington, with the Hurricanes earning a grand final at home on Saturday night against the Chiefs. To chat all things Hurricanes and other hot topics from the week, Nick is joined by Managing Director of Gazley Motors Myles Gazley and legendary broadcaster Grant Nisbett for Friday Faceoff. With the vote yesterday that put a stop to the Golden Mile, our panel discuss what can be done to improve not just Courtenay Place but also all of Wellington and get the city pumping again. Also on the agenda is the waste of $33 million from a failed MBIE project hidden from the minister, Shane Jones overspend of 30 grand on a work trip and all the Tiaki Wai troubles from this week. And our floating crane Hikitia on the waterfront - scrap it or save it? Plus, the panel give their hots and nots from the week and predictions for the Hurricanes vs Chiefs final. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For Politics Thursday this week, Nick Mills is joined by National Minister Tama Potaka and Labour MP Ginny Andersen. We hear their reaction to the latest GDP figures of 0.8% and if the economy on the right path - even with the looming results of the quarter impacted by the Iran War and oil crisis. Then onto the top stories of the week - the MBIE $30 million scandal. What needs to happen with employees involved with hiding the failing BCU project from the Minister? How is it being ensured it will not happen again? And is a yearly loss of $8.7 billion to our economy from injuries acceptable? Our panel take a look into ACC and the viability of its current system. Plus, Potaka and Andersens view on the Green's proposal for a budget office, and a battle of the Chiefs and Hurricanes - who has it in the bag? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are accusations immigration officials misled ministers, deliberately withheld information and used creative accounting to avoid scrutiny of a failed technology upgrade that blew through tens millions of dollars before being mothballed. Immigration Minister Erica Stanford today launched a scathing take down of her Ministry off the back of a report detailing a litany of expensive mistakes in the biometric project. MBIE is the Ministry responsible, and chief executive Nic Blakeley spoke to Lisa Owen.

FIRST WITH YESTERDAY'S NEWS (highlights from Tuesday on Newstalk ZB) It's Enough to Make You Use Strong Language/The Other Kind of Move-On Order/Why People Still Smoke/Good Stuff On the Way/Pass it To ChrisSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good Lord. Parliamentarians are actually doing something we've asked for. They've come up with an Infrastructure Plan for the next 30 years and more remarkably, it has rare cross party backing. It was produced independently by the Infrastructure Commission. Labour and the Greens have called it a long-term, non-partisan blueprint for fixing decades of inconsistent infrastructure decisions. Here's our problem: New Zealand spends heavily on infrastructure but ranks poorly on efficiency and asset management. Minister Chris Bishop says the Government is already acting on all ten priority areas, including reviewing transport funding, legislating long-term investment plans, improving national infrastructure data, and strengthening public-sector project leadership. Further work is needed on predictable funding signals, multi-year budgeting, and coordinated workforce planning, with Treasury and MBIE to report back in 2027. But finally, we are attacking the stop start nature of developing this country and that will make it quicker, more efficient and most importantly cheaper. And finally, the so called grownups in charge of the country are being grown up and ditching infrastructure as a way to define themselves politically. I had a mate who was a tunneller who did the Victoria Park tunnel. Then he left New Zealand until the Waterview tunnel started and then he left New Zealand again. And I remember at a barbecue him saying that if we just got all our tunnelling projects sorted and, in a row, so the experience could move from one job to the next than the country would save billions. Every project carries the coast of start-up operations. and it's holding us back.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An investigation's probing officials' integrity, over a now-axed $32-million-dollar project. A report's found multiple failings in the advice from Immigration New Zealand - a branch of MBIE - on plans to upgrade border biometric capacity. Minister Erica Stanford says staffers who raised concerns were moved off the project, and she was misled and creative accounting used to avoid scrutiny. NZ Herald deputy political editor Adam Pearse joined the Afternoons team to explain further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Matt Heath and Tyler Adams Afternoons Full Show Podcast for the 16th of June 2026, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford is ‘furious' at millions being wasted after MBIE officials misled her over a ‘doomed' immigration project. We crossed live to the All Whites vs Iran at half time in LA to our man in the stand Dan Mancini. Then listeners told us they'd been approached by fake ‘monks' demanding money all over the place. Jason Pine dropped in to chat about the All Whites drawing 2 all against Iran. And to finish up tales of Sports betting - wins and losses. Get the Matt Heath and Tyler Adams Afternoons Podcast every weekday afternoon on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Living in poor conditions shouldn't be seen as a rite of passage for university students, according to the boss of MBIE's tenancy investigations team. The team inspected 14 rentals in North Dunedin last month and found several breaches of healthy homes standards. National Manager of MBIE's tenancy and compliance team, Brett Wilson spoke to Lisa Owen.

A new lease on life for the gas industry, with the Government's $200 million exploration fund already catching the eye of private companies. Newstalk ZB can reveal there have been 11 expressions of interest since January. Resources Minister Shane Jones expects the bulk of approved projects to be based in Taranaki. Energy Resources Aotearoa Chief Executive John Carnegie told Heather du Plessis-Allan it's a vote of confidence in the sector, and particularly the region. He says it counters the myth there's no natural gas and shows there are still people looking seriously at opportunities. Carnegie says we simply can't wait until the gas shortage becomes even more severe for homes and businesses before starting to rebuild our supply. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The New Zealand Initiative is praising Government plans to slash almost 9,000 public service roles by mid-2029. It also intends to reduce Government departments and immediately start cutting agency budgets. The free-market think tank says it's a great step, but ministerial portfolios should also be cut. Board chair Roger Partridge says there's too much duplication. "Some policy areas, like housing, report to as many as 10 different portfolio-holding ministers - and some departments, like MBIE, report to over 20 ministers." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A five month old baby boy by the name of Bodhi lived in Hawke's Bay, and in October 2022 was found unresponsive in his sleeping pod. The sleeping pod was placed inside the cot. He was lying on his stomach. He had blankets around his face. His parents, distraught, immediately called emergency services, but he could not be revived and we lost Bodhi. And after these losses, of course, coroners then look into it. And we've had a coroner look into it and found that Bodhi's death was likely caused by suffocation or re breathing and pointed out the risk factors that Bodhi was experiencing: sleeping on his tummy, loose blankets, and the use of a soft sleeping pod. Experts say babies this young cannot lift their heads to clear their airways, so if you're on your tummy, you've got some loose blankets and you've got these soft sleeping pods all over the place, they can suffocate. The coroner is now urging urgent action to prevent similar deaths. She's called on MBIE, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, to work with the Ministry of Health to introduce clear safety standards for infant sleep products like sleep pods, which apparently at the moment currently face no specific regulation in New Zealand. She says they could use the unsafe goods notices under the Fair Trading Act to restrict or remove dangerous products from the market. She's basically saying it's the sleeping pod, the sleeping pod is dangerous, and experts agree as well. Many of these sleeping pods are actually sold as lounges, but they're also of course sold for sleep, and all the experts say we need some stronger warnings and potentially an outright ban. And of course the coroner came out and said the obvious thing, she wants better education for parents whose health providers are encouraged to actively discourage the use of these products, right? So remember your guidelines, I still remember them from 25 years ago when I was looking after babies: always put your babies on their backs, always put them on a firm, flat surface, don't have loose blankets or soft items around them, and avoid unapproved sleep devices altogether. Have we just forgotten how to do this very basic thing? Because we've had talkback about this, sudden infant death syndrome, cot deaths, for ages, but then suddenly we have not. Put it this way, back in the 1980s, we used to have about 250 public health campaigns a year about how to put baby to bed. These days we have about 50 – that is a huge cut in public health campaigns. Can you remember the last time you saw an ad in a paper or on the telly or on the radio saying look after baby, put baby to sleep on back? And the thing I remember from back in the day was swaddling, making sure that baby is securely wrapped, restraining their movement, preventing them from rolling on their tummy and preventing the blankets to go and block their noses and their mouths. Have we forgotten this? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An economist says New Zealand is different from Europe and our views on immigration aren't the same. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has used a pre-Budget speech in Auckland to promise a "careful" immigration policy that prioritises social cohesion over profit. He says failed immigration policies in Europe and North America have stoked a politics of division. Eric Crampton —the Chief Economist at the New Zealand Initiative business think tank— told Ryan Bridge 2023 MBIE data suggests most New Zealanders view immigration more positively than Europeans. He says Europe is in a very different situation with really "messed up" labour markets. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's fuel stocks have dropped for the second time in a row.. as MBIE warns delays in fuel shipments are likely to become more common. Associate energy minister Shane Jones spoke to John Campbell.

The government is keeping New Zealanders in the dark during an oil crisis, publishing week-old data on fuel stocks. That's the claim from the Tax Payers union which said there should daily fuel data updates. At the moment, MBIE releases information about the country's fuel stocks twice a week. Taxpayers union spokesperson Tory Relf spoke to Lisa Owen.

INTERVIEW: Kadie Wilson from MBIE on students and consumer rights by Zac Hoffman on Radio One 91FM Dunedin

The Government's 2034 tourism target is to lift arrivals to 4.78 million, but a report for MBIE shows that this could require up to $3.5 billion in extra infrastructure. Regions like Queenstown are already facing pressure on their infrastructure with Destination Queenstown and Lake Wanaka Tourism CEO Mat Woods saying they are 'bursting at the seams'. He told Andrew Dickens, "we're having to actually release treated wastewater into the Shotover River, which is far from ideal when you consider a 100% pure sort of image that we like to give our international visitors about New Zealand." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An ACT MP is questioning the spending of taxpayer money on a football match. The Government's supporting a clash between English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and Auckland FC at Eden Park as part of its $70 million Major Events package. ACT MP Todd Stephenson is asking why the match is being subsidised by taxpayers, when neither club is a charity and both are backed by billionaires. He told Andrew Dickens he's had a lot of feedback from people in the tourism and hospitality sectors, as well as local councils, asking for a better process around the fund, as they believe there could be better uses of taxpayer money. As Stephenson understands it, the current system has MBIE seeking out what they think will be a hot gig and then reaching out to the organisation, instead of asking people to come forward. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Remember the outrage over bureaucrats working for home, even though Covid was a distant memory? The Government came in and said they should all pack their lunch and go back to work. Problem is, this isn't happening. As you'll know from listening to this show, ACC has already staged a backdown, now MBIE is doing the same. To her credit, Fleur Fitzsimons at the PSA union, has lawyered up and successfully argued workers' collective contacts allowed them to work from home. Now, the policy to restrict WFH, or what they call 'flexible work', is heading for the bin. Some ACC staff only have to be in the office two days a week - the equivalent of a weekend at the office. Days off, or at home, are usually Fridays and Mondays, conveniently. This is all in spite of the fact management at ACC said staff are less productive and it's a culture killer. Now I don't blame the workers here, or the Union. They're exercising their rights and won before it even got to Employment Relations Authority. Good on them. But for anyone who runs a business in the private sector, or works in one, this sort of stuff makes your blood boil. If it's good enough for us, why not them? Do they really work as much or efficiently at home? Why was this clause written into their collective contracts the first place? Surely, once they expire, the next offer of work might require workers to actually turn up for work.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's fuel suppliers will be “substantially punished” legally and financially if they don't live up to their word in supplying fuel, Associate Energy Minister Shane Jones says. Those international companies had asked for the current just-in-time supply model, and “rightly or wrongly I took them at their word”, Jones told Mike Hosking. “I said, okay, you guys know how to keep New Zealand afloat, but the political downside is that the national security question always remains with the Government, not just the commercial companies.” There was no suggestion of any problem with supply, he said. But the issue was even if the Government were to underwrite additional fuel imports —as Australia plans to do— there was not currently space to store added fuel volumes. “We could have a ship bobbing off the coast of Marsden Point for a while, then someone's got to pay for that ship to sit there and do nothing while we draw down.” He repeatedly blamed the closure of the Marsden Point oil refinery for leaving New Zealand with inadequate storage. Jones said he had been warned that refineries in Singapore, Malaysia and Korea were set up specifically to deal with oil from the Middle East. While they would be seeking oil from other regions, they would need work before they could process that oil. He also revealed more details about the unsolicited proposals the Government is receiving to increase New Zealand's offshore fuel supplies. Jones says both the Government and MBIE officials have received approaches from either New Zealanders, people already known to them, or people who have lived in New Zealand. But Jones he told Hosking the offers they're making don't last long, with ships usually being snapped up within 72 hours. He says many Kiwis don't appreciate how serious the situation is in Asia. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We were told we had 11 days of diesel left before the country ground to a halt, only for MBIE to admit they got the numbers completely wrong 24 hours later. Duncan is joined by Maurice Williamson and Ani O'Brien to rip into the bureaucracy, the widening wage gap with Australia, and whether Chris Hipkins has some serious explaining to do over his vaccine comments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An energy industry lobby group is warning the decline in domestic gas supply is a sign of a shrinking economy. PwC research —commissioned by Gas Industry Co— suggests the gas market must contract sharply as domestic supply falls, potentially leading to business closures, job losses, and higher energy costs. The research assumes the Maui field will stop producing in 2027. Energy Resources Aotearoa Chief Executive John Carnegie told Mike Hosking modelling suggests the economic impact will be significant. He says a report for MBIE found that without LNG terminals and with the loss of domestic supply, New Zealand's GDP will be about 0.1% lower in 2035. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's setting up a Ministerial Oversight Group on economic security to focus on fuel and supply chains. The Middle East conflict's forced crude oil over $100 USD a barrel, and made New Zealand's sharemarket plunge, 3.27 percent down so far. Finance Minister Nicola Willis says the group will be briefed by MBIE weekly and have input from Treasury, the Reserve Bank, MFAT and others. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says the Government's acknowledged the Middle East crisis will be tough on everyone, but New Zealand can stay in good shape. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Questions to Ministers NANCY LU to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has she seen on the economic impact of conflict in the Middle East? Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS to the Minister for Energy: What specific gas price sensitivity analysis did MBIE and Concept Consulting carry out for the LNG terminal decision, if any? KAHURANGI CARTER to the Minister for Children: Was she aware of the reported increase in kids in State care with complex needs and disabilities being housed in motels, sometimes with untrained staff, before the Aroturuki Tamariki Experiences of Care in Aotearoa 2024/25 report; if not, why not? REUBEN DAVIDSON to the Minister for Media and Communications: On what dates has he, or any person acting on his behalf, discussed TVNZ news coverage with any member of the TVNZ Board (including the Chair of TVNZ, Andrew Barclay) or the chief executive of TVNZ? JOSEPH MOONEY to the Minister for Tourism and Hospitality: What recent reports has she seen on tourism's contribution to the economy? SCOTT WILLIS to the Minister for Energy: Did he model how the exposure to global liquefied natural gas markets would affect electricity prices for households as part of his proposal to build a liquefied natural gas import facility; if so, what did the modelling show? Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL to the Minister of Health: How many people have had a GP consult through the Government's 24/7 online GP service since it was launched in July 2025? RAWIRI WAITITI to the Minister of Defence: Will she rule out sending any military support to the USA and Israel for their military strikes on Iran, which have led to the reported deaths of 1,097 civilians, including 181 children under the age of 10; if not, why not? CAMERON LUXTON to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all of the Government's statements and actions? RIMA NAKHLE to the Minister of Defence: What recent announcements has she made about the New Zealand Defence Force providing assistance to New Zealanders in the Middle East? Hon KIERAN McANULTY to the Minister of Housing: Does he stand by his statement that "there are 7,000 more social houses in the country"; if so, how many of these additional houses were funded in Budgets 2024 and 2025? Dr HAMISH CAMPBELL to the Minister for ACC: What recent announcements has he made regarding the Accident Compensation Corporation?

Customer abuse of hospitality and tourism workers has nearly doubled in just a year according to a new study. The report commissioned by MBIE surveyed 957 people employed in the industries around the motu. The study found, that last year, about 50 percent of incidents where hospitality and tourism workers were harassed bullied, customers were the perpetrators - up from 26 percent in 2024. Lead researcher, Professor David Williamson carried out the study alongside AUT and spoke to Lisa Owen.

This Government's running into similar problems Jacinda's one did on energy - they're getting too much 'official' advice and reports. The problem when you ask 'the experts' for advice on every thought that pops into your head, is that they tend to agree with it. And if they don't, you tend to ignore them. And what does that tell you about the need for the advice in the first place? Latest case in point is the LNG terminal in Taranaki. A billion bucks. We'll be paying a levy on our power bills to fund it. Big announcement at the Beehive theatrette yesterday. The 'official advice' from MBIE and the rest was that this is the way to go. This will save us all, on average, apparently, $1 a week on electricity. If we're lucky. Because remember, as with all advice, there are caveats. The caveats are "depends on this" and "depends on that". So, we've got an announcement and we hope for the best and this thing will be built, come hell or high water, bar a change of government, by 2027. When the wind doesn't blow and the sun doesn't shine, we'll import LNG and keep the lights on. BUT. Last year we had the Frontier Economics report. Same issue but different set of 'advisors'. They're an independent global consultancy crowd and what they said was quite different. They told us it would basically be a dumb idea to build an import terminal because you've got a massive fixed cost spread over a relatively small amount of output, because you're only using this as a back-up. You can't sell an LNG terminal once you're finished with it. These particular advisors made the point that it's quite a specific piece of kit and could well turn it one of this country's biggest white elephant investments. Yet here we are less than a year later with a different set of advice and another vague plan. There's no doubt this country needs a plan to deal with energy security, but depending on who you ask, this is either brilliant or batshit.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In January 2025, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment published the Crown's mineral strategy with a goal of doubling our mineral exports to three billion dollars by 2035. On Friday, we learnt that to achieve that goal MBIE is looking to develop a "non-binding critical minerals framework" and has been having discussions with the US on the supply of critical minerals. To explain what this all means, Jesse talks to Sefton Darby, is a former National Minerals manager at MBIE, and now consults on geo-politics and political risk.

Time is running out for charities, sports clubs and other incorporated societies if they don't re-register under new legislation. 

With guests Bruce Wolosoff and Albino Mbie, plus an encore of the late Rick Davies from Supertramp. Aired October 4, 2025.

Kmart is walking back some of its product recalls following an asbestos contamination scare with kids play sand products. The retail giant is cancelling it's voluntary recall notice for three products. Kmart has informed the Ministry of Business that testing comissioned by the company confirmed no asbestos was found. However, a recall is still in place for some other products. MBIE's Product Safety Spokesperson Ian Cpalin spoke to Lisa Owen.

It has been revealed Kmart has sold tens of thousands of potentially asbestos laced children's play things. The retail giant confirmed it has sold 67,000 units of coloured children's sand that are now part of massive recall that was expanded even further today. That number doesn't include suspect products sold through different retailers. Some councils have now set up drop-off sites for the recalled products. MBIE's Product Safety Spokesperson Ian Caplin spoke to Lisa Owen.

More than 20 schools and childcare centres have closed, or plan to close, due to concerns about asbestos in contaminated coloured play sand that is sold in K-mart and a number of other stores. The scare has raised serious questions about safety checks for toys. The recall began last week - but escalated over the weekend; with a warning about four other products; a 14 piece sand castle building set and containers of blue, green and pink magic sand. MBIE's Product Safety Spokesperson Ian Caplin spoke to Lisa Owen.

Last week we spotted an invitation to an event in Hamilton that had us intrigued; it was a conversation about how artificial intelligence can help identify the birds singing around us. We hear so much about how terrible AI is, we wanted to learn about how it could be used for good. Dr Andrew Lensen certainly thinks it can be, he's a computer scientist leading MBIE-funded "AI for good" work, including using computer vision to recognise individual kaka and related projects on kiwi call recognition.

MBIE says it's working hard to deal with issues regarding sand products potentially contaminated with asbestos. EC Rainbow Sand 1.3 kilos, Creatistics Coloured Sand, 1 kilo, and four Kmart NZ Magic Sand products have been recalled. MBIE Product Safety Spokesperson Ian Caplin says they are acting with an abundance of caution - and people shouldn't panic. "The potential impact of asbestos exposure is a long-term thing, people don't need to take immediate steps to manage their health." Anyone concerned about health effects should call Healthline. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday, 17 November 2025, Transport Minister Chris Bishop explains why the Government is moving to make importing dirty cars cheaper. The Supreme Court has ruled that Uber drivers are employees, Anita Rosentreter from the Workers First Union speaks about the implications for drivers. Finance Minister Nicola Willis gives a very strong hint about next year's election date, and reveals when she found out that Andrew Coster was part of an IPCA investigation into disgraced Jevon McSkimming. MBIE's Ian Caplin explains what parents need to know about the magic sand asbestos warning. Plus, the Huddle debates polls that show Kiwis support for Labour's CGT and why the Government is rating so poorly in the latest Ipsos survey. 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.

One expert says the government's changes on earthquake-prone buildings are more about saving money than lives - but there's some sensible stuff in thereEarthquake-proofing heritage properties just got more doable for their owners, and the result could be a drop in the numbers of vacant and abandoned buildingsGuests: Olga Filippova - Auckland University Associate Professor, PropertyDi Maxwell - Left BankLearn more:MBIE's Earthquake-prone building system and seismic risk management reviewLocal government reacts to earthquake regulation changes in NewsroomFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The Building Industry Federation says the country's facing a slow motion energy crisis and gas is vital in the production of building products. It's worried rising energy prices could push the cost of construction materials even higher forcing more busineses to close. MBIE figures show natural gas reserves are down 27 percent compared to last year. The Building Industry Federation says its controversial but necessary for the government to intervene and re-allocate the gas that's going to Methanex to other manufacturers. Resources Minister and Associate Minister for Energy Shane Jones talks to Lisa Owen.

A top lawyer working with the plaintiffs in a large-scale banking class action is calling for a formal investigation into the 'serious civil service process failures' by MBIE. Rachael Reed, KC, has outlined her objections in a letter to Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche and Attorney-General Judith Collins, voicing concerns with the Reserve Bank's risk assessment. She says the $12.9 billion figure is 'fantastical' and says it doesn't have a grasp of reality. "It just doesn't make sense on that first fundamental level." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The union representing public servants has taken MBIE to court over their crackdown on work-from-home arrangements. PSA National Secretary Fleur Fitzsimmons spoke to Corin Dann.

Rising supply and falling demand is pushing down rents. New Cotality analysis of MBIE data shows the national median rent dropped 0.3% in the year to May. That's the first time the rent has dropped in more than 15 years. Aspire Property Management's Managing Director Mike Atkinson told Mike Hosking housing supply is increasing at the same time incomes are falling in real terms. He says there's also been a huge drop-off in net migration, with fewer people coming into the country. However, there could be some good news on the way for landlords. Atkinson says things should pick up over summer, when migration typically increases. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MethaneSAT has been missing in space since 20 June, according to MBIE. New Zealand Space Agency deputy head Andrew Johnson spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

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

There's changes happening in the construction sector. Construction Minister Chris Penk is launching the country's first fully independent residential building consent authority - with approval subject to certain conditions being met. The privately-owned company, supported by the government, promises to issue building consents within 10 working days for eligible residential projects. Penk told Mike Hosking it's another option alongside local councils. He says initially it will be too small to take on all the work council does, but it might be able to scale up depending on what the appetite is. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Seymour's calling for fat to be cut from multiple areas of government. The Act Party leader wants a limit on the number of ministers – with no ministers outside of Cabinet, and no associate ministers other than in Finance. He wants 30 total government agencies, down from 41. Executive Director of business think tank New Zealand Initiative, Oliver Hartwich told Mike Hosking the current model doesn't make sense. He says there's a Minister of Housing but also a Minister of Building and Construction, as if they have nothing to do with each other. Hartwich also says the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment is a prime example of a bloated cabinet. He says there are 16 ministers in charge of MBIE, and Ireland has 15 in its entire cabinet. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's Airports Association has voiced disapproval with the latest review of their regulatory arrangements - and suggested the scrutiny needs to be on Air New Zealand. MBIE has launched another review of airport regulations, just three weeks after the Commerce Commission gave Auckland Airport the tick of approval for an upgrade. NZ Airports Association CEO Billie Moore says it's clear there's plenty of strain on the domestic market - and Air New Zealand has a 'monopoly' over that market. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There have been a few big news stories circulating, claiming that microplastics have reached such a level that 5% of our brain is now made up of them.While that data is… questionable, it's undeniable that plastic pollution is a major concern. That's why, in this episode, we're digging into the scientific evidence to separate fact from fiction. In what might be a slightly bleak but necessary conversation, I'm joined by Dr Olga Pantos to help clear things up about plastics and microplastics.Dr Olga Pantos is a Senior Scientist at the Institute of Environmental Science and Research and co-lead of the MBIE-funded project Aotearoa Impacts and Mitigation of Microplastics.Her background is in marine biology - she completed her undergraduate degree in Marine and Environmental Biology at St Andrews University in Scotland and her doctoral studies at The University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK. In this episode, she shares:Why and how she got into marine biologyHow she came to focus on pollutants in marine ecosystemsWhen plastic pollution first entered public awarenessWhat microplastics actually areWhy the term microplastic can be misleadingThe major issues plastics pose in the environmentAre plastics making their way into soil or water more?Why plastic always ends up in the environment, no matter whatWhether there are any perfect solutionsWhether PLA and PVH cause as much damage as conventional plasticsWhy our understanding of microplastics is far too simplisticWhat we can actually do about microplastic pollutionPractical steps she takes to reduce exposure to plasticsKey Quotes“Even if we turn the tap off now to plastic use, we've got a huge amount in the environment that is going to break down.”“Wastewater treatment plants have never been designed to deal with microplastics.”“We just need to reduce what we use, and its essential, reduce what we demand, because these companies will continue to make them.”You can get involved with the podcast onlineFind our full podcast via the website here: https://www.nowthatswhaticall.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nowthatswhaticallgreen/You can follow me on socials on the below accounts.Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briannemwest/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@briannemwestLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briannemwest/For our latest big project, find out more about Incrediballs here: https://incrediballs.com/

A baby monitor could have disrupted 111 calls on One NZ's cell network

Enerlytica's head of research John Kidd has crunched numbers, including MBIE data, to reach his estimate. Figures show a 10 per cent drop in industrial electricity use for the June to September quarter compared to last year.

A village of relocatable houses for whanau displaced by Cyclone Gabrielle has been finished on marae land in Hawkes Bay. The collaboration between iwi, hapu, the Ministry of Business and Innovation and Omahu Marae has seen 11 homes built 20 months on from the extreme weather event. MBIE has a three year lease for the land at the marae for the temporary village. Today, families and community got to see the finished product. Meihana Watson, the general manager of Te Piringa Hapu spoke to Lisa Owen.

I'm joined again by Sharon Robinson and Glenn Harley for a chat about the possibility of builder self-certification and MBIE's updated weather files.