The Hoon

The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics with regular guests Robert Patman and Cathrine Dyer, plus special guests:* Technology commentator, futurist and substacker Ben Reid to talk about AI, data centres and future of everything; and,* WWF-NZ Climate law and policy advisor Teall Crossen to talk about climate dis/mis-information.The Hoon’s podcast version above was recorded on Thursday night during a live webinar for over 200 paying subscribers and was pr...

The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics with regular guests Robert Patman and Cathrine Dyer, plus special guests:* Columnist on international affairs for The Guardian, Paul Taylor, who talked about the rise of AFD in Germany, and the diplomatic situation around Gaza and Europe; and,* Investigative journalist for Stuff, Paula Penfold, who wrote a Must Read article this week for Stuff on the polycrisis in our hospital system. Her reporting on the hosp...

The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics with special guests, including:* International affairs expert Dr Geoffrey Miller, the author of the Gulf States Insights substack, talking about the recent Mecca Agreement; and,* Andy Reisinger, an Associate Professor at Australian National University, and lead author of the mitigation chapter of a new UN Environment Programme (UNEP)report titled: Limiting Overshoot, which finds the climate is set to overshoot the 1.5°C of global warming the w...

The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-host Peter Bale talking with regular guests Cathrine Dyer and Robert Patman about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics. Bernard was taking a break.In this week’s edition:* Author and polymath Turi Munthe was on from Rome to talk about his new book: Why We Think What We Think: The Unexpected Origins of Our Deepest Beliefs. It will make you think. If you like the work of Yuval Noah Hariri you will love Turi. The Hoon’s podcas...

The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking with regular guests Cathrine Dyer and Robert Patman about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.In this week’s edition:* Bernard and Peter talked about developments in New Zealand’s political economy in the last week, including the winter flu crisis stress on an already-stressed hospital system, along with the deaths from cold of three homeless people;* Peter, Bernard and Catherine then talked about Cathrine’s article for The Conversation with Masse...

The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking with regular guests Cathrine Dyer and Robert Patman about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.This edition also included discussions with special guests Jonathan Lyons, PhD on Iran and NZME’s Fran O’Sullivan.* Bernard and Peter talked about the developments in New Zealand’s political economy in the last week, including PM Christopher Luxon’s second win in a caucus confidence vote in four months.* Peter, Bernard and Catherine then talked...

The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking with regular guests Cathrine Dyer and Robert Patman about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.This edition also included discussions with special guest Don Christie, the MD of Catalyst IT, who talked about Catalyst’s manifesto for Election 2026, and the need for sovereignty around Aotearoa’s data and resilience around our data centres.* Bernard and Peter talked about the developments in New Zealand’s political economy in the last week, including PM Christophe...

The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking with regular guest Cathrine Dyer about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.This edition also included discussions with special guests:* Former PM Helen Clark on why PM Christopher Luxon should sack NZ First Leader and Foreign Minister Winston Peters over his ‘go home’ jibe in Parliament this week at Green MP Laurence Xu Nan.* Clark also described as humiliating New Zealand’s decision under Peters this week to join Belarus in abstain...

The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking with regular guests Robert Patman & Cathrine Dyer about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.This edition also included discussions with special guest:* Simplicity Chief Economist Shamubeel Eaqub on his third annual construction industry report for the New Zealand Chinese Building Industry Association (NZCBIA).This week:* Bernard and Peter talked about Peter moderating a panel for the Helen Clark Foundation’s launch of a this book edited by Peter Davis...

The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking with regular guests Robert Patman & Cathrine Dyer about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.This edition also included discussions with special guest:* Green List MP Francisco Hernandez, talking about the Government’s tabling of its Climate Adaptation Bill this week, which again delayed a decision on cost sharing between Government and Councils.This week:* Bernard and Peter talked about PM Christopher Luxon’s popularity. They referred to this intervie...

The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking with regular guests Robert Patman & Cathrine Dyer about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.This edition also included discussions with special guest:* Green MP for Wellington Bays and Green Transport Spokesperson Julie Anne Genter, talking about the Government’s RONS U-turn yesterday.This week:* Bernard and Peter talked about America’s 250th anniversary. They referred to this FT-$ (gift) article by Simon Schama about the US Declaration of Independ...

The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking with regular guests Robert Patman & Cathrine Dyer about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.This edition also included discussions with special guest:* Author and journalist Rebecca Macfie about the gutting of safety reforms put in place after the Pike River disaster. Rebecca wrote Tragedy at Pike River: How and why 29 men diedThis week:* Bernard and Peter talked about the climate in Europe, social housing policy in New Zeal...

The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking with regular guest Robert Patman from Dunedin about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.This edition also included discussions with special guests:* Author Jonathan Lyons, PhD, who publishes the Signal to Noise: History. Philosophy. Commentary. substack, about the history of Iran; and,* Alliance Party Leader Victor Billot on the party’s history, re-registration and policies.This week:* Bernard and Peter talked about the climate in Europe, social...

The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale talking with regular guests Cathrine Dyer from Wellington and Robert Patman from Dunedin about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.This edition also included discussions with special guests:* Transport analyst Connor Sharp talking about Greater Auckland’s call for the Te Hana to Warkworth section of the Northland RONS to be rescoped; and,* Public Theologian and Civic Technologist Brittany C Farbo on the role of religion in the Ukraine War and Russia...

The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey talking with regular guest Cathrine Dyer from Wellington about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.This edition also included discussions with special guests:* BusinessDesk-$ podcaster and Listener tech columnist Peter Griffin on SpaceX’s float and what it means for RocketLab; and,* Former NZ Herald-$ columnist and former Metro, Cuisine & Consumer magazine Editor Simon Wilson on Auckland Council’s housing de-intensification vote and Labour’s $20 fare cap policy this week. Simon has just launched his substa...

This evening I spoke with I spoke with Victoria Coleman about the Disability Support Services Bill, which will gazump a court ruling that parents working as carers are full-time employees of the Government.Victoria works full time as a carer for her son, who has autism, Down Syndrome and two rare bowell disorders. She is campaigning against the Bill and has launched a petition against the bill.“It will wipe out 40 families’ court cases. They are extinguishing live court cases They have used that as a smokescreen for an almighty power grab. So they’ve gone...

I spoke with Victoria Crockford from the Coalition to End Women’s Homelessness this evening. She detailed the findings of the Coalition’s latest report, ‘Children and Young People Experiencing Homelessness,’ published today, including:* there are 33,000 children and young people experiencing homelessness and they face significantly higher rates of harm across multiple areas of their lives;* Children and young people experiencing homelessness are nearly three times more likely to have experienced abuse;* Young people experiencing homelessness are more likely to disengage from education and interact with the justice system;* Children under five exp...

The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey talking with regular guests Cathrine Dyer from Wellington and Robert Patman in Dunedin about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.This edition also included discussions with Louisa Wall, a former Labour MP and member of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China. This week:* Bernard and Cathrine talked about Guyon Espiner’s interview on RNZ with Johan Rockstrom on economic growth’s ‘saturation point’ and this week’s UN report on the footprint of data centres.* Then Be...

The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey & Peter Bale talking with regular guests Cathrine Dyer from Wellington and Robert Patman in Dunedin about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.This edition also included discussions with Arab News Editor in Chief Faisal Abbas and disinformation researcher Sanjana Hattotuwa.This week:* Bernard and Peter began with a chat about the Government’s Budget delivered yesterday afternoon.* Bernard, Peter and Cathrine then talked about the Government’s failure to disclose lobbyist contact on behal...

The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night featured co-hosts Bernard Hickey & Peter Bale talking with regular guests Cathrine Dyer from Wellington and Robert Patman in Dunedin about geopolitics, the economy, climate change and politics.This edition also included discussions with historian and author Jonathan Lyons, PhD on the conflict with Iran and Tex Edwards from Monopoly Watch NZ about bank competition.This week:* Bernard and Peter began with a chat the Government’s social housing spending cuts and shuffles announced yesterday, along with its pre-Budget announcement about...