In Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon's second episode, we review the consort of King George VI by all the factors and decide whether or not she had the Rex Factor. Subscribe at https://www.patreon.com/rexfactor for ad-free episodes and hundreds of bonus episodes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices…

The Government could run a second retirement income scheme alongside NZ Superannuation as part of a transition to a new system, but according to Andrew Coleman, this couldn't be done without an increase in taxes on older people, or more general tax increases. Fresh from his 13 part interest.co.nz series on NZ's government retirement income system a…

In the first of two episodes, we look at the life and queenship of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (AKA the Queen Mother), consort to King George VI. From growing up in a Scottish castle to the First World War, becoming the Duchess of York, helping the monarchy through the Abdication Crisis and the Second World to a half-century as the Queen Mother, Elizabeth…

New Zealanders should be grateful insurance companies remain committed to New Zealand given the country's risk exposure, John Lyon of Ando Insurance says. In the latest episode of the Of Interest podcast I asked Lyon how well general insurers are serving New Zealanders, how competitive the market is, and how the public should judge strong financial…

Milford Asset Management’s head of KiwiSaver says KiwiSaver – the country’s voluntary retirement savings scheme which is in its 17th year – is a teenager that’s about to head into adulthood. “I think it's the right time to have the discussions we were having at the [Financial Services Council] Conference. By and large, providers are pretty well ali…

This time we review Wallis Simpson, the wife-but-not-consort of Edward VIII. There's lots for us to get our teeth stuck into: an independent spirit but not able to become queen; myriad rumours of scandals across the world plus an unhealthy dose of Nazi associations. Famous, notorious and compelling - but does she have that certain something? Learn …

The integrity of bond markets on both sides of the Tasman is at stake as regulators probe issues of potential market manipulation, Australian Financial Review senior reporter Jonathan Shapiro says. Shapiro is covering the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) probe of the ANZ Group's role in a A$14 billion 2023 Australian governme…

Grocery Commissioner Pierre van Heerden wants a third supermarket competitor to set up shop in New Zealand in order to tackle the country’s supermarket duopoly, but reducing the barriers to entry won’t happen overnight. “What we've been told by these players is when they come and they want to open up a large store in New Zealand, the cost to get a …

In the first two episodes, we tackle one of the most controversial women in English royal history, Wallis Simpson. Technically not a consort, but her role in the Abdication Crisis and marrying the (former) King Edward VIII makes hers a fascinating and pertinent part of the story. In this episode, we tell her full life story, from growing up in Balt…

With US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell signalling interest rate cuts ahead, the US dollar's likely to weaken with the Kiwi dollar rising against it, Imre Speizer, Head of NZ Markets Strategy at Westpac Institutional Bank, says. Speaking in a new episode of the Of Interest podcast, Speizer says although the expected central bank interest rat…

The process of growth will be the main benefit from a scaled up Kiwibank, while public acclaim will be a key measure of open banking's success, Commerce Commission Chairman John Small says. Small spoke to interest.co.nz for the latest episode of the Of Interest podcast, which will be published later on Wednesday. The interview came after the Commis…

Deputy Governor Christian Hawkesby says the Reserve Bank's (RBNZ) Monetary Policy Committee might have taken a different stance in May if the economic activity forecasts had been more accurate. In May, forecasts had anticipated 1% GDP growth for the calendar year. But by August, that had been revised to a 0.4% contraction, with a deep decline in th…

The balance of power in the labour market sits firmly with employers, with a big rise in job applicants over the past year chasing a significantly diminished number of jobs, says Frog Recruitment Managing Director Shannon Barlow. "For our recruitment agency, we're probably experiencing around three to four times the volume of applications compared …

Mary of Teck (or Queen Mary, as many would have known her) was the consort of George V, and the first proper Windsor consort. Together with George, she helped set a model for the modern monarchy, facing a remarkable succession of crises (including two world wars). It was quite the story to get there as well, with a disrupted childhood, a royal trag…

The Government's push to have more apartments, including shoebox apartments, built should be welcomed over time by a range of buyers including first home buyers, property investors and retirees, suggests John Bolton, founder of mortgage broker, lender and savings product provider Squirrel. Speaking in a new episode of interest.co.nz's Of Interest p…

Mainstream economics courses teach students money is a scarce resource and nature has boundless capacity to be exploited when in fact it's the other way around, argues Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) economist Steven Hail. Advocates say you don't do MMT, rather it's a description of how the monetary system works. And countries like New Zealand, where …

We are into our final mini-series of the series, with Alexandra of Denmark (or Alix, as she was known), consort to King Edward VII. Alix enjoyed a surprisingly modest upbringing and was not initially favoured as a bride by Queen Victoria, but her kindly character and natural beauty saw her win the day. However, she would have to deal with excessive…

New Zealand's nascent private credit industry could account for up to 5% of business lending to operating companies over time, suggests Aotea Asset Management (AAM) executive director Will Carnachan. AAM, which launched three years ago, is a corporate debt fund manager organising wholesale investorsto contribute to direct secured loans to businesse…

The Reserve Bank surprised the market on Wednesday by dropping hints it was open to cutting rates sooner than planned, due to signs the economy was getting too weak. While the tone shift was unexpected, the central bank was reacting to the same data which had caused ASB’s economics team to change their own interest rate forecast the week prior. Nic…

New Zealand exporters to the United States might be at greater risk of being disrupted than those exporting to China, according to one trade expert. Despite talk about the need to diversify away from China due to geopolitical differences, it may be the United States that hits Kiwi businesses with tariffs intended to shut them out. Stephen Jacobi, t…

Before we get started on the Windsor consorts, we read through various listener correspondence as well as sharing previews of our bonus content, including our new special episode on Geoffrey Chaucer. You can sign up to join the Privy Council and gain access to all our bonus content here: https://www.patreon.com/rexfactor And you can purchase the Ge…

The first New Zealand and international wave of electric vehicle (EV) uptake is probably over, with cheaper cars and better public charging infrastructure required for further major growth in the uptake of these "batteries on wheels," says James Foster. In a new episode of interest.co.nz's Of Interest podcast, Foster, who runs the EVDB website, say…

We chat to the historian Professor Gretchen Gerzina about Black Britons in Georgian Britain. There is a widespread misconception that Britain's black history only begins with Windrush, but we discuss the sizeable black and mixed raced population in Georgian Britain, the differing experiences that these people faced and some of the fascinating chara…

Ask Cameron Bagrie how to improve business and rural banking and some words reoccur in his answers. Three of them are "risk", "productivity", and "bankability." With two parliamentary select committees set to hold an inquiry into banking competition, the business and rural banking markets will feature, unlike in the Commerce Commission probe into c…

By Gareth Vaughan How seriously is the public sector taking the fight against money laundering and terrorism financing? This question comes up in a new episode of interest.co.nz's Of Interest podcast, featuring barrister and solicitor Fiona Hall and anti-money laundering auditor and consultant Martin Dilly. In a recent article the two raised concer…

We speak to the historian Gareth Russell about his book The Palace, which covers the history of Hampton Court Palace, from the Tudors to the Windsors. It's a fascinating book (and podcast!) covering lots of fascinating characters - from Henry VIII and George III to chocolatiers and the Romanovs. For more on Gareth, you can find him on Twitter (http…

The Australian Government's a Future Made in Australiainitiative could attract skilled migrants and potentially investment and entrepreneurs from New Zealand, and ultimately be a catalyst for a much more sustainable future, says Kylie Walker, the CEO of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering. In last month's budget, Prime Mi…

We speak to the historian Professor Penelope Corfield about the Georgians in a wide-ranging discussion that takes us from epoch-shifting changes in technology and literacy to the beginnings of handshakes and the postal system. For more information on Penelope and her essays, check out her website: https://www.penelopejcorfield.com/ For additional r…

The fund backing New Zealand's incoming depositor compensation scheme is going to be small, it's going to take a long time to reach its target level, and the lack of depositor preference in the scheme is a mistake, according to a deposit insurance expert. Geof Mortlock, an international financial regulatory consultant who does work for the Internat…

Renting in New Zealand today is more difficult than a decade ago, with fewer properties available, rents continuing to increase, and the quality of rental properties not much better, Shamubeel Eaqub says. However, the economist and co-author of the 2015 book Generation Rent, rethinking New Zealand's priorities, says it's not all bad news. Speaking …

Having finished our mini-series on the Hanoverian consorts, we go through some of your messages, points of debate and more Max Boneyman! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesעל ידי Rex Factor

After a full biography episode last week, this time we review Prince Albert, scoring him on the factors and deciding whether or not he has the Rex Factor. Sign up for ad-free episodes and lots of bonus content at https://www.patreon.com/rexfactor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices…

With economic growth no longer producing benefits seen in the past such as raising living standards for the middle class, and human activity having exceeded some planetary boundaries, it's time to embrace degrowth, argues Jennifer Wilkins. Wilkins is a researcher and advocate on sustainability in business with a focus on degrowth. In a new episode …

For open banking to really grab people's attention the focus needs to be on the services it can enable, rather than the technology behind it, says Andrew Dentice. In the latest episode of interest.co.nz's Of Interest podcast, Dentice, a technology lawyer and partner at HudsonGavinMartin, discusses the data sharing that enables open banking, what op…

In the first of two episodes, we do a full episode just looking at the life and consortship of Prince Albert, husband to Queen Victoria, with a full review episode to come next time. One of the most famous names in British royal history, Albert has perhaps been overshadowed by the extensive memorialisation undertaken by Victoria after his death, so…

We are off for Easter for a couple of weeks before getting back to Prince Albert, so this week we're doing a feed swap with the History Daily Podcast, which releases c. 15 minute episodes every weekday covering an event in history. We are showcasing two of their episodes which should hopefully be of interest to Rex Factor Listeners: the jousting in…