The Prosperity Project

Think back to 1996.

Dial-up internet, bulky desktop computers and no KiwiSaver.

Investing looked very different. And most New Zealanders had never even heard of Exchange Traded Funds.

In this special episode of The Prosperity Project, Nadine Higgins sits down with PJ Harding to explore 30 years of investing in New Zealand, how access has changed, and how kiwis can get started on their investing journey to build wealth for the futur...

The government currently spends about a billion dollars a fortnight on superannuation payments, it's a growing problem that we're running out of time to address. So who shouldn’t be counting on getting the pension in future?

Shamubeel Eaqub, Simplicity chief economist and head of policy, joins Nadine Higgins with some hot takes about the future of NZ's pension scheme and his thoughts on proposed changes to KiwiSaver.

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Landlords, capital gains tax and the future of property investing. Owner of 43 properties and founder of Opes Partners, Andrew Nicol, joins Nadine Higgins to explain why he thinks mum-and-dad investors have become an easy political targe and why he still has faith in housing despite the market slump. 

He also shares his thoughts on what New Zealanders should be doing to prepare for retirement and where he stands on the idea of...

SpaceX has gone public in the biggest IPO in history, with OpenAI and Anthropic expected to follow.

Together, the three companies could be worth more than US$3 trillion. So are they the investment opportunity of a lifetime, or the next great tech bubble?

Fisher Funds portfolio manager Sam Dickie joins Nadine Higgins to break down the hype, the risks and what investors need to know.

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Could an old job be holding money you’ve forgotten about?

In this episode of The Prosperity Project, Nadine Higgins speaks to NZBritannia founder Alun Rees-Williams about the UK pension money many Kiwis lose track of after working overseas. Some people discover multiple pension schemes from different jobs, and i...

Most of us enter negotiations with a level of awkwardness and trying not to sound greedy. It's not the strongest tactic, but nor is making demands based on your perceived value. 

Negotiating expert and founder of Sheer Negotiations, Noa Sheer, joins Nadine to share her advice on how to handle everything from salary reviews to buying a house, The pair discuss ...

New Zealanders owe 9.5billion dollars in overdue tax, with small business owners and the self-employed most likely to get behind.

Director of Future Focused Accountants, Catriona Knapp, joins Nadine to explain what can go wrong if you don't get on top of your tax obligations and why it's better to face the debt head-on than bury your head in the sand. 

With the IRD cracking down on collecting overdue tax, now is the time to sc...

Interest rates are rising again, fuel prices are climbing and many homeowners are wondering what to do next. But according to Squirrel mortgage adviser Adam Clark, too many Kiwis are focusing on the wrong things.

In this episode of The Prosperity Project, Adam joins Nadine Higgins to unpack the psychology of mortgages, why obsessing over tiny rate differences can backfire, and the financial habits that quietly cost borrowers hundre...

It's one thing to talk about money, and and something else entirely to talk to it. But for Rachel Davies, that shift changed everything.

Rachel and her Hi Money co-founder Angela Meyer join Nadine to unpack the emotional side of money. From avoidance and binge spending to deeply held beliefs about luck, scarcity and security, t...

Helping your kids get ahead financially sounds simple, but get it wrong and things unravel fast.

Wealth and succession lawyer Andrew Clements has seen what happens when it goes wrong, from family disputes to parents losing their homes. He joins Nadine Higgins to talk about why undocumented support can become a legal minefield, his one firm rule against guarantees, and why even advice from banks can put families at risk.
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Imagine having a financial adviser in your pocket. With AI innovations transforming what finance apps are capable of, that reality might not be too far away.

Instead of just tracking your spending, saving and investments, advances internationally are increasingly seeing the apps able to do everything from scanning the market for better deals or returns, to making recommendations and then executing them on your behalf.

Josh Daniell,...

Recent KiwiSaver changes were meant to strengthen the scheme, but one expert says they risk doing the opposite.

Mary Holm joins Nadine Higgins to break down why cuts to government contributions hit low income earners hardest, and how current settings could deepen inequality over time.

So who is KiwiSaver working for? Why are so...

Now, more than ever, it might seem like a good idea to invest in an electric vehicle, but does it make sense financially?

Johnathan Sergel, the AA’s chief mobility officer, joins Nadine to dive into the costs involved with owning and running an EV, and how those costs compare to running a petrol vehicle.

With rising fuel costs and EV sales surging, now's the time to do the maths and figure out what makes the best sense for yo...

Buying your first home is seen as a key milestone signifying success in your financial journey, while “just" renting is somehow seen as being behind.

But Luke Kemeys of the Keep the Change Podcast and Next Advisory sees it differently. For him, it’s a deliberate choice – and he thinks we need to look at renting differently.

Luke joins Nadine Higgins to explain why he thinks renting often makes more financial sense...

Financial education is now embedded in maths classes for students in years 0-10, and from next year it will also form part of the social sciences curriculum. Until this year, financial education in schools has been haphazard, with research showing only 20 percent of students received it in some form.

Sorted in Schools learning lead Yasmin Frazer joins Nadine to discuss what our kids are being taught about money and why we need...

When news of events like the war in Iran hit share markets – everyday investors often act on instinct, but what do professional investors do? This week, Nadine is joined by Sam Dickie, a senior portfolio manager at Fisher Funds. Together they talk through what happens to investing when the world is on fire.

The Prosperity Project is now available on video! Watch now on nzherald.co.nz or YouTube

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Financial mentor David Very joins Nadine Higgins to unpack why 2025 hit so many New Zealanders so hard—and whether 2026 will bring any real relief. From high-income earners stretched by huge mortgages to pensioners squeezed by rising costs, he explains why financial stress is now cutting across every part of society. David breaks down where to start when you’re underwater, what actually works when tackling debt, the tra...