October 3, 2024 • 9 mins
Tonight on The Huddle, Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union and Infrastructure NZ CEO Nick Leggett joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!
New data from the 2023 Census reveals over half the country isn't religious? Is this surprising? What do we think changed?
The Mood of the Boardroom Survey results came out today, revealing Kiwi business leaders are feeling more optimistic about the economy. What do we make of this?
A teenager has been arrested for running a 'smishing' scam - where fraudulent text messages are sent out en masse to get people to give up sensitive information. Should we be concerned about this?
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Huddle with New Zealand Southerby's International Realty, local and
global exposure like no.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Other Huddler's This evening Jordan Williams, who's the executive director
of the Taxpayers Union and the Chief Executive of Infrastructure
New Zealand, mister Nick Leggett Calder CORDAUA, Jordan, are you
surprised that we are becoming even less religious than we
were previously?
Speaker 3 (00:22):
No, I'm not really surprised. I mean, my mother made
enormous sacrifices and sent me through a Christian education, all
boys Anglican and then Presbyterian school. Despite please don't tell
anyone this, but despite to my embarrassment, winning the Religious
Studies trophy in my last year of high school, I
(00:44):
didn't even yet thinks, you know, I became very clear
once I started as a young lawyer, because of course,
so much of the the sort of moral metaphors biblical
that I just had no idea And it's sort of
to me it illustrates the problem with the Anglican, the press,
the traditional churches. Is at no point during my schooling
(01:07):
where we sat down and told this is what we believe,
this is what they believe we're right, they're wrong, and
we scratch our head as to why the churches are dying.
They don't even teach it at school anymore.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Nick, what do you put it down to?
Speaker 4 (01:23):
Well, I think it's just the general trend, is it
not that Western society has moved further away from organized religion,
you know, and religion and culture were so tied up
even fifty years ago in New Zealand, and that came
from the fact that our four Bears, the Parki of
(01:44):
four Bears, you know, often came from quite divided societies
and that were religious but base. You know, if you're
a Scottish you tended to be a Presbyterian, if you're Irish,
you tended to be Catholic. Those things broke down as
we intermarried, as we between Mary and Pakia, between Pakia
and Pakia, and we've formed a sort of a new
(02:06):
consensus in this country. But I think Jordan's points right
as well. And I think we've lost something because our
law is based on those sort of fundamental tenements and
we're not teaching it. That's a problem.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Yeah, So more mood of the boardroom today. We'll get
to the ministerial rankings in a couple of minutes, but interesting,
the Finance Minister invited her opposition counterpart, Barbara Edmans, to
have a serious conversation about the future of superannuation in
New Zealand. Do you think this means that superannuation changes
will have bipartisan support?
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Jordan, Well, it's the only way to get it through.
I think this is very, very significant and good news
for taxpayers that oppositions both Labor and National have pointed
out the blindingly obvious for now many decades that enzed
super as it stands is unaffordable in the long term.
(03:00):
But now it's actually within the you know, it's within
the fiscal horizon. You look at last year, sorry, this
year's budget. You know, we're currently spending nineteen and a
half billion dollars for NZ Super. In just five years time,
we're spending twenty seven point nine billion. It's a forty
three percent increase in just five years. So what it's
(03:23):
twenty eight billion across a revenue forecast to be about
one hundred and fifty billion total tax take by the
end of that period. It is just enormous and every
expert will tell you that we've got to deal with it.
But what we're seeing is that actually you can't really
continue to kick the can down the road because here
(03:45):
it is.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
I know that the Retirement Commission says that actually New
Zealand super as it stands, with full eligibility at sixty
five is sustainable in the future, but it probably depends
on which economists you speak to.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
Nick.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
If Labor and National actually agree to this, do you
think we're going to get anywhere? Because in the past
there's always been a bit of politicking on both sides,
but obviously it's the likes of New Zealand First and
Act that have really polar opposed positions.
Speaker 4 (04:12):
Yeah. Well, look the numbers are eye watering and they
are unsustainable. So the only way to deal with this
is to reach across the aisle if you're the government
in this case or if you're National. So I think
Nikola Willis has done the absolute right thing in making
the public signal, and Barbara Evans is the finance spokesperson
(04:33):
for Labor, is the ideal person to grab her hand
because she's sensible too. So what we've got to do
I think Kiwis like by partisnship. It's the only way
to deal with the big problems confronting us, and this
is not the only one. But what we've got to
do is ensure that we actually get to you know,
and this is where public pressure comes on. And Jack,
(04:56):
you've been involved in discussions and infrastructure recently, where we
where the infrastructure industry wants by parsnship as well. It's
a nice term, but it's actually incumbent on Kiwi's on
all of us who comment, who watch, who are involved,
you know, as citizens, to make sure that something tangible
(05:18):
falls out at the bottom. And we have to grasp
this and we have to make sure that at least
both the major parties can come to some kind of
place in the middle where we stage out. You know,
sixty five has been the place that you know that
the age that we get universal super Jack, you, Jordan
and myself, we're all sort of in an age group.
(05:40):
It seems I've never bet on the fact that in
twenty years time I'm going to get a nice weekly
superannuation payment. And we shouldn't do that. We should think
about phasing that in later. And now you know, the
conversation has to start.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Yeah, all right, we'll be back with a huddle in
a couple of minutes. Netlely Get Jordan Williams right now
thirteen to six.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
The Huddle with New Zealand Southeby's International Realty Elevator Marketing
of your Home.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
On the Huddle this evening, Nick Leggett and Jordan Williams.
So Nick, a nineteen year old has been arrested in
charge for a smishing scam. If you've never heard of
the words smishing, I hadn't until today either. Basically, it
means using technology to send out hundreds and hundreds of
text messages that look like they've come from a reputable
source like a bank or something like that, asking for
(06:27):
people's personal information. Have you got one of these texts before?
Speaker 4 (06:32):
Yes, like most people. I think I have. And I
don't know why we're surprised at the nineteen year old.
Who are the people that are the smartest with technology.
It does tend to be younger people. But it is concerning,
And you know, I mean, as fast as we build
the barriers to stop these kind of scams, the scammers
are building you know, flash of stuff to overcome them.
(06:53):
So it's just it's something we have to live with,
doesn't that we have to keep pushing back.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
Against Yes, it is. One of the Texas has suggested
Jordan that perhaps this young person deserves not time in
the cells, but maybe a firm hand on their shoulder
and some guidance to an IT company or something like that.
Maybe with these skills could be used for good.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
All the security services. Yeah, I mean this is something
that obviously given work in politics, something I think about
a lot, and something that's worried me for a long
time is the vulnerability of our telecommunications, something that's starting
to happen more and more in New Zealand. It's similar
to this. It's something called sim swapping, which it looks
(07:32):
like this basically replicated it sort of created a sort
of fictitious or false mobile network to connect to your
phone and send these what the phone thinks and network messages.
I've tried to engage with one and spark. Spark will
absolutely useless about extra steps that one could take if
(07:56):
you work in politics or you know, the corporate world,
because one of the biggest vulnerabilities for people like you
and me jack as a basic sim swap, and it's
starting to happen more and more in New Zealand. And
I think that our telecommunications companies are. I mean, it's
great that this has been pounced on, but I listened
to that interview earlier with it was it Gary Williams
(08:17):
or someone saying that how quick DIA and the telecoms
were onto us. That certainly is not what I've experienced
in New Zealand, both with the telecoms and in terms
of cybersecurity and political parties and political organizations. I can
tell you that my equivalents around the world have a
heck of a lot better support, whereas here I know
(08:40):
that even the political parties get no assistance whatsoever in
terms of ensuring that these systems aren't manipulated by foreign
actors or hackers.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Is that right?
Speaker 3 (08:50):
They get none, No just walking to the political parties
and obviously something that we think about. Whereas I know
in Britain, for example, because the Chinese focus on think tanks,
there's a there's a their equivalent of GCSB actually help
are pretty proactive in ensuring that civil society. You know
that civil society is protected. Except for this, I don't
(09:14):
want to go in to each other. There's something happened
to us during the election. Except for incident responses, which
we've found our security services very good with there's very
little in terms of defense at the top. Yeah yeah,
the actual defense put ensuring we're in the defensive position.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
Yeah all right. Hey, thanks for your time, guys. I
appreciated our huddle this evening. Nickley get the chief executive
of Infrastructure New Zealand and the executive director of the
Taxpayers Union, Jordan Williams. It is seven to six on
News Talks dB.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, Listen live to
News Talks i'd Be from four pm weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
The Huddle with New Zealand Southerby's International Realty, local and
global exposure like no.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Other Huddler's This evening Jordan Williams, who's the executive director
of the Taxpayers Union and the Chief Executive of Infrastructure
New Zealand, mister Nick Leggett Calder CORDAUA, Jordan, are you
surprised that we are becoming even less religious than we
were previously?
Speaker 3 (00:22):
No, I'm not really surprised. I mean, my mother made
enormous sacrifices and sent me through a Christian education, all
boys Anglican and then Presbyterian school. Despite please don't tell
anyone this, but despite to my embarrassment, winning the Religious
Studies trophy in my last year of high school, I
(00:44):
didn't even yet thinks, you know, I became very clear
once I started as a young lawyer, because of course,
so much of the the sort of moral metaphors biblical
that I just had no idea And it's sort of
to me it illustrates the problem with the Anglican, the press,
the traditional churches. Is at no point during my schooling
(01:07):
where we sat down and told this is what we believe,
this is what they believe we're right, they're wrong, and
we scratch our head as to why the churches are dying.
They don't even teach it at school anymore.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Nick, what do you put it down to?
Speaker 4 (01:23):
Well, I think it's just the general trend, is it
not that Western society has moved further away from organized religion,
you know, and religion and culture were so tied up
even fifty years ago in New Zealand, and that came
from the fact that our four Bears, the Parki of
(01:44):
four Bears, you know, often came from quite divided societies
and that were religious but base. You know, if you're
a Scottish you tended to be a Presbyterian, if you're Irish,
you tended to be Catholic. Those things broke down as
we intermarried, as we between Mary and Pakia, between Pakia
and Pakia, and we've formed a sort of a new
(02:06):
consensus in this country. But I think Jordan's points right
as well. And I think we've lost something because our
law is based on those sort of fundamental tenements and
we're not teaching it. That's a problem.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Yeah, So more mood of the boardroom today. We'll get
to the ministerial rankings in a couple of minutes, but interesting,
the Finance Minister invited her opposition counterpart, Barbara Edmans, to
have a serious conversation about the future of superannuation in
New Zealand. Do you think this means that superannuation changes
will have bipartisan support?
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Jordan, Well, it's the only way to get it through.
I think this is very, very significant and good news
for taxpayers that oppositions both Labor and National have pointed
out the blindingly obvious for now many decades that enzed
super as it stands is unaffordable in the long term.
(03:00):
But now it's actually within the you know, it's within
the fiscal horizon. You look at last year, sorry, this
year's budget. You know, we're currently spending nineteen and a
half billion dollars for NZ Super. In just five years time,
we're spending twenty seven point nine billion. It's a forty
three percent increase in just five years. So what it's
(03:23):
twenty eight billion across a revenue forecast to be about
one hundred and fifty billion total tax take by the
end of that period. It is just enormous and every
expert will tell you that we've got to deal with it.
But what we're seeing is that actually you can't really
continue to kick the can down the road because here
(03:45):
it is.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
I know that the Retirement Commission says that actually New
Zealand super as it stands, with full eligibility at sixty
five is sustainable in the future, but it probably depends
on which economists you speak to.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
Nick.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
If Labor and National actually agree to this, do you
think we're going to get anywhere? Because in the past
there's always been a bit of politicking on both sides,
but obviously it's the likes of New Zealand First and
Act that have really polar opposed positions.
Speaker 4 (04:12):
Yeah. Well, look the numbers are eye watering and they
are unsustainable. So the only way to deal with this
is to reach across the aisle if you're the government
in this case or if you're National. So I think
Nikola Willis has done the absolute right thing in making
the public signal, and Barbara Evans is the finance spokesperson
(04:33):
for Labor, is the ideal person to grab her hand
because she's sensible too. So what we've got to do
I think Kiwis like by partisnship. It's the only way
to deal with the big problems confronting us, and this
is not the only one. But what we've got to
do is ensure that we actually get to you know,
and this is where public pressure comes on. And Jack,
(04:56):
you've been involved in discussions and infrastructure recently, where we
where the infrastructure industry wants by parsnship as well. It's
a nice term, but it's actually incumbent on Kiwi's on
all of us who comment, who watch, who are involved,
you know, as citizens, to make sure that something tangible
(05:18):
falls out at the bottom. And we have to grasp
this and we have to make sure that at least
both the major parties can come to some kind of
place in the middle where we stage out. You know,
sixty five has been the place that you know that
the age that we get universal super Jack, you, Jordan
and myself, we're all sort of in an age group.
(05:40):
It seems I've never bet on the fact that in
twenty years time I'm going to get a nice weekly
superannuation payment. And we shouldn't do that. We should think
about phasing that in later. And now you know, the
conversation has to start.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Yeah, all right, we'll be back with a huddle in
a couple of minutes. Netlely Get Jordan Williams right now
thirteen to six.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
The Huddle with New Zealand Southeby's International Realty Elevator Marketing
of your Home.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
On the Huddle this evening, Nick Leggett and Jordan Williams.
So Nick, a nineteen year old has been arrested in
charge for a smishing scam. If you've never heard of
the words smishing, I hadn't until today either. Basically, it
means using technology to send out hundreds and hundreds of
text messages that look like they've come from a reputable
source like a bank or something like that, asking for
(06:27):
people's personal information. Have you got one of these texts before?
Speaker 4 (06:32):
Yes, like most people. I think I have. And I
don't know why we're surprised at the nineteen year old.
Who are the people that are the smartest with technology.
It does tend to be younger people. But it is concerning,
And you know, I mean, as fast as we build
the barriers to stop these kind of scams, the scammers
are building you know, flash of stuff to overcome them.
(06:53):
So it's just it's something we have to live with,
doesn't that we have to keep pushing back.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
Against Yes, it is. One of the Texas has suggested
Jordan that perhaps this young person deserves not time in
the cells, but maybe a firm hand on their shoulder
and some guidance to an IT company or something like that.
Maybe with these skills could be used for good.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
All the security services. Yeah, I mean this is something
that obviously given work in politics, something I think about
a lot, and something that's worried me for a long
time is the vulnerability of our telecommunications, something that's starting
to happen more and more in New Zealand. It's similar
to this. It's something called sim swapping, which it looks
(07:32):
like this basically replicated it sort of created a sort
of fictitious or false mobile network to connect to your
phone and send these what the phone thinks and network messages.
I've tried to engage with one and spark. Spark will
absolutely useless about extra steps that one could take if
(07:56):
you work in politics or you know, the corporate world,
because one of the biggest vulnerabilities for people like you
and me jack as a basic sim swap, and it's
starting to happen more and more in New Zealand. And
I think that our telecommunications companies are. I mean, it's
great that this has been pounced on, but I listened
to that interview earlier with it was it Gary Williams
(08:17):
or someone saying that how quick DIA and the telecoms
were onto us. That certainly is not what I've experienced
in New Zealand, both with the telecoms and in terms
of cybersecurity and political parties and political organizations. I can
tell you that my equivalents around the world have a
heck of a lot better support, whereas here I know
(08:40):
that even the political parties get no assistance whatsoever in
terms of ensuring that these systems aren't manipulated by foreign
actors or hackers.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Is that right?
Speaker 3 (08:50):
They get none, No just walking to the political parties
and obviously something that we think about. Whereas I know
in Britain, for example, because the Chinese focus on think tanks,
there's a there's a their equivalent of GCSB actually help
are pretty proactive in ensuring that civil society. You know
that civil society is protected. Except for this, I don't
(09:14):
want to go in to each other. There's something happened
to us during the election. Except for incident responses, which
we've found our security services very good with there's very
little in terms of defense at the top. Yeah yeah,
the actual defense put ensuring we're in the defensive position.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
Yeah all right. Hey, thanks for your time, guys. I
appreciated our huddle this evening. Nickley get the chief executive
of Infrastructure New Zealand and the executive director of the
Taxpayers Union, Jordan Williams. It is seven to six on
News Talks dB.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, Listen live to
News Talks i'd Be from four pm weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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