December 12, 2025 • 40 mins
This week on The Panel, Tim Beveridge is joined by AUT Chemistry professor Allan Blackman and Infometrics CEO Brad Olsen, to discuss the biggest stories from the week that was.
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
You're listening to the Weekend Collective podcast from news Talk
said be debating all the issues and more. It's the
panel on the Weekend Collective on us Talk said bess Christmas.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
As the.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Burnhead Snoopy, they're in science, you explore the trigger to
throw it up the time?
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Why eating and shoot?
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Well, we'll never.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Know, or was it the bells from the village below? Yes?
In a very good afternoon to you? Oh look, we can't.
Speaker 4 (00:53):
You know, what would a show, what would a Christmas
lead up be without a little bit of Snoopy's Christmas?
Although I guess I'm not the only host who thinks that,
so possibly that song will get flogged until people are
big and us not too bad. There we go, a
little bit of Snoopyes Christmas. Welcome to the Weekend Collective.
I'm Tim Beverage. This is Saturday, the thirteenth of December,
less than two weeks to the big day. By the way,
you can text your feedback anytime on nine two nine
(01:16):
to two, and you can email Tim b at Newstalk
SIDB dot co dot z. Coming up on today's show,
as you know, we'll be kicking off with the panel
in just a moment we'll be introducing in a teck
but looking a little further forward when we also take
your calls on eight hundred and eighty ten eighty after four.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
It is the One Roof radio show.
Speaker 4 (01:33):
And Mike Atkinson, he's it works at a SPA property
Manager Management. He's a managing director there, and we're going
to have a chat about rents because they are on
the way down again and you know where. I don't
know if there's a roller coaster sort of or a
merry go round analogy there, but anyway, they're on the
way down for how long and how much are We're
going to have a chat about all the issues around
(01:53):
negotiating a lower rent and what leads to it and
what the market is doing in that respect, and how
to fix investors. And also we'll have a chat about
pets and other things on a tenants application that might
make a landlord a bit hesitant. And at five o'clock,
Dr Jackie Maguire joins us. She has been on the
show before, but it's been a little while, and she's
a clinical psychologist, and we're gonna have a chat about
(02:15):
the skills that kids need to know before leaving home,
such as how often should you change your sheets. I've
got an embarrassing story I will share with you later
on based on a very sound theory which my producer
Tire poked holes in instantly, and I'll share that.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
We later on.
Speaker 4 (02:34):
But anyway, the skills that you need because I think
I picked mine up on the way on the way through,
Mum sent me down with a couple of recipes and
then aware you go, it was meat loaf once a
week every Thursday night.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Maybe the odd bolonnaise.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
Anyway, we're gonna have chat about the skills that you
should need to know because the list, I'm not sure
there's a list of ten and I'm not sure I've
got all ten already. Anyway, we will be chatting about
that after five and taking your calls on the Parents
Squad right now, Welcome to the Weekend Collective.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
It's nine past three.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
Parenting, property, politics plus Bunny health and the week's debates.
It's all on the Weekend Collective with Tim Beveridge, News
Talk zebby.
Speaker 4 (03:15):
Yes, it is all on the Weekend Collective and joining us. Firstly,
don't let his job position fall you into thinking that
he's anything other than a very young man He is
the CEO of Infometrics and his name is Brad Olsen
and he's with me.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Now, good Brad, how are you good after?
Speaker 3 (03:31):
I'm well? Am I sounding young enough? I'm worried now
that people think I'm sort of some fifty year old
or something. Not that's bad thing.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
It's funny because the guest I'm about to introduce, your
fellow panelist, was like expecting someone fifty and he googled
you and.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
He's like, he's a boy. I thought that was I
thought everyone knew that you were. You know, you you
had done very well early on in life. I think
you must have.
Speaker 4 (03:53):
Did you get you must have got an honors degree
in economics or something like that.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Would you I've got my undergraduate scrape though on that. No, Look,
I'm clearly qualified, I'd like to think. But but you know,
you gotta have some practical experience out in the economy
as well, which I'm building up over time.
Speaker 4 (04:08):
Yeah, well you're getting there anyway. This is all meant
with warmth and best wishes, of course, this sort of
bit of banter anyway, that the man who was shocked
to see that you were actually quite a young chap
he is many things. He's a professor of chemistry at
aut and this is relevant for one of our topics
(04:29):
later on. He's also written a paper on fonts as
in Times New Roman and Calibri. And his name is
Alan Blackman.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Get a Alan. How are you going very well? Thank you, Tim? Yeah,
fabulous day and good to be here. It is gorgeous,
isn't it. Isn't it a lovely day? Yes? And and
you've had the surprise of saying that, I know, it's
just good.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
I don't know. I'm so glad as a Christmas scrunch
that I can bring such joy to people's lives. Still,
we're in wonderful ways?
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Are you actually do you like?
Speaker 3 (04:59):
No? I'm an economist. We're very practical people like no. No,
especially because look, as a very practical person, all I
want to do for Christmas is give people cash they
can choose their own gift. And the number of people
that tell me that's not acceptable, and I need to
put some thought into it.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
I think you will get with the program. I went
through a stage. I think you go through a stage
when you're a little kid. Did you like it when
you're little?
Speaker 3 (05:21):
I mean, getting a gift is always great.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
Yeah, sure, Okay, so he liked it when he was little,
which means possibly now ah so yeah, But anyway, then
you go through a phase when you're in your sort
of I don't know, I went through a stage of
hating it, and then I had children, and then I
loved it again, and it's so I've gone through the
whole What do you think of Christmas there, Alan, No, I'm.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Not a fan of I'm sorry, but Brad, you have
put some thought into it. You've put some thought into
how much you're going to give everybody. That's pretty thought
into things. Sure.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
Yeah, but from an economics point of view, you sort
of say you just add a little bit of a
margin on and that's sort of like the emotive margin.
You know, if you're going to spend like thirty bucks
on someone's gift normally and put some thought into it,
if you just give them forty bucks and it's like
a thirty dollars gift without the thinking bit.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
Okay, I didn't see it. I didn't see an envelope
in your back pocket. So I'm assuming my gift is
a big fat zero.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
Here you as your gift him.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
Brad, you know what if it was if it was
a swap, a choice between thirty or forty bucks a
bottle of line and you not being here or you
just being in the studio, I'd pick you being here
every day.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Brad.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
So there we go.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
See who said the Spirit of Christmas isn't alive?
Speaker 2 (06:32):
And well at news talk said b anyway, not you anyway.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
Hey, look this one has been you know it's I
discussed it a bit on talk back and the lead
up to it. And now Australia has entered into its
social media ban and there are sixteen year olds under
sixteen year olds who say that they're going to get
around and all that sort of thing. But you know,
we are going to look at how we should reduce
(06:59):
social media harm. And the government's also looking at appointing
a social media regulator, which sounds like a half way house.
What do you think, Brad.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
I'm not as much of a fan as a lot
of people on social media regulation, just because I'm not
sure how you teach people how to use stuff by
just outright banning them. Yes, there are a lot of
social ill wills and similar but social media has also
opened up a lot of opportunity for young people to
stay in touch, to go and learn stuff and everything else.
I'm not saying it's good, but I really don't know
about one just outright banning it, but two, it starts
(07:31):
to open up a whole bigger can of worms around
sort of privacy and similar if you've got to go
and supply your idea or something to tell them any
of the social media companies that you're of a certain age,
it really does start to then bleed into other areas
of life.
Speaker 4 (07:44):
As a principle, I am one hundred percent behind the band.
I'm not sure I agree with exactly the various I
can't think of the word actually apps for whatever that
they have. I don't I think YouTube's problematic because YouTube's
actually got some amazing stuff on there. It's very educational,
historical videos, all sorts of things. But I don't mind
(08:06):
that there are going to be kids who get around
it either. But I must say it's for many many
parents that simply back up for the decision. They want
to tell their kids, you're not getting on this. And
for me, I think that I'm quite keen on it,
and we'll we'll have to see how it plays that.
And also, it's not a freedom of speech thing for adults.
This is an under there's an under sixteen thing. What
do you reckon A Yeah, well I.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Think Brad's comments that's what a young person would say. Really,
but don't take it away from we're gonna flog this still. Okay,
So they're doing this in Australia, and look, I think
I'm pro it. I think, but as you say, the
kids are always going to find their way around it.
And I'm sure last week there were a heck of
a lot of kids who suddenly changed their birthday if
they had any sense. And the first shots have been
(08:51):
fired because Reddit is apparently suing the Australian government.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Now.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Reddit would be the last social media place that I
would have thought would have under sixteen year olds there.
I mean, it's not it's not a thing for it
for young kids. I wouldn't have thought so. Read it's
being proactive about this, and it's going to be very
interesting to see how that plays out. And it's also
going to be really interesting to see when the Australian
government sues one of the companies for the maximum forty
(09:17):
nine and a half million dollars. That's going to be extraordinary. Look,
it's going to be wonderful. It's gone great news for
talkback and news and panelists and all that sort of thing.
I look, I think for nothing.
Speaker 4 (09:29):
It's like you back in the old days, you couldn't
buy certain you know, back in the old days of
printed pornography, you couldn't buy it unless you were at
certain age. But kids found their way around it. But
what it is is a society sending a signal this
is not mainstream. If you are going to break the rules, fine,
we're not going to be perfect, but this is the rule.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
And I'm okay with it.
Speaker 4 (09:48):
And for me, my kids they use WhatsApp, which is
not going to be banned. They message their friends, they
have groups in WhatsApp. But there's Yeah, I'm all for it,
and I'm good luck to Australia, I say.
Speaker 3 (09:59):
But I guess you look at that, right, and you
look at some of the social ill rules that come
and that's why you've seen this regulation, right, because there's
a whole lot of cyber bullying that goes on. There's
a whole lot of bad stuff that goes on in
social hinging.
Speaker 4 (10:09):
You're hinging your well being to how many likes you get.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
Yeah, but I guess I mean some of that. You
can still see a lot of that, even with some
of the messaging apps that have been left out. I mean,
you look at the likes of WhatsApp. You can still
get some nasty messages on there from some complete randos.
But my worry a little bit is if you ban it,
and that's your sort of approach to these things, is
how do you teach people how to cope with it,
or deal with it, or sort of regulate it otherwise
(10:33):
apart from just a straight up no. You imagine if
we did that for everything in life, if there's a
little bit of an issue, not someone swears on the radio,
once we ban the radio. I mean, that just doesn't seem.
Speaker 4 (10:42):
Like the right a problem we do have. We have
our sixteen movies. We do have a graduated approach.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
I think this is not a blanket ban though, no,
but we have a.
Speaker 4 (10:51):
Graduated approach to what is appropriate for various ages. And
the same way that you know, kids can't be left
at home until they're fourteen legally, and I think it's
just a graduated approach, and yeah, let people have access
to it once they're sixteen and then roll with it.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
From there, I guess so.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
But but but I'm sorry, it's sixteen. It's not like
the issues go away. And because you've given no one
a lead up into it, it's just a hey, good
luck you when you're fifteen, there's no chance you can
have it and at sixteen get bullied like your life.
I mean, it's still that approach.
Speaker 4 (11:23):
No, although I do think that schools chatting with my
girls about it and what they talk about at school,
I think schools are actually doing quite a good job of,
you know, helping kids navigate the minefield.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
Of social media now and and better over time.
Speaker 4 (11:37):
And we've banned phones at school, hooray for that.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
And I mean, you know, the really sad thing is
that they're doing all of this because of a tiny, tiny,
tiny minority of complete pricks out there who do these
sorts of nasty things. You know.
Speaker 4 (11:49):
Well, also, I mean, just get your head out of
your phone and find it's amazing the life that's out
there for your kids.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
So listen to radio.
Speaker 4 (11:56):
Oh look, you know absolutely, they're not banning the iHeart radio,
that's all.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
It's we're all in anything that gives them more time
to read their chemistry textbooks. I'm all for yes.
Speaker 4 (12:05):
Indeed, indeed, is that the Chemistry text by Alan Alan Blackman.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
What's it? It's called chemistry. It's called chemistry. There we go, Yes,
you should think.
Speaker 4 (12:14):
About I still can't believe you didn't think about it.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
Slightly more. Well, it does what it says on the ten,
doesn't it?
Speaker 3 (12:19):
You know it's a very chemist sort of answer, isn't it.
Speaker 4 (12:23):
If you write a book, Brad, what would you be
Would you be calling it economics?
Speaker 3 (12:26):
No, I'll make it something way more fun. I allure
you in economic stuff.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
I reckon.
Speaker 4 (12:33):
Actually, Brad, I reckon you've thought about at some stage
you are going to write a book.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
I reckon.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
I'm predicting, And I.
Speaker 4 (12:38):
Reckon you've already thought about a title if you were
going to put a book out there.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
I really haven't. No, I'd check GPT there these days.
Give me give me texts on nine two nine two.
Speaker 4 (12:47):
You may email your suggestions for any for a book
on economics by by Brad Olsen. Okay, you can do that, right, Well,
we would encourage that text. Look, I'm not going to
I don't know if I did a bit of talk
back on this. By the way, they are shake up,
and I find it was difficult to get.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Calls on it.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
How do I wow?
Speaker 4 (13:10):
Surprising, But I think everyone realizes that rimas and needs
to be shaken up. You know, we've the media and
there have been rife stories about how it's just been
a it's been a log jam on any progress and
getting things done. But what do you I mean, it's
been a busy week for MPs. You know, they've got
a bunch of bills going on. But RAMA is set
(13:31):
to be replaced by two new your laws, Brad, what
do you make of it all?
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Bring it on?
Speaker 3 (13:36):
Oh? Absolutely, get it, get it done, get it past,
get it into operation. The sooner the better because this
stuff really at the moment does take a huge amount
of time, huge amount of cost. And the thing I
liked the most was the fact that I think the
government said that something like, you know, nearly fifty percent
of all consents won't be required under the new changes
when they eventually come in. Like that is a huge
amount of a lot of effort at the moment. That
(13:58):
probably doesn't do a huge amount that we can get
rid of, so efficiencies all round. I think you know
the estimates and in fact we did them was something
around sort of three billion dollars a year in terms
of savings that would come through. Like it's substantial, So
just get on and do it, get on and do it.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
Allan. Yeah, I mean, the thing that amazes me about this,
and I always forget this that the national government brought
this in. You know, this was a national creation, and
I'm damn sure that they didn't mean it to be
working or not as it does, because it just seems
to be an impediment to progress. So yeah, I'm with
Brad on this absolutely. You know, get it done.
Speaker 4 (14:36):
It must be frustrating, isn't it for current politicians when
one of their predecessors it's like they get tired with
that brush sort of thing, like for instance, we got
Nikola we'll talk about this later on Nicola Willison, you know,
and Ruth Richardson.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
Oh god, well, I don't know anyway, But.
Speaker 4 (14:51):
How important do you think it is, Brad, that there's
a cross party approached this at least that you're never
going to get be perfect, but you at least involve
the other guys so hopefully they don't come in and
rip it all up again.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
Well, and look, that was one of the I think
fair criticisms that was levied this week because the previous
labor government did have a big reform program on an
irma that the National government who came in they immediately
got rid of. And there's a lot of people saying, well,
how different is this to what was gotten rid of?
And look, I mean I think one of the I
was of it. I thought that some of the annaunce
was a bit weak there where people said, oh, well
the titles are pretty similar. I thought, well, there's eight
(15:23):
hundred plus pages of documentation there. I don't know if
I cared too much about the titles, but looking into it,
I think you've seen the leader of the opposition say, look,
we are going to look at this seriously. We'd like
to find the easiest way possible so that we can
try and have a little bit more bipartisanship, because this
stuff is important. If you have better planning across the country,
in fact, if you have a whole lot less regulation,
(15:43):
then again you get so much better outcomes because people
just have the ability to get on and do stuff
instead of have to do paperwork allan.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, no completely what he said. Yeah,
but it's true and it does sound like there is
a little bit of consensus at least. I mean, even
the Greens were sort of, you know, saying, yeah, well,
you know this is not to hate it. They'll find
a way to hate it. But you're right, it's to
be there's got to be consensus. It's got to be
(16:11):
cross party otherwise Yep, when the next lot get in,
they'll just change it again.
Speaker 4 (16:15):
So hey, by the way, just on the Parliament thing,
the Jerry Brown, I don't know he shut the Chambers
gallery to members of the public for the rest of
the year after pro Palestine protesters disrupted proceedings by shouting
and throwing papers at MPs.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
Well did he need to shut it?
Speaker 4 (16:34):
Look, I mean, I don't get too excited about these things.
What do you reckon, Brad.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
Look, I'd love to have Parliament open all the time.
That's one of the best things about New Zealand compared
to everyone else, is the fact that you do have,
you know, excess. You go to overseas parliaments and like
it's just you can't get in without huge, huge, heavy security,
whereas here you can go in. I think though the
speakers would have had no choice because the pro Palestine
process has said we're going to do it again, and
(17:00):
so what do you do unless you're going to sort
of frisk everyone on entry to parliament, We're not at
that point. I think it was sort of do we
have this happen every day or do we just.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Want what if they say they're going to do it
every day next year?
Speaker 4 (17:10):
I mean, I mean I just wonder at what stage
you have sort of repercussions so people maybe think it's
not the smartest choice.
Speaker 3 (17:16):
Well, I mean the repercussions of banning people from parliament
at a long term basis.
Speaker 4 (17:20):
Well, how about this, I'm making this up as a
go along. Okay, you disrupt the house and throp and
shout and have a protest. You're in the clink for
a couple of days. Bang done, Bye bye. I mean
you'd think about twice about it, wouldn't you. Instead, they
walk out and they you know, nothing really happens when
there's no consequence.
Speaker 2 (17:37):
Well remember the Tapati Mali MPs who no one caused
a bit of a stir. They got banned for what
was it, twenty one days? Yes, it's strand, but they
didn't get locked in the clink.
Speaker 4 (17:45):
Imagine that that would have been, but at least if
they got bigger problems than that these days, if.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
They if they got banned. But look, yes, of course
it could protest. Yes that's your god given right and
all that, but you know, don't go disrupting.
Speaker 3 (17:59):
Just well, I mean, look look at what it's done.
I mean, what did they achieve out of that, apart
from limiting democracy for everyone else to be able to
see what's going on. I mean, great job, team.
Speaker 4 (18:08):
Oh well, I mean I often think that about Yeah,
from it's an absolutely worthy cause, absolutely completely totally.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
I'm all for it. But you know, there's kind of
a time and a place.
Speaker 4 (18:19):
Yeah, it does feel time and a place. Whise it
felt just a little bit at a whack. I guess
it's not like it's we're in the throes of it.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
Mind you.
Speaker 4 (18:26):
Things do disappear off the headlines. Maybe they wanted to
get it back in the headlines and so job done. Anyway, Look,
we are going to take a quick, quick moment where
I'm with Alan Blackman, he's a profession of chemistry at
aut and font expert, and Brad Olsen, who's CEO.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
Infometrics, will be back with the panel in just a moment.
News Talks. Yes, welcome back. This is the panel.
Speaker 4 (18:47):
I'm Tim Beverage and my guess, Alan Blackman, professor of
chemistry and Brad Olsen's CEO of Infometrics. Now, I have
a sort of initial whiplash reaction to this one that
apparently there are New Zealand New Zealanders who are worried
about coming home because of the student loan that they
haven't been making payments to and they're worried about their
(19:09):
debt and that they're going to get pinged for it
when they come home and student this will be a
good run for you, Brod on the economics because you'll
be all over the numbers like a pit ball on
a poodle. So anyway, seventy eight percent of the over
four hundred people who shared their experiences said they were
making no progress playing their loan off from overseas, and
(19:30):
they're worried about their loan. Anyway, that's maybe stopping people
from coming home. What's so to reaction to this?
Speaker 3 (19:37):
So to be clear, you've got this many people who
are overseas taken you know, got some money from the
government to support their studies. They've then gone off overseas
and taken their skills. They've done nothing to try and
repay that loan, which is not a grant, it's a loan,
and they're saying boo to me. I mean, excuse me.
I had to do a whole lot of flipp and
hard work here in New Zealand once I got my degree,
and to go overseas and have this great old time
(19:59):
and then say that I don't care about my obligations,
but I'm worried about coming home. Then you should have
paid your student loan off. Read the documentations. This one
really frustrates me.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
I have five words to say that to that. Brad
brad Olsen for Prime Minister.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
I'm with you.
Speaker 4 (20:17):
You know, look and look there are people who are
lucky enough to go through without having to have loans,
and they were those people say well you don't have
to have a loan, et cetera. But you know what,
if the deal is, this is what's happening, this is
how you're funding your education, then you do the deal
and you've gone overseas, you haven't paid it off. I
got zero sympathy like you, Brad, and I'm waiting for
Alan to balance.
Speaker 2 (20:37):
The box for me. Well, ok so The thing that
gets me here is the quote from the Green Party spokesperson.
The system isn't working because it isn't fair. Yes, it
is fair. I'm sorry. It's fair to everybody because you
have the people who stayed here in New Zealand and
who are busy paying off their loans. Yeah, dutifully.
Speaker 3 (20:55):
You know.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
Imagine trying to get away with us. Oh you know,
you go overseas and you just decide to stop your
mortgage payments. You know, I think, oh, what the heck?
You know, No, it doesn't work like that. I'm sorry
you might not agree with the whole student loan thing.
I was lucky enough to go through university without having
to get a student loan way back in the day,
and your rent was twenty bucks a week.
Speaker 3 (21:15):
Yuh so night flight for some.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
But you've made an obligation. This is a life lesson
to everybody out there. You make an obligation, you've got
to live up to it.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
I'm already thinking about some friends of mine. I've had
two friends this year that have recently paid off this
student loans and it's a huge milestone. They're here massively.
They've done a whole lot of work, not on at university, though,
I'd like to think contributed quite strongly to the country here.
To have people overseas that have gone, well, I've gone overseas,
have taken my talent, that's fine, But then I've stuck
their heads in the sand and gone. I don't need
(21:48):
to think about my student loan. But when I want
to come back and have a nice time back here
at home, it then becomes an issue and I might
get arrested at the border. I'm sorry, what are all
of us who have stuck around and spend a whole
lot of money and if it doing, why should we
pay for your holiday overseas? Because that's effectively what it's been.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
And how many people have actually got arrested at the
ball I've heard of one. Oh, there was one that
made the news a couple of years ago and came
in from Fiji or something. You couldn't go back, something
like that.
Speaker 3 (22:13):
Most of them are people who have wrecked up like
they've never engaged. You know, if I dcns you a
letter or something and says, look, you really need to
start paying some student loan, and you just completely blatantly
time and time again, say n I get stuffed and
I'm just happy to have a free ride and then go.
I'd like to come back to New Zealand. No, no,
thank you. Those are not the people that I think
we deserve to be supporting.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
Being go Brad. I just think and Alan.
Speaker 4 (22:37):
Of course, by the way, I meant to do this before,
but I gather your mum tunes and every now and again,
so I just wanted to give a shout out to
Brad's mum, Helen Olsen, and Merry Christmas. And I think
I've got the inside running on what you're getting for Christmas,
and it's going to give you some choice.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
Could be I think the surprise of me. Is it
twenty thirty or forty dollars.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
For your mums?
Speaker 4 (22:58):
Yeah, there we go some just a nice little bit
of Christmas chair for you.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
Brad and Helen.
Speaker 4 (23:02):
Hey, Helen, it is lovely to have you listening though.
We really do appreciate it, and we quite like your son.
He seems all right, he's all right.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
Have you got siblings?
Speaker 3 (23:10):
I do sister one sister, Okay?
Speaker 2 (23:12):
Is there any rivalry that goes on there?
Speaker 3 (23:14):
No? I think she'd like to stay absolutely clear of
everything that I do. She looks and goes that looks
like that looks awful.
Speaker 4 (23:20):
Well, if your sister's listening, if you go fifty bucks,
you're going to be the favorite anyway.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
Ah.
Speaker 4 (23:26):
God, I talk some nonsense, don't I. I guess that's
the geek sometimes, isn't it. Now I've forgotten where I've
completely forgot? Oh this next one? Ah, what do you
make of that announcement? I'll start with you allan on
the social media screening for a US visa. So foreigners
who can go to the States without a visa, they'll
(23:47):
soon be required to submit information about their social media,
email accounts, extensive family history to the Department of Homeland Security.
I don't know how broad it's going to be and
whether they'll be you'll get glossed over, the next person
will get you get given.
Speaker 2 (23:59):
The third degree. But it does look at it this way.
Speaker 4 (24:03):
All I can say, Alan, is if I was traveling
somewhere via the States and my travel agent said, would
you like to go via LA or Singapore?
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Singapore? Yes? Yeah, yeah? What do you think they couldn't
be shooting themselves more on the foot if they tried. Honestly,
Number one, who the hell is going to go through?
Five years of somebody's Internet astray. Basically, yeah, possibly, And
you know, I have been known to call a certain
president Donald slump on you know, sort of social media,
(24:32):
so I'm probably history. But you know, who decides what's
going to be unacceptable? And if they bring this in,
then bugger it. Let's make it reciprocal. Let's let every
American who comes into this country know exactly what their
government is doing to the rest of the world. And
then they might think, oh gosh, that's not the best.
Speaker 4 (24:52):
Although I don't go with that because I think we
should be classy and just do what we do.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
No, but classy doesn't get you anywhere now, its well doesn't.
Speaker 3 (25:01):
Look I understand the principle. At the moment, Americans have
become the second largest tourism group coming into New Zealand.
So I'm more than happy if they're happy to bring
their money here to New Zealand without restriction at the
moment economically, more than happy for them.
Speaker 4 (25:15):
That's sticking to you, knitting, and I appreciate that brand.
I'd hate you, but look, I do think would be
I don't think it's a good move for them to
do it, So we shouldn't shoot our salves in the
foot would be my argument on it much as emotionally, Alan,
I'm with you.
Speaker 3 (25:29):
Look as someone who had to do this myself earlier
this year, I went to the US. I was there
for a month, and I had to give all my
social media you know, links and similar But I mean, clearly,
I hopefully didn't do anything too wrong because I got
let in pretty quickly. But you're right in terms of
the US shooting themselves in the foot. It's interesting you
look at the data. The numbers of visitors into the
US at the moment have come down quite considerably. It
(25:53):
is one of those areas where again, you know, if
the US wants to leave money on the table, which
they clearly are at the moment, they'd go the right
way about it.
Speaker 4 (25:59):
I think the thing is if they want to do that,
then fine. But I just think the way it's sold,
I think that that the pr for it does tend
to say we're going to be going over you with
a fine tooth comb. And most people are like, look,
I just want to come here because I want to
go to Disneyland for a week.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
Yeah, And I think your average American has no idea
of the magnitude of what's going on here or the
fact that it is even going on. And I really
do think that they would be horrified. Your average Americans,
lovely people. I've lived there for a couple of years,
great people, and if they thought that this was going on,
if they knew this was going on, I really think
things would be different.
Speaker 3 (26:34):
The scariest thing in my mind is that ninety nine
percent of people are still going to be fine, But
it's that one percent chance, and I think that's probably
the worry for a lot of people. You know, they'll
be looking at this policy as a you know, ki
we thinking of traveling to the US at some point
and going, you know what, maybe it's just not worth it,
you know, do I sort of put myself on this
big line and then get stuck, you know in some
grotty little airport, you know, room for a couple of
(26:55):
hours while someone pulls me aside, and then they put
me back on the eleven hour flight. Like, realistically, am
I not better to go anywhere else? So I think
there is a real risk factor that people take into
a cair actually.
Speaker 4 (27:03):
To be honest, Look, I don't travel a lot because
I'd love to take my kids on more trips. But
my gut reaction would be, well, the States is out,
because I wouldn't just want to risk getting for having
to get you know, get the rubbid love and bloody
and immigration or whatever, you know.
Speaker 2 (27:20):
I just wouldn't.
Speaker 3 (27:21):
I think there's there's so many other operations options.
Speaker 4 (27:23):
Right, and I do wonder if it is going to
affect them out And it's not. This is not even
a judgment about whether their policy is right. The question
is just will the policy have an effect on people's
decisions on traveling there, And I would think that it, yes, definitely.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
Will of course, if anybody from the US embassy is listening, Yeah,
this isn't a great idea, it's just not.
Speaker 3 (27:43):
The challenge, of course, is that they they might well
plite pasted information up the line, but realistically the decisions
are made a lot further up the top. So good
to have them pass through, but realistically I'm not expecting
anything to try.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
I'm not sure the New Zealand New Zealand Trump.
Speaker 4 (28:00):
Imagine that you go to the States and it's like,
you get this note from Trump and I know all
about buddy at you go.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
Anyway, Hey long, we're gonna laughing now, take whatever it'll be.
Speaker 4 (28:13):
In the whatever happened to Alan Blackwell file, whatever happened
to we went to the States and he just I
don't know, some Westboro postcard from Guantanma, Guantanamine.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
That was it.
Speaker 4 (28:21):
Anyway, we will be back in just to tickets twenty
two minutes to four. Yes, News talk z be welcome
back and I'm Tim Beverage. We've got Brad Olsen and
Adam Blackman with me for the panel.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
Now, guys, the Great New Zealand's shutdown.
Speaker 4 (28:34):
There's a talk about whether we shut down for too
long over Christmas, you know, being sort of like, I
don't know, six weeks with the school holidays and things
like that, maybe even longer.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
But I was thinking, well, hang on, it's just.
Speaker 4 (28:45):
That we're at the bottom of the world and our
summer is over Christmas, and so we shut down for
a length of time. But if you go to the
UK in July, they shut down for six weeks. So
is this actually a story, Brad.
Speaker 3 (28:55):
No, in my mind, it's not for two reasons. One
because not only does the UK shut down in July
and similar they also have course take Christmas off, so
they have two bites of the cheery they take the
Christmas well, I mean probably not a lot, but even
if it's but just between you know, Christmas and New
Year's that's sort of a good week. So you had
a week to whatever they're doing in July and are
taking two bites of the cherry. But I've looked, I've
actually I've done the numbers. Good Economist as always on
(29:18):
and we've found that activity over in the likes of December,
there's a lot of big spend up for Christmas. But
then you go through to January, February, January spending is
barely any different. In fact, it's slightly higher than average
spending over any month. Over a year, economic activity is
down about two percentage points from what it would normally
be on average. The biggest though, and here's what I
think it is when we talk about a summer shutdown,
(29:39):
it's not every industry. Construction still has to do a
lot of stuff. Retail is heaving, accommodation and everything is
going hard. It's professional services. It's US office workers who
are taking a bit of a break. So actually, I
feel like we're maybe trying to sort of make our
the office dweller is a little bit too important in
the New Zealand economy.
Speaker 4 (29:55):
By talking about I mean Alan, you would feel that
your holidays is an academic are way too short over
this time of year.
Speaker 2 (30:02):
The number of people who have asked me, oh, you
must be on holiday now. No, No, we close next
Friday and the labs reopen on Wednesday, January the seventh.
Speaker 4 (30:11):
What yes, So hang on a minute. I thought that,
I thought the universities you thought, what would you be
doing on January the eighth. I may be back at work,
or I might take another or I might take another week.
Speaker 3 (30:23):
I reckon as a chem it's surely you're blowing something up.
It's probably the fun stuff.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
That you did rightly, Oh god, yeah, that's all we do. Yeah,
sect my life totally right. I have lots of holidays
and I blow stuff. Actually, actually do you blow stuff
up from time to time? No comment.
Speaker 4 (30:39):
What's the most fun thing you demonstrate to first year
chemistry students where you go, well, hey, look look what
we add this to this to this and the color
of rainbows and then boom.
Speaker 2 (30:48):
Probably the fire breathing, that's fun.
Speaker 4 (30:50):
What's the fire breathing?
Speaker 2 (30:52):
You take a certain white powder, you get a mouthful
of it and you blow it through a flame and
you just go and it's really cool because it's a
safety thing. You're telling me off air, I'm not going
to take.
Speaker 3 (31:06):
Dodge. I mean, if you find some particularly reactive metal
when you throw it in water at my chemistry that
I remember from high school, makes a bit of a bang.
Speaker 2 (31:13):
Yes, indeed, yes, there's many many ways to make a bang. Yew.
Speaker 4 (31:18):
I sort of wanted to leave this till later on,
although it might it might have belonged quite well in
the politics at the start. But the Nicola Willis fudge,
it's the Taxpayers Union. Basically Willis and the Taxpayers Union.
They've got a bit of a frakka, a stoush contratemp
going on, so that the Taxpayers Union sent out branded
(31:38):
fudge apparently it's quite tasty to newsrooms around the country,
released in an opinion piece in the Post, and that
they've launched an AI generated ad of Willis. And it's
basically and there's also this discussion around a debate with
Ruth Richardson, But anyway, they're really going for Nicola Willis.
Look they do it, I guess all the time. I'll
(31:59):
just get in early and say I found that AI
video thing a bit creepy.
Speaker 3 (32:02):
Brand agreed, and look, I was talking to The Herald's
deputy political editor Adam Pest about this yesterday. I also
don't know if is this the best topic to be
wasting our time? And I mean that in terms of,
look that the debate's been sort of taking up more
oxygen political oxygen otherwise than most of other important topics.
(32:22):
The Taxpayers Union pitched it to go on I think
Thursday morning, which is when GDP's coming out, and I'm sorry,
as a professional economist, I care a lot more about
GDP than our former and current finance minister going at it,
because look, at the end of the day, what's going
to happen. Is anyone going to decide that you know,
that they've changed their opinion. Is Ruth Richards and all
of sudden going to say, actually, I think the current
government's on the right track. Or is Nicola Willis going
(32:45):
to come out and say, you know what, I'm going
to go on absolutely slash and burn some spending now
and put people in a much more miserable position. None
of the two are going to happen. And I don't
know if either of them are actually still willing to
touch what, in my mind is the biggest issue here.
The biggest increase in spending that New Zealand has seen
in recent years remains the likes of New Zealand superannuation.
That is the biggest We still spend more on soon
with an education.
Speaker 4 (33:06):
Yes, well, that was the point that Ruth Richardson made
when I saw her somewhere on the media talking about
this has to be something done about that, and I'm
with her on that one.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
But Alan, what do you reckon? You describe yourself as
a professional economist. Is there any such thing as an
amateur economist?
Speaker 1 (33:19):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (33:19):
Yeah, everyone house everyone else, And to be fair, you know,
sometimes maybe I should be an amateur economist as well.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
But look, honestly, you're absolutely right. There's better things that
we should be worrying about, or more and way more
important things that we should be worrying about here, and
we shouldn't even be talking about this, honestly.
Speaker 4 (33:37):
I think, you know, I can imagine that the Taxpayers Union,
and we have Jordan on our panel that that you'd
get carried away with the fun and all the different
things you could do in fact, including the AI video.
But when I saw the AI video. I did think
it was creepy. I just sort of thought, I'm not
sure that this is I'm not sure you're exciting anyone
with this A couple of bits of Nicholas. You didn't
(33:58):
look like Nichola at all.
Speaker 3 (34:00):
It's a bad it's just weird. It's a bad road
to go down. I fear AI ads and and yeah, okay,
it's coming. But I don't know if we want to
lean in really hard to it, because it does just
start to put you in a more awkward more I
guess out the gates possession. I don't like it.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
Well, let's let's face it, the Taxpayers Union are relying
on media to publicize whatever they come out with. So
if they start doing things like this in the media
think nah, no thanks, then it's not Well. I've just
focused on how creepy the video, Yeah exactly.
Speaker 3 (34:28):
Yeah, this is my worry though. But look, if there
was a principal debate tappen, and maybe there is a
conversation about government spinning, like I get the various arguments,
I've gone through them in detail myself, But who's been
talking about that this week? They've been talking about fudge
weird AI videos and whether or not we can find
time for a debate tappen. I've not been talking about
the debate.
Speaker 2 (34:46):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I did.
Speaker 4 (34:47):
Like Judith Collins a little put down. She said, well,
you know, Nichola probably wants to be in more than
a one term government. Wow, I love a good love
a good Judith Collins backhand or eh, hey, now here
we go. It almost needs up drum roll, the big
question of the day. So, and this is what plays
into the expert hands of Alan Blackman here.
Speaker 2 (35:10):
But it's interesting.
Speaker 4 (35:12):
Marco Rubio has directed diplomats to return to using the
Times new Roman font, which is undoing the Biden era
switch to Calibri, which apparently is easier to read for
people who are dyslexic or whatever. So it doesn't feel
like the sort of hell you want to die on.
I just don't really know what to think of it.
(35:33):
So and then Alan said that he had written a
paper on fonts, and I'm a bit of a what's
the one we use? I can't remember aptos where you're
on the aptos anyway, So for the Weekend Collective, we're
aptos all the way.
Speaker 3 (35:47):
You just default, then, aren't you like, you haven't chosen that,
You've just used the default.
Speaker 4 (35:51):
What oh, apparently it's the default one. I thought timers
new Roman was the default. I thought it used to be.
Speaker 2 (35:56):
But well, we're not comic sans anyways, that way Brad
was a baby. Okay, Alan you you approve of this move,
I absolutely do. And yeah, I didn't know this was
happening before I came in today. But I actually did
write a paper on actually called the Font of Chemical Knowledge,
which is quite that's good, that's good, And this was
(36:17):
published in Nature Chemistry last year, and basically I was
making a case for the fact that we have to
use serah fonts and times in e Roman is a
seraph font, So I'm all for this. You cannot tell
the difference between a capital I and a small L
in a song serif font. Simple, isn't there a dot?
Isn't there a.
Speaker 3 (36:37):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (36:38):
Capital? Actually, chemical equations.
Speaker 4 (36:44):
Yes, absolutely have to be times in EurOMA. But the
worst Garamond I.
Speaker 3 (36:49):
Would pitch for windings, Thank you very much.
Speaker 4 (36:52):
Well, to be honest, if you're an economist, probably probably
some chemical sort of equations look like wingdings to most
of us.
Speaker 3 (36:59):
Yes, I mean, look, we're even more sophisticated. We use
ceg as a font. It's it's something fancy one. But importantly,
and this is genuinely important in New Zealand. If we're
going to get into fonts, you also need to have
one that can use the macrons in that over today words.
Otherwise you have really weird looking fonts. If you've printed
out and you've got sort of you know, hodgepodge of
different font options.
Speaker 4 (37:18):
I'm going to go type out altau ROA and I'm
going to turn it into wingedings and see see what.
Speaker 2 (37:23):
That looks like.
Speaker 4 (37:25):
Good lie, I don't know what I'm talking about anyway,
So where are we at? Do you think it for
the administration in the US calibri or do if they
need to go back to the serah font.
Speaker 3 (37:37):
Jeep as They've got some important stuff that they're dealing
with at the moment, aren't they. When it comes to fonts,
it does make me wonder what's the New Zealand government
official fontod good.
Speaker 2 (37:45):
Point comic sans Apparently apparently, I hope it's not fourteen
points like there going Well, come on, that's just way
too bid. Goodness me, You've only got so much space
on a screen. Twelve point.
Speaker 4 (37:56):
I'm going to have to look at a document I'm
using on this show and I'll report back afterwards. But
we're going to take a quick moment where with font
expert Alan Blackman as the font of all knowledge including fonts,
and Brad Olson, who's just insufferably young. It's nine minutes
to four News Talks d B News Talks head be
(38:16):
with Tim Bevers. This is almost wrapping up the panel
with Alan Blackman and Brad Olsen.
Speaker 2 (38:20):
And this is a quaint story.
Speaker 4 (38:22):
I was wondering if it actually really applies to New Zealand.
But the question around the Irish goodbye and whether it
is actually okay to leave a party or a social
event without saying a proper fare well, and.
Speaker 2 (38:37):
Is it okay to do that?
Speaker 4 (38:39):
I think it's called the Irish goodbye or the French exit.
I imagine those two things would be totally different, to
be honest.
Speaker 2 (38:45):
But anyway, we won't dig into that.
Speaker 4 (38:47):
But yeah, I mean I think there are times if,
for instance, if you're at a work, do you slip
away without saying goodbye to anyway, you might just disappear,
Whereas if you've been invited around to your best friend's
house for a Christmas du I tend to think you
should say goodbye, Brad.
Speaker 3 (39:01):
It depends. So I'm a marriage Selbrton is one of
my other that I wear. But the reason I tell
you that is because a lot of people either ask
or they sort of you know, they will tell people
at their wedding please make an Irish exit, don't come
up and sort of interrupt the dance floor, or similar
to say goodbye to the bride and groom. Just just
get out of there. So I think it depends on
(39:22):
what other things are happening. Like if you're all sitting
around on the couch or whatever, then yeah, you might
go and bump up someone and say, look, thank you
very much, have a good one, see you later. But
if everyone's already involved in something, then you've got to
be a bit more cautious.
Speaker 2 (39:33):
Yes, actually that makes a very good point. Alan, what
do you reckon? Helps? We'll turn your microphone on. There
we go, I'm there. Well, is it okay to call
it the Irish exit or the Irish goodbye to begin
with it?
Speaker 3 (39:45):
We're going to get canceled, aren't we Yeah, I'd say,
I'd say you know that I was not very woe.
Speaker 2 (39:50):
I once left a wedding before the wedding.
Speaker 4 (39:53):
I think I reception, no, because I turned up and
there was a table and if everyone had their their
their names on a chair or something, and everyone before
I got there had moved their chairs to somewhere else
and mine was the only one there. And I thought
you were Nigel, no friends, And I literally thought, and
the bride got in touch she said, I saw you.
I saw that you'd left it before the reception, she said,
(40:16):
And I totally understand. Thanks for coming to the wedding
sort of thing, but.
Speaker 2 (40:20):
Yeah I did.
Speaker 3 (40:21):
I did.
Speaker 4 (40:21):
I don't know what that's called the Irish ex at
the French fleeing.
Speaker 2 (40:25):
Not sure. No, I think it's a good thing. There's
times where yes, there's times where you should go. Guess what. Well,
it's time to go, Brad Olsen, Alan Blakeman. I know
you're not into Christmas, but Merry Christmas to you, Helen.
It's going to be something spectacular. Okay, Brad's mum.
Speaker 3 (40:39):
Sorry, I say goodbye, but I'm halfway out of the studio.
Speaker 1 (40:43):
For more from the Weekend Collective, listen live to news
Talk said Be Weekends from three PM, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Weekend Collective podcast from news Talk
said be debating all the issues and more. It's the
panel on the Weekend Collective on us Talk said bess Christmas.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
As the.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Burnhead Snoopy, they're in science, you explore the trigger to
throw it up the time?
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Why eating and shoot?
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Well, we'll never.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Know, or was it the bells from the village below? Yes?
In a very good afternoon to you? Oh look, we can't.
Speaker 4 (00:53):
You know, what would a show, what would a Christmas
lead up be without a little bit of Snoopy's Christmas?
Although I guess I'm not the only host who thinks that,
so possibly that song will get flogged until people are
big and us not too bad. There we go, a
little bit of Snoopyes Christmas. Welcome to the Weekend Collective.
I'm Tim Beverage. This is Saturday, the thirteenth of December,
less than two weeks to the big day. By the way,
you can text your feedback anytime on nine two nine
(01:16):
to two, and you can email Tim b at Newstalk
SIDB dot co dot z. Coming up on today's show,
as you know, we'll be kicking off with the panel
in just a moment we'll be introducing in a teck
but looking a little further forward when we also take
your calls on eight hundred and eighty ten eighty after four.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
It is the One Roof radio show.
Speaker 4 (01:33):
And Mike Atkinson, he's it works at a SPA property
Manager Management. He's a managing director there, and we're going
to have a chat about rents because they are on
the way down again and you know where. I don't
know if there's a roller coaster sort of or a
merry go round analogy there, but anyway, they're on the
way down for how long and how much are We're
going to have a chat about all the issues around
(01:53):
negotiating a lower rent and what leads to it and
what the market is doing in that respect, and how
to fix investors. And also we'll have a chat about
pets and other things on a tenants application that might
make a landlord a bit hesitant. And at five o'clock,
Dr Jackie Maguire joins us. She has been on the
show before, but it's been a little while, and she's
a clinical psychologist, and we're gonna have a chat about
(02:15):
the skills that kids need to know before leaving home,
such as how often should you change your sheets. I've
got an embarrassing story I will share with you later
on based on a very sound theory which my producer
Tire poked holes in instantly, and I'll share that.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
We later on.
Speaker 4 (02:34):
But anyway, the skills that you need because I think
I picked mine up on the way on the way through,
Mum sent me down with a couple of recipes and
then aware you go, it was meat loaf once a
week every Thursday night.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Maybe the odd bolonnaise.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
Anyway, we're gonna have chat about the skills that you
should need to know because the list, I'm not sure
there's a list of ten and I'm not sure I've
got all ten already. Anyway, we will be chatting about
that after five and taking your calls on the Parents
Squad right now, Welcome to the Weekend Collective.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
It's nine past three.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
Parenting, property, politics plus Bunny health and the week's debates.
It's all on the Weekend Collective with Tim Beveridge, News
Talk zebby.
Speaker 4 (03:15):
Yes, it is all on the Weekend Collective and joining us. Firstly,
don't let his job position fall you into thinking that
he's anything other than a very young man He is
the CEO of Infometrics and his name is Brad Olsen
and he's with me.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Now, good Brad, how are you good after?
Speaker 3 (03:31):
I'm well? Am I sounding young enough? I'm worried now
that people think I'm sort of some fifty year old
or something. Not that's bad thing.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
It's funny because the guest I'm about to introduce, your
fellow panelist, was like expecting someone fifty and he googled
you and.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
He's like, he's a boy. I thought that was I
thought everyone knew that you were. You know, you you
had done very well early on in life. I think
you must have.
Speaker 4 (03:53):
Did you get you must have got an honors degree
in economics or something like that.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Would you I've got my undergraduate scrape though on that. No, Look,
I'm clearly qualified, I'd like to think. But but you know,
you gotta have some practical experience out in the economy
as well, which I'm building up over time.
Speaker 4 (04:08):
Yeah, well you're getting there anyway. This is all meant
with warmth and best wishes, of course, this sort of
bit of banter anyway, that the man who was shocked
to see that you were actually quite a young chap
he is many things. He's a professor of chemistry at
aut and this is relevant for one of our topics
(04:29):
later on. He's also written a paper on fonts as
in Times New Roman and Calibri. And his name is
Alan Blackman.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Get a Alan. How are you going very well? Thank you, Tim? Yeah,
fabulous day and good to be here. It is gorgeous,
isn't it. Isn't it a lovely day? Yes? And and
you've had the surprise of saying that, I know, it's
just good.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
I don't know. I'm so glad as a Christmas scrunch
that I can bring such joy to people's lives. Still,
we're in wonderful ways?
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Are you actually do you like?
Speaker 3 (04:59):
No? I'm an economist. We're very practical people like no. No,
especially because look, as a very practical person, all I
want to do for Christmas is give people cash they
can choose their own gift. And the number of people
that tell me that's not acceptable, and I need to
put some thought into it.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
I think you will get with the program. I went
through a stage. I think you go through a stage
when you're a little kid. Did you like it when
you're little?
Speaker 3 (05:21):
I mean, getting a gift is always great.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
Yeah, sure, Okay, so he liked it when he was little,
which means possibly now ah so yeah, But anyway, then
you go through a phase when you're in your sort
of I don't know, I went through a stage of
hating it, and then I had children, and then I
loved it again, and it's so I've gone through the
whole What do you think of Christmas there, Alan, No, I'm.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Not a fan of I'm sorry, but Brad, you have
put some thought into it. You've put some thought into
how much you're going to give everybody. That's pretty thought
into things. Sure.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
Yeah, but from an economics point of view, you sort
of say you just add a little bit of a
margin on and that's sort of like the emotive margin.
You know, if you're going to spend like thirty bucks
on someone's gift normally and put some thought into it,
if you just give them forty bucks and it's like
a thirty dollars gift without the thinking bit.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
Okay, I didn't see it. I didn't see an envelope
in your back pocket. So I'm assuming my gift is
a big fat zero.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
Here you as your gift him.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
Brad, you know what if it was if it was
a swap, a choice between thirty or forty bucks a
bottle of line and you not being here or you
just being in the studio, I'd pick you being here
every day.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Brad.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
So there we go.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
See who said the Spirit of Christmas isn't alive?
Speaker 2 (06:32):
And well at news talk said b anyway, not you anyway.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
Hey, look this one has been you know it's I
discussed it a bit on talk back and the lead
up to it. And now Australia has entered into its
social media ban and there are sixteen year olds under
sixteen year olds who say that they're going to get
around and all that sort of thing. But you know,
we are going to look at how we should reduce
(06:59):
social media harm. And the government's also looking at appointing
a social media regulator, which sounds like a half way house.
What do you think, Brad.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
I'm not as much of a fan as a lot
of people on social media regulation, just because I'm not
sure how you teach people how to use stuff by
just outright banning them. Yes, there are a lot of
social ill wills and similar but social media has also
opened up a lot of opportunity for young people to
stay in touch, to go and learn stuff and everything else.
I'm not saying it's good, but I really don't know
about one just outright banning it, but two, it starts
(07:31):
to open up a whole bigger can of worms around
sort of privacy and similar if you've got to go
and supply your idea or something to tell them any
of the social media companies that you're of a certain age,
it really does start to then bleed into other areas
of life.
Speaker 4 (07:44):
As a principle, I am one hundred percent behind the band.
I'm not sure I agree with exactly the various I
can't think of the word actually apps for whatever that
they have. I don't I think YouTube's problematic because YouTube's
actually got some amazing stuff on there. It's very educational,
historical videos, all sorts of things. But I don't mind
(08:06):
that there are going to be kids who get around
it either. But I must say it's for many many
parents that simply back up for the decision. They want
to tell their kids, you're not getting on this. And
for me, I think that I'm quite keen on it,
and we'll we'll have to see how it plays that.
And also, it's not a freedom of speech thing for adults.
This is an under there's an under sixteen thing. What
do you reckon A Yeah, well I.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Think Brad's comments that's what a young person would say. Really,
but don't take it away from we're gonna flog this still. Okay,
So they're doing this in Australia, and look, I think
I'm pro it. I think, but as you say, the
kids are always going to find their way around it.
And I'm sure last week there were a heck of
a lot of kids who suddenly changed their birthday if
they had any sense. And the first shots have been
(08:51):
fired because Reddit is apparently suing the Australian government.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Now.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Reddit would be the last social media place that I
would have thought would have under sixteen year olds there.
I mean, it's not it's not a thing for it
for young kids. I wouldn't have thought so. Read it's
being proactive about this, and it's going to be very
interesting to see how that plays out. And it's also
going to be really interesting to see when the Australian
government sues one of the companies for the maximum forty
(09:17):
nine and a half million dollars. That's going to be extraordinary. Look,
it's going to be wonderful. It's gone great news for
talkback and news and panelists and all that sort of thing.
I look, I think for nothing.
Speaker 4 (09:29):
It's like you back in the old days, you couldn't
buy certain you know, back in the old days of
printed pornography, you couldn't buy it unless you were at
certain age. But kids found their way around it. But
what it is is a society sending a signal this
is not mainstream. If you are going to break the rules, fine,
we're not going to be perfect, but this is the rule.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
And I'm okay with it.
Speaker 4 (09:48):
And for me, my kids they use WhatsApp, which is
not going to be banned. They message their friends, they
have groups in WhatsApp. But there's Yeah, I'm all for it,
and I'm good luck to Australia, I say.
Speaker 3 (09:59):
But I guess you look at that, right, and you
look at some of the social ill rules that come
and that's why you've seen this regulation, right, because there's
a whole lot of cyber bullying that goes on. There's
a whole lot of bad stuff that goes on in
social hinging.
Speaker 4 (10:09):
You're hinging your well being to how many likes you get.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
Yeah, but I guess I mean some of that. You
can still see a lot of that, even with some
of the messaging apps that have been left out. I mean,
you look at the likes of WhatsApp. You can still
get some nasty messages on there from some complete randos.
But my worry a little bit is if you ban it,
and that's your sort of approach to these things, is
how do you teach people how to cope with it,
or deal with it, or sort of regulate it otherwise
(10:33):
apart from just a straight up no. You imagine if
we did that for everything in life, if there's a
little bit of an issue, not someone swears on the radio,
once we ban the radio. I mean, that just doesn't seem.
Speaker 4 (10:42):
Like the right a problem we do have. We have
our sixteen movies. We do have a graduated approach.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
I think this is not a blanket ban though, no,
but we have a.
Speaker 4 (10:51):
Graduated approach to what is appropriate for various ages. And
the same way that you know, kids can't be left
at home until they're fourteen legally, and I think it's
just a graduated approach, and yeah, let people have access
to it once they're sixteen and then roll with it.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
From there, I guess so.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
But but but I'm sorry, it's sixteen. It's not like
the issues go away. And because you've given no one
a lead up into it, it's just a hey, good
luck you when you're fifteen, there's no chance you can
have it and at sixteen get bullied like your life.
I mean, it's still that approach.
Speaker 4 (11:23):
No, although I do think that schools chatting with my
girls about it and what they talk about at school,
I think schools are actually doing quite a good job of,
you know, helping kids navigate the minefield.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
Of social media now and and better over time.
Speaker 4 (11:37):
And we've banned phones at school, hooray for that.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
And I mean, you know, the really sad thing is
that they're doing all of this because of a tiny, tiny,
tiny minority of complete pricks out there who do these
sorts of nasty things. You know.
Speaker 4 (11:49):
Well, also, I mean, just get your head out of
your phone and find it's amazing the life that's out
there for your kids.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
So listen to radio.
Speaker 4 (11:56):
Oh look, you know absolutely, they're not banning the iHeart radio,
that's all.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
It's we're all in anything that gives them more time
to read their chemistry textbooks. I'm all for yes.
Speaker 4 (12:05):
Indeed, indeed, is that the Chemistry text by Alan Alan Blackman.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
What's it? It's called chemistry. It's called chemistry. There we go, Yes,
you should think.
Speaker 4 (12:14):
About I still can't believe you didn't think about it.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
Slightly more. Well, it does what it says on the ten,
doesn't it?
Speaker 3 (12:19):
You know it's a very chemist sort of answer, isn't it.
Speaker 4 (12:23):
If you write a book, Brad, what would you be
Would you be calling it economics?
Speaker 3 (12:26):
No, I'll make it something way more fun. I allure
you in economic stuff.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
I reckon.
Speaker 4 (12:33):
Actually, Brad, I reckon you've thought about at some stage
you are going to write a book.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
I reckon.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
I'm predicting, And I.
Speaker 4 (12:38):
Reckon you've already thought about a title if you were
going to put a book out there.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
I really haven't. No, I'd check GPT there these days.
Give me give me texts on nine two nine two.
Speaker 4 (12:47):
You may email your suggestions for any for a book
on economics by by Brad Olsen. Okay, you can do that, right, Well,
we would encourage that text. Look, I'm not going to
I don't know if I did a bit of talk
back on this. By the way, they are shake up,
and I find it was difficult to get.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Calls on it.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
How do I wow?
Speaker 4 (13:10):
Surprising, But I think everyone realizes that rimas and needs
to be shaken up. You know, we've the media and
there have been rife stories about how it's just been
a it's been a log jam on any progress and
getting things done. But what do you I mean, it's
been a busy week for MPs. You know, they've got
a bunch of bills going on. But RAMA is set
(13:31):
to be replaced by two new your laws, Brad, what
do you make of it all?
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Bring it on?
Speaker 3 (13:36):
Oh? Absolutely, get it, get it done, get it past,
get it into operation. The sooner the better because this
stuff really at the moment does take a huge amount
of time, huge amount of cost. And the thing I
liked the most was the fact that I think the
government said that something like, you know, nearly fifty percent
of all consents won't be required under the new changes
when they eventually come in. Like that is a huge
amount of a lot of effort at the moment. That
(13:58):
probably doesn't do a huge amount that we can get
rid of, so efficiencies all round. I think you know
the estimates and in fact we did them was something
around sort of three billion dollars a year in terms
of savings that would come through. Like it's substantial, So
just get on and do it, get on and do it.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
Allan. Yeah, I mean, the thing that amazes me about this,
and I always forget this that the national government brought
this in. You know, this was a national creation, and
I'm damn sure that they didn't mean it to be
working or not as it does, because it just seems
to be an impediment to progress. So yeah, I'm with
Brad on this absolutely. You know, get it done.
Speaker 4 (14:36):
It must be frustrating, isn't it for current politicians when
one of their predecessors it's like they get tired with
that brush sort of thing, like for instance, we got
Nikola we'll talk about this later on Nicola Willison, you know,
and Ruth Richardson.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
Oh god, well, I don't know anyway, But.
Speaker 4 (14:51):
How important do you think it is, Brad, that there's
a cross party approached this at least that you're never
going to get be perfect, but you at least involve
the other guys so hopefully they don't come in and
rip it all up again.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
Well, and look, that was one of the I think
fair criticisms that was levied this week because the previous
labor government did have a big reform program on an
irma that the National government who came in they immediately
got rid of. And there's a lot of people saying, well,
how different is this to what was gotten rid of?
And look, I mean I think one of the I
was of it. I thought that some of the annaunce
was a bit weak there where people said, oh, well
the titles are pretty similar. I thought, well, there's eight
(15:23):
hundred plus pages of documentation there. I don't know if
I cared too much about the titles, but looking into it,
I think you've seen the leader of the opposition say, look,
we are going to look at this seriously. We'd like
to find the easiest way possible so that we can
try and have a little bit more bipartisanship, because this
stuff is important. If you have better planning across the country,
in fact, if you have a whole lot less regulation,
(15:43):
then again you get so much better outcomes because people
just have the ability to get on and do stuff
instead of have to do paperwork allan.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, no completely what he said. Yeah,
but it's true and it does sound like there is
a little bit of consensus at least. I mean, even
the Greens were sort of, you know, saying, yeah, well,
you know this is not to hate it. They'll find
a way to hate it. But you're right, it's to
be there's got to be consensus. It's got to be
(16:11):
cross party otherwise Yep, when the next lot get in,
they'll just change it again.
Speaker 4 (16:15):
So hey, by the way, just on the Parliament thing,
the Jerry Brown, I don't know he shut the Chambers
gallery to members of the public for the rest of
the year after pro Palestine protesters disrupted proceedings by shouting
and throwing papers at MPs.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
Well did he need to shut it?
Speaker 4 (16:34):
Look, I mean, I don't get too excited about these things.
What do you reckon, Brad.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
Look, I'd love to have Parliament open all the time.
That's one of the best things about New Zealand compared
to everyone else, is the fact that you do have,
you know, excess. You go to overseas parliaments and like
it's just you can't get in without huge, huge, heavy security,
whereas here you can go in. I think though the
speakers would have had no choice because the pro Palestine
process has said we're going to do it again, and
(17:00):
so what do you do unless you're going to sort
of frisk everyone on entry to parliament, We're not at
that point. I think it was sort of do we
have this happen every day or do we just.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Want what if they say they're going to do it
every day next year?
Speaker 4 (17:10):
I mean, I mean I just wonder at what stage
you have sort of repercussions so people maybe think it's
not the smartest choice.
Speaker 3 (17:16):
Well, I mean the repercussions of banning people from parliament
at a long term basis.
Speaker 4 (17:20):
Well, how about this, I'm making this up as a
go along. Okay, you disrupt the house and throp and
shout and have a protest. You're in the clink for
a couple of days. Bang done, Bye bye. I mean
you'd think about twice about it, wouldn't you. Instead, they
walk out and they you know, nothing really happens when
there's no consequence.
Speaker 2 (17:37):
Well remember the Tapati Mali MPs who no one caused
a bit of a stir. They got banned for what
was it, twenty one days? Yes, it's strand, but they
didn't get locked in the clink.
Speaker 4 (17:45):
Imagine that that would have been, but at least if
they got bigger problems than that these days, if.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
They if they got banned. But look, yes, of course
it could protest. Yes that's your god given right and
all that, but you know, don't go disrupting.
Speaker 3 (17:59):
Just well, I mean, look look at what it's done.
I mean, what did they achieve out of that, apart
from limiting democracy for everyone else to be able to
see what's going on. I mean, great job, team.
Speaker 4 (18:08):
Oh well, I mean I often think that about Yeah,
from it's an absolutely worthy cause, absolutely completely totally.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
I'm all for it. But you know, there's kind of
a time and a place.
Speaker 4 (18:19):
Yeah, it does feel time and a place. Whise it
felt just a little bit at a whack. I guess
it's not like it's we're in the throes of it.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
Mind you.
Speaker 4 (18:26):
Things do disappear off the headlines. Maybe they wanted to
get it back in the headlines and so job done. Anyway, Look,
we are going to take a quick, quick moment where
I'm with Alan Blackman, he's a profession of chemistry at
aut and font expert, and Brad Olsen, who's CEO.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
Infometrics, will be back with the panel in just a moment.
News Talks. Yes, welcome back. This is the panel.
Speaker 4 (18:47):
I'm Tim Beverage and my guess, Alan Blackman, professor of
chemistry and Brad Olsen's CEO of Infometrics. Now, I have
a sort of initial whiplash reaction to this one that
apparently there are New Zealand New Zealanders who are worried
about coming home because of the student loan that they
haven't been making payments to and they're worried about their
(19:09):
debt and that they're going to get pinged for it
when they come home and student this will be a
good run for you, Brod on the economics because you'll
be all over the numbers like a pit ball on
a poodle. So anyway, seventy eight percent of the over
four hundred people who shared their experiences said they were
making no progress playing their loan off from overseas, and
(19:30):
they're worried about their loan. Anyway, that's maybe stopping people
from coming home. What's so to reaction to this?
Speaker 3 (19:37):
So to be clear, you've got this many people who
are overseas taken you know, got some money from the
government to support their studies. They've then gone off overseas
and taken their skills. They've done nothing to try and
repay that loan, which is not a grant, it's a loan,
and they're saying boo to me. I mean, excuse me.
I had to do a whole lot of flipp and
hard work here in New Zealand once I got my degree,
and to go overseas and have this great old time
(19:59):
and then say that I don't care about my obligations,
but I'm worried about coming home. Then you should have
paid your student loan off. Read the documentations. This one
really frustrates me.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
I have five words to say that to that. Brad
brad Olsen for Prime Minister.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
I'm with you.
Speaker 4 (20:17):
You know, look and look there are people who are
lucky enough to go through without having to have loans,
and they were those people say well you don't have
to have a loan, et cetera. But you know what,
if the deal is, this is what's happening, this is
how you're funding your education, then you do the deal
and you've gone overseas, you haven't paid it off. I
got zero sympathy like you, Brad, and I'm waiting for
Alan to balance.
Speaker 2 (20:37):
The box for me. Well, ok so The thing that
gets me here is the quote from the Green Party spokesperson.
The system isn't working because it isn't fair. Yes, it
is fair. I'm sorry. It's fair to everybody because you
have the people who stayed here in New Zealand and
who are busy paying off their loans. Yeah, dutifully.
Speaker 3 (20:55):
You know.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
Imagine trying to get away with us. Oh you know,
you go overseas and you just decide to stop your
mortgage payments. You know, I think, oh, what the heck?
You know, No, it doesn't work like that. I'm sorry
you might not agree with the whole student loan thing.
I was lucky enough to go through university without having
to get a student loan way back in the day,
and your rent was twenty bucks a week.
Speaker 3 (21:15):
Yuh so night flight for some.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
But you've made an obligation. This is a life lesson
to everybody out there. You make an obligation, you've got
to live up to it.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
I'm already thinking about some friends of mine. I've had
two friends this year that have recently paid off this
student loans and it's a huge milestone. They're here massively.
They've done a whole lot of work, not on at university, though,
I'd like to think contributed quite strongly to the country here.
To have people overseas that have gone, well, I've gone overseas,
have taken my talent, that's fine, But then I've stuck
their heads in the sand and gone. I don't need
(21:48):
to think about my student loan. But when I want
to come back and have a nice time back here
at home, it then becomes an issue and I might
get arrested at the border. I'm sorry, what are all
of us who have stuck around and spend a whole
lot of money and if it doing, why should we
pay for your holiday overseas? Because that's effectively what it's been.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
And how many people have actually got arrested at the
ball I've heard of one. Oh, there was one that
made the news a couple of years ago and came
in from Fiji or something. You couldn't go back, something
like that.
Speaker 3 (22:13):
Most of them are people who have wrecked up like
they've never engaged. You know, if I dcns you a
letter or something and says, look, you really need to
start paying some student loan, and you just completely blatantly
time and time again, say n I get stuffed and
I'm just happy to have a free ride and then go.
I'd like to come back to New Zealand. No, no,
thank you. Those are not the people that I think
we deserve to be supporting.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
Being go Brad. I just think and Alan.
Speaker 4 (22:37):
Of course, by the way, I meant to do this before,
but I gather your mum tunes and every now and again,
so I just wanted to give a shout out to
Brad's mum, Helen Olsen, and Merry Christmas. And I think
I've got the inside running on what you're getting for Christmas,
and it's going to give you some choice.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
Could be I think the surprise of me. Is it
twenty thirty or forty dollars.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
For your mums?
Speaker 4 (22:58):
Yeah, there we go some just a nice little bit
of Christmas chair for you.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
Brad and Helen.
Speaker 4 (23:02):
Hey, Helen, it is lovely to have you listening though.
We really do appreciate it, and we quite like your son.
He seems all right, he's all right.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
Have you got siblings?
Speaker 3 (23:10):
I do sister one sister, Okay?
Speaker 2 (23:12):
Is there any rivalry that goes on there?
Speaker 3 (23:14):
No? I think she'd like to stay absolutely clear of
everything that I do. She looks and goes that looks
like that looks awful.
Speaker 4 (23:20):
Well, if your sister's listening, if you go fifty bucks,
you're going to be the favorite anyway.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
Ah.
Speaker 4 (23:26):
God, I talk some nonsense, don't I. I guess that's
the geek sometimes, isn't it. Now I've forgotten where I've
completely forgot? Oh this next one? Ah, what do you
make of that announcement? I'll start with you allan on
the social media screening for a US visa. So foreigners
who can go to the States without a visa, they'll
(23:47):
soon be required to submit information about their social media,
email accounts, extensive family history to the Department of Homeland Security.
I don't know how broad it's going to be and
whether they'll be you'll get glossed over, the next person
will get you get given.
Speaker 2 (23:59):
The third degree. But it does look at it this way.
Speaker 4 (24:03):
All I can say, Alan, is if I was traveling
somewhere via the States and my travel agent said, would
you like to go via LA or Singapore?
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Singapore? Yes? Yeah, yeah? What do you think they couldn't
be shooting themselves more on the foot if they tried. Honestly,
Number one, who the hell is going to go through?
Five years of somebody's Internet astray. Basically, yeah, possibly, And
you know, I have been known to call a certain
president Donald slump on you know, sort of social media,
(24:32):
so I'm probably history. But you know, who decides what's
going to be unacceptable? And if they bring this in,
then bugger it. Let's make it reciprocal. Let's let every
American who comes into this country know exactly what their
government is doing to the rest of the world. And
then they might think, oh gosh, that's not the best.
Speaker 4 (24:52):
Although I don't go with that because I think we
should be classy and just do what we do.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
No, but classy doesn't get you anywhere now, its well doesn't.
Speaker 3 (25:01):
Look I understand the principle. At the moment, Americans have
become the second largest tourism group coming into New Zealand.
So I'm more than happy if they're happy to bring
their money here to New Zealand without restriction at the
moment economically, more than happy for them.
Speaker 4 (25:15):
That's sticking to you, knitting, and I appreciate that brand.
I'd hate you, but look, I do think would be
I don't think it's a good move for them to
do it, So we shouldn't shoot our salves in the
foot would be my argument on it much as emotionally, Alan,
I'm with you.
Speaker 3 (25:29):
Look as someone who had to do this myself earlier
this year, I went to the US. I was there
for a month, and I had to give all my
social media you know, links and similar But I mean, clearly,
I hopefully didn't do anything too wrong because I got
let in pretty quickly. But you're right in terms of
the US shooting themselves in the foot. It's interesting you
look at the data. The numbers of visitors into the
US at the moment have come down quite considerably. It
(25:53):
is one of those areas where again, you know, if
the US wants to leave money on the table, which
they clearly are at the moment, they'd go the right
way about it.
Speaker 4 (25:59):
I think the thing is if they want to do that,
then fine. But I just think the way it's sold,
I think that that the pr for it does tend
to say we're going to be going over you with
a fine tooth comb. And most people are like, look,
I just want to come here because I want to
go to Disneyland for a week.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
Yeah, And I think your average American has no idea
of the magnitude of what's going on here or the
fact that it is even going on. And I really
do think that they would be horrified. Your average Americans,
lovely people. I've lived there for a couple of years,
great people, and if they thought that this was going on,
if they knew this was going on, I really think
things would be different.
Speaker 3 (26:34):
The scariest thing in my mind is that ninety nine
percent of people are still going to be fine, But
it's that one percent chance, and I think that's probably
the worry for a lot of people. You know, they'll
be looking at this policy as a you know, ki
we thinking of traveling to the US at some point
and going, you know what, maybe it's just not worth it,
you know, do I sort of put myself on this
big line and then get stuck, you know in some
grotty little airport, you know, room for a couple of
(26:55):
hours while someone pulls me aside, and then they put
me back on the eleven hour flight. Like, realistically, am
I not better to go anywhere else? So I think
there is a real risk factor that people take into
a cair actually.
Speaker 4 (27:03):
To be honest, Look, I don't travel a lot because
I'd love to take my kids on more trips. But
my gut reaction would be, well, the States is out,
because I wouldn't just want to risk getting for having
to get you know, get the rubbid love and bloody
and immigration or whatever, you know.
Speaker 2 (27:20):
I just wouldn't.
Speaker 3 (27:21):
I think there's there's so many other operations options.
Speaker 4 (27:23):
Right, and I do wonder if it is going to
affect them out And it's not. This is not even
a judgment about whether their policy is right. The question
is just will the policy have an effect on people's
decisions on traveling there, And I would think that it, yes, definitely.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
Will of course, if anybody from the US embassy is listening, Yeah,
this isn't a great idea, it's just not.
Speaker 3 (27:43):
The challenge, of course, is that they they might well
plite pasted information up the line, but realistically the decisions
are made a lot further up the top. So good
to have them pass through, but realistically I'm not expecting
anything to try.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
I'm not sure the New Zealand New Zealand Trump.
Speaker 4 (28:00):
Imagine that you go to the States and it's like,
you get this note from Trump and I know all
about buddy at you go.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
Anyway, Hey long, we're gonna laughing now, take whatever it'll be.
Speaker 4 (28:13):
In the whatever happened to Alan Blackwell file, whatever happened
to we went to the States and he just I
don't know, some Westboro postcard from Guantanma, Guantanamine.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
That was it.
Speaker 4 (28:21):
Anyway, we will be back in just to tickets twenty
two minutes to four. Yes, News talk z be welcome
back and I'm Tim Beverage. We've got Brad Olsen and
Adam Blackman with me for the panel.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
Now, guys, the Great New Zealand's shutdown.
Speaker 4 (28:34):
There's a talk about whether we shut down for too
long over Christmas, you know, being sort of like, I
don't know, six weeks with the school holidays and things
like that, maybe even longer.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
But I was thinking, well, hang on, it's just.
Speaker 4 (28:45):
That we're at the bottom of the world and our
summer is over Christmas, and so we shut down for
a length of time. But if you go to the
UK in July, they shut down for six weeks. So
is this actually a story, Brad.
Speaker 3 (28:55):
No, in my mind, it's not for two reasons. One
because not only does the UK shut down in July
and similar they also have course take Christmas off, so
they have two bites of the cheery they take the
Christmas well, I mean probably not a lot, but even
if it's but just between you know, Christmas and New
Year's that's sort of a good week. So you had
a week to whatever they're doing in July and are
taking two bites of the cherry. But I've looked, I've
actually I've done the numbers. Good Economist as always on
(29:18):
and we've found that activity over in the likes of December,
there's a lot of big spend up for Christmas. But
then you go through to January, February, January spending is
barely any different. In fact, it's slightly higher than average
spending over any month. Over a year, economic activity is
down about two percentage points from what it would normally
be on average. The biggest though, and here's what I
think it is when we talk about a summer shutdown,
(29:39):
it's not every industry. Construction still has to do a
lot of stuff. Retail is heaving, accommodation and everything is
going hard. It's professional services. It's US office workers who
are taking a bit of a break. So actually, I
feel like we're maybe trying to sort of make our
the office dweller is a little bit too important in
the New Zealand economy.
Speaker 4 (29:55):
By talking about I mean Alan, you would feel that
your holidays is an academic are way too short over
this time of year.
Speaker 2 (30:02):
The number of people who have asked me, oh, you
must be on holiday now. No, No, we close next
Friday and the labs reopen on Wednesday, January the seventh.
Speaker 4 (30:11):
What yes, So hang on a minute. I thought that,
I thought the universities you thought, what would you be
doing on January the eighth. I may be back at work,
or I might take another or I might take another week.
Speaker 3 (30:23):
I reckon as a chem it's surely you're blowing something up.
It's probably the fun stuff.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
That you did rightly, Oh god, yeah, that's all we do. Yeah,
sect my life totally right. I have lots of holidays
and I blow stuff. Actually, actually do you blow stuff
up from time to time? No comment.
Speaker 4 (30:39):
What's the most fun thing you demonstrate to first year
chemistry students where you go, well, hey, look look what
we add this to this to this and the color
of rainbows and then boom.
Speaker 2 (30:48):
Probably the fire breathing, that's fun.
Speaker 4 (30:50):
What's the fire breathing?
Speaker 2 (30:52):
You take a certain white powder, you get a mouthful
of it and you blow it through a flame and
you just go and it's really cool because it's a
safety thing. You're telling me off air, I'm not going
to take.
Speaker 3 (31:06):
Dodge. I mean, if you find some particularly reactive metal
when you throw it in water at my chemistry that
I remember from high school, makes a bit of a bang.
Speaker 2 (31:13):
Yes, indeed, yes, there's many many ways to make a bang. Yew.
Speaker 4 (31:18):
I sort of wanted to leave this till later on,
although it might it might have belonged quite well in
the politics at the start. But the Nicola Willis fudge,
it's the Taxpayers Union. Basically Willis and the Taxpayers Union.
They've got a bit of a frakka, a stoush contratemp
going on, so that the Taxpayers Union sent out branded
(31:38):
fudge apparently it's quite tasty to newsrooms around the country,
released in an opinion piece in the Post, and that
they've launched an AI generated ad of Willis. And it's
basically and there's also this discussion around a debate with
Ruth Richardson, But anyway, they're really going for Nicola Willis.
Look they do it, I guess all the time. I'll
(31:59):
just get in early and say I found that AI
video thing a bit creepy.
Speaker 3 (32:02):
Brand agreed, and look, I was talking to The Herald's
deputy political editor Adam Pest about this yesterday. I also
don't know if is this the best topic to be
wasting our time? And I mean that in terms of,
look that the debate's been sort of taking up more
oxygen political oxygen otherwise than most of other important topics.
(32:22):
The Taxpayers Union pitched it to go on I think
Thursday morning, which is when GDP's coming out, and I'm sorry,
as a professional economist, I care a lot more about
GDP than our former and current finance minister going at it,
because look, at the end of the day, what's going
to happen. Is anyone going to decide that you know,
that they've changed their opinion. Is Ruth Richards and all
of sudden going to say, actually, I think the current
government's on the right track. Or is Nicola Willis going
(32:45):
to come out and say, you know what, I'm going
to go on absolutely slash and burn some spending now
and put people in a much more miserable position. None
of the two are going to happen. And I don't
know if either of them are actually still willing to
touch what, in my mind is the biggest issue here.
The biggest increase in spending that New Zealand has seen
in recent years remains the likes of New Zealand superannuation.
That is the biggest We still spend more on soon
with an education.
Speaker 4 (33:06):
Yes, well, that was the point that Ruth Richardson made
when I saw her somewhere on the media talking about
this has to be something done about that, and I'm
with her on that one.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
But Alan, what do you reckon? You describe yourself as
a professional economist. Is there any such thing as an
amateur economist?
Speaker 1 (33:19):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (33:19):
Yeah, everyone house everyone else, And to be fair, you know,
sometimes maybe I should be an amateur economist as well.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
But look, honestly, you're absolutely right. There's better things that
we should be worrying about, or more and way more
important things that we should be worrying about here, and
we shouldn't even be talking about this, honestly.
Speaker 4 (33:37):
I think, you know, I can imagine that the Taxpayers Union,
and we have Jordan on our panel that that you'd
get carried away with the fun and all the different
things you could do in fact, including the AI video.
But when I saw the AI video. I did think
it was creepy. I just sort of thought, I'm not
sure that this is I'm not sure you're exciting anyone
with this A couple of bits of Nicholas. You didn't
(33:58):
look like Nichola at all.
Speaker 3 (34:00):
It's a bad it's just weird. It's a bad road
to go down. I fear AI ads and and yeah, okay,
it's coming. But I don't know if we want to
lean in really hard to it, because it does just
start to put you in a more awkward more I
guess out the gates possession. I don't like it.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
Well, let's let's face it, the Taxpayers Union are relying
on media to publicize whatever they come out with. So
if they start doing things like this in the media
think nah, no thanks, then it's not Well. I've just
focused on how creepy the video, Yeah exactly.
Speaker 3 (34:28):
Yeah, this is my worry though. But look, if there
was a principal debate tappen, and maybe there is a
conversation about government spinning, like I get the various arguments,
I've gone through them in detail myself, But who's been
talking about that this week? They've been talking about fudge
weird AI videos and whether or not we can find
time for a debate tappen. I've not been talking about
the debate.
Speaker 2 (34:46):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I did.
Speaker 4 (34:47):
Like Judith Collins a little put down. She said, well,
you know, Nichola probably wants to be in more than
a one term government. Wow, I love a good love
a good Judith Collins backhand or eh, hey, now here
we go. It almost needs up drum roll, the big
question of the day. So, and this is what plays
into the expert hands of Alan Blackman here.
Speaker 2 (35:10):
But it's interesting.
Speaker 4 (35:12):
Marco Rubio has directed diplomats to return to using the
Times new Roman font, which is undoing the Biden era
switch to Calibri, which apparently is easier to read for
people who are dyslexic or whatever. So it doesn't feel
like the sort of hell you want to die on.
I just don't really know what to think of it.
(35:33):
So and then Alan said that he had written a
paper on fonts, and I'm a bit of a what's
the one we use? I can't remember aptos where you're
on the aptos anyway, So for the Weekend Collective, we're
aptos all the way.
Speaker 3 (35:47):
You just default, then, aren't you like, you haven't chosen that,
You've just used the default.
Speaker 4 (35:51):
What oh, apparently it's the default one. I thought timers
new Roman was the default. I thought it used to be.
Speaker 2 (35:56):
But well, we're not comic sans anyways, that way Brad
was a baby. Okay, Alan you you approve of this move,
I absolutely do. And yeah, I didn't know this was
happening before I came in today. But I actually did
write a paper on actually called the Font of Chemical Knowledge,
which is quite that's good, that's good, And this was
(36:17):
published in Nature Chemistry last year, and basically I was
making a case for the fact that we have to
use serah fonts and times in e Roman is a
seraph font, So I'm all for this. You cannot tell
the difference between a capital I and a small L
in a song serif font. Simple, isn't there a dot?
Isn't there a.
Speaker 3 (36:37):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (36:38):
Capital? Actually, chemical equations.
Speaker 4 (36:44):
Yes, absolutely have to be times in EurOMA. But the
worst Garamond I.
Speaker 3 (36:49):
Would pitch for windings, Thank you very much.
Speaker 4 (36:52):
Well, to be honest, if you're an economist, probably probably
some chemical sort of equations look like wingdings to most
of us.
Speaker 3 (36:59):
Yes, I mean, look, we're even more sophisticated. We use
ceg as a font. It's it's something fancy one. But importantly,
and this is genuinely important in New Zealand. If we're
going to get into fonts, you also need to have
one that can use the macrons in that over today words.
Otherwise you have really weird looking fonts. If you've printed
out and you've got sort of you know, hodgepodge of
different font options.
Speaker 4 (37:18):
I'm going to go type out altau ROA and I'm
going to turn it into wingedings and see see what.
Speaker 2 (37:23):
That looks like.
Speaker 4 (37:25):
Good lie, I don't know what I'm talking about anyway,
So where are we at? Do you think it for
the administration in the US calibri or do if they
need to go back to the serah font.
Speaker 3 (37:37):
Jeep as They've got some important stuff that they're dealing
with at the moment, aren't they. When it comes to fonts,
it does make me wonder what's the New Zealand government
official fontod good.
Speaker 2 (37:45):
Point comic sans Apparently apparently, I hope it's not fourteen
points like there going Well, come on, that's just way
too bid. Goodness me, You've only got so much space
on a screen. Twelve point.
Speaker 4 (37:56):
I'm going to have to look at a document I'm
using on this show and I'll report back afterwards. But
we're going to take a quick moment where with font
expert Alan Blackman as the font of all knowledge including fonts,
and Brad Olson, who's just insufferably young. It's nine minutes
to four News Talks d B News Talks head be
(38:16):
with Tim Bevers. This is almost wrapping up the panel
with Alan Blackman and Brad Olsen.
Speaker 2 (38:20):
And this is a quaint story.
Speaker 4 (38:22):
I was wondering if it actually really applies to New Zealand.
But the question around the Irish goodbye and whether it
is actually okay to leave a party or a social
event without saying a proper fare well, and.
Speaker 2 (38:37):
Is it okay to do that?
Speaker 4 (38:39):
I think it's called the Irish goodbye or the French exit.
I imagine those two things would be totally different, to
be honest.
Speaker 2 (38:45):
But anyway, we won't dig into that.
Speaker 4 (38:47):
But yeah, I mean I think there are times if,
for instance, if you're at a work, do you slip
away without saying goodbye to anyway, you might just disappear,
Whereas if you've been invited around to your best friend's
house for a Christmas du I tend to think you
should say goodbye, Brad.
Speaker 3 (39:01):
It depends. So I'm a marriage Selbrton is one of
my other that I wear. But the reason I tell
you that is because a lot of people either ask
or they sort of you know, they will tell people
at their wedding please make an Irish exit, don't come
up and sort of interrupt the dance floor, or similar
to say goodbye to the bride and groom. Just just
get out of there. So I think it depends on
(39:22):
what other things are happening. Like if you're all sitting
around on the couch or whatever, then yeah, you might
go and bump up someone and say, look, thank you
very much, have a good one, see you later. But
if everyone's already involved in something, then you've got to
be a bit more cautious.
Speaker 2 (39:33):
Yes, actually that makes a very good point. Alan, what
do you reckon? Helps? We'll turn your microphone on. There
we go, I'm there. Well, is it okay to call
it the Irish exit or the Irish goodbye to begin
with it?
Speaker 3 (39:45):
We're going to get canceled, aren't we Yeah, I'd say,
I'd say you know that I was not very woe.
Speaker 2 (39:50):
I once left a wedding before the wedding.
Speaker 4 (39:53):
I think I reception, no, because I turned up and
there was a table and if everyone had their their
their names on a chair or something, and everyone before
I got there had moved their chairs to somewhere else
and mine was the only one there. And I thought
you were Nigel, no friends, And I literally thought, and
the bride got in touch she said, I saw you.
I saw that you'd left it before the reception, she said,
(40:16):
And I totally understand. Thanks for coming to the wedding
sort of thing, but.
Speaker 2 (40:20):
Yeah I did.
Speaker 3 (40:21):
I did.
Speaker 4 (40:21):
I don't know what that's called the Irish ex at
the French fleeing.
Speaker 2 (40:25):
Not sure. No, I think it's a good thing. There's
times where yes, there's times where you should go. Guess what. Well,
it's time to go, Brad Olsen, Alan Blakeman. I know
you're not into Christmas, but Merry Christmas to you, Helen.
It's going to be something spectacular. Okay, Brad's mum.
Speaker 3 (40:39):
Sorry, I say goodbye, but I'm halfway out of the studio.
Speaker 1 (40:43):
For more from the Weekend Collective, listen live to news
Talk said Be Weekends from three PM, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio
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