OCR rise, Ocean of Peace Alliance, and Roads of National Significance w/ The National Party's Ryan Hamilton: 14 July, 2026

Last week, for the first time in years, the OCR was raised by 25 basis points to TWO POINT FIVE percent. This comes as the reserve bank looks to work against inflation as growth is set to continue, in the context of the uncertainty of any ceasefire in Iran. Last week also saw chatter about the Ocean of Peace Alliance, between Fiji and Australia, and the potential for New Zealand to play a role in that alliance in a pacific focused foreign affairs approach. And finally, last week saw Transport Minister Chris Bishop highlight and announce changes to what he admitted was an ‘ambitious’ policy with the government’s roads of national significance, introducing a new roadmap and pipeline for the funding to be rolled out overtime. Host Alex speaks with National Party MP Ryan Hamilton about these topics.