The Trans Tasman Pol Pod, Episode 9

The Government has further progressed its plan to deal with a fuel crisis if one eventuates. Meanwhile some economists are calling for diesel allocation to be prioritised now, so essential industry is not affected by what they say will inevitably be a shortage. They’re saying the fuel plan should be escalated immediately and early rationing will help ease what could be a serious crisis down the line. Despite global analysts declaring supplies could be sketchy after April 20, Prime Minister Luxon is calling on people not to worry, saying fuel deliveries are on schedule. The Government has taken the first major step in rebuilding the senior secondary qualifications system, with Cabinet agreeing after “consultation,” to the structure of a new qualification system to replace NCEA. Reserve Bank Chief Economist Paul Conway says this country’s cost-of-living challenge is ultimately about purchasing power – what people can buy with their incomes – not just how high prices are. He says the inflation surge during and after the pandemic pushed prices sharply higher, but while inflation has since eased from the highs of the pandemic, many people are still asking why things feel so expensive. The Iran War is of course continuing to dominate headlines, and while not everyone is fighting, we're all feeling the effects of it, with higher fuel prices the most obvious early source of pain, but high inflation, higher prices and perhaps even recession are expected to be part of the ongoing fallout. Now to talk about the war and its progress, I'm joined by Associate Professor of Global Studies at Auckland University, Chris Ogden: