Making Cents

Election day is almost here, and money is top of mind for a lot of us.
In this special live edition of Making Cents, I’m joined by:
Claire Matthews from Massey University
Michael Gorin from EnableMe
Dean Anderson, Founder and CEO of Kernel
Georgia Grange, Head of NZ at Revolut

We dig into the financial issues on the table, what the parties are promising, and whether those fixes could actually work.
KiwiSaver: is the political focus deserved, and what should change as it nears its 20th birthday?
The cost of living squeeze: record fuel prices, rising unemployment and inflation, and what you can do now
Investing through uncertainty: are there opportunities amid the chaos?
Competition in banking and supermarkets: will the proposed policies move the needle?
The property market: Auckland’s average price dips under $1m for the first time since 2020, and what a two-speed economy means for building wealth
What the politicians are getting right, and the missed opportunities.

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Do you really need $1 million to retire? Scary headlines say so, and that falling short means facing cold, miserable years ahead.

But for most people, that massive benchmark is unhelpful, daunting, and causes people to give up before they even start.

Katie Wesney, Head Strategic Coach at EnableMe, joins Frances Cook on Making Cents to dismantle the $1 million retirement myth and help you find your actual number.

In this episode:
The $1 million retirement myth: why one-size-fits-all numbers cause people to freeze
Finding your baseline: how to audit three months of bank statements and strip out temporary costs
The cost of kids and mortgages in retirement: why paying down debt early unlocks your plan
Cash flow leaks: how cutting $10,000 of yearly waste saves you $250,000 across retirement
Savings vs investing: why KiwiSaver and growth assets are essential to bridge the gap
Why 65 isn't a financial cliff: using investment buckets to keep your money growing

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Production and video editing by Lana Byrne
Audio engineering by Tash Chittock
Filmed by Fanaticals

We grow enough food in New Zealand to feed 40 million people - eight times our own population. So why does your weekly grocery bill feel like it’s eating your entire paycheque?

Angela Clifford, CEO of Eat New Zealand, joins Frances Cook on Making Cents to unpack why our food model feels broken and how everyday eaters hold the power to fix it. Living on a North Canterbury permaculture farm where her family produces roughly 80% of what they consume, Angela explains why "community sufficiency" beats pure self-reliance, and what simple shifts we can make this week to cut costs and take back control of our food.

In this episode:
Feeding 40 million vs food insecurity: why a third of Kiwi families are struggling to put food on the table
The financialisation of food: how a system meant to feed us became focused on shareholder returns
Why Kiwi farmers are price-takers, not price-makers, and why the current model doesn't work for growers either
Offshoring our staples: the reality of shipping local fish overseas to be crumbed and sent back
Why fresh food from farmers' markets, local butchers, and green grocers is often cheaper than the supermarket
Resisting the convenience trap: why frictionless delivery apps and supermarket AI cost you more
How to "find your food people"
Why New Zealand needs a dedicated Food Minister and a national food security strategy

Whether you are trying to trim your grocery budget or want to know where your food actually comes from, this episode breaks down practical steps to help you take control of your plate and your money on your own terms.

This episode of Making Cents is proudly supported by Odoo. Go to http://odoo.com/r/hpl now and try it for free, for 15 days.

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Production and video editing by Lana Byrne
Audio engineering by Tash Chittock
Filmed by Fanaticals

Two years into running Making Cents as an independent business, I sit down with the TVNZ Business Breakfast team to talk about what I got right, what went wrong, and what I wish I had known before I jumped.

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What matters more to you, money or time?

Nearly half of us would accept getting paid less just to get more time back in our lives. Not more stuff, not a bigger house - just time.

Yet in reality, we are getting squeezed on both fronts with less money and less time. New research from Revolut and YouGov shows 44% of Kiwis would take a pay cut for a four-day work week, while six in ten are working overtime - and nearly a third get nothing extra for it. To make matters worse, budgeting and managing money has become the single biggest drain on our free time.

Georgia Grange, Chief Operating Officer at Revolut New Zealand, joins Frances Cook on Making Cents to break down how to take back control of our hours.

From the generational divide between Gen Z and management to practical automations that kill off the "Sunday scaries," Georgia shares how to simplify your money so you can get your life back.

This episode of Making Cents is proudly supported by Revolut, the card and app for everyday spending in NZ, and smarter money on your travels. Use this link https://get.revolut.com/e9Jc/makingcents7 to try them out, spend, and Revolut will give you $40 to get started.*

In this episode:
- The four-day work week reality: why 44% of Kiwis would trade pay for time
- The generational divide: why 65% of young workers want shorter weeks while older bosses hold back
- Why overtime and "always-on" digital tools are driving burnout and unpaid work
- How budgeting became the #1 free-time drain for 32% of New Zealanders
- The Sunday scaries test: why spending hours on spreadsheets is a red flag
- How to automate your income, bills, and wealth building so money management takes 10 minutes a week
- Using disposable virtual cards and spend limits to kill unwanted subscriptions and overspending
- Moving from presenteeism to output: what workplaces need to change

Whether you're feeling burnt out by the daily grind or spending way too much of your weekend stuck in spreadsheets, this episode breaks down real, practical steps to help you take control of your time and your money on your own terms.

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Production and video editing by Lana Byrne
Audio engineering by Tash Chittock
Filmed by Fanaticals