Locked Out with Craig Renney

On this week show we look at the forthcoming Budget and the challenges facing the government in making the numbers work. We also examine the true amount of money the government has available to invest, and what that will likely mean for New Zealand.  Craig also looks at the recent spending decisions on health and defence, and asks where the money is coming from.

On the show this week Finn Cordwell, A CommunityOrganiser for the Living Wage Movement in Wellington, joins to talk about the living wage

The living wage is an issue that is dear to Craig's heart as he has previously helped with the calculations of the Living Wage in New Zealand.

The living wage is one of the best ways that employers canshow that they genuinely care about the welfare of their employees.

Craig breaks down why it's important to talk about the living wage and how inflation is currently making those on minimum wage poorer every year.

The first episode will be looking at the recent absence of some numbers in the electricity market with Ed Miller, a Researcher at CICTAR.

Craig and Ed uncovered that the government has stopped collecting data on electricity company margins – just at the same time that energy prices are rising again for winter.

Together with the removal of data on the number of households in energy hardship, Kiwis can now find out much less about how the electricity market is working for them, or vulnerable clients. The last set of data was produced in December 2024. It showed that the operating margin for electricity (the difference between the cost of generation and the price paid by customers) reached 92%. Meaning that for every dollar of electricity bill, only 8c was the direct cost of generation.

CTU Economist 's new podcast will delve into the numbers each week to explain what they all mean to the NZ public