The Monday Call

Mike Frith is Chief Economist at the NZ Super Fund, New Zealand’s single largest pool of long-term capital. The NZ Super Fund invests more than $90 billion for the Government to reduce the future cost of universal superannuation. Its long horizon lets it look beyond the headlines.
Mike will discuss the forces driving markets: technology, trade, and shifting economic dynamics. What can rising interest rates tell us? How might a productivity leap affect earnings? And how do long-term investors account for elections, such as the United States midterms?
We will also look inside NZ Super’s portfolio, from strategic tilting and global equities to commodities and alternatives. Join us for a rare look at how a leading sovereign fund is investing for a changing world - and the opportunities it presents.

After 35 years covering financial services, Philip Macalister has seen New Zealand’s advice sector through booms, busts and enough industry buzzwords to fill a small dictionary. Through Good Returns, the website he founded, he’s become the industry’s institutional memory, one finger permanently on its pulse.

Advice is changing on almost every front: who can access it, how businesses are structured, and how consolidation and succession are playing out. Investment, mortgage and insurance advice, KiwiSaver and retirement are all part of it too – especially in an election year bringing new government policy.

AI is speeding all of this up, making financial information faster to find, cheaper to access and easier to use than ever. Join the NZ Funds team as we talk to Philip about the opportunities these changes create for the industry, and how they can benefit both advisers and the clients they serve.

Ask different AI models who is the best KiwiSaver provider or investment manager and get a potpourri of different answers. All confident. Most contradicting each other. AI is likely recycling whatever’s loudest online. Yet there’s no single 'best' - only the best for you, with your goals and your circumstances.
Richard Conway, CEO of The Optimisers and a leading voice on AI and search optimisation, is an authority on how these models reach their conclusions. The implications go far beyond retirement savings; AI is now influencing how people choose accountants, lawyers, power companies, even doctors.
Join the Monday Call team as we speak with Richard about what this means for investors, advisers and consumers alike. There’s no debate AI is powerful and convenient, but should we hand over how we make important decisions? Or does good advice really require care, context and judgement – and an understanding of what matters to you?

As Chief Executive of Southern Cross, Nick Astwick heads one of New Zealand's most significant organisations, with close to one million members and a unique view of the health, ageing and wellbeing of the nation.
With 25 years at the heart of New Zealand business, including almost a decade at the helm of Southern Cross, Nick is one of the country's best-informed voices on longevity, and what it means for how we plan, secure and spend our later years.
Join the Monday Call team for an important conversation on New Zealand's future: the opportunity to extend our healthspan, the changing economics of healthcare, and how we can build a healthier, more prosperous community.

Stephen Witt won the Financial Times Business Book of the Year for The Thinking Machine, his biography of NVIDIA founder Jensen Huang. He writes for The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and GQ, examining the forces reshaping technology and the global economy.

With rare access to Silicon Valley's leaders, innovators and investors, Stephen reveals how breakthrough technologies can ignite waves of capital investment, create and destroy fortunes, dismantle old industries and transform society.

Join the Monday Call team for a conversation on the forces - seen and unseen - defining this era. Are we witnessing the greatest investment cycle in history? How will AI reshape work, wealth and power? When will humanoid robots arrive? And who will capture the gains from this new industrial age?

It's been a year of headlines. Conflict in the Middle East, higher oil prices and geopolitical uncertainty have tested investors, yet the global economy remains remarkably resilient. Beneath the surface, growth is holding up, share markets have moved higher, and new opportunities are emerging.

The investment landscape is also broadening. AI and US technology remain powerful themes, but opportunities are appearing elsewhere - in cyclical sectors and markets beyond the United States. New Zealand is among them, with improving economic indicators, rising confidence and early signs of renewed momentum.

Mark Brooks, NZ Funds Chief Investment Officer, returns to the Monday Call alongside James Grigor and Stephan Clark to explore the forces shaping markets today. They will discuss the outlook for the second half of the year, where opportunities may emerge, and what it means for long-term investors.

Sir Bill English has spent more than three decades at the centre of New Zealand’s biggest economic and policy decisions — as Prime Minister, Minister of Finance and now a leader in business. Few better understand what drives national success and where New Zealand’s opportunities lie.

In a conversation spanning productivity, infrastructure and education, Bill will share his perspective on lifting living standards, strengthening our economy and competing globally. He will explore the role of business, the lessons government should learn, and the changes needed to unlock the country's potential.

With an election fast approaching, join the Monday Call team for a timely discussion with one of New Zealand’s most respected economic leaders. Hear why Bill remains optimistic, what leaders should focus on, and how we can build a more prosperous future.

Tim Draper is one of the defining investors of the modern era. Founder of Draper Associates, he was the first outside investor in SpaceX and an early investor in Tesla, Skype, Hotmail, Baidu and Coinbase before they became giants. In 2014, he stunned the world by buying 30,000 Bitcoin seized from the infamous Silk Road marketplace in a US government auction.

For decades Tim has invested early in breakthrough technologies, often before their potential was widely recognised. He backed digital assets, AI, robotics and space with bold conviction, while championing entrepreneurial freedom. His track record is built on spotting seismic shifts long before they reach the mainstream.

Join us for a rare conversation with one of Silicon Valley’s true legends. Hear the stories behind some of history’s most iconic companies, how he spots exceptional founders early, and where he believes the next wave of trillion-dollar opportunities will come from.

Few understand the space economy and opportunities it presents better than Chris Quilty. As President of Quilty Space, he advises investors, operators and policymakers worldwide and is widely regarded as one of the sector’s most trusted voices, regularly featured by Bloomberg, CNBC and The Wall Street Journal.

The space economy is growing rapidly. There are now over 10,000 satellites in orbit, up from 1,500 ten years ago. SpaceX operates 6,000 of these through Starlink and alone launches multiple times per week, compared with around 70 launches per year worldwide 20 years ago. Alongside others like Rocket Lab, it is building a new layer of infrastructure for communications, defence and data.

With SpaceX entering public markets and well established as a company in the modern space era, join the Monday Call team for a rare conversation with Quilty. Hear where this frontier economy is heading, the companies shaping its future, and the opportunities for long-term investors as the sector continues to mature.

One of Wall Street’s most widely followed tech analysts and a regular voice on CNBC and Bloomberg, Dan Ives is a leading commentator on AI, NVIDIA, Tesla and companies shaping the next decade of markets. As Global Head of Technology Research at Wedbush Securities, he is known for bold, high-conviction calls and deep insights on tech.

AI is expanding beyond software into infrastructure, energy, robotics – and now space. This is fuelling speculation around a SpaceX IPO, potentially valued near US$1 trillion, and what could be one of the largest issuances ever. The market impact would be significant, reshaping index flows, liquidity and global tech positioning.

Join the Monday Call team as they speak with Ives about where technology is heading, how large SpaceX could become, if space-based data centres are viable, and whether the AI revolution is still only just starting.