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This is an interview I recorded with Suzanne Snively of Transparency International New Zealand on 22nd April 2014 to talk about corruption, and the corruption ‘perception’ index. Turns out the New Zealand organization is mainly funded by government, and says there is no corruption within government departments. It was first broadcast as part of my weekly Steve Hart Radio Show.

See my new Radio site at www.SteveHart.co A new breed of power meter – so called smart meters or advanced meters – are being rolled out across New Zealand and most other developed countries right now. Some people believe it is all part of building a global electricity smart grid – where countries – particularly in Europe - can share the load. In New Zealand the power retailers say meters here have to be replaced by 2015 because the old analogue ones are going out of date and are becoming unreliable. Smart meters transmit your electricity reading over the mobile phone network, and there are predictions that gas and water meters will also be replaced with smart meters – meaning that in a few years no one will need to visit your property to read your meters. Privacy advocates claim that in time smart meters will share more than your power usage. In combination with the growing number of smart appliances, power firms will know what appliances you have, when you use them and for how long. ADVERT Yekra PlayerYekra is a revolutionary new distribution network for feature films.Take Back Your PowerUtility companies are replacing electricity, gas and water meters worldwide with new generation “smart” meters at an unprecedented rate. Take Back Your Power investigates the benefits and risks of this ubiquitous “smart” grid program, with insight from insiders, expert researchers, politicians, doctors, and concerned communities. Transparency advocate Josh del Sol takes us on a journey of revelation and discovery, as he questions corporations’ right to tap our private information and erode our rights in the name of “green”. What you discover will surprise you, unsettle you, and inspire you to challenge the status quo. Utility companies are replacing electricity, gas and water meters worldwide with new generation “smart” meters at an unprecedented rate. Take Back Your Power investigates the benefits and risks of this ubiquitous “smart” grid program, with insight from insiders, expert researchers, politicians, doctors, and concerned communities. Transparency advocate Josh del Sol takes us on a journey of revelation and discovery, as he questions corporations’ right to tap our private information and erode our rights in the name of “green”. What you discover will surprise you, unsettle you, and inspire you to challenge the status quo.   Subscribe and comment on iTune here They’ll know what type of fridge you have, when its door was opened and then register that your microwave was turned on. In effect, power retailers may be able to gather a lot of information about you, the products you buy, and know when you left for work, and came home again. However, some people are worried about their health being affected by the wireless broadcasts of smart meters attached to their and their neighbour’s homes. Aucklander Paul Waddell is sensitive to electricity and runs SafeSpace, a firm that helps people who believe they are affected by electricity and wireless radiation in their homes. In 2011 he completed a course at the Australian College of Environmental Studies and has subsequently completed a Certificate in electromagnetic field testing – also known as EMF testing. He also tests for EMR - electromagnetic radiation. He says both EMF and EMR can make some people feel unwell and prevent them from getting a good night’s sleep. Paul says he is electro sensitive and so has modified his home to reduce his exposure to EMF as well as refusing to have a smart meter fitted to his home. Details on screenings of Take Back Your Power HERE   Yekra PlayerYekra is a revolutionary new distribution network for feature films.Take Back Your PowerUtility companies are replacing electricity, gas and water meters worldwide with new generation “smart” meters at an unprecedented rate. Take Back Your Power investigates the benefits and risks of this ubiquitous “smart” grid program, with insight from insiders, expert researchers,

See my new Radio site at www.SteveHart.co In this edition of Talking Point I draw on a previous interview with Don Richards of Positive Money based in Wellington, New Zealand. Don is part of a growing campaign to reform the international banking system and curtail their ability to create money by typing numbers into a computer. Supporters of the Positive Money campaign want governments to create interest-free money to fund things such as public projects - from house building to roads etc - and to not borrow the money from banks and then burden tax payers with interest payments. The Positive Money website is here. Subscribe and comment on iTune here Comment - By Steve Hart When you first hear that banks create money by typing numbers into a computer you can’t quite believe it. When you hear that this free ‘money’ is lent out with interest added, you dismiss it as lies because the banks would be no better than counterfeiters. Like the rest of us, I have been watching as our government, as well as those across Europe and in the US, beg for funds from the central banks to the tune of trillions of interest-bearing dollars. In the back of my mind I wondered where all this money came from - it couldn't all be the savings of bank customers... I watched documentaries such as Bill Still’s The Secret of Oz, Paul Grignon’s Money as Debt and read Deirdre Kent’s excellent book Healthy Money, Healthy Planet. It took less than a week to join the dots and understand that we are collectively indebted to the banks and the debt will only grow larger. Under the current monetary system, there is no way out. Once you understand that the banks create 98 per cent of all money in New Zealand, and the money is loaned out with interest attached, and that the two per cent of money (notes and coins) created by the government is nowhere near enough to pay that interest, you start to understand why we are in a collective spiral of increasing debt. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ), which has the ability to create debt-free money, will tell you why it would be madness for the RBNZ to take back control of the money supply. This is what Mike Hannah of the Reserve Bank has to say about it: “If the government ‘prints money’ and uses it to spend in the economy, the quantity of money in the economy increases, and all else [being] equal, interests rates will fall, and prices will rise.” What Hannah forgets is that government printed money would not be inflationary when spent on items such as infrastructure – items that are currently funded by taxes and bank loans taken out by the government. Loans that are paid for with tax receipts and reduced public services. Hannah says: “Conversely, when the government borrows money from the public to spend, this in itself does not increase the money supply.” This ‘public’ money comes from banks, the creators of most of our funds. So it has already been created out of thin air and is attracting interest. Instead of saying ‘money supply’ Hannah could more accurately call it ‘debt supply’. If the government created and controlled the money we need, it would not need to borrow any money. As a country we would not be beholden to any corporation. Is changing the way government obtains the money it needs to pay for public services, infrastructure and civil servant payrolls an election issue? It could be. But as countries start to fall further into debt, as banks step in to foreclose on people’s homes, businesses and (European) countries, a sea change may be unstoppable. It is likely that any change will have to be driven by the people. We can’t rely on politicians, who’s Parties - and future careers - may well be funded by the banks, to look seriously at changing the current system. When banks lend you millions of dollars, do you do what the people want or what the banks want? Who’s your daddy?

In this podcast I speak with maintenance engineering evangelist Joel Leonard...

The campaign for a living wage is one year old in Auckland. It was started on May 23rd 2013 to prompt a national debate about the difference between being paid the minimum wage and earning enough money to participate in society. The grass roots campaign is being driven by local and regional groups as opposed to a nationwide approach.

Youth pay cuts The New Zealand government’s new youth pay law came into affect on 1 May which means employers can cut by 20% the minimum wage for 16 and 17 year olds, and 18 and 19 year olds who have been on a benefit for 6 months Among the firms adopting the rule is food retailer Pack 'n Save. In response  First Union members from Pak 'n Save Royal Oak in Auckland stopped work on the morning om May 1 (2013) and met with workers from five other Pak n Save supermarkets, and from Foodstuffs’ two Auckland distribution centres. First Union says the May 1 stop work action followed the breakdown of pay talks in a number of Foodstuffs supermarkets. Maxine Gay, Retail Secretary for FIRST Union says Several large chains have confirmed they will not be using the new youth rates law. These include supermarket Countdown, and other retail chains such as The Warehouse, Farmers, Kmart and Bunnings.  A similar confirmation has also been given by Restaurant Brands, operators of KFC and Pizza Hutt, Starbucks and some Carl’s Jr stores. BusinessNZ has criticised unions who took industrial action over the issue of starting wages. BusinessNZ Chief Executive Phil O’Reilly says: “Picketing against a lawful activity is not what unions should be doing. “Starting wages help young people gain experience and better equip them to be able to compete on stronger terms.” Best industries The media industry is New Zealand’s most attractive industry to work for according to recruitment firm Randstad. The firm’s employer branding research survey, which highlights the largest Kiwi organisations (by employee size) examines the factors Kiwis consider most important when looking for a new employer, as well as the industries deemed most attractive. The media industry received top marks for its provision of interesting job content, competitive salary and employee benefits. Based on its findings, Randstad says TVNZ is as the most attractive company in the media sector, as well as being recognised as the fourth most attractive employer in the country overall. Other industries that performed well in the survey were education & training services, and the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector. Director of Randstad New Zealand, Paul Robinson, says the media industry has done particularly well to maintain its position as the most attractive to Kiwis, considering recent shifts within the sector. The top 10 most attractive industries to work for in New Zealand for 2013 are: 1: Media 2: Education & training services 3: Fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) 4: Public Administration & Safety 5: Banking & Financial services 6: Public Sector 7: Professional Services 8: IT & Telecommunications 9: Transport & Logistics 10: Healthcare Kelly Global Workforce Index Less than half of New Zealand employees working in in IT and engineering  are happy with the training they get at work, according to the latest Kelly Global Workforce Index (KGWI). The international survey of around 122,000 people, including more than 3,500 New Zealanders, looked at the ways employees preferred to develop their skills and their motivations for doing so. Kelly Services managing director for Australia and New Zealand Karen Colfer says the survey underscores how important it is for New Zealand businesses to continue to invest in training and development for staff, particularly as the economic and job recovery gains traction. According to the survey, 62 percent of New Zealand employees are planning to increase their skills. While 66% of kiwis said their key motivation is the opportunity for a promotion with their current employer, 49 percent said it would give them the chance to enter a new field of work and 46 percent believe additional training or skills development could give them the opportunity for advancement in another company. Areas New Zealand employees believe they need to develop include leadership (46 percent),

Employment law amendments introduced by National's Labour minister Simon Bridges will help rebalance the workplace so businesses can adapt more quickly to changing conditions, says David Lowe, Employment Services Manager for the Employers & Manufacturers Association.

According to the latest Quarterly Hotspots report from Hays, which covers April to June 2013, pockets of shortages for specific skills remain across most sectors of the job spectrum in New Zealand. From accountancy to construction and from engineering to insurance and everything in between. I spoke with Hays New Zealand's general manager, Jason Walker, and asked if there really were vacancies for all the jobs listed in its report. It seems as job vacancies grow, there are not enough trained people to do them.

This edition of the CareerCast features an interview by Steve Hart with Mark McCrindle of McCrindle Research. Mark discusses how firms should best manage Gen Y staff, the downside of Gen Y managers and what employers need to know about the next generation of workers - the Gen Zs, or the iPhone Generation.