Making Cents

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.

Follow me everywhere!
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Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week https://www.francescook.co.nz/subscribe

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https://www.francescook.co.nz/invest

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

Building a comfortable money life for yourself is one thing - building wealth that outlives you is a completely different game.

The problem is that when people get this wrong, it is not just the money that disappears; families often fall apart trying to figure it out. From mismatched expectations to the old saying that wealth is lost in three generations, passing down money without a clear plan can create entitlement rather than long-term security.

Andrew Clements, private wealth and succession lawyer at Grayson Clements, joins Frances Cook on Making Cents to pull back the curtain on how to make family wealth last. Drawing on his career advising some of the wealthiest families in the country, Andrew explains why generational planning isn't just for billionaires, and why the most powerful thing parents can do is equip the next generation for responsibility.

In this episode:
The 5 capitals of wealth: why true wealth comes from wellness, not just money
Why 70% of family wealth is lost by the second generation, and 90% by the third
The entitlement trap: why handing kids a soft landing can backfire
The tradie family blueprint: how a modest-income family set their daughters up to own property together
How to create a "family sandbox" and family advisory board to practice money decisions safely
Why every family upset is actually a broken rule, and how to define your family rules early
The two-year transition model: moving from a "family business" to a "business family"
How to teach kids to fail safely so they build resilience and protect their reputation

Whether you are starting from modest means or building a legacy to pass on, this episode breaks down practical steps to help you lead your family and build lasting wealth on your own terms.

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

Follow me everywhere!
Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookNZ
Instagram / https://www.instagram.com/francescooknz
TikTok / https://www.tiktok.com/@francescooknz

Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week https://www.francescook.co.nz/subscribe
Become a confident sharemarket investor by signing up to the Market Memo newsletter https://www.francescook.co.nz/invest

#MakingCents #FrancesCook #MakingCentsPodcast #InvestingPodcast #MoneyPodcast #FinancialFreedom

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

I join Jim Mora on RNZ Sunday Mornings to work through the latest money news, from new data on unpaid overtime and the cost of living crunch, to Auckland house prices dropping below a million for the first time in six years, and whether Meta’s AI shopping agent is actually a good idea.

Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week https://www.francescook.co.nz/subscribe
Become a confident sharemarket investor by signing up to the Market Memo newsletter https://www.francescook.co.nz/invest

Follow me everywhere!
Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookNZ
Instagram / https://www.instagram.com/francescooknz
TikTok / https://www.tiktok.com/@francescooknz

#MakingCents #FrancesCook #MakingCentsPodcast #InvestingPodcast #MoneyPodcast #FinancialFreedom