The Weekend Collective

This week's budget announcement had a focus on sorting out the books, and no straight sugar hits for individuals.
Infrastructure, healthcare and education seemed to be the clear priority of our fiscal plan, but three relief for the cost-of-living pressure many face.
Along with that, council rates have gone up for Auckland and the South Island's West Coast, and the Reserve Bank's signalled that there will be an increase to the OCR shortly - so the period we've seen of low interest rates on a mortgage is coming to an end.
So how can we prepare ourselves for a toughening economy? Was it good that we didn't have any government handouts?
Managing Director for the Private Office - Nick Crawford - joins Tim Beveridge for Smart Money...
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Nowadays our phones have the ability to track our exercise and sleep habits, and if it's not our phones, it's our smartwatches.
These tools can monitor our heart-rate, count our steps, say how many calories we've burned, and tracks how far we've walked, biked, or run.
There's all these metrics and stats that your smartwatches can provide you - but how crucial are these devices? What info can they bring us that's practical in getting us to our fitness goals?
With Tim Beveridge to talk about it: one of New Zealand's most celebrated high-performance coaches, one who trained Dame Lisa Carrington, three time Coast-to-Coast winner, and six-time Halberg Coach of the Year Winner - Gordon Walker.
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The Government says this year's budget especially strengthens Auckland's role as New Zealand's economic engine room.
They point out that they're investing in health, including funding to purchase land for a future South Auckland Hospital, and a share of the Government's $5.5-billion health package.
Additionally, they highlight plans for housing growth with a new $400-million fund for councils to enable more homes.
Lastly, they're putting aside a billion for rail improvements, and another billion for school upgrades.
But Mayor Wayne Brown says the devil is in the detail - and we'll need more clarity into a timeline of these initiatives, along with an explanation of how the Government's funding their share of the CRL.
So what do these investments actually mean for Aucklanders - and how confident can we be in keeping a globally competitive city?
Minister for Auckland Simon Watts talks to Tim Beveridge to discuss...
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US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth says New Zealand was "freeloading" from the American Military because of our low military spend.
The remarks were made at an Asia-Pacific security conference in Singapore, attended by Defence Minister Chris Penk.
The New Zealand Government has already announced plans to lift defence spending to around 2% of GDP over coming years — nearly double what we currently spend — but Hegseth says allies should really be aiming closer to 3.5%.
That raises some big questions. At a time when New Zealanders are worried about the cost of living, hospitals and public services, why should defence move up the priority list? And what are the risks if countries like New Zealand don’t step up militarily?
Defence Minister Chris Penk joins Tim Beveridge to discuss.
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Rates are going up again, more than 7% in Auckland, buyers are cautious, the OCR will not be dropping anytime soon, and the market remains soft.
In such a volatile market, those selling a home need to be careful that their property has value, and any changes actually add value if they have any hopes of real estate success.
Interior designer Kelly Gammie joined Tim Beveridge to reveal which renovations add value, and which details age a home.
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