New South Wales police have officially been uninvited from Mardi Gras, Sydney’s pride event.  Senior Constable Beaumont Lamarre-Condon has been accused of murdering Sydney gay couple Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, and as such, the precinct has been asked not to appear.   Debate over the police's involvement with the march began after Lamarre-Cordon allegedly shot his ex-boyfriend and his new partner with his service gun. Australian Correspondent Donna Demaio told Mike Hosking that police will comply.   She says Police have expressed disappointment in the decision, but will work to ensure a safe environment for all.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fast food operator Restaurant Brands says that despite making record sales, it still has major cost issues.  The operator of KFC, Pizza Hut, Carl's Junior, and Taco Bell has posted $1.3 billion in full-year sales.  Its net after-tax profit was $15.8 million, down half a million annually.  Brad Olsen, Infometrics Principal Economist, told Mike Hosking that while spending value was up 4.2% year on year, the volume purchased was down by 2.7%.  So, he said, you’re spending more, getting less bang for your buck.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Communication problems are running rampant between the Education Ministry and schools.  The Government's ordered a review of school building projects, saying they've inherited a school property system "bordering on crisis".   Already the ministry has put 20 projects on pause, with up to 350 in doubt.   Auckland Primary Principals' Association President Kyle Brewerton told Mike Hosking that the pauses have caught some schools by surprise, with shovels already in the ground.   He says there's confusion around the schools that have been tagged and what's happening now.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A lack of transparency with Wellington Water is being blamed for the region's water woes.  The Capital's water provider yesterday admitted that it's failed to meet Ministry of Health fluoridation targets at least 95% of the time over recent months.  It comes as the region grapples with leaks and water shortages.  Wellington City Councillor Ray Chung told Mike Hosking that the water agency won't give the council adequate information as to what it's working on.  Wellington Water has also announced that it won't be exempt from new rules around chlorine compliance.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nationals Annual Blue Greens forum was held over the weekend. The prime minister and the party caucus members were all there to talk with the environmental leaders. Greens Forum chair Grant McCallum told Mike Hosking that the meeting was a 10/10 and it 'couldn't have gone better'. When asked how green the national party are he said 'we're very pragmatically green, We're not idealistically green.' LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ginny Andersen says she'll apologise to Mark Mitchell, over comments she made on last week's Mike Hosking Breakfast. On last Wednesday's show, the Labour Police Spokesperson accused the Police Minister of being paid to kill people when he was a defence contractor in East Africa and the Middle East. Mitchell says he hasn't knowingly killed anyone. Andersen told Mike Hosking this morning, she shouldn't have made the comments, and will personally apologise to Mitchell when they reappear on the show this week.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A building expert says people tend to focus on the cost of building infrastructure and think they'll figure everything else out as they go along.  The Infrastructure Commission says we need to spend around 60% of our investment to look after what we already have, rather than building more.  AUT Professor of Construction Management John Tookey told Mike Hosking that people often focus on acquisition costs, rather than maintenance costs because it's easy.  He says that's because the sums get more complicated when you start considering the likes of depreciation and more over an extended period of time.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s “a new approach" from the Government on breaking the cycle of child poverty.  The percentage of children living in poverty has risen to 17.5, with the percentage of children facing material hardship rising to 12.5.  Child Poverty Reduction Minister Louise Upston says they'll have a target and will be held accountable for it.   She told Mike Hosking that it's not just a matter of addressing incomes.   Upston says those on welfare and the lowest incomes are hit the hardest in the cost-of-living crisis.   She says that's why they have to deal with the costs families face, and housing costs are a significant part of that.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s concerns the Government's plan to switch the first year of free tertiary study to the final year won't hit the mark.  The Tertiary Education Commission has told a select committee this week that there's no discernible evidence the first-year policy changed numbers of low decile school students attending university.  Tertiary Education Union National Secretary Sandra Grey says once students get past the first year, they usually stay until the end.  So, she told Mike Hosking, it doesn't make a lot of sense to make the final year free.  Grey says students need support when they're trying to transition either off the benefit and unemployment into study, or when they're going from school into study.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air New Zealand's turbulent relationship with Auckland Airport is taking another turn.  The national carrier is demanding an inquiry into the airport's spending, claiming it will push up airfares to five times the current rate by 2032.  Cath O’Brien, Executive Director on the Board of Airline Representatives, told Mike Hosking that the airport has a history of extremes, going from spending too little on their projects to a significantly higher amount, which its regulatory regime is not designed to handle.  She said the regime is only a five-year look, and so it can’t handle the ten-to-fifteen-year expense of the current plan.  While Auckland Airport denies any significant price changes, O’Brien said that due to the limitations on the current regime, prices will rise a lot more than they’re currently able to say.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A tribute from one Pacific leader to another.  49 yearold Green Party MP and former Auckland Councillor Efeso Collins collapsed and died at a charity event yesterday morning.   Pasifika Medical Association Board Director Sir Colin Tukuitonga told Mike Hosking that he picked up the causes that other people perhaps wouldn't.  He says that includes young people and poor south Auckland communities, and his joining of the Green Party highlighted his concern for the environment.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Children's Minister says she's prioritising frontline staff investment in Oranga Tamariki.   Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier has released a report detailing two thousand complaints and enquiries he's witnessed in the past four years.   He concluded work is inconsistent across the country, with some parts showing an alarming "absence of discipline"  Minister Karen Chhour told Mike Hosking that we can't keep having report after report saying the same things.   She says we're talking about children and young people with futures ahead of them and we need to do everything we can to ensure these futures are positive ones.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It seems the path has been cleared for a multi-million-dollar film studio in Hawke's Bay.  Number Eight Studios has received resource consent from Hastings District Council for its 400-hectare facility in the coastal township of Te Awanga.  Despite having been five years since the first proposal, project leader Tony Keddy says it's been worth the wait.  The idea is for buildings to be built for the specific needs of the film industry, bringing a raft of international productions to Hawke's Bay home.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's Grant Robertson is retiring from Parliament next month and will become Otago University's Vice-Chancellor in July.  The 15-year MP was Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister in the Labour Government.  He says the time is right for new challenges.   Political Commentator Brigitte Morten told Mike Hosking that the writing was on the wall when he decided not to run in Wellington Central again.  She said that making room for the new guard is a painful transition, but it's the right thing to do.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's no silver bullet when it comes to improving our physical activity levels.  Health New Zealand's latest review of the state of our health has found one in three adults carries enough weight to affect their health.  Exercise New Zealand Chief Executive Richard Beddie says we're one of the worst in the western world when it comes to being active.  He told Mike Hosking that if information was key, we could solve it overnight.  Beddie says the answer is easy —move your body— but the behaviour is the complicated bit in terms of how they get people to do that.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

High mortgage rates are continuing to pressure the housing market as the year starts with slow January sales.   CoreLogic data shows there were more than 3,100 sales last month, up just 2% on the same time last year.  It's the slowest start to a year since 1983.  Chief Property Economist Kelvin Davidson says a slowdown in the Auckland market has also had a big impact.   He says mortgage rates have stopped increasing but aren't falling either, which is creating a bit of variability in the market, which he expects to continue for a while yet.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A taskforce is proposing a crackdown on drugs and alcohol in the Australian parliament.  Australian Senator Perin Davey admitted to having a couple glasses of wine before a senate hearing, where she was seen slurring her words.  Australian Correspondent Donna Demaio told Mike Hosking that this isn't the first time an Aussie politician has been caught drinking on the job.  She says the image of former Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce lying and babbling on the street is still fresh in the minds of Australians.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lack of resources are being blamed for St John's move to pull some ambulances off the road.  The service is aiming to rein in costs for when a worker is sick or goes on leave.  Health commentator Ian Powell told Mike Hosking that it comes down to having enough staff, and funding isn't matching the increase in health demand.  He says this is not just a St John's problem there's a problem in the model, and there's a problem tangled up in the generalised under-funding of our health system.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's defending its work in the benefit space when in government, saying it takes time for change to occur.  Social Development Minister Louise Upston's announced a ramp up of work check-ins for jobseekers, with sanctions for those who don't meet obligations, starting in June.  Labour’s Social Development spokesperson Carmel Sepuloni told Mike Hosking that when she was minister, there were record levels of people leaving benefits to get into employment.  But she says there were a lot of people coming onto the benefit who didn't necessarily have the skills to match the jobs that were out there, which is why they invested in upskilling and training.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The British and American ambassadors to Russia have laid flowers at a memorial to Alexei Navalny in Moscow. The Russian opposition leader died after collapsing following a walk in his Arctic prison, over the weekend. Meanwhile, G-7 foreign ministers have met in Munich to discuss ideas to punish Russia for his death.Europe correspondent Gavin Grey told Mike Hosking that the UK and US have suggested seizing Russian central bank assets held abroad to pay for Ukraine. He says they believe the way to make Vladimir Putin uncomfortable is not demanding an explanation for Navalny's death, but to hit him in the pocket.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scepticism over whether handing over speed camera duties will reduce fatal speed-related crashes. NZTA is taking over the job from Police, with plans to increase the number from 150 to around 800, as part of a high-tech development of the network. It's estimated to process around three million infringements annually by 2030. But road safety campaigner Clive Matthew-Wilson told Mike Hosking it doesn't target those who cause most of those accidents. He says those who actually cause them are a very small group of poorly educated people, usually with substance abuse problems and an attitude.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Chris Luxon gave a somewhat grim outlook of the economy during his State of the Nation speech in Auckland yesterday, but he still has support. Luxon says the state of the nation is fragile, and says the problems the country faces won't be fixed in 100 days .. or 100 days after that .. but his Government is getting to work. Newstalk ZB Political Editor Jason Walls told Mike Hosking a lot of polls show he still has plenty of people backing him. He says Luxon's having to cut through the noise to keep getting his message out there.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The migration boom is easing ever so slightly.  Latest Stats NZ figures show annual net migration reached just under 126,000 in the year to December.  That's down 6.3% on the record high for the year to November.  The net migration gain is still one of the largest recorded, equivalent to the population of Taranaki.  Westpac Senior Economist Michael Gordon told Mike Hosking that he thinks we’re beginning to reach our peak.  He said he’d be surprised if we continued to see these numbers this time next year.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been labelled "unrealistic" as concerns rise for Gazan city Rafah.  International relations expert Geoffrey Miller told Mike Hosking that Netanyahu seems to be in a fantasy land.  He says he seems to think the 1.5-million Palestinians sheltering in Rafah can all go to a small village on the coast seven kilometres away.  New Zealand, Australia, and Canada have issued a joint statement, warning that a humanitarian ceasefire is urgently needed.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The nurses union wants the new Health Minister to intervene on delays to payouts.  Te Whatu Ora owes nearly two billion dollars to nurses after failing to meet Holiday Act requirements, and its only paid roughly $250,000 back.  The union says the rest of the money, owed from 2010 onwards, has been pushed back.  Nurses Organisation President Kerri Nuku told Mike Hosking that they'll be writing to the minister.  She says deadlines keep getting pushed back and they want clarity.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Seymour's preparing to take a harder line on the parents of chronically absent kids.   As the Associate Education Minister, Seymour's been tasked with tackling increasing levels of absenteeism in schools across the country.   Regular attendance is classed as being in school more than 90-percent of a term.  He says he's investigating whether the power to fine the parents of absent kids should be used more often.  Chris Abercrombie, Acting President of the Post-Primary Teachers Association, told Mike Hosking that he’s not sure if fining parents is the answer.  He thinks making sure that the needs of students are met would be more effective in getting students to school.  Abercrombie said it could be something as simple as making sure they have a uniform or sending around a van to pick up students.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Salvation Army says lifting people off benefits and into jobs is easier said than done.   The Government's looking to change benefit legislation that would see income support rise only with the rate of inflation.  Under Labour benefits rose with wage growth each year, which generally rises faster than inflation.  Salvation Army Head of Social Services, Lynette Hutson told Mike Hosking that many people receiving them are without any transport or education.  She says it's a very simple answer to say get everyone a job and it will be okay ... it doesn't work like that.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fletcher Building's poor results are believed to be indicative of wider pain in the construction sector.  The company's half-year financial results painted a dire picture, with a $120-million net loss.  Chief Executive Ross Taylor announced his resignation yesterday alongside Chair Bruce Hassall.  Combined Building Supplies Co-op Chair Carl Taylor told Mike Hosking that the industry is hurting.  He says it is quiet out there, and their numbers are down too.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More privacy concerns for supermarket customers.   It's been revealed that Woolworths will collect personal data like images, audio recordings, and license plate numbers when people sign up to their Everyday Reward cards.  Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster says businesses need to be transparent with what they're collecting from people and what's done with that data once it's been collected.   He says they need to make sure it isn't at risk of cyber-attacks and isn't accessible to those who shouldn't see it.   It follows an earlier controversy with competitor Foodstuffs trialling facial recognition software in North Island stores.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Israel is facing pressure from various countries around their ground offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.  A raft of western allies, including New Zealand, is pleading with Israel not to escalate matters.  CBS correspondent Linda Gradstein told Mike Hosking that the United States has made it clear to Israel that their forces shouldn't go into Rafah without getting civilians out first.  She says there're about a million and a half Palestinians living in Rafah, many of whom have already been displaced twice.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The results of decades of under-investment in Auckland infrastructure are becoming clear. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown's demanding Auckland Transport stop all projects that were funded by the Regional Fuel Tax.  The tax is being scrapped late June, and the mayor says it'll leave a $1.2-billion gap in transport funding over four years.  Trains were also cancelled this week due to heat speed restrictions on the tracks.  Committee for Auckland director Mark Thomas told Mike Hosking that their report found transport is almost the number one priority for the city.  He says they'll be arguing for much quicker and a larger solution to Auckland's problems, because it seems to be getting worse week by week.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The possibility of future rate hikes remains uncertain.  Despite ANZ shifting its forecast to predict two more rate hikes, there are economists saying that the Reserve Bank has no need.  ASB Chief Economist Nick Tuffley told Mike Hosking that there is a growing chance that the Reserve Bank will get impatient and lift interest rates.  However, he said, they think that they can hold off since things are going in the right direction.  Tuffley said the question is whether they’re headed there fast enough.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Victorian fire authorities are that warning today may pose the greatest fire risk in four years.  Melbourne correspondent Donna Demaio told Mike Hosking that there’s a catastrophic bushfire danger rating for parts of the state, with high winds, heat, and the potential for dry lightning likely.   She says it's going to reach 40 degrees plus, and the fire experts say these forecast conditions haven't been seen since the Black Summer of 2019.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Councils may continue to join forces to tackle infrastructure around three waters.  The Government's confirmed its plan to repeal and replace the controversial legislation.  It will introduce bills that attempt to make it easier for councils to determine their own water strategy, including making it easier to set up council-controlled organisations.  Central Hawke's Bay Mayor Alex Walker told Mike Hosking that it makes sense for Hawke's Bay, as a region, to work together.  She says communities are socially and economically connected, and this legislation could help get things off the ground for a regional model.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An Auckland business leader says nothing surprises him with the city's railway infrastructure, after trains were cancelled due to heat.   Some Auckland train services were cancelled through yesterday afternoon and evening, including at peak hour.   Kiwi Rail, which manages the tracks, blamed track temperatures, which reached 48 degrees in some places.   Newmarket Business Association chief executive Mark Knoff-Thomas told Mike Hosking that there are other countries hotter than ours with working rail.   He says southern Europe has an amazing railway network and is hotter than Auckland.   Knoff-Thomas wonders if Kiwi Rail bought the tracks of Facebook Marketplace.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Emergency Management Minister says additional money for Cyclone Gabrielle recovery will help Hawke's Bay reach silt removal targets. The Government's announced $63-million for sediment and debris removal. Hawke's Bay Regional Council will get 40-million, three million of that is for removing debris in Wairoa. Gisborne District Council will receive 23-million. Minister Mark Mitchell told Mike Hosking he hopes the money solves the problem. He says the additional $40-million will help Hawke's Bay get to its target of 20 percent of silt and debris removed.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Las Vegas is in Super Bowl mode today as thousands are in town for the big game. The NFL match between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will kick off at 12:30 this afternoon. Sirius XM host Ben Harlum is there, and told Mike Hosking that the streets are packed, security's been increased and the Swifties are in full force. He says he's been to Vegas many times but has never seen it like this. Harlum says the noise is insane and he's had to leave the casino just to get some peace and quiet. Taylor Swift is seeing Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Israel looks set to proceed with its ground offensive on Rafah in southern Gaza, despite a lack of support from western allies. Correspondent Gavin Grey told Mike Hosking the US wants Israel to come up with a plan for protecting the safety of the civilian population, before the military advance begins. Foreign Minister Winston Peters says our government is "extremely concerned" about the potential humanitarian consequences.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government and Auckland Council are not in agreement over the scrapping of the Regional Fuel Tax.  It will be gone at the end of June, providing what the Government says is a cost-of-living relief.   Auckland mayor Wayne Brown has come out swinging, saying the decision will leave a $1.2 billion shortfall in transport funding over the next four years.  Ratepayers Alliance spokesperson Jordan Williams told Mike Hosking that last week, the mayor was saying Auckland Transport had lost the plot when it comes to value for money.  He says this week it's a bit rich for Brown to complain we need to keep piling money into AT, which just has a long history of wasting it.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Uncertainty continues to plague Mount Ruapehu's future as a skiing destination.  Whakapapa Holdings has pulled its bid on the Whakapapa side of the mountain, claiming there's not enough Crown funding.  It's unclear how that part of the mountain will operate this winter.  It comes as a conditional agreement for Pure Turoa to run the Turoa ski field has been signed.  Former Ruapehu Snow Sports Secretary Tony Gavigan told Mike Hosking that the current-funding model needs to stay, with crown-funding.  He says nobody in the private sector is going to put in the sort of capital and annual commitment required unless they have tenure.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

GP advocacy groups say funding issues are approaching crisis levels.  Many GPs are hiking their prices as government funding fails to keep up with rising costs.  GenPro Chairman Angus Chambers told Mike Hosking that GP clinics receive different subsidies for different patients.  He says one of the issues is that it doesn't take into account complexity within age groups.  Chambers says he gets the same amount of money for a 65-year-old as he does a 95-year-old, and the latter requires more input.  Health Minister Shane Reti agrees the funding model is not fit for purpose, and he's looking forward to receiving advice on a sustainable solution.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Young people are increasingly going on the benefit and staying on it for longer.  Reports released to Newstalk ZB suggest a sharp spike in the time beneficiaries will spend on income support, with a 23% jump in the number of people staying on job-seeker support until retirement age.  Youth advocate Shirley Johnson told Mike Hosking that the education system isn't adequately preparing young people for work.  She says schools haven't kept up with our changing world.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Taylor Swift's lawyers are trying to put an end to public tracking of her private jet, claiming it's 'a life or death matter'.  Student Jack Sweeney uses public data to track take-offs and landings of celebrity planes and posts them to Twitter.  US Correspondent Mitch McCann told Mike Hosking that the 21-year-old's been issued a cease-and-desist to stop sharing Swift's plane location.  He says Sweeney has responded that he believes in public transparency and hasn't promised he'll stop.  Swift's team claims the data gives her numerous stalkers "a roadmap to carry out their plans".  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our latest unemployment numbers have caught some by surprise.  Stats NZ figures show a 4% rise in the three months to December.  That's up from 3.9% in the preceding three months but below most economists' predictions, who'd been expecting between 4.2 and 4.3%.  ASB Senior Economist Mark Smith told Mike Hosking there's potential these figures are more reflective, and things may have actually worsened.  He says other indicators —like benefit numbers— having been rising steadily.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Māori Development Minister has hit out at media coverage of events at Waitangi.  The Coalition came under fire from Māori leaders, with both ACT Leader David Seymour and NZ First Leader Winston Peters among those heckled during speeches.  Tama Potaka says he thinks most people came away feeling warm and excited for the future.  He told Mike Hosking that he thinks the coverage was not comprehensive and skewed towards describing angst.  Potaka says after the Government pōwhiri, it felt that while not everyone agreed with everything, everyone had the chance to present themselves.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prince Harry has arrived in the UK alone after his father's cancer diagnosis.  Buckingham Palace announced King Charles cancer yesterday, which was discovered during a separate procedure.  Harry was earlier photographed arriving at Clarence House.  The King's now been seen for the first time since the announcement - being driven with Queen Camilla from Clarence House to Buckingham Palace, where it's believed they flew to Sandringham. UK correspondent Gavin Grey told Mike Hosking that it's not known how long Harry will stay, or if he's going to Sandringham.  He says there's apparently no plan to meet with his brother, Prince William.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A spike to New Zealand's unemployment rate may be on the cards later this morning.  Multiple bank economists estimate it to land at 4.3%, up from the September quarter's 3.9%.   ANZ Economist, Henry Russell told Mike Hosking that he agrees.  He says the key driver is the ongoing recovery in labour supply, reflecting the record net-migration we've seen.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re a generous bunch us Kiwis. It never ceases to amaze me how New Zealander’s step up when tragedy or just bad luck strikes someone or a community. In May 2023 - when every second headline was about the cost-of-living crisis - it was announced we’d given $36.6 million to charities and causes over that last financial year. It was a 38% increase on the previous year. That’s a lot of money. We’re givers and we give in good faith, but we’re not idiots and we like to know where the money is going and what it’s going to be used for. This week, a mayor hit the headlines asking why a considerable amount of money raised through Lotto to help communities affected by Cyclone Gabrielle is still in a bank account almost a year after the disaster, with no thought given to how it may be allocated. It’s not a good look. It’s not a good look for Lotto who ran the appeal, or the Department of Internal Affairs who have banked the cash and are earning a bit of interest, or the Fund’s trustees responsible for allocations, to not have a plan yet. If we want people to give when the need arises, and we do in this little country of ours, then having faith in the system is important. We don’t give with the expectation of getting anything in return - but we do hope that if we were in strife one day the same generosity would be shown. Stories like this don’t encourage giving. Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst has expressed concern over the fund and its lack of action and is using the media to get things moving, but when you’re living in an area dealing with the fallout of a natural disaster, I say go for it. Especially when other cyclone-related relief funds have been effective. The Red Cross, who faced criticism last April for being too slow to release their 27.5m in donated funds have, as of November 13, committed $24m of their fund. The Hawke’s Bay Disaster Relief Fund and the Hastings Mayoral Fund have also been hard at work. It’s worth pointing out that because it’s gambling money there are some specific criteria regarding how the money is to be used. It must go to community minded projects like fixing facilities where people come together – sports clubs, playgrounds, marae or community halls – and the Trusts focus is on medium to long-term recovery projects. So, I understand the dust must settle before communities know what they need. It was never going to handed out immediately. But, if you want to rely on the goodwill of the people then it helps to be transparent about the process and the fund’s intentions. If you’re wondering where your donation will end up, answers are apparently coming this month, when the trustees will meet to consider and decide on a timeline. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Seymour hopes a 'peaceful debate' can come out of Waitangi - in the wake of backlash to his proposed Treaty Principles Bill. The ACT leader is being welcomed alongside the coalition at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds in the Bay of Islands today. He skipped both last month's Kingitanga's hui-a-motu and Ratana commemorations. Iwi representatives spoke at Waitangi yesterday, expressing criticism over various Government leaders, and stances, in relation to Māori. Seymour told Francesca Rudkin he hopes some of the rhetoric in recent days can be dialled down. He doesn't think it's such a bad thing to have a debate on treaty principles - saying it should be welcomed as it apparently highlights the importance of the treaty.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is being warned that its attempts to streamline the costs of government-funded school lunches could backfire.   An MBIE briefing has revealed the lunches could end this year unless the Government finds $330 million.  Prime Minister Chris Luxon says his government will fund them beyond the end of the year, but he wants to optimise the programme.    Health Coalition Aotearoa co-chair Boyd Swinburn told Mike Hosking that a programme which only gives lunches to poorer kids has downsides.   He says having certain children line up for the lunches creates stigma for them, which can create so many issues that schools may decide not to bother.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Council of Trade Unions says it's heartless that the Workplace Relations and Safety Minister recommended a 1.3% minimum wage increase.   The Government's decided to increase minimum wage by 2% to $23.15 an hour from April.    Inflation is at 4.7%.   Council of Trade Unions Secretary Melissa Ansell-Bridges told Mike Hosking that all New Zealanders have a right to a liveable income.   She says the idea that people on low incomes should work harder, train more, and advance themselves is great, but there'll still be someone doing those jobs.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Airbnb and its rivals are warning their services may need to be suspended if the Government doesn't delay a GST law change. Accommodation providers and ride-share services such as Uber will become liable for ensuring GST is paid through services booked on their websites from April 1. Airbnb, Booking.com, Bookabach, and Bachcare wrote  to Finance Minister Nicola Willis in December requesting an urgent meeting. Former Tourism Industry Aotearoa CEO Chris Roberts told Mike Hosking that the companies haven't had enough time to prepare for the changes. He said that during the election campaign National was going to scrap the idea, but are now keeping it following coalition agreements. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US has decided on their course of action when it comes to retaliating to the drone strike that killed and injured over forty US troops.  Their response is likely to come in the next couple of days, officials saying that they will respond at a time of their choosing.  US Correspondent Mitch McCann told Mike Hosking that while they have a couple of options, it’s likely that they will target the militia directly as opposed to launching a strike against Iran and potentially widening the war.  He said that the militia responsible announced this morning that they will be suspending their operations, though it may be too late to avoid repercussions from the US.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AUKUS is expected to be a topic at today's trans-Tasman meeting.   New Zealand and Australia's Foreign Ministers and Defence Ministers will meet for talks in Melbourne today.   Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum Co-Chair Greg Lowe says it's certainly worth having discussions about the second pillar of AUKUS.   That second pillar involves things like cyber security and AI, rather than military action  He told Mike Hosking that the meeting is happening at an important time.   Lowe says financial troubles following the pandemic have been followed by tough geopolitical circumstances.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An Auckland high school has placed CCTV cameras in its bathrooms in a bid to stop vaping.  Green Bay High School students have taken to social media to voice their concerns, saying it's a breach of privacy.  The school has also installed a glass door to a new bathroom.  Auckland University senior law lecturer Nikki Chamberlain told Mike Hosking that children are vulnerable when it comes to privacy.  She says schools are more likely to face scrutiny from courts for their actions because of that.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Banking restrictions are on the chopping block, in the hope to make the lending process smoother.  Laws introduced by the previous government which aimed to prevent loan sharks are set to be scrapped.  Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayley says it had unintended consequences.  CEO of Money Sweetspot Sasha Lockley told Mike Hosking that it made lending too restrictive for both lenders and borrowers.  She says the prescriptive requirements took the human understanding out of lending.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Parnell Business Association wants more to be done to address what it says is a sharp rise in crime and disorderly behaviour, linked to nearby Kainga Ora tenants.  It's written to Housing Minister Chris Bishop and former Prime Minister Sir Bill English who's leading a review into the agency.  General Manager Cheryl Adamson says that in the last 6-8 months they’ve seen an uptick in the number of disruptive tenants in the area.  She told Mike Hosking unlike in the past, the facility doesn’t currently have full-time onsite security to help pinpoint tenants who would cause trouble.  Adamson said that while they do have their own security systems and hired guards, collaboration works best when they can liaise with onsite management.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s potential for a more radical leadership of the Greens in the wake of co-leader James Shaw's resignation.  Shaw's announced he'll step down in March but will remain an MP for the time being to support his Sustainable Environment Bill.  Green Party rules state that a woman and a Māori person must be in leadership roles, but with Marama Davidson covering both criteria, the floor is wide open.  Former MP Catherine Delahunty says some members are looking for a genuinely radical approach from the Greens.  She says we could see a more authentically strong environmental position, which won't be so popular with the business sector, but at the end of the day that's not the Greens job.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I have never really been able to work James Shaw out.  As he quit his leadership yesterday, which made perfect sense, he waxed lyrical about the Green Party, and its achievements, and its place in the political landscape.   Which makes no sense because they are a mess and no longer remotely green, and he stands out like the dogs proverbials as the one remaining environmentalist.  Of course, you wouldn't expect him to bag them, but he speaks with such clarity and conviction about them. He is either a sensational performer, or he actually believes it.  He must know surely, he was the last one standing. The rest are just rabid extremists.  And therefore, the future of the Greens is anything but assured. And without his ballast and experience they open themselves to the ever-increasing reality of heading off down a track of performance art, complete with pro-Palestinianan flags and scarves.  Rod Donald and Jeanete Fitzsimons were at least green.  But your Sue Bradfords muddied the waters with their social engineering bent, which then led to your Marama Davidson years where chat about snails and national park walkways gave way to cis white males and anti-establishment fury.  Before Golriz caught the attention of the retail community she too added to the Davidson view of the world: Not a lot of climate change, an awful lot of protest and left leaning angst.  I suppose Julie Anne Genter had green credentials, with her Get Wellington Moving vision and her road to zero campaign, both of which you will note are the most abject of abject failures, but at least they had a tinge of the environment about them.  A lot of us when it came to James sort of felt bad for him. What on earth was he still doing there?  They tried to oust him as leader for goodness sake! He took no part in any of their mad cap protests, marching for causes that had nothing to do with being green.  He looked like a fish out of water, and yet still he stayed for 9 long years.  Until now.  I always had the impression he could have done so much more if only he hadn't been hanging with the crazies.  A decent bloke with his heart and intentions in the right place just hijacked by or held captive by people around him he thought were his mates.  Next stop surely the full-blown freedom of the outside world; run James, run.  There is a big bright world out there and you can do a lot of good in it See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

High inflation in certain parts of the economy is dashing hopes of a cut in the OCR.   Reserve Bank Chief Executive Paul Conway says despite overall inflation being at 4.7 percent, non-tradable inflation is still high at 5.9 percent.   New Zealand Initiative Economist Director Oliver Hartwich says that non-tradable inflation is produced in New Zealand.   He told Mike Hosking that the Reserve Bank’s policy to reduce inflation needs to be in sync with government fiscal policy.   Hartwich says high government spending makes it harder for the Reserve Bank to do its job.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Parliament is officially back in business, with the first sitting of the year today.  The Government will resume its 100 Day Action Plan, which still includes scrapping the Māori Health Authority, Auckland Fuel Tax, and Three Waters reforms.   Parliament is still under urgency when it comes to the passing of legislation.  Political Editor Jason Walls told Mike Hosking this impacts things like passing the bill that scraps the Productivity Commission, which is slated to happen today.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The annual apple and pear crop is forecast to pip last year's total.  New Zealand Apples & Pears estimates export volume at 21.2 million boxes, a rebound from the 2023 Cyclone Gabrielle-ravaged total.  It's also a return to pre-cyclone levels.  CEO Karen Morrish says there are several factors behind the recovery, including cyclone-damaged crops bouncing back.  She says it's also down to a lot of hard work from growers, coupled with favourable weather.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I am assuming you got as bored as I did over the break with the obsession—or mania, as Shane Jones quite rightly called it— when it came to ACT's idea of having a chat about the way we view and interpret the Treaty.  The problem with David Seymour is he is too logical, especially for nutters and extremists.  He wants to debate, to toss ideas about, to —dare we suggest— act like an adult and have a discussion.  Hone Harawira, I noted, in one of the alarmist gatherings just referred to the others who don't agree with him as bastards. So, you can see what poor old David is up against.  In an adult world, minds can be changed through logic, and detail, and fact, and reason.  In Hone’s world... well, you are a bastard.  The media, I noted, started the new year as they left off: unable to comprehend the fact we’ve changed govts and therefore outlooks, and fully lined up alongside the Kīngitanga and espoused the alarm, outrage, and upset.  Seymour, if you think about it logically, is to be admired. All he is asking for is a discussion.  Even National who aren't supporting his plan past select committee are taking that position I suspect not because they don’t agree with him, but because its messy politics.  They have bigger fish to fry like the economy which has been sinking like a stone. A to be fair to them, I’d make it my number one job as well.  But it is a fair-weather approach that National has specialised in for many years; pick the stuff you can get votes on. The moment it looks a bit gnarly? Walk away.  Seymour to his credit, and the end-of-life choice work he did was an excellent example, picks issues and runs with them with no fear, no favour.  It is a laudable approach driven by principle, something more of us should aspire to.  There is no doubt the Treaty has been interpreted many a different way.  The document is not prescriptive, nor that descriptive. It is open to a multitude of reactions. That’s why we have seen the Māori Party formed and reformed, any number of court cases enacted, and lord knows how much activism from the Waitangi Tribunal.  Mostly its caused angst, if not upset. We are not a harmonious nation when it comes to race relations and ACT and Seymour want to talk about it.  If only more were mature enough to give that a crack. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Decades of underinvestment are to blame for Wellington's water crisis, according to infrastructure experts.  Wellington is facing tightening water restrictions as more than 40% of treated water is lost due to leaks and burst pipes in the region.   Infrastructure New Zealand Policy Director Michelle McCormick told Mike Hosking that the whole country is facing water issues, and we need to better prioritise infrastructure spending.  She says the chickens are coming home to roost.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A political commentator says the Prime Minister is continuing to distance himself from ACT's Treaty Principles Bill. The bill featured heavily in ACT Party leader David Seymour's State of the Nation speech over the weekend. Brigitte Morten says the move to make Seymour Associate Justice Minister, reinforces that it's ACT Party, not National Party policy. She says the appointment has some practical aspects too. Morton says it will allow Seymour to talk more directly to officials on the bill, and will mean he gets to introduce the bill to parliament. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The famous Mona Lisa painting has fallen victim to yet another protest attack, with activists hurling pumpkin soup over the 16th century masterpiece. The protestors, who represent a French environmental protection group, took to the painting to raise awareness for the issue of sustainable food. Newstalk ZB Europe correspondent Gavin Grey says the group is calling on food to be more accessible. "Basically, what the want is a food card worth roughly $270 NZD to be given to citizens each month to be used on food." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's the first day schools can go back for term 1. The new Government's making compulsory an hour each of reading, writing and maths at primary school. Next term schools will be required to have cellphone policies in place, but it's expected most schools will implement them this term. NZEI president Mark Potter says there's a lot of things competing for children's attention these days. He says teachers have the added battle of making sure they stay engaging for children, which is one of the most important things for them. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand needs a great deal in order to get back on track, printing money and once again becoming an almost first world nation that the rest of the world wants to come and see, travel and enjoy. The Tourism and Hospitality Minister is Matt Doocey and yesterday, he came out saying that nothing is off the table when it comes to helping fund the industry and the vital infrastructure it needs. Nothing? Really? That sounds like a giant blank cheque for the tourism industry to sink their teeth into right? Minister Matt Doocey has been touring the country, meeting with regional tourism operators in the past few weeks and listening to what they want, and their concerns. That’s great… I’m sure this is great news for anyone with a wale watching venture, a bungy jumping business or sight seeing bus for the vineyards of Martinborough. Minister Doocey says he wants to find out how his ministry can support the tourism sector grow and become a big part of the economic success of Aotearoa. Now doesn’t that sound like the ideal path forward for anyone looking to swing the spotlight upon this great nation? Some parts of the country are already seeing the numbers or tourists getting back to the numbers seen before the world screeched to a halt with the COVID pandemic. Queenstown is one center luxuriating in high numbers of tourists. Other areas that once enjoyed high numbers of sheepskin slipper and stuffed kiwi purchasing pundits – like Rotorua and Dunedin, are not faring so well. The key to getting tourism booming here once again, is funding. That was the key message that The Tourism Minister heard on his road trip around the county. Another aspect that he’s taken back to The Beehive is just how crucial it is for the regions to have the visitor infrastructure necessary to accommodate our overseas friends and to put less strain on communities. Minister Doocey is spot on. The infrastructure of the country is pretty good in some places and completely woeful in others. Anyone who’s had conversations with tourists over the past few months will know that one of the most common complaints they have, is the inability to get anywhere with public transport. We’ve been here a million times haven’t we? New Zealand can’t afford to run trains and busses to all points of the compass at all times. New Zealand doesn’t have the population to sustain the level of infrastructure required to keep you and me happy – let alone the swathe of tourists who arrive here expecting more. They expect more – because largely speaking, they come here from countries that are light years ahead of us. Here; we continue to be hamstrung by our inability to see the rails for the sleepers. I sincerely hope that The Minister for Tourism can convince this coalition government to find the money to build what we need in order to make New Zealand a first class, top-notch destination for all tourists. God knows we need them.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The UK is sending back Ghana's 'crown jewels'.  The long-term loan deal will see the artefacts returned 150 years after they were looted from the court of the Ashanti Empire.  UK Correspondent, Vincent McAviney, told Roman Travers that it consists of 32 pieces from the British and Victoria & Albert Museums.  He says Ghana's chief negotiator is hopeful for a 'new sense of cultural co-operation' after generations of anger.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Other banks might be following ASB in dropping interest rates.   ASB is dropping its rates on its three, four, and five-year home loan terms.   Westpac Chief Economist Kelly Eckhold says that last year the Reserve Bank warned interest rates may have to rise.   He told Roman Travers that recent developments have likely flipped that around.    Eckhold says low GDP figures signal further rates drops are likely this year.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An NGO is alarmed by data issues at Oranga Tamariki.   An Independent Children’s Monitor report has revealed gaps in information about whether children in state care are receiving medical and dental checkups.   Voyce National Care says it's state negligence, which can't be ignored.   Youth Participation Advisor Mary-Lynn Huxford told Roman Travers that this can have long term effects.   She says the group works with young people footing big medical bills because of earlier negligence.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the record, New Zealand doesn’t have a minister for the tobacco industry. Or does it?  The Associate Health Minister, Casey Costello is being labelled by some as the Minister for the Tobacco Industry, based on a proposal that’s yet to be confirmed by Casey Costello, that she wants to see a 3-year freeze on the tobacco tax.  What this means is that cigarettes would be insulated from the full impact of inflation under a proposal from the New Zealand First Associate Health Minister.  At the moment, tobacco excise is increased each year in line with the Consumer Price Index. Apart from gathering a swag of tax, it’s a way to encourage smokers to give up.  Health Coalition Aotearoa co-chairperson, Boyd Swinburn has come out all gun’s firing and smoking, saying that Casey Costello needs to be stripped of her duties and that she’s lost all credibility as an Associate Minister of Health.  After all the work done over the decades to encourage smokers to give up the darts, after all the hard work by previous governments and former iterations of The Ministry of Health, why on earth would you give smokers a tax cut now?  This kind of idiotic, retrospective policy change, ties in quite nicely with this Governments position on ‘Smoke Free New Zealand’ by 2025. It’s all too hard, so why bother?  Governments have acknowledged that smoking is an important aspect of tax gathering. So where would this government look to recoup the loss on this proposed, preposterous policy?  The Director of Action on Smoking and Health, Ben Youden, also says that this proposal simply doesn’t make much sense.  There’s a problem here with addiction, I realise that; but it seems that under this proposal, we’re just aiding and abetting those on the fags, to keep incinerating precious money that’d be better spent elsewhere.  Smoking related experts say that prices on tobacco need to walk a fine line between deterring smokers and not financially hindering those addicted. Surely Casey Costello can see that all this does is incentivise more smokers to smoke more, for longer.  Costello has also proposed removing the excise tax from smokeless tobacco products, where the tobacco is heated to a vapour rather than burned.  It would appear to me that The Associate Health Minister has completely lost the plot.  If this policy goes ahead there’ll be more outrage from those healthcare professionals who deal with smoking related diseases each and every day. What a kick in the toolbox for all of them. What possible motivation could an Associate Health Minister have for such mindless proposal?  I also wonder just how many focus groups Casey Costello held with healthcare professions around the county to get their input on this proposal? I can almost certainly guarantee that the answer to that – will be absolutely none.  No one in their right mind would ever suggest that effectively encouraging more New Zealander’s to continue smoking, is ever going to be a good idea. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government faced some heat yesterday at Rātana.   NZ First’s Winston Peters and Shane Jones were both booed by some in the crowd, and the Prime Minister himself faced a frosty reception.  Christopher Luxon used his address at Rātana to assure he wants progress for Māori, promising the crowd his Government had no plans to meddle with the Treaty, and wants to partner with Māori to achieve better outcomes.   Political Editor Jason Walls told Roman Travers that the reception they received feels appropriate considering some of the rhetoric that had been seen prior to the event.   Rātana, he said, normally has a quieter, more respectful crowd, so this level of response was quite telling.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's average rent has gone through the roof and is sitting at an all-time high.    Latest Trade Me figures show the national median rent is $625 a week, about 7.8% percent higher than this time last year.  For the first time, the Bay of Plenty is the most expensive place to rent a home, at $670 a week.  Property Commentator Ashley Church told Roman Travers that when the cost of owning a property is weighed against the rent taken, most property investors have been running at a loss for about a decade.  He said that the market is rebalancing with the change in Government, and a dramatic rent reduction is expected over the next few years.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More so than ever, we live in a world where virtually everyone is outraged or offended more frequently.   There’s never been anything wrong with being outraged or offended – the difference in recent years is that we don’t only want to tell everyone who’ll listen about how we feel, we also want to shame the offender into stopping what they’re doing. We want to cancel them.   The offending now extends to products on the shelf at Mitre 10 stores. The offended took issue with the misuse of Te Reo Māori names being used on several of their products.   Mitre 10’s ‘Legacy Brand’ includes products like the ‘Te anau towel ring' which has quickly become the 'Ellesmere towel ring', while the 'Karapiro towel ring' is now the 'Clutha towel ring'.    Another offender was the 'Kaiiwi toilet roll holder' and is now listed as the 'Legacy toilet roll holder'.   Mitre 10 says that the changes they’ve quickly made intend to make the names more culturally sensitive.   They identified mid-last year that these longstanding product names needed to be changed out of respect for te reo Māori. This ‘identification’ presumably came following complaints from those outraged at the use of te reo Māori.   I admit that I don’t fully understand the misappropriation of Māori names aspect here. Would some Māori have been as offended if the products hadn’t been toilet and bathroom related? What if the products were new cars or bespoke frilly frocks for a flash night on the town?   What is it with this overzealous policing of the language of our indigenous people when all the time we hear the need for te reo Māori to be used more and in more everyday walks of life?    It’s not as though these products were spotted on the shelf in some village in the UK. If these were seen at ‘John Ramsbottom’s Hardware’ in Northumberland – then I’d agree that would be an issue worth pursuing.   Māori cultural and tikanga expert, Karaitiana Taiuru says that Mitre 10 is correct in thinking the original names were inappropriate. He also says that it’s a little bit surprising that someone like Mitre 10 didn't do cultural audits beforehand.   Cultural audits? Really? When was the last time you thought of conducting one at your workplace? When did cultural audits become a requirement?   Surely seeing the language used as a reminder of the rivers, lakes and mountains of New Zealand is just another way to encourage us all to respect te reo Māori?  This kind of highly offended, over the top cancel culture is not helping to keep the Māori language alive. This is an example of what puts some people off it.   What’s been achieved by this name changing in Mitre 10’s across the country?    Nothing. Although being in the news isn’t necessarily a bad thing for foot traffic through one of our biggest home renovation chains. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand might not be entirely out of the woods with high inflation.   The Consumers Price Index rose 4.7% in the year to December, a two year low.   The New Zealand Institute of Economic Research says inflation is still above the 1-3% Reserve Bank target.   Principal Economist Christina Leung told Roman Travers that while she expects the figure to get under the target this year, some factors are putting that at risk.   She says things like the Red Sea attacks are driving up shipping costs.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All signs are pointing to a much-needed easing in inflation.  Stats NZ will release its latest quarterly inflation numbers at 10.45 this morning.  They're expected to show the annual inflation rate has fallen below the 5% forecast of the Reserve Bank.  ANZ economist Henry Russell told Roman Travers that they expect most of this downward trend to come from the tradable side of the basket, which is the largely imported component.  The Reserve Bank will be focusing on the domestic driven or non-tradeable component of inflation today, which Russel expects to come in line with the Reserve Bank’s forecast.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yesterday we became aware of yet another giant leap backwards for the mankind of New Zealand, based upon an entirely retrospective move by this coalition Government.  Our health system is like one giant lab rat: constantly poked and prodded by each and every Minister of Health with every change of government. It’s no wonder so many of our healthcare professionals want out.  The Minister of Health Shane Reti says he'll shift more health decision-making back to the regions in a monumental change in direction from the previous Government.  You’ll recall that all 20 of the District Health Boards were scrapped 18 months ago to form Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand and the Māori Health Authority, with the aim of ending geographical differences in the care people were receiving.  But Shane Reti now tells us that the reforms went too far. Do you get the feeling that no one really knows how to run a health ministry in New Zealand? Stand by patients, doctors, and nurses… here we go again.  Shane Reti says that “There are some parts that need to be owned by the centre, absolutely, but we need to be very careful because what’s happened here is we've lost local accountability. We've lost local decision making and it's all owned by the centre.”  What he doesn’t tell you is that we also lost all the Barbara’s and Johns across the country, who popped up on DHB’s year after year with their insatiable appetite for free sausage rolls and often absolutely no expertise in anything.  Any idiot can see that you don’t actually need to have a decision maker on the ground in a town or city in order to determine the best spend on health priorities.    We have a population and demographic similar to that of a Canadian province where they might also only have one health authority.    Some would say that reversing at high speed is both entertaining and skilful. Not when it comes to The Ministry of Health, who look to be heading backwards at high speed.  Minister Reti also says decisions are better in the hands of iwi and hapū. What on earth is he basing that assumption upon? He also plans to give decision making authority to Māori directorates within Health NZ and the Ministry of Health.  Minister Reti stopped short of saying he would reintroduce DHB’s, adding that the new IT systems, along with key services like radiotherapy machines being examples of what should remain centrally managed.    Clearly, he needs to pop down the corridors of power and see how many ministries are run out of Wellington without the need to have representation at a local level in every town or city.  About the only statement that Shane Reti made yesterday that I completely agree with is that ‘our health system is in crisis’.  Sadly, this is another example of how not to fix a crisis. Retrospective moves like this one will continue to be the catalyst for more of our highly undervalued doctors, nurses and health administrators leaving the service, if not the country.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fears that New Zealand's military involvement in the fight against Houthi rebels in Yemen could close diplomatic doors.   Six personnel are being deployed to the Red Sea to support coalition forces carrying out precision attacks on Iran-backed groups who have been attacking commercial shipping.  Geopolitical Analyst Geoffrey Miller says several US presidents have bombed Yemen and haven't solved the problem.   He told Roman Travers that the Houthi attacks are tied to the war in Gaza and that should be our focus.   Miller says New Zealand would be better served in assisting in diplomacy to get a ceasefire.   Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says the two issues shouldn't be conflated.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Health Minister Dr Shane Reti wants to return more decision making to the regions.   The previous government scrapped district health boards, forming the central bodies of Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand and the Māori Health Authority.   General Practice New Zealand chair Dr Bryan Betty told Roman Travers that in a lot of areas there's a breakdown between Wellington and what's needed in the regions.   He says this is a reaction to that. It's not going back to the way it was but is a halfway point.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Australian Prime Minister looks to be breaking his election promises when it comes to tax cuts.  Amidst a cost-of-living crisis, Anthony Albanese looks set to adjust the Stage 3 tax legislation, scrapping the planned tax cuts for those earning over $180,000 a year to make room for an adjustment to the tax-free bracket.  Australian Correspondent Donna Demaio told Roman Travers that the potential changes have ruffled a lot of feathers.  She said that if it actually transpires, the Opposition is ready to pounce.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s fair to say that we all love nothing better than to complain about what gets up our collective noses right?   Whether it’s the weather, a perennial go to over a cuppa with friends or the cost of living; we’ve all got something to say – and we love letting others know how we feel.   But there’s a big difference between whingeing to your mates and taking that step forward towards action that’ll make a difference. Although there’s not a great deal any of us can do about the weather; other issues that simmer close to the surface have got many of us taking photos and demanding action from our local councils.   Good luck getting any action out of Upper Hutt or Wellington City Councils. But there’s a massive difference around the country about what we complain about, and the timelines taken to get things sorted.   Some of the regular offenders on the list for councils to deal with are things like neighbour's trees impinging across boundaries, overflowing rubbish bins, and stuff mounting up around charity clothing bins.  The ‘Snap Send Solve’ app used by councils across the country received 106,979 reports over the course of last year. If you’re a photo snapper of offending situations, I’m sure you’ll know about this avenue for complaining.   Wellington features with 273 complaints relating to water leaks, along with the associated photo evidence. Northlanders sent in 383 snaps and complaints about their pothole collection.  You’d think Auckland would be up there with the biggest number of complaints to council, right? Wrong. Auckland sent in 10,198 complaints to council. The biggest city of whingers turns out to be… wait for it… this may shock the pearls of your necklace… Christchurch.   I was as shocked as you are! Yes indeed, Cantabrians sent in a whopping 10,833 complaints to their council. The stuff that got up the noses of the good people of Canterbury were broken water pipes, graffiti, tree issues, and potholes too.   Now of course, some councillors will say that some of these complaints were unnecessary, and some were genuinely useful; my message to you is simple: don’t stop whingeing!    When you see something that’s broken, overflowing, or graffiti where it shouldn’t be – which is anywhere you see it – get stuck in! Take those photos! Fire up your councils ‘Snap, Send, Solve’ app and lodge it all with them.   If we continue to slip into this insidious malaise of ‘she’ll be right’ lackadaisical stupidity, then things will only get worse. I’m sure there’s nothing more a council would like to see than having no complaints to deal with.   Pick your battles though. Don’t use this as a means to create your own version of war with your spiteful neighbour from hell… the one who always plays The Bee Gees at full volume when they’re on the gin and tonics, late into the night.   We shouldn’t tolerate graffiti. We definitely shouldn’t tolerate valuable clean water running down the road. We’ve been conditioned to accepting mediocrity over recent years. If we don’t complain, why should we expect anything get better? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How this year's US presidential election is shaping up may come as a surprise.  Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has dropped out of the race for Republican nominee and endorsed Donald Trump, despite the ex-president giving him the nickname 'Ron De-Sanctimonious.'  South Carolina's Nikki Haley remains in the running ahead of tonight's New Hampshire primary.  1News correspondent Logan Church said that it's going to be an uphill battle for Haley.  The former US ambassador to the UN is polling way behind Trump.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Commerce Commission's launched investigations into the two big supermarket chains' pricing and promotional practices.   It's looking into whether the practices of Woolworths, Foodstuffs North Island and Foodstuffs South Island, comply with the Fair Trading Act.   It comes following a Consumer NZ complaint to the commission, after it asked shoppers for examples of unclear or misleading prices.  They offered 600 responses.   Massey University marketing professor Bodo Lang told Roman Travers that the Commission's options range from a compliance letter to court proceedings with fines.   He says a charge is really just a signal but consumers would react negatively, leading to changes in practices.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s fears the Treaty Principles Bill could be a missed opportunity.   ACT is seeking to introduce legislation to redefine the Treaty principles by the end of May.   Political commentator Grant Duncan says National said it would support it to select committee, but that's where the party's support stops.  Duncan told Roman Travers that with proper long-term consultation, such a bill could be beneficial.   He says it could stop the issue festering away for the next generations.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Biden is backing a Colorado Supreme Court ruling, which sees Donald Trump struck off the state's ballot papers. Colorado's highest court voted the former president, ineligible in the upcoming primary elections, for his involvement in the January 6 Capitol insurrection almost two years ago. Newstalk ZB US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Tim Dower that it's uncommon for Biden to even mention the name of his potential rival.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As rebuilding efforts continue in Gisborne, the Mayor is welcoming visitors for summer. The city was hit hard by Cyclone Gabrielle with homes and infrastructure destroyed. But Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz told Tim Dower that it is encouraging people to experience the white sand beaches and vineyards in the region. She says it's been tough, but they have so much to offer.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Politics is heating up in Washington DC in the lead up to next year's presidential election, with Republicans voting to investigate impeaching President Biden.  But so far, no evidence has been produced by the 121 House of Representative Republicans, with some now questioning the merits of the investigation.  TVNZ US Correspondent Logan Church told Tim Dower that it seems like more of a stunt than a serious challenge.  He says things are bound to get very messy between now and next November.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Remember those protests at Parliament last year, and the incredible scenes at the end?  Once it was over and the fires were out, and the rocks and broken glass were cleared from the street, police received just over 1900 complaints.  1900. The largest number of complaints ever about a single policing operation. Sounds terrible, doesn't it? 1900 complaints... until you dig just a little deeper.  Most of the people who did complain were nowhere near the protest at the time.  They either saw it from the comfort of their couches as the whole thing unfolded live on TV or watched it on the news that night.  Or they read heavily tainted, or even completely made-up crap on social media, and followed the mob to lodge a complaint.  So out of your 1900-odd complaints just 1% turned out to be worthy of investigation.  Out of those, police were found to have used excessive force in six incidents.  Essentially they're about police actions trying to clear the grounds on March 2nd, or put up bollards, or clear streets in the days leading up to the big battle.  There's a detailed report on the IPCA's website that walks you through each of the clashes that were investigated, and there's a common theme to all of them.  The cops are either trying to hold back angry demonstrators, or make an arrest, or defend themselves after being thumped or kicked by people who later go on to complain.  Look, the use of reasonable force by the policed is permitted under the law.  And the fact of the matter is, if you comply rather than resist, no force is necessary.  And when you think of the appalling behaviour of that mob, tearing up paving stones, chucking rocks and lumps of wood and human faeces, starting fires... it was a full-blown, bloody, riot.  So, to come away from that with only six cases of excessive force? Not so bad really.  There's a lot you can criticise police managers and others for over what happened during the protest and how it got to what it did.  But the front line, the women and men who were sworn and spat at, and kicked and punched? No.  End of the day, if you got hurt in that protest, you asked for it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An economist says signs on inflation are finally looking more positive.   GDP fell 0.3% in the September quarter, a much worse result than most economists predicted.   The June quarter figures were also revised down from 0.9% to 0.5% growth.   Former Reserve Bank economist Michael Reddell told Tim Dower that the Finance Minister is right in saying New Zealand needs urgent economic repair, and she's inherited a large fiscal deficit.   He says a focus on expenditure restraint is important, and it's not the time for tax cuts.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland continues to prove that it's the sporting capital of the country.  The city played a major role in this year's FIFA Women's World Cup - hosting nine matches.  As a result, more than $87 million in GDP was injected into the region's economy, and over 175,000 guest nights were recorded in the city.  Tataki Auckland Unlimited chief executive Nick Hill told Tim Dower that Auckland's hotels, restaurants, and tourist hot spots all bought in to the event.  He said Auckland hosting the United States team made a big difference.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I think the new Government's actually done at least one thing right this week.  Backing out of the Interislander funding deal was a no-brainer really, if you have any doubt about that, have a look at the piece on the Herald site under the title ‘How to blow $15b.’  That digs into the Auditor-General's report on some of the previous government's insane spending.  Back when Grant was splashing money about like a drunken sailor, anybody with a half-baked plan to burn up a couple of billion was welcomed with open arms.  Cost no object, value for money? Doesn't matter. Possible overruns, blowouts if you like, worry about that later.  Just spend it.  The main reason these new guys don't want to pour buckets of your cash into the Cook Strait ferries is they don't trust the numbers.  Much of the money would have gone on terminal upgrades, and Nicola Willis said she reckoned the numbers were undercooked.  In other words, they think KiwiRail deliberately went in with a low-ball cost in an environment where they knew they could go back for more.  Look, there's no question the Interislanders are at the end of their useful lives and becoming increasingly unreliable, and maybe there's an argument for some level of public contribution. It is after all, a vital transportation link.  Some people see Cook Strait as part of State Highway One, and if you take that view then sure, it's public infrastructure.  And if you think it's right to publicly subsidise rail freight up and down the country, then you have to include crossing the Strait.  But there's also a private operator, BlueBridge, charging more or less the same to take people and cars.  Founded by a New Zealander who saw a need, took a risk, invested, and built a profitable business.  Now look, I'm not saying KiwiRail shouldn't have any state backing, but maybe it needs to try a bit harder making a business case to outside investors.  During the campaign, National talked about finding new ways to fund infrastructure projects.  If ever there was a project that could attract private investment, surely this is it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's GDP is predicted to see a minor pre-Christmas bump.  Stats NZ will release the September quarter figures later this morning.   Gross Domestic Product rose 0.9% in the June quarter.   ASB Chief Economist, Nick Tuffley, told Tim Dower that he's forecasting a 0.2% increase, as recent indicators point to flat growth.  He says while the economy's expanding, it still feels like a recession for a lot of people.  Tuffley says generally GDP has been edging backwards for the last year, so it's challenging.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The economic climate has many small businesses making tough decisions to stay afloat.   Strong inflationary pressures and a drop in consumer demand has meant costs are sky high for many businesses.  Requests for redundancy and restructuring support has surged by 50% this year and liquidations are up 500%.  Small Business Voice CEO Max Whitehead told Tim Dower this just proves how hard it is for small businesses at the moment.   He says while economists are saying things are getting better that isn't what they're feeling on the bottom floor.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's back to the drawing board for KiwiRail on the future of the Interislander as the government axes new upgrades. Contracts were signed to buy two new mega-ferries and upgrade portside infrastructure, but Finance Minister Nicola Willis says the cost has got too high. However, Jon Reeves of the Public Transport Users Association told Tim Dower that backtracking on contracts does reputational damage to the country. He claims this acts as a warning for international companies, that they can't trust New Zealand to honour contracts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Look, thanks so much for taking part in this, just a little experiment on people's reaction to, response, and experience with this portal passport arrangement: RealMe. That kind of, well, it's been around for a little while, it's had a bit of a refresh, and now they're trying to push it and promote it. Here's, here's another one. Gary says ‘I've used RealMe for some years now at on a very regular basis and have no issues at all, generally. So, nine out of 10.’ Right at the other end of the scale, here's Warwick: ‘Score zero. It's a Nate National Animal Identification and tracking electronic ID tagging system for people. Orwell’s nightmare realized.’ Now, look, I'm kind of, I'm swaying towards your side of things Warwick, so I'm not gonna call you a conspiracy theorist or anything. It wants too damn much information for a start, far too much. I wanted to use it for the purposes of a small charity that I'm involved with and some paperwork that we need to do, okay? So, in order to get established you have to fill in all this business of the getting in, the identity, the password. And then you've got this very, very early internet security system, you know, where they used to ask you the question about your first animal or what school you went to, and you're supposed to remember what you said in response. Should you need to refresh it, you go through all that palaver. Now they've added a second layer, so you've got two tier authentication. So, you've got the phone text thing, you know, and it goes beep and there's your number and you gotta go through all that. When it got to the point where they're asking me what night of the week I cut my toenails, I thought, you know, I'm not into this! It's too much. So, it's clunky, it's clumsy, and it takes so long. It wants everything, it just wants too much of you. So, in the end I gave up, I got very cross. They sent me, they said, all right. Last thing now, you gotta go and get your photo taken at the AA. You gotta get your photo taken at the AA.   You tried to get anything done at an AA office recently? You're a more patient person than I am. So, I'm gonna give it a one. I didn't want to sort of taint things by giving you my score right at the outset, but good to hear that some people have persisted and managed to get somewhere with the whole thing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Climate Change Commission's released advice to the government to meet emissions reductions goals by 2030.   It makes 27 recommendations including building more renewable electricity, swapping from fossil fuels, and preparing for the rapid rollout of low emissions technologies and practices on farms.   Also included is directly resourcing iwi and Māori efforts to reduce climate pollution.  Climate Change Research Institute Adjunct Professor Adrian Macey told Tim Dower that there needs to be a more coherent policy around forestry.   He says it's been a real mess, and the government needs to get its act together.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Transport Minister's hit the brakes on blanket speed limit reductions.  Simeon Brown's removed requirements for Road Controlling Authorities to implement speed management plans.  Work will begin to account for economic impacts, community views, and safety when setting speed limits.  Transporting NZ Interim Chief Executive, Dom Kalasih, told Tim Dower that some limits are simply too low, losing credibility among drivers.  He says the main issue with blanket reductions was that it wasn't risk-based.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How long can the rental market meet demand for migrants?  Stats NZ data shows 245,600 migrants arrived here in the year to October; a new record.  Net migration is nearly 129,000.  Compared to Australia, we've taken in 30% more people when adjusted for inflation.  Aspire Property Management Managing Director, Mike Atkinson, told Tim Dower that it's an enormous amount of people, putting a strain on the system, and could push rents up even further.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bit of an about-turn on immigration from the Prime Minister.  Christopher Luxon now says the current numbers are unsustainable, and the Government expects it to slow down.  And you'd hope so! Nearly 119,000 have poured in over the past year, that's the net gain.  At the same time, we saw a record net loss of New Zealand citizens: 44,000 went.  So, overall, the number of people new to the country is actually more than 160,000.  Our total population has grown nearly 3% in a year, roughly one in every thirty people in the country now, has arrived in the past year. Wow.  Bear in mind we've had some very wonky years because of COVID.  That meant only a tiny number of reluctantly approved arrivals and thousands of our own people locked out or having to go through a lottery for a chance of coming home.  Net migration actually dropped to zero literally overnight in 2020, and stayed there or went negative for the next two years.  So, a bit of catch-up was only to be expected.  Needed even, when we heard constant cries for help from the health sector especially during the pandemic.  The most obvious question when we've got so many more people coming in than leaving is where are they all going to live?  We can't house the people we've already got, let alone more.  And the Reserve Bank is getting twitchy about it, citing the immigration numbers as the reason to potentially push interest rates even higher, worrying it'll push up rents and house prices.  So, credit to Luxon for recognising the issue.  But he's fallen into the trap of blaming the last lot. Saying the settings went from being way too restrictive to being way too loose. Okay. You got your shot in, but you're in charge now Mr Luxon. What are you gonna do about it?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gas demand could outstrip supply by 2025, causing an energy shortfall.  The Gas Industry Company's latest research shows renewable supply options are on the horizon but will still take time and investment to develop.   Energy Resources Aotearoa Chief Executive, John Carnegie, told Tim Dower that the predictions are sad, but not unsurprising.  He says the previous Government's policies for the sector have damaged investment.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The previous Government's plans to introduce new maths and literacy tests as an NCEA requirement from 2026 have been delayed.   Trial runs of those tests have had failure rates of more than 40%.   New Zealand Initiative research fellow Michael Johnston told Tim Dower that he understands kids will still be able to do the tests, but can also meet requirements through NCEA achievement standards, like in the past.   But, he says, he'd like to see a certification for students who do pass those tests and meet requirements that way because they are more rigorous.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All employers will soon be able to use 90 Day Work Trials, which the previous Labour government restricted to small businesses.   The new Government is passing a bill to do so under urgency by Christmas.   The Employers and Manufacturers Association's Alan McDonald told Tim Dower that it'll mainly be used by smaller employers.   He says it might encourage them to take a chance on someone returning to the workplace after a long absence, or a school leaver looking for their first job.   Cabinet's also confirmed that it will repeal Fair Pay Agreements before Christmas, which made it easier for workers to band together to negotiate wages and working conditions.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Migrating to Australia is set to get more difficult.  The Australian Government is looking to halve overseas migration to 250,000 by 2025 after a record number of people arrived in the last financial year.  Australia correspondent Donna Demaio told Tim Dower that a number of the changes will impact international students and workers.  She says there will be more difficult English tests and visa requirements.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vape retailers are selling higher strength vapes at lower prices - before new rules kick in. From next Thursday, disposable vapes can't be sold, unless they have removable batteries, maximum nicotine limits, child safety features and follow new labelling requirements. All vapes will have to meet those requirements in March - and there'll be limits on flavours. Auckland University public health professor Chris Bullen told Tim Dower the new regulations may make it difficult for people who have been smoking heavily to switch to vapes. He personally thinks there's scope for higher nicotine concentration vapes to be available through prescription.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's a fire sale underway at the vape retailers, and some pretty arresting advertising lines are being used.  “Stock up while you still can” ... “Get them before they’re gone” ... “Don’t be left stranded without a vape”  By gone, they mean illegal...new laws from the 21st of this month put restrictions on disposable vapes...including maximum nicotine limits.  So, at some places it's basically a fire sale, devices going for a couple of bucks or even being given away free.  Fair enough I suppose if you've bought stock in good faith and then basically had the rug pulled from under you by a law change.  But there's also a whiff of the frenzy to dump synthetic cannabis products, when that particular experiment went so badly wrong.  And thinking about it...our experience with the whole vape thing has been uncannily similar to the synthetics.  Hailed as a legal...controlled...and therefore theoretically safe alternative to the real thing.  And with vaping pitched at us as a tool to help the sorry old smokers get off tobacco...it was pretty easy to get it on the market.  Reality...vapes hit the shops and people are out blowing vast clouds in the streets...and something quite different happens.  Before you know it...lolly flavoured vapes are pitched at the kids, and we've created a whole new class of addicts.  The number of 15- to 17-year-old New Zealanders who vape daily quadrupled in just a couple of years.  Only last week, front page stories about 8-year-olds caught vaping at school, it's out of control.  The thing is, there's a perception these products are completely harmless...that's what the kids taking it up think...but the fact is we just don't know that.  Less dangerous than tobacco...maybe...probably even...but the fact is we just don't know.  So, what we've been doing is running an experiment on a living population of people, just to see how things pan out.  In the end, if it all turns to the proverbial...well...we can always ban it outright...or just tax it, more and more every year.  That'll get them to quit. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Parliament will sit under urgency this week - with the new government pushing through the first changes in its 100 day plan. Part of this is repealing Fair Pay Agreement legislation. Former National ministerial adviser Brigitte Morten told Tim Dower every opposition complains about the use of urgency - then use it themselves when in government. She says the last Labour government used it considerably more - and while it'd argue Covid meant it had to respond with emergency legislation, they were pushing a lot more through under urgency even in August.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

 Now we've had a full day to digest Mark Mitchell's letter to the Police Commissioner, was he actually out of line to release that?  His Labour predecessor said on this show yesterday that Mark Mitchell was huffing and puffing, talking up a big game and chest beating.  To quote Ginny Andersen, “I think it's a demonstration of bravado”, and then saying, "He's getting dangerously close to telling the Commissioner how to do his job.”  Thing is, we all know there's a line between setting a strategic direction and meddling in day-to-day operational activities.  Mark Mitchell noted that, loud and clear, in his letter.  So, what the Minister was doing was not telling the Commissioner how to do the job, but outlining what the priorities of the job are.  That's not meddling, it's managing.  If you want an example of meddling, look no further than sacked Minister Stuart Nash on the phone to the Commissioner over a court case, hoping to persuade him to get prosecutors to appeal for a stiffer sentence.  So why was Ginny squealing so loudly over this? Well probably because she knows Labour hasn't got a leg to stand on when it comes to law and order.  Their priority was to slash the prison population, regardless of how much crime the rest of us had to endure.  That would have meant Andrew Little's letter to the Chief Justice when he took office in 2017 was saying ‘hey... dial it back a bit would you?’  ‘Let's not lock up all these bad people... surely, it's OK to stick ankle bracelets on them, even when they're convicted of violent sex crimes or on trial for murder.’  Didn't that work out well.  Point here is that Mitchell's letter to the Commissioner is entirely normal. It's the way things are done.  Issuing it publicly is called transparency. It puts pressure on Andrew Coster but it also sends a message to the front line.  We've heard you, it says, and things are going to change.  And now it's in the public domain, everyone knows what page we're on. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anger at the Government's decision to disestablish tertiary education programme Te Pukenga.  Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds announced the move yesterday, following a Letter of Expectation saying they're not prioritising it.  But the Tertiary Education Union is worried Simmonds has no clear plan on what happens next, and no vision for the sector.   National Secretary Sandra Grey says their members won't have any job certainty until well into the new year.  She says they go into Christmas not knowing if they'll have a job, lose it, or have to apply for something entirely new.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A grilling over Boris Johnson's decisions during the pandemic on the second day of his appearance before the UK's Covid-19 inquiry.   It's heard evidence from former advisers that the then-Prime Minister wanted to let the virus spread, rather than order another lockdown   Johnson's also accused of saying "let the bodies pile high", something he strongly denies.  UK correspondent Vincent McAviney told Tim Dower that he also faced criticism for a campaign encouraging people go to restaurants while the virus was still out there.   He says the campaign, called " Eat out to Help out" was derided by scientists as " Eat out to help out the virus".  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Take stock of what you have and save a little where you can.   That's the advice of one financial coach to those feeling the squeeze.   ASB is predicting a $70 increase in weekly living costs for the average family in 2024, that's down from the $115 increase this year.   Enable Me's Katie Wesney told Tim Dower that people should thoroughly check all the places their money is going.    She says everything has to serve you in the current environment.  That way you get the little one percent gains that alleviate pressure and position you to grow your wealth.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's being told phrasing in its call for an end to violence in Gaza needs to pack a stronger punch.  All parties in the House have supported a motion urging those involved in the conflict to 'take urgent steps towards establishing a cease-fire.'  Geopolitical analyst Geoffrey Miller told Tim Dower that the wording is telling.  He says the Government clearly didn't want to call for an immediate cease-fire, so 'steps towards' was the compromise.  He says as the UN has called for an immediate end to fighting, we should follow suit.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Taylor Swift says being named Time Magazine's Person of the Year is the proudest and happiest she's ever felt.  The 33-year-old beat finalists including Barbie, King Charles and OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman.  It caps off Swift's stellar year, which includes her record-breaking 'Eras Tour', two album re-recordings, and becoming Spotify's most most-played artist.  US Correspondent Mitch McCann told Tim Dower that Swift has become even more of a cultural icon in the last year.  He said that her tours both provoked an inquiry into Ticketmaster’s sales practices, and her concert in Seattle reportedly generated seismic activity equivalent to a 2.3 magnitude earthquake.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

True story, abbreviated for time.  San Francisco, about 15 years back now, coming out of the subway following my two teenage daughters.  A group of tatty half-drunk, half-baked beggars hanging around with their paws out for money.  And I hear some leering, grubby, smutty comments being directed at my children.  I sense danger, move a little closer to them.  And the leerers embolden one another. It gets a bit grubbier, I feel the anger boiling up inside me.  Then out of nowhere comes this guttural, aggressive, very loud, and very threatening voice.  It sounds like a lion, and it roars, it truly roars: BACK OFF.  Everyone jumps. The leerers, the girls, myself, other people passing by turn to see where it came from.  It's not until this point, as we quicken our step and move up the stairs into the street, that I realise that powerful, guttural, threatening roar came out of me.  There was no thought behind it, and believe me, I'm not a confrontational or threatening person at all.  I'm a weed. I'm not brave, and I don't think of myself as anything special on the parenting front.  It was simple, basic, human instinct, a pre-programmed, primal urge to protect my offspring.  Any Dad would have done the same.  So why mention this today?  It came to mind when I read the mother of Baby Ru now remembers the blow that killed her child.  She seems to be seeking some kind of credit that she's now ready to tell police the truth, six weeks after the fact.  And it made me ask: where was your pre-programmed urge to protect your child when it mattered?  And if it failed you, why not come forward sooner, to seek justice for your child?  The bottom line all of this makes me ask, where was your parental instinct? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s a pressing need to strengthen hundreds of Wellington buildings that are quake-prone.  Experts are warning deadlines are closing in for the work, with more than 500 buildings needing strengthening, including residential apartments.  AUT Professor of construction, John Tookey, told Tim Dower that building owners need to start, or hundreds could be left homeless.  He says it's a public safety issue, and councils should consider incentivising the work.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good news for kiwis as the price at the pump is dropping just in time for Christmas.   Oil prices have dropped four cents since Friday and now sit at $77 USD, almost 30 cents down from September.   AA Principal Policy Advisor Terry Collins told Tim Dower that the recession may be acting in our favour, combined with a lack of demand coming out of China and Europe.   He was predicting fuel prices would be closer to $3.50 than $3 three months ago, and he's glad he's wrong.   Terry Collins says he was starting to feel like the Christmas Grinch, but now he's feeling things are much better.   He predicts we'll probably see the prices drop a little further over the summer period.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Police Minister Mark Mitchell's predecessor says his letter to the Police Commissioner seems a bit redundant.   He's made his letter to Andrew Coster public.  It focuses on things like tackling youth and gang offending, supporting frontline officers, and strengthening policing in communities.   Ginny Andersen told Tim Dower that it's important that police have operational independence.   She says the letter doesn't cover much new ground.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

$27-28,000 a year. That's about the going rate for private secondary education in New Zealand right now.  And you'd pay it gladly wouldn't you, if you could afford it.  I hope the kids whose parents are working or on their way at five in the morning to help pay for it recognise what a privilege it is.  I referred to that St Andrew College prizegiving a little earlier, and the takeaway for me is the value of a good education.  The basics? Yep, obviously, but opportunities too for kids to explore what they're really interested in, and seek the passions that'll give them exciting, rewarding, and worthwhile lives.  And you know what? You don't need, actually, to fork out for private to get that. We've got some great state schools in New Zealand too.  My kids went to cracking state primaries in Auckland: Botany Downs, Mellons Bay, Farm Cove Intermediate, then onto MacLeans.  I think they know they were lucky. Like in health, our education system is a bit of a postcode lottery.  Would I have pushed for private if we'd had the money? It's hypothetical, but probably, yes.  Rough calculations: taxpayers are currently spending well north of 10 grand a head teaching secondary students.  We do it more cheaply than the OECD average, except, and who knows why this is, in tertiary education.  How much of the overall $21 billion that goes on education gets soaked up by ideologues at the Ministry or wasted on endless reviews and rehashings of the system is a mystery.  But you get what you pay for in life and education is no exception.  Maybe this is another area like infrastructure, health, and immigration, where we need less political meddling and to-ing and fro-ing with each change of government, and more of a long term, locked in plan.  Just think what we could achieve in productivity, creativity and quality of life, if every kid had the chance those at our best schools do now. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Te Pati Māori's challenge to the incoming Government has been heard loud and clear, likely foreshadowing what is to come.    Thousands answered the party's call to protest the Government's incoming Treaty and Te Reo reforms yesterday, while MPs swore allegiance to both their mokopuna and Te Tiriti, as well as King Charles III.  ZB Political Editor Jason Walls told Tim Dower that it sets the stage for the sort of party Te Pati Māori is going to be for the next three years.  Walls says the party's positioning themselves as a thorn in the Governments side on all Māori issues.  But he says it's fair of Prime Minister Chris Luxon to question why there are protests only a week into their first term.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More stability in education is being floated as an idea to reverse declining test scores.   New Zealand's 2022 PISA reading, maths, and science scores have all dipped since 2018, and they show longer term decline.   New Zealand is still above the OECD average in all three standards.   PPTA Acting President Chris Abercrombie says all countries have seen a decline.   He told Tim Dower that constant curriculum changes between different governments have contributed. Abercrombie says curriculums need time to develop and if they're changed too often it disrupts children and teachers.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Where shoppers are seeing food prices rise, Woolworths New Zealand is seeing profits fall, but is still walking away with $76 million in its pockets.   The latest annual figures show a 52% drop from last year, the source of which one business consultant says is ‘very opaque.’   Ernie Newman told Tim Dower that he believes the recent $400 million rebranding and transfer pricing has something to do with it.   Transfer pricing is when multi-nationals adjust their books and take their profits in whatever country they want to, usually to a country with the lowest tax rate.  He says there's no sign of any benefit in this for consumers.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So, a Day of Action called by Te Pati Māori. Organisers promise they'll target busy roads and even try to jam the motorways.  They're talking about gridlock on roads into central Auckland, and gleefully suggesting this will cause millions in lost productivity.  Wow. What a useful and worthwhile objective that is.  Now, this is supposedly about an assault by the new Government on tangata whenua and the Treaty.  That assault as they see it comes in the form of dialling back the extensions to smokefree laws, scrapping the Māori Health Authority, and repealing Three Waters.  It's probably worth mentioning that those changes —with the exception of smokefree— were well flagged up during the election campaign.  And if there hadn't been broad support across the voting spectrum then we'd have ended up with another three years of a rotten Labour government, and its rotten policies.  The people have spoken, and the people want the country back on track.  The people, as I read it, wanted less divisive policy and a focus on reducing crime and tackling the cost of living.  Unravelling some of the smokefree changes was a surprise, but how can you interpret that as an attack on anyone?  Smoking is, after all, a personal choice. Nobody apart from those who sell tobacco is actually encouraging anyone to take it up, are they?  Look, it's a Tuesday, less than three weeks out from Christmas.  The Māori Party perhaps doesn't realise most people just want to get on with things, and can't afford a day off for a protest, especially when they don't really know what it's about.  Stopping regular working people from getting in and earning a crust could be seen as an attack on them. You're shooting yourselves in the foot guys.  Look, I don't expect big crowds out there protesting today, but as we've seen in Wellington, all it takes is half a dozen tossers with super glue to bring a major artery to a standstill.  Work from home anyone? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Screen time may be making young children more prone to mental health problems.  A new study measured the link between screen time and mental health in 16,000 children in China, across the ages of three to six.   Neuroscience educator and child development expert Nathan Wallis told Tim Dower that flashing lights from screens affect the part of the brain associated with emotions and empathy.  The World Health Organisation says the appropriate number of minutes per day a child under two can look at a screen is zero.   Wallis says that has nothing to do with the content, it's completely to do with the flashing lights.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The new government's increasing the Working for Families rates.   The tax credits will rise $8 to $144 after tax for their first child, and by $6 for subsequent children.   Finance Minister Nicola Willis says there'll be a mini budget December 20th.   ANZ senior economist Miles Workman told Tim Dower that further spending cuts could be in line to maintain a fiscal balance and eventual surplus.   He says the previous government increased spending by a very significant amount during Covid-19, and never unwound it despite the economy becoming overheated.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A prediction that this morning's Te Pati Māori-organised protests could be just the beginning.   They're rallying people from one end of the North Island to the other, against policies perceived to negatively affect Māori.   Political Commentator Grant Duncan says the Prime Minister will have to make a decision on how to handle them.   He told Tim Dower that he hopes Chris Luxon offers an olive branch, wanting to see him listen and be conciliatory.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Couple of canaries going off in the coal mines over the past few days. Ominous warnings actually, of how tight things are getting out there in the real world. First off...the Centrix figures showing how many people are doing Christmas on credit this year. It is normal for people to borrow a bit here and there to...smooth out if you like...the household budget over the heavy spending period. Credit cards were up nearly 12 percent...Buy now pay later jumped 7...personal loans are up 3 percent. This is a seasonal thing...quite normal for a November month. But Centric said this...and I precis...“there will be a segment stretching beyond their means". More of a tell-tale sign though...the growing number of people falling behind with their debt. That's mortgages in arrears or car loans or credit card debt that's not getting paid down. The monthly count of people behind on their payments is up...not a lot...I don't want to over-egg this...but year-on-year arrears have increased 6.1%. Mortgage arrears are up by a quarter year-on-year...25 percent...and that is bad. Higher interest rates are obviously driving that, and there are still more people yet to roll off those cheapo post-covid deals. Now we learn that people are increasingly turning to their KiwiSaver money...the retirement nest-egg. Hardship withdrawals have almost doubled in the past year. And that's crap, because it's borrowing from your own future...the Retirement Commission reckons more than half of retirees now say they're in financial difficulty. Conclusions? It's tough, and getting tougher...these figures are the beginning of the trend, the bottom of the curve. As the PM said on Hosking the other day, it's likely the new Government has inherited a recession. Solutions...Christ, don't ask me, I'm not a politician.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The energy sector is pointing to international evidence to back axing the Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme. Energy Minister Simeon Brown says the 16-billion-dollar project, was pouring money down the drain, at a time when we need to be reining in spending. He says axing the scheme will increase confidence to invest in more energy production. Energy Resources Aotearoa John Carnegie told Tim Dower that Australia's Snowy 2.0 is enough evidence to show it wouldn't have delivered for Kiwis.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another ceasefire in Gaza seems unlikely - as fighting resumes on both sides. It comes after a pause in fighting, which saw the release of some hostages kidnapped by Hamas, in exchange for scores of Palestinian prisoners. Otago University international relations professor Robert Patman told Tim Dower both Hamas and Israel are saying there's no prospect of further ceasefire negotiations. He says Israel's withdrawn its negotiations and Hamas is saying it won't resume negotiation's, until the current Israeli military campaign ceases. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Really interested in this Medical Journal piece about emergency departments.  The impression we often get is they're horribly overcrowded, patients lying in corridors for hours in agony, constant panic stations.  Friday and Saturday nights are bedlam, we're told: drunks staggering around the place, people unleashing their stress and anger at the staff.  And in the winter, people with coughs and colds packing out the waiting area.  Hospitals are begging us to go to our GPs, even giving out vouchers to take the pressure off, because a lot of people can't afford to pay for a doctor's visit.  What the Medical Journal piece says is that actually, New Zealanders overall make fewer calls to A&E than people in other countries.  So, what does that tell us?  Do we need more A&Es? Or would it be better to spend a greater chunk of the health budget in primary care?  Have we fallen victim to a perceived need for the glamour projects like new hospitals?  Would more GPs on the ground, especially in rural New Zealand, improve our overall health?  And where do the privately run A&E centres fit in?  Free healthcare at the point of delivery —in other words you pay for it in your taxes— is on the face of it simpler and more cost-effective.  But the reality is that some GP surgeries are technically insolvent. Half our existing doctors are planning their retirement, and there's nowhere near enough new ones on the way to replace them.  I'm hoping we'll shed more light on this before six, but it's obviously a complex situation.  Dr Reti was making all the right noises when he was on with Mike this week.  He's repeatedly said the system is in crisis, and now's the time for him to show that a crisis can sometimes be an opportunity for real, radical change. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tensions are heightened in the Middle East as the truce in Gaza enters a seventh day.  The UK is sending a second warship —the destroyer ship HMS Diamond— to the Gulf to join the frigate HMS Lancaster.  It comes after Israel and Hamas reached a final-hour agreement last night to extend the ceasefire to the end of today.  Correspondent Vincent McAviney told Tim Dower that the UK Defence Force is describing its latest deployment as critical to bolstering its presence in the region.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington's housing market is ending the year on an upwards trajectory.  Latest One Roof-Valocity figures show the nationwide average property value has jumped 2% in the past three months, to reach $968 thousand.  Wellington prices are up 2%, while Auckland's are up 2.5% and Canterbury's are up 1.7%.  OneRoof Editor Owen Vaughan says interest rates are still inhibiting price growth.  He says while we've dusted ourselves off and we're getting back on our feet, we're not seeing the rampant growth we saw during the boom time.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some former ministers have taken top positions in Labour's front bench while others have lost out. Carmel Sepuloni has social development, Grant Robertson has finance, Ayesha Verrall has health, and Ginny Andersen keeps police. Damien O'Connor's been taken off agriculture, with Jo Luxton taking up the spokesperson role. Former senior Labour staffer Clint Smith told Tim Dower that Luxton's one of the more rurally based Labour MPs. He says Damien O'Connor has been around a while and Chris Hipkins probably wanted to give important roles to some younger MPs.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A fresh plea for a helping hand for primary care, to ease the pressure on hospital emergency departments.  An opinion piece in today's New Zealand Medical Journal suggests ED overcrowding may not be caused by unnecessary visits, but an increase in more urgent cases.  But Northcare Accident and Medical's Peter Boot says primary care is more efficient at dealing with small issues filing EDs, and it needs investment.  He told Tim Dower that 30% of General Practices are technically insolvent.  Boot says doctors are leaving, and about half of the workforce are older or planning to retire in the short term so there's a crisis in primary care.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dogs eh... jeez do they get to you.  It's 12 years this Christmas, Luka and me. 12 brilliant years for me, and what a mate he's been. A great, great mate.  We had a long talk last night, cos I wanted say things while he's still with me.  Kinda with a warm heart and not a broken one, cos I know the day will come.  He truly scared me last night; I thought it was the end for a little while.  All stretched out on the grass in the sun... I know your leg hurts mate. Doctor again today, but the panting and the restlessness had me going.  And he was all cuddly, and licking me, and big deep sighs.  Anyway, after a little nap he's up on his feet again —bit wobbly— and soon after that the honking starts.  And he brings it all up. Two, three massive blobs of... just mess. Oh wait, there's a bit more. Here we go.  Now I don't know how many times over the years I've tried to stop him eating disgusting decomposing crap on the beach, or in the bush, or something stinky in the park.  He hears me, but he ignores me until he can't pretend any more. Freakin' Labrador.  Incorrigible Labrador. Totally loyal, but an absolute rogue and definitely his own man.  And the other day on the grass out the front: a sheep's head. A sheep's head! For God's sake dog.  Last night? Totally self-inflicted, and he knows it.  Right after his dinner he'd sneaked out and cleaned up the crap I put out for the chooks. Stuff he knew wasn't his, but heck, it's there.  Bloody Labrador.  And while I'm mopping his chunder off the floor, he's fine again, sitting on the couch licking his paws.  Did you puke on your shoes mate? Well... serves you right.  But you're forgiven. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's thought New Zealand's achievement of water quality targets hinges on every Kiwi getting behind efforts.  A new report has evaluated four contaminants —nitrogen, phosphorus, E. coli, and sediment— in rivers, lakes, and estuaries nationwide.  Every region needs a substantial reduction in at least one to meet freshwater standards.  75% of land is contributing more E. coli to water than is allowed.  Cawthron Institute scientist, Roger Young, told Tim Dower that achieving targets could require land-use changes in some areas and mitigation work in others.  He says in those cases, fencing and wetlands enhancements and protections could be enough.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A push back from the Reserve Bank against the financial markets. The central bank kept the Official Cash Rate at 5.5% and signalled that no cuts are on the immediate horizon. It's also kept the door open for another rise if inflation pressures are stronger than anticipated. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen told Tim Dower that markets had been getting excited in recent weeks, wondering how quickly they could cut rates. He says the Reserve Bank doesn't meet for another three months, so leaving that sort of view unchecked and allowed to come through would have been dangerous for them. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The incoming Government isn't wasting any time in getting down to business.  Chris Luxon has unveiled a 100-day plan that will include scrapping Auckland's fuel tax and the clean car discount, repealing Three Waters, and passing new RMA laws.  Political Editor Jason Walls told Tim Dower that many laws will be changed by early next year.  He says it sounds like a lot of the legislation will be passed under urgency, starting in the next few weeks.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Search and rescue operations are underway after a US Air Force osprey crashed while performing a routine training mission off the coast of Yakushima Island.  US correspondent Mitch McCann told Tim Dower that this is not the first time this type of aircraft has fatally crashed.  He says that so far, one crew member is confirmed dead while the other five are still unaccounted for.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So here's the low-down on the Public Interest Journalism Fund.  55 million bucks dished out over a series of funding rounds, and all gone now. The fund's been wound up.  The company that owns this station won nearly $7 million in round one, another $3 million in round two, and a couple of top-ups after that.  In fact, all the major players, including the already publicly funded broadcasters, everyone, every outfit including some you've never heard was in the trough.  Let's remember the context —Covid— and the wave of redundancies that caused right through the commercial media.  Advertising revenue evaporated and some media companies were on the brink of failure.  Now, to get your hands on the money you had to agree to this:  "A clear and obvious commitment or intent for commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, including a commitment to te reo Māori."  On top of that, we had to commit to public interest journalism, data provision, New Zealand content, freely available online distribution, media standards and so on.  Overall, it funded 219 jobs and 22 development projects.  NZME used it on Journalism Cadetships for Māori and Pasifika, covering court proceedings and community journalists in provincial papers.  Jobs that most likely wouldn't have been there without the money.  But was it a bribe?  Well... I'd ask you how any media company could function in New Zealand without a commitment to the Treaty. It's a part of our lives, like it or not.  A commitment to te reo... well I think we've been involved in Māori Language Week since it began back in the 1970s. Is it enough? I think it's enough for our audience.  And was there ever any public money to cover it? Actually no.  And while we're at it, there's never been public funding to my knowledge for coverage of Waitangi Day, the Tribunal, or other matters Māori.  On the subject of, let's not say bribery, let's say incentive, what was the billion-dollar Provincial Growth Fund?  And what's the unwinding of smokefree changes or more money for the racing industry? Obviously, most definitely, not a bribe. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Don't expect any major change to interest rates before Christmas.  The Reserve Bank is tipped to keep the Official Cash Rate unchanged at 5.5% at its next review at 2pm today.  Economists and commentators remain divided on whether there will be further hikes in the current cycle.  NZIER's Christina Leung told Tim Dower that, for now, previous hikes appear to be having the desired effect.  However, she says there is still work to be done yet to ease inflation.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A big step for sustainability within the aviation sector   The first transatlantic flight by a large passenger plane powered only by alternative fuels has taken off, flying from London's Heathrow to New York's JFK airport.  The Virgin Atlantic flight is a one-off flight at this stage and isn't carrying passengers.  UK Correspondent Gavin Grey told Tim Dower that the industry's acknowledging they can be more environmentally friendly.  He says sustainable aviation fuels can be made from things like crops, household waste, and cooking oils.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s believed that more thought needs to go into the Auckland Mayor's plans to sell the Port of Auckland's operating business.  Wayne Brown is putting forward two options for the port in his proposed 10-year budget, which also includes a rates rise of 7.5%.   He proposes either keeping the business and gradually releasing land for public use or selling the lease to raise up to $3 billion.   Auckland Councillor Wayne Walker told Tim Dower that the port does bring in a good amount of income.   He says they've been told it could be returning $2 million a week, which it's on track to do, as it's returning a million a week now.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Chris Luxon has headache to deal with after his Government's first Cabinet meeting.  Winston Peters called a $55 million Public Interest Journalism Fund provided during Covid a "bribe".   He told reporters to "tell the public what they had to sign to get the money".  Media commentator Vaughan Davis told Tim Dower that Luxon handled the situation poorly.  He says avoiding the comment didn't help the PM, and it left Peters squarely in the spotlight.   Funding applicants were asked —when appropriate— to produce content supporting our public interest.  NZME's funding agreement included acknowledgement of absolute editorial independence.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm wondering if people in Auckland will, in a few years, look more kindly on their current Mayor.  Fair to say that Wayne Brown didn't exactly get off to a flying start, especially with the media, and let's face it, no one's happy when the rates go up.  On that score, you've seen nothing yet.  I've been reading Mr Brown's proposals to build long-term financial and physical resilience.  It's a dose of reality and long overdue, and, boiled down to a few simple bullets, here we go:  Fix the infrastructure.    Stop wasting money.    Get Auckland moving.    Make the most of the harbours and environment.    Take back control of the CCOs.  And running through the document, a recurring theme: the message being that Auckland can't continue living beyond its means.  The chickens are coming home to roost to quote the Mayor, and he's flagged up that losing the Regional Fuel Tax and scrapping Three Waters will only make things worse.  Brown talks about, and I'm quoting here, “significant financial restraint and efficiencies".  "Auckland Council has to stop wasting money,” he says, “and start getting things done faster, better, and cheaper.”  Even achieving all of that, the rates are going to have to go up.  There isn't time to go through the whole document but it's online, and if you're invested in the region one way or another, it’s worth reading.  Look, sometimes we feel we need to apologise on a national station for talking about Auckland, but the reality is it is our economic engine room.  It's the first place most visitors see, and we all know how powerful first impressions are.  And as the largest and arguably most complex, if Auckland can do things well, so too can every other local body across the country.  But unless the Council can get to grips with this stuff the Mayor's talking about, Auckland is stuffed.  New Zealand's Queen city, currently looking well... not so regal. And without some serious work, it's on its way to being a hobo town. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Covid lockdowns may have played a part in the increase in learning and behavioural issues being picked up at early childhood education.   The Educational Institute says the increase has meant waiting lists for specialist support are far too long.   Clinical psychologist Dougal Sutherland told Tim Dower that the main thing kids that age do is play and interact with other kids, which provides social and cognitive development and learning.   He says that while teenagers could jump online to socialise with their friends, that play and interaction can't be replaced, so young kids missed out during isolation.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's thought the new Government will start with some of the 'easy wins' in its 100-day plan.  Ministers from our first three-party coalition of National, ACT, and New Zealand First meet for their first Cabinet meeting today.  Prime Minister Chris Luxon says today's meeting will lay out expectations, and at tomorrow's meeting they'll discuss items like agreeing to a plan.  Former Senior Ministerial Adviser to National, Brigitte Morten, told Tim Dower that there's only about nine sitting days left for the year, so they'll move quickly.  She believes they'll be looking to introduce legislation to get rid of Fair Pay Agreements, and repeal Three Waters and RMA.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's egg shortage may be over, according to producers who say prices have levelled out.  Shelves were left bare at times last summer after supermarkets pledged to only sell cage-free eggs.  Egg Producers' Federation executive director Michael Brooks told Tim Dower that the new restrictions have been difficult for the industry, but prices are finally coming down.  He says free range eggs will always be a more expensive option because of the land required to farm the hens.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Calm's been restored in Ireland's capital after a stabbing last week led to unrest. Three young children were among five people taken to hospital after a knife attack in Dublin, which sparked riots in the city centre. Thirty-four people have been arrested. Europe correspondent Gavin Grey told Tim Dower that officials are blaming far-right agitators for the clashes. He says it's thought an Irish citizen, originally from North Africa, might be the person in connection with the stabbing - but that's not yet confirmed.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The incoming Attorney-General says it's a big job but she thinks she has the experience for it. Judith Collins has picked up the portfolio alongside seven others including Minister Responsible for responding to the Christchurch mosque inquiry. She says it will be a challenge, but the roles are quite closely aligned. Collins says told Tim Dower that her background as a lawyer, holding a practicing certificate for 40 years, makes her well qualified. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Backlash to the incoming government scrapping smokefree laws to fund tax cuts. Advocacy groups say removing regulations on levels of nicotine and the age of who can buy cigarettes is irresponsible. Action for Smokefree Director Ben Youdan told Tim Dower that the Government is putting the interests of the cigarette industry before the health of the nation. He says more people will die if these laws change.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nicola Willis is blaming ACT and NZ First for the momentous dismantling of Smokefree laws. That's what she said over the weekend, telling Newshub the minor parties were insistent on reversing the amendments, not even a year after they were passed.  ACT says tobacco taxes bring in about 1.8 billion all up, and we're given to believe taking those new restrictions away will be worth about a billion.  So, handy money...especially when you've just had to sacrifice a different cash raising scheme which you'd hoped would help fund tax cuts.  But what do we read from this? Isn't this a matter of principle, a moral issue even, and where was this in the manifestos?  Are we to infer that delivering tax cuts is now more important than saving thousands from the misery of being addicted to tobacco? And if you haven't been there...believe me...it's a miserable addiction.  Are we to infer that it's really Act and New Zealand First in the driving seat...and if so...what further horrors are to come?  There'll be a lot of dairy owners heaving a heavy cough of relief...they'll still be able to stock tobacco and some will tell you it's a vital part of their revenue...it keeps a lot of them going. It also makes them a target for ram-raiders and the like. Look...smoking is a personal choice, and I'm all for personal choice.  And is it the job of governments to protect people from themselves...of course not. But honestly...if you think of the time most smokers get started...in their teens...are we equipped at that time to make a wise and informed adult decision? Of course not.  But it took legislation to achieve seat belts...helmets for motorbike riders and cyclists...an inconvenience if you want...imposed on us all to save lives.  Bottom line...if it's a choice between a tax cut...and us maybe being one of the first countries in the world to shake the tobacco monkey off our back...you can keep your tax cut.  I don't want it, if this is how you're paying for it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So, this is my last day – not just for the year but for good. It’s time for me to turn off the early alarm.   I’ve been so conflicted about making this decision, purely because I love the job so much, it’s the most fun and best time I’ve ever had in my broadcasting career. Radio is addictive. It’s dynamic and instant and an intimate connection with your audience. I’ve felt privileged to be in your cars, your kitchens, your headphones, an earpiece while you’re still in bed... the fact you choose to tune in here as you start your day, is something I never take for granted.   We’re a small team – my producer Hannah and I, but I’m really proud of how hard she works. It’s not easy getting up in the dark and putting out a radio show, but I’ve been lucky to have had awesome producers alongside me over the years. Mike’s team of Sam and Glenn have also been amazingly helpful, and I’ve been blessed with the best in newsreader and all-time fun zone Niva, and the statesman of sport Andrew Alderson. The pre-dawn camaraderie is part of what makes this job so awesome... we’re all tired, we’re all trying to do our best and put out the best product we can for our audience.   I’ve been doing this show for 6 years, but my career in radio actually began 16 years ago. I was on maternity leave after the birth of my daughter, at home with two small children and a baby when the then boss of ZB called me up and asked if I’d ever thought about trying some radio. Only knowing TV my whole life, I found the prospect of it daunting. He said they could work around family commitments, juggle shifts around the kids, he said - give it a go. I’m glad I accepted the challenge.   I began filling in on news reading shifts, did the odd stint filling in on Drive and some weekend shows. I found radio instantly addictive. One, they back their people, they were encouraging, and two, they pushed me. There was this constant striving for excellence, something I’d argue is lost in mainstream journalism these days. I joined the Paul Holmes Breakfast (pre–Mike Hosking Breakfast) as newsreader, and I just found radio so much fun.  Six years ago, when the opportunity came up to host my own show I was terrified, I didn’t think I could do that either. But again, ZB encouraged me, pushed me, made me feel like I could do it. The magic of our boss Jason Winstanley —who is hands down the best boss I’ve ever had— is that he manages to make every host on this station feel like they’re the most important person on the network, which is no mean feat. Especially when we all know that’s Mike….   Who, speaking of which, has been my constant biggest cheerleader, listener, and fan, closely followed by my dad, who wakes every morning at 5am to listen in via an earpiece in bed. I am forever grateful to these two incredible men in my life – both great broadcasters of their own, for being so lovingly supportive of me.   But that early alarm takes a toll. Shift work is tough on families and our kids have two parents who do brutal hours, obsessively follow news, go to bed early, and are often tired and grumpy (trust me, having to absorb as much news as we do – which is largely negative – makes most people grumpy before you even add in the lack of sleep!). It’s my daughter’s final year at High school next year and all she’s known is Mum shift working weird hours and turning news bulletins up loud in the car all the time. I’m keen to enjoy her last year with her and be a bit more present at home, instead of side tracked by politics and inflation and editorial deadlines.   I’m actually looking forward to not following so much news. I will however be up at 5 and listening to this show. I’ll have to check the new guy isn’t stuffing it up. My boss Jason says I’ll be bored witless in 3 months and I’ll be back. He may well be right. In the meantime, thank you for being here, for all your support, all your feedback, it’s honestly been the best fun I’ve had in broadcasting. You’re an awesome audience and I’ve loved our early morning chats.  Thank you for the privilege. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shoppers hunting for a bargain will be hitting the malls over the weekend for Black Friday sales.  Tens of thousands of shoppers are expected to swarm the shops.  But Wellington Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Simon Arcus told Kate Hawkesby that consumers should be careful to ensure they are getting a fair deal.  He says shoppers should look online to see if the same product can be bought cheaper elsewhere.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More details on the incoming governing trio are expected to come soon.  National, ACT, and New Zealand First have agreed on a deal which will be signed in Parliament today.  It'll have the parties' policy agendas, details on who's in and who's out of Cabinet, and who's becoming the Deputy Prime Minister.  Herald political reporter Adam Pearse told Kate Hawkesby that we've apparently been in the final stages for more than a week now.  He says they're expecting statements of support from the three parties throughout this morning.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So has the anticipation of this government been greater than the event itself?   Will it be under whelming when we finally see the state of it?   Did we just build it up as this huge thing full of controversy and twists and turns, when in fact it was just a boring longer than expected meeting of negotiating endless minutiae?   I actually felt sorry for them yesterday – especially the ones who are parents to young kids, like Nicola Willis. She was desperate to get back to Wellington and see her 4 young children, Chris Bishop was wearing a borrowed shirt because he'd run out of clothes... I mean all of that just reeks of a thing that went on longer than anyone expected. Longer than perhaps it needed to. I know even David Seymour was saying that.   But how will we remember all this and Luxon’s abilities around it? Well, that’s the thing, possibly not at all. The news cycle moves fast, a week’s a long time in politics, this will all be ancient history before long. I don’t know that people will care in three years' time whether he spent two or three weeks negotiating a coalition deal, I think they’ll care more about how he’s run the country and a three headed government.   That’s surely the true test.   And if we do get it all revealed today, how much notice are you taking? How much do you care whose inside Cabinet and who isn’t? I mean I know political tragics like me will be fascinated, but can you really name all the Ministers of the previous government? Short of the ones who are terrible, or got in trouble, or said and did really stupid things that blew up in the news, we probably don’t really care who's in charge of what. Unless it affects you directly of course. Willie Jackson in charge of Broadcasting was always a bitter pill to swallow for many in the media myself included, but as long as they’re competent and don’t do anything stupid, we tend to forget about them don’t we?   The coolest person in the room now though is Nicola Willis, isn't she? Not interested in the baubles, more interested in the business of governing, she says she never wanted to be deputy PM, Seymour and Peters can scrap it out between them, she's back to home to Wellington to see her 4 young kids who’re missing their Mum. I mean she’s all class and so far, looks like the most mature of the lot of them. I think in her saying what she said, she clearly showed the others up for what they are and removed herself from the fray. Good on her.   She's keen to get on with governing, showing she’s truly about the good of the country, not the good of her ego. And I do think that's the risk being run here by Seymour and Peters. They start to look petulant and like they're holding the country to ransom, delaying the formation of a new government. Which look, I understand if you've had to swallow a lot of dead rats and you're going for broke on the final curtain, but if Peters wants Foreign Minister and Deputy PM I think that's a stretch. The Deputy PM can't be off travelling all the time, because what if they're needed at home to step up for the PM?  Luxon's argument is best person for the job and spreading the talent... we get that, but as their wage payers we want to see value for money too. These guys are on the big bucks, they need to be competent and efficient.   So far the most efficient one appears to be Nicola Willis, seeing the spectacle unfolding for what it is and saying ‘see ya guys, I'm back home to Welly.’ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So has the anticipation of this government been greater than the event itself?   Will it be under whelming when we finally see the state of it?   Did we just build it up as this huge thing full of controversy and twists and turns, when in fact it was just a boring longer than expected meeting of negotiating endless minutiae?   I actually felt sorry for them yesterday – especially the ones who are parents to young kids, like Nicola Willis. She was desperate to get back to Wellington and see her 4 young children, Chris Bishop was wearing a borrowed shirt because he'd run out of clothes... I mean all of that just reeks of a thing that went on longer than anyone expected. Longer than perhaps it needed to. I know even David Seymour was saying that.   But how will we remember all this and Luxon’s abilities around it? Well, that’s the thing, possibly not at all. The news cycle moves fast, a week’s a long time in politics, this will all be ancient history before long. I don’t know that people will care in three years' time whether he spent two or three weeks negotiating a coalition deal, I think they’ll care more about how he’s run the country and a three headed government.   That’s surely the true test.   And if we do get it all revealed today, how much notice are you taking? How much do you care whose inside Cabinet and who isn’t? I mean I know political tragics like me will be fascinated, but can you really name all the Ministers of the previous government? Short of the ones who are terrible, or got in trouble, or said and did really stupid things that blew up in the news, we probably don’t really care who's in charge of what. Unless it affects you directly of course. Willie Jackson in charge of Broadcasting was always a bitter pill to swallow for many in the media myself included, but as long as they’re competent and don’t do anything stupid, we tend to forget about them don’t we?   The coolest person in the room now though is Nicola Willis, isn't she? Not interested in the baubles, more interested in the business of governing, she says she never wanted to be deputy PM, Seymour and Peters can scrap it out between them, she's back to home to Wellington to see her 4 young kids who’re missing their Mum. I mean she’s all class and so far, looks like the most mature of the lot of them. I think in her saying what she said, she clearly showed the others up for what they are and removed herself from the fray. Good on her.   She's keen to get on with governing, showing she’s truly about the good of the country, not the good of her ego. And I do think that's the risk being run here by Seymour and Peters. They start to look petulant and like they're holding the country to ransom, delaying the formation of a new government. Which look, I understand if you've had to swallow a lot of dead rats and you're going for broke on the final curtain, but if Peters wants Foreign Minister and Deputy PM I think that's a stretch. The Deputy PM can't be off travelling all the time, because what if they're needed at home to step up for the PM?  Luxon's argument is best person for the job and spreading the talent... we get that, but as their wage payers we want to see value for money too. These guys are on the big bucks, they need to be competent and efficient.   So far the most efficient one appears to be Nicola Willis, seeing the spectacle unfolding for what it is and saying ‘see ya guys, I'm back home to Welly.’ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A trend is emerging of older New Zealanders opting to dish out inheritance to their family before they die.  NZ Seniors data shows more than a third are doing just that.  More than half worry over what they'll be able to leave their kids because of current economic challenges.  Pidgeon Judd Law Director, Joanna Pidgeon, told Kate Hawkesby that people are living longer, and don't want to see their kids struggling with renting into their 50s.  She says with prices increasing, help upfront can get them onto a more stable home-owning road.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Domestic pressure in Israel is said to be the driving factor behind the hostage deal.  Israel's cabinet has agreed to a four day pause in fighting in exchange for the release of 50 women and child hostages taken by Hamas on October 7th.  It's believed there are around 200 Israeli hostages.   The agreement also includes Israel releasing 150 Palestinian prisoners.   International geopolitical analyst Geoffrey Miller told Kate Hawkesby that hostage families have mounted a high profile "bring them home" campaign.  He says Israeli public opinion has turned, with 54% in favour of some sort of prisoner swap deal.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An influx of migration and lack of property investors is thought to be driving up rental prices around the country. Rental growth is running at historically high levels, hitting 6.1% in the year to October, with Auckland skyrocketing by 8.5% over the past year. Aspire Managing Director Mike Atkinson told Kate Hawkesby that he's warning the incoming Government that prices need to be reined in. He says if prices continue to rise renters will fall out of the market, putting more pressure on social housing wait-lists. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I don’t begrudge David Seymour tipping his hat into the ring for Deputy PM.   Many would argue it’s a relatively inconsequential role - it doesn’t mean much. I mean most of last term we couldn’t remember who was deputy leader or deputy PM: Kelvin Davis or Carmel Sepuloni. It didn’t really matter, no one really cared.   But it does carry gravitas. There is something about the title which carries weight – and of course the obvious additional bonus of stepping into the PM’s shoes when they're out of the country. So you can’t argue it doesn’t carry some responsibility too. And Seymour’s argument is fair I reckon. Proportionality. He’s arguing that the role makes sense for him given they’ve got the second-largest government party, so he says, the second-biggest role makes sense. He thinks that’s the clear case for him to be Deputy PM.   However, he’s also saying he doesn’t know if he’ll get it – he said outside Luxon’s house yesterday that, “a negotiation's a negotiation, and you never know your luck ... so I'm not going to try and predetermine it one way or another.” But in saying that, he's also making a public bid for it which is an interesting tack, and may be nothing more than a power play. Which again is a bit odd given he's also always said he’ll serve in any role and he’s not into the baubles.  We know for sure who is into the baubles, so whoever gets this bauble will be interesting. In general Seymour believes ACT should get more ministerial roles than NZ First based on the party vote, and that’s not a bad point. Surely that’s the fairest way to do it? Seymour argues ‘proportionality's important to democracy’, and if we subscribe to the philosophy that every vote deserves its weight in representation then he’s right, isn’t he?   But if we take that at face value, then Deputy should really be Nicola Willis. Why isn't it her? I don’t know where Luxon’s head will be at with this stuff, I don’t know how much he’ll have had to give away, how much of a tanty Winston may throw if he doesn’t get all his baubles. I mean I wouldn’t want to be Luxon juggling all this, and God only knows how he’s dishing it out.   But I feel like Seymour worked really hard during the campaign, he got the party vote for Act up to an historic high, and they won a record result at the election. He worked his butt off; he deserves some plaudits for that. And he’s right, they are the second biggest party in government now. That’s a huge achievement. But if you argue his proportionality argument, then it still leaves the obvious Deputy PM as Nicola Willis.   If Luxon is prepared to trade this away from National though and he has to pick between Winston Peters and David Seymour, then I'd pick Seymour. Hard working, always available, enthusiastic, and a good communicator. I am impressed at how much Seymour's fronted and tried to keep everyone in the loop throughout this; he’s a big believer in transparency and accountability. I know it's appreciated by the media but I’m just not sure how much that’ll be being appreciated by the other party leaders.   It’s a fine line he’s dancing. And whether he’s twerking his way into being Deputy PM or not... we’ll have to wait and see. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Questions are arising over whether Air New Zealand will have to continue to discount domestic flights in coming months as it grapples with sinking demand.  October passenger data highlights the slow down, alongside lower-margin leisure travel and lower capacity.  The airline's forecast a pre-tax profit of up to $230 million for the second half of 2023, down from nearly $300 million last year.  Aviation commentator Irene King told Kate Hawkesby that the data was taken before its capacity problems in which aircrafts were taken out of the system.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re heading in the right direction, but they’re still not great numbers on the trade deficit.  Stats NZ data for October shows exports fell to $5.4 billion annually, with imports down to just over $7 billion on last year.  The annual trade deficit is $14.8 billion, slightly better than September's $15.41 billion.  Infometrics chief economist Brad Olsen told Kate Hawkesby that it's an improvement, but it remains a concern.  He says we're still importing more than we're exporting.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wrangling continues in Auckland today between National, ACT, and New Zealand First, of the allocation of Cabinet portfolios in the new government.  David Seymour, Winston Peters, and Nicola Willis are all in the running to be Deputy Prime Minister.  But Brigitte Morten —a former senior ministerial advisor for National— told Kate Hawkesby that the allocation of other roles will be more crucial.  She says finance positions are likely to be given to both parties, and the allocation of justice, police, and Attorney-General portfolios will also be important.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I think we’ve reached peak woke, or at least I hope we have... who would know? But I think we’ve reached it when I see that in China now, they’re looking at banning clothes that hurt people’s feelings. You heard that right. CNN reported that, ‘China’s legislature has proposed changes to a law that if approved would allow authorities to fine and detain people who wear clothes that “hurt the nation’s feelings”.’  This to be honest is probably less about wokeism and more about patriotism and control, and it did of course set off a chain of concerns over freedom of expression. But how on earth do you define clothes that hurt people’s feelings? I mean I find Crocs offensive, should they ban those? The mom jean I’m not a big fan of, they’re everywhere. Jorts... horrific, yet back in fashion. As are wedge jandal heels. I mean it’s a minefield of offensive clothing out there already as far as I’m concerned.  But who are the arbiters of this offensive fashion? Well turns out China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee, wants to ban any garment that is ‘detrimental to the spirit of the Chinese nation.’ It’s a draft amendment proposed for consideration. The proposed amendment's rules would alter the Public Security Administration Punishment Law, ‘which gives Police power to detain suspects for weeks’, or fine them the equivalent of about a thousand NZ dollars. It’s been up for consultation, and you can just imagine the push back. CNN reported that, ‘several legal scholars questioned the implicit vagaries of the proposed amendment, and absence of specific guidelines.’ Many called it an overreach. I would have thought the key thing would be a definition of what is construed offensive, and the fact this was missing gives me pause that it will go anywhere. But these days you never know. China’s also cracked down on tattoos and ‘artists with effeminate styles’... whatever that means. But you surely can’t enforce a law as vague as ‘offensive clothing’ without being specific about what that is. One social media user questioned whether suits would be deemed offensive, given they’re ‘the embodiment of Western Capitalism’ as he put it. So, the proposed law, which many have described as ‘excessive and absurd’ could lead to abuse by officials in terms of what constitutes offence. Hence, it’s problematic. So a lot of this is obviously about control but the bit that leads me back to whether it’s wokeism is the fact that it’s about ‘hurt feelings’. Hurting feelings —or not as the case may be— has become such an acceptable catch phrase it’s now getting used as an excuse to enforce laws.A couple of months ago people who wore ‘rainbow print clothing were denied entry to a Taiwanese concert in Beijing..’ leading one social commentator to ask: ‘When did the feelings and spirit of the Chinese nation become so fragile?’ And it’s not just China, everywhere seems fragile these days. I’m with Ricky Gervais, look, when times are weird, we have to turn to the great oracle Ricky Gervais. He famously said, ‘how arrogant are you, to think you can go through life without anyone ever saying anything you don’t agree with or like? Just because you’re offended, doesn’t mean you’re right.’ He’s bang on. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Questions over how fog cannons and body cameras in Woolworths stores will mitigate the rising abuse of staff.  The supermarket giant is reporting a 131% rise in physical assaults on staff in the past six months, compared to the same time last year.  It's also launching an in-store campaign to encourage customers to respect workers as they head into the busiest time of year.  First Union General Secretary Dennis Maga told Kate Hawkesby that those security measures could work short-term.  He says intervention is needed in the long run, particularly as the rate of unruly behaviour increases.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

High school students are increasingly visiting online gambling sites.  An investigation by Newstalk ZB has found that sports betting and online casino games are increasingly popular with teenagers, who even access the sites during the school day.  Life Education Trust Chief Executive John O'Connell told Kate Hawkesby that phones among young people have caused a number of challenges.  He says schools should be aware that students with mobile phones have gambling in their pocket.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A political commentator is suggesting that we should relax a little about how long it's taking to form a government.  There's been much commentary on the fact it's been 18 days since the release of the official election results, and we still don't have a government.  Former National party staffer and now political commentator Ben Thomas told Kate Hawkesby that this time will be quickly forgotten.  He says in six months time —whether the Government is flourishing or floundering— no one is going to be remember the difference between two weeks and three weeks of negotiations.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The weekend has come and gone, but coalition negotiations continue into another week. Incoming Prime Minister Chris Luxon says about three issues to settle remain between National, Act and New Zealand First. The trio's been meeting in Auckland since Wednesday, where Luxon now believes they'll stay for the next few days. Herald Political Reporter Adam Pearse told Kate Hawkesby that Luxon described his meeting with Peters yesterday, as 'helpful'. He says it was a departure from previous conversations in which he described talks as 'positive' and 'good' and cast a better light on things.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former UK Prime Minister David Cameron had his first outing as Foreign Secretary yesterday as he made his way to Ukraine to meet President Zelensky.   UK Correspondent Vincent McAviney told Tim Dower that when they saw a Range Rover coming up Downing Street on Monday and David Cameron climbed out “mouths were literally a gog.”  He added that Cameron doesn’t have the best reputation across the continent given his mishandling of the Brexit referendum and then bouncing as soon as he lost it.   “we'll see how he fares in the rest of Europe in the coming months to get that support going again.”   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former UK Prime Minister David Cameron had his first outing as Foreign Secretary yesterday as he made his way to Ukraine to meet President Zelensky.   UK Correspondent Vincent McAviney told Tim Dower that when they saw a Range Rover coming up Downing Street on Monday and David Cameron climbed out “mouths were literally a gog.”  He added that Cameron doesn’t have the best reputation across the continent given his mishandling of the Brexit referendum and then bouncing as soon as he lost it.   “we'll see how he fares in the rest of Europe in the coming months to get that support going again.”   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Economists are praising the Reserve Bank's decision to build up its foreign currency assets.   It's bought and borrowed to drive its total foreign currency holdings up by a third, to a total of almost $18 billion.   Westpac Chief Economist, Kelly Eckhold, says it will give a signal the central bank is willing to step in if there's a shock to the economy.   He told Tim Dower that the move should reassure people.   Eckhold says it would be worrying if the bank didn't have the capacity.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last time I had the privilege of hosting this show I said I had confidence in Chris Luxon's approach to these coalition talks.  I said it seemed businesslike, and I sensed he was out to cut a good deal that'll stick.  I hope I’m not proved wrong on that.  One thing you have to say about the way it's being handled is that all three of the key figures involved have been disciplined and kept things quiet.  Political editors and reporters are coming up against a brick wall when they seek comment.  Not so much as a sneaky hint has leaked out, and to me that speaks to good faith. The horse trading and hard talking is being done between these three and their teams, not in the media.  But still, it's dragging on too long now. Christmas is coming and I for one want to see Parliament sitting again, a clear direction set, and some action.  It's not about who does what job really, I didn't vote with that uppermost in my mind.  Like more than half of the people who did vote, I wanted shot of the last awful crowd and a change of direction.  I want action on crime, education, the health system, the cost of living, on social cohesion.  Was that a hint from Winston about some dude from Rarotonga being in town, the fact he had to see that guy indicate he might lining up another stint as Foreign Minister?  I'd be OK with that if it's the only bauble Winston First gets.  The blunt truth is without Mister 6 percent, this could have been cleaned up three weeks ago.  And we'd have a start on the real stuff, the change I mentioned before.  Everyone assumes it's Mister Peters dragging the chain, and history would support that theory, but it could be Seymour, or it could be Luxon himself playing hardball.  Thing is, the people either getting ready for work at 5:30 in the morning or are on their way, or already there —the people who pay the taxes and send their kids to school because they want to play their part and get ahead— I don't think they care too much who does what job.  What we want is good government with a good plan it can see through.  Every day without a deal that produces that is a day wasted.  But it's a far smaller waste than what we had, or what we might’ve ended up with if this had been rushed. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Call centre staff are facing unprecedented levels of abuse, with industry experts warning of a future dominated by customer service bots.  Customer Contact Network CEO, Elias Kanaris, told Tim Dower that he's pleading with the public to be civil when dealing with contact centre staff.  He says customers need to remember staff are real people who are simply trying their best to resolve your issue.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Could we have a new government by Sunday?  Talks continued late into the night and are set to resume in central Auckland this morning, with Chris Luxon, David Seymour, and Winston Peters all pointing to a deal being close.  Political commentator Grant Duncan told Tim Dower that there will be final issues all three parties want to resolve.  He says it has to take as long as it takes, because it's important all three parties are on the same page about what the plan will be for the next three years.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’ve got some good news for you. Every one of you up now listening, is a go getter. Early birds are into it as we know, but not only that, research tell us they also earn more.   A recent study showed night owls earn 4 percent less than early risers ..and it’s all down to circadian rhythms apparently. Scientists discovered in a Finnish study of more than 12 thousand people, that those who are more active at night, tend to earn less than early risers. That’s  because they’re more likely to make poor lifestyle choices.. like drinking more alcohol, smoking, not exercising as much, and having an unhealthy diet.   Night owls are also more likely to have more screen time, affecting their melatonin production and ability to sleep.. therefore they sleep worse and wake later, feeling less energized. Many according to the study, also had higher BMI’s.   Scientists discovered that on average, night owls accumulate less human, social and health capital. This is because they apparently acquire less work experience, make those poorer health and lifestyle choices, and end up with sleep problems. Which, let’s face it, is one of the key components of good health… a decent night’s sleep. So that part makes sense.   Early birds, on the other hand, are the first awake, they’re more likely to have slept better and earlier, in those crucial pre midnight hours of sleep, and they’re starting fresher and more ready. They’re more work ready.   But this all comes down to chronotype according to the researchers. You may not be able to help it that you’re a night owl or an early bird, it’s just the way your body is wired. Your body may not be able to function or be active at the set time of day you might want it to.   I know people who, try as they might, just cannot get their bodies to function early in the morning, but they feel their peak activity and fitness comes in the middle of the day. Likewise there are early birds like me who literally can’t stay up past 10pm without feeling like they’re on the verge of collapse.   But being a Nana at night time serves us well if it means you can be more productive in the morning. And as this study shows, it can also make you a stronger income earner.   Not all is lost for night owls though. According to scientists, ‘evening type individuals could likely earn higher wages through better lifestyle choices.’ Which seems obvious given everything is a domino effect isn’t it? Stay up later, you get hungrier, you eat more crap, you drink more, you’re less tired, you look at screens for longer, then you’re too wired, so you sleep poorly.   They actually got some hard data on the numbers in terms of income, men who were night owls had ‘a four percent average lower income.’ Which is food for thought next time you’re staying up late binge watching Netflix with the choccky biscuits. Not all night owls are staying up late just to eat rubbish and watch TV though, some are genuinely just more productive at night because that’s when their body clock is more alert. The nub of it is what you do with that alert time.   The study concluded that ‘evening type people could earn higher wages if they made better lifestyle choices.’ So that part’s in their hands. But for us early birds it’s validation here surely, that being up at the crack of dawn, is actually not only smart, it’s lucrative. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some markets are feeling economic pain more than others. Infometrics latest economic monitor suggests a primary sector slowdown as annual average growth has slowed to 1.7 percent. BNZ Chief Economist Mike Jones told Kate Hawkesby internal migration numbers are showing various trends. He notes that when people move around the country, employment and construction often follow.Jones thinks cheaper house prices are attracting more people to the South Island.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New research has found children in New Zealand are dying from serious trauma injuries at twice the rate of those in the Australian state of Victoria. The study examined cases of more than 13 hundred children seriously injured between mid-2017 and mid-2022. It focused on injuries usually caused by cars, motorbikes, bicycle accidents and serious burns. Save the Children Advocacy Director Jacqui Southey told Kate Hawkesby the results are unacceptable. She say officials need to focus on raising the level of health care for children across the country.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A month on from the general election, and the leaders of National, Act and New Zealand First have met together for the first time.  Chris Luxon, David Seymour and Winston Peters caught up face-to-face at an Auckland hotel yesterday. Peters briefly returned last night, seemingly for further talks.  Seymour says they haven't yet dealt with major substantive discussions, in a potential coalition deal.   Political Editor, Jason Walls told Kate Hawkesby more meetings are pencilled in for this week.  He says the first meeting was preliminary to discuss timelines and they'll hopefully get into the meat and potatoes shortly.    LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joe Biden will be hoping to ease geopolitical tensions in today's meeting with counterpart Xi Jinping.  The two leaders will meet at 8am NZST in San Francisco at the APEC summit, marking Xi's first visit to the US in six years.  They're expected to discuss resuming military communications, the climate, and control of a fentanyl pipeline.  US correspondent Mitch McCann told Kate Hawkesby that US-China relations have been frosty in recent times.  He says tensions have been heightened over Taiwan and the South China Sea, as well as a claimed spy balloon being shot down earlier this year.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight will reveal if the Black Caps have what it takes to make it to the World Cup Final.  They’re playing India in the semifinals at 9:30pm NZDT.  Former Black Cap and Cricket Commentator, John Morrison, told Kate Hawkesby that while the team has been written off by many critics, he thinks they’re capable of an upset.  He said the team has a pretty good line up that is capable of knocking India over.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you think about all the sectors and industries in this country which have gone to the dogs lately —much of the public service, (electoral commission anyone?), the media, airlines, airports (namely Auckland), Hospitals— there’s an underlying common denominator.   Within all these sectors there are still amazing people doing amazing things. I hear so often for example from people who, despite all the doom and gloom and horrible news about our Hospitals, have the best experiences with considerate, hardworking, and dedicated nurses. People who say they could not fault the care and attention they received.   Likewise for every horror story about bus drivers and public transport, you’ll hear from someone who says they’ve only ever had a positive experience. I think a lot of the baggage and toxicity from these industries is at the top, amidst the bureaucracy and the layers of BS. Whereas often at the coal face, people are doing incredible things.   I experienced this myself the other day at a medical appointment for an echo cardiogram. That’s done by a specialist cardio sonographer, trained specifically in that area given the heart is so complex. And as she scanned the four chambers of my heart looking at blood flow, she had fascinating insights into the prevalence of heart disease, especially in women, and how preventable it is. Great tips about how diet is more important than exercise: as long as you’re moving each day it doesn’t need to be aerobic and hardcore, just walking or moving, and as women get older, strength training is great too. But what you put in your mouth counts. Hearts like healthy body weights.   But she had some good insights into the state of the health sector at the moment. How much bottom of the cliff healthcare we’re dishing out, instead of having people proactively take care of their health.   It’s funny because I thought the same thing during Covid. We heard a lot about masks and hand washing but we didn’t hear about nutrition, exercise, and vitamins or taking good care of ourselves to proactively improve our own health outcomes.   But we were talking about the sad demise of primary care in this country – the lack of GP’s, the lack of interest in new Med students to be GP’s, how we’re now having to outsource most of our healthcare workforce to other countries. Which if you think about it, means we lose the nuance of the Kiwi experience and what’s unique to us. But GPs are so stretched and so time poor these days.   She was saying she has a lot of GPs as clients, and the lament how little time they have for patients these days, how in a 15-minute window you can’t get to know people or get an insight into how they really are. You have just enough time to check, diagnose, maybe write a script, and that’s it. I know from personal experience that if you try to raise more than one issue too, you’ll likely get told they don’t have time for that, or they have to charge you for a second appointment. That’s if you can get into your GP in the first place.   But it made me think about mental health in this country, and what a difference we could make at the primary care level if we had more GPs who had more time to really gauge where their patients were at, and maybe intervene earlier.   Maybe just like heart disease, we wouldn’t have the crisis we do if we just got to people sooner.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland’s Mayor wants the new Government to review earthquake-strengthening rules.  The region hasn’t shown signs of earthquake activity for 100,000 years, Wayne Brown said, and instead they should focus on the risk of volcanic eruption.  He’s keen to stop spending on seismic strengthening unless a building is likely to fall down.  John Tookey, Professor of Construction at AUT, told Kate Hawkesby that it’s a matter of public safety.   He said that no one thought that Christchurch was going to be a major problem until it became a major problem.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The soon-to-be coalition partners are meeting for the first time today, but there's no end in sight to negotiations.   New Zealand First leader Winston Peters didn't show up for an anticipated meeting with National and ACT in Wellington yesterday.   ACT's David Seymour confirms he flew back to Auckland last night, reportedly also with National leader Christopher Luxon.  Former United Future Leader Peter Dunne told Kate Hawkesby that their rapid return to Auckland suggests negotiations are very much being done on Peters’ terms.  He that there's a perception growing that Christopher Luxon's earlier confidence may have been misplaced.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite a decrease in global wine production New Zealand winemakers feel optimistic.   The International Organisation of Vine and Wine says international wine production's expected to be about 7% lower this year than last.   Statistics from New Zealand Winegrowers show the total production in 2023 is about 360-million litres, down from 383-million last year, but higher than the eight years prior.   CEO Philip Gregan says that over time, wine production in Europe has declined, while in New Zealand, it's grown.   He says our markets are now global rather than just supplying wine domestically, and those markets continue to be strong.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australian port operating systems are getting back online, after a major cyberattack halted imports and exports.   DP World Australia —which moves about 40% of items coming into Australia— stopped on Friday after the breach.   It created a backlog of 30,000 containers.  Australian Correspondent, Donna Demaio, told Kate Hawkesby that about 4000 containers started moving again yesterday.  She said that the ripple effect they were concerned about is now unlikely, but they still don’t know what happened.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Coromandel businesses are popping the champagne in anticipation of State Highway 25A reopening three months earlier than planned.  The route between Kōpū and Hikuai —badly damaged during Cyclone Gabrielle— will be in business by December 20.  The tourism-reliant area suffered a severe economic downturn following the route's closure.  Mercury Bay Business Association Chair, Lynda Grant, told Kate Hawkesby that while there was a little bit of hope, nobody really thought it would reopen before Christmas.   She said that it’s a win-win for everyone.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So we got new data yesterday on vaping, and it's nothing short of alarming.   We here in NZ are among the biggest vapers in the developed world. The OECD found 8.2% of people aged 15 or older regularly vape in New Zealand, which puts us in second place, just behind Estonia.   I was speaking to a specialist cardio sonographer the other day, and she was telling me that she thinks we’re going to find out down the track that vaping is worse than smoking. We just don't have enough research on it yet, but the toxins you're inhaling when you're vaping... no good can come of that.   The worst part of course is all the young kids taking it up and how many of them are addicted to nicotine now and can't give it up. I was reading about some schools where kids are having withdrawals during exams and running out in breaks to vape; school kids, that addicted.   To have the highest vape rates in the world —just behind Estonia— is a travesty and it's something we should be leaping up and down about to fix. Because not only are we inheriting a population full of nicotine addicted kids, but all the knock-on negative health side effects that are going to clog our health system down the track too. The stats are woeful and the evidence coming in on vaping is shocking.   According to one Australasian health educator, vaping is too hazardous health wise, even as a means of quitting tobacco. And yet we still have large groups of our population thinking it's not that harmful. This health educator says the online government material is misleading, in her view, because it provides such a bald description of vaping - 'vaping does not have the toxins in tobacco smoking', it says, and yet vapes have to contain propylene glycol to make an aerosol, and chemicals for the smell.   So, is that implying to vapers that it’s safe? At the very least it’s underestimating the potential harm. What about warnings or plain packaging? Why is there none of that? And why aren’t they regulated better? There are concerns the public are not informed enough about a product that is engulfing our youth. The real worry is the health and social impacts already manifesting, and the costly 'tsunami' of problems in the respiratory and cardiovascular sectors, as many commentators and health researchers have already pointed out.    Those jumping up and down about it include clinical specialists, GPs, school principals, parents... they all petitioned the previous government to act. But I really think the last government dropped the ball on this and never took it seriously enough. We should be deeply worried about the pace of uptake in vaping amongst our young people, the lack of widespread research into its side effects, and the lack of detailed information on the risks.   There’s a lot this new government needs to crack on with, and I hope dealing properly with vaping is on the list. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tax policy is set to remain the main point of disagreement as coalition talks continue this morning between National, ACT, and New Zealand First.  Newstalk ZB understands that New Zealand First is taking issue with some elements of National's tax plan.  That includes the proposal to redirect money from the Climate Emergency Response Fund to tax cuts, and the proposed tax on foreign home buyers.  Deloitte tax partner Robyn Walker told Kate Hawkesby that National is committed to some form of tax cuts, but the specifics of those tax cuts may have to change.  She says National is proposing quite extensive tax cuts, but they may have to scale those back and make them more targeted.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

World No 635 Kiwi Ben Campbell birdied the final two holes to edge major winner Cam Smith and claim the US$2 million ($1.7m) Hong Kong Open overnight. Campbell drained a 15ft birdie putt on the 18th hole to top playing partners Smith and Thailand’s Phachara Khongwatmai who earlier caused a bizarre 20-minute delay. Campbell had not led at any stage of the tournament until his last putt to finish at 19 under par and beat Smith by one and Phacahara by two. For Campbell, who also birdied the 17th, it was his maiden win on the Asian Tour with his only other win in the professional game coming at the New Zealand PGA Championship in 2018. He won US$360,000. “It’s good to finally get the monkey off the back and yeah, sort of just battling away all day,” said Campbell. “Sort of didn’t get off to the greatest of starts and swing wasn’t feeling that great. Sort of went back to a few close losses and wrote a few notes down in my yardage book last night, and really used them on those last four or five holes. “It was getting a bit tight in the swing and just from those past experiences managed to, I think, you know, put a couple of nice swings coming down the stretch which really helped.” The victory is also just reward for a player who has struggled with injuries and missed six months last year due to a back issue that required surgery. “Even probably four months ago I was sort of battling with the body. I’ve had quite a few operations, and bulged discs in the back and things like that, so had to change the swing quite a bit, especially in the last two or three years. So yeah, great to put that behind me now and the monkey’s off the back which is good.” The most recent Kiwi winner of the Hong Kong Open was Frank Nobilo in 1997, while the only other was Walter Godfrey in 1972. Smith and Phachara had started the day sharing the lead with Campbell one back. Phachara looked to be heading for the win when he birdied three in a row from 11 and led by one from Smith and two from Campbell with three to go. However, drama unfolded on the par-four 16th when he hooked his tee into the trees. He chose to try to hit his ball back into play from a treacherous lie but failed to get it out before just being able to advance his ball to the edge of the fairway with the next. Smith and Campbell appeared visibly irritated by Khongwatmai’s actions, which led to a 20-minute delay. “He can’t stand all over this, can he?” Campbell was heard saying to officials. Phachara ended up making a costly double. He also birdied the next hole before his disappointing finish on 18. “Today my putting was not so good like the last three days, but I played well since the beginning until the 16th hole,” said Phachara. “I was in a very difficult situation at that moment that I couldn’t do anything. Also, there were broken trees, which was an obstacle, so I couldn’t step backwards to drop the ball. I had to keep trying to hit it. However, I’m satisfied with my overall performance that I can make under par for today.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I thought I was in a bad dream at the weekend when I saw the headline ‘Health experts recommend people wear masks and celebrate Christmas outdoors amid another Covid-19 wave.’  So, my first thought is – what ‘experts’ said this, and what wave? And how big is the wave? And when will we stop reporting waves?   Turns out it was Australia’s New South Wales Health Ministry who were saying there’d been a ‘moderate’ rise in Covid cases, and they’d asked people to consider wearing a mask inside crowded indoor spaces.   It didn’t take much scrolling further down the story to find the name Michael Baker though. He was recommending for Kiwis, booster jabs, masks, and staying home if you were sick.   Now here’s the thing about these guys, had we not been bashed everyday nonstop for two years by them in the media telling us what to do and how to do it, we may take it more seriously.   But the hysteria drummed up over a two-year period of lockdowns and social distancing has left us all with a bit of collective PTSD.   We don’t want to hear from them anymore, we associate them with misery and bad times, it was overkill at the time, and now we are turned off whenever their heads pop up above the parapet again.   It’s the same for many people with Jacinda, it’s an instant reaction – I mean she got so toxic she had to step away from the Labour Party, she was that triggering for people.   So, I’m just not sure after all this time, and after all we’ve gone through, that we want to go into yet another Christmas with being told to mask up and keep our distance.   I mean the obvious one about if you’re sick stay home, we probably could work that out for ourselves, couldn’t we?   So how big is this new wave? Well, the key word was ‘moderate’ rise. That was for Australia, what about here? Baker says we’re in our 5th wave. I missed the last few, so I’m paying attention now for the 5th.   Apparently, our immunity is waning, hence his call for boosters. I’m not sure how many are adhering to these calls, that would be a more interesting story I reckon, what are the booster numbers? I’d hazard a guess very little.   As for the size of our wave, the last update on Covid numbers was 5 people in ICU, 212 in hospital with Covid. Remember the ‘with’ is important, they may well be in hospital with other things, and they happen to have Covid as well.   I personally know of two people recently who went to hospital with other things and picked up Covid while in there. Getting Covid in hospital makes you a statistic of someone in hospital - with Covid. So bear that in mind.   I don’t know who's in charge of marking the waves, I’m not sure how helpful it is to keep reminding us of them, or who wants to still hear about them, I mean will we still be reporting 6th, 7th, 8th, 25th waves? Or will we at some point accept that Covid is around now just like the flu and colds are around?   I’m just not sure about the merits of making people fearful about how they spend their Christmas Day and telling them they may need to spend it with a mask on.   I mean I’m prepared to be wrong, but how many people, who aren’t immune deficient or vulnerable in any way, do you reckon are spending Christmas Day with a mask on? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Long-dormant Icelandic volcanoes are waking up and threatening to erupt.   The country declared a state of emergency and evacuated thousands from the southwestern town of Grindavik.   There are more than 30 active volcano sites in Iceland and there's currently a 15-kilometre river of magma underneath the surface.   UK correspondent Gavin Grey told Kate Hawkesby the likely eruptions follow intense seismic activity.  “20,000 tremors have been recorded in southwest Iceland since late October.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealanders lost just under $200 million to scams over the past year.   That's according to 11 of the country's largest financial institutions.   The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment has released the figure for Fraud Awareness Week.   Spokesperson Ian Caplin told Kate Hawkesby they want to make people more aware of authorised scams – where people agree to a payment.  “The scammers are getting very sophisticated and they are making things like sort of hoax sites.”  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Certain policies could be sticking points in holding up negotiations between National, Act and New Zealand First.   National will need both parties to make a government after they lost two seats following special votes.   Newstalk ZB Political Editor Jason Walls says it's hard to figure out how much progress was made over the weekend.   He told Kate Hawkesby while there seems to be agreement on infrastructure issues, race relations policy could be causing tension.  “Christopher Luxon – he hasn’t ruled out, say for example, the Treaty referendum, but it sounds like he very, very, very much doesn’t want that to be a thing because of how divisive he envisions that being.”  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BNZ’s profits are continuing to rise despite the economy slowing.  The bank’s net profit after tax rose by 6.7% in the year to September to a total of $1.5 billion.  BNZ’s net interest margin —a key measure of profitability— jumped 25 basis points to 2.4%.  Claire Matthews, Massey Business School Associate Professor, told Roman Travers that while they made a substantial profit, things did slow in the second half of the year.  She said that they hadn’t done as well in the last six months as they did in the first, reflecting the slowing economy.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Regular attendance is still at lower rates than in 2019, before Covid-19.   Education Ministry data shows just 47% of students were regularly at school in term two.   That's down from 59.5% in term one, but an increase on 40% in term two last year.   Te Tai Tokerau Principals Association President Pat Newman told Roman Travers that it's about illness.   Attending school 90% of the time is considered regular attendance.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A warning that Fonterra's new sustainability goals could push farmers away.  The dairy giant is planning to cut 30% of emissions by 2030 via new technology, carbon removal through vegetation, and on farm practises.  Lincoln University Adjunct Professor Jacqueline Rowarth says farmers will look to other companies if they can't cope.   She says this could all come back to bite Fonterra if other countries don't do what we're doing.  Rowarth adds it's hard for farmers to do better when our farming emissions are already low.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's been 27 days since New Zealand general election.  27 days of relative peace, calm, and tranquillity, even though our GDP resembles a 737; out of gas and plummeting to earth at less than 1% growth.  Isn't it luxurious to live in a country where perhaps our biggest problem is wondering if the pre-election promises will be fulfilled to turn everything around?  Talks between the three political parties continue as we wait to see who gets what and undoubtedly the compromises that'll be made.  Forming a coalition with friends and foe can't be all beer and skittles. Given what was said prior to the election, some almost certainly will reluctantly capitulate on their promises, having their arms shoved up their backs or biting their tongues.  To get a coalition government formed and working at the mammoth job of turning around our floundering economy, will only be hindered by the demonstrable egos at the table.  When asked yesterday if there was a deadline for the coalition talks to conclude, Winston Peters told us that speed is of the essence. There's a refreshing change from someone who's been at times, the personification of a handbrake.  It's gutting to know that our gross domestic product is currently at less than 0.1%, when so many of us are doing everything we can to ensure that work gets done.  We are now working the second longest hours within the OECD nations. So much for a work life balance.  Our proud reputation of being a leader in so many measurable economic facets, is now something muttered about with a sense of shame, as people try to change the topic, looking for a positive distraction.  We're now looking at a ranking of 159th in the world according to the international monetary fund.  That's not a number anyone wants to have when trying to sell New Zealand to the world.  But what've we got left to sell? Which primary sector is still unique to New Zealand? What aspect of our primary produce have we not taught other countries to grow and manufacture as well - if not better than us?  Is the future of our economy to simply provide highly skilled labour to international markets who will always outbid those same employers in New Zealand?  In fairness to the three political parties working hard to come to consensus, it didn't help that so many people rocked up to the polling booth on election day looking to enrol and to vote. The whole process has been slowed down by a large chunk of apathy.  Here's hoping that next week we have something solid to talk about.  Here's hoping that when the clock starts ticking on that first 100 days with so many promises made, we get to see those promises put into positive action. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I am just wondering at what point we give up on trying to get anywhere by ferry in this country? If you’re an Aucklander, or a visitor to Auckland, you know the Waiheke Island Fullers ferry service is unreliable, often fraught with maintenance, or staffing or scheduling issues. Locals who regularly commute on and off the island by and large hate it – but they’re trapped as Fuller’s has had a monopoly and been their only means to get across the Gulf... up until now, with a new player in town. And God speed to Island Direct that they can make a go of it, get well patronized, and give Fullers a run for their money. But for years now, Fullers has been it and it's been a rubbish service. Then we have the Cook Strait ferries. I mean, where do we start? Who would take the gamble of getting on board one of those ferries and expecting that you’d actually get to your destination?  The interislander ferries are notorious, and then just yesterday, we see the reports that “a Bluebridge Cook Strait ferry had to turn back after it hit a wharf as it was leaving Wellington.”   How does a professional operation whose job is solely to get passengers from wharf to wharf, actually smack into the wharf? So that whacked the wharf and now has a dent in the hull and a hole. A tired and old fleet of ferries doesn’t help, but as reported back in April this year, under the headline, ‘Chaos on the Cook Strait’, “there’s been a decades long history of things going wrong here.  So how is our infrastructure and maintenance so dire? Why has not enough proactive investment been done? It feels like our approach in this country is wait until stuff breaks, and people are leaping up and down, until you do something about it. That’s certainly how it’s been with the roads too.   But if you look at public transport in general in this country, we’ve got buses that are unreliable, have a lack of patronage, routes being cut, delays, driver shortages.. all of that only serves to put people off. Then we’ve got violence at bus stops, vandalism, that’s before we get to the trains. They’re in the same category as the buses, often whole routes cancelled, trains not showing up, unsavoury behaviour on trains, a lack of any general kind of professional service.   Just yesterday somebody texted me about their experience on a bus where the driver was asked to concentrate on the road instead of looking in a bag taking their eyes off their driving, and the driver took umbrage and stopped the bus and started yelling at the passenger to get off. When the passenger refused to, the driver then sped up, driving recklessly trying to intimidate the passenger. They said why would anyone put their life in the hands of a lunatic like that?   Now I’m sure for every lunatic bus driver there’s a great one too, but the point is we need consistency. We need buses, trains, and ferries to work, be on time, run to schedule, not crash, for there to be consistency among drivers and for passengers to want to use public transport. Otherwise, we’re never getting out of our cars are we. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A study's found that kids who drink fizzy drinks try alcohol earlier.   The study from Seoul National University found children aged 9 to 10 who drink caffeinated soft drinks daily were twice as likely to try alcohol within a year.   The researchers say the study can't show if the soft drinks are causing differences in behaviour and brain activity.   Auckland University nutritionist Dr Sally McKay told Kate Hawkesby that many RTDs look and taste like fizzy drinks.   She says it can be a natural change, given they're already quite familiar.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The United States is cautioning Israel against occupying Gaza.   It comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the country will have overall security responsibility for an indefinite period after the war ends.   International geopolitical analyst Geoffrey Miller told Kate Hawkesby that Israel doesn't want a power vacuum in Gaza or Hamas to rebuild, so their only option is occupation.   He says that will be disastrous, and a bit like when the US occupied Iraq after the Iraq war.  However, Miller concedes it'll probably be the only option.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Employees are going above and beyond, often without compensation for it.  A Hays Recruitment survey's found overtime increased in more than a third of organisations last year.  It also found overtime was unpaid in 30% of organisations.  Frog Recruitment Managing Director Shannon Barlow told Kate Hawkesby that often people do what's needed to get the job done.  She says there's also been a shift for employees wanting to protect their roles and making a personal decision to work more than they're required to.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m not surprised Chris Hipkins is staying on as leader. I mean let’s face it, one, who else have they got? And two, when you’re a career politician, what else is it you’re going to do at this point? But it’s the best possible option for Labour I reckon. He’s adept at politics and playing the media – and those two things go hand in hand these days. He’s quick on his feet, he’s an attack dog – which is what opposition is all about. But how attack-y is the potential problem for him... as in, is he too much attack dog? I think he will have to tone it down. I think voters have had a gutsful of mudslinging and negativity and scrapping in the gutter. The Willie Jackson style of politics of flinging grenades everywhere and not caring where they land... it’s reckless and we tolerate it less and less nowadays. There seems, as the election result would indicate, to be an appetite to get some adults back in the room. And more important than snapping at the government in these next few months, is going to be getting his own party back on track. Rebuilding it won’t be easy given there are factions there now that seem obviously divided: the hard-core lefties wanting to move further left, and the retail middle of the roaders who want to remain more centrist. Although, throwing a wealth and capital gains tax back on the table so soon would indicate the lefties have gotten to him (that's a sop to them). Key question is whether it entices disgruntled Labour voters back to the fold. It seems a bit quick and flip floppy to have reversed that decision so quickly. But they’ll be having a good hard look at themselves in terms of what the bulk of their support base wants. They've got to think about how much they hand out and to who though, I mean look at the Māori caucus, look at how much they lost there, despite all the compensations made to Māori by the Labour Government. The Maorification of pretty much everything did not see the party get thanked or rewarded by Māori, who abandoned Labour in their droves. So who is the Labour party going forward? I heard one commentator say that in voting to keep everyone who lost on the party list, essentially, the people who lost them the election are still there. Many would also argue the future leader of the Labour party is not among them. So you’ve got a lot of potentially jaded talent hanging around, with the electorate jaded by them too. So how do you refresh with all the old dead wood? I think Grant Robertson will go, David Parker probably too, and that may be no bad thing. In fact a clear out is probably just what the party needs. It also needs a fresh approach to leadership. If it’s still Chippy, who says he wants to see it through to 2026, then he needs to work out who he is and how he's doing it. And it’s got to be a step up from just zinger slinging. It’s got to sound more calm and professional. I’m hoping the shouty yelly election style bickering we saw will be put to one side. So how the Labour party gathers itself together and rebuilds from here will be critical. And I think they’ll really want to make a good go of it, because if I was Labour looking at this three headed monster Luxon’s trying to put together, I’d be thinking odds are on that the Nats, ACT, NZ First trifecta may only be a one term government. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Teachers from about 100 early childhood centres will strike today.   They're part of the Early Childhood Education Collective Agreement and say negotiations have reached an impasse.   NZEI says the government funding model isn't fit for purpose.   Montessori New Zealand chief executive Cathy Wilson told Kate Hawkesby that the incoming National government has said they'll initiate a funding model review.  She says the funding model is challenging, the funding is inadequate, and it's easy to get into trouble because you've done something wrong.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Electoral Commission is looking to see whether discrepancies at three polling places are isolated or more widespread.  It's launched a check of all voting place results after our newsroom picked up errors at two polling places at Port Waikato, and one polling place in Ilam.  More than 500 votes at one polling place were wrongly assigned to the Leighton Baker Party, rather than National.  Political commentator and former United Future Leader Peter Dunne told Kate Hawkesby that it's one of several issues that will need to be addressed when the electoral process is reviewed at select committee.  He says the commission also needs to answer questions about the time it took to count the votes, and whether there were enough polling places on election day.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Businesses being left frustrated about transport changes in Auckland's city centre is being put down to poor communication.  Auckland Transport has decided to remove all car parking on Karangahape Road and restrict the times on loading zones to allow room for a new bus service.   Businesses say they've been given very little notice.  Infrastructure New Zealand Chief Executive Nick Leggett told Kate Hawkesby that no shop owner should wake up and find their loading bays are all but gone.  He says these things always become a problem because we don't engage properly in discussions right at the start  AT has apologised to businesses for the communication around the change.   It says there will be a grace period until December 11 for vehicles caught using the bus lanes at the wrong time.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's caucus will this morning begin picking up the pieces of its election loss at a special caucus meeting in Wellington.   As well as the party's direction and the election of whips, MPs will participate in a leadership confidence vote.  Political Commentator Grant Duncan told Kate Hawkesby that while there are some great people on that team, there’s no obvious rising star to take Hipkins’ place as leader.  He said that in order for Labour to succeed, they need to think about how they’re going to restore themselves and voters’ faith in them.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ninety percent of Queenstown hostels and backpackers are at capacity ahead of summer.  It comes as a third of hostels have shut down post pandemic, and many tourism operators are expecting a surge in visitors over the next few months.  Backpacker Youth Adventure Tourism Association Chairman Haydn Marriner told Kate Hawkesby that he's putting it down to a lack of available housing in Queenstown.  He says the massive oversupply of Airbnbs is causing huge problems for the region's rental market.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So, exams are now underway for NCEA for High Schoolers who‘ve had —to be frank— a pretty crappy couple of years post Covid at school.   Disruptions due to strikes, floods, weather... and that was all after they were just getting their feet back under the desks post lockdowns. So not a great few years for those trying to head to Uni in a couple of years time.   But I know that in my many cases, teachers have worked really hard to get everybody up to speed and make up for lost time. It’s tough though because the stats aren’t great when it comes to where our kids are at educationally. It’s one of the key planks of the new government’s focus —to turn those stats around— and rightly so.   The less we educate our kids and the less time they spend in school – the worse the outcomes are for them. We as a country then suffer too with low productivity, a low skills economy, young people disengaged, and a general dumbing down of society.   Actually, I wonder if that’s already happened.  But there are still far too many young people not attending school or dropping out early. What I’ve found from our experience, with kids who leave school early versus those who see High School through to the end, is that the ones who dropped out early in a rush to get out into the world regret it later down the track. There is something about finishing something you started. Even though these days to be honest many of them have already passed their grades for that year before they even sit the exams.   So you can see how it’s tempting, if you’ve already passed the year in July, then there seems no point in staying on grades-wise. But there’s something collegial and lovely about friendships at school and going through stages with your peers.   I’ll be fascinated to see what happens to Uni stats in the next couple of years, having had a big decline in on campus attendance, whether that pings back up or not. But how ready these kids coming through High School at the moment will actually be for Uni remains to be seen. Given all the disruptions, all the curriculum issues, all the poor test results and high failure rates, how will they actually fare in a tertiary environment? Are our High Schools who’ve been hit with so much chaos due to Covid, weather, strikes and so on churning out students good enough to go forward and do well?   Because if they’re not, then we as a country are inheriting a way bigger problem than just bored kids. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cloudy conditions are forecast for today's 163rd running of the Melbourne Cup.  The TAB is expecting New Zealanders to put more than $12 million on the big five o'clock race.  Several horses have New Zealand connections, including Kiwi jockey James McDonald and Sydney-based Kiwi trainer Chris Waller.  Melbourne Cup correspondent Donna Demaio told Kate Hawkesby that there'll be an electric atmosphere.  She says 24 local and international horses will be racing around the track at Flemington, with $9 million in prize money.  Off the track, Christchurch's Lily Simons is set to represent New Zealand at the Fashion on the Fields competition.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand parents are becoming more relaxed about device use and safety.   A survey by NIB has found device use and screentime is still a concern for 73% of surveyed parents, but only 46% are limiting screentime.   That's down from 51% in 2021.  Parenting expert Anna Martin told Kate Hawkesby that the pandemic has had an impact.   She says research suggests that parents relaxed their attitude to online use during Covid, as it was helpful in allowing them to have some personal time.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The NZ Kiwis won the Pacific Nations Cup on Saturday with an emphatic victory over Australia in Hamilton. While India continue to cement themselves as favourite for the Cricket World Cup. And the build up for the 2023 Melbourne Cup continues. ZB Sport's Andrew Alderson wrapped up the weekend's sports with Kate Hawkesby on Early Edition. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No guarantees from National on when it will have a government in place.  New Zealand First leader Winston Peters isn't answering questions about negotiations and he and Act's David Seymour aren't talking.  National doesn't know whether deals will be done in time for incoming Prime Minister Chris Luxon to attend the Apec Leaders' Summit in San Francisco on Sunday.  Deputy Leader Nicola Willis told Kate Hawkesby the coalition negotiations are a complex process.    LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Political pundits wouldn't be surprised if coalition talks go on for some time yet.  New Zealand First leader Winston Peters isn't answering questions about negotiations and he and Act's David Seymour aren't talking.  National doesn't know whether deals will be done in time for incoming Prime Minister Chris Luxon to attend the Apec Leaders' Summit in San Francisco on Sunday.  Newstalk ZB Political Editor Jason Walls told Kate Hawkesby Luxon has said, if need be, he will can that trip.  He says it could drag out for a while or be done quickly, but Luxon has been doing some work in the lead up to the specials.    LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Questions raised after an 18-hour long hostage situation at Germany's Hamburg Airport.   A 35-year-old man, with his four-year-old daughter, drove through airport security and onto the tarmac - before parking his car underneath an aeroplane.  The chaos, that suspended almost 290 flights involving more than 34-thousand passengers, was revealed to be over custody arrangements.   Europe Correspondent Gavin Grey told Kate Hawkesby the man eventually gave himself up, with the girl unharmed.   He says questions are being asked around how it was so easy for the man to drive through airport security.    LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So, we now know Winston’s in the mix in a real and tangible way. He’s needed.   We can thank special votes for that.   So, I’m trying to look for positives, and trust me, it’s not easy - but I found one.   He at least has institutional knowledge of how parliament works, what being a politician means, and how the place functions.   That’s a benefit to Luxon because that’s more than he’s got.   Being a newbie, it’s all new to Luxon.   So, you add one old dog and one newbie - and maybe there in the middle lies some kind of middle ground where they can connect.   What wisdom about how the place works can Winston pass on to Luxon? How can Luxon learn from Winston’s years and years in this environment?   No Winston’s not a shining light or a good example of a model politician by any stretch, but he’s at least got runs on the board.   He knows the place. He knows the rules. He’s seen it all before.   He knows the inner workings of government’s better than Luxon would. So that’s the potential plus.   The other positive? We are not having a second general election.   Remember that threat?   During the campaign Chris Bishop didn’t rule out having to go to the polls again, remember?   Well thank God we are not doing that.   I think our appetite for another election is zero, we could barely summon up enough enthusiasm for this one, so if not working with Winston would have meant having to have another election then I guess we should be grateful they’re going to work with Winston.   But look that’s about where the positives end for me.   I don’t see this trifecta of parties being anything short of prickly and problematic.   If it is - they’ll get tetchy, it will get messy, and eventually they will get turfed out as an unsuccessful one term government.   Given that’s not what any of them want, given how much they’ve talked about strong stable government, given how much they all want to turn around New Zealand then I’d like to think they work hard at making it work.   So far so good in terms of tight lipped.   No one’s getting sucked into a demanding media vortex hungry for 24/7 information, they’re holding their tongues.   Luxon for his part has managed to keep his caucus together, leak free, and on message, long may that continue.   Seymour has not gone too rogue yet.   Even Winston appears to be playing ball. Could we be seeing a new dawn? Could this finally be the adults taking charge and determined to act like grown-ups?   Can they stay above the fray and get this country back to some kind of order and productivity?   Time will tell but I think we have high hopes that after such a scarring six years of shambles, unproductivity and angst, that we can get some runs on the board finally.   Our expectations are high.   And re the timeframe, how much longer will we have to wait for it?   Well personally I’d rather wait and have them sort it out properly and in a robust manner that can go the distance, than have them cobble together a rushed job which potentially implodes down the track.   I mean nothing will necessarily be perfect, but I hope enough goodwill and good faith is at play, that it’s the best possible shot.    LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New research finds 46% of kiwi jobseekers still experience barriers when finding work.  The 2023 Randstad Employer Brand Research Survey found factors such as sexual orientation, disability, language, gender identity, and ethnicity to be a barrier when applying for and securing a job.  It found that 28% of male candidates believed these factors resulted in them missing out on the role, and 22% of women refused to work for a company whose values don’t align with their own.  Employment Relations Expert, Max Whitehead, told Tim Dower that he’s a bit suspicious of these results.  He said that employers are absolutely desperate for workers, and if someone doesn’t fit the mould but has the skills necessary, they would bend over backwards to hire them.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Special votes, as I'm sure you know, are usually good for the left and National has said it expects to lose one or two seats from the election night count.  If it was two, and even if the overhang goes, the maths is undeniable. It's a 120 seat Parliament, but that one-seat majority for the Nats and ACT is gone.  And we all know what that means.  I think Winston's petulant display in Wellington right after the election told us a lot about the way the new coalition is being drawn together.  My read of it, is that Mr Peters had been well and truly put in his place over the weekend.  I suspect the rules of engagement were spelled out very clearly, and he knows he's not going to be wearing the pants in any future relationship.  Not to start with, anyway.  The other thing to bear in mind, and unless you're actually doing the counting there's no way of telling, is whether the specials will favour the left as much as some people think.  There's a school of thought that says people outside the country, and in particular people who were locked out of the country during COVID, might have been less inclined to continue their support for the previous administration.  Maybe there'll be further punishment to come.  Maybe the Nats and ACT will have the numbers and the confidence to press on without New Zealand First.  What a relief that would be.  So, why have a got a good feeling about this?  Luxon. That's why.  He's used to being in charge, and maybe that's why it took him time to find his feet as a political leader, where your authority and decision-making are questioned day after day, and even the people who pretend to be your mates are carrying sharp knives around.  I believe what we've seen —and what haven't seen— in the past couple of weeks are a demonstration of how things are going to be done.  It's going to be business-like and people who want to be on board are going to have to respect who's boss.  Bring it on. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Australian woman who cooked and served a lunch that killed three will appear in court today.  Erin Patterson faces three murder charges and five attempted murder charges.   Her former in-laws Gail and Don Patterson as well as Gail's sister Heather all died from suspected toxic mushroom poisoning in July, and Gail's husband Ian was hospitalised.   Three other charges relate to incidents in 2021 and 2022, as police allege a 48-year-old man became ill after meals.   Australian correspondent Lesley Yeomans told Tim Dower that Police spent yesterday searching her home.   She says they also sent in technology detector dogs, trained to hunt down things like SIM cards, phones, and USB sticks.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The future shape of our next government all comes out today.   While the preliminary votes for the election were all counted up, the results of the around 570 thousand left over special votes will be released at two this afternoon.   It will likely decide whether National and ACT will need New Zealand First to get into power.   Political Editor Jason Walls told Tim Dower that the majority of special votes do tend to favour the left.  He says people like John Key and Chris Bishop both expect to see National lose at least one seat today.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A nutritionist would love to see confectionary moved away from the checkouts.  Countdown's aiming to make healthier choices easier for customers, and combat checkout 'pester power'.  The supermarket chain —soon to be Woolworths— has committed to 80% of foods at checkouts carrying a Health Star Rating of 3.5 or more.  It's also moving "kids confectionary" elsewhere.  Nutritionist Nikki Hart told Kate Hawkesby that it’s got to be better than the current trend.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Rafah crossing from Gaza to Egypt has opened for the first time since Israel's siege began more than three weeks ago.  Palestinian officials say 335 foreign passport holders and 76 injured Gazans have been able to leave so far.  It's thought 88 injured Palestinians and around 500 foreign nationals will be allowed out in the first phase.  US Correspondent, Mitch McCann, told Kate Hawkesby that the exits are due to a deal brokered by Qatar between Israel, Hamas, and Egypt, coordinating with the US.  He said that US passport holders are not expected to be among the first nationals to be released.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So tomorrow we finally —after such a ridiculously long wait— get the final vote count. Specials will be done, duplicates checked, ballots finalized, we will know where we’re at, and more importantly, what form the new government might take. The fact we’ve had three weeks in limbo is completely ludicrous and at least the incoming PM has acknowledged that and claims he’ll do something about changing it. Which as far as I understand involves changing the law and the way the electoral commission operates, and I hope they do that. The electoral commission did not cover itself in glory: botching some people’s booth experiences by not having enough forms, closing early or opening late, not getting easy vote packs out in good enough time for early voting, and generally operating like it’s 1953. Even Luxon said that three weeks is too long, that they should be working 24/7 to count votes. He also reckons they should do a daily release of votes counted and take over local government elections so they’re up to speed a year before general elections. The main thing is he wants the vote counting sped up, so let’s hope he makes that happen. As for the new government and how that looks... he seems confident they’re on track for a swift and seamless transition with good faith and goodwill from all parties. Actually, someone —who will remain nameless— in this newsroom had a bet that a new coalition government would be announced and formed all set to go Friday arvo. That overly ambitious idea was smacked down by Luxon himself who said that there’ll be no government announced Friday arvo. Good news – they’re closer to an actual government than they were a week ago. Bad news – not so close that it’ll be wrapped up by tomorrow afternoon. Luxon said they still have issues they’re working through and things to be agreed on, but they’ve been working diligently in good faith for a strong stable government, and he says progress is being made. So how long? Luxon says no timeframe exactly – but there are good intentions not to draw it out. Maybe next week? Who knows. Even Winston though, claims it’ll be quick. Can we trust anything Winston says? Having said that, you have to hand it to them all, not a peep out of them. No one’s broken ranks, no one’s leaked, no one’s spilled the beans. Luxon has to be congratulated for consolidating everyone together in a way that seems clean and tight. Winston hasn’t been playing it out in public, Seymour has kept his cool, it all seems, so far, tickety boo. If they can keep it that way, they’ll manage to prove all the naysayers wrong. Every person who said it would implode and that it'd be a cluster and they’d all be at war with each other... so far, so good. None of that. The true test is if Luxon can keep it that way – if he can, he’ll be seen as a genius. I mean who’d want to wrangle Winston and David Seymour on a daily basis? Not me. Best case scenario, they don’t need Winston, and NZ First can just stay out of the fray altogether. Worst case, he’s in and he goes nuts wreaking havoc and making it all about himself and the whole thing implodes. That would be disastrous not just for Luxon, but also for our country. So fingers crossed tomorrow goes their way and it’s a clean two party Nats/ACT deal and they can get on with some governing. If not, get out the popcorn. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s being predicted that the household budgets for mortgage holders will be squeezed further in 2024.  Those on extremely low interest rates in 2019 are turning over to new rates now.  A Reserve Bank report says the average household will spend about 18% of their income on interest payments alone by mid-next year.  ANZ economist, Henry Russell, told Kate Hawkesby that it's not unexpected, and the Reserve Bank needs to see demand in the economy slow to get on top of inflation.  He says there's still many households with 2% or 3% interest rates who'll face a tough adjustment when they rollover to six or seven percent.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More calls for Oranga Tamariki to be shaken up following new details about a toddler that was killed in Lower Hutt.   A homicide investigation has been launched into the death of almost two-year-old Ruthless-Empire Wall. Newstalk ZB understands his uncle contacted Oranga Tamariki wanting the child to be uplifted. It comes after it was recently revealed 57 children have died since the agency was established.  Child Matters Chief Executive Jane Searle told Kate Hawkesby that it reflects the need for change.  She says they've known for a long time Oranga Tamariki's not fit for purpose, with this being just another example.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A health commentator has given his thoughts on how the next Government should tackle problems in our hospitals.  Te Whatu Ora metrics show the national rate of preventable hospital admissions for 0–4-year-olds has increased by 35% in the last year.  It also shows the number of patients waiting more than four months to see a specialist has increased by 46% over the same period.   Ian Powell told Kate Hawkesby that there's one change the new Government shouldn't make, and that's restructure the whole system again.  He says it sounds as though the new government is not going to do that, which is a plus.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well, three days on from our loss at the Rugby World Cup and we’re still not over it... clearly.  It’s still front-page news, the dissertations and opinions continue, disputes over how it was reffed, anger over the TMO and officiating of the game continue. But let’s face the hard facts: the best team won on the day.   Painful as it is, relitigating red cards versus yellow ones as we might, hating the TMO as we all do... it doesn’t change the facts. The best team won on the day.  We couldn’t get our act together in a sloppy first half, we couldn’t pull it off in the second, we didn’t win.   Sad but true.   Death threats to Wayne Barnes and all the other nonsense which has come out of the loss is futile and detracts from the reality. Which is that beyond the nitpicking over all the minutiae of that one game, a broader conversation needs to be had around what’s happening to rugby.   The Herald’s Luke Kirkness said, “Rugby union is facing a looming crisis. The game is losing its appeal with many turning to alternative sports like basketball due to perceived complexities and a lack of engagement.” And he’s dead right. A slow game, as I said after our loss, is a boring game and a switch off. Israel Dagg said it best – he didn’t mince his words about the final at half time. He said, “I’m honestly just fed up. And I know I’m gonna sound like a sore loser here, but …. we’re seeing a snore-fest out there.” And again, that was down to the slowness in general of the game now.   Kirkness pointed out that while there’s “plenty of suggestion that New Zealand has fallen out of love with rugby, one of the sticking points is... how hard it is to understand and follow the game.”   So is that it? We just need to simplify it again and just let the players play? Is it TMO changes? Changes to the card system? The points system? The rules themselves? The culture? Maybe a combination of all of those things.   Whatever it is, we do need to look at it, and seriously. You can’t lose all those eyeballs and have large numbers of people switching off, and just disregard it. That’s an arrogance that takes you nowhere. The game has to evolve and change with its audience. It is, at the end of the day, entertainment after all.   But here’s what we know is already changing: they’ve appointed a new coach —scandalously while the old one was still in the job— and there’s new coaching staff so arguably new direction already.   All the calls for heads to roll, most of those have now been rolled. Then there’s the team, many departing and going different directions so changes afoot there too. But it doesn’t change the fact that the rules are now so cumbersome, it’s a turn off. That’s the real challenge ahead of the rugby union, that’s the real worry.   I’m sure they’re hoping that a charismatic character like Razor is going to bring some zing and give the game a bit of an image makeover – you know, much beloved coach, in his long awaited and aspired-to hot seat with all this new energy and new focus. The Rugby Union will be hoping he attracts a certain amount of buzz and new eyeballs.   But that sizzle will only last so long... at the end of the day the game itself has to change and grow and evolve with the fans or it’s going to leave them all behind. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Changes have already been made to adventure tourism safety as the Whakaari White Island trial ends. The island's owner, Whakaari Management Limited, has been found guilty on one health and safety charge brought by WorkSafe.   It failed to ensure adequate risk assessments ahead of the 2019 tragedy that killed 22 people. Former Tourism Industry Aotearoa CEO Chris Roberts told Kate Hawkesby that there was concern that WorkSafe was the prosecutor.  He says it was clear there were failings in WorkSafe's oversight, but they weren't prosecuted, they were the prosecutor.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's widely anticipated that New Zealand's unemployment figures will rise today.  Stats NZ numbers for the three months to September will be released later this morning.  Infometrics Principal Economist, Brad Olsen, told Kate Hawkesby that he predicts it will lift from 3.6 to 3.9%.  He says realistically, the market is still tight, with anything below 4% unusual for New Zealand.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Airbnb could be damaging the value of some neighbourhood homes.  Researchers using Auckland census data have identified links between more Airbnbs in communities and higher crime-rates.  It highlights how Airbnb's replace long-term owner occupiers with short term occupants, which can erode the anti-crime capability of the community.  That leads to lower house prices.  Auckland University Associate Property Professor, Edward Yiu, told Kate Hawkesby that this is especially apparent with apartment-type housing.  He said in the past a gate with a code could be installed, but because strangers can enter for their Airbnb, it’s raised security concerns.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s Halloween tonight, so stand by for trick or treaters coming to a doorbell near you.  Although weather in many parts of the country may keep little trick or treaters at bay, it probably won’t deter teenagers. We’ve had a mixed run of approaches to Halloween over the years. When the kids were really little, they would find some of the costumes frightening and we wondered the merits of tiny children roaming the streets at what should be bath and bedtime, to ask for lollies from strangers. It didn’t feel right so we said no.  Mean parents.   Later on, as they got a bit older and more savvy that this could involve a whole bunch of stuff usually off limits - lollies, late nights, roaming the streets in costume with mates... they persuaded us the other way. But we contained it. Co-ordinated with neighbours, organised a small early trick or treat session, with neighbours knowing in advance and happy to participate, and with rules around how much sugar could really be consumed. Spoiler alert - not much.   Mean parents strike again.   But 5 kids is a lot to wrangle and get costumes on and roam around with, and there was no way when they were little that we’d let them do that on their own. So there was a small window where we would decorate the letterbox and fence, do the costumes, have their mates over, but it never felt authentically a tradition we could get behind. It just felt super American, cheesey, and over the top, not to mention unhealthy. Lollies from strangers? All that sugar? Yuk - seemed wrong on so many levels.   Once they got older - I mean like teenager stage, they wanted to go out on their own, their costumes got increasingly questionable, their motive seemed less sweet treats and more just hanging with mates. I have just never thought teenagers patrolling the streets with Scream masks on threatening to throw eggs at people’s houses is a particularly good look. Still don’t.   But I’m surprised at how much it’s caught on here, how big it seems these days in this country. People go all out – the parties are plentiful, the dress ups extravagant, the night seems to last a lot longer than one night. Many houses are already decorated, I see skeletons dangling from trees in people’s front yards, cobwebs adorning letterboxes and gates, the treats have been in supermarket aisles for a while now.   No, we’re not quite at America levels of Halloween obsession, but in some places it feels intense. I don’t mind the groups of toddlers out walking with Mum or Dad in an organised fashion, early, and causing no harm. But I do feel for those who live alone or are sick or don’t want to be bothered and have to contend with noisy teenagers late at night banging on their doors for something they surely should have grown out of by now.   In fact, in the US there's debate at the moment as to whether trick or treating should have an age limit. In some cities there, it's limited to 12 years old or younger only due to too many teenagers wreaking havoc. But no sooner do we have Halloween, than Guy Fawkes is here. A mere 5 days later we’ve got crackers and cherry bombs to deal with. That’s a tough night for the animals more than the humans I reckon.   But if we can get past monster costumes, lollies, and fireworks season, then next stop's Christmas. Next we’ll be welcoming Santa... can you believe it?   Where’s the year gone? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Supie customers may be left out of pocket.   The online grocer's entered voluntary administration with PwC, owing some $3 million after launching two years ago.   It promised to bring competition to the market, and subscriptions to the service cost an annual fee of $99.   Consumer New Zealand CEO Jon Duffy told Kate Hawkesby that they don’t know all the reasons that lead to Supie going into voluntary administration, so they can’t say the duopoly is the one to blame.  He said that they do know that the market is really difficult to enter, and they’re looking to lower those barriers of entry.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A major bank has increased its test rate, which is the rate at which it checks that borrowers can afford a loan.   ANZ has upped it to 9.1%.   That's despite home loan rates sitting around 7% for a two-year fix.    Key Mortgages mortgage broker Jeremy Andrews told Kate Hawkesby that it's the first bank to make such a move in decades.   He says interest rates have been going up since Covid came along, so test rates have too.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

India stayed perfect and England remained awful as Mohammed Shami bowled a stunning opening spell to give the hosts a 100-run win at the Cricket World Cup. Shami and Jasprit Bumrah shared an initial five wickets in a fiery exhibition of pace and seam movement in a six-over spell in the first powerplay and blew away the English top-order. That came after India had been put into bat and scored only 229-9 in 50 overs on a tough pitch with Rohit Sharma contributing 87 runs off 101 balls. The total proved more than enough for India to defend. Shami finished with 4-22 in seven overs, while Bumrah returned 3-32 in 6.5 overs, as England suffered yet another batting collapse, crashing to a fifth defeat in six games. Defending champion England were left languishing in 10th spot after a miserable outing in Lucknow against Indian pace and spin – all out for 129 runs in just 34.5 overs. India continues to fly high as the only unbeaten team in the tournament. The hosts top the standings with 12 points from six games, two points ahead of second-place South Africa, with New Zealand and Australia a further two points back. England, the 2019 champions, stayed last with two points and only one win in six games. Australia in 1992 is the only other defending champion to lose four or more matches at a World Cup. Chasing 230, England faltered after their openers put on 30 runs. Bumrah bowled Dawid Malan in the fifth over for 16. The very next ball, Joe Root was out lbw for a golden duck – plumb in front, shuffling across the stumps. He appealed unsuccessfully. While Bumrah’s hat trick was denied, Shami then was on one himself at the other end. His opening overs were near unplayable as Ben Stokes struggled to put bat to ball. Stokes went for a slog and was bowled in the eighth over for a 10-ball duck. The very first ball of his next over, Bairstow played on off Shami as England was down to 39-4 in 9.1 overs. The pacers’ opening salvo saw England lose four wickets for nine runs across 26 balls. After a drinks break, it was spin’s turn. Despite heavy dew, Kuldeep Yadav sent down a beauty to bowl Jos Buttler for 10. Buttler had no clue as the ball turned in sharply off length, leaving England at 52-5. Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone added 29 runs for the sixth wicket – the second highest partnership of England’s innings. But the pressure never eased. Shami returned to have Ali caught behind for 15 runs and Ravindra Jadeja had Chris Woakes stumped for 10 in the 29th over. Yadav then trapped Livingstone lbw – out for 27 – as England crashed to 98-8. England did manage to reach 100 but it was small consolation as Shami-Bumrah returned to finish off proceedings. Earlier, India got off to a poor start as England choked the top-order. Woakes bowled Shubman Gill for nine in the fourth over and three overs later, India was 27-2 as Virat Kohli chipped to mid-on and was out caught for a nine-ball duck off David Willey. Woakes sent back Shreyas Iyer for four runs, out caught pulling a short ball, his Achilles’ heel as the score read 40-3 in 11.5 overs. Sharma and Lokesh Rahul resisted with a sedate 91-run partnership for the fourth wicket in their 111-ball partnership. The usually hard-hitting Sharma played an innings of great control. He did survive an lbw shout early on, but the ball was gliding past leg stump on DRS review. Sharma scored his second half-century in the tournament – his fifth 40-plus score in six innings – off 66 balls as he anchored the Indian innings. At the other end, Rahul scored 39 off 58, with three fours, but fell against the run of play. Willey returned to dismiss him in the 31st, as Rahul mistimed a pull shot. Wrist spinner Adil Rashid bowled with great control for England, taking 2-35 in 10 overs. His first wicket was vital to hold back India’s score – Sharma holed out to deep midwicket, 13 runs shy of his hundred. At 164-5, India was in trouble and England looked in control. Suryakumar Yadav helped push the score past 200. Yadav scored 49 off 47 balls, with four fours and a six. He put on 18 runs with Jadeja (18), and then another 25 with Bumrah. Yadav was caught off Willey, leaving India at 208-8. Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav added 21 runs for the ninth wicket. England has only beaten Bangladesh and has also lost to New Zealand, Afghanistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka. Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya was still unavailable for India and is nursing a left ankle injury. In his absence, the hosts went with a similar combination as it did against New Zealand a week ago in Dharamsala – six batters and five bowlers. Both India and England fielded an unchanged side at the BRABVE Stadium.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

American hockey player Adam Johnson, who appeared in 13 NHL games with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2019 and 2020, has died after his neck was cut by a skate blade during a game in England on Saturday, his team said. He was 29. Johnson was playing for the Nottingham Panthers in a Challenge Cup game against the Sheffield Steelers when he suffered the skate cut during the second period of the Elite Ice Hockey League game at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena. Johnson’s injury was so horrific it forced the game to be abandoned and left traumatised fans in tears. “The Nottingham Panthers are truly devastated to announce that Adam Johnson has tragically passed away following a freak accident at the game in Sheffield last night,” the team said on Sunday. “The Panthers would like to send our thoughts and condolences to Adam’s family, his partner and all his friends at this extremely difficult time. Everyone at the club including players, staff, management and ownership are heartbroken at the news of Adam’s passing.” His mother Kari shared two photos with her son on social media, writing: “I lost half of my heart today.” Shocking video from the game, which the Herald has chosen not to share, shows a Sheffield Steelers’ player knock into one of Johnson’s teammates before becoming completely airborne and connecting with the Panther’s player. According to the Daily Mail, Yorkshire Ambulance Service were called at around 8.21pm and sent two ambulances and a critical care paramedic. Johnson was taken to Sheffield’s Northern General Hospital. South Yorkshire Police were contacted four minutes later, and confirmed that Johnson was pronounced dead at hospital. Police officers remained at the scene overnight and an investigation into the incident is ongoing. A Minnesota native, Johnson spent 13 games over parts of the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons playing for Pittsburgh in the NHL before spending the 2020-21 season in Sweden with the Malmo Redhawks. He had a goal and three assists for the Penguins. “The Pittsburgh Penguins join the entire hockey world in mourning the life of Adam Johnson, whose life tragically ended far too soon,” the Penguins said Sunday in a statement. “We offer our deepest condolences to Adam’s family and friends, as well as all of Adam’s past and present teammates and coaches. Adam will always be part of the Penguins family.” Johnson played college hockey at Minnesota-Duluth, helping the Bulldogs reach two NCAA Tournaments. He scored an overtime game-winner in the 2017 tournament, sending Minnesota-Duluth to the Frozen Four by beating Boston University. He also played for three American Hockey League clubs during his career and in Germany with the Augsburger Panther in 2022-23 before agreeing to join Nottingham for this season. “Our thoughts are also with the fans and staff of both clubs, especially those who attended or were following the game, who will be devastated following today’s news,” the team added. “The Panthers would like to thank everyone who rushed to support Adam last night in the most testing of circumstances. Adam, our number 47, was not only an outstanding ice hockey player, but also a great teammate and an incredible person with his whole life ahead of him. The club will dearly miss him and will never ever forget him.” The league announced that all three games scheduled for Sunday in Belfast, Fife and Guildford were postponed following Johnson’s death. Nottingham’s game scheduled for Tuesday also was postponed. Ian Laperriere, who coached Johnson with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, said it was tough news. “Great kid [and] teammate,” Laperriere said in a text message. “Only great things to say about him.” The NHL has had skate cut scares throughout its history, most notably Buffalo goaltender Clint Malarchuk, who took a blade to the neck during a game against St Louis on March 22, 1989. Malarchuk received rapid medical attention and played again 10 days later.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s not a lot to say about that game that hasn’t already been said — however it will be a game that gets digested for a long time yet. Mainly over the place of TMO in rugby and how slowed down the game is these days. It’s almost like they’re not allowed to play it anymore. It must make players incredibly nervous when every move is questioned, yellow carded, TMO’d and often red carded. It’s too much. Yes there’s safety and rules to go by, but there’s also a game to be played. When you slow it down that much and spend too many valuable minutes analysing the play, staring at replays, talking to players on the field and generally making it too technical, then you also lose people’s interest. And they wonder why people are switching off the game. I’m sad for Fozzy, I really wanted him to get a triumphant send off and a fairytale ending. A big redemption and a successful World Cup win to prove the naysayers wrong. Having said that, yes of course they did well to get to the final — I know it seems weird saying that about an All Blacks team but this team has taken a pasting — amazing how many times they had to pick themselves back up and just keep going. I know they’ll be so gutted. To have a captain red carded and off so early into a World Cup final game was just heart breaking. The reffing seemed unfair — it seemed laser focussed on any misdemeanours of the AB’s. And I’m sure the Wayne Barnes fury will run for sometime yet as questions get asked about what on earth was going on. How long til we've got AI reffing games? But for the Kiwis who were there, in the stadium at the game live, I hear it was an electric atmosphere, that the place was awash with ABs supporters. That they loved the game and felt very proud to be there and to be Kiwis. It was a different experience to what we got watching from home. (or certainly at my place anyway with all the shouting and swearing at the TV.) But what a way to end the World Cup. For many of those players, big names like Aaron Smith, Sam Whitelock, Sam Cane, Beauden Barrett — that’s their last game. That’s their send off. They’ll be so gutted. It would have been so good to go out with a win. But you have to hand it to the Springboks - they played with real conviction and proved too tough to beat. I only hope Ian Foster — and the players for that matter — can walk away from this experience in a few days time when they’ve digested the pain of the loss with their heads held high. I don’t think a sports team playing at the highest level ever deserves to be vilified the way we spank our sportsmen and women when they lose. They get out there, they give it their all, they play for their country and they have every intention of bringing home a win. It’s easy to sit on the sidelines as we do, from the comfort of our couches and say oh you suck. But they don’t suck because they get out there and they do it. They got to the final, they were playing to win. It wasn’t meant to be. One point made all the difference in the world. But we’re still proud of them and the sun still came up today and they still deserve kudos for representing their country at the highest level. Which is more than the bulk of us armchair critics could do.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Israel says its next stage of war with Hamas has begun as it expands ground operations in Gaza. Telephone and internet communications in Gaza have been partially restored after a more than day-long blackout, which badly impacted rescue operations. The UN has warned civil order in Gaza is deteriorating. Otago University international relations professor Robert Patman told Kate Hawkesby two-thirds of the UN supported calls for a humanitarian "pause" in Gaza. “I don’t think Netanyahu’s government can make the claim now that the world is fully supporting Israel’s response.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

History does unfortunately repeat itself with an absolutely gutting loss for the All Blacks. The All Blacks have had to settle for second in the Rugby World Cup after losing to the Springboks 12-11 in Paris. They had to play the majority of the game with 14, after captain Sam Cane became the first player sent off in a Rugby World Cup final. Newstalk ZB rugby commentator Elliott Smith joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s finally time for a rematch.  Back in 1995 the All Blacks faced South Africa in the Rugby World Cup Final and will be doing the same this Sunday morning.  Hennie Le Roux was a member of the Springboks when they took the cup in ‘95 and told Kate Hawkesby that they’re preparing themselves for an enormous battle this time.  He said that New Zealand has shown that they’re a power to reckon with and are probably consistently the best team in the world over a long period of time.  Le Roux said that if the Springboks are going to lose, they’d rather lose to New Zealand than anyone else.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are lots of reasons, obviously, why we all want the ABs to win this weekend, but my main one to be honest is Ian Foster.   That guy got dragged through the ringer, treated like utter crap from everyone, from fans to the Rugby Union itself, and he just carried on. Plugging away, keeping his head down, taking it all on the chin, and just trying to do his job. I mean he got slandered. Thumped verbally every which way but sideways. How he carried on is beyond me. Many wouldn’t have.   But he’s got clearly a couple of powerful things going for him, one, obviously a deep inner strength and calm, and two, the players love him. They love him and are loyal to him and want to win for him. They have a sense of duty I think to see him off in style and make him proud, to prove the naysayers wrong, to let him have his moment, to shut up all the vociferous critics.   So, for that reason alone, I hope they do it. I hope he gets to leave this World Cup a champion coach who won a World Cup under less than supportive conditions. An underdog who got to prove everyone wrong. A leader who had the backing of his team throughout, even when everyone else abandoned him.   And what a great final to do it in. A brilliant opponent, a neutral ground, a team we know we can beat, but a team that holds its own. It’s got it all going on, all the makings of a fantastic on field contest.   What I am pleased about is how much Fozzy’s mood has improved, how much he’s been clearly buoyed by the wins and the way the team’s playing. But not only that, the turnaround of the fans.   He said this week they’ve been so encouraged by all the positive feedback and messages they’re getting, he said how grateful they are to receive all the support – especially at this end of the tournament. And you can imagine, after four years of being slated as a loser, how good it must feel now to a) be proving people wrong, and b) have people back on board.   But he says the behind scenes support now is “phenomenal”. And to be fair, Kiwis do love a World Cup, and do tend to get amped about it as the final stages close in. I mean if you think back to the start of this, at the start of the pool matches, people were a bit blasé, there wasn’t the enthusiasm for it, there was mistrust the ABs could perform, there was disillusion with the way it was being run, there was internal scrapping and bitching. But now look at us. What a distant memory that will all be if they’re winners this weekend.   I hope those who wrote Foster off can find it in their hearts to apologise, I hope even the most boisterous of critics will make some sort of verbal recompense in terms of how they treated him. Although I wouldn’t bet on that. Fozzy says they’re playing for the country, which they are, but it’s a country that abandoned him and treated him pretty badly, so for that reason I hope they win Sunday and win big. If they don’t… I shudder to think how awful it will be for them.   But we have to remember how far they’ve come, how proud they’ve made us up until now, and that at the end of the day, Ian Foster is a human being who was just doing his job, the very best way he knew how. But if this final match is a loss, unfortunately all of it will mean nothing.   Everything rides on Sunday, and getting it done. So I hope for Fozzy's sake, they can. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reports that demand for financial help is growing among employed people and property owners.  CoreLogic data shows that despite interest rates doubling over the past two years, mortgagee sales remain below pre-pandemic levels.   But it says this is a "fingers crossed scenario" and is dependent on people's ability to keep their jobs and maintain home payments.   CoreLogic Chief Property Economist, Kelvin Davidson, told Kate Hawkesby that while it is dependent on other factors, the key one is that basically nobody wants a mortgage.  He said it doesn’t help that banks don’t help the borrower, and do things such as switch interest rates, and extend the term of the loan.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The suspect in the latest mass shooting in the United States is still on the run.  At least 18 people in the city of Lewiston in the state of Maine are dead, and a further 13 are injured. Police are hunting 40-year-old Robert Card, who is believed to be armed and dangerous.   There's a "shelter in place" order for residents and two neighbouring towns.   Portland Press Herald lead reporter Marla Hoffman told Hawkesby that these places are small town America, and it's unfathomable to think it's happening there.   She says it's broad daylight now and people are very scared and in shock.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are hopes Christmas will bring businesses a cash bounce.  The latest Retail NZ sales index —for the third quarter— shows many retailers sat in a holding pattern before the election.   59% reported increasing prices and just 57% felt confident their businesses would survive the next year.  Business NZ CEO, Kirk Hope, told Kate Hawkesby that there’s a lot more certainty after the election.  He said that there is a very clear pathway for businesses and a lot more clarity around what policy is going to be.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Further concern about the state of Wellington City Council's books as it agrees to a new budget for the Town Hall.  The council agreed to approve up to $147-million towards the redevelopment, an expense which could bring the total up to $329-million.  The heritage-listed building has been closed to the public for the past decade for quake-strengthening.  Wellington Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Simon Arcus worries this could impact rates or other projects.  He says they've raised concerns about debt for a long time.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You’ve got to think there’s something very rotten in the state of the public service in this country that they’re carrying on —in some quarters where they know full well they’re getting cancelled— that they’re carrying on hiring people, working on projects, spending money, commissioning work.   Why? They’re not going anywhere. Three Waters, light rail, Let’s get Wellington Moving... why are people on these projects persevering when they must know it’s over? They’re gone, surely the spending stops. It’s reckless and wasteful, and smacks of a deluded sense of entitlement that they can carry on in the false belief —or maybe just arrogance— that wasting taxpayers' money on contracts and outlay trumps the reality, which is they’re toast.   Give it up. Stop already. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are being spent on things that will be completely irrelevant and non-existent. There is a guy, as we know from yesterday, at Three Waters hiring people. What a waste of time and money.   This is another problem with delayed special vote counting and a delayed formation of a government of course. It all takes too long. I was heartened to hear even PM in waiting Chris Luxon saying the process needs to be sped up. The electoral commission —under the previous government— actually extended the special vote count period if you can believe it. To account for those enrolling on the day, they added another week.   Madness. So now we wait this crazy three weeks whereby belligerent public service operators carry on with their head in the sand spending money on stuff going nowhere. If the new government had been able to get their feet under the desk sooner, all this would have been stopped by now and the country would not still be haemorrhaging cash on go nowhere projects. People like the Three Waters man would be stopped in their tracks.   Luxon said people should have been able to read between the lines by now and those projects stopped. Full stop. Those resources and that money needs to go to other things, he said. He’s incredibly frustrated with the time delay and people like that guy abusing it by hiring and carrying on, wasting our money, says everything you need to know about how the previous government operated and why they lost our trust.   Luxon said they can’t stop these projects themselves until they’re officially a government, but he did say he’d have hoped people would read the room and stop. Mark Mitchell said it’s a complete disrespect of taxpayers' money and I agree with that.   So how much responsibility should the caretaker government have in all this? Should they be putting this stuff on ice? Why are they allowing a spend up free for all on stuff the incoming government will axe? Megan Woods agreed it seems wasteful but said they’re in caretaker mode. Is that a good enough excuse? She said it’s up to the incoming government to disestablish any programmes, she said it’s not a perfect world but it’s the way it is.   It just feels to me that while all the excuses and hot air is getting bandied about, yet more money’s being spent, or should I say wasted. And I think we as taxpayers deserve better.   Hopefully a change in direction and a shift in priorities with this new government will refresh outdated attitudes within the public service, and this nose-in-the-trough-to-the-bitter-end mentality, will stop. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's Government has made further public comment on the conflict in Israel and Gaza.   Outgoing Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, in consultation with incoming Prime Minister Chris Luxon, has joined international calls for humanitarian corridors in Gaza and designated safe areas.   Honorary Consul for Israel, Henri Eliot, told Kate Hawkesby that what's missing is the New Zealand government recognising Hamas as a terrorist organisation.   He says the hostages still being held in Gaza aren't being talked about enough.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Peter Dunne is someone I really respect because he’s emerged from a life inside politics to remain an engaged and informed observer on the outside.  He makes a lot of sense, which is why I love having him on this show. He recently gave an interview where he talked about the fact we shouldn’t have to wait this long for election results. I agree.   I’m sure most of us do. I mean we voted for a system like MMP which is not that clear cut so that parts on us, but surely the mechanism for counting special votes can be sped up. As it stands, special votes have to be sent back to their electorates. That’s your first hold up. Secondly they’re counted manually. They’re also taking all this time to scrutinize the roll, check for any duplication of votes, recount votes... and bear in mind there are around 567 thousand special votes apparently this year.   But Peter Dunne says we need to speed it up.   He said, “the votes need to be transmitted back to the electorates, they should be counted much more quickly and then those results declared within days.” So days, not weeks, and I agree.   Could they do it? An overhaul of how the electoral commission operates would be needed, and I actually think that’s not a bad thing. I mean on the face of it, the electoral commission seems an antiquated cumbersome old system. Too much paperwork, easy vote cards and voting packs having to be sent out to every letterbox, which were in many cases too slow to get out anyway, and as it turns out you don’t even really need them. A wacky rule around when a candidate dies in terms of adding a seat to create a potential overhang and having to go through a costly by election. Crazy.   But all of this dilly dallying and waiting three weeks means we wait almost a month after voting to get a government formed. All that time of limbo and nothing happening. All that time of a new government ready to get going and sink their teeth in and make some changes but can’t until it knows what shape it’s taking, and crucially, who’s in it.   It actually puts us all back if you think about it. If you factor in that three quarters of the country wanted a change of direction, then that’s three quarters of us stuck going nowhere. Which means the country is going nowhere.   I guess the alternatives would have to be soundly tested though – I mean automatic vote counting machines like in the US could be considered dodgy by some, so however the system changed it would have to get buy in. But surely not sending votes back to their electorates would be one easy fix to speed things up. That seems OTT.   Because it’s not just getting on with it to appease our curiosity as to what formation the next government will take – ie, with or without Winston, but also what decisions need to be made, what changes are coming. Whether the new government has time to enact much before Christmas. Can they get a new mini budget up? Can they get going on their first 100 days list? Can they push through the reforms they want to push through?   Starting a new government about 8 weeks out from Christmas doesn’t leave much time to kick into gear, and as far as I can gather, we’re all pretty keen for change to kick into gear, sooner rather than later. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concerns that Wellington City Council's financial books aren't in a good state.  Castalia was commissioned by a group of locals for an independent analysis of public records, which suggests a one-billion-dollar budget blowout.  Group member and Wellington Lawyer, John Swan, told Kate Hawkesby that the council's 'reckless.'  He says they've bitten off more than they can financially chew, but concedes that some of it is down to inflation.  Council Chief Financial Officer Andrea Reeves says the analysis makes assumptions based on outdated information.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Rotorua Councillor says they'll be more transparent with the public, but some meetings need to be confidential.  A Chief Ombudsman review of eight councils has found some have effectively closed workshops to the public for invalid reasons.  It followed complaints they were undermining local democracy by making decisions away from the public eye.  Rotorua Lakes Councillor Fisher Wang told Kate Hawkesby that the community should also expect the council to be fully informed.  He says that means sometimes they have to meet and discuss things behind closed doors when the topic is of a confidential nature.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christopher Luxon's staying tight lipped about coalition discussions.   Meanwhile, ACT's David Seymour says he's happy to make the coalition agreement public once it's been struck.   Arrangements in 2017 weren't made public by Jacinda Ardern, with the Chief Ombudsman ruling details couldn't be requested under the Official Information Act as it came within her capacity as Labour leader.   Former National Health Minister Jonathan Coleman told Kate Hawkesby that historically, it's always happened behind closed doors.  He says negotiations are always kept private, and even in retrospect no one really knows what went on and why things were negotiated.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emergency warnings have been issued for people in the way of fast-moving fires in southern Queensland.  From today, residents in several towns about 250 kilometres from Brisbane have been urged to leave their homes immediately.  Evacuation centres have been set up.  Australia correspondent Donna Demaio says one of the fires, which has burned about 200 hectares of land already, is deemed suspicious.  She says temperatures will also be hovering around the mid 30's which will make things extra tough.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How good is a long weekend?    And is Labour weekend not one of the best? It’s the downhill slide to Christmas, which by the way is just nine Fridays away now.   It’s heading into summer, it’s just a vibe. I notice people had an extra spring in their step – the sun was shining, the AB’s won a place in the final, we had two good games of rugby to watch in fact, there just seemed a real buzz over the weekend. I’m sure great weather helps, especially after the winter we’ve had.   But I always think Labour weekend signals just how crazy busy the summer season may get if you live anywhere near a tourist hotspot. Where we live rurally is near a thriving wee summer hotspot which attracts huge crowds of people – particularly at weekends, but even more so at public holiday weekends. And it’s a catch 22 for locals.   On the one hand you’re thrilled for your local pub and shops and village to get such great business, but on the other hand you can’t even get through the traffic to get a Pub lunch. So, happy for the Pub, sad for us.   I bet locals in places like Waiheke, or the Wairarapa, or Raglan, or Kaikoura, or Northland, etc, feel the same way. But it does make me wonder how much small communities are prepared for the summer surges, how much infrastructure is in place to cope with the sudden influx?   It would be nice to have some way of expanding facilities or road access at times like this, but the fact it’s so seasonal makes that a bit tricky, doesn’t it? You can’t build a bigger Four Square and have extra through roads, if in reality they’re going to sit empty for the rest of the year.   But how good to see business back buzzing and tourists in town. Beaches filling up, surfboards on roofs, boats being towed, cafes overflowing. Even if it means you can’t get lunch at your local Pub because it’s so chocka. We are lucky to have such beautiful surrounds in this country – and especially at a time like this with so much volatility going on around the world, it makes you feel grateful to live in a haven like New Zealand.   Yes, there’s a lot wrong in this country right now but we still have free access to beautiful beaches, parks, and hikes. We can get in a car and drive to spectacular scenic vistas that people from other countries would pay big bucks to be able to do.   When the world feels tumultuous, somehow our distance from it all, makes us feel safer. Or at least lucky to be so far away. Doesn’t make chaos in other parts of the world any less hard to watch, but it does make us grateful for what we have I reckon. And in rural areas in particular it does feel a million miles away from chaos.   But the gateway to the summer season always starts to unlock the crowds, which definitely happened this weekend. It’s not just rurally though, cities are about to be flooded with people too. The cruise ship business says it's preparing for a huge influx of cruisers arriving soon. Which makes you wonder how ready our CBDs are for that too actually.   So this weekend was maybe the calm before the real surge starts to pump. How good though, especially if the sun was shining where you were. I reckon sun, an AB’s win, and a change of direction for the country, is a great combo that’s got us all on a bit of a buzz after a long wet tedious winter. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Four years on from the March 15th Christchurch terror attacks, the coronial inquest is beginning today. Coroner Brigette Windley will hear up to eight weeks of evidence.   She will determine the cause and circumstances of the 51 deaths and make recommendations to prevent similar tragedies in the future.   Herald reporter Anna Leask told Kate Hawkesby that the coroner will look at whether people could've lived if emergency services or hospital staff had done things differently.   She says there are a few other questions the families don't feel have been answered, including whether the gunman had help.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The outgoing and incoming governments are blaming the caretaker convention for keeping tight-lipped about the situation in the Middle East.   The convention applies when an outgoing administration is preparing to make way for an incoming one.   International Geopolitical Analyst Geoffrey Miller told Kate Hawkesby that New Zealand's done the minimum: condemning the Hamas attack, calling for restraint from Israel's response, and funding humanitarian aid.   He says beyond that, ministers have been reserved by design because of the caretaker convention.   Miller says we're waiting for formation of a new government for a fuller response.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A macroeconomics professor is hitting back at a forecast our economy is on track for a soft-landing.  Infometrics has revised its expectations for next year up to 0.9% growth, saying strong migration figures are having an effect.  Auckland University Professor Robert MacCulloch told Tim Dower that the report is silly.  He questions how they could come out with a line like that when next year the International Monetary Fund ranks our GDP growth at 180 out of 189 countries in the world.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are suggestions that we need to redefine what constitutes a one-in-75 years flood.  A new housing development on land which flooded during Auckland's record-breaking January downpours is drawing criticism.  AUT construction expert John Tookey told Tim Dower that there's legislative requirements that you have to be able to deal with degrees of flooding.  He says if you're in a zone such as this, you need to have design features within the property which reduce the worst effects of a one-in-75 years flood.  The site's developer declined to comment.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fresh concerns today about alcohol advertising near schools.  Today's Medical Journal reports on a survey around more than 50 Auckland schools, which found each of them had at least one alcohol ad within 500 metres.  And it's pointing out there was alcohol advertising close to 63% of low-decile schools.  Instinctively, that doesn't sound so good but can we just back up the bus here for a second?  One alcohol ad within 500 metres of a school... does that strike you as an end of the world is nigh situation?  No, me neither.  If it's the only ad for anything in that 500 metre radius and it's as big as a house, maybe that would register but would it send you steaming off to a bottle shop?  Did advertising have anything to do with your early choices around drinking? No? Thought not.  More likely the influences that steered you towards or even away from a particular product, or from alcohol altogether, were a lot closer to home.  Wouldn't it have been your peers, your family, and the way they conducted themselves around alcohol?  That's likely where most of us get our early impressions of the pros and cons of alcohol.  Most likely where we saw it going a bit awry from time to time.  Now obviously advertising works. We know it does. Radio advertising works particularly well, just quietly.  And if advertising didn't work at all, businesses wouldn't do it.  Advertising for tobacco is maybe a good example. Did you know it's been 60 years since we started banning ads for tobacco on radio and television?  But did taking away the ads cause everyone to stop smoking overnight? No. It's taken a lot more work and a lot more regulation than that.  I'm not saying advertising doesn't play a part in encouraging people to try different brands.  But to jump from seeing a few ads to saying it causes young people to start drinking earlier and even binge drink, that's too much of a leap.   And to be honest, when you make wild claims based on small amounts of data you probably do your cause more harm than good. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tomorrow morning brings with it what is set to be an intense match.  The semifinals between the All Blacks and Argentina kicks off at 8am.  Former All Black and Sky Sports Presenter, Jeff Wilson, told Tim Dower that this tournament was never going to be won in round one.   He said once you get to this point of the tournament, the draw doesn’t matter as the teams have nothing to lose.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The UK Prime Minister has publicly pledged his support for Israel, in Israel.  Speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Rishi Sunak says he stands by Israel's right to defend itself in line with international law.  He says he also welcomes Netanyahu's decision to allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, and the UK will increase its aid to the region.  UK Correspondent Vincent McAviney told Tim Dower that he was echoing the same sentiment of the US, warning them to be cautious about occupating Gaza.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dire scenes in the Middle East.  At least 500 people have been killed in an airstrike of a Gaza Hospital.  Hamas says it was caused by an Israeli strike, while Israel claims a rocket from a militant Palestinian group falling short is responsible.  Jacqui Southey, Research Director at Save the Children, told Kate Hawkesby that the humanitarian situation is becoming dire.  She said that food, water, and medical supplies are running out, but it’s impossible to get aid in without a ceasefire.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I want to thank Auckland airport shareholders for being vocal on the state of Auckland airport.  They got grumpy and got into it with the airport at the annual meeting this week. And it's not before time. Issues with delays, queues, bags, lack of service, lack of staff, have been going on far too long and too many travellers have already suffered needlessly.   The worst time I think was when the airport CEO came out and said 'it's complex'. Well, that's running an airport, isn't it? Of course it's complex, yet airports all over the world, in countries all over the world, way busier and bigger than us manage to do it every day. So why can't we?   So frustrated shareholders apparently grilled the airport over all the problems, for which the airport and biosecurity officials apologised. But is an apology enough? I'd say no - what we need is action, we need it turned around, we need it fixed. It was reported that 'one shareholder hit out at the airport's inconsistency in service.' They'd called the airport 'an absolute zoo'. Another called it 'an absolute shambles,' and the lack of help, 'disgusting'.   But in acknowledging the problems and saying they're unacceptable and apologising for them, the airport's still not actually fixing them, are they? I notice whenever we challenge the airport on all these issues and their lack of any decent service, they all run for the hills pointing the finger at each other. 'Oh it's not us it's them. It's not customs, it's bio security, it's not baggage, it's the bridge guys, it's not our fault it's the airlines fault.'   And yes there are a lot of moving parts - airlines, ground handlers, customs, bio security, and so on... but why can't they cohesively all be overseen in a way that functions? It's not like we haven't had a functioning airport before, so why can't we have it again? What's wrong? What's changed? No one seems to want to be honest enough to say what it is - or bother pinpointing what the problem is.   I'd hazard a guess it's lack of staff, lack of qualified or decent staff, lack of systems, lack of good management. All of those things can be fixed, but to do that you have to be honest about identifying the problems, and you have to want to fix them. Running around pointing fingers blaming different departments is not going to cut it.  And as for the airport blaming flight delays, I mean that's just BS quite frankly. Flight delays are nothing new. Airports have dealt with flight delays for as long as planes have been flying. They say their rosters can't cope if the flight changes, then hire more people. Work the rosters in a less regimented fashion. Stop operating on some rigid intransigent unionised schedule. Be flexible - work with all the moving parts you've got. You can't argue it's a place of so many moving parts and then fix it with rigid rostering.   So I'm not sure how this gets sorted if the powers that be won't actually work with what the problems really are, and try to address them honestly, and with real intent to actually make it better. And maybe that's the crux of it - are the 'powers that be' actually just the wrong people for the job? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin may be re-charged over the shooting of his colleague on the movie set Rust.   Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed during rehearsal in 2021, after the gun Baldwin was handling went off.   US correspondent Mitch McCann told Kate Hawkesby that special prosecutors dropped the involuntary manslaughter charges five months ago, because the gun might have been modified and malfunctioned.  He says since then, they've reportedly received new analysis of the weapon, which could lead to new charges in the coming weeks.   Baldwin's lawyers are calling this a misguided prosecution.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AA’s view is that the employment market has tipped back in favour of employers.   Seek data shows the number of job ads fell 2% in September.   Frog Recruitment Managing Director Shannon Barlow says workers are better off than pre-covid, with wage increases coming through and more flexible working conditions.   She told Kate Hawkesby that now with fewer jobs around, employees may be less choosy.  Barlow says they may not push as hard for more benefits.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A social media expert says imposing a fee on users to verify their accounts is a smart move.  In a bid to combat bots and scammers, X —formally Twitter— is creating a $1 annual fee for new, unverified users, starting with New Zealand and the Philippines.  Social media commentator Vaughn Davis told Kate Hawkesby that it means credit card companies will have to verify who's real and who's not.  He says requiring someone to pay just one dollar, the burden will be on the bank to figure out who's real and the social media platform won't have to jump through those hoops.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two things that have come to light out of the weekend that I think shed a real insight into how shallow we are as a country.   And don't worry I include myself in this, I’m as shallow as the best of them, and in fact I was front row for both of these sideshows.   One, whose Toni?   And two, Luxon’s wife’s arms.   I mean when Chippy said he wanted to thank a new special person in his life and then went on to announce a new partner by the name of Toni, I almost fell off my chair. Mic drop moment. Was this the outgoing PM coming out? Would someone so intent on family privacy be doing this now? On election night? During his concession speech? Inviting the whole of NZ into his private life?   I wondered if it was just me frantically googling Toni, but then I saw a story saying Google searches for Toni spiked Saturday night – so fess up, come on, we were all doing it. Not that there’s anything wrong with him having a new partner of course, just that it was odd he would announce a marriage break up a year ago and ask for us all to stay out of his private life, and then to an enormous audience invite us all back into his private life.   And although I’m very happy for him to have a new love in his life, I also wonder how much of a distraction that was during the year given how often he turned up unprepared for interviews and hadn’t read or seen any media. So maybe that explains something. But all the best to him of course.   Which brings me to shallow obsession of this country number 2: Amanda Luxon’s arms.  Given the interest in her unbelievably toned and spectacular biceps, Luxon was asked to explain it. (Of course he was). To which he told media she’s always had biceps, just no one’s ever noticed them before. Imagine the day after you win an election, one of the things you have to explain is your wife’s biceps. But here we are.   Maybe we’re all desperate for some light relief? Maybe we all just genuinely want the inside scoop on how to have arms like she does? He said she’s fit, runs every day, is a go getter. We also heard she’s a former ballet dancer, and the ballet dancers tell me once a ballet figure, always a ballet figure, so that’s a good advertisement for ballet. But Luxon said she helped him with his exercise and diet regime during the campaign, which was apparent actually, given he lost weight and seemed to gain energy throughout. You know what they say, behind every great man... I feel like we all need an Amanda Luxon at home telling us what to eat and how to exercise, and maybe she could share arm workout tips too?   So aside from a new government, we got new goss didn’t we? Chippy’s new partner, and Luxon’s super fit one. Hopefully for both of them, that’s it and we’ve had our moment of fascination and they can go back to being behind the scenes which is obviously where they prefer to be. But we just needed some light relief, didn't we? The campaign was too long, the election night was long, and now coalition negotiations could be long too.   Is it any wonder small distractions —albeit yes, shallow ones— are grabbing us right now? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US President Joe Biden will head to Israel tomorrow, hoping to prevent a regional war.  Otago University international relations expert Robert Patman told Kate Hawkesby that Biden is taking a calculated risk should the conflict escalate.  He says the purpose of Biden's visit is to express solidarity with Israel and open up a humanitarian corridor.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Security has been ramped up in parts of Europe after a suspected terror attack in Belgium. Two Swedish football fans were shot dead near the stadium hosting a Euro 2024 qualifying match. The Tunisian man who claimed responsibility has been killed by authorities in a Brussels Cafe. He'd identified himself as a member of the Islamic State. Europe correspondent Gavin Grey told Kate Hawkesby that those hosting games are staying on high alert. He says security has been tightened for the England-Italy game at London's Wembley Stadium, as well as the upcoming France and Scotland match in Lille.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A small business advocate says companies are still feeling the pinch despite lowering inflation.   The inflation rate in the year to September was 5.6%, lower than the 6% in the year to June.   Small Business Voice NZ Chief Executive Max Whitehead says while he's optimistic for the future, that lower rate isn't being reflected in many's experience.   He told Kate Hawkesby that there isn't the confidence at the moment for businesses to reinvest in themselves.   Whitehead says they're reluctant to put money into things like machines which can improve productivity.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are hopes that the new speed cameras being installed in Auckland will change driver behaviour. They measure the average speed a vehicle travels between two cameras and will only ticket drivers if the average speed between them is over the limit.   Research shows they can reduce road injuries or fatalities by more than 50%.  Driving safety instructor Tony Williams told Kate Hawkesby that the sophisticated cameras are likely to have an astronomical cost.   The cameras are being installed at Matakana, Dairy Flat, Redvale, Whitford, Karaka, and Glenbrook, with testing starting in December.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

‘Jacinda was prepared to sell her grandmother”.. read the headline yesterday.   A statement made by Ron Mark when interviewed about how coalition negotiations have gone in the past with NZ First. Unfortunately, he went on to say in the article that not only was she ready to sell her grandmother, but she did.   Ouch.   What an indictment on an already unpopular leader. But it should serve as a warning to Luxon and co as they head into the rocky, murky waters, that is the negotiation of coalition deals. Hopefully they don’t feel they need to sell the grandparents.   Two other things to bear in mind: one, Winston’s’ a wily old dog, and two, Luxon is new to this politics game. I hope he’s flanked by enough political savvy to keep him from trying to flog the family jewels, but then again, he may not even need Winston. All the talk of the specials leaning left I don’t buy this time round. Remember, a lot of those specials are overseas voters – the very ones who got locked out, pinged in MIQ, missed funerals for loved ones, or scarpered overseas post the lockdowns, in disgust with where our country was going. The brain drainers... how do you reckon they’re voting?   Yes, the specials tend to lean left – as they have in the past, but this time round is different. This time who's to say they won’t go the way the rest of the votes have gone, a punishment for Labour? The Greens of course always pick up all the student votes, and they may pick up those disgruntled Labour voters who can’t bring themselves to vote for National – but we wait, we watch, we hope for the best.   And when I say the best, I genuinely believe a two-party government beats a three-party one, purely because there are less moving parts. I said this before the election and I still believe it. And no, it’s not because I hate Winston, as some texters have accused me, I just don’t believe he adds value. He has pet projects he obsesses with: racing, provincial growth fund, superannuitants, but outside of that he seems to not really care. He's a lot of noise and grandstanding, not a lot of action. Although super gold card holders will disagree, they probably think he's the messiah. I’m just not sure NZ First voters this time will get what they wanted or hoped for, out of their vote for him – especially if he’s not even in government.   So a tricky time of negotiations ahead and I’m not sure how over it we all are in terms of being happy not to hear about any politics for 3 weeks while they sort it out, or desperate to be across every aspect as they go. I mean when Luxon says we’re not negotiating it through the media, that’s fair enough and I believe that’s his wish. But what if ACT or NZ First – if they’re involved, think differently? You’d like to think that with so much rhetoric around the grownups being back in charge, that they would actually all act like grownups, but we’ll see.   The temptation to use the media will loom large for anyone feeling disgruntled, but it will be a particular irony if that’s Winston given he’s so adept at shunning them and talking them down all the time. But you just know that if anyone's going to loop them in, leak, and play a negotiating game including them, it will be him. Oh the irony. So a long three weeks ahead? Or we just don’t care? Let me know what you think. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour MPs are set to realise the magnitude of their election loss today.   The party is set to farewell a large number of outgoing MPs at their first caucus meeting this morning. Former Labour MP and Political Commentator, Peter Dunne, recalled what it was like in 1990 when the party had a big election loss.  He says the big shock was when the new caucus met and they realised how few of them were left.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Inflation is likely to be back on the rise as motorists continue to pay more at the pump.  Stats NZ will release its latest inflation figures at 10.45am.  Infometrics Chief Forecaster Gareth Kiernan expects inflation in the year to September to reach 6.2%, up from 6% in the year to June.  He told Kate Hawkesby that global events and the removal of the fuel subsidy are pushing up fuel prices, but National's plans to reduce government spending could reduce inflationary pressure.  Kiernan says it will take time for any cuts of departmental spending to show up in our inflation figures.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A whirlwind trip to Israel could be on the cards for US President Joe Biden.  The death toll in Israel has surpassed 1,400, while Gaza has reported more than 2,700 hundred casualties.  The planned trip comes after Biden said in an interview that an Israeli occupation of Gaza would be a huge mistake.  Washington Post reporter Yasmeen Abutaleb told Kate Hawkesby that it's the first time he's drawn a limit on what he'd endorse from Israel's response.  She says Biden has said previously Israel has a duty to respond overwhelmingly to Hamas' attacks.  Meanwhile, MFAT says around 50 New Zealanders are understood to still be in Israel, with 20 registered in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The number of people who expect house prices to continue to fall is dropping.   The ASB Housing Confidence Survey shows 8% believe that, down from 34% last quarter.  More people think now's a good time to buy but there's still a split.   Aucklanders are the most confident house prices will increase.  ASB economist Nathaniel Keall says it suggests the market's at a turning point.   He says people still think prices will fall further and interest rates will rise, but the number is far less than even a few months ago.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gazans are being urged to evacuate south as Israel prepares for ground operations.   Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to "demolish Hamas" after their deadly rampage through Israeli border towns.   Israel has unleashed a ferocious bombing campaign on Gaza in retaliation for the attacks that killed some 1300 Israelis, mostly civilians.   Gaza authorities say more than two thousand 200 people have been killed there, a quarter of them children.  European Correspondent, Gavin Grey, told Kate Hawkesby that it's become increasingly difficult to get foreign nationals out of the country.  He said that the UK’s foreign secretary is working to secure the opening of the Egyptian border for a short time in an effort to get British nationals out.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well what a weekend.   From the nail biter of a fantastic AB’s game, which, for the record, I was never in any doubt of. For those of you who were still listening to our election night coverage at midnight Saturday night you would have heard me say I picked the AB’s to win – so you know, never in any doubt from me, just saying. Just so happy for Fozzie to be honest. I feel like he deserved that.   Likewise I thought the Nats deserved to win Saturday night like they did. You can’t take away from Luxon what he was up against... from a shambolic leaking party at the start, to some in house scandals, to an unsympathetic media, to constant grilling about how unliked and unpopular he was, to a gruelling and nasty campaign against him from Labour and their Union mates at the CTU.  He had it all thrown at him, and he just kept going. Slow and steady wins the race. On reflection, personally, if we made one mistake it was getting sucked in by the polls, we started to believe them. I did anyway. I think questions need to be asked now about how pollsters are conducting these in this post-landline age. They seemed ropey at the beginning, but then as they stacked up and up and up – and we sure weren’t short of polls— they seemed to all be telling a similar story.   Turns out, they were wrong. Worst culprits were obviously Newshub, where an excited Jenna Lynch breathlessly announced just a couple of days out from election day that ‘the Nats had crashed’.   It really got to the point of crazy at the end there. Maybe we all just went nuts because it was such a long campaign, we were all delirious by then. But I don’t think we as voters were well served by the so called non-biased press gallery reporting, and by sideshows like whether Chris Luxon believed in dinosaurs.   I think what the wipe out for Labour very clearly points to is a rejection of Jacinda – particularly in Auckland where National did so well. I mean Chloe won the electorate seat of Auckland Central, but Auckland had a massive blue wave. And I actually put Chloe’s win down to name recognition and just being a face of Auckland for so long. Mahesh came dangerously close there and I think he'll be a force to be reckoned with next time – he just needs more time and more name recognition.   But Hipkins got a hospital pass from Jacinda of the very worst kind, I felt bad for him in the end. Voters rejected lockdowns and her sneering treatment of them and the fact her very own Mt Albert electorate is so close to flipping blue for the first time in history, speaks volumes about how toxic the Jacinda brand had become. International coverage leapt on it, one headline calling it a ‘devastating verdict on Jacinda Ardern as New Zealand votes out Labour party in 'bloodbath'.   CNN said: "New Zealand shifts right as voters punish ruling party". And I do think it was the party getting punished —and Jacinda— more so than Chris Hipkins himself.   So look it’s all on for Luxon now. After an exhausting campaign it now seems the nitty gritty of the hard work really starts for him: how he cobbles together his government, who gets what, does he need Winston after specials are counted or not, and how the heck does he make it all work.   All I can say at this point is thank god the All Blacks won, thank goodness the election campaign is over, now all we need is for the sun to keep shining. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The National Party says it's keeping the special votes in mind as it starts working out how it will form government.   Deputy Leader Nicola Willis says they won't be doing any negotiating via the media because they want to respect the privacy of prospective coalition partners.   She told Kate Hawkesby that work is going on.   Willis says they're progressing relationships with parties they want arrangements with.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The All Blacks have made it to the quarter-finals, facing Ireland on Sunday morning.  The team for the match has officially been named, and Mark Telea is out for disciplinary reasons.  Irish Rugby Commentator, Michael Corcoran, told Kate Hawkesby that it’s finals footy from here on in.  He feels that whoever wins this match will go all the way to the finals.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A number of airlines have suspended their services out of Israel, leaving hundreds of thousands of people stranded.  As a result, the UK arranging special flights to get British nationals out of the country.  Europe Correspondent, Vincent McAviney, told Kate Hawkesby that they are commercial flights, and as a result people will have to pay for them.  But, he said, this will allow them to flee the conflict and get back to the UK.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A catch 22 for a West Coast town facing a daunting prospect of eventually being washed away. The Waiho River has been changing its course and rising due to sediment build up.  If nothing's done, it's feared the township of Franz Josef could be gone in 20 years.   The West Coast Regional Council put forward a 10-year plan to sacrifice the southern stopbanks protecting farmland and properties.   Chairman Peter Haddock told Kate Hawkesby that the community has been aware of the build-up of the river for the last 20 years.   He says the council has a responsibility to act now, because if it does nothing they'll end up like Hawke's Bay's Esk Valley, which has seen devastating flooding.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well this is the last time I talk to you before Saturday... although we’ll all be here Saturday night. Mike, me, Heather, and Barry, if you want to tune into ZB’s election coverage or watch it live streamed on the ZB or Herald websites, we’ll be here. Depending on how it goes if you look closely on the livestream you may see me tearing my hair out.   Honestly, I’ll be glad to see the back of it. It’s been too long, too divisive, too feisty, too nasty. I think that’s all been a turn off for voters and it may go towards explaining the current apathy. If the polls don’t pick up Saturday, then I think that says something about how this whole campaign —from every side— has been run. The sniping, accusations and insults has been gross. The misinformation that’s been allowed to run unchecked, fuelled by media, has been a disappointment. Christopher Luxon said on this station yesterday when Kerre asked him what’s true and what isn’t given all these attack ads that he was grateful to be given the opportunity to clarify that, given no journalist had asked him that yet. Can you believe that? All the disinformation out there and not one journalist stopping to ask if it’s even true. Luxon says he’s confused as to why the media waste time asking random inane questions like, ’do you believe in dinosaurs?’ which then becomes a feature on the 6 o’clock news over and above policy that will impact the daily lives of New Zealanders.   Labour has a high-powered machine of negative publicity blitzing National these last couple of days, making claims that simply are not true. Attacks is all they have, but the sad thing is how many people may fall for it without checking for themselves or reading the policy. How many believe the attacks and think National will cut their winter energy payments? (Not true) Or sack teachers (not true), add interest to student loans (not true), drop University fees free (not true), the list is endless. Luxon says they’ve tried to counter all this misinformation, but if the media won’t cover it, how do they get cut through?   But the key thing we as voters need to start doing I think, alongside understanding MMP better, is think more big picture.   We’re so in the weeds now and into the micro, that we’re not pulling back and looking at the bigger picture. A change of government is one thing, but it’s not enough – that government needs to be able to act decisively to elicit wholesale change to turn around the direction of this country. If it can’t do that, if it's encumbered by in fighting, hobbled by the handbrake that is Winston and his petty demands, or him siphoning off money for side shows like the provincial growth fund, then they achieve nothing. They’re ineffective, and we don’t get the change we need.   And then come 2026, they’re potentially out. The country lurches left again – probably with a new iteration of a fresh version of a Jacinda, and with a greater push to move further left, back to all the things Hipkins shelved like a wealth tax and a capital gains tax.   We don’t want to waste 3 years on a circus act. We need proper government that can be bold decisive and effective, and if there are too many pieces in that puzzle, then it won’t be real impactful change.   Anyway we’ll know, hopefully tomorrow night just how messy or otherwise it’s looking. And if you haven't voted already just remember, your most important vote is your party vote. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Hipkins and Chris Luxon went head-to-head last night in their final debate before polling day tomorrow. Political Editor, Jason Walls, told Kate Hawkesby that he agrees with commentators who described the tone as 'cranky'. He says it was clear Hipkins' tactic was to try get under Luxon's skin which worked for the most part. Walls says he found Hipkins to be quite aggressive during the debate. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is on his way to Israel.  Once there, he'll meet with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  Netanyahu and opposition leader Benny Gantz have formed an emergency government and war cabinet.   US Correspondent Mitch McCann told Kate Hawkesby that they will only deal with bills and government decisions regarding the conflict.  He said that it’s Israel’s latest step, and it’s predicted they’re preparing for a ground attack on Hamas.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A tale of two polls - but there's just one answer.   Newshub-Reid Research and 1News-Verian have released their last opinion surveys before election night on Saturday.   Both suggest the only viable coalition is National, paired with New Zealand First and ACT - but the margins are narrowing.  Political Commentator Brigette Morton told Kate Hawkesby that the election is shaping up to be about getting the vote out.  Advanced numbers are currently sitting behind what was predicted, and there’s been much discussion about the soft and undecided votes.  The problem with the polls, Morton said, is that for them to actually matter the parties have to get out and get every single vote they can.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Incoming migrants are giving the New Zealand workforce a boost.  Stats NZ has revealed the year to August saw record high net-migration, with 110,000 more people moving to New Zealand than leaving.  Westpac Senior Economist, Satish Ranchhod, told Kate Hawkesby that part of the reason job ads have come down is because businesses are able to find staff more easily.  He said that without migrants, they had to advertise much more widely and were still unable to find the workers they needed.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two Ws are potentially going to ruin our weekend: Winston and Wayne.   Winston could kill all the fun Saturday night by holding the whole country to ransom and not forming a government. Wayne Barnes could ruin Sunday morning with his calls against the AB’s... we are potentially in for a rocky weekend of woe and misery leaving us all with a collective hangover Monday. The country could sink into a deep depression. More so than it already is. Yikes.  I’m still aghast at how many people don’t understand MMP. I know someone who went to vote yesterday, the person next to them said to the volunteer at the polling station – ‘so wait a minute have we got two votes?’ The volunteer said, ‘yes one is party vote one is electorate vote.’ He replied, “what’s electorate vote?”   I know of another person who wants to change the government, hates the way the country’s going, wants change, but in the booth decided they were fed up with all the politicians and so did a “protest vote” and voted Green. Now Green doesn’t change the government. Protest votes don’t work, there’s no such thing. It’s just a vote. Your party vote is the most important one. Where you put it matters. It changes the government or it doesn’t. We still as a country do not seem to understand this. After all these years of MMP, we still don’t know what we’re doing which worries me no end.   I’m also worried about the polls, the lack of enthusiasm and engagement, and the difficulties I’m hearing about with overseas voting —links not working, papers not uploading or downloading— because when it’s too hard people give up.   If I had a magic wand, I would change the voting system. MMP doesn’t work, I regret voting for it. In my defence, I had no idea what I was voting for. It seems now 25 years on, many of us still don’t get it.   That’s a shame. Because if you think about it, why don’t we educate ourselves on this stuff? We can cite exactly the machinations of how the World Cup works, who's in what draw playing what side and where they’ll end up after pool games, who gets who in the quarters and what that means for the semis and whose refereeing, we can tell you everything about that and educate ourselves happily on that. But on one of the single most important things we will ever do, every 3 years, we can’t be bothered working out how it works.   Is it that we don’t fully understand how important government is? Is it a slow boil lobster in a pot situation? We don’t wake up to how bad it is until it’s too late and then we get all mad and hate what’s happened but when we get our chance to have our say, we don’t understand it, so we just tick any box. Or worse, don’t vote at all.   The people who don’t vote and see that as a protest, again, it’s not, it’s just a wasted vote and a missed opportunity to participate in democracy. If you don’t vote, you can’t complain about what New Zealand chooses for you. But is politics so boring that we just switch off, and then when it comes to voting we can’t really be bothered finding out how it works? So we just moan a lot but don’t make any effort to fix anything.   I know well educated people who still don’t know how it works and haven’t bothered trying to find out. Last night’s polls —if we believe the polls— tells us Winston is likely kingmaker. And then if Wayne Barnes buggers it up for us at the quarter final, don’t be surprised if I sound depressed Monday. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New research shows rural kids are less likely to gain University Entrance than urban counterparts.   An Auckland University study's found rural students had a 15% lower university entrance rate, creating barriers for them to get into courses like medicine.   Area Schools Association President Louisa Barham told Kate Hawkesby that it doesn't surprise her or concern her.  She said that there’s a difference in pathways and curriculum between urban and rural schools, as the environment influences what is focused on and what students are likely to do once completing their education.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m just not sure how —in this day and age— we’re still doing hazing rituals at Uni initiations.   I know it’s huge in America, but like all the US’s bad habits, why’s it come here? It seems particularly prevalent in Otago. So far this week we’ve heard of horrific initiations, one involving biting the legs off a live duck, I mean I can’t even believe we’re saying that in a sentence it’s so barbaric.   The other one being where two students allegedly got told to strip down to their underwear only to be called “piggies”. It was reported they were told “to strip to their underwear and stand in the centre of the room while 30 men and women watched on.” The second-year students who’d asked them to do this, then ‘used marker pens to circle parts of the young women’s bodies deemed to be “fat” and called them “the piggies” during the evening.’   I mean how is this happening in 2023? How is this possible that women could do this to other women? The idea was to humiliate them, which was very effective. It’s disgusting. Other initiation incidents apparently include ‘a group of women who were made to chain smoke inside wheelie bins, which then filled with carbon monoxide, causing one of them to pass out.’   I mean shame on the people demanding other students do this kind of thing, but also shame on the participants for doing it. How is this a thing? The duck leg thing was horrific enough, the students who allegedly ‘were forced to bite the legs off a live duck as part of a “sick and twisted” flat initiation, along with binge drinking games that involved eating their own vomit.’   I mean when it’s that sick and twisted, why are you participating? And whose overseeing all this? Who at the initiation end of the Otago Uni experience is not warning newcomers about these sick grotesque rituals and letting them know they don’t have to do it? Where’s the heads up? Where’s the duty of care to these students? Stuff like this could scar you for life. It’s an impressionable age, kids just want to fit it in, they obviously believe they’ve got to do it.. so why is the University not more on top of this stuff? Embarrassing people as a means to have them secure a place in a flat by making them do horrific things may seem outside of the University’s remit, but it’s not. This is their students, in their student town, being forced to indulge in dumb student rituals that can have dangerous and lasting consequences.   The Otago Student’s Association claims these are ‘pretty isolated incidents’ and not part of the culture there. But the people who were humiliated of them claim it is part of the culture. So whose right? Otago Uni for its part had sent the proctor ‘to ‘flats identified as likely to host events and providing face-to-face information, followed by specific targeted email advice’ in a bid to crack down on initiations apparently, but that clearly didn’t work, the message did not get through. Their warnings were ignored.   I just think emails and warnings and claiming its ‘pretty isolated’ actually has zero effect on the perpetrators. There needs to be a zero-tolerance approach to students who want to behave like barbarians. I’m not sure how Otago Uni gets that message through, but they need to work a bit harder at it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The death toll in the Middle East conflict continues to rise.  A thousand Israeli people have died since Hamas' surprise attack, while retaliatory attacks in Gaza have killed more than 800.  Up to 150 Israelis are believed to be held hostage currently, with Hamas saying it won't negotiate over them 'until the end of the battle'.  US President Joe Biden will address the American people shortly about the conflict.  Washington Post Foreign Affairs Columnist, Ishaan Tharoor, told Kate Hawkesby that there are questions of how Biden defuses a crisis like this — one which potentially may reach a scale never seen before.  He says he'll have to articulate some form of vision beyond his already pledged 'unwavering support'.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The conflict between Israel and Hamas rages on.  Israel's death toll has surpassed 1000 people since Hamas' attack, while more than 800 are dead in Gaza following retaliatory strikes.  Up to 150 Israelis are being held hostage currently.  Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni told Kate Hawkesby that they're waiting on the next steps and will provide humanitarian support when the opportunity arises.  She says those kinds of measures take time, but New Zealand is always quick to provide support and will do so when possible.  US President Joe Biden will address the American people about the conflict shortly.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I think what stood out for me yesterday when Chris Hipkins was in the studio with Mike for a couple of hours, was how relaxed Hipkins was.   As the two hours slipped by, he seemed to get more relaxed, leaning back in his chair more and more, taking it easy. I wondered if the Coke Zero hadn’t kicked in, or maybe he was just tired, or maybe he’s just given up.   I mean don’t get me wrong, I thought he came across well, I think relaxed is good. But I was interested to hear what he backs about his government, and what he was less proud of. MIQ, the debt still owed to them over that and their handling of how to manage that, he thinks they could’ve done that better or differently.   As an Aucklander who felt like they got locked down for way too long I can tell you from where I sit, I’d have liked to think he would have felt they could have handled that better. He didn’t mention any regrets around slow procurement of PPE or RAT tests or locking Kiwis out of their own country for so long, or having the borders shut seemingly forever, but he did think they could've managed the costs owed for MIQ better. He still doesn’t know how much money is owed from that, interestingly. But he does back his government’s approach to crime, co-governance, and management of the economy.   He puts a lot of the criticism of his government’s performance down to international headwinds or global pressures, doesn’t take much responsibility for what their part in it all has been. But when asked if he backed his Foreign Minister, Nanaia Mahuta, he said he did. Now her appointment was odd from the get-go.   She was a Jacinda appointment that left people scratching their heads, she had no background in foreign affairs whatsoever, she didn’t like travel, she hadn’t held senior roles at cabinet level before... it didn’t make a lot of sense. She also yesterday put her foot in it when she didn’t condemn the attacks on Israel. While other international leaders condemned them, she described it as ‘an outbreak of violence between Israel and Gaza...’ and called for ‘an immediate end to all violence.’   Now alongside being so embarrassing that the PM and leader of the opposition had to jump in immediately and correct that statement, it also got picked up by overseas media. Sky News Australia reported that she failed to condemn the attack. Nicola Willis, who we had on the show yesterday, said Mahuta’s statement was so weak, that Christopher Luxon had to speak up and condemn the attacks on Israel, followed by the PM.   So does the PM feel Mahuta is out of her depth as Foreign Minister or does he support her? Well he told Mike yesterday he supports her and thinks she’s doing a great job, although he said he thought her words ‘could have been stronger’. But here’s the weird thing, she didn’t even run that statement past him, they didn’t even talk before it went out. Hence he had to put out another one straight after it. But he backs her on the international stage, said he has absolute confidence in her. Which I think helps explain why his party is so often accused of not reading the room.   If you think that’s an acceptable offering from your foreign minister, and you don't even want to pick up a phone to each other beforehand, then you’re probably not aware of how low the bar has sunk. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's thought that up to 1,300 have died in the conflict between Israel and Hamas so far.  Around 800 Israeli people have been killed since the Palestinian militant group launched its attack, and almost 500 have died in Gaza after Israel retaliated.  It's thought up to 100 Israeli citizens have been taken hostage.  Israel is cutting off all electricity, food, and fuel to the Gaza Strip.  Victoria University international relations expert, Alexander Bukh grew up in Israel.  He told Kate Hawkesby that citizens are in a state of shock and pain.  Bukh says the Israeli Government is punishing Hamas and unfortunately Palestinian civilians also living in Gaza.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pleas from Massey University's science faculty seem to have fallen on deaf ears.  The university is forecasting a loss of more than $50 million, well up from last year's deficit of around $8.8 million.  It plans to slash around 100 science jobs and stop teaching engineering at Albany.  Tertiary Education Union organiser Ben Schmidt told Kate Hawkesby that Vice-Chancellor Jan Thomas seems determined to push through with it.  He says she needs to slow down, listen to staff and work for better funding, maintaining these services and access to education.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the many things that are hopefully on the new government’s radar come October 15 is the state of our cities.   I mean yes our communities and our suburbs are in dire straits too getting ravaged by crime and unruly gangs in many places, but our CBDs are a mess - they’re unsavoury places.   They don’t feel safe anymore. I get people messaging me every day about the CBD, particularly Auckland, and what a mess it is, or how embarrassed they are of it. Which is a shame because parts of it are really cool.   There are cute little precincts and awesome little shopping areas which have been hijacked by dickheads and losers.   Two messages I got just this week, from two completely different people, travelling in Australia at the moment.   The first one said, “In Sydney, not a road cone in sight, streets are clean, everyone looks lovely, don’t feel unsafe at all, city is buzzing, Michael Hill don’t have security guards.. didn’t realise how bad NZ was til we left.”   Another one said, “Hi Kate I’m in Sydney. What I have learnt being here only two days is they know how to do things right, and clearly NZ doesn’t. The city also has a vibe and you can feel it. Auckland city feels like a morgue.”   Now these messages make me sad, as a born and bred Aucklander, who was once a proud participant in city life, it’s heartbreaking to see what it’s come to. It’s a crying shame the very same streets I frequented as a teenager at night, I now warn my own children not to go anywhere near.   But the vibe thing that second texter sent me really resonated.   The vibe is actually so important, it’s not ethereal, I think it’s true to say you can feel the vibe of a city. I felt it myself recently in Sydney. Clear as a bell, it felt awake and buzzy and energized.   And yes, markedly different to Auckland city.   I’ve thought about this a lot, because the easy answer is just leave, which actually isn’t all that easy. It’s easy to say, but pretty hard to do.   Not everybody can just pack up and leave and haul kids out of school or move away from family and friends and commitments.   You build a life in your community and in your area. I mean I admire the people that can and do, do it, successfully, but it’s not easy.   Having said that, I have an increasing number of friends who are selling up their big Auckland houses and moving out, not necessarily overseas, but just out of Auckland given it’s become so hard to live in these days.   If it’s not crime it’s sink holes, or traffic, or lack of decent public transport, or supermarket thefts or the odd car jacking.   I mean people do wonder how bad it’s going to get, how much more we have to put up with.   But I continue – perhaps naively – to have faith that we can turn it around. Looking at what Sydney does would be a good place to start.   The same way Auckland airport should look at Singapore’s Changi as a role model of how to do things properly, we should be looking to Sydney.   There’s much we could learn from how they do it. I think a big part of it is making people feel safe, is to clean up the CBDs, and I know with the number of cruise ships expected in this summer - bringing with them hundreds of thousands of new tourists, that we just have to do better and be smarter than we currently are. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Calls have come for New Zealand to use its voice as a war breaks out in the Middle East.   Dozens are believed to have been captured by Palestinian militant group Hamas which has launched an attack on Gaza.  The Government says more than 600 Israelis have been killed in attacks from Gaza.  It's believed that as many as 100 soldiers and civilians were kidnapped when Palestinian fighters crossed the border and raided communities. Palestinian officials say retaliatory Israeli air strikes have killed at least 370 people in the Gaza Strip, with 2,200 wounded.  Democracy Project Geopolitical analyst Geoffrey Miller says it was appropriate for Chris Hipkins to condemned the attacks.  He says there was no condemnation in the Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta's earlier statement.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National's Deputy Leader Nicola Willis is defending the party warning of a second election. The party has ramped up efforts to keep New Zealand First out of the mix - warning there's a growing possibility National wouldn't be able to get a deal done. Willis told Kate Hawkesby there's always a risk they won't get enough support. She says a lot of people already believe there's going to be a change - but they have to vote. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we reflect on the —let’s be frank— end of this government’s tenure, I can’t help thinking about all the stuff they dropped the ball on, that I wonder if they regret.   Mental health, the $1.9 billion none of us know where it is. Light rail. Child poverty. Kiwibuild, a tangible disaster. Not taking the country with them when they had a majority, an unheard of opportunity to take us with them, and they blew it.   The MIQ shenanigans, the shutting of the borders for so long, the crime levels, the co-governance, three waters, they had so much promise, and they just dropped the ball on it all. Too many consultants, too many reviews, too many ministers with scandals and issues that saw them off one by one, just too much chaos.   But I wonder if we only feel acutely about the stuff that affects us directly. I was in the car yesterday and heard a caller ring Kerre when she had Hipkins on. He had a question for the PM, who was sitting in his hotel room, doing the interview over Zoom. But this guy sounded really mad, he sounded emotional and he sounded angry, and you just got the sense he was speaking from the heart. And his question was about vaping.   Now I don’t know for sure if he was the Dad of some young vapers, but he sounded like he might be. He sounded personally affected by it. He started by saying to the PM – “I really don’t think you or your party have any idea what goes on in the real world.” So, a bold start to the question. He told the PM he thought he was “detached from reality”. He went on to say that one of the things that “disgusted and perplexed him the most about the Labour party was the lack of will to follow Australia’s lead around hardening up on vaping.” He said it was “akin to child abuse” in his view. He said the “fluffy regulations” they’d put in place were “a detachment from reality.”   You’ve got to ask yourself at this point if Hipkins is thinking twice about doing Zoom interviews from isolation. I mean personally if I was him and tanking in the polls like they are, and stuck in a hotel room isolating with Covid, I’d just hunker down and watch the Beckham doco on Netflix and be done with it. So you’ve got to hand it to him that he’s even still bothering turning up virtually for this stuff.   But this caller said he reckoned they’d ‘passed the buck here —passed the responsibility onto others— palming it off to retailers,’ he said. Hipkins replied with Labour’s policy on it – limit the number of vape stores nationwide to 600, and keep them away from schools etc. But he then defended not going any harder than that because he said he didn’t want people going back to smoking tobacco.   I think Hipkins missed the point, in that this caller was talking about youth access to vapes, the epidemic now so prevalent among that cohort who’re taking up vaping. So maybe they were talking at cross purposes, the PM was more interested in adults who’re giving up smoking and switching to vaping. Which perhaps made this caller’s point. A slight detachment from reality here in terms of who vaping is really harming.   And it made me think about how much of this stuff the government’s misread. And whether in their quiet moments they regret not doing more with the mandate they had from this country in 2020.   If being in politics is all about legacy, I just wonder what this past term government’s really is. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pay equity for care and support workers has been halted.  Te Whatu Ora's called for a review as the claim process nears the end, much to the disappointment of unions and employers.  Aged Care Association Chief Executive, Katherine Rich told Kate Hawkesby that she believes the health agency halted the process as the cost was more than anticipated.  She says they're calling foul as it impacts the most vulnerable and lowly-paid workers in the sector.  Te Whatu Ora says the review seeks further assurance on specific technical questions, and once answered they'll progress to the next stage.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Queenstown's mayor is raising concerns over the country's water supply crackdown.  Water regulator Taumata Arowai has sent a letter to 27 councils lacking in a sufficient protozoa barrier, informing them they have till mid next year to get a plan in place.  Queenstown Mayor Glyn Lewers told Kate Hawkesby that when it comes to enforcement, the regulator has teeth, with fines and jail time both being a possibility.   He believes he's under-mining the industry they're trying to regulate.   He says rates will likely increase as councils compete for resources, which have largely been sucked out of the country thanks to Queenstown's cryptosporidium infection outbreak.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A bumper summer is expected ahead of the cruise ship season.  A total of 54 ships will make 1,000 visits to New Zealand shores this season, expecting to bring around 350,000 passengers.  Kaikōura and Bluff both have forward bookings, and Lyttelton is back on the calendar following upgrades.  But Tourism Holding Limited CEO Grant Webster warns that infrastructure issues will eventually come into play.  He says we need a quality international cruise port, and we'll lose the cruise ships to Australia if we don't invest in that.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m rallying the troops at the moment to early vote.   By troops I mean family members, but also anyone who’ll listen. So far I think just my husband, my sister and I have early voted. Others are waiting til the last minute. I’m not sure what might happen last minute that could change your mind, short of a scandal of some kind I guess. But you either like the direction the country is going and want to keep it this way, or you don’t.   At the heart of it we’re essentially voting for change or more of the same. My concern is the short memories of Kiwis as I said the other day, and how many will try to justify pepper potting their vote around like some kind of MMP pick and mix. That’ll only end in tears, probably mine if Winston has anything to do with it.   I do worry about people’s understanding of how government works that they want to appoint a troublemaker to the mix and think that’ll elicit change for this country, It won’t. it’ll just elicit chaos. And surely we’ve had enough of that. But, democracy is democracy, and we deserve what we vote for.   But I am getting a small understanding of why people aren’t enthused and maybe don’t want to vote. They’re fed up. Sick of the negativity and angst and politicians bashing between themselves. Sick of the media attempting endless gotcha moments, sick of the aggressiveness, just sick of all of it.   My sister was saying she went out to vote yesterday and there were five lovely people working at the polling station so delighted to see her because she was the only one there. Not another soul in sight, she’s in Christchurch. She felt like the only person early voting in her area. She said they couldn’t thank her enough for coming in. But she’s sick to the back teeth of all of it and has tuned out.   She says this campaign feels like the comments section on Facebook, and reminds her why she’s not on Facebook. She said it’s just dissolved into a name calling, back stabbing, petty little hate fest, full of bitterness and negativity and it’s a total turn off. She can’t wait for it to be over, she said they’re all acting like children. The politicians that is, and the media. She said they’re all as bad as each other and she’s sick of them.   And that sort of helps explain the disconnect by those who’re not engaged and not enthused. I mean I genuinely hope early voting numbers pick up, and people do exercise their right to vote, but I can see how the acrimony is a turn off. I think most campaigns descend into this kind of stupidity and pettiness but we’re so far into the weeds now and I just don’t think people care about the minutiae, I don’t think they care who did or didn’t turn up for a debate, or who said what about who, they just don’t care.   They want to know how they’re going to pay their mortgage and how much petrol’s going to cost, and whether their local Dairy will continue to get ram raided and if their streets will ever feel safe again and whether they’ll ever get seen at A&E, or their kids will get a good education.  They want the fundamentals to be right and the direction and vision for the country to be heading in the right way. But with this endless bickering and noise, all it does is drive people to the fringes – to the old punishment vote, or the ‘I’ll show them!’ vote, and those are all wasted votes. They’re not votes that’ll elicit fundamental change.   So, 9 days out, it’s safe to say I still feel none the wiser as to how this could go. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marlborough residents could be in for an expensive few years, with millions more needed for road repairs than first thought.   Fixing the flood damaged transport system is expected to cost $74 million more, totalling $234 million.  Marlborough District Council Chief Executive Mark Wheeler told Kate Hawkesby that their cost estimates were cautious but reflect the current reality.  He says construction cost, inflation, and contractor shortages have also added to the expense.  Wheeler says rates are expected to rise by 10%, assuming Waka Kotahi provides financial assistance.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Reserve Bank is tipped to keep the Official Cash Rate unchanged at 5.5% when it comes up for review this afternoon.  Westpac's Kelly Eckhold told Kate Hawkesby that a change is unlikely so close to an election.  However, she said, the markets are looking at a 50-60% rate increase in November, earlier than the Reserve Bank had previously indicated.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A year of wet weather has taken its toll on some in the veggie industry.   New data from NIWA shows that in September, areas like Otago, Southland, Canterbury, Wairarapa, and Auckland received well above normal rainfall.  But last month was also the warmest September on record.   Leaderbrand Chief Executive, Richard Burke told Kate Hawkesby that recent rainfall has been difficult.   He says it's been the hardest 18 months they've seen from the growers right through to sales, with outages and a lack of product.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I come to you today with – fingers crossed – great news.   I say fingers crossed because let’s hope it lasts, I don’t want to be accused of speaking too soon, but I’m hearing reports that Auckland airport is on the improve. For starters, it’s opened an express lane. Very heartened by the headline yesterday which read, “Auckland Airport trials screening Express Lane to cut down unacceptable wait times”. I mean is that not music to all of our ears?   I was reading a text to you guys yesterday about the listener who had paid extra to fly home via Christchurch airport purely to avoid travelling through Auckland. We’ve been aghast at the number of messages, emails, texts and complaints from people saying how chaotic Auckland airport is. How long it takes, how shambolic it is, how disorganised... not enough staff, staff who don’t know what they’re doing, lack of communication, just general mayhem. And this has been going on for months. So if they’re onto sorting that already, fantastic.   Because don’t forget Greg Foran from Air NZ even got involved and said he'd have it sorted by Xmas, which at the time, seemed nigh on impossible given the state of it. And also, not his problem, but obviously he has a vested interest in it working smoothly. But I’m hearing already, things are on the improve. To a point. Depends when you travel.    A couple of people messaged me yesterday saying they’d come in through Auckland Airport this week with absolutely no issues and in good quick time. But my brother and sister-in-law came through it yesterday and said it’s still hit and miss. The new trials of things are underway, but not all seamless yet.   So while screening may have an express lane to speed things up and move a bit quicker, customs can still be a bit cumbersome. The trial of the new digitised arrival cards works for some people, but not others. I’ve heard mixed reports on those – sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. I also hear they’re trialling a new scheme whereby those digital arrival cards can be scanned a variety of ways on entry, again, it’s hit and miss.   But look, any and all attempts to iron out the issues at the gateway to our country are gratefully appreciated. It’s long overdue and it’s so critically important given Auckland is the welcome mat for so many to our country.   I did have to laugh when I read the airport spokesperson who said, “the New Zealand arrivals process is a complex one with many moving parts.” I mean is that or is that not directly from the Labour party playbook? It’s all a bit complex. Saying stuff is complex these days will excuse you from just about anything, corporates in particular love saying it. “It’s a bit complex.” The irony there is, it’s no more complex than what every single other airport in the entire world deals with, and some of the busiest airports – way busier than Auckland’s, still manage to pull it off without making people wait two hours.   So I live in hope that we are on the way to having Auckland airport fixed for travellers. It’s had a really bad rep, it’s taken a beating, so no doubt they’re keen to have it ironed out too and restore a bit of credibility. I don’t doubt extra resource has been thrown at it to cover off the school holiday period, which ends this weekend, so I guess the real test is whether after that it’s still on the improve.   I know you guys will let me know if it’s not. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was too good an opportunity to pass up.  Auckland Council has spent more than $12 million expanding its Botanical Gardens.   It's bought 1.6 hectares, the size of two soccer pitches, on Hill Road in Manurewa.   More than 10 million dollars of the purchase price will be funded by debt.  Manurewa-Papakura Ward Councillor, Daniel Newman, says he lobbied hard for the purchase.   He knows money's tight, but this was the only time they could buy this particular parcel of land.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s been a mixed response to Labour's pledge to do more to help new supermarket retailers set up shop in New Zealand.  While details are in the early stages, help with finances, gaining land space, and making regulator changes are on the cards.  New Zealand Initiative's Eric Crampton told Kate Hawkesby that changes to zoning for new supermarkets would be welcomed but warns against subsiding entry for new chains.  He says starting new retailers on subsidies could lead to chains asking for more handouts down the line to stay in the market.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I went out in search of some democracy yesterday, trying to early vote.   I looked up on the Vote NZ website where in my area had early voting places open and what time. I headed out on a walk confident I’d found the place but as I rocked up there, the lights were out; the first bad sign. Then I saw an actual sign on the ground, blown over in the wind, it said ‘no early voting here until October 9th’.   So back to the website I went, determined to find a place. Turns out it couldn’t have been easier, the local Westfield mall had a huge polling station open, lots of bright orange signage and as it turns out, lots of people looking to early vote. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised, they say about two thirds of us early vote usually, and they’re expecting more this time round. I think they were saying they're expecting about 80% of Kiwis to early vote this time.   We stood in line behind a man in a suit who was talking to another man who’d not even registered to vote but wanted to. So he was in the special vote line, registering and enrolling on the spot so he could cast a vote. The man in the suit said to us he’d been waiting so long for this day and he was so excited to finally get to vote. He wasn’t even in his electorate, but you don’t need to be in your electorate, or even enrolled, or have your voting card on you, just turn up, they sort it. It’s too easy.   So don't think you've got to wait for your vote card... you don't. After I did my ticking, it was my husband’s turn. He wasn’t going to vote early, he’s all about tradition and doing it on the day and he had fond memories of walking to the local church with the kids when they were old enough to vote, and us all voting together in a nice big family outing. But these days barely any of our voting age kids live in NZ, or even Auckland, so I reminded him his trip down memory lane while sweet, was not going to be recreated this time.   As he went into the booth to cast his vote, a lady in the booth next to him popped her head up over the top and said to him, “Two ticks Chippy?” So shout out to her for being hilarious and making the experience even more fun.   And I mean it when I say fun. I actually love voting. I love exercising our right to democracy, I love that we can, I never take it for granted. Every time I’m in the polling station I think of all the places where they can’t do this or can’t do it with any freedom or integrity anyway. I mean it might not always go your way, and you might not like the system, but at least you have the right to do it. Nothing's stopping you from doing it.    I can’t understand people who say they don’t vote. It’s a right we fought for and are so lucky to have. It’s one of the few times you get to have a tangible real say in what you want for our country. We get to participate in democracy, we get to have our voice heard. It’s a privilege. I think it’s churlish to snub that privilege and just say you can’t be bothered, or you hate all politicians or there’s no point. There is a point. You get to do something many countries shed blood over, go to war over, but not here.   The fact we get a voice, and get to have it heard, is something to be celebrated, and it’s something I will never take for granted. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I know I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again, I’m so over this election. Please let it be over already.  Now that Winston’s crept back into the fray, we've got the old gameplaying of not just the politicians - but the voters now too who seem to believe they can rig MMP in their favour.  They want to design their own bespoke government. After all these years, we still don’t seem to get it. Essentially NZ voters are their own worst enemies.   Nearly two thirds of New Zealand voters think the country is heading in the wrong direction – but the smorgasbord of wasted votes plays to those who indulge themselves in delusions of grandeur that MMP provides them an ability to vote tactically.   They truly believe they can change the direction New Zealand is going with a sprinkling of some self serving bias - but it sadly doesn’t work like that.   Believing you can ‘send a message’, or ‘take out some insurance’ or ‘punish’ a party, is deluded.   To vote ‘tactically’ against a party you traditionally support or to counter the perceived threat of another minor party, means you’re at the same time ignoring a raft of potentially crazy economic and social policies, to tick a box which you mistakenly believe will ‘hold the new government to account.’   John Key once famously said if you want steak, order steak. And yet still, when we say we want steak, there are some who order mince instead, and with a side of veges, ‘just to keep the chef on his toes.’   It makes no sense.   Countless polls have shown the two core issues at stake in New Zealand right now are the cost of living and rampant crime. That’s before you get to our broken health or failing education systems.   Yet a large chunk of New Zealand voters, who are desperate to see a change in direction of this country, somehow think they can afford to split their vote and yet still expect to see a change in direction.   They are not doing the maths, they are not reading the room.   Based on latest polling, a coalition of Labour, Greens and Te Pati Maori  gets 45 percent of the seats in Parliament, even though 66 percent of voters think the country is going in the wrong direction.   Head scratch.   A coalition of National and Act, which would arguably change the direction of this country which two thirds of voters think is heading in the wrong direction, on latest polling has only 50.8 percent of the seats.   This makes no sense.   Don’t even get me started on Winston.   Any government involving NZ First will go in no direction, it will stall as Winston looks to negotiate, grandstand and play games – hauling on the handbrake of progress in any and all directions.    Yet in latest polling, with a backdrop of two thirds of New Zealanders thinking the country is heading in the wrong direction, NZ First is on the precipice of holding progress to ransom as kingmaker.    This will inevitably put New Zealand into a sleeper hold – right at a point in history where it needs to be taking some deep breaths and big bold steps.   Be careful not who you vote for, but WHAT you vote for.   Rhis is before we get to the woeful tail of tiny parties like TOPP, Vision NZ, Liz Gunn, Hannah Tamaki and co, the waste of time territory. We either want change or we don’t.   The stakes for New Zealand have never been higher, we are at a cross-road – and we cannot afford to stall now in the middle of the intersection.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The property market is experiencing some pre-election jitters.  It seems Kiwis are holding off on making big decisions until after D-Day - with the national average asking price staying flat the whole of September - this is according to realestate.co.nz's last report before the election.  Vanessa Taylor, head of sales at realestate.co.nz, joined Kate Hawkesby on Early Edition to discuss the report's findings. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National's Deputy leader says its economic plan is solid despite widespread doubts.   The party released its fiscal plan on Friday, Finance Minister Grant Robertson describing it as being built on sand.   A recent Newshub Reid Research poll found 53 percent of respondents don't think National can pay for their tax cuts.   The tax plan was also criticised by economists from across the political spectrum.   Despite the doubters Nicola Willis told Kate Hawkesby the plan has been carefully put together.  She says there are buffers in place in case parts of the plan go over or under expected cost.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Polls are great. I love ‘em and I love the occasional surprise we get from them.  They're really useful in providing those snapshots of public opinion at any given moment.  And you'll be aware the political parties use them extensively, not just to see how they're tracking but for all sorts of nefarious stuff like testing out our reactions to policy ideas.  On top of that there's also a lot of research into the way leading figures are perceived, all part of the process of moulding and shaping them for maximum ballot-box efficiency.  But the thing about polls that we rarely take much notice of, and should, is the sampling process.  It's vital, if you want accurate answers to your questions, to be scrupulous about the sampling process.  Let me explain.  Say you're doing a political poll; you want to be sure your respondents match the demographics of the population as a whole.  So, you end up having to interview so many men, so many women, and a set number of people in each age group to match the voting population.  For example, the 1News poll uses roughly half and half randomly selected people on mobiles and volunteers from a panel; these are people who've done interviews in the past and have agreed to take a phone call from time to time.  Like most of the others, a sample of about a thousand people are called up over a two or three-day period.  Thing is, no matter how careful you are errors start to creep in. For a poll using a thousand people, even carried out very cautiously, your results are only good to within plus or minus three points.  So reporting numbers within that margin —in this example say, how many people are going to vote NZ Loyal— well it's pretty much pointless.  What's the point of all this?  The point is that I suspect polls influence the way people vote, possibly even whether people bother to vote.  And I'm going to suggest that this is such an important election that you can't leave it to the polls to make up your mind. Yet at the same time, we're all voting tactically. We kinda want that extra bit of information.  For what it's worth, and again I'm not trying to influence your vote, I've made up my mind on the issues—on the principles, and the issues.  I'll vote on Monday and try to forget about it until 14th.  Let's just hope we're collectively a little less grumpy once this is all over. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sanitarium has dropped Weet-Bix from the Warehouse stores, blaming supply issues.   The Warehouse Group is questioning why only its stores are affected and the Commerce Commission is looking into it.   Massey University marketing expert Bodo Lang told Tim Dower that it's unusual to target just one retailer.   He says it's something we don't see very often, and the way Sanitarium has handled it doesn't help as it hasn't clarified why only The Warehouse has been shutout.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A young American soldier who ran across the North Korea border is in US custody and heading home.  Travis King made a sudden dash from South to North Korea whilst on a civilian tour of the demilitarised zone two months ago.  Before he ran to North Korea, the 23-year-old had served in a South Korean prison for assault and was due to be sent home to Texas to face consequences.  US Correspondent Mitch McCann told Tim Dower that he's now been flown to China to be held in US custody.  He says King will face the consequences of the US military this time.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The chances of Chris Hipkins retaining his role as Prime Minister appears to be fading by the day.  The latest One News-Verian result puts National on 36% while Labour sits at 26%.   Earlier this week, the Herald's Poll of Polls showed Labour has a 0.2% chance of staying in government, the worst result for any main governing party since the Great Depression.   Former National Party advisor and political commentator Brigitte Morton told Tim Dower that the chances Hipkins will continue as Prime Minister are getting down to zero.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trying to pick a winner from a TV debate is a tricky thing to do.  First thing I have to bear in mind is that I'm not impartial when I look at these things. I've already decided who I want to win, so that's bound to be an influence.  I started going through it round by round, first one to Luxon, even in the second, Hipkins in round three.  Four to Luxon, five to Hipkins... overall, I'd have to say Hipkins was the winner on the night.  Which you might expect, given he's the career politician.  Did Luxon score at all? Well yes actually, he did okay for a comparative beginner.  Multi-millionaire he may be, but to my mind Luxon actually came across as the more real of the two. More in touch with what the public is saying and thinking.  Hipkins, and again my perception is obviously slanted by my political position, Hipkins was aggressive from the get-go and even looked a bit desperate.  Once he'd hit his straps and got a few zingers in he started to look cocky, arrogant, and a bit sneery.  His face formed into that 'I know better', pursed-lip, mouth like a cat's bum expression.  Luxon, and again, this is tainted by my politics, I thought he actually radiated more warmth and humanity.  The way our politics functions now puts a lot more pressure on the party leaders to have all the answers. We didn't elect Labour last time, or the time before, we elected, well, you know who we elected.  Point I'm making is that these debates are vote-winning opportunities.  Hipkins won the debate and he's probably shored up some Labour supporters who might have been wavering.  But Luxon went that little further. There were moments when he showed he's aspirational for the country, not just himself and the party.  For the first time since he became leader I felt I could actually see him as Prime Minister.  And that's something other people have said about meeting Luxon in the flesh; he's serious about the task and he's come a long way. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More than $3 billion worth of food waste is filling up New Zealander’s bins every year.  Rabobank-KiwiHarvest's survey estimates household's waste 12.2% of groceries yearly, a slight decrease from last year's 13.4%.  Gen Z remain the most wasteful age group.  KiwiHarvest Food Rescue charity founder Deborah Manning told Tim Dower that one of the problems is consumers demand to see a high quantity of food at stores.  She says people want to see full shelves of bread at every hour of the day.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A plea for whoever's in Government next month to address the worrying state of the events sector in Auckland.    Auckland Unlimited has revealed to the council that no major events are confirmed in the city beyond August next year due to a lack of funding.  Heart of the City Chief Executive Viv Beck told Tim Dower that it's a major international city, so this needs to be resolved.   She says there's a big opportunity coming up for the incoming Government to really look at the whole funding mechanism for Auckland.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I guess it had to come at some point in the campaign... National's traditional swipe at the beneficiaries.  I really don't know why they do this, sanctions of one kind or another have been tried and tried again, but the fact is they really don't work.  This time the formula includes mandatory community work experience, and of course benefit cuts or suspensions.  None of its new. We've seen variations of this kind of thing for decades and little ever seems to change.  Fact of the matter is we are carrying a cohort of people who are satisfied enough with a life on the bludge.  They could work, but that's a mug's game to them when your beer money comes automatically every fortnight on the benefit.  You and I know it's their loss. Standing on your own two feet is good for the soul, work is good for the mind and body.  But when you lash at them you also hurt a lot of genuine cases, kicking people when they're down basically, and I'm not up for that.  Bashing beneficiaries is lowest common denominator stuff. It plays to a certain crowd. It pleases those of us who resent feeding people who could legitimately feed themselves.  This time National wants jobseekers to reapply for the benefit every six months, and provide proof they've been out looking for work, to keep getting a benefit.  There's no arguing with the numbers: benefit dependency has surged, there's 60 thousand more people on Jobseeker than when Labour took office.  And in the latest figures from MSD, everything's gone through the roof. Not just base benefits but things like accommodation supplement, special needs grants, 650 thousand hardship payments in the March quarter alone.  Now for sure, the numbers move around a bit, but the fact is we will never change the mindset of those people who just don't want to work.  And that element will always be there, they won't change until there's some kind of epiphany, or they just grow out of it.  So what do we do? Do we bang about tough new regimes and clampdowns that achieve next to nothing, or do we get on with stuff we can actually change?  I say go for the stuff we can change: the economy, law and order, the health system, productivity.  And oh, fix the bloody roads will you? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A challenge has been laid down for political parties to act on breast cancer.  The Breast Cancer Foundation is releasing election scorecards which shows that all parties want to raise the free mammogram age to 74.  Only the Greens, New Zealand First, and TOP would lower the minimum age for higher risk women.  Chief Executive Ah-Leen Rayner says there's a willingness to do more, but responses were light on detail or didn't go far enough.  She says breast cancer is a human issue not a political issue, but needs political leadership to address it.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Business New Zealand is predicting a gloomy outlook for the economy.   It says economic growth is likely to be marginal over the next year in New Zealand.   It's also predicting global growth to be slow over the next few years.   Advocacy Director Catherine Beard says that alongside China's economic slowdown, other factors are adding to the disappointing predictions.   She says other factors like increasing oil prices and the Reserve Bank's battle with inflation will contribute.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's accusing National of beating up on the vulnerable with its new welfare scheme.  The opposition is promising to introduce traffic light style sanctions to those on the dole who aren't meeting Jobseeker requirements.   A red light breach could mean reductions, mandatory work experience, and someone's money being managed by WINZ.  Labour's Social Development spokesperson Carmel Sepuloni told Tim Dower that it's in line with previous National parties, she's still surprised by the timing.   She says given the challenges the country is facing, she was disgusted by the timing of the announcement.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Latest polling shows National will need New Zealand First on board to form a government.  The latest Newshub-Reid Research poll shows Labour's fallen slightly to 26.5% and National's dropped to 39.1%.  The Greens' boosted to 14.2%.  With ACT's 8.8% the right-bloc would have 60 MPs, just below the 61 needed to form a government.  New Zealand First's 5.2% would be required.  Political commentator Dr Grant Duncan told Tim Dower that Luxon 'had to' end the speculation, because in all likelihood, he may be having to make that call after the election.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hundreds of Air Vanuatu passengers have been left frustrated and stranded.  The airline's only Boeing 737 is grounded in Brisbane while it waits for parts following a technical fault.  Australian correspondent Donna Demaio told Tim Dower that suggestions are being made as to how this could be prevented.  She says one travel agent has suggested Air Vanuatu partners with other larger airlines so it can offer more consistent flights.  She says it's caused anger and anxiety amongst many passengers, with some first learning of the situation on their way to the airport.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Now we've had a day to mull it over... has Christopher Luxon played a smart card or a dopey one?  Up until yesterday we were under the impression Luxon wants nothing less than to have to deal with New Zealand First.  But this feels like an admission of defeat, as though Luxon has realised NZ First may well hit the threshold, and if they do that's going to drag down the number of seats National can have.  He says he'll do whatever it takes to form a coalition and I guess a lot of people will have wanted to hear that, and his reinforcing line about ACT being his preferred coalition partner without New Zealand First.  But by putting it on the agenda on a Monday morning less than three weeks before polling day has Luxon gifted a swag of attention, if not votes, to his least preferred coalition partner?  With the prospect of seats around the Cabinet table and of course an important job for Winston Peters, that vote looks a lot less like a wasted vote than it might have done.  So some right-leaning voters, mentioning no names here, are going to feel cheated and sold down the river.  Interesting to see what Sir John Key says about it all. He's been there, done that, and he's pretty much endorsed the Luxon move.  That's despite the fact that Key himself did rule out New Zealand First.  Key says it's a wise strategy based on simple maths, and there's a very high expectation from New Zealanders that the largest party after an election will do everything it can to put together a government and save us having another election.  I guess when you look at it like that, yes, we do expect the biggest party to lead the way towards a coalition.  But we expected that six years ago when National won 56 seats and Labour had 46, and what did we get? And why did we get that?  Work it out for yourself. What really happens if NZ First hits the threshold? They haven't gone with National in 27 years, is that about to change?  Not my place to tell you how to vote. I'll just say this: we're not at a political crossroads in New Zealand, we're at a T-junction  Start down either of the roads ahead of us and it's a hard road back if we get it wrong.  So, which way are we going? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You know you're getting down to the rats and mice when you've got a major political party promising to change speed limits, if only we'll vote for them.  Now I'm not saying National's wrong about a lot of those 30k zones especially, some of them are probably really daft but others might make sense.  I guess the point is we're down to fairly trivial stuff now and the election campaign is limping into a petty bidding war.  Where is the meaningful debate about political ideas? Where is the serious discussion about where we see ourselves in five, ten years from now?  Where is the vision of a better New Zealand for our children, our grandchildren?  I guess we only have ourselves to blame, because when it comes to ticking the box on the day, what's going to motivate most of us?  I'll go out on a limb and say it's money.  Most of us are going to vote for the party which will either improve our lot in life, or at least not make it any worse.  Some of us may be contemplating what we're leaving for the kids, some may even think a little more broadly than that: what's going to make for a better New Zealand overall?  I don't know that changing speed limits, or even how many new state houses are coming will figure that high in the calculation.  And I guess the political parties know how fickle we are, and how easily swayed.  So in case you missed it, this is actually a really important election.  But it's not about speed limits or public housing or special visas for overstayers or how much we spend getting gang tatts off prisoners' faces.  It's about two distinctly different directions we could take the country in.  Do we go further down the disastrous track we've been on this past six years: dismantling law and order, widening dependency on the state, dishing out favours based on race?  Or do we hope it's not too late to fix some of the problems and try to turn this ship around?  This election should not – and hopefully will not – come down to who lets us drive fastest. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

London’s police force said Sunday that some officers are refusing to conduct armed patrols after a colleague was charged with murder in the fatal shooting of an unarmed Black man.  A Metropolitan Police marksman was charged Wednesday over the September 2022 death of Chris Kaba, 24. Kaba was killed after officers in an unmarked vehicle pursued and stopped the car he was driving. He was struck by a single bullet fired through the windshield as he sat in the Audi car.  The case renewed allegations of institutional racism within the London police department. Kaba’s family welcomed the murder charge against the officer, who has not been publicly named. He was granted conditional bail and is expected to stand trial next year.  Only about one in 10 of London’s police officers carry firearms, and the ones that do undergo special training.  The Metropolitan Police force said Sunday that “a number of officers have taken the decision to step back from armed duties while they consider their position.” It said officers were concerned that the murder charge “signals a shift in the way the decisions they make in the most challenging circumstances will be judged.”  The BBC said more than 100 officers had turned in their firearm permits and that police from neighboring forces were called in to help patrol London on Saturday night.  The force said it still had “significant firearms capability," but had asked the Ministry of Defense to provide assistance with “counterterrorism support should it be needed.”  The request means soldiers could be called on to do specific tasks the police are unable to perform, but they won't perform routine police work or have the power of arrest.  Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who is in charge of policing for the U.K.’s Conservative government, said she would review armed policing to ensure that armed officers “have the confidence to do their jobs.”  “In the interest of public safety, they have to make split-second decisions under extraordinary pressures,” Braverman posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “They mustn’t fear ending up in the dock for carrying out their duties. Officers risking their lives to keep us safe have my full backing, and I will do everything in my power to support them.”  Fatal shootings by police in the U.K. are rare. In the year to March 2022, armed officers in England and Wales fired weapons at people four times, according to official statistics.  It is also extremely rare for British police officers to be charged with murder or manslaughter over actions performed while they were on duty.  In one of the few cases in recent years, a police constable was sentenced in 2021 to eight years in prison for the killing of Dalian Atkinson, a former professional soccer player who died after being shot by a stun gun and kicked in the head during an altercation. The officer, Benjamin Monk, was cleared of murder but convicted of manslaughter.  Kaba's shooting came amid intense scrutiny of the Metropolitan Police. In 2021, an officer pleaded guilty to kidnapping, raping, kidnapping and killing Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old woman who disappeared while walking home from visiting a friend. Another officer, who worked in the same parliamentary and diplomatic protection unit, pleaded guilty in January to committing dozens of rapes between 2003 and 2020.  In March an independent review found the London force had lost public confidence because of deep-seated racism, misogyny and homophobia.  The force says it is committed to rooting out misconduct, and has dismissed about 100 officers for gross misconduct over the past year. But it said last week it could take years to remove all corrupt officers.  - by Jill Lawless, APSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Not the best of weekends for New Zealand sport.  The Warriors bandwagon has come to a grinding halt, after the Kiwi side’s 42-12 defeat in Brisbane to the Broncos.  But the Warriors have a lot to celebrate regardless, having gone from wooden spoon candidates to one game away from the big dance.  The Silver Ferns’ post-World Cup hoodoo remains, after their 55-54 loss to England’s B team.  Despite a last-quarter fightback, the young England side proved too strong in both attack and defence in the first three.  Newstalk ZB Wellington sports reader Adam Cooper joined Tim Dower.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Automobile Association is expressing its support for some of National's speed reduction promises.  National's announced it'll return many state highways to 100 km/h from 80, and many local roads to 50.  AA Policy Manager Dylan Thomsen told Tim Dower they like the idea of increasing expressway speeds, having more variable speed limits near schools, and fewer unmanned roadwork sites.  “That’s an area that’s a common frustration for a lot of people, so if we can improve that and have less of that, that’d be great.”  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National's deputy has confirmed the party would work with New Zealand First - if it came to it.   It's understood leader Chris Luxon will confirm in a social media video today that he's willing to work with Winston Peters if necessary.   It comes after weeks of questions.   Nicola Willis told Tim Dower their preference is to form a two-party coalition government of National and ACT.  “Realistically, if New Zealand First is to return to Parliament and we need to pick up the phone to Mr Peters to keep Labour out, to keep the coalition of chaos of Te Pati Maori and the Greens out.”  LISTEN ABOUTSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Chief Children's Commissioner has labelled the latest review of Oranga Tamariki shocking.  The latest probe into the government agency has found that there needs to be urgent change to fix major issues, including those related to staffing and capacity.  Judge Frances Eivers told Francesca Rudkin that it's not good enough and our children in care deserve better.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rupert Murdoch is stepping down as head of Fox and News Corp.   The 92-year-old media mogul has been an influential figure in the US, UK, and Australia for decades, owning numerous tabloids, newspapers and TV channels.   He's passing the baton to his son Lachlan but will remain with both companies as chairman emeritus.   UK correspondent Vincent McAviney told Francesca Rudkin that Murdoch's age is a factor in him stepping down, with some reports of health problems in recent years.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So on Tuesday evening I was quite excited about the first Leaders Debate.   It was a funny old evening. I thought Jessica Mutch McKay did a good job moving things along but the two Chris’s energy wanned, and so did mine. It wasn’t a dynamic debate.    There wasn’t actually a lot of debate.    So, after a solid, but slightly disappointing Leaders Debate, I then turned my attention to the Newshub Nation Powerbrokers' Debate featuring Minor party leaders, which took place last night on Three. Surely this was going to be more entertaining? It did after all feature David Seymour, who put in a sharp and humorous performance at the ASB Great Debate last week in Queenstown. And it was set in a pub.    Joining him was New Zealand First leader Winston Peters, Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, and Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson.    Rebecca Wright was the moderator and she did a commendable job keeping this lot under control, although it was a challenge and there was plenty of spirited bickering.  They covered off race issues, tax reform, law and order, and coalition plans. If you are a politics’ nerd, you probably didn’t learn anything new from the candidates, with each repeating their party’s already known policies.    For others though, this debate likely provided more exposure to the minor parties and some clarity on their values and a few of their policies.    Performance wise Marama and Debbie managed to get their messages across crisply and put on a good double act. Marama in particular was ‘on’ and didn’t take any nonsense.    David Seymour and Winston Peters in contrast tended to ramble and didn’t always deliver a clear message.    But there was plenty of fun as well. Especially when Rebecca Wright asked each party for their bottom lines in possible coalition negotiations. While Greens and Te Pati Maori spoke simply —wealth tax and poverty— Winston Peters and David Seymour put on a show over whether they could work together that gave you a glimpse of what Luxon may have to deal with...    Firemen and adults with trousers on is what to expect folks! Rebecca Wright probably summed that up well when she said, I’m beginning to pity Christopher Luxon.    So what do you think? Can they work together? Of course they will if they have to right - but it might be like herding cats.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I see it reported that 'the Auckland restaurateur whose close to the site of Monday’s fatal bus stop stabbing is worried “people are afraid to come out to the area to eat” after the second violent attack on innocent members of the public in Albany in months.' The other one was the axe wieldng man attacking diners back in June.   But also at the the Albany bus stop, a 16-year-old told the Police that she was randomly attacked there, getting punched in the head and having her shoes stolen. And they wonder why we don't take public transport in Auckland. But it made me think about the suburbs versus the CBD, because Auckland city's struggling too apparently.   A bar and restaurant owner in the CBD told Mike's show this week that the change in our behaviours heading to town are dramatically different to what they once were. Fewer people in the office, fewer people in town, work functions starting earlier, or on work time, like 4 o’clock, so the function’s over by 6.30 and people can go home. She reckons part of its corporate driven – firms don’t want to be seen to be spending too much money on this kind of thing so they’re reigning it in, and employees less likely these days to want to ‘waste time’ on work functions. People would rather go home to their families.   I mean she added the obvious point that Auckland city feels dangerous to a lot of people these days, plus it’s largely inaccessible by car so you’re on foot – which means in the rain you’re not bothering. In fact she said when it rains, 50% of RSVP’s don’t turn up to the function, they’re too worried the train or ferry will be cancelled, or the Harbour Bridge shut, which is a good point. The public transport system in Auckland has become so obsessed with shutting or not running that it’s a real turn off for people. Likewise the rise in violent incidents is a turn off too.  But this bar owner sounded depressed about the outlook for Hospo. She said they’re barely hanging in there, it’s gotten that bad. She’s suspicious after work drinks may be a thing of the past – it’s too much of a liability for companies – they don’t want the hassle of any scandals or issues, and employees increasingly can’t be bothered.   None of this surprises me about Auckland, but I wonder about other CBDs. I often hear from people saying the problem in other CBDs is not so much the patronage, but more so the ownership - bar or restaurant owners wanting people out by 9pm because the owner wants to shut up, or staff need to get home. We had a 1pm lunch in Christchurch the other day, for 4 of us, and at 2.30pm the waitress put the bill on the table and said, “we’re closing now".   But I reckon the post lockdown bounce back for us is taking so much longer than other countries. You go to Europe, London, parts of America, even Australia, and you’ll see CBDs have bounced back to a far more vibrant scene than what we have going on here. Which makes me wonder if we’ve actually changed for good now. Is this who we are now? People who just want to go home, stay home, drink at home, socialize at home? Suburban bars and cafes must be benefitting from all this. People seem happy to stay local, so maybe that’s where the trend’s gone.   But if our CBDs have seen their best days and this is it now, then I reckon that’s quite sad. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Economists are expecting the latest GDP figures to have risen in the second quarter.   The numbers will be released this morning.   After two drops, the country entered a technical recession in the first quarter of the year.  ASB Chief Economist Nick Tuffley told Kate Hawkesby that things are likely to get a bit more challenging again later on this year.  He said that there’s a risk of a double dip back into some negatives.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ACT is promising a huge shake-up to the education system, aiming to hold underperforming schools to account.  Its new education policy would crack down on ECE providers that don't teach children the basics.  The party would increase surprise visits to early childhood providers and penalise those failing standards.  Leader David Seymour told Kate Hawkesby that they need to start thinking out of the box and find new ways to make the education system work.  He said that if they don’t, New Zealand runs the risk of losing its first world status.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's announced changes for migrant workers are being described as a soft cushion at the bottom of a cliff.   The package includes basic financial support to help with accommodation and essential living costs.  The Government also plans to remove 90-day trial periods for employers utilising the Accredited Employer Work Visa.  Employment lawyer Aaron Martin told Kate Hawkesby that the changes won't be much help at all, as most migrants arrive with no job.   He says the 90-day trial period isn't the problem, the problem is the Government's visa system.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amid the recent allegations against Russell Brand, the BBC has announced an internal review of the comedian's time with them.  Brand hosted a series of programs on BBC 6 Music and Radio 2 between 2006 and 2008 as well as being a guest on other shows, overlapping with the period of time the allegations fall within.  The BBC has now removed programming featuring Brand from their streaming services, saying it now “falls below public expectation.”  UK Correspondent Gavin Grey told Kate Hawkesby that the BBC may have more to answer for, as one of the victims alleges that she was picked up by a chauffeur driven car provided to Brand by the BBC, who brought her to his house.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The events of the past few years are having a major impact on young kiwis.  Extreme weather and economic uncertainty have become a source of concern and anxiety for young people, with social media and vaping being other common stressors.  Youthline’s ‘State of the Generation’ report found that a quarter of those surveyed had been impacted by extreme weather events, and half of that group’s mental health suffered as a result.  Youthline CEO, Shae Ronald, told Kate Hawkesby that there is a range of reactions within that group.  She said that for some, especially those directly impacted, it's really increased their rates of anxiety, whereas for others its resulted in an underlying sense of unease and fear for the future.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour says it's taking a long-term approach to reducing youth crime.  In Auckland, a 16-year-old boy has been charged over Monday's fatal bus station attack, the victim's family revealing he was a 24-year-old alleged 501 deportee from Australia.  And in Christchurch, an 18-year-old learner driver is facing charges over Sunday's fatal Rangiora crash, with new figures revealing Canterbury has been facing a sharp rise in serious boy racer incidents.  Labour's Carmel Sepuloni told Kate Hawkesby that she understands community concerns about youth crime, but there is no easy short-term fix.  She says the Government has to continue to do what works to reduce crime over the long term.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How over all the violence are we right now?   I can’t tell you how over it I am. I’m sure you are too. It’s actually getting ridiculous and what I’m worried about now is that not even a change of government is going to stop it.   A stabbing murder at an Albany bus stop in Auckland Monday, another knife incident 30 minutes later in Auckland’s Waterview, the next day, Tuesday, a person taken into custody after a knife found Kepa Road, in Auckland’s Orakei. That same day a shooting at a Rotorua intersection.   And it’s not just Auckland and Rotorua, the night before in Christchurch ten youths went on a crime spree, breaking into shops to steal stuff, also stealing cars. The week prior there were three aggravated robberies across Auckland’s Point Chevalier and Mt Albert... a gang member was rounded up for those.   These are just the ones that make the news. And don’t get me started on all the people out on ankle bracelets on home detention who’re committing crimes and absconding from Police. The level of crime, particularly youth crime, is a major issue... we know it, we’ve had years of it building to this point. It’s one of the things politicians argue about at length in terms of how to solve. Is it absent disinterested parents? Is it gang households? Is it gang recruiters? Is it school absenteeism and boredom from disengaged youths who’ve dropped out of school? Is it addiction issues... alcohol, drugs, vapes? Is it poverty? Is it cost of living? Is it Tik Tok? Is it Kelvin Davis’ genius plan to empty the prisons? A plan they’re now resiling from, surprise surprise.   How much can we pin on that particular disastrous policy? Probably quite a lot to be honest. Consider the irony, when the new Labour government back in 2017, promised to reduce the prison population by 30% over 15 years. Commentators at the time said, “the last thing any Government wants is to look soft on crime.” Fast forward to 2023 and what do we have here? An election about to be lost by the government based on exactly that. They've looked too soft on crime. Endless soft on crime decisions, which have seen us end up where we are.   So given all that, what are the solutions? The criminals and the gangs already running amok. The horse has bolted. So how to turn this around? It's complex, complex, complex, they keep telling us. And to be fair, I think it is. So are the solutions community based? Do offenders need to face tougher penalties? Should we lock more young people up? Should we invest more in their education? Should we work with parents more? Are schools doing enough? Are the Police well enough resourced to deal with it?  Last night at the leaders debate Chris Hipkins said he wants to 'turn young people's lives around'. That's a bit rich when you've had 6 years to do that, and you didn't. Luxon said they'll tackle the gangs and back the Police. Hipkins then said they'll go after gangs too. But all the tough talk doesn't mean much if the reality doesn't match. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some are picking Chris Luxon as narrowly taking the crown in last night's leaders’ debate.  The National Party Leader went head to head with Labour Party Leader Chris Hipkins in the first of three debates ahead of the election.   Newstalk ZB Political Editor, Jason Walls, told Kate Hawkesby who he thought came out on top.  He says Luxon was more passionate and had a better plan on law and order, whereas he believes Hipkins couldn't defend the Government's record on that issue.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former MP has some advice for both candidates in tonight’s leaders’ debate.  Labour's Chris Hipkins will face off against National’s Chris Luxon on TVNZ.   Peter Dunne mastered the crowd reactor tool the Worm during TV debates in the 2000s, and says Hipkins should control his words to avoid seeming snide.   But, he told Kate Hawkesby, there are traps for Luxon too.   He says Luxon needs to avoid management language and really connect with people.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Seymour said yesterday that the media can’t be trusted to fairly carry ACT’s message.  Based on the texts we got yesterday from people who attended the ACT launch rally, there may be some truth in that. In general, I don’t think we’re being well served by election coverage at the moment... but from all sides. The annoying disruptors, the shadow boxing politicians, the agenda driven clickbait media who proclaim not to have any agenda at all. Give it up, we can see your agenda, it’s plain as day. When you start insinuating someone is racist because someone else disrupted their campaign launch when that same person is a serial disruptor at multiple political party events, then you’ve lost the plot.   I think it’s just disingenuous all round. There is so much sideline noise this election campaign that it’s very difficult to actually hear any policy or detail over the hubbub of accusations and claims and counter claims. The hysteria around the coverage is drowning out any facts. I don’t know if it’s because the media are desperately trying to keep people engaged in the campaign and keep it interesting, therefore beating things up? Or are they worried about engagement dropping off now that the polls show a clear mood for change? Or are they doggedly trying to change people’s views in the hope a left-leaning government is restored? Either way, this ain’t it.  Which brings me to tonight. Tonight is the first televised leaders' debate, on TV One. All eyes will be on Christopher Luxon... the newbie, the rookie, they’ll be watching his every move and breath. That’s a lot of pressure on his shoulders, maybe he should’ve asked Shaun Johnson for some tips on how to carry a lot of pressure. I spoke to Nicola Willis on the show yesterday and asked her if he’s up for it and if we’re going to see him fire up a bit. She reckons he’s passionate and set to go.. the proof will be in the pudding.   Because an area ACT is getting cut through is on is their messaging that the Nat’s are just Labour Lite. We’re hearing that a lot from people at the moment. That Luxon needs more mongrel, he’s not hungry enough, not strong enough, he’s too corporate and soft.   So, it’s a fine line isn’t it for him tonight. He’s got to balance those who want to see a bit of a harder edge and a real difference between National and Labour, with those soft middle swing voters who may be scared off by too much mongrel. He’ll be walking that line in a difficult setting, live TV, maybe a studio audience, every commentator in the country watching him, up against a seasoned debater and scrapper who we know will be throwing everything at it.   I’m not sure what to expect, I suspect Luxon’s been doing his homework and prepping for this as much as he can, but all the prep in the world can’t prepare you for what can go down on live TV or what a moderator may choose to pick up on. By contrast, Hipkins doesn’t go into this with underdog status, but the expectations from within his party for him to perform are immense... he is currently dead man walking. Tonight either flicks Hipkins to life in stupendous fashion and silences his internal party critics, or it’s the death knell for him.  High stakes for both. How many of us will actually be watching though? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand is making a comeback on the world hospo map as new overseas arrivals drive up demand.   ABC Business Sales says enquiries from potential hospo owners is nearly twice that compared to 2019.  It shows that's due to migrants filling staff and ownership shortages.   Hospitality NZ CEO Steve Armitage told Kate Hawkesby that the country is viewed overseas as a safe place to do business, and customers here love to have cuisine experiences from around the world.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's latest energy package is copping flack from some of those in the sector.  It includes a rebate of up to $4000 for installing solar panels and will provide $20 million for community energy projects.  Energy Resources Aotearoa CEO John Carnegie told Kate Hawkesby that its not the right move.   He says they should lay off picking winners in the energy sector and rely on the emission trading scheme and the sense of consumers.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's made a suite of announcements targeting women.   The party's released its first women's manifesto promising improved endometriosis care and extended breast cancer screening.   It'd also introduce gender pay gap reporting and establish an innovation and entrepreneurship scholarship programme for low to middle-income women.   Employment lawyer Jennifer Mills told Kate Hawkesby New Zealand rates well on gender equality, but there is pay inequality.  “I’m not sure that frankly an entrepreneurial mentorship programme will go far in addressing the problem, but at least it’s a good start.”  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wasn’t the Warriors game just the much-needed boost we all needed? Amazing scenes on Saturday night, a wild home crowd, as raucous as any I’ve seen.   I mean that was ebullient and electric – how awesome to have been there for those who were. I was so thrilled for Shaun Johnson – a last-minute bounce back from injury and what a superb performance he gave right up until his final minutes on the field, which was a lot longer than I think any of us anticipated.  One reporter described it as a masterclass and it really was. He’s a leader and just such a great performer – so deserving of the standing ovation he got as he left the field.   But seeing how far the Warriors have come, watching them progress to this end of the competition and to look like such a class act with it – confident, strong, bulletproof. Whatever happens, this team under Andrew Webster have grabbed us all like nothing else.   My sister-in-law was bemoaning the fact her family had to leave their restaurant dinner early Saturday night as my niece – who was watching the Warriors game on her phone at the table got so excited at the game, she made them all hurry up and finish eating so they could head home and watch it on the big screen. No time for dessert, they all had to run.   She’s now trying to convince my sister that tickets to Brisbane this weekend are essential. Although flights look like an issue there - apparently if you don’t already have a ticket booked you may not get one now.   My sister was asking whether they’d failed as Kiwi parents, that both their kids are obsessed with league and F1 as opposed to rugby.   I just think it’s that so much about the spirit of what’s happening with the Warriors – and with Liam Lawson at the F1 for that matter, has captured us and enraptured us.   Maybe it’s the underdog thing? Maybe it’s the small player taking on the big guns? Whatever it is we are mesmerized by it.   Young people love it, whereas much of what rugby stands for these days is older tropes that no longer serve young sports fans.   Although to be fair to the AB’s, we are not yet at the business end of the World Cup, so it’s understandable that people aren’t that enthused yet.   But even the anticipation, on Friday’s show last week, people were texting me “let’s just focus on the really important issues.. up the Wahs.”   So the anticipation was there, and the Warriors certainly delivered. I mean the pressure Shaun Johnson was under – and the way he just took that and ran with it – and exceeded probably everybody’s expectations. I mean you can’t bottle that.   The place they’ve gotten to as a team, especially with him on the field, it’s just magic.   Likewise, Liam Lawson is blowing everyone’s minds at the F1, another fantastic story. A rookie who doesn’t even have an F1 seat, just a young guy being thrown an opportunity, grabbing it with both hands and laser-focused on nailing it.   He said to Mike a couple of weeks ago after the Dutch Grand Prix that all they’d really hoped from him as a fill-in reserve driver is that he didn’t crash the car. And now look at him.   Holland, to Italy, to Singapore – outclassing even top drivers, points for AlphaTauri – unbelievable – and next week Japan.   He feels unstoppable, in the same way the Warriors do at the moment. And I reckon it’s that kind of momentum, energy and focus that grabs us, enthuses us, and keeps us absolutely riveted. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As policies fly about here and there in these last 4 weeks heading into the election, Labour's deputy prime minister and National's deputy leader will join once a week to gain insight into all things party-related.  National’s Nicola Willis joined Kate Hawkesby to discuss any fiscal plans, Act vowing to end co-governance and Labour supposedly turning down proposals to stop gang funding.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Police in the UK are approaching the paper which brought allegations to light against Russell Brand and one of his former employers.   The comedian has been accused of rape and sexual assaults between 2006 and 2013.   Police have gone to Channel 4 and The Sunday Times to make sure any victims of crime can be made aware of how they can report it to police.   UK correspondent Gavin Grey told Kate Hawkesby Brand is denying the accusations and isn't stepping out of the spotlight.  “He went ahead with a scheduled gig on Saturday night. He started an hour late – people thought he wasn’t going to turn up but he did. He received a very warm response.”  Meanwhile, the Trevi Women & Children's Charity in the UK has announced it has ended its association with the star.  LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Liam Lawson continues to press his case for a fulltime Formula One seat in the 2024 season. In just his third race of deputising for injured AlphaTauri driver Daniel Ricciardo, the 21-year-old Kiwi has earned his first two points in Formula One with a ninth-placed finish at the Singapore Grand Prix. Not only was it his first finish in the points, it was the best result any AlphaTauri driver had achieved all season. Red Bull’s sister team are yet to confirm their driver lineup for the 2024 season as Ricciardo is only on loan from Red Bull until the end of 2023, and Lawson has well and truly put his hand up after missing out on a fulltime seat coming into this season. Lawson caught plenty of attention in qualifying for the event when he made it through to the third session – being the only Red Bull-affiliated driver to do so; keeping reigning World Champion Max Verstappen out of the final session in qualifying. It was a sign of things to come from Lawson, who ultimately qualified to start the race 10th on the grid. After qualifying, Lawson noted it would be a challenging race but he drove a solid and clean race despite losing a couple of spots immediately off the starting line. While AlphaTauri drivers have struggled with the package they have been given this year, that hasn’t been the case for Lawson, who has consistently found the pace to be competitive. At the front of the pack, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz converted qualifying in pole position into a race win, with McLaren’s Lando Norris and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton rounding out the podium. Lawson also finished second in voting for the Driver of the Day award behind race winner Sainz. “I’m pretty tired right now,” Lawson told Sky Sports. “The race was long, it was hot. We didn’t quite have the speed for the guys in front, so that was a bit tricky, but on my side I need to sort these starts. It’s two weeks in a row now that I’ve lost two spots off the starting line and making our life more difficult. “We did the hard work yesterday to put ourselves in Q3 and to lose those two spots off the line is tricky. For the rest of the race I gave it everything.” Lawson was overlooked for a fulltime role with AlphaTauri for the 2023 season due to a lack of experience, and has spent most of this year racing in the Japanese Super Formula competition – where he remains in title contention with two races to go. However, has only taken forward steps since getting his chance to show he is ready for the top level since making his Formula One race debut at the Dutch Grand Prix late last month. After missing out on points by just one place at the Italian Grand Prix last weekend, Lawson wouldn’t be denied in Singapore – a race known for being one of the toughest of the series both physically and mentally given the length, the fact it’s contested at night under lights and the added elements of the heat and humidity. “I’ve been beating the drum since before driving in F1, trying to get this shot. Now I have this opportunity I’m just trying to maximise it,” Lawson said. “I have this very short window. I basically want to get to the end of it and look back and know I’d done everything I could. “It’s tricky to get a fulltime seat in this sport but rather than looking at all those external things, for me it’s focusing on every session, trying to maximise each time I’m in the car and show what I can.” - by Christopher Reive, NZ HeraldSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another exciting weekend of Rugby kicks off tomorrow, as the All Blacks face Namibia in their second World Cup pool match.  Newstalk ZB’s rugby commentator, Elliott Smith, told Kate Hawkesby that they can be fairly confident in winning.  He said that it should be a comfortable win tomorrow and a good chance to build some confidence back.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Consumer NZ is backing Labour's policy to shake up the legal system to make class action lawsuits easier.  Labour says it will establish a formal class actions regime, allowing groups of people to band together to sue.  Leader Chris Hipkins says people are blocked out of justice due to costs or system delays.  Consumer NZ Chief Executive John Duffy told Kate Hawkesby that class action lawsuits are rare in New Zealand.  He says they're very common overseas, and often used for consumer rights, health and safety, and environmental issues.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s funny as we get to the sharp end of the election campaign, what exercises people and what doesn’t.   The media are exercised by the Nats tax cut plan. They’re exercised by it largely I assume because the Labour party are exercised about it. And the Labour party are exercised about it because they hate it because it’s popular. It’s seen poll surges for National, and they’ll do anything to try to stem that tide.   Problem is, as the feedback I’ve received this week would attest, and as the polls would suggest too, it is popular. And people seemingly do not care how it’s costed, or what a handful of economists say about it, or how much Grant Robertson bangs on about it being flawed.   The reality is, this government can’t really talk smack about costings to anyone given the state they’re leaving the economy in. They can’t really talk costings when they’re the government who oversaw wasteful spending like we’ve never seen, money poured into mad ideology that went nowhere like bike bridges and light rail, and a general mismanagement of our economy including bloating the public service and taking away targets for anything.   So in a nutshell – bit rich from a government who didn’t even hold themselves accountable on anything, to now throw stones at the opposition. It’s not credible, the criticism is falling on deaf ears. Unless you’re the media of course, who love it and will run with anything this deep in the weeds if the Labour party tells them to.   My point is – it’s of no interest to the average voter. People are looking at the mood, the state of their bank accounts, the state of their mortgages, the state of the country in general, and they’re saying, no thanks. Time for change.   Now, whether they think that change is ACT or the Nats or Winston or any of the other minor parties, that’s an MMP roller-coaster we’ll probably be on for the next few weeks. But the upshot is, it ain’t Labour. So no amount of haranguing Luxon and co over tax cut costings is going to move the needle in my opinion. Too much is going in the wrong direction to turn the truck around now.   I guess attacking all the Nats policies is all they’ve got though – because Labour releasing policy now just looks kind of desperate. Suddenly they’re waking up to a whole bunch of stuff they had six whole years to fix. Suddenly they’re realising we need more doctors, we need better qualified teachers, we need better healthcare, we need more Police, they’re suddenly coming up with policy promises around all these things. It’s just too little too late.   All that time spent naval gazing about how low speed limits should be and how many judder bars to put in, all that time spent wondering how to go easier on criminals, facilitate gang convoys, where to put up more Maori signs, all that time on stuff that in the end got us nowhere and just infuriated everyone. It didn’t advance us economically, or productively, or in terms of our enthusiasm and motivation, it just saw our best and brightest wave ta-ta.   So as frustrating as it must be for Labour and for the media, who are so determined to run the ‘we want costings!’ rhetoric —which by the way they pick and choose when they ask for it, think of all the stuff they’ve not asked for costings on— but as determined as they are about hammering this one, the reality, as the polls suggest, is that voters just don’t care. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Central Otago residents fighting to stop the planned Tarras Airport are doing all they can to make their voices heard.   A new survey has slammed Christchurch Airport's plans with more than 80% of the region's surveyed residents and businesses in opposition.   The study has found opposition has risen by nearly 10% compared to two years earlier.   Wanaka Stakeholders Group Chair Meg Taylor told Kate Hawkesby that it will have a major impact on their region.   She says almost 96% of respondents say Wanaka and the Upper Clutha should or must be involved in the decision-making process.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A health commentator says it'll be over a decade before new medical school students make an impact. If elected, Labour's promised to train an additional 335 doctors every year from 2027, with medical school numbers increasing from next year.   National's previously announced a new medical school at Waikato University, which would provide 220 extra places by 2030.   Ian Powell told Kate Hawkesby that we need international recruitment, and Australia offering more pay isn't being acknowledged.    He says when competing with Australia internationally, New Zealand's only advantage is not having snakes.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A criminal barrister says our current approach to crime is working.   ACT Party leader David Seymour's pledging to boost prison capacity by 500 beds and toughen sentencing for offending against vulnerable workers.   The party also wants new youth justice beds under Corrections and ankle bracelets on youth offenders.   Criminal Barrister, Tony Bouchier told Kate Hawkesby that crime is becoming too much of a political football.   He says on the whole things are working, and politicians aren't the experts on this.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’ve been obsessed with grocery prices this year – I mean, haven’t we all? Anyone who does the shopping knows what a shock it can be when you see the prices of some things literally quadruple right in front of you.   I have an ongoing debate with the person in our household who does not do the groceries about this. His solution is: if you don’t want to pay $20 for blueberries, shop around. Now, that’s all well and good if you have lots of time on your hands and all day to trawl through supermarkets and greengrocers all over the city, but most of us don’t.   You’ve also got to ask yourself how much you want to be inconvenienced by the whole experience, how long you want to sit in traffic for, and how much money you’re actually spending on petrol driving around all these places.   But if you do shop around, you'll see the disparities. The other day for example, a stick of celery was 4 different prices at 4 different places. $3.49 at Pak n’Save, $3.99 at Fruit World, $5.79 at New World, Countdown... $6.99! For a stick of celery you can get at half the price at Pak n’Save.  Now when you look at it like that – it’s hair raising and a bit of a no brainer... maybe we should shop around. But you can’t do half your groceries somewhere, a few somewhere else, then go somewhere else for your broccoli and celery can you? Do you? I’d love to know how many people do do that.   I actually did find blueberries the other day down to the bargain price of $10.00 a punnet, having been $20 a punnet at Farro the other day, so a whole 10 dollar difference, but still way too high in my opinion. And yes, don’t text me telling me to buy frozen ones, or grow my own, I’m talking retail prices here on fresh stuff.   Anyway Infometrics data shows food prices have again increased last month by 6.6%. Groceries went up 7.5% in July and 8.3% in June, so technically the trend is downwards, but as Infometrics Brad Olsen warned, our groceries aren’t getting cheaper anytime soon. We’re still paying way too much for groceries basically, as any of us who’ve recently travelled overseas and compared, knows full well.   And for all those who like to message me about buying frozen, well interestingly, frozen foods ‘saw the largest monthly increase in supplier costs and have increased on an annual basis more than produce.’ Ouch. That used to be the cheaper way to go, now it’s not.   And here’s the other rub, Brad Olsen said he, ‘worries the "new normal" might be more intense inflation than what New Zealand is used to: “when we've looked at the latest data... there are some areas where there's a little bit more pressure than we'd like to see, “ he said he’s, "still worried that ... that sort of new normal might still be more intense inflation than we've previously been accustomed to."   So that’s unfortunate isn’t it. I mean try as we might, we can’t seem to stop the inflation juggernaut continuing to come right at us, and it looks like it’s going to keep smacking us in the face for a while yet. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's migration figures are above pre-pandemic levels.   There was a net gain of 96,200 people in the year to July, with 135,000 non-citizens arriving, and 39,400 New Zealanders leaving.   Demographer Paul Spoonley says the Productivity Commission says we need to align the number of immigrants with the infrastructure and services we can provide.   He says we're back in high annual population growth rates but with the same problem we've had for 10 or 20 years: an inability to keep up.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are calls for a cluster of international investment scams to come under scrutiny.   Financial expert Janine Starks wants a banking ombudsman to launch an investigation after accusing banks of corporate failure.  She says there's systemic failures with foreign scams estimated to be stealing up to $200 million a year from New Zealanders.  Massey University banking expert Claire Matthews told Kate Hawkesby that it's difficult to know what an investigation might show.   She says it may reveal banks are doing everything they can, or it may show there are things they could be doing better.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm just wondering if there's a big box of prezzy cards stashed somewhere inside the Beehive, or somewhere all the bureaucrats can go, to just bundle up endless prezzy cards to hand out to people.   In the latest prezzy card scandal —and let's not forget there've been a few— 'defendants on serious charges', it was reported, got $75 dollar prezzy cards to attend meetings. These were meetings in Hawke's Bay at the courts, and it was reportedly to ‘share ideas and court experiences.'’  So the news report said 'about 50 people attended the meetings'. This was at the start of the month, a couple of weeks ago, and they were held in Napier and Hastings. So who held these meetings and were handing out the prezzy cards?   ‘Ministry of Justice Chief Operating Officer Carl Crafar..' alongside 'Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated, and supported by the Ministry.' The story said the meetings 'were held in order to gain a deeper understanding of the local community’s aspirations for Te Ao Mārama.' Which means enhancing justice for all. Which starts with prezzy cards it seems.   The Ministry of Justice's COO was reported saying, "the vision for the District Court, [was] a journey towards a more enlightened justice system, in response to repeated calls for transformative change."   Now here's the key point: the story says the Ministry of Justice claims it didn't know how many attendees at these meetings were defendants or victims. Why not? Why didn't they measure that? Surely that helps inform what they're trying to do in terms of how to improve the experience. Don't you need to know who people are in regards what end of the court system they were dealing with? But it gets worse, Stuff said one attendee was someone currently on bail 'while facing various charges of assault including a charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.' So a very serious charge, an offender still before the courts, on bail, getting handed a prezzy card to the value of 75 dollars so he can buy himself something nice for the trouble of his time to tell the Ministry how his experience before the court could have been better. Are you kidding me?   The Ministry's chief operating officer was quoted saying 'the knowledge shared at the wānanga was invaluable for all those involved, and many participants expressed their appreciation at the opportunity to share their views.' I bet they did. I just don't know how or why this prezzy card reward system has grown into such a big thing for government departments, and why they're so happy to spend our taxpayer dollars on token rewards for anyone and everyone they want information out of. Including alleged offenders.   There has become this general acceptance it would appear, that the best way to entice people to do stuff, is to hand them prezzy cards, or KFC, or takeaways, or any token gesture that gets them over the line... at our expense. I mean I guess it's cheaper than millions on consultants, but how much is being spent on prezzy cards by government? How deep is the prezzy card pot? And why is there no vetting of whose getting them and who isn't and why and how even offenders can get them?   It just feels like more reward-based politics, based on little fact, and using our hard earned money to achieve... what? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s been a 900% increase in the number of prospective tenants viewing an Auckland rental property in just six months.  Impression Real Estate data shows on average, more than 50 people attend each viewing in the city.  Chief Executive, Rishabh Kapoor says demand comes from those who lost their homes in the January floods, and recent migrants.  He says property managers are seeing more cases of people offering to pay more for rent, or offering bribes.  Kapoor says it's concerning for two reasons —the first being that it's illegal— and the second being it speaks to the desperation among people for rentals.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour has plunged 5.5% in the latest Newshub-Reid Research poll, taking the party to just under 27% support.   National has shot up to 40.9%, while ACT's on 10%, the Greens 12.3% and New Zealand First is tip-toeing up to the threshold at 4.6%.  Former Senior Ministerial Advisor for the National Party Brigitte Morton told Kate Hawkesby that it’s a significant swing and is likely to stabilize back.   She said that this is probably the most significant downfalls in popularity that the Labour Government has seen.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m wondering at this point who’s more obsessed with the election, the media, the politicians, or the voters.   The bulk of the feedback I’m getting at the moment is: we’re over it, open early voting, let’s get on with it, we just want change and a new direction. So as the politicians ramp up the campaigns and the polling starts spewing out percentages, and we begin crunching numbers and policy's getting released... who’s listening and watching? Over the weekend several policies got released - how many can you name or do you care about?   The people caring deeply right about now will be the Labour party’s strategists. Last night’s Newshub Reid research poll had Labour tumbling further, it’s tanked to a result not seen since Andrew Little was leader, and you know what happened then.   Newshub called it ‘a crisis poll’.  26.8% Labour’s dropped to a ‘catastrophic’, as the reporter called it, 5.5% fall. The gap’s widening with the Nats up to a whopping 40.9%, which is up another 4.3%. The Greens were on 12.3%, Act was down to 10.1%, so they’re down 2%. But NZ First’s still not quite making the 5% threshold, they were on 4.6%. So based on that poll, the Nats and Act would have 66 seats and comfortably govern.   Newshub’s reporter said this is Labour in a death spiral. On top of that, Hipkins is no longer the most preferred PM. Luxon has jumped up 6.6% to be level pegging with him as most preferred. It’ll surely only be a matter of time before Luxon overtakes him. So the energy Luxon's exuding is paying off. He says he’s “bouncing out of bed at 4.30 every morning” and he’s ‘wanting to get on with the job of the new National led government.’   Does he have it in the bag though? There’s no question both Luxon and the Nats have momentum, but four weeks is a long time in politics. A lot can happen between now and then. And don't forget the debates coming up. How prepared they all are for this is beyond me - I’d argue Hipkins is not a prepper, doesn’t appear to read much or get into the finer details, but he’s a scrapper and a fighter and will no doubt give it his all because he’s got nothing to lose. He'll throw everything at it. If he throws too much negativity and shade though, it could backfire.   Luxon on the other hand is the big unknown in that setting. He’s corporate, polite and moderate. Whether he can be deft on his feet remains to be seen. It’s not something you can prep too much in advance for either - what people want to see is whether he can come to life in a spontaneous fashion or at least sound a bit human. I hope he can just talk. Sound normal, not too rehearsed or staged, but also, arc up if need be. Passion is good, someone as upset and angry about what’s happened to this country as we are.   Can he do all those things? I don’t know. There're some who say it could be a vote loser for him if his debate performance is bad, but that brings me back to my original question: how engaged are we? How much do we care about all these things? Do people really change their mind on how they’ll vote, based on some bad TV? But then again, stranger things have happened.   Momentum is everything right now and all Luxon has to do is keep it up. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak chastised China’s premier on Sunday for “unacceptable” interference in British democracy, after a newspaper reported that a researcher in Parliament was arrested earlier this year on suspicion of spying for Beijing.  Sunak said he raised the issue with Premier Li Qiang when the two met at a Group of 20 summit in India. He told British broadcasters in New Delhi that he’d expressed “my very strong concerns about any interference in our parliamentary democracy, which is obviously unacceptable.”  The two men met after the Metropolitan Police force confirmed that a man in his 20s and a man in his 30s were arrested in March under the Official Secrets Act. Neither has been charged and both were bailed until October pending further inquiries.  The Sunday Times reported that the younger man was a parliamentary researcher who worked with senior lawmakers from the governing Conservatives, including Alicia Kearns, who now heads the powerful Foreign Affairs Committee, and her predecessor in that role, Tom Tugendhat, who is now security minister. The newspaper said the suspect held a pass that allows full access to the Parliament buildings, issued to lawmakers, staff and journalists after security vetting.  Tensions between Britain and China have risen in recent years over accusations of economic subterfuge, human rights abuses and Beijing’s crackdown on civil liberties in the former British colony of Hong Kong.  Britain’s Conservatives are divided on how tough a line to take with Beijing and on how much access Chinese firms should have to the U.K. economy. More hawkish Tories want Beijing declared a threat, but Sunak has referred to China’s growing power as a “challenge.”  Former U.K. Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith said news of the March arrests “gives the lie to the government’s attempt not to see China as a systemic threat.”  U.K. spy services have sounded ever-louder warnings about Beijing’s covert activities. In November, the head of the MI5 domestic intelligence agency, Ken McCallum, said “the activities of the Chinese Communist Party pose the most game-changing strategic challenge to the U.K.” Foreign intelligence chief Richard Moore of MI6 said in July that China was his agency’s “single most important strategic focus.”  In January 2022, MI5 issued a rare public alert, saying a London-based lawyer was trying to “covertly interfere in U.K. politics” on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party. It alleged attorney Christine Lee was acting in coordination with the Chinese ruling party’s United Front Work Department, an organization known to exert Chinese influence abroad.  An opposition Labour Party lawmaker, Barry Gardiner, received more than 500,000 pounds ($685,000) from Lee between 2015 and 2020, mostly for office costs, and her son worked in Gardiner’s office. Lee and the Chinese government both deny wrongdoing.  China has repeatedly criticized what it calls British interference in its internal affairs and denied meddling in the politics of foreign nations.  Sunak and Li met days after Foreign Secretary James Cleverly visited Beijing, the highest-level trip by a British politician to China for several years. Chinese President Xi Jinping did not attend the G20 meeting in India. Sunak defended his approach of cautious engagement, saying “there’s no point carping from the sidelines – I’d rather be in there directly expressing my concerns, and that’s what I did today.”  - by Jill Lawless, APSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A view ACT's new housing policy sounds good in theory - but is a step too far in reality.    The party's unveiled its housing policy - which would see builders able to use insurance companies as an alternative authority for consenting - to speed up the process.   It aims to cut local councils out of the consenting process.   Property commentator Ashley Church told Kate Hawkesby he believes in getting rid of bureaucracy - but this policy is all over the place.  “I think there’s a risk with this that you’ll end up with shoddy housing – you'll end up with some equivalent of what happened with leaky homes back in the late 90s and we’ll be right back in that space again.”  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Like many of us, I was hoping for a triumphant Saturday of wins - the AB’s against France and the Warriors against the Panthers.   OK fair enough that was probably a tougher call the latter one, but a double win would have been a much-needed morale boost for a country in the doldrums at the moment.   Sadly it was not to be. And after some fleeting optimism and pre-emptive excitement - we are all back in the doldrums again.   And our mood or collective funk is not only annoying, but it must be worrying politicians. Because when we are grumpy we are likely to go one of two ways.   Apathy - can’t be bothered - there’s no light at end of tunnel, everything sucks. Or two, the current situation sucks so bad we simply have to blow it up and start over. That option is bad news for Labour.   Mind you apathy’s not a great option for them either. I think we may be on track for setting a record for gloom in this country, in terms of how long it’s lasting, so I’m looking for silver linings. I was thrilled to see some hope potentially on the horizon in the form of the weather. El Niño is coming! Apparently a hot dry summer is on the way, which is just in the nick of time given we all feel totally rained out and over the wet.   Also given we feel short-changed from not getting much of a summer last year. We all badly need some sunshine, some warmth and some longer days.   It’s good for morale and it’s good to lift general mood. But I also think we need to get back some pride in where we live - some pride in our country and our environment.   We want our streets and CBDs cleaned up, our oceans cleaned up, our walkways rejuvenated, our roads fixed. Our neighbourhoods to feel safe again, our grocery trolley to not cost so damn much every time.   That’s not going to happen overnight sadly - but the hope of it happening will hopefully drive optimism and confidence.   I was watching the ‘Blue Zones’ documentary on Netflix over the weekend and one of the commonalities of Blue Zone regions - which by the way are places where people live the longest – so they’re places with the highest number of centenarians in them and one thing they all have in common no matter where in the world they are, is their love of their own environment.   They love where they live. How often can we say that? Another factor is that the stresses they feel are stressors they can control or do something about.   So they live in a way that they don’t absorb any stressors that are outside out of their control which enables them to actively cope with their stress.   For example, their goat is cold, find a way to make the goat warm. The stress is solvable. They’re not consuming global media, social media, large amounts of information that can be overwhelming and out of their control.   There are lots of other factors at play of course, like nutrition and exercise and so on, but it’s a good lesson in just managing what you can control, and what’s around you - rather than worrying about all the stuff we have no input on.   So I guess my point is, maybe with Spring on the way and a warm summer promised, change potentially on the horizon, and a good dose of optimism and gratitude for what we have, maybe we’ll all cheer up a bit soon, no matter how many times the ABs lose. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ryan Fox must be wondering when the luck of the Irish will fall his way after finishing just short at the Irish Open for the third time of his career.  Fox, playing in his first tournament since the PGA Tour’s 3M Open in July, held a share of the lead midway through the fourth round but dropped a shot on the penultimate hole to end his chance of another victory on the DP World Tour.  Fox carded a final round 70 at the K Club to finish two shots (12-under) behind Swede Vincent Norrman at 14-under in a share of third. Norrman had the low round of the day with 65 to win his second tournament of the year.  The Kiwi finished runner-up last year behind Adrian Meronk and also in 2018, edged out by Russell Knox. This year he shared third with Grant Forrest (Scotland), Shane Lowry (Ireland), Triston Lawrence (South Africa) and Hurly Long (Germany).  Fox earns $315,000 (NZD$535,000) for his third placed finish.  He missed a birdie chance at the 16th which would have tied the lead, but the ball held up just short of the hole. An errant drive on the par four 17th left him with a tough approach and he clipped a tree leaving his ball well short of the green. He recovered well to land his third on the edge of the green but his par attempt finished short.  Needing an eagle on the par five 18th, Fox’s drive landed in the rough ending any hope of a playoff.  Fellow Kiwi Daniel Hillier finished in a share of 13th at 10-under following a final round 69.  Next week is the lucrative BMW Championship at Wentworth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National's being accused of missing the point with its target for emergency departments.  The party's pledging to bring back health targets if elected, including 95 percent of ED patients to be admitted, discharged or transferred within six hours.  Northcare Accident and Medical's Peter Boot told Kate Hawkesby they should be thinking about primary care, which is falling over because doctors are either moving offshore or about to retire.  “And National’s policy of bolstering up secondary care is completely missing the point. It’s like mopping up the floor when the roof’s leaking.”  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The National Party is promising to build a new “Great Walk” as part of its new tourism policy.   It's planed an $14m upgrade the 80km Waiau-Toa/Molesworth walking track in Canterbury, creating the 11th Great Walk.  Hurunui Mayor Marie Black told Tim Dower that having a track of this distinction in their district would be a significant boost for the local and regional economies.   She said that the district would embrace something of this nature, and it could bring in the big spenders.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's law and order policy would allow Police to confiscate cars, motorbikes, and even tractors.  Police Minister Ginny Andersen says it's designed for large scale convoys going through public roads, disrupting people's daily lives.  Criminal lawyer Steve Cullen told Tim Dower that it appears they'll come at them after the fact.  He says they will have to show there's a breach of the road laws by people in two or more vehicles.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Really? New Zealand First... really?  I mean, I know it's a pretty desperate time... we're all a bit lost and confused and disappointed, frustrated and seriously peed off at the state of the country right now.  But to see a poll showing New Zealand First potentially over the five percent threshold? I guess it shows how desperate things are for a lot of people.  It's not my place to tell you how to vote, or how not to vote, but what I will say is: just think of the history.  Think of the dramas, the twists and turns, how you thought you had a clear commitment on something, only to see a complete 180 when it comes to the crunch.  Think how many times we've been held to ransom, double-crossed, gaslit, and bullshitted... you really wanna go there again?    I've heard Chris Luxon saying he's focused on National and getting the best result he can, and I think that's the right tack to take.  But I suspect he and other senior figures in the party will be disappointed that they're not yet winning over more of the centre-right or right leaning vote.  ACT has been doing well, and while you want your potential coalition partner to be strong and well run, it's not so much fun when they're eating your lunch.  The conclusion has to be that National has a way to go in getting its message across properly, hitting the right buttons and doing it convincingly.  If it was, what we saw in the Talbot Mills poll last night wouldn't be happening.  People whose natural tendency would be to vote for the Nats aren't convinced. They're not happy. This is a disaffected protest vote.  There's still a long way to go, five weeks of campaigning yet, and of course people don't necessarily always tell pollsters the truth.  To my mind, what we need from this election is a clear decision, one way or the other.  There's a lot at stake. It's not a game. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some in the dairy sector are less than convinced by Labour's five economic priorities.  The list includes growing an export-led country, boosting renewable energy, enhancing tourism, and focusing on sustainable agriculture technology.  Lincoln University Professor Jacqueline Rowarth told Kate Hawkesby she's confused by what the party's trying to achieve.   She says New Zealand already is a centre for agricultural sustainability expertise, and that's why delegations from other countries come here to see how we do things.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Automobile Association says when it comes to EV structure, investment needs to happen ahead of demand.  The AA's pleased with National's promise of 10-thousand public EV chargers over the next four years, a promise that will cost $257 million.  The party would also dump Labour's clean car discount scheme and ute tax.   Chief Policy Officer Simon Douglas told Kate Hawkesby that big car manufacturers are beginning to invest in electric cars.  He says we'll reach a point where EVs and internal combustion engine cars are equal in price, and things will take off.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The country's big four electricity providers are being accused of abusing their power.  Electric Kiwi is taking a complaint to the Commerce Commission, claiming that Meridian, Mercury, Genesis, and Contact are taking advantage of their market dominance and driving out competition.  Chief Executive Luke Blincoe told Kate Hawkesby the complaint is extensive.  He says there are 37 pages of examples of actual refusal to supply some hedge products and constructive refusal to supply, meaning prices are offered but they're well outside the market.   Mercury is rejecting Electric Kiwis' claim, saying it supplies hedge products to Electric Kiwi and other retailers.  It claims the electricity market is highly competitive.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In my ongoing obsession with all things canine, I was interested to see that Wellington has a problem at the moment with uncontrolled dogs.   It was reported in a Wellington City Council dog control report, that “the number of uncontrolled dogs has increased by 26 percent in the last year. Sixty-five attacks on people, 78 on animals, and 697 uncontrolled dogs were reported.” Not only that, but disturbingly ‘the report suggested the high number of attacks and aggressive dog behaviour appeared to be a nationwide issue.’   And I’m not surprised. The number of people who let their dogs off leash in parks or public spaces —who then run rampant menacing people— and other dogs is outrageous. And it’s not even the dog’s fault half the time, it’s poor ownership.   I was at a park the other day with my dog and an owner drove up, flicked open her car boot and two huge unleashed dogs leapt out and just went beserk all over the place running up to people and their dogs and bothering them, jumping up on them, running at other dogs, all the while the owner carried on with her takeaway coffee like she was oblivious. She looked completely disinterested in the fact her dogs were going crazy bothering other dogs. This is despite very clear rules around dogs on leashes in public spaces.   So what can you do?  I’m not sure dog patrol officers are that interested unless there’s an actual attack. Travelling overseas in places where dogs in pubs and shops is commonplace, I notice that given those privileges afforded to dogs and their owners, the dogs seem better behaved. They have fewer violent incidents or out of control dogs. It’s unheard of to see a dog walking down the street without a leash. Owners seem to have them in check and under close and careful watch. The dogs behave accordingly.   We were talking about this recently in London. The dogs were just so docile, same in New York. Dogs everywhere but not a single one bothered you as they were all well contained and well behaved.   One of the excuses given up here for our increasingly badly behaved dogs is that Covid and lockdown meant dogs were less socialized. I have no idea how that’s true given people walked their dogs like there was no tomorrow during lockdowns. It’s the one thing people did do – lots of dog walking and you had way more people at home with their dogs.   But an out of control dog is not just a problem for other dogs, but also people. Dog attacks can be absolutely vicious, and in some cases fatal. I’ve been bitten by a dog – it’s nasty. Not to mention all the faff that goes with it of antibiotics, tetanus injections, and a long slow healing process. But they also attack wildlife, that’s been an issue in Wellington too. “Several little blue penguins were killed by dogs in the Wellington region”.. reports said coastal areas could be extremely dangerous places to have a dog off a lead.   Yet we see it all the time don’t we? Every time I raise the issue of dogs people always contact me saying it’s the owner, the owner, the owner, it’s not the dog. Yes and no. There are some dodgy backroom breeds out there from some dodgy operators or illegal breeders who make a lot of money out of putting pesky dogs out into the world. I’m sure solutions to this problem are multifaceted, but we need to clamp down on it because badly behaved aggressive dogs being on the increase is not a good thing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dairy prices have risen for the first time in four months.  Overall prices are up 2.7% at this morning's latest Global Dairy Trade auction, making up slightly for a 7.4% fall at the last auction three weeks ago.  The news is even better for the all-important Whole Milk Powder price, which is up 5.3%.  HighGround Dairy consultant Stu Davison told Kate Hawkesby that it's too early to say whether this is a turn-around in the trend, or a one-off.  He says it's positive news nonetheless.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Having witnessed a supermarket theft the other day, as we all probably have by now, I was not surprised to see that supermarket crime ‘has surged’.   In just Foodstuffs North Island stores, it's reported there are ‘more than a thousand incidents a month.’ And the thefts are brazen. There was one video of a man ‘armed with a screwdriver stealing nine legs of lamb’. Foodstuffs say that in more than a third of these crimes, it’s repeat offenders.    So it’s not surprising they’re taking matters into their own hands and 'investing 45 million in security measures.’ They’ve had a ‘jump of more than 300 percent in assaults and thefts over the past six years'. And that's just physical assaults and thefts. In terms of security incidents in general, they're up more than 800 percent, reportedly.   I mean that's untenable as a business to have to put up with that. And so unfair on staff. They shouldn’t have to deal with the sort of crap they're now dealing with. 'Knives were a common weapon to be pulled on staff, and even handguns..' according to supermarket execs. They also said that people stealing groceries was happening daily, sometimes 'multiple times a day'.. which is what I've heard from check out operators too. And the staff are unable to stop it. This 45 million Countdown wants to spend on security, that'll take a while to trickle through to implement all the security changes needed. They're going to spread it over 3 years, spread it around stores, and try different things.   One of them, the trolley locking system, which a check out operator told me about the other day, is good in theory. It’s basically a smart technology system whereby the trolley locks up automatically, so if the trolley hasn't stopped long enough at the exit - long enough to go through a checkout, then it will automatically lock. The idea being this prevents the thief running out with a full trolley of groceries.   But what this check out operator told me was that in trials of it, although effective at stopping the trolley, it didn't stop the thieves. In fact it made them more angry. So once the trolley locked up and they realised they couldn't move it, they started grabbing items inside the trolley and running out with armfuls of whatever they could carry. On top of that they'd use some of the groceries as weapons - she'd seen thieves grabbing things like cans or wine bottles and throwing them at staff to deter them from chasing them. It also creates a good distraction and makes a hell of a mess. So, she said, it’s actually quite scary.   You then also have the problem of what about the trolley's locking up which aren't being used in thefts? What if you're just quick through the check out with a few items and then your trolley decides you must be a thief and it locks up?   They have to do something though - but adding new camera technology and trolley technology is all well and good but I think they need to be able to do more with their people. Equip and enable security staff to actually be able to do something about thefts. Currently all they can do is watch them leave the supermarket with stolen goods, follow them to their car and take a licence plate, they can’t physically stop them. They then have to rely on Police following all these nuisances up and then rely on the courts do something about it.   So you can see why there’re so many repeat offenders. It’s good Foodstuffs is trying to fix the problem, but it’s 45 million wasted dollars if the courts and police don’t back up this kind of crackdown. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Experts are warning against relying on Facebook Marketplace for your livelihood.  A New Plymouth couple has been locked out of their business account without explanation, cutting them from their income.  Social media expert Vaughan Davis told Kate Hawkesby that putting all your eggs in this basket is risky.  Davis says it means hitching your wagon to an offshore company who can change the rules at any moment.  He says the issue is becoming more common.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Senior doctors and dentists say they don't want to see anyone harmed by today's strike.  Members of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists will strike for two hours from midday after rejecting Te Whatu Ora's latest offer.  Around 250 planned procedures are being changed as a result.  Executive Director Sarah Dalton says there are contingency plans.  She told Kate Hawkesby that she's been taking calls in the last few days about surgeries that can't be delayed, and they've approved staffing for that.  But Dalton says many procedures are currently postponed or cancelled across the country every day due to a lack of staffing.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tourism is making a comeback and people are deciding to spend more time here.  Before Covid it was our largest export.  It's clambered back up to number three on the list, with visitors spending 2.1 billion dollars in the last quarter.  Tourism Holdings Limited Chief Executive Grant Webster told Kate Hawkesby that it's recovering faster than he anticipated, partly down to a good ski season and the Fifa World Cup.  He says we saw a lot of people visiting over winter, and the attractions in the regions played a big part.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A fascinating insight into what it’s like to move countries —which I think is timely given how many Kiwis are doing it right now— appeared on social media the last couple of days from an ex-pat living here.   It was reported that a British native said they were moving back home to England from NZ, because Kiwis lack interest in other people’s lives, and we’re short on banter. That part made me laugh to be honest because I think it depends who you hang with and where you are.   This person lives in Wellington so I can understand how people may be a lot more serious and intense in the political capital than they are other places. They’re more likely to be wokesters who easily take offence, that could be part of the problem. But this person said they’d not been able to form ‘fulfilling friendships’ in the 4 years they’ve been here, and that Kiwis take themselves too seriously.   I think we might take ourselves more seriously now, but we didn’t use to. But again it depends who you’re surrounded by and what your experiences are. Many of us are still traumatized by years of lockdowns, harrowing weather events, economic disarray and a crippling cost of living crisis... so there’s no question humour has become a distant memory for many.   Also, I think people do in general take themselves too seriously these days, by and large we’re not as light of foot as we used to be. The current climate – predominantly on social media especially, is to look for offence everywhere.   But I’d argue that’s not just a Kiwi thing. The UK has its fair share of righteous and indignant wokesters not seeing the humour in anything anymore too. Just ask Ricky Gervais. He calls it out all the time. But it was reported that this person’s given up on NZ and is moving back to the UK, which had the comments section awash with arguments for and against staying versus moving back.   What grabbed me though was the ex-pats who agreed with them. “You do lose yourself here, no sense of humour or banter..." said one in the report, “Our humour is wasted here. My belly laughs are few and far between... “ said another.   Now having lived in both the UK and NZ, I find that bit pretty hard to swallow, because I always found the biggest thing we had in common was our senses of humour. The British banter married up beautifully with Kiwi banter and there seemed an overall understanding between the two cultures that certainly superseded any American humour. But time’s have changed and I don’t doubt now that in parts of NZ where we may take ourselves a bit too seriously, that this has diluted that commonality.   However this ex pat’s been here four years and during that time the whole world has grappled with a pandemic and the whole world has changed because of it. I don’t doubt the UK they left behind 4 years ago is a very different one to what it is now. The grass isn’t always as green somewhere else, is probably the real lesson here. It’s hard to move countries and have it feel like home. But I would like to apologise to this ex pat for our lack of banter and humour, because the one thing we Kiwis used to be really good at, is having a laugh.   We’ve lost a lot of things as a country these past few years, but let’s not ever lose our sense of humour. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gin-lovers rejoice!  The number of distilleries creating gin in New Zealand has shot up from just 15 to more than 150 in recent years.  So what are the challenges for owners working in a now-saturated market?  Mt Fyffe Distillery owner Justine Shroder joined Kate Hawkesby.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said Sunday that disposable vapes will soon be banned in the country as part of a national anti-smoking plan.  Borne, speaking on RTL radio, did not say when the ban would enter into force.  She said the government would soon unveil its new plan to combat smoking, which she said is the cause of 75,000 deaths a year in the country.  It will include a ban on disposable vapes, which she said “are giving bad habits to young people.”  “It’s a reflex and a gesture that young people get used to. That’s how they get into smoking,” she added.  Most of the disposable e-cigarettes, which are thrown away after they’re used up, come in sweet and fruity flavors like pink lemonade, gummy bear and watermelon that makes them attractive to teenagers. They are sold in France usually at a price of between 8 euros ($8.7) and 12 euros ($13).  An existing ban on the sale of electronic cigarette devices to those under 18 is not widely respected. Promoting or advertising such products is also banned.  - APSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So a weekend chocka of political campaigning as the parties hit the ground running in the lead-up to the election.   I don’t know about you but I’m finding the whole lead-up so far a bit low rent. As in, a lot of gutter politics, name-calling, misinformation tactics, and a lot of needless disruption and chaos. And I reckon that puts voters off, so I’m not sure why political parties do it. It has the opposite effect of engaging people, I think what it does is make people think they’re all a bunch of clowns and they don’t want to vote for any of them.   Brian Tamaki’s Freedoms party has already said it hopes to cause ‘a massive political earthquake’ this election, and they seem intent on doing this by crashing other parties' campaign announcements.   Newsflash to Brian Tamaki, that’s not how you win friends and influence people. It certainly won’t win them anywhere near the pie-in-the-sky aim they have of getting 15 to 16 percent of votes.   Freedoms NZ protestors disrupted Labour’s campaign launch Saturday, about 50 of them heckling Hipkins and Helen Clark. That’s after they’d heckled Luxon at a press conference last week, not to mention the hijacking of Hipkins on another walkabout a couple of weeks ago.   But Tamaki defends all of this – of course. He said, “he doesn't believe people are tired of his party's disruptions.”  I think a lot of New Zealanders are quite happy that we're standing up for people's rights, for family,” he told reporters. Really? He thinks a lot of New Zealanders are happy about that? I think after the fiasco of the last few years what New Zealanders are really desperate for is some common sense, some grown-ups, some solid sensible behaviour and some decent leadership.   I think circus acts are the last thing New Zealanders want right now. When I heard the Freedoms Party were looking to disrupt the National Party’s campaign launch yesterday, and that protestors were already gathering hours in advance, I thought uh oh, another shit show.   But kudos to National, they got that cleaned up pretty swiftly, there appeared to be no disruptions inside. The protestors did not manage to breach the building, Luxon said they worked hard on their security and registration process, obviously harder than Labour worked given protestors did manage to infiltrate their launch.   But keeping them out of National’s launch enabled Luxon to make an uninterrupted speech announcing their 8-point pledge. Lowering inflation, growing the economy, tax cuts, building infrastructure, introducing boot camps for serious young offenders, stronger sentencing, lifting school achievement, cutting health wait times, increased support for the elderly - basically assuring people that help is on the way, making the sort of reassuring noises voters may be looking to hear.   That’s if anyone can hear them over and above the cacophony of sideshows, and some of the sneering media coverage they receive. I think Luxon’s best line actually yesterday was that they as a party can handle 41 more days of attacks, but the country can’t handle three more years under Labour.   So the Nats seem buoyant – certainly evidenced by their launch yesterday. If they can keep up that momentum, they may yet be able to drown out all the noise from the sidelines. But I have the feeling that for us voters and observers, this is going to feel like a very long 41 days. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Liam Lawson’s Formula One stocks continue to rise.  After impressing in his debut last weekend, the 21-year-old Kiwi posted a new season’s best result for the second AlphaTauri car with an 11th-placed finish in the Italian Grand Prix.  In just two races since replacing the injured Daniel Ricciardo, Lawson has come away with better results than the Aussie (two races) and teammate Nyck de Vries (10 races), proving he is ready for the top level of the sport, while he equalled the best qualifying performance of the second AlphaTauri car this season by putting it 12th on the grid at Monza.  After the race, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner confirmed Ricciardo (broken arm) is unlikely to return for the Singapore Grand Prix or the following week in Japan, meaning another few races for the Kiwi.  “Singapore, I don’t think there’s any chance he’ll be ready for then. It would be optimistic for Japan,” said Horner of Ricciardo.  There was a delay of about 20 minutes following the formation lap at Monza, as Lawson’s AlphaTauri teammate Yuki Tsunoda, who was due to start 11th on the grid - was forced to withdraw on the formation lap due to a power unit failure, with smoke billowing up from his steering wheel.  Once Tsunoda’s car had been cleared, pole driver Carlos Sainz led the group on a second formation lap in his Ferrari, before racing finally began.  Whether it was due to the delay or the initial strategy, Lawson was among the minority of drivers to take a two pit stop approach to the 51-lap race, switching from medium to hard tyres early, before switching back to mediums late in the race in the hopes of finding some late pace.  Lawson drove a clean race, spending most of it just outside the top 10 and was ultimately left hoping for an error from a driver ahead of him if he was to secure points. It wasn’t to be, but he fought until the end, missing out on his first points by one position.  AlphaTauri are yet to confirm their driver lineup for 2024 and, with Ricciardo only with the team on loan from Red Bull until the end of this season, the young Kiwi has certainly given the powers that be plenty to consider as he looks for a fulltime opportunity next year and could get two more chances to impress at Singapore and Japan.  The race was won by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who became the first driver to win 10th straight grand prix races. It also set a new team record, with Red Bull having won the last 15 consecutive GPs. Verstappen has won 12 of the 14 races this season, with his teammate Sergio Perez winning the other two. The last time a non-Red Bull car won a race was in Brazil last November, where Mercedes’ Geroge Russell stood atop the podium.  Perez finished second in Italy, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz beating out teammate Charles Leclerc for the last spot on the podium.  - by Christopher Reive, NZ HeraldSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Very different campaign launches by the two major parties over the weekend.   Chris Hipkins launched Labour's in Auckland on Saturday, with the promise of free basic dental care for those under 30 by 2030.  The following day, in the same city, Chris Luxon went with an eight-point pledge card to voters, but no new policy.  Newstalk ZB Political editor Jason Walls told Kate Hawkesby Luxon didn't want to take the focus away from the party's just-released tax plan.  But he says people are starting to poke holes in it.  Walls says the issue of the foreign buyers' tax has started to rear its head, and Luxon and finance spokesperson Nicola Willis have had to answer many questions about that.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I am on what seems a never-ending quest to find a good fruit and vege supplier - and it’s not the supermarket. I’m so sick of soft old apples and wilted lettuce on supermarket shelves, I’m hankering for a good farmers market vibe to get fresh produce into the house. I’ve tried many of the online ones, the companies who purport to pick it fresh that morning and deliver straight to your door. But so far not great, they’re average, but not as fresh as you might hope. Bit hit and miss. You may get a dodgy bunch of bananas and a questionable cucumber, the salad greens are OK - but it’s consistency I’m looking for. My husband and I often talk about growing our own, the problem though with country living is that unless you have a greenhouse or a raised covered vege bed, you’re going to get attacked by pests. My parents raised their vege gardens on Waiheke, then put extra fencing around them, the rabbits still found a way in. A whole family of them. Any rural vege patch is usually taken over by small furry (unwanted) friends. I’ve tried pots, I’ve tried raised troughs, but I only manage to keep things alive and growing for a short time though. And that’s before we get to the elements - a big gust of wind and some torrential rain makes sure anything you thought you might have hope in growing is decimated before you can say ‘green thumb’. I think the costs of veges these days, and the increasingly dodgy quality of them only exacerbates consumer annoyance with this particular food group. Also having been in Australia, seeing so much bountiful fresh produce available – and so much cheaper – really makes you feel ripped off here in NZ. The things we do manage to grow at home – easy things like grapefruit, lemons, feijoas, figs, oranges and mandarins.. they’re all fantastic – but they require very little of us. They grow in spite of us. Any vege or fruit that needs a lot of nurturing tends to become a fulltime job, like the avocado trees which are yet to produce any fruit despite my determination to persist with them. So I have huge admiration for the growers who are doing it and doing it well – but something happens between them harvesting it, and it reaching us. It’s not exactly garden to table. It’s garden to store house to conveyor belt to bag to truck to more storage facilities, to supermarket fridges to supermarket shelves. Which is why it’s not surprising that half the stuff you see on supermarket shelves has virtually wilted before you’ve even driven it home and unpacked it. Any time I raise this people tell me to ‘buy in season’ and ‘grow your own’ and we do try where we can. I mean the $20 a punnet blueberries I saw the other day are a joke and I'm not sure who's buying those, but you can at least get decent strawberries at the moment for a quarter of that price. But I just wonder why it’s so hard to consistently get good produce – even when it is in season. When fruit and veges were cheaper, you could understand why people would be less fussy about it, but the way fruit and vege is priced these days, means if you have to chuck out a whole lettuce or bunch of silverbeet because it's lifespan was half an hour, then that’s cost you dearly. And that’s before you even get to whether it’s organic or not. A bunch of organic silver beet the other day was $10 at my local supermarket. Ten dollars, for about eight leaves of silver beet. You can see why people say it’s hard – and expensive – to eat healthy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The review into New Zealand Rugby is being labelled a step in the right direction.   It found rugby unions constitution and structures 'are not fit for purpose in the modern era.'  And there's questions being raised of how to ensure change is made moving forward.   New Zealand Rugby Players' Association CEO Rob Nichol joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air New Zealand is expected to follow suit and ditch expiry dates on Covid travel credits. Qantas is removing the expiration dates for the credits that were due to run out at the end of the year. Customers with these credits can request a cash refund, while Jetstar customers can use their vouchers for flights indefinitely. Aviation commentator, Irene King, told Kate Hawkesby copying the idea would make a lot of sense. She says it's a competitive market, particularly across the Tasman, so we're going to see change. LISTEN ABOVE     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Conflicting reports have emerged of how business owners are feeling about the state of the economy.  ANZ's latest business outlook survey shows business confidence has lifted another nine points in August, with inflationary expectations down.  But, Canterbury Business Chamber CEO Leeann Watson told Kate Hawkesby they've done their own survey - which paints a different picture.  She says 58 percent of businesses expect the economy to get moderately or significantly worse, compared with just 39 percent last quarter.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hurricane Idalia has thrashed Florida’s Gulf Coast, sparking the evacuation of millions of residents as they hunker down for a surge of tidal water.  At least two storm-related deaths have been reported.  US Correspondent Mitch McCann told Kate Hawkesby says more than 300,000 residents in Florida and Georgia are without power.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A foodbank owner says National's tax plan does a lot for middle income earners, but not much for those really struggling.  It's promising a $14.6 billion package - adjusting income tax brackets for inflation and expanding tax credits.   Community leader David Letele told Kate Hawkesby if we can help people, we should.  He says they're seeing more and more starving children, and some who haven't gone to school since March because they're in emergency housing.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So the Nat’s tax plan – is good – and we know it’s good for two reasons, one, because of all the positive feedback it’s had, and two, because of how ropeable the Government are about it.   They are dark on it because they know they’ve been badly exposed here, by a sensible party doing sensible things, which reeks of common sense.   It reminds us just what common sense feels like - a distant memory for most of us politically these days let’s be honest.   But the left are increasingly angry – they’re on the ropes and you can feel it.  They’re alleging all sorts of crazy and negative claims against the right, they’re starting to look unhinged. Cue the government’s cheerleaders stage left - the Unions.   Now here’s where this whole thing’s going to come unstuck and it’s all going to backfire on them.   Yesterday the CTU launched an attack ad on Luxon – by mistake, it apparently got launched early by mistake.   But it was a digital billboard with a big close-up picture of an angry looking Luxon, with the caption, ‘Out of touch, too much risk.’    The ad has since been removed – but it’s a signal of what’s to come and where the left’s heads are at; fighting dirty.   NZ Council of Trade Unions president Richard Wagstaff authorized the billboard, but the ad agency put it up before the Union itself had signed it off. It’s scheduled to run next week.   And here’s what voters should be worried about, undecided voters, of which there are tons, don’t tend to like dirty tactics - women in particular don’t like it.   They don’t like personal attacks and name calling, and this is what this whole campaign is.  If you are someone who’s paying union fees to the CTU, how do you feel about them spending money on this sort of negative highly personal style attack?   How do you feel about the Unions tight and perhaps now blind allegiance to a government that’s pumped up your cost of living and delivered you very little?   The CTU’s time and energy and money would surely be better spent on initiatives, ideas or policies that could advance the plight of its members.   There seems increasingly no separation between the Labour government and the CTU - both seem blinded by the same ideology, both seem out of step with the people who prop up their coffers.   Why are members fees not being sheeted towards billboards demanding better working conditions, policies that work better for them, new ideas around how to get real traction on solutions around pay and conditions.   For a government that campaigned last time on kindness and hugs and teddy bears, how do they justify this time round going so rogue? So gutter? So scrappy?   Even members of Labour’s own support base are abandoning them. As the left’s very own Chris Trotter pointed out the other day, this government has been so divisive, that it refuses to now work with anyone who ‘doesn’t embrace Labour’s radical social agenda.’   Trotter wrote, ‘once celebrated for its broad inclusiveness, Hipkins’ party has opted to greet potential supporters with a grim pair of ideological bouncers.’  Trotter suggests that ‘those who balk at co-governance, or reject trans women competing against biological women in sport’, are ‘no longer welcome inside Labour’s ‘big tent’.   The party’s broadchurch is increasingly, I reckon, looking like a narrow field of radical ideologues and rabid attack dogs, who when cornered, can only bite back and fight dirty.   If this election is a fight for the middle swing voter, then I think this tactic of the left is a sure-fire way to lose them.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

KiwiSaver investments in companies that cause social and environmental harm have reached a record high.  Charity Mindful Money has found 8.9 percent of KiwiSaver funds go into companies the public generally want to avoid.  Mindful Money Chief Executive, Barry Coates, told Kate Hawkesby climate change is a major concern, but investment in fossil fuels by KiwiSaver is at a record high.  He says they're worried about climate change, animal cruelty, and human rights.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our national health service is being accused of structural imbalance.   New documents reveal Te Whatu Ora's contractor workforce may not have earned their high wages.   The number of contractors has dropped from more than 1,000 to just over 600 - after the audit found significant deficiencies in the agency's recruitment processes.  The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists Executive Director Sarah Dalton told Kate Hawkesby bringing 20 DHBs together was always going to be challenging.   She says the agency has things the wrong way round and the focus needs to be on clinical services.  Dalton says health professionals should be allowed to drive the system.     LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour announced yesterday that ‘bottom trawling and Danish seining will be banned in most of the Hauraki Gulf as part of a plan to better protect the 1.2-million-hectare marine park.’   They have four options going for public consultation next week, one of them stipulating that ‘bottom-trawling would be banned from 89 per cent of the Gulf. Currently, 27 per cent of the Gulf is closed to bottom trawling and Danish seining fishing methods.’   Bottom trawling involves dragging weighted nets over the seafloor to catch fish.   Danish seining, I had to look up because I had no idea what that was, but it’s apparently ‘similar to a small trawl net, but the wire warps are much longer and there are no otter boards. The seine boat drags the warps and the net in a circle around the fish. The motion of the warps herds the fish into the central net,’ according to Wikipedia.   So is the Government’s announcement yesterday of looking to ban this in most of the Hauraki Gulf, too little too late though?   Because we have a massive problem in the Gulf that the Government’s arguably dropped the ball on, and it’s not trawlers, it’s seaweed.   Two years ago an invasive and destructive seaweed named Caulerpa, you may've heard about it already, was detected around Great Barrier Island.   It reportedly spreads rapidly and suffocates the seabed, resulting in a loss of 50 percent of our fish biomass and 30 percent of our marine biodiversity.   So what did the government do about this?   Well, MPI implemented a monitor and observe strategy, despite Caulerpa causing catastrophic and irreversible marine damage in different parts of the world, the Ministry responsible for our oceans' biosecurity, have spent two years ‘aggressively monitoring’.. as it’s spread rapidly along our North Eastern coastline.   So have they shown enough readiness and urgency in tackling this?   Given it’s one of the most harmful species to take up residence on our coastlines, I’d argue not. Caulerpa is now so widespread on the western coast of Great Barrier Island, that it’s spread to the Mercury Islands, Bay of Islands and Waiheke Island.   That’s a huge amount of coverage in an area described as Auckland’s ‘jewel in the crown’.   And bear in mind, they’ve known about this for more than two years.   So arguably we’re now at a critical point - a three month window before summer arrives - water temperature increases and boat and fishing activity peaks - all of which is a perfect storm for the seaweed to flourish and entirely smother our ocean seabed.   Internationally, if you look at experience from North America where the weed’s been suppressed, contained and eradicated, it shows that immediate action between government and communities delivered a successful result.   Here, mana whenua, community groups, local and international scientists have all voiced their concerns about the extreme threat Caulerpa poses to our coastline's biodiversity and ecosystems.   They’ve even offered up a range of solutions that they all agree on, despite their frustrations at how slow government has been to act on this in any decisive fashion.   They’ve agreed on how to combat it, ways to suppress the spread, investment that will enable community to take a localised approach to dealing with surveillance, extraction and monitoring.   And yet what’s the Government doing? Monitoring and observing - and at this rate, all that's doing is allowing the killer algae to spread. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is expected to announce a mental health co-response model between Police and health today.   Psychologist Sara Chatwin says it's a nice notion, but when it comes to mental health you need to tread lightly.  Chatwin joined Kate Hawkesby on Early Edition. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fears have come that new legalisation aimed at taxing multinational companies that provide digital services might not be as effective as hoped.   The Government has unveiled the Digital Services Tax, which will slap three percent on New Zealand revenue of companies like Amazon, Meta and Google.  It's expected to bring in $222 million over four years.  However, Tech Commentator Paul Spain told Kate Hawkesby some companies may simply put up their New Zealand prices to cover the difference.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National is expected to make tax bracket changes to keep up with inflation.  It'll unveil its policy in a few hours, with Finance Spokesperson Nicola Willis saying it'll be funded through a mix of spending cuts and "targeted" revenue tools.  She's long talked about the "squeezed middle", meaning as much relief for middle income earners as higher income earners.  Auckland University tax expert Craig Elliffe told Kate Hawkesby changing the brackets is a good idea for middle New Zealand.  He says the fiscal drag caused by inflation means there's more tax on them right now, so it's a sensible signal of a policy.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s a lot of sport going on at the moment – school sport I mean - and I’m always amazed at how dedicated and committed parents and volunteer coaches are to these school teams.  Having had kids as players, and later on as coaches, having seen how much work goes into it all, it’s very impressive.   Especially in terrible weather and especially in a cost of living crisis where things like sports gear, shoes and uniforms are not cheap.   Some families are paying a fortune for their kids to do sport – and I’m always amazed at how many prioritise it.   It takes up weekends and evenings too, so it’s very time and finance heavy.   But it’s those sports teams and club games which often spark real enthusiasm for kids, not to mention set them up with a lifetime of friendship or a good foundation for fitness. Both of which are crucial for mental health, so it’s got to be good for them, even if they’re pretty average at it.   I remember when my husband was the girls’ netball manager back in their primary school days, and it was so intense, the planning, the practices, the draws, the matches.   But it bonded a lot of kids together, and it gave them a real sense of achievement whenever they won – which my husband will happily tell you was always - they had an undefeated run while he was in charge, he likes to remind us.   But it was always fun first and foremost.   This week is the big Secondary Schools Winter Tournament Week, so there are kids and parents heading off all over the country to compete.   My daughter’s school, like I suppose many others, sent an email home saying that as a ‘fair play school’, they want to remind participants of their aims.   That it’s enjoyable and rewarding for all involved, that they compete with fairness, respect the rules and abide by them. That they respect the role of officials and abide their rules, that they respect opponents and value the spirit of sportsmanship, and to accept victory or loss with equal dignity.  So that was the message for players - but what was more telling was the message to parents and supporters.   Spectators were asked by the school to ‘focus on effort and performance, not the outcome of the event, to help the child set realistic goals and reduce the emphasis on winning.’   This reduction on the emphasis of winning is increasingly a thing these days. When our kids were little, parents used to shout on the sideline of a cross country race until they were almost hoarse. It was about winning. Gradually over time, it got to be more about participation though.. and everyone getting a prize.   Being first was not so highly prized anymore - just being involved was key. But these days the other creeping social construct is making sure parents don’t get too carried away.   The school’s email went on to say, ‘remember children are involved in organized sport for their enjoyment not yours,’ ‘applaud good play by both teams’.. ‘if you disagree with an official, raise it through the appropriate channels rather than question an official’s judgment in public.’   Now our school’s not unique here, you can see where the vibe for school sport is at these days.  Tone it down, just have fun and compete, nobody get too carried away.   As valiant as it is for schools to promote this kind of thing, you only need to be on any rugby sideline any Saturday morning, to see that despite all that, there’re still bucket loads of kids and parents who are in it to win it - and they’re pretty loud about it too. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand Fashion Week is being refreshed after three years away from the catwalk.  Starting today Kiwi designers will have their talent showcased across more than 50 runway shows, talks, and workshops.  Owner Feroz Ali told Kate Hawkesby this time round there's greater opportunity for the public to see work from a more diverse pool of designers.  Ali says there are a lot more indigenous and emerging designers coming through.   He says the new talent will be shepherded by stewards like Kate Sylvester, who is celebrating 30 years in the local industry.  The event is partnering with Ngāti Whātua.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are fears unemployment could rise as many businesses look to restructure.  Seek's latest report for July shows job ad volumes dropped four percent month-on-month and are 26 percent lower year-on-year.   They're now just one percent higher than in July 2019 - while applications per job have risen by 11 percent - the highest level on record.  Employers and Manufacturers Association Head of Strategy Alan McDonald told Kate Hawkesby many businesses are looking to cut costs rather than take on more people.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National says Grant Robertson can't deliver on the savings he's announced by slashing public contractors and consultants' spending.  The Finance Minister says the move will mean savings of almost $4 billion over the next four years.  He's also announced a trimming back of programmes and a limit on future budget allowances.    National Finance spokesperson Nicola Willis told Kate Hawkesby this won't make any difference. She says the Government has thrown billions at growing the bureaucracy and this kind of spending - so it's too little, too late.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former Cabinet Minister believes Chris Hipkins has snookered Luxon very cleverly.  The Labour leader has ruled out working with New Zealand First, saying Winston Peters no longer holds policies fit to run the country.  Hipkins has labelled Peters a force of instability and chaos.  Former MP Peter Dunne told Kate Hawkesby that he's reinforced in people's minds that a vote for New Zealand First is a vote for National.  He says National's hand has been forced to make clear whether he'll work with Peters, which could be risky.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new report reveals that the majority of New Zealand employers are contributing the minimum 3% towards their employees Kiwi Saver.   The latest Value for Money Report by KiwiSaver watchdog, National Capital, shows the average contribution rate for all New Zealanders is 4.3%.  Director and KiwiSaver expert Clive Fernandes told Kate Hawkesby that based on the average contribution rate, retirement expenses, and inflation the contribution rate average should be 6.3% .   He says the extra money saved now will take a lot more pressure off when it comes to retirement.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We went to Christchurch at the weekend, and we were waiting to board the plane and a woman comes up to us and says to Mike, “Just wanted to say I love your show, I listen all the time, but I have to say I think you’re wrong about Winston.”   First things first, this woman was under 70 years old. She looked about mid-40’s I guess, so not your average Winston supporter.   Mike replies, “What do you mean?”. She says, “You’re wrong about him not having enough support, I reckon he’ll be in government, he’s going to get at least 5 percent.” Mike replies, “Are you insane?” Which, personally, I’ve always thought is a weird way to address your listeners in public, by asking them if they’re insane, but hey, who am I to judge.   So she goes on to point out all the reasons why she thinks Winston’s in: ‘he’s getting lots of talk,’ ‘people are listening to him,’ ‘there’s buzz,’ etc. All the stuff that on a statistical graph ranks absolutely nowhere; it’s more a ‘feeling’ than anything logical or statistically based, but she's adamant.   So Mike goes on to debate with her the reasons why he thinks Winston won’t make it, and I’m just sitting there hoping they call our flight soon... but she’s not buying it, she’s clearly into Winston.   Here’s the thing though – in order to get to be in government and achieve any of the things his fan base are liking the sound of, a major player, as in a main political party, has to want him there, and offer him a seat at the table. And so far, that’s not happening.   Yesterday even Labour ruled him out. Which, to be fair, didn’t make a lot of sense given he’s already ruled out working with them anyway– but no one believed that given last time, so to now have Hipkins not just rule him out but also chastise his party as being a bit obsessed with toilets, not real issues, could mean any prospective partnership there is really over. Although never rule out Winston changing his mind.   But here’s the thing with all this – has Hipkins snookered Luxon here? Luxon had ample opportunity to rule Winston out months ago and never did, has he now left it too late? Is he now looking like the only leader left who's possibly going to get lumped with Winston? And if he doesn’t rule him out now, does Winston continue to gain traction in the polls?   My husband during his random conversation the airport with the total stranger did point out that Winston tends to poll higher than he gets on the night – much like the Greens, but as the pundits always say – can we really ever rule Winston out?   So is Luxon left in a quandary now? If he doesn’t rule him out is he leaving the door open for a possible coalition containing two parties who hate each other – ACT and NZ First? Or does he rule him out now and run the risk of not having enough numbers on the night and finding he actually needs him?   So I get the dilemma he’s facing, it’s an unenviable position to be in. I’d be bullish though if it were me, I’d rule Winston out, on principle, and be confident I could get the numbers in the night. But does Luxon have the backbone? That’s the question... and we may not get an answer for a while yet. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister may not have been able to articulate whether he had or had not started campaigning for the election earlier this week -  but we all know he started campaigning the minute he was confirmed as the new Labour Party leader and Prime Minister on 22nd January.  What is clear is that campaigning has stepped up a gear. If the antics of this week are any indication of what’s to come then we should buckle up – I think we’re in for a messy and potentially nasty seven-week ride to the election.    This is largely a cost-of-living election. The major parties are doing their best to convince us they’re the most credible party to manage the economy. They’re both focused on ‘bread and butter’ issues and helping the “squeezed middle” and “hard-working New Zealanders”. The minor parties are offering more extreme versions of the same policies - and in the process look like they’re offering action and a real alternative.  But this week any hope the election would be focused on having constructive debates about front of mind issues was dented as our politicians instead focused on discrediting each other.    Te Pati Maori leader Rawiri Waititi went all out, appearing to substantially breach a name suppression order in Parliament’s debating chamber.    The well-preforming ACT party came under scrutiny for some interesting candidate selections – including one candidate who had made a comment in the past comparing vaccine mandates to Nazi concentration camps. Once this was revealed she promptly resigned, which Seymour sensible accepted, even if he couldn’t stop making jokes about blowing things up.    National’s had to deal with bullying claims, with Tim van de Molen stood down from his portfolios after a Privileges Committee report found his behaviour towards Labour MP Shanan Halbert was threatening and that he was in contempt of Parliament. He was swiftly rolled out to offer an apology and accepted all the findings.    Former Minister Michael Wood likely hoped all this drama would mean everyone would forget his shares kerfuffle, but the Privileges Committee recommended he offer an apology for being asked at least 12 times to deal with a perceived conflict of interest and not doing so.  Oh, and let’s not forget National had to deny having a ‘man-ban’ after it was reported MP Michael Woodhouse had suggested he was the victim of diversity.    The Privileges Committee has been busy and it doesn’t feel like the complaints and reports are going to end anytime soon. Let’s hope these are balanced by at least some informative and constructive conversations breaking out during the grubby hit fest.    Seven more weeks. Honestly. Give me strength. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All eyes will be on the television tomorrow morning for the final All Blacks test before the World Cup.  They remain undefeated so far this year beating all they have come up against including an emphatic win against long-time opponents South Africa.  They're taking on the Springboks at Twickenham in front of a sell-out crowd of 82,000 - kicking off at 6.30am New Zealand time.  Former All Black captain and Sky Sports commentator Sean Fitzpatrick joined Francesca Rudkin out of the UK. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A West Auckland councillor sees hope for the community in a new flood recovery deal.  The Council will share the $2 billion cost of recovery and resilience works with central government.   It includes $774 million to purchase about 700 Category 3 residential properties and $820 million for resilience against future flooding.   Waitākere ward councillor Shane Henderson told Francesca Rudkin it includes engineering solutions like raising roads - so communities can continue living near streams.   He says that's important for a lot of communities - including those in West Auckland that were particularly slammed by rising floodwaters.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National leader Chris Luxon had little choice in the way he responded to an MP's conduct.   Tim Van de Molen has been stripped of all his portfolios after the Privileges Committee found him in contempt of the House for threatening behaviour against Labour's Shanan Halbert.   Former National Party advisor Brigette Morten told Francesca Rudkin people are unlikely to change their vote purely because of this.  She says people's view of Luxon won't change based entirely on yesterday's events - but multiple issues could have an effect as it has on Prime Minister Chris Hipkins.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

About five years ago we started talking about how school pools where being closed. 165 school pools had closed in the previous five years and more were at risk of closing due of health and safety or maintenance costs. The big losers were, of course, the kids. We want our children to know how to be safe around water, especially with our drowning figures. But with schools struggling to build enough classrooms, let alone manage a pool only used for part of the year, it wasn’t a surprise to see schools find alternative ways to teach children water safety. Even more appallingly, a recent Listener article in the NZ Herald tells how schools are now sacrificing libraries too.   First pools, now libraries – where’s the fun in going to school?!   So here’s the thing, libraries are not mandated. It’s up to the school’s management and board of trustees to decide whether they have the space and resources for a library, maybe even a librarian, or whether they need that space or budget for something else.   It’s a fascinating article by Paul Little and I encourage you to read it. In it Little writes “New Zealand has 2,434 state and state integrated schools. The School Library Association of New Zealand Aotearoa estimates 900 of them do not have a library...”.   I found that number confronting. We have plummeting literacy rates, and many schools do not have a library. Apparently, research shows schools that have “libraries with librarians have higher reading test scores, academic achievement and positive attitudes towards learning.” Basically, they do better.   I’m not saying a library is the silver bullet to solving our low literacy standards (and not all schools are big enough to justify a library) but libraries do play a part, even if it’s just a small corner filled with books and a few bean bags.   If you’ve had a child go through school you will have seen how reading impacts their learning - kids who read tend to flourish. The benefits though are more than that - it’s so much more fun being allowed to choose your own book rather than the dry ones you’re made to read in class. It’s good to get out of the classroom and learn in a different environment. It’s a place of sanctuary for many children who need a moment's respite from the chaos of the playground. For many it is the only opportunity to access books, and for others marks the beginning of being a lifelong library user. So as we head into this election, it’s excellent to hear all this policy about how we get back to teaching the basics and focusing on reading, writing and maths. Over the next few months we’ll see lots of political posturing, positioning, announcements and kneeling for photos with kids. Sometimes, though, the things that help aren’t that hard – like money for school libraries so our kids have something to read.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Select Committee is wanting to see greater legislative change around defining sexual consent. It's asking the next government to lawfully outline what consent is in sexual offences - like many other countries have. Current New Zealand laws only state what is not. HELP executive director Kathryn Phillips joined Francesca Rudkin. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

OneRoof figures show the house price slump is over in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington. The quarterly rises show a 0.3 percent increase in the value of Auckland properties, a 2 percent increase for Christchurch properties and 0.1 percent decrease in Wellington properties - but One Roof believes that will rise again shortly too. Editor Owen Vaughan says it's not a large increase but it's still significant - he joined Francesca Rudkin. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Food and fibre export revenue has hit new heights. It's drawn $57.4 billion for the year to June 30, bringing $1.2 billion more into the economy than was originally forecast. Dairy, horticulture, seafood and processed food exports have driven the record increases. Business NZ chief executive Kirk Hope told Francesca Rudkin these are good headline numbers, but there are underlying factors. He says, for example, while dairy by value is up the milk price is down by what was forecast from $8.30 to between $7 and $7.75. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So our post-pandemic dining behaviours, according to this Herald article I read, talked about how much more expensive dining out is these days - $50 mains it quoted. The upshot is we appear to be getting less food for more money, restaurants are getting tougher on turning tables, and people are dining earlier. The reporter asked, ‘what’s happened to hospitality?’ and I take her point. It can feel like it’s not all that hospitable anymore. The last time we dined in Auckland’s CBD at a well-known well-regarded restaurant we felt something was amiss - a new kind of disinterest in diners, a slackening of service, an unapologetic approach to it all, and just not that much of a pleasant experience, for quite a lot of money. Like many diners, I don’t mind parting with hard-earned cash for an experience when it’s good, not so much when it’s below par.   We thought maybe we’d just struck this particular restaurant on a bad night, but have since been told by others their experience replicated ours. So how do they get away with it and how do they continue to profit from an increasingly poor experience? Many restaurateurs would argue it’s not that profitable for them anymore, and that may be part of the problem. I’d also hazard a guess our lengthy closed border and a lack of access to staff has had a huge impact. The other Covid – induced side effect is we got used to eating at home, we got good at sourcing our own food, making it ourselves, we also got enthused about ‘supporting local’ and dining in our local hood more. On top of that, I’d also argue that especially in main centres like Auckland and Wellington, there are more people who can’t be bothered with the drama of the CBD. Too hard to get into, no access, no parking, too many homeless, too much violence, not worth the hassle. A nice night out at a restaurant kind of loses its gloss if you have run for your life at the end of it. Increasing costs for the hospo industry in terms of labour and food I don’t doubt is horrendous for them – and they’ll of course be passing it on. But another thing we’re doing apparently now is dining earlier. Now I know this to be the case, because we are early diners ourselves due to our crazy early work hours, and increasingly we’re finding restaurants are fuller earlier. People tell me they sometimes can’t even get a 5.30pm booking anymore, because there’s an increase in ‘demand for 5pm tables.’ I actually think that’s good and could mean a lot of things. One, we’re maybe dining with our young kids more, like Europeans do, therefore we're after earlier tables, two, we're perhaps more educated on health and wellness these days and know the importance of digesting food early and not eating late into the night before bed. Three, we want to get ahead of any 7.30pm potential rush when service can slow down to a snail’s pace, and four, maybe it’s older people are the only ones left with any disposable income these days to spend on eating out, and they’re habitually earlier eaters. I don’t know, but I’d say there’s a lot at play in terms of how the dining experience has changed - not always for the better. I don’t envy hard working restaurateurs trying to keep up with it all, but I’d like to think the good ones know that to keep people returning, you have to keep offering up a good experience. Especially given the cost of it these days.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Opposition's blaming Labour's 'soft on crime' approach for an increase in gang members serving home detention. The number of gang-affiliated offenders sentenced to home detention has risen nearly 60 percent in six years. Corrections figures show 623 people with gang-links have been put on home detention in the past financial year. National's justice spokesperson Paul Goldsmith told Kate Hawkesby he wants to make sure there are 'real consequences' for crime. He says they want to make being a gang member an aggravating factor at sentencing. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A pause has come on using surgical mesh for a common birthing injury. Director-General of Health, Dr Diana Sarfati, maintains it's not a ban but will allow the rolling out of measures to reduce harm linked to surgical mesh used for stress urinary incontinence. These include tailored training for surgeons, and a patient registry. General Practice NZ chair Dr. Bryan Betty told Kate Hawkesby patients will also get clear pros and cons in an amplified consenting process. He says there'd be a team of experts talking about whether it's the right choice for the patient. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concerns that the Department of Conservation's planned changes after the deaths of 17 kiwi aren't going far enough. An independent review has found the birds' deaths between 2016 and 2017 at Hawke's Bay's Cape Sanctuary were due to staff turnover, a dry summer and predation. DOC has given itself two years to implement changes to documentation, monitoring and complaint management. But former Forest and Bird chief conservation advisor Kevin Hackwell told Kate Hawkesby it doesn't address the conflict between kiwis' welfare and tourism. He says when that conflict arises it's vital that welfare wins over tourism. Note: A claim was made in the interview that Cape Sanctuary staff were told by management not to inform DOC of the Kiwi deaths. Cape Sanctuary denies this and the independent review commissioned by DOC does not refer to this claim.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The same Labour Party that now wants to build roads all of a sudden, also now wants to clamp down on student achievement. It wants to mandate reading writing and maths ‘core teaching requirements’ across all schools. So, in essence, they want to get serious now on education. After six years of abandoning every fundamental core principle there was in regards to student achievement and learning. Two things immediately jump to mind here, one, since when did Labour abandon all its mad cap ideology on what curriculums should look like and decide that the fundamental basics are in fact important in education, and two, what’s with now copying National? The first answer is, after six years of failed experiments, ideological tweaking, and neglect of education, record truancy numbers, teacher shortages, uni drop outs and failed achievement standards - they’ve realised the jig is up. The thought bubbles on rewriting curriculums and forcing Te Reo into every facet of every subject as a priority has left the fundamentals floundering. Discovering how many students can’t pass basic tests, how many can’t read or write, how many can’t do maths, has perhaps focused the mind a bit? Or, does tanking in the polls now focus the mind on aiming at the centre voter? Here’s the other thing with Labour’s latest education announcement, which by the way, I’m not sure how Jan Tinetti pulls off with a straight face, but they now want targets too. Remember those? They were the things this Government abandoned and didn’t seem all that fond of. They want ‘learning progress steps’ to ‘track students’ progress on their core learning.’ Fancy that? Tracking progress?! The Nat’s claim Labour’s stolen their policy, and it’s not an unreasonable claim given it smacks of National rhetoric - fundamentals, basics, progress, tracking achievement - these are all from the Nat’s vernacular on education. You can almost hear Erica Stanford’s voice when you read those words. And yet all of a sudden they’re coming out of Jan Tinetti’s mouth. They’re either stealing National policies to try to win centre voters and they truly believe they’ll get back in that way, or they’re just flying a big kite here in the hope voters may fall for it now, and forget about it later. Like Kiwibuild, light rail, child poverty, and all the other promises they made that went nowhere. What’s easy for political parties to do is spout promises and get headlines and make stuff sound appealing in a generic sense. What’s harder though, is cutting through the spin, and making it a reality. Making it part of the landscape. I can tell you, having spoken many students who’ve looked to go into the education sphere at a tertiary level, that the key message they’re given by school, is that in order to be part of the education sector in any way, the most crucial thing they can do is learn Te Reo. It’s not just students who say that, it’s teachers, careers advisors inside schools, and it’s Universities too. The message current students who want to teach future students are getting, is that the most important thing they can learn, is Te Reo. To have fundamentals and basics taught well, and to get the sort of cut through the Labour party now allegedly wants in education, means they have to look long and hard at where they misdirected that focus the past six years. How they aim to turn that around, is the key question.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The wait could be soon over for new cancer drugs in New Zealand. The National Party's promising to ring fence $280 million over four years to fund 13 new cancer drugs which are used in Australia. It will be funded by restricting fee-free prescriptions to superannuitants and those on low incomes. The Cancer Society's medical director Kate Gregory told Kate Hawkesby this would fill the treatment gap between New Zealand and Australia. She says it can be distressing for someone living here to find out they could have access to different cancer drugs across the Tasman. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Failed promises by Labour may be contributing to their slip in the polls. The latest 1 News Verian poll sees the party drop to 29 percent -- and National rise to 37. The Greens are up two points to 12 percent while Act is up one, to 13. Political commentator Peter Dunne told Kate Hawkesby there's a series of big pledges made before the 2017 election that haven't been fulfilled, like KiwiBuild and Auckland light rail. He says now Labour is making some big aspirational promises and people must be wondering, why should we believe you this time? LISTEN ABOVE    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The secondary teachers' union is concerned about the Government legislating how some subjects are taught. The Government has announced it'll mandate core teaching requirements in maths, reading and writing. It's been working on a common practice model to ensure nationwide consistency. Post Primary Teachers Association acting president Chris Abercrombie told Kate Hawkesby it could make teachers' jobs harder. He says one size doesn't fit all - so they'll have to think of other ways to teach to support all students. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of Britain's most prolific serial child killers is about to be sentenced. Former nurse Lucy Letby has been convicted of murdering seven babies and found guilty of trying to kill another six. Police believe the 33-year-old may have harmed dozens more infants. UK correspondent Gavin Grey told Kate Hawkesby that it seems she'll refuse to appear for the sentencing, and many are saying she should be made to. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s some concern over Labour's promise to make teaching financial literacy compulsory. The party's vowing to make the change happen from 2025, if it's re-elected. Life Education Trust CEO John O'Connell says it's great it's finally being recognised. But, he told Kate Hawkesby, he's worried about it being taught mainly via the maths and social sciences curriculums. He says we have to shift the mindset of financial literacy being an academic achievement, because it's actually a life skill. O'Connell says until we do that we'll continue to fail. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m thinking the people we should be feeling most for this election campaign are the government’s security detail. Judging by the Prime Minister’s outing to Otara markets in South Auckland over the weekend, it could be a rough old time on the hustings. Bear in mind, this is South Auckland, Labour territory. The PM was not wandering through Fendalton or Remuera. He was in an area which should have his back, but not this time. Protestors from Freedoms NZ, which it’s reported is, “a new political party, joining together the Tamaki-led Vision NZ party and the Outdoors and Freedom Party..” reportedly, “chased him around the market, two on bicycles and others carrying big blue banners, until the prime minister eventually left.” So they caused such a ruckus, they ended Hipkins visit early. From the footage at the event, the person looking most surprised was the PM’s security. Chippy just kept smiling. Was he not aware of how bad it was? Did he just not care? Was he smiling to just keep up appearances? But this could be something he needs to get more used to. People are angsty, they’re angry, they’re seemingly going to make their voices heard. And not always just to offer him a sausage roll. Hipkins was reported saying he won’t change his campaign strategy because of it though. He still hopes to get out and about and said he won’t curb his movements... is that true though? I don’t doubt that behind the scenes the logistics peeps are busy working out how best to avoid this bad press, to avoid this unrest, and to keep him out of the fray. Let’s not forget what happened when Jacinda started to get booed in public, she stopped visiting places where she might find an unpopular reception. She stuck to safe spaces like primary schools or Universities, places where she knew she’d be well received. Will Chris Hipkins have to start doing the same? And that’s before we get to how much the party is internally disputing how they’re tracking, and how much solidarity there is among them as they lose support and lose face, on the back of losing so many Ministers. Hipkins is looking increasingly like a bit of a lone wolf, making a few ‘big calls’ but then having them backfire. GST on fruit and vege being one glaringly recent example. How much of it will come down to him though, versus the party’s lack of delivery, versus the sheer fact Kiwis are just fed up with the direction of the country and feeling stuck in a never-ending cost of living crisis. If Labour go on to lose in October, what went wrong will be dissected ad nauseum. Was it one too many Cabinet minister dramas? Was it Chippy going out on a limb trying to be all things to all people and instead falling between stools? Was it just tide out time on a tired and out of ideas government? Was it too much media focus on fringe minor parties making a lot of noise and getting too much attention? The next couple of months are going to be crucial for Labour, but many inside the party will be asking if the damage has already been done. However Hipkins has no choice really but to keep showing up everywhere, protestors or no protestors, I guess.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellingtonians are finally snapping up tickets to the city's craft beer festival. Two Beervana sessions are fully sold out, overturning concerns people weren't keen this year. Event Manager Ryan McArthur says there's a lot to get excited about this weekend. He says almost 60 breweries are represented, some from Australia, and about 340 brews to try. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So we spoke with Mark Mitchell earlier this morning on Ginny Andersen's claim that he's unfit to be Police Minister. This came about because he said the Government wasn't going after gangs properly, and more than half the charges they were laying for gangs were administrative like traffic offences or minor infringements. This is Operation Cobalt, the Government's so called 'gang crackdown' which the Police Minister is very defensive of. She fired back that the charges Police were laying were not minor, that many were for serious offences like burglary and theft. She went on to say it was ‘frankly appalling’ that Mitchell was ‘going after hard working police officers.’ Which is of course not what he was doing at all, but it’s election season, and a desperate government will latch onto anything as a means of a personal assassination of their opposition right now. What I don’t even need to point out to you here, because it’s so glaringly obvious, is that when you have achieved absolutely nothing in that space, in your portfolio as Police Minister, it is a bit rich – if not farcical, to come out and fire salvos at someone else. This is why Mitchell called it a ‘desperate showing from a Labour government that has utterly failed in law and order.’ He says he's ‘proud of the job our frontline Police do in a very challenging environment created by this hopeless Labour Government’  and that he ‘takes issue with a Government that purports to be 'tough on gangs', while presiding over a 70 percent increase in gang membership, a 33 percent increase in violent crime, and gang-related shootings becoming commonplace.’ He says ‘Labour has zero credibility in law and order, and none of the four Police Ministers they've had over the past year have changed that,’ it was reported. See, that’s the problem. People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. Andersen doesn’t have a record she can stand on, she doesn’t have a metric she can be proud of, all she does is highlight the failures of the Labour government in this space. Look don’t get me wrong, it’s election season and everyone’s tetchy and the Labour party are looking increasingly frazzled and strung out. When Nicola Willis said the other day they need a cup of tea and a lie down or a holiday – it’s true. I don’t begrudge them that. It could be a long lie down if they find themselves in the Opposition benches, but I would’ve thought in these final weeks, avoiding own goals would be helpful. Ginny Andersen critiquing National’s Police spokesperson, himself a former Police officer, is a waste of her time and energy. Pretending that he was having a crack at hard working officers was also a delusional stretch. Of course an opposition spokesperson is going to look to hold government claims around successful metrics, to account. The focus for Andersen at this time would be better spent on actually trying to improve things Kiwis can tangibly notice. Like the violence in our CBD's, the crime in our retail sector, the aggressive burglaries, the gang takeovers of our streets, that would be a great place for the Police Minister to expend her energy between now and October 14th. Less time spent taking pot-shots at former cops and more time bolstering the ones you have.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have another stoush between Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen - this time over Operation Cobalt. National's police spokesperson this week claimed more than half of charges from the gang crackdown were for minor offences. The Minister has fired back, saying that's simply not true and those "minor offences" include burglary, theft, fraud and others. She claims Mitchell is "unfit to be Police Minister." Mark Mitchell joined Early Edition. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some of the UK's biggest names are paying tribute to veteran broadcaster Sir Michael Parkinson. The talk show great has died at 88 after a short illness. He presented 'Parkinson' from 1971 to 2007 quizzing celebrities over more than 800 episodes. Europe Correspondent Vincent McAviney told Kate Hawkesby he's being remembered for his dedication to making his guests feel comfortable. He says he always made sure the interviewee was the person who shone. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everything that's wrong with our justice system at the moment was summed up this week by the judge who gave those two sex offenders home detention. They were described as two of this country's most notorious sexual predators, their offending so heinous one of the victim's called it depraved, one's had PTSD and flashbacks since, one had attempted suicide twice. The judge apparently choked back tears as he said, ‘The harm to the victims can only be described as profound.’ The judge 'described graphic details of some of the offending, which at times involved the use of beer bottles and a deodorant ball.' Yet given all that, what did the judge give them? Permanent name suppression - and a discounted sentence. One offender got 11 months home detention, the other got seven months. The victims urged the judge to lift name suppression, they said they felt like they had little value or worth and 'this victim blaming culture would never stop', but the judge upheld the suppression, based on the fact he felt the offenders met the category of extreme hardship - and would not be able to move on with their lives if their names were made public. They had their sentences reduced due to their age at the time, with the judge saying ‘youth is relevant as it explains the lack of consequential thinking.’ What message does that send young offenders in our current climate of rampant youth crime? That you have another excuse for your behaviour - you're too young to be thinking clearly. So despite the profound impact on the victims lives, the trauma, the flashbacks, the suicide attempts, the bravery in coming forward and going through this whole process, despite all of that, what are they left with? How is there any justice served for them? The judge was concerned about the offenders’ ability to move on with their lives, but what about the victims? How do they move on with their lives? This is why so many victims of sexual violence and sexual offending never come forward. This is why they feel the system is broken and rigged against them. How many times do we hear about the plight of the offender? Their background, their upbringing, their challenges? Why is that seemingly prioritised over and above the plight of the victims? These guys didn't even show remorse. The judge said, ‘I am not convinced there is a high level of remorse, remorse needn't be extraordinary but it must be genuine. There is a lack of tangible evidence of this.’ So no remorse, but still a light sentence. When the TV news crews filmed one of these guys leaving court he flicked the bird at them, had his middle finger up at them the whole way out. Does that indicate a chastened offender whose learnt the lesson or understands the gravitas of what they've done? Of course not.  It's just another guilty criminal who beat the system. A system that is seemingly designed to favour the offender. It's a travesty not just for the victims, but for all the families involved in trying to hold predators to account. What it says is - the crime committed against you may have ruined your life, but the justice system wants to make sure it doesn't ruin the lives of the offenders too. I just don’t see how that's fair - or just. It feels like we have a justice system working backwards, where there's actually no justice at allSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The housing market is unlikely to be greatly impacted by the latest Reserve Bank announcement. The bank confirmed the Official Cash Rate will remain at 5.5 percent, although there is a possibility this could be raised again this year. Corelogic Chief Property Economist Kelvin Davidson told Kate Hawkesby the decision is neutral for the housing market, with a muted recovery still likely. He says whatever was going to happen to the housing market will still happen. Davidson says there is no need to panic and the hint of a further OCR hike is just a warning. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Deciding the verdict in the Lauren Dickason trial would've been an extremely difficult decision for any jury. The 42-year-old has been found guilty of murdering her three daughters at their Timaru home in 2021. Dickason pleaded insanity, caused by postpartum depression. The Criminal Bar Association's former president Gary Gotlieb told Kate Hawkesby it was a case of having to weigh up the different views of experts. He questions whether it's appropriate for juries to determine the outcome in cases like these - where experts themselves are divided. Dickason has been remanded to Hillmorton Hospital, before her sentencing. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland Transport is celebrating an end to bus driver shortages, but some believe it's too early to pop the champagne. At the height of the crisis AT needed 578 drivers. The city has three more drivers than the 2,206 required to operate the bus schedule. But, Public Transport Users Association's Jon Reeves told Kate Hawkesby only having three spare is a bit dicey, when it comes to staff sickness. He says people will hear buses are all running again, then experience a cancellation due to illness and feel let down by the marketing. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I see one of the favourite holiday playgrounds for many Kiwi families, has been hit with a travel advisory over violence. ‘Fiji police to increase presence after reports of violent attacks on tourists’ read the headline. These attacks apparently include assaults, robberies and sexual assaults, mainly in Suva’s downtown nightspots. Fiji, one of the safest countries in the world, facing the same problem many CBD’s are facing these day;  increased violence. I mean if a safe haven like Fiji can end up with a travel advisory for New Zealand, the US and Canada to ‘remain alert in public places’ then god knows what the warning should be for tourists coming to downtown Auckland these days. It sort of seems unfair that Kiwis are being told to ‘exercise increased caution in Fiji’ - I mean that’s what I’d tell anyone visiting Auckland too to be honest. But every time I raise how dangerous Auckland is these days, people always contact me from other centres telling me crime is rampant there too. It’s not just the violence though is it, it’s the low rent factor as well. The social issues tipping out all over our streets. I was in two opposite ends of Auckland yesterday, and both places had barefoot beggars at intersections tapping on car windows asking for money. Some are organised with signs, some just wander aimlessly banging on car windows and waving their hands. Most of the cars I noticed ignored them, in fact all bar one guy in a Ute who wound down his window and flicked out a couple of coins. But who has cash these days anyway? They can’t be making much business out there at the intersections. It used to be window washers asking for money, but these days they’ve ditched the soap and brush and they’re just straight up asking for money outright. I often wonder how intimidating that must be for little old ladies alone in their cars, or young students on their restricted, nervous about why someone is walking through moving traffic banging on their car window. It’s actually dangerous, I saw one guy almost get hit. Cars had to swerve for him, I’m not sure how it’s allowed, but that’s the point. Nothing’s not allowed anymore is it? We’ve just come to accept that our suburban streets may look at times like downtown New York, minus the cops. Barefoot beggars wandering through traffic, and people on street corners yelling obscenities is somehow normal now. When did that happen? When did we just accept that every social and mental health issue is fine to just pour out all over our streets? A woman wrote to me the other day saying her son and a friend had been walking down Auckland’s Queen St last year after attending a gig, and a group of men in a car was going past yelling at pedestrians. The car then stopped, the men got out and attacked her son and his friend. Her son was tasered and stabbed in the chest, puncturing his lung, his friend was bludgeoned with a hammer, resulting in a fractured skull. No one was found or held accountable for the attack. but she said she found herself saying to her son after the Auckland CBD shootings recently, that he was lucky he only got stabbed. She said the fact she even thought that, far less said it out loud, was extremely sobering. It’s a telling sign of where we’re at isn’t it? The bar has sunk so low now, that we’re just grateful we didn’t get shot.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A leading economist is sceptical of claims Official Cash Rate hikes will be halted until next year. The Reserve Bank is providing an OCR update today, with economists predicting it will stay at 5.5 percent. Westpac Chief Economist Kelly Eckhold says the bank believes this will be on hold until the second half of next year. But he told Kate Hawkesby with a strong labour market, strong migration, and high inflation, he isn't confident this will be the case. Eckhold says the Reserve Bank may need to lift the OCR a bit more, so it can get the inflation rate back to under 3 percent in a reasonable time frame. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former US President Donald Trump is facing his fourth indictment in less than five months. He's been charged in Georgia with attempting to overturn his 2020 election defeat - he denies all 13 charges including racketeering and election meddling. A phone call has emerged of him pressuring a Georgia Secretary of State to find votes. Washington Post Political reporter Amber Philips told Kate Hawkesby prosecutors believe the call is an essential piece of evidence. She says they believe it was an overt act in the conspiracy of trying to overturn the election results. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More than half of New Zealanders say they're starting to sink when it comes to money. Fresh data collected by the Retirement Commission, shows 55 percent are having a hard time with their finances, up 17 percent from 2021. However, Sorted Personal Finance Lead Tom Hartmann told Kate Hawkesby the research also shows more people are starting to focus on positive money management skills. He says more people are considering purchases before they buy, which will help get through this financial rough patch.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The audacity of this Government - seriously, it makes you wonder whether this the most hypocritical government ever. Yesterday, Chris Hipkins - as in pulpit of truth Chris Hipkins – Covid Minister Chris Hipkins, the guy who ran the whole shebang alongside Jacinda - showed he's now so desperate for votes, that he said he now regrets the 2021 lockdown length for Aucklanders. No kidding. Does he really? I lived through that lockdown, alongside everyone else in Auckland. These guys could not have banged on about the importance of locking us down more. They could not have been clearer and surer that they were doing the right thing. Despite all of us who were vocal at the time - myself included - that it was overkill, and too much, and out of hand, and ridiculous, and way too long, they defended it. They chastised those who spoke out against it. They tried to frame anyone who railed against it as some kind of far right conspiracy theorist or anti-vaxxer. They lambasted and discredited anyone who questioned it. They hung on to the power they held and waved it around with gay abandon. And yet - now look. Suddenly Chris Hipkins regrets it. I mean how do we take these guys seriously? Will they literally throw away very ounce of principle they ever had to try to win this election? We’ve already had Grant Robertson swallowing the dead rat that is GST off fruit and vege. Now we’ve got Hipkins regretting Auckland’s lockdown time. Too late mate. Way too late. We lived it. We lost it. We’ll never get that time back. All the people who missed funerals, lost weddings, sacrificed being at their child’s birth, never got to say goodbye to a dying loved one, all the operations delayed, all the people shut out, all the businesses gone under - none of them can get any of it back. So a glib ‘it was probably a bit long’ doesn’t cut it. You don’t get to go back on your decisions now. Not decisions of that magnitude. It’s reprehensible that you could enact such strict rules, with such courage of conviction at the time, only to completely back-peddle later – based on poor poll results and a desire to get back into power. Is this not the pinnacle of unprincipled government? They should hang their heads in shame for what they’ve done to New Zealanders. An apology was owed to Aucklanders - not a cheap line about it probably being too long a lockdown. ‘Looking back,’ Hipkins said, the length of Auckland’s 2021 lockdown was ‘probably one of the decisions he would change.’ Do you reckon? He acknowledged it was a challenging time for this country, but that ‘out of adversity had come strength’. Well while that’s a nice sentiment and possibly true in some cases, it also resulted in people broken, bankrupted, and bereft. To now say you probably regret it just smacks of the amateur hour we knew at the time was running the show. People out of their depth, determined to control the narrative, to shut down any opposition, to rule the roost and play God with people’s lives. We got scammed by power drunk rookie leadership, one of whom has already scarpered leaving one who now has the audacity to tell us he regrets it. So while he may regret Auckland’s 2021 lockdown, I can tell you who regrets it more; Aucklanders.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The curtain is closing on the Women's World Cup for New Zealand, with just one game left on home soil. Spain and Sweden will go head to head tonight at Eden Park in the first semifinal. Over half a million tickets have been sold for the 29 New Zealand games - with the country hosting some of the world's best talent.  New Zealand Football CEO Andrew Pragnell joined Kate Hawkesby to give a review of the tournament from New Zealand's point of view. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More Kiwis are starting new lives overseas despite migrants arriving in droves. In the year to June, annual net migration rose to more than 86,000. But, the loss was nearly 35,000 citizens - the largest in a decade. ANZ Chief Economist Sharon Zollner told Kate Hawkesby we're losing New Zealanders to Australia because it's seen as a low-risk  option. She says changes to the citizenship and wage levels reassure people to make the move. LISTEN ABOVE    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Australian woman who served up poison mushrooms suspected to have killed three people has sent a new statement to police. Erin Patterson now says she was hospitalised after the meal and had bought the ingredients from two different shops. Australian correspondent Donna Demaio Kate Hawkesby says Police are continuing to investigate the deaths. She says Patterson says she released the statement so 'people are not so quick to pass judgement.' She's also admitted lying to investigators that a food dehydrator found at a local tip had been left by her months ago. Patterson says she actually dumped it in a panic after the lunch,  when questioned about it by her ex-husband. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The scrapping of Covid restrictions couldn't have come soon enough for the hospitality industry. All remaining restrictions were dropped as of midnight last night, including the seven day isolation period. Hospitality New Zealand Chief Executive Steve Armitage told Kate Hawkesby they're surprised it's taken as long as it has, but are keen to move on. He says we need to trust people to manage their business themselves and this development will mean they can finally move forward with recovery. Armitage says it will provide much needed certainty for businesses around staff availability. LISTEN ABOVE    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Criticisms of Labour's latest election promise are rising. The party's promising to axe GST from fresh and frozen fruit and veggies from April, with the average household expected to save roughly $20 a month. But New Zealand Initiative Chief Economist Eric Crampton told Kate Hawkesby that these policies always end up costing more in revenue than they deliver to families, and make the tax system more complex. He says the accounting gets more difficult, and lawyers have a field day on definitions of what's included and what isn't. Labour's also promising to boost In-Work Tax Credits by $25 a week, and lift the Working for Families abatement threshold. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Homes are still covered in silt and roads are far from repaired six months on from Cyclone Gabrielle. The devastating weather event left Gisborne without power and communication for days, and took the lives of 11 people nationwide. Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz told Kate Hawkesby that resilience is as important as recovery, which could cost billions. She says we can't just keep on patching up these areas, as more storms expected in the coming years. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Democracy's interesting isn't it? I mean it’s our best option, but look at what we got this weekend in the latest mad grab for power. We’ve got an anti-vaxxer conspiracy theorist revealed as a NZ First candidate (read the Stuff piece from yesterday and weep), and we’ve got a ruling party announcing no tax on fruit and vege, in a completely pointless policy that even their own Finance Minister hates. It feels like a world gone mad, but then I have to remind myself, we voted for this, and people may yet vote again for it. Democracy in action can be a terrifying ride. I said on Mike’s show last Friday that I worry about the Kiwis with short memories who are saying they’ll vote for Winston again this time round. My colleague Kerre Woodham put it best when she said, ‘I’m sure there are intelligent people who vote NZ First, but I’ve never met or heard of one’. To throw a vote to Winston is to waste your vote. The people voting for Winston are doing it because they say he’ll ‘get rid of all the Maori signs’, or he’ll ‘get rid of all the gender nonsense.’ I mean those two statements alone give you some insight into the NZ First voter’s mindset. But what these people fail to understand is how MMP works. They’re voting for Winston like he’s going to be Prime Minister, like he’s going to have enough sway to move the needle and change things in this country, like the bigger parties are just going to do everything he says. Like he's going to be in government. Think again. Firstly, he's not NZ First he's Winston first. His goals for this country are less about caring about what’s right for it and more about what’s beneficial to him. He appointed a losing party to government in 2017, ignoring everyone who voted for him, just because he wanted to take the biggest bribe and settle some scores. He abandoned his base, for power. And once there, he allowed that government to implement all the things he now rails against. As Richard Prebble wrote the other day in his Herald column, “New Zealand First was no handbrake. Peters was part of a Government that issued compulsory vaccination mandates and developed co-governance. Only he would have the nerve to campaign against policies he made possible. If history is a guide, then the more Peters rules out supporting Labour, the more likely it is that he will support that party.” All voting for NZ First will do, is split the right vote further and make for a more chaotic outcome, or worse, push a left leaning coalition back into power. For all the people who bemoan the state of the country and ‘that’s why they’re voting for Winston’, they’re rolling the dice on no change at all, on keeping status quo – but potentially worse. A coalition of Labour, the Greens, Te Pati Māori and NZ First. Let that sink in for a minute. It’s not a vote for change at all. It’s a vote for a circus act. For those who're voting for Winston because they ‘don’t like Luxon’, you either want change or you don’t. Think about the party and the policies, not just the person. For those who're voting for Winston because they like him personally, bear in mind he'll be one year off 80 next year and he won’t be hanging around. It’s more for him about scoring points, proving something, making his mark and then buggering off to go fishing again. So if you vote for him thinking he’ll be sticking around, I think you’ll be disappointed. When I give my thoughts on Winston, invariably people text me that they’re - 'never listening to me on radio again'. I hope that’s true. The head in the sand Winston worshippers I can live without.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Getting to work on time isn’t usually an issue for me.   I have a well-staged and orchestrated routine that has me rolling out of bed on the first alarm, staggering with mediocre accuracy to the bathroom where I plunge my freshly light tortured eyes and body into an overly hot shower, before dressing at fireman like speed and sliding down the lift shaft to my Newstalk ZB racing car.  Today, all of that speed and agility was once again exercised expertly as I’ve done hundreds of times before.  But then I was caught like a possum in the lights at the intersection of Newton and Ponsonby Road. As I approached, the lights for me were red. And they stayed red for what seemed like hours.  I sat there contemplating all forms of wizardry that might entice the lights to change to that favourable shade of green that we all love. I sat there calculating the action of getting out of the car, running over to the pedestrian lights and activating those – so that the opposing green light would within seconds turn red.  Then I sat there and contemplated inching my way into the intersection, against the red light; in a very safe manner of course. But as I sat there contemplating this highly dodgy action, I realised that the red light camera was well and truly trained upon the Early Edition racing car.  I then began to delve into further calculations and ran the scientific odds of this camera actually working in light of just how broken New Zealand’s infrastructure is.   Then I thought, what are the odds of me easing my car into the intersection, gently running the red light only to find a police officer waiting to set off his own display of red and blue lights. Those odds by the way were overwhelmingly in their favour. Not mine.  By this time, many other cars had piled up behind me, possibly running the same calculations; and mentally urging me to be the one to break the law, run the red light and commit the crime of Friday morning.   After what seemed like hours of interminable pain and suffering; the lights turned green and I was eventually able to get to work and tell Executive Producer Hannah all about my epic early morning contemplation of law breaking frustration.   I know New Zealand isn’t completely stuffed. But at 3:30am when traffic lights don’t allow you to get to work and your stress levels are through the roof… only one thought coursed through my head. Just fix the infrastructure.   Anyone. Any political party. Just promise to fix New Zealand and then actually fix it all once you’ve won the election. Please. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One political party is making a comeback. New Zealand First has gained popularity in the latest Taxpayers' Union Curia poll, gaining enough support to push over the five percent threshold to return to parliament. It comes after Act leader David Seymour says he refuses to partner with Winston Peters. But that may have to change as a National-Act government is looking more solid. Political commentator Brigette Morten joined Roman Travers to break down the latest numbers. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yesterday's news that another of our major banks has made another record profit, just about had me falling off my financially unstable rocking horse. ASB have reported another record annual profit in the same week that the TSB have said they'll be closing seven of their 25 branches, even though they are rated highly in customer service and satisfaction surveys. The ASB is our third biggest bank, and they've just reported this record profit, after all costs, of an eye watering $1.56 billion which is an increase of 6% on last year. In a way that's supposed to induce some form of pity for them, they've also announced that because of the slowing economy and rising interest rates, their earnings have been detrimentally affected. Oh dear. Oh my. How tragic is that? Isn't it amazing to see the power of the PR machine spinning madly in the background even with a business as profitable as the ASB bank? Isn't it sickening to see that within the same outward gush of hot halitosis breath, laced with stale gin and tonic from yesterday's celebrations after announcing another record profit; this sentiment of sadness and sorrow apropos their reducing profits? So why is it that we still flock to these major foreign owned banks regardless of the record profits they make and return offshore? Are we so short-sighted when it comes to the demonstrable benefits of supporting our own New Zealand made banks - that supporting the big foreign owned major players is just a forgone conclusion? Another key part of the ASB's record profit announcement yesterday came in the form of their commitment to reducing scams and illegal activity. I guess when you're making such obscene levels of profit, you can invest in anything you want to. I don't buy into the PR spin of, "we're here for New Zealand and we are here for the New Zealand economy". Ultimately, that could not be further from the truth. Ultimately, as a business, you're there to impress your senior executives and your shareholders. That's it. Bottom line. The final part of the ASB's PR statement yesterday was to acknowledge that they are 'actively engaging' with the Commerce Commission market study into personal banking services. I wasn't aware that there was a choice. Of course they have to comply with the commerce commission study. The only real choice, and the only way to make a difference comes in the form of you and me and where we choose to bank. I can only dream of a day when we have a commercially, competitive and viable bank that's completely New Zealand owned and operated.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Six people have died as wildfires engulf the Hawaiian island of Maui. Residents and tourists have been escaping into the sea to escape the blazes, devastating the town of Lahaina. Some with burns and smoke inhalation, are being flown to Honolulu for treatment. US correspondent Mitch McCann told Roman Travers the fires are being exacerbated by wind from a hurricane moving past the island. He says thousands of homes have lost power and cell services, leaving people stranded and unable to call 911. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is an expectation McDonald's will address charging loyal app users higher prices. Users have taken to complain on social networking site Reddit, after pointing out a $3 difference between what app users and casual customers are charged. McDonald's says the prices may be different to entice some customers to return to the app. But Massey University marketing professor Bodo Lang told Roman Travers it's doing the opposite. He says companies want people to engage with it and this personalisation of prices is counterintuitive. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The primary teachers union says the secondary teachers pay rise is great news for the whole sector.  PPTA members have accepted a 14.5 percent pay bump, meaning roughly 30,000 teachers will receive the first of three pay boosts between now and the end of next year. NZEI President Mark Potter told Roman Travers there's more to be done, but this is a good step towards recognising the value of teachers. He says resolutions to workload and resourcing issues are also needed to bring the teaching profession back to the status it once had. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For all the people ‘hopping across the Tasman’ at the moment I can tell you one thing - it’s not a hop.   It used to be a short haul quick trip - painless. But these days it seems to be less painless and more painful. I’m not sure who’s more at fault - Auckland Airport or Air New Zealand, or both. Of the three times I’ve crossed the Tasman in the last month; I’ve been held up on the tarmac or delayed every time - twice without any communication at all. Once was a lengthy tarmac sit where they announced after an uncomfortably long wait - that there was an issue with the brakes needing fixing. More delay - then another announcement - they’d need to actually replace the brakes. How you can’t sort the brakes out before you board everyone is beyond me but that added two hours to our flight, so the short hop across the Tasman was no longer short and we hadn’t even left the ground yet. Likewise coming home the airport had no dogs rostered on, so they were screening every single bag of every single passenger including flight crew - queues for miles, no one knowing what was going on, so much delay my sister missed her connecting flight to Christchurch. Many others missed their connections too. Air NZ also has this new annoying thing where they announce boarding, yet when you get to the gate there are no staff there, no one is boarding anyone, and no communication. So passengers are all standing around wondering what’s going on. This last trip to Sydney a man got verbally abusive over the fact that when they did finally allow people to board they boarded everyone at once and didn’t prioritize premium passengers as they’d said they would. This man started yelling at the ground crew that as a premium passenger who’d paid extra he should not be at the back of a very large queue. He was yelling, but the crew did nothing. My brother was flying out of Auckland yesterday in a party of eight, they got an email from Air NZ saying they were downgrading aircraft and therefore passengers, so a heap of people got put down the back into economy - people who’d booked business class and premium. Cue more grumpy travellers. At check in, the only oversized baggage conveyor working had a glitch where the in-feed belt didn’t load, so massive queues, more upset passengers worried they’d miss boarding. When they called everyone to the gate for boarding, again there was no boarding, more delays and then they announced engineering issues.   Again, why board everyone if your plane isn’t ready to go. And why aren’t the planes ready to go? So further delays for what was ostensibly just a three hour flight. He was on the tarmac delayed for an hour fifteen, before they even pushed back from the gate. His group were all separated on board, which also happened to my daughter and I, as the seat booked for her was broken, so she ended up on the opposite side of the cabin to me. This is all a bad buzz for people wanting to travel - it doesn't inspire goodwill from your customers. We deserve better - but so do our visitors to this country. It's an embarrassingly shoddy experience that gives an awful first impression. Both Air NZ and Auckland Airport have some serious work to do, to be more professional, so it feels less amateur hour out there. They need a manager on the ground at Auckland airport walking the floor and seeing in real time what a circus it is - and then doing something about it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National plans to crack down on cellphone use in schools, if it wins the October election. It would ban phones for all year groups - with some exemptions for those needing the devices for health or learning purposes. Party Leader Christopher Luxon says it's about eliminating unnecessary disturbances and distractions.  But social media expert Vaughan Davis told Kate Hawkesby studies show cellphone use in schools doesn't really hurt, or improve learning. He says the accusation that they hurt academic performance doesn't really stand up. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A change in attitudes is needed before people will stop using cellphones in their cars. A six-month Waka Kotahi safety camera trial across Auckland spotted 242,000 potential offences, including drivers using handheld phones or not wearing a seatbelt. Neuroscience educator Nathan Wallis says we need a culture change so people don't have to be constantly available by phone. He told Kate Hawkesby people need to take the issue more seriously, as continual phone use is just waiting for an accident to happen. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Criticism of the Government's climate deal with a major investment company is being disputed. BlackRock Capital has launched a $2 billion fund to help New Zealand achieve 100 percent renewable electricity. ACT condemned the announcement saying it amounts to the Government micro-managing energy supply. But BusinessDesk journalist Dileepa Fonseka says this isn't the case. Fonseka says the fund doesn't emphasise one form of energy over another. He adds they could be referring to the target, but this also isn't set by the fund. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I got sent a video yesterday, which I assume is doing the rounds, of the Point England shooting in Auckland on the weekend. 2.30pm on a Saturday afternoon in a suburban neighbourhood in Auckland. That makes three shootings in a week by the way for our country, three separate gunmen on the loose – still at large – and three victims dead. It seems unfathomable that this is the state of our country right now. The video of the Point England one shows a scene of chaos; people running around, as shots volley out across the reserve. It’s incredulous to watch and think this is just a family suburb of Auckland. How did we end up here? The answer to that is lengthy, but the consequences are people left terrified in their own communities. The Herald yesterday reported a “traumatised mother who’d spoken of her horror after her two young children witnessed the fatal daylight gang shootout from their living room window. She told the Herald her children, aged 6 and 8, were watching television when gunshots rang out. “They saw two men firing guns at each other right outside our house,” she said. ‘Two people were shot, with one later dying in hospital. Police described it as “reckless violence” in community spaces and “deplorable” to authorities and the public,’ it was reported. This woman's been left traumatised and on edge since the incident.’ She said she won’t let her kids play in the reserve now like they used to as she ‘feels insecure’, she said. We know of a grandmother in the area who’s scared to leave her house now. These people are lucky they weren’t hurt, but with that unfolding outside your window and the killer still at large, you can see how locals would be terrified. Likewise downtown Auckland in the CBD (the scene of two shootings this month), has become a scary place to be after dark. I know of several people who now have to rethink their schedules to account for random violence and nut jobs accosting them. They either hybrid work some days from home, change hours to enable them to leave town before dark, or have changed their mode of transport home for safety reasons. Swapping from the bus to an Uber, some book taxis rather than risk waiting for an Uber on the street. Good decent hard working people, changing their routines and schedules, just to try and stay safe. They shouldn't have to, but they’re being proactive, they feel forced to by the lack of patrols downtown, the lack of security, the lack of a Police presence. That’s how dangerous downtown Auckland’s become. It’s a travesty. There're plenty of people who don’t like hearing this stuff, but why shouldn’t we report the facts? When the streets and parks of our communities and our CBD’s are so awash with crime and violence? We should be appalled; we can’t just put our heads in the sand and pretend it’s not happening. We don’t fix it or move forward by denying it. We have to confront the stark reality that this country is not what it was, the streets do not feel safe, random people with guns are shooting them and not being arrested because they’ve scarpered. And then we get told to ‘keep a look out’ for dangerous criminals on the loose. Is anyone feeling safer yet?  I don’t think so.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The All Blacks' squad for the 2023 World Cup has been named. Former player Richie McCaw announced the 33 players heading to France at an event in Napier last night. The first game with France verses New Zealand is Saturday 9th September local time. So will the boys handle the heat? Sky Sports rugby commentator Tony Johnson joined Kate Hawkesby to discuss. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Police in Victoria are keeping an open mind after three people died from a poisoned mushroom lunch, cooked by their daughter-in-law. Another guest is in critical condition in hospital. Australian correspondent Donna Demaio told Kate Hawkesby the daughter-in-law is denying any malice.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The country's main fast food company says its full year profit could be half of last year's. Restaurant Brands, responsible for KFC, Taco Bell, Carl's Junior and Pizza Hut, is blaming inflation. Devon Funds Management Retail Manager Greg Smith told Kate Hawkesby there's a clear driver of higher costs in the sector. He says the price of ingredients has risen threefold in some cases. The company is expecting between $12 and $16 million in profit. LISTEN ABOVE    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A plea for action has come to address the recent spate of violent crime. Police are raising concerns about rising gang tensions, after fatal shootings in Auckland's Point England and Palmerston North's Highbury over the weekend - both linked to gang rivalries. They're also continuing to hunt for the man wanted over Thursday's fatal shooting in downtown Auckland. Heart of the City Chief Executive Viv Beck told Kate Hawkesby Auckland is now at risk of no longer being seen as a safe place. She says if that doesn't change now, Auckland could become known internationally as a "dangerous city". LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"It’s a fantastic place to grow up as a kid... and it’s also a great place to retire... it's the in-between bits that are tricky,” said Neil Finn when once asked what NZ was like. It’s the same now I’d argue. He also said, and bear in mind this is many, many years ago, that it was "the worst place in the world to be if you had any ambition.” That’d be true now too I reckon. And at the risk of sounding like Marc Ellis and all the other Kiwis bailing, we have definitely lost our mojo. We are backwards on too many metrics. Australia - where I’ve been three times in the last month —Sydney and Melbourne— is more forward focussed than we are, it’s going places, people are upbeat - my sister's currently in Queensland, she says it’s the same there. Here, it feels like we are still mopping up from a pandemic and a shut down that we should've bounced back from ages ago. The fact we haven’t yet, or don't want to, or don't know how to, speaks volumes about where we are and who we are. Focussed on all the wrong things, held up by all the wrong belief systems, dragged down by lowest common denominator BS. Take our Universities for example, laying people off, closing down courses, low enrolments, high dropout rates. Compare that to Australia… in huge demand by international students, drawing in large numbers of Kiwi candidates - in fact at Sydney Uni they say the waitlist for some on campus accommodations is so long you’re best to apply now for 2025. The gap now between Australia and us seems ever wider. You can feel it when you’re there. NZ just seems down at heel, and to be frank, miserable. So how do we turn it around? Because a change of government I don’t think is going to be enough. The change needs to be radical. We need wholesale changes in attitudes and ambition. We need to want for better and demand more. From our government, from our law and order, from our bureaucracy, from our thought leaders, and from ourselves. We’ve gotten complacent and happy with average. And that’s seeped into every orifice. And the problem with average is it just erodes into below average before you know it. But I’m desperate to turn it around because as I watch more and more of our young people refuse to hang around here - it makes me more determined to fix it. How have we become a country our children don’t even want to stay and study in? A country that anyone with ambition or drive, is leaving. I don’t know how we fix it or how we grow everything back up, bit when Marc Ellis said NZ’s best days were behind it… that cuts deep. That’s writing off a whole country forever and I refuse to believe we can’t bounce back. It’s not as simple as just ‘go’ if you don't like it, not if you're established here with a home, family, kids in schools, jobs, pets, commitments. It’s not that easy for everyone to upsticks and leave and I’m not sure that’s the answer. I think we have to dig deep at this juncture and work out what we can do to build a brighter future here, and turn attitudes around. A few simple things might get us back on track, like cleaning up the levels of crime, working on our infrastructure, paying better attention to the liveability of our CBD’s. It’s really confronting when you travel and see just how quickly other cities have moved on from where we're still stuck, but just because it’s hard, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland's Business Chamber is keen to see some momentum on a second harbour crossing. The Government's released a plan which will include two 3-lane vehicle tunnels and a light rail route connecting Albany and the CBD. Chamber Chief Executive Simon Bridges told Kate Hawkesby that the plan is positive, and he'd love to see more details. He wants to know if it can be sped up, and exactly how much it will decongest the roads. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So what is going on with people throwing objects at musicians on stage?   I know. It’s not the most pressing issue in the world today, but it’s Friday, after all.   What we’ve seen at recent concerts is a breakdown in the social etiquette that normally sees an artist and an audience coming together respectfully. We’re seeing an increase in aggressiveness and rudeness – from both sides -  and the desire for concert goers to steal the limelight from the star on stage with attention grabbing antics designed to make them go viral online.   I don’t know if you saw the Cardi B video of her reacting to someone from the crowd throwing water at her during a Vegas concert. The retribution was swift and brutal as Cardi B hurled her microphone. I don’t know if she hit her target or a loyal fan – but the result is a law suit.   I don’t condone Cardi’s B’s behaviour but it does represent how fed up artists are at being targeted. Recently Harry Style’s was hit in the eye by a flying object, Bebe Rexha took a phone to the face and needed stitches, and Justin Bieber put a phone thrown at him down his pants. At a Pink concert, someone handed her a wheel of cheese, and at another concert someone allegedly threw a bag of their mother’s ashes on stage. Needless to say Pink was taken aback when she found out what was in the bag. And the list goes on… Whatever happened to tossing a pair of knickers?   Throwing things on stage is not new. There will be many of you who like me have been going to gigs for decades, and watching singers gracefully dodge projectiles coming their way without the slightest pause in performance. It used to be mostly bottles that were thrown – only for the culprit to be swiftly removed, without achieving any infamy.   While there has always been a divide between floor and stage this doesn’t mean the line can’t be crossed – as long as it’s instigated by the artists. Stage diving, crowd surfing and audience participation has been part of the concert experience for years.   And then there’s the aforementioned Knicker trend – which never seems to end. The sexual revolution has been blamed for knicker throwing taking off in the late 1960s. Over the years Tom Jones, Engelbert Humperdinck, Mick Jagger, Jon Bon Jovi, Drake and One Direction, just to name a few, have been confronted with underwear hitting the stage. Apparently Lana del Rey has also received her fair share of underwear. As has John Farnham, which did not go down well with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. They had a series of concerts planned in 2005 but she pulled out after watching videos of women throwing knickers at Farnham during one of his concerts. It ended up in court; our Dame won. So while not new, it is interesting to see how artists are reacting to it now. No longer happy to see the funny side of it and deal with it in good grace, they’re calling time out. Recently Adele spoke out against the spate of people throwing objects at musicians, telling her audience she would “kill you” if they tried. I wouldn’t try it on with Adele.   Clearly I go to a concerts for a difference reason to some others.   I go for the music, the show, the atmosphere, the shared experience and the talent. And that’s the way it should be. Not to make yourself famous on tiktok.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Surgery wait times continue to be lengthy, despite the Government saying its targeted approach is working. Health Minister Ayesha Verrall says the total number of planned care treatments, including minor operations, is increasing nationwide. People waiting longer than three years for treatment now either have a date and plan, or have been treated, and officials are working their way down from there. Christchurch colorectal surgeon Chris Wakeman told Francesca Rudkin it's a tough problem to fix. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s taken over a year, but maybe, just maybe, all the disruption to teenage schooling is coming to an end after the government accepted a recommendation by the Arbitration Panel and offered to increase secondary teachers’ base salaries by 14.5 percent by December 2024.   This package to settle the teachers and principal’s agreement is the final offer from the Government, and will add $680 million to the $3.76 billion already set aside by the Government to resolve this issue. The extra money is coming from savings found in departmental funding through project deferrals, a forecast underspend on staffing and removing the reimbursement of bank staffing.   The Post Primary Teachers Association is “pleased” to see the offer and will be recommending to members they accept it ahead of a vote next week. Wouldn’t that be good.   I think we all agree teachers are undervalued. I think we accept their argument for a pay increase matching inflation, better conditions so they can do their jobs more effectively and a deal which attracts and retains teachers.   Surely these have been met by this offer, and surely they will accept.   I’m not sure even parents who consider education fundamental for our children and the country, and believe the value of teachers should be reflected monetarily, can stomach the use of their children as pawns in this stalemate anymore.   It was always expected that as the election draws near the Government would want to demonstrate it values education and teachers – it wants their votes after all. Equally, the PPTA could be concerned about a potential change in government and more austere times ahead, so are trying to get the best deal they can now.   This deal seems to tick both boxes, and it's time for the Ministry, teachers and principals to get back to prioritising students.   Yesterday, data came to light from the Education Ministry showing that last year 75 percent of school leavers attained NCEA Level 2 or above – down from 81 percent in 2017. Māori school leavers fared worse, with just 59 percent getting NCEA Level 2 or above.   The overall figure should come with some context. Many students began working during Covid, apprenticeships are on the rise and unemployment levels have been low, but serious work needs to be done to find more ways to keep students in some form of education.   I’m not saying teachers haven’t been putting their students first. But you’ve got to admit, the ongoing pay stalemate has been a distraction.   Let’s get back to focusing on the real issue; finding a way to successful educate all Kiwi kids.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

GDT results have taken a sharp dive - down 4.3 per cent. Whole milk powder - which more or less dictates Fonterra's farmgate milk price - is down 8 per cent. It's all painting a fairly bleak outlook for farmers.. Wayne Langford, Federated Farmers National president, joined Early Edition to discuss the impact of the figures. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We don't know how bad the Government's books are, but there are signs things are worse than previously thought. National is calling on Finance Minister Grant Robertson to be up-front about the state of the books. Robertson has confirmed he's called in Crown chief executives for a meeting about financial restraint. But Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen told Francesca Rudkin the Finance Minister won't be specific about any revenue shortfall. Olsen says even if we don't know the size of any shortfall, it appears the Government has taken a bit of a hit. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Claims National's approach to parental leave is more "flexible" than the current rules. A member's Bill proposed by National's Nicola Willis would allow parents to take paid leave at the same time, one after the other, or in overlapping instalments. Currently, primary carers can't take parental leave together. Labour was the only party to vote against it - using its majority in the House to block it. Kids Need Dadz field worker Allan Harvey told Francesca Rudkin giving families the ability to chose is important.  He says allowing both parents parents to take time off, while not having a financial impact is a good idea. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m amped by this new study on coffee. I know, I know, everyday a new study telling us something we should or shouldn’t be doing that we thought previously we could or couldn’t do. Llike chocolate’s bad for you, then it’s good, wine’s bad for you then it’s good, coffee’s the devil and now it’s good. But still, I love a good bit of research, especially broad spectrum studies and this latest one on coffee was a 15-year-study of more than half a million participants. It showed ‘people who drank coffee were less vulnerable to a range of chronic illnesses’. “Drinking coffee is protective for health,” it said. You can have two to five cups a day and get the cognitive and health benefits. Apparently the cut off is seven, so don’t go more than seven cups a day for goodness sake. But it can reduce the risk of colorectal cancers, it helps flush toxins through your system, it promotes good gut bacteria for your microbiome, it’s got polyphenols which protect against inflammation apparently - this includes decaf by the way. It can improve brain function, there’s a link ‘between coffee drinking and better cognition in later life’.   One researcher was quoted saying she believes ‘the components in coffee may be helpful in maintaining neuronal plasticity and activity.’ It can also help prevent Type 2 diabetes, according to a Swedish professor quoted in the report. Apparently, all these health benefits stem from ‘the complex mixture of minerals and chemicals within coffee, from magnesium to chlorogenic acid, {which} potentially alters how the body produces and uses insulin.” Basically it’s full of antioxidants that potentially have anti-inflammatory properties. It can boost your metabolism, increase dopamine, protect against neurodegenerative conditions, the study says, so you know, the list goes on, and it’s sounding pretty bloody promising to get into that morning brew. There’s a reason our body obviously craves it. But here's the thing, here’s the point of this whole story. I gave up coffee 24 years ago when I was pregnant with my first child. I was very hippie and dedicated to having a body free of stimulants or caffeine but the upshot is, I never went back. I kept having babies and then once I’d finished doing all that procreating and breastfeeding I found I’d just lost the taste for it. Then years later it became cool to stop drinking coffee and I thought wow I’m so far ahead of this trend without even realizing it. So I just kept going, but then I see this study. On top of all the other studies, saying how good it is for you, so now I’m wondering, do I take back up coffee? Because I’m into the health benefits. And if I do, do I start with decaf and ease back in gently? Or do I go a hardcore double shot? My husband drinks espressos, black, straight up caffeine. He loves his coffee machine but he’s a purist coffee drinker. I would need to add milk, thankfully the health benefits are not lost when you add milk, they’re only lost when you add sugar.  So a double shot flat white this arvo for me? Or a slow intro like a decaf latte to begin with? Let me know, coffee drinkers and non-coffee drinkers, what would you do? Do I break a 24 year run? This is the big question of the morning.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Unemployment figures are out today - and it's the last data set before the election. It's currently sitting at 3.4 percent and no-one is expecting much change to that. Sharon Zollner is ANZ's Chief Economist and she joined Kate Hawkesby ahead of the figure's release. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The retail sector is pointing to Government justice policies as a reason for increasing crime. Police figures suggest only 2.3 percent of reported retail crime results in arrests. The number of retail offences reported to police last year was over 125,000, up from 61,000 in 2021, although that year saw lengthy Covid-19 lockdowns in several regions. Sandringham Business Association Chair Jithin Chittibomma told Kate Hawkesby the Government's approach leaves a lot to be desired. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The National Party is slamming Labour's legacy in schools. Education Ministry data shows last year 75 percent of school leavers attained NCEA Level 2 or above - down from 81 percent in 2017. Maori school leavers fared worse - with just 59 percent getting NCEA level two or above. National's Education Spokesperson Erica Stanford told Kate Hawkesby she's not surprised. She says it's been a trend that the stats have gone down every single year since 2017. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A friend of my nephew was king hit from behind in town by a bouncer several months ago when he was out in Auckland city. He was a visitor from the US, being shown around NZ, being shown some nightlife in Auckland. He wound up in hospital needing several stitches to his head. The bouncer didn’t like the look of them, came down some steps after them, followed them a short distance along the street and then punched him in the back of his head as he was walking away. The whole thing was filmed, there were witnesses, the Police were called and turned up, they were shown the video footage, CCTV footage, they spoke to everyone concerned, they had everything there right in front of them including the culprit. Did they make an arrest? They did not. The Police at the time were unsure what to do; they said they needed to ‘think about it’. The next day, many questions were asked, including why no charges had been laid. They’d be ‘following it up in due course’ they said. Witness statements were made, reports filed and then silence. Crickets chirping. Month after month ticked by, nothing. Then, the other day, seven whole months after the event, a police spokesperson got in touch with an update. The bouncer had been ‘spoken to’ about the incident. He had ‘taken full responsibility’. No kidding, he was all over all the footage being caught in the act. He was offered a ‘community panel’ which is ‘an alternative to court.’ Why? Who knows. Who’s on this panel? Again, who knows. Why was he offered it? Why did he get to choose between court or a community panel? Who would know. I looked up community panels, called Te Piki Oranga. It’s an ‘Iwi Community Panel, where the participant is given the choice of attending a panel hearing or going to Court. Panels are made up of three community people. They are not judges or lawyers. Their job is to decide what should happen as a result of the offence.’ The offender had to ‘meet some outcomes’ the police spokesperson said. What outcomes? Who knows. Who’s checking he meets them? As far as the police were concerned, it’d been ‘dealt with’. They’d handed it over to the community panel. Case closed. So a violent attack in town that saw a young man, a tourist to our country, wind up in the back of an ambulance and in hospital for hours awaiting stitches, is wrapped up seven months later by a chat with a community panel. No arrests, no charges, no court, no sentence. Did this offender get to keep their job? We understand yes. So will this person offend again and thump someone else they don’t like the look of one night? I can’t see why not, given the lack of consequences shown this time. So what are we saying to victims in these scenarios? We are saying, you may encounter violence in our country, and your complaints won’t be followed up for seven months, at which point the offender will get off scot-free, bar a few unknown ‘outcomes’ they’ve been asked to meet. Your ambulance trip to hospital, your stitches, your recovery from head injuries and trauma, your terrible experience here, that’s just tough luck. Will this tourist be back to our shores? He absolutely will not. Will he tell others about his experience here? You betcha. So when we say the effects of being soft on crime is harming our country, the domino effect is it’s harming guests to our country too, which has far reaching effects that we should be more cognizant of I reckon.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the latest in a series of attacks, Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskiy says war is returning to Russia. Russia's Defence Ministry says it brought down three Ukrainian drones after a strike on Moscow yesterday. It damaged a high rise building before being intercepted.  Newshub's Europe correspondent Lisette Reymer joined Kate Hawkesby to discuss the developments. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Businesses are continuing to struggle under cost pressures. Latest Centrix data shows a climb in business credit defaults, with company liquidations up 36 percent year on year. CEO of Small Business Voice, Max Whitehead joined Kate Hawkesby to discuss the effects on owners. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pay will be just one part of the puzzle in getting teachers on board in negotiations. An arbitration panel has recommended secondary school teachers get a 14.5 percent pay rise over three instalments. Secondary Principals' Association Chief Executive Mike Newell says it's a pragmatic pay offer which compromises on the 17 percent rise teachers wanted. He told Kate Hawkesby other things are missing from the system which need to be addressed. He says we need a way to get teachers in the door, to end our over-reliance on foreign teachers. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So I’ve just been to Sydney last week and I’ve got to go again this week – these are not holiday trips, these are events I’m attending so I’m in and out, but here’s what I can tell you about Australia, it’s going off. And by that I mean it’s energized, it feels ambitious, it’s got everything going for it that we used to have but have sadly lost. Even in Melbourne when we were there a few weeks back, the vibe was more upbeat, and that’s a city that’s mimicked Auckland’s a lot in terms of post Covid decline... more homeless, more edgy peeps around at night, more for lease signs. Yet the city still hums. Yes, population helps. But it’s attitude I’m talking about. The attitude of hospo staff, the attitude of workers, the attitude of people in general. The malaise we have that’s so oppressive here, is not there. They’re still aiming high. And it’s one of the reasons why I think people are heading across the Tasman. Yes food is cheaper and salaries are better in many cases, but real estate’s still expensive, there are still drawbacks, it's just the vibe is different. And it’s why I can guarantee you the latest high profile high flier from Auckland is leaving, and why so many young people are leaving and why our most productive are going. Richlist property developer Ben Cook, it was reported at the weekend, is outta here too. “One of the country’s biggest private retail real estate investors is quitting New Zealand for Australia - sparking a $100 million dollar sell-off..” it was reported, “Ben Cook boasts a portfolio stretching from Auckland to Central Otago including a string of Countdown supermarkets, and Bunnings… He also owns iconic Auckland buildings. But he is now using his Sydney home as a base and says he doesn’t plan on returning to New Zealand… “I just prefer Aussie now that kids have finished school,” he said. “I just prefer Aussie,” says exactly what we know it says. This country is not aspirational anymore, it’s not desirable, it’s not a place for go-getters. He’s not the only high net worth person leaving. “Some properties {he owns} are co-owned with people who have already left New Zealand to live in other countries..” Others who’ve already gone. Other high net worth individuals taking their investments, developments, money and productivity, out of this country. A designer was also quoted at the weekend moving with her husband and 4 children to Australia - again for better opportunities and a better way of life. we also got reports of the ex-pat who came back with his family only to discover how backward the NZ school system is, and in disgust, moved back to Europe for better education. There will be people who say ‘good riddance’ to this, and you know what, that’s everything that’s wrong with where we’re at right now. Because what is happening when all these people take their business and their brains out of NZ? They take it elsewhere. Our loss. Ben Cook’s “looking to expand in Australia” it was reported, the designer's taking her business to Australia, brains and investments are leaving this country. So a big loss to us, a loss of productivity, jobs, development, drive, intelligence, and money. How many people like that are we prepared to lose, and what does that leave us with? And is that the sort of future you want for your kids here?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Plenty of ways to spin the Government's tweaks to its rent-to-buy scheme. Changes to the Progressive Home Ownership programme will allow eligible people to buy existing homes, instead of just new-builds. The income cap is also rising from $130,000 to %150,000. AUT construction expert John Tookey told Kate Hawkesby that if you're in power you say it's a marvellous scheme that's done well and being expanded. He says if you were in Opposition, you'd say it's been a disastrous scheme that's not doing well so you have to spin it out. Tookey says the other view is to say you don't have much faith in new-builds and we're going to see a drop off. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s support for some aspects of the ACT Party's personal grievance policy, and scepticism over others. ACT wants all personal grievance cases brought before the Employment Relations Authority resolved within a month. Its proposed legislation would see staff who don't manage that facing dismissal. The Employers and Manufacturers Association says the current timeline of cases is too long. Head of Advocacy Alan McDonald told Kate Hawkesby that firing ERA staff because of the deadline may not be practical. He says it seems harsh because there's a backlog that needs to be cleared. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yesterday Te Pāti Māori released their tax policy ahead of the election. The policy wasn’t a huge surprise. At their election campaign launch a few weeks ago they made it clear their tax reform policy would have a focus on redistributing wealth. So the proposal for a new wealth tax, an increase in income tax for those earning over $200,000, and a tax free threshold for income up to $30,000 are all expected. During Matariki, Co leader Rawiri Waititi said, “100,000 people are homeless in New Zealand, 60,000 of those are Maori”, so it’s no shock they’re also pushing for new taxes for land banking and vacant houses as well as a capital gains tax. They’ve clearly decided to go all out. So also plan to raise the corporate tax rate from 28% to 33%, as well as new taxes for foreign companies. They call the policy radical and transformative and representative of their values - but there’s plenty of debate as to whether these policies will encourage or hinder productivity. It’s easy to take a radical approach when you’re a minor party. When it comes to the compromises required for coalition negotiations it’s important to have something to lose. Te Pāti Māori’s tax reform policy comes after the Green Party recently released their plan to pursue a wealth tax and universal income guarantee. The person this creates a headache for is the Prime Minister - who recently made a Captain’s Call pledging no new capital gains our wealth tax as long as he’s Prime Minister. It makes for an interesting potential coalition negotiation doesn’t it. And it means the Labour party needs to be very clear about their tax policy, which is expected to be announcing imminently. Obviously voters would like the labour party to be transparent about what they would be prepared to consider from coalition partners when it comes to tax reform, but they’ll see no upside in having that discussion before the election. Hipkins’ announcement on capital gains and wealth taxes was pure politicking, and accepted by his cabinet even if they didn’t entirely agree. Which is becoming a theme. National’s finance spokesperson Nicola Willis has pipped the government’s tax policy announcement by doing it herself. She confidently claims Hipkins’ plans to announce the removal of GST from fruit and vegetables, even after his Finance Minister ruled out the idea earlier in the year. It’s a difficult idea to put in place, and it will be hard to know if we’re saving 15% on our fruit or veggies without more supermarket regulation, but with the heightened cost of a weekly shop it could be a popular move. Hipkins’ is making the big calls and he now has the tough job of assuring party faithful they’re living by their values, while also appealing to a wide demographic feeling the pinch of a cost of living crisis. Something tells me, he may need more than just a fruity rehashed idea from 2011 to get the job done.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The man who killed a New Zealand-born London police officer will spend the rest of his life in prison. Met Police Sergeant Matiu Ratana died of a chest wound after being shot with an antique gun smuggled into a custody block in September 2020. The judge has handed down a whole life sentence to 26-year-old Louis De Zoysa. UK correspondent Vincent McAviney told Francesca Rudkin he's only the 65th person ever to receive that punishment. He says that means he will never be let out, no matter what appeals he tries to make. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An economist says removing GST from fruit and vegetables can become very complicated in practice. National claims it is part of Labour's election tax policy, but Prime Minister Chris Hipkins is refusing to either confirm or deny it. Nicola Willis says she has been leaked the information. ASB Senior Economist Mark Smith told Francesca Rudkin the extra administration to do this comes at a cost. He says ideally you would take a targeted approach, but that is hard to do. Smith says other countries ask people show their income to get the discount, but it comes with problems. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do you feel about electric tractors? The first one arrived in the country this week and Forest Lodge orchard owner Mike Casey has been trialling it out. It's 40 horse power on the small side, and costs about $150,000 - $200,000 if you include shipping. Mike Casey spoke to Francesca Rudkin. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Netball fans will be fizzing as the kick off for the 2023 World Cup draws closer. The first game is 7pm NZ time tonight, in Cape Town, South Africa with the Silver Ferns taking on Trinidad and Tobago. ZB Sports Reporter Nathan Limm spoke to Francesca Rudkin. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The President Joe Biden’s son Hunter is today expected to plead guilty to tax crimes and possession of gun. US correspondent Mitch Mccann talked to Kate Hawkesby.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I was at the supermarket this week and I got to witness first-hand the theft that is taking place on the daily. In fact it’s more than a daily basis; it’s like hourly, according to the checkout operators. My check out operator by the way, I’m convinced, was some kind of angel on earth. She wanted to help the thief. The guy, who to be fair looked dodgy and if I was in the business of profiling customers who may be stealing, I would have picked him all day long: hoodie, head bowed, scruffy, sifting through the aisles looking uncertain, and in his trolley just a couple of packets of meat. Anyway he’s in front of me at the checkout and the operator puts through his small amount of groceries then looks at him and says, “Hey I just wanna let you know, you’ve been spotted by security, they know you’ve got stuff on you and I just want to give you the opportunity to hand it over to me now so you don’t get in any trouble.” I’m thinking - wow this woman is brave, he looks angry, he shakes his head and denies he has stolen anything and says, ‘nah nah nah’. But she’s not letting up. “Hey I want to help, I’m happy to buy you milk and bread if you need it, I just don’t want you in trouble, if you want to give me what you’re hiding now, and you getting to just walk out no issues.” He refuses, looks annoyed, proceeds to the door, where two security guys immediately stop him and ask him if he’s got anything he hasn’t paid for. I ask the checkout woman what happens here, have they beefed up security, what are they doing now? She says, “Watch… nothing. We can’t stop them, we can’t search them. We can’t do anything.” He runs to his car and she says that’s the only thing they can do, take a car rego plate and give it to the cops. What do you think happens then? You’re right, nothing. So they get away with it and they know they get away with it, which is why they keep doing it. I asked her if this was still happening regularly, she said all the time, it’s constant. She said the new thing the supermarket is doing is attaching a monitor to the trolleys which registers if you stop for long periods of time in the aisle just loitering. Once that trolley gets to the door, that monitor then triggers the brakes and stops the trolley dead. The idea being that if it’s been loaded up with stolen goods and someone’s trying to make a run for it, the trolley doesn’t budge. I asked how successful that’s been. She said it works to stop the trolley but it doesn’t stop the people and they get angry. She said she’s seen colleagues have cans of baked beans and bottles of wine thrown at them, people just chucking stuff out of the trolley making a scene as they grab at whatever groceries they can and make a run for it. She said it’s so sad and the staff get abused a lot, but she keeps working in a supermarket because she cares about her customers and she wants to help. Is she or is she not an angel on earth? She also gets up every day at 4.20am she told me, she listens to this show, so we know she’s smart. And it’s people like her that deserve every cent of our increasing grocery bills, people like her at the coal face and wanting to help. Isn’t it a shame that more of our hefty grocery bills these days don’t go towards people like her, on the front line of a really ugly epidemic of brazen theft that they just should not have to put up with?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government is merging CERT NZ - who help the public with cyber-attacks - and the GCSB together. This decision's had huge opposition who say it's been rushed through. GCSB minister Andrew Little says he's after a single front door for cyber security reporting, triage and response. Darkscope Technical Director Joerg Buss talked with Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former Customs Minister is cooling hopes of making trans-Tasman travel easier. A taskforce is being set up by our government and Australia's, to look at ways to make travel more seamless. Maurice Williamson told Kate Hawkesby he doesn't believe new efforts in the space will lead to much progress. He says the speed you can travel between the two countries is quite fast now - and he doesn't believe we'll get to a point where travellers won't need passports. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Severe staffing shortages gripping Christchurch are being viewed as a replica of the pressure healthcare systems are facing nationwide. Pegasus Health's after-hours medical centre shut it's doors at midnight, and won't re-open until 8am. This comes as Christchurch Hospital faced its busiest 24 hours ever, earlier this month. Association of Salaried Medical Specialists former executive director Ian Powell told Kate Hawkesby it's happening across the country. He says it's not just in urgent care facilities - but hospitals and emergency departments - and is now normal rather than abnormal.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With all the travelling that’s taken place these last few weeks with school holidays and people bailing to beat the winter blues, I’m confounded more and more by the state of Auckland airport. It’s a shambles. Now during and immediately after Covid, you can accept staffing’s an issue, that a few things aren’t right, that it’s not running as well as it should be. You can forgive the dysfunction. But all this time later, it’s still a shambles. It still appears to have staffing issues, it still doesn’t function. Why? Why have they not got it together yet? Worse still, it’s the gateway to our country, it’s currently welcoming FIFA guests and tourists, and it’s just an abomination. You wait forever for an air bridge so you can disembark, then you wait forever for your bags, then you get into the world’s longest queue for MPI clearance – which in my case at the weekend involved the biggest queue I’ve ever seen and no ‘nothing to declare’ lane. It was just a seething mass of people, including flight crew, all having to queue up in an endless snaking line, as three flights descended at once – which by the way is not many, and yet the holdup turned out to be due to, I kid you not.. lack of dogs. Exasperated like so many others in the queue, and standing with some tourists from Australia who were loudly complaining about what a joke this airport was, I enquired as to what was going on. “Oh it may be because it’s busy and there’s heaps of flights in?” one airport worker hazarded a guess. This should not define busy for an airport, I’ve seen way more flights arrive at once, something was slowing it up, it was crawling, if moving at all. I asked another airport worker, “Dunno,” they shrugged, “we just do what we’re told.”  Then I asked a third person, “The dogs aren’t on,” he told me. “What?” I asked incredulous, “this is down to the dogs?” “Well the dogs are on a roster and there’s no rostered dogs on so we have to screen every bag.” That’s every single bag, of every single passenger, from every single flight, including flight crew. The crowd at the airport was bristling, angry, it was a poor introduction to New Zealand. I was travelling with my sister who needed to catch a connecting flight on to Christchurch, I asked about people like her who may miss connecting flights because of this huge hold up. Another shrug. As it turned out she did miss her connecting flight – as did many others. So what I want to know is, where’s the airport management on the ground, inside the terminals? I know there’s like an overarching manager who fronts for media, and manages from a head office somewhere, but apart from the rostered workers who’re just doing their jobs and don’t have any insight into the bigger picture, whose on the ground looking at the shambles in real time and going, you know what, this sucks, we can do better, this is a bad customer experience. Where’s that person? At international airports around the world, there are so many people in high vis wandering round yelling instructions or opening up queues or connected to walkie talkies overseeing things, that you feel like it’s all in hand. Auckland airport by contrast has a Wild West vibe. No one knows what’s happening and nothing makes sense. It makes for a horrible entry to our country, and if we’re looking to build the tourism industry back up, I’d say the first place we need to start is our front door.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellingtonians have come down with a severe bout of football fever. Over 30,000 people packed into Wellington Regional Stadium for the Football Ferns match last night. But the crowd couldn't stop the result, New Zealand went down 1-0 to the Philippines. Newstalk ZB's Voice of Football and Weekend Sport Host, Jason Pine told Kate Hawkesby for some reason players couldn't find the same confidence they had in their opening win. He wonders whether the occasion got the better of them. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Warnings the wildfires scorching the Mediterranean are likely to get worse before they get better. Impacts are widespread across the region, with forest fires killing at least 34 people in Algeria. In Greece, two pilots are dead after their water-bombing plane crashed attempting to put out a blaze spreading across the island of Evia. Europe Correspondent, Gavin Grey, told Kate Hawkesby close to 3,000 tourists have been evacuated from Rhodes. He says it's being described as a living nightmare and 19,000 people have evacuated from the island as temperatures reach 40 degrees. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People are back buying cars and doing home renovations again - with demand for credit on the rise. A quarterly report by financial services company Equifax shows a 5.3 percent rise in applications in the three months to June - however mortgage finance remains subdued. Equifax New Zealand Managing Director Angus Luffman told Kate Hawkesby says it follows seven quarters of decline. He says the increase is being driven by unsecured credit among applicants 30 years and older. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A children's health charity says the government needs to do more to support young people's vaping addiction. A loophole in a new law banning specialist vape stores from setting up within 300 metres from schools or marae from October, exempts dairies and supermarkets. The Health Ministry has confirmed general retailers can still set up from October 1. Life Education Trust chief executive John O'Connell told Kate Hawkesby schools need more health access to support addicted students.  He says schools are struggling for solutions - and too often it becomes a behavioural issue and a child is stood down, when they need health support. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The end of Kiri Allan’s political career throws up a couple of key questions. One, does it also spell the end of the government as in, the final straw? They look too unstable as a party, they are losing too many ministers, they have no one else to take on serious portfolios and the management of our country now looks like a school project. And two, was enough duty of care employed by the Labour leadership to look out for her? Labour is desperately trying to paint itself as not responsible for any of this. They did their best, they offered her help, counselling, mentorship, they say. Hipkins says he spoke with her and was reassured she was fine. But how often do people in a hole, or a bind, tell you they are fine when they are not? How much exploratory work was done on whether she truly was fine? And given many of us could tell just from the small snippets we saw of her in the media and from what we were hearing that she was clearly not fine, how did the Labour leadership misread it so badly? There is an onus on leaders to really account for the wellbeing of people under that much pressure, especially people who have already stated they’re under pressure and suffering mental health issues. You don’t just bounce back from mental health issues like you do a cold. It takes time, and lots of it. I have experienced first-hand management which takes a pastoral approach to care and staff wellbeing. When I got a very bad dose of Covid, I felt so terrible about all the time off work I was having, I felt the weight of responsibility to turn up. I was trying to get back to work by telling myself I was ready, but my boss's response was very clear: while we’d love you to be back we don’t want you back until you are 100% well rested and you are actually ready for it. He said it would be futile to rush back only to then relapse and need more time off. That’s a duty of care, that’s good management, and that’s taking people’s health and wellness seriously. I wanted to return, just as Kiri Allan obviously did, but management thought better of it. So is Labour responsible here for accepting her at her word that she was fine and not looking at the bigger picture of all she was dealing with? Were they blinkered by their own desperation to steady a rocky ship and have the party out of the headlines for all the wrong reasons? The key question is whether this affects their vote. I heard another host on this station who shall remain nameless (Mike Hosking) saying if this doesn’t show an unstable government then what does, and he predicts “a landslide” for the Nats come October. I’m not so sure about that. Labour loyalists are hardcore. I know this personally, I'm donkey deep in family members who are hardcore Labour fans, and hardcore Labour loyalists don’t see any of this as affecting the party’s purpose. They don’t see the failures or the lack of delivery, they love Jacinda, even now, and they don’t hold anything against the party because they can only see Red. Nothing will sway them, not even a crumbling cabinet, to vote anything but red. So the Labour party faithful won’t be moved. It’s the swing voter who needs to be riled by this. Will they be though? Or will this just add to a long line up of shemozzles that get forgotten about come polling day?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Kiwi Manuka honey company continues to break its own records. The true honey co. has just harvested a Manuka honey that's got the highest unique Manuka factor in the world. So aside from an expensive jar of honey, what on earth does that all mean? The founder and CEO of True Honey Company Jim Mcmillan talked to Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington is set to reap the economic benefits of the FIFA Women's World Cup for a long time to come. The capital is one of the four New Zealand cities hosting matches for the international tournament. Kick-off for the Football Ferns game against Philippines in Wellington is half past five this afternoon. Wellington Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive, Simon Arcus says the event is a real winner for businesses. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A political analyst says Chris Hipkins is playing a dangerous game in choosing not to spread the load among his MPs. Kiri Allan has resigned as Justice Minister after crashing a car on Sunday night - she's been charged with careless driving and refusing to accompany police. Police Minister Ginny Andersen is taking over the Justice portfolio. Political analyst Bryce Edwards told Kate Hawkesby it adds up to a lot of weight on her shoulders. He says it goes to show Hipkins is making the same mistake as Jacinda Ardern, by loading up too few Ministers with too many heavy roles. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A road safety advocate says we can't simply toll our way to a better transport network. The ACT party's promising to replace fuel excise taxes with road tolls, and invite foreign investment in infrastructure projects. AA Road Safety spokesperson Dylan Thomsen told Tim Dower that we don't have anywhere near the same volume of traffic as overseas, so some form of tax will still be needed. He says tolls can't cover all the cost of the project and they might help, but we will still need a fuel tax or road user charges. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thousands of tourists and locals on the Greek island of Rhodes are sheltering in schools and stadiums, after being forced to flee a raging wildfire. Europe correspondent Gavin Grey told Tim Dower that it's the largest evacuation in Greek history. The tourist coaches weren't ready to take anyone anywhere, so those who didn't have hire cars were left stranded. Some people managed to make it to beaches to be taken away on boats. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It seems the Government's spending far less than promised on a highly effective methamphetamine programme. It promised to spend $38-million this Parliamentary term to expand the Te Ara Oranga programme to another four thousand people. But figures released to RNZ show it’s spent less than a fifth of that. The programme has a 34% harm reduction rate. Drug Detection Agency chief executive Glenn Dobson told Tim Dower that that's significant for any rehabilitation programme - particularly for meth. He says it's an incredibly difficult drug to rehabilitate, as there's both a physical and psychological dependency, and results indicate the programme’s been successful across the community. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I can't imagine a lot of people are excited about the idea of more of New Zealand's roads being tolled. You'll be aware the ACT Party sees this as the way to go if we want to get those big infrastructure projects we need so badly moving more quickly. ACT would have road development and maintenance funded through a system of tolls. Both domestic and foreign companies would be able to fund projects instead. And as the money wouldn't be coming from fuel excise tax, that would be reduced. So what you'd end up with is, first of all, a much more targeted way of paying for those big schemes, much more of a user-pays system. And for people who don't use the newer roads —the tolled ones— in theory... cheaper petrol. Slight catch: some existing roads would also be tolled as long as another viable free route is available. On the face of it, not bad, if it actually got things done more quickly. Like a new harbour crossing for Auckland perhaps. Problem for ACT is that public-private partnerships don't exactly have a good name with the general public. Transmission Gully for example... or the Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway... both were years late opening, and tens of millions over budget. What is most appealing about the ACT plan is taking a long-term view toward infrastructure. Too many politicians think 'long-term' means 'too hard. Let's kick the can down the road, make it someone else's problem sometime in the future. And we need to invest billions, not just in roads but also rail. So I'd go further. Set up and entrench a stand-alone Infrastructure Agency, funding guaranteed, safe from political interference. Safe from half-wit Transport Ministers who think they know best. Major investments with years of planning, and consenting, and land acquisition suddenly abandoned because a new government thinks they're vanity projects.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After yesterday’s shooting in Auckland, those words are still hard to believe - 'shooting in Auckland', a lot of debate’s been thrown up around law and order, crime, people on home detention, discounts given to offenders and so on. There are those saying this was only a matter of time given the state of law and order in this country these days. I know the state of our country right now is enough to drive people out, I know many who are doing just that - upping sticks and leaving. I don't know him personally, but Marc Ellis is another of them. The former All Black, and iconic Kiwi personality, is leaving for Italy. And who can blame him? His reason is, we’ve lost our mojo. As in the country - and he’s not wrong. He’s trading us in for Mediterranean coastal paradise, pasta, property ‘as cheap as chips’ as he put it, happy people, and ‘gorgeous food at reasonable prices’ he said. Sounds alluring. What’s wrong with NZ? He said our finest days are behind us. “We’re not at our peak, you don’t feel the same vibe or energy anymore,” he says. As hard as it is to hear those brutally honest words, it’s also confronting because it’s true. It’s horrible to admit, but he's right. There isn’t the same vibe or energy anymore. There’s angst and friction and division, there’s fear and there’s a malaise we can’t seem to shake. There’s low productivity and high expectation that everyone else will solve your problems. There’s less personal responsibility, less ambition. Stats are all going backwards, education, health, crime, it’s a shambles. And that’s before we even get to Auckland’s CBD witnessing a traumatic shooting yesterday. And so we surely can’t blame those who are seeking refuge elsewhere. Ellis says, “New Zealand is being pulled apart at the seams. I thought we were egalitarian and unified,” he says, “but some people who feel slightly disenfranchised use that to exacerbate rifts for political reasons. There is a cost of living problem and it has become a heavy place – it’s not the New Zealand of five years ago.” It’s awful to hear it isn’t it, because we know there’s truth in it. We wish it wasn’t so. I’m always amazed at how little time it took to wreck a country but I feel like that’s what’s happened here. And the worry I guess for many of us, is how do we turn it around? Can we? Or is it too late? How do you turn around all our woeful stats? How do you encourage productivity again? How do you get that vibe back?  It’s almost an overwhelming concept for the next government, I’m not sure how they take on all this debt, all these issues, all these attitudes, and actually do anything tangible about it, it seems like an uphill battle. Aside from better weather and warmer seas, Ellis says the people are happier in Europe too. He says there’s ‘twice the product at half the price.’ That could be why people are happier. I mean when you look at what we pay for stuff here it really feels like an island nation at the bottom of the world doesn’t it.  Limited supply, inflated prices, increasing crime and violence. Yesterday's shooting doesn't help. So is Ellis right when he says our glory days are behind us? Sadly, I think he is.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National wants to know why the 24-year-old Auckland CBD shooter wasn't in prison. Matu Tangi Matua Reid was on home detention for domestic violence,  and had approval to work at the construction site. National party leader, Chris Luxon, told Kate Hawkesby the perpetrator had committed some pretty violent crimes. He says the issue of not sending our violent offenders to prison has filtered down through the judiciary system, and we've ended up with soft sentencing. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The shooting in Auckland's CBD may have prolonged psychological impacts on Kiwis. Clinical Psychologist Dougal Sutherland told Kate Hawkesby people could feel heightened anxiety from this for up to six weeks. “The public nature of it, it’s such a big impact on people. Watching it on TV, certainly a similar thing happened after the Twin Towers.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new Westpac report has revealed our tourism is doing well - but could do better. The latest Westpac Economic Tourism bulletin shows while the sector has seen some recovery, businesses will need to adapt to the changing market. Industry Economist Paul Clark told Kate Hawkesby the industry is going to find it increasingly challenging to make a profit. He says while the trajectory of international passenger arrivals has started to taper off - the sector is still hopeful. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Inflation has finally fallen to six percent but how are we looking in the domestic front? Businesses are continuing to struggle with less demand and less spending. But with China's market back open the pressure may start lifting. Business NZ CEO Kirk Hope joined Kate Hawkesby to discuss the topic. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For everyone in Auckland who bemoans our Mayor, and actually I’m not sure there are many of them left anymore or maybe they’ve just gone quiet, it could be worse. We could have Wellington’s Mayor. Now Tory Whanau has had her fair share of headlines and bad press since her arrival. There was the infamous “don’t you know who I am” alleged drunken incident at a Wellington restaurant, as well as leaving without paying the bill. She also made headlines back in June when she faced criticism for not attending meetings or events. In other words, claiming to be a busy Mayor but having a very empty diary. Apparently the events she did attend, she only stayed very briefly, or cancelled at the last minute. Then there’s her council. It has had issues with data breaches - two in fact: breaching the privacy of submitters to the Golden Mile proposal, and inadvertently releasing the names of more than 4000 people involved in road crashes. Now this is not a seasoned politician. We are talking about someone who completed a media degree with a thesis on Zombies, then worked in insurance, before becoming Chief of Staff for the Green Party. Golriz Gharamann is one of her besties apparently, and the word is Helen Clark is mentoring her. I have no first-hand knowledge if that’s true, but that’s the word. So yes, she’s learning on the job. But is her fascination with horror playing out in real time for her now as Wellington’s Mayor? She came onto the scene with a bang, as a media luvvie, much like our old mate Jacinda did - and we all know where that particular horror show ended up. But Whanau was quoted saying on arrival “I'm an outsider from the council, never worked in council, I'm going to be a breath of fresh air and make Wellington fun and cool and positive again.” Let me know Wellingtonians if it’s fun, cool and positive again yet? And actually is that what we want from our Mayors, or do we just want someone competent who can run stuff? Anyway, my point here is, another controversy just this week is engulfing her. And this one I have some sympathy for, because no one loves dogs more than me, but she is bringing her dog into work. That’s against the rules. You’re not allowed to bring dogs to work; it’s a breach of the council’s tenancy agreement to have her Staffordshire Bull Terrier Teddy rocking up to the office. Not only does she bring it in, it’s reported she gets staff to regularly walk it. Wellington ratepayers, quick question? Is that a valuable use of your ratepayer dollars? Now as a dog lover, particularly of my own dog, I too would love to bring her into the office. But I know not everyone’s a dog person and it’s not my work’s job to house my dog while I’m there. We had someone who shall remain nameless bring their dog in once, but it did number two’s on the newsroom carpet, so it was outskis and no dogs have been seen in our office since. But none of that’s the point; the point is the Wellington Council premises does not allow animals, and yet Whanau is flouting that for her own precious pooch. So my first question is, is this acceptable? My second question is how many personal controversies surrounding a Mayor are too many? Thirdly, Wellingtonians, are you having fun yet? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yet another announcement from Labour in a bid to put a stop to crime. The party has announced 12 and 13 year old ram raiders will be charged in youth court, while adult offenders could face up to ten years in prison. Act Party Leader David Seymour joined Kate Hawkesby to discuss the policy. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of our greatest footballers believes New Zealand has dropped the ball when it comes to supporting the FIFA Women's World Cup. Thousands are set to flock to tonight's opening match at Auckland's Eden Park, where our team will verse Norway. Political leaders including Chris Hipkins, Carmel Sepuloni, and Grant Robertson will all be in attendance. Maia Jackman told Kate Hawkesby it's a different feel here than in Australia where the tournament is being heavily embraced. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No one is more beside themselves about the Puhoi Motorway schemozzle than me. Well, to be fair there are probably people more upset than me, but I’m pretty upset. I mean, finally, finally after so long, such an interminable wait, finally we got our glorious smooth new road North. The gateway to the winterless North, bypassing all the windy roads and single lane hills and crappy old tar seal. A new perfect, smooth, pothole free, scenic and lush drive North, shaving big time savings off the journey, making everything feel easier and safer. And then, wham. The headlines yesterday sent a shudder down my spine, because you just know our brand new highway is going to be for the high jump if they don’t secure this and fix it. This ’slow moving landslide’ we now know about alongside it. Oh no biggie. Just a SLOW MOVING LANDSLIDE. This new motorway was an $880 million build. It took a painstaking six years to finish. They finally opened it, we’ve driven it every single week since it’s opened. It’s only been open a month. But now we learn, it’s got cracks. It’s potentially a safety risk, they say. Cracks have appeared in concrete barriers, and an entire section may be moving underneath it, it was reported. Why can’t we build stuff in this country? Why can’t we do the job properly? This motorway was supposed to be built to last a hundred years. It hasn’t even lasted a month before we have front page ‘landslide’ news. Waka Kotahi is been criticized for ‘disjointed and reactive decision making’ in ‘not doing enough to factor in resilience at many transport projects.’ ‘This has led to ‘suboptimal and inefficient investment choices,” it was reported. Why can’t we trust government departments to do their jobs properly? Why does this give such backward banana republic vibes? Why are we like this? It was exactly the same with our local main street recently when they put new traffic lights in. Waka Kotahi coned off a huge area for ages and poured concrete to footpath holds for the traffic light poles - but left no room for water run off or level adjustments for rain. Local business owners said it looked dodgy, complained that they needed to allow for rain or the run off from the new slopes would go right into their shops. Waka Kotahi was told, they did nothing, they sat on their hands, they didn’t listen, whatever it was, the advice was ignored - and then it rained. Water flooded the pavements and poured into the shops, the whole area had to be shut down, everything dug up and re done - at God knows what cost, and of course it tripled the timeframe of completion. So these guys have form, on even small scale projects, at not doing things right the first time. Please for the love of God can we get some people into the Government’s transport sector who actually know what they’re doing, and get it right the first time. $880 million is too much money to not account for landslides. So they’re doing remedial works, at this stage they’re not shutting the highway - yet. They claim the work will be done by October, they’ll keep monitoring it, and the ‘unstable terrain’ it’s on. And as for us Northern commuters, I guess we just keep our fingers crossed, and our eyes peeled for cracks.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most economists are tipping the Consumer Price Index will fall below six percent. It would be for the first time since December 2021. ANZ Economist Henry Russell joined Kate Hawkesby to discuss. LISTEN ABOVE    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's thought Countdown's $400 million rebrand is a waste of time, money and poor timing as many Kiwis struggle to pay for their groceries. The supermarket chain will revert back to Woolworths early next year, 12 years after changing to Countdown. Sign changes start next month, along with store upgrades. Massey University Marketing expert, Bodo Lang, told Kate Hawkesby there's a danger the Australian ownership becomes more noticeable in the rebrand, and puts New Zealanders off. He says there's also a risk the rebrand's costs will be passed onto consumers, at a time food prices are already at record highs. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Police Association's questioning how much difference the Government's latest crackdown on youth crime will make. New measures have been announced — including coercing young people to commit crime an aggravating factor in sentencing. Posting criminal behaviour online will also be considered an aggravating factor in sentencing. President Chris Cahill told Kate Hawkesby that it's great that there's a focus, but we'll have to wait and see what actually becomes a reality. He suggests judges will continue to bend over backwards to give as many discounts to offenders as they can. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Taking your electric vehicle on holiday may be about to get easier. ChargeNet, Z Energy, and Openloop have come together to launch a charging roaming trial, which would allow drivers to charge at any of the three networks. Currently New Zealand drivers need individual memberships with each charging provider. ChargeNet Chief Operating Officer Martin Miles says this move will help to attract more people to this sustainable mode of travel. He says they want to make charging point access as simple as possible. The trial starts early next year. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Investing platform, Sharesies, isn't a fan of National's new Kiwisaver policy. National's pledging to let under-30s dip into their fund for a tenancy bond. Money would transfer directly from their savings to Tenancy Services, returned at the end, or transferred to the next rental arrangement. Sharesies Co-Chief Executive, Leighton Roberts, told Kate Hawkesby that Kiwisaver's main goal is to save for retirement, and secondary purpose is for first-home buying. He says at the moment we aren't achieving good outcomes on either, so adding additional factors that could compromise either isn't the right move. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So another poll out last night showing a right block government —just— and slipping support for Labour. What's interesting though, is it's the second poll in a row to show Christopher Luxon edging up in the preferred PM stakes... so, is he turning a corner in terms of likeability? Because he's seemingly been a hard sell. Though people are sick of the direction the country’s going in, they’ve been unconvinced he’s the saviour. And let’s be honest, personality politics dictates that we have to love or hate the person who fronts the party. It’s not the reality of course. The Party is a whole team, but we seem to be obsessed with the front person. No better example of that than Jacindamania, which then turned to so much vitriol against her that she ended up stepping down to save the party’s chances. Chippy came in as the great hope; he had boy next door vibes, he loved a sausage roll, people were enamoured with the prospect of fresh blood. But he too has gradually eroded that popularity. Which leaves us with the alternative... Christopher Luxon. Who, arguably, has had a tough run, but how much should a leader play the media and look to be Mr Popularity, versus just doing the job? I mean look at Jacinda. Played the media and the public like a fiddle. Did not put a foot wrong, everyone ate out of the palm of her hand, the international press lapped it up, she was queen bee. But as we now know, how good a leader was she? What was really going on behind the scenes? How tight of a ship was she running and how good were they as a government under her leadership? Useless. As we now know, complete chaos. Poor old Hipkins has been mopping up the fallout ever since. So while she was popular, she was shambles. We elected a leader with zero experience of running anything, to run our country because she was popular. Look how that turned out. What might happen if we elect a leader who isn’t Mr popularity, but knows how to run stuff? What would you prefer?   I reckon Luxon is a good operator behind the scenes. Solid, methodical, strategic. His record speaks for itself at Air NZ, he’s reigned in the Nats which was leaking and falling apart, he’s stopped all that – and I don’t think got enough credit for it. I just don’t think he’s great on camera. He seems uncomfortable around the press pack, and to be frank, wouldn’t you be if you were him? I also think there’s been a bit of a campaign around his unpopularity which has been peddled beyond its legitimacy. But if you look at the latest poll results, he’s actually only 4 points off Chippy now in the preferred PM stakes. But here’s the thing, for all those who've been calling Luxon out as a loser and saying he should step aside for Nicola Willis, I think that’s misguided and myopic. Look at the big picture, what’s our issue as a country right now? 65 and a half percent of us don’t like the direction it’s going in, according to the latest poll. That’s a great big majority of Kiwis saying, this sucks. So what do we want? Things run better, handled better, going in a better direction. Can Luxon do that? I think so yes. I don’t know him personally, but I don’t obsess with how he appears on TV. Look at the team, and in the case of Luxon the leader, look at his record.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Extreme weather is causing problems in several parts of the world. Southern Europe is bracing for a second heatwave in a week, with record temperatures expected to be broken in places like Italy, Greece, and Spain. Europe Correspondent, Gavin Grey, says one of Spain's Canary islands has been hit hard. He says in La Palma, troops are evacuating more than four-thousand people and four and a half thousand hectares of woodlands have been destroyed by wildfires. Almost a third of Americans are under extreme heat advisories, while at least four people have been killed by severe floods in Pennsylvania. In South Korea, the death toll has risen to at least 37 after flooding across much of the country. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The country's infrastructure industry is describing National's $500-million road transport policy as a good start. The party has declared it will redirect funding from road safety initiatives to pothole repairs and road renewals, if it wins the election. Infrastructure New Zealand Chief Executive Nick Leggett told Kate Hawkesby that the man power exists to make this promise a reality, but there has to be a guaranteed pipeline of work. He says if the work is there, the resources will follow. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A chance for businesses to reconnect with a changing China. The China Business Summit began in Auckland at 7am this morning. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins will speak —covering topics like trade and investment— and insights from his recent trip to China and Nato Summit attendance. The Chinese Ambassador and the New Zealand China Council are also attending. Council Executive Director, Alistair Crozie told Kate Hawkesby that it's significant, being the first in-person summit since Covid. He says no-one's been to the market until recently and this event gives businesses a chance to get to grips with how China's evolved. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour released its party slogan over the weekend and it says ' In it for you', which as some cynical person observed sounds like something you'd say on Tinder to secure a date. What it says to me, is that the two main parties slogans this election year very much reflect their parties approaches. One is a slogan which is ambiguous:  what's it even mean, 'in it for you'? Sounds kind, has the feel good factor I guess, sounds like it got work shopped in a focus group on a white board and people went 'oh yeah, sounds nice.' But what's it actually mean? And that's the problem. It's just more words, platitudes, word salads, things that sound potentially kind or good, or about us, but we're not sure. The great irony of course being that this party, since its 2020 mandate, has been in it for them. One hundred percent for them, not us. In fact their raison d'etre has been to tell us how we should all be living, what we should be doing, whether we should drive cars or take public transport, when we're allowed a RAT test and how many, how we should read road signs, how we should manage our appliances over winter, dictating to us what the media landscape and our workplaces should look like. They've been largely obsessed with pushing their own agenda and that of their Maori caucus, they haven't really been 'in it for us', at all. So do we even believe them? And when Hipkins says he's 'in it for you'... who’s he talking to? The disillusioned Labour voter who saw them swing so wildly to the left this term that they don't recognise the party anymore? Or the middle swing voter who voted for Jacinda last time, not the party, but the woman, and now Chippy's trying to get a slice of that support back by sounding like he too can be their cheerleader. Problem is, those voters have been burnt. Is it all a bit late to sound like you're in it for us, when 6 years of this government, and especially the last 3, tells us you're actually not. Then there's National's.. 'Get NZ back on track'. It's a goal, an ambition, a focus, a target. It's clear what it means; it speaks to the 65 plus percent of us who on current polling say the country's going in the wrong direction. It's clear, and it's a promise they're making, which we will be holding them to as a country because we know how badly we all want the country back on track. The National party gets to sound ambitious because it's in opposition, yes, but what it does bring to the table and always has, is targets. Accountability. Looking to measure progress, looking to achieve goals, hit targets, weigh things up, balance the data and aim for better. Given the race to the bottom we've had the past few years, that's quite appealing. Not that we vote on slogans, the same way we shouldn't vote on leaders personalities, but the slogans do tell us about a party's focus. One, wants to get the country back on track, the other wants to be there for us, or be 'in it' for us. And when you weigh both of those things up, I think it's clear which party has a vision for change and progress, and which wants to just sound like a mate, but achieve nothing.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I said earlier this week that my hero of the week was any CEO who walks the talk and works the floor and gets amongst the team. That was off the back of my parents having Greg Foran, Air NZ CEO, check them in at Auckland airport. He’s out there often apparently, doing various jobs inside various departments to learn more about the airline and be present, and it’s a good look – it’s appreciated. But then I’ve found something else this week that I appreciate; common sense. Or at least people who speak it – and we seem to be thin on the ground on those people these days. But in light of the Sam Cane pitch invader saga All Blacks forwards coach, Jason Ryan, has come out and blasted pitch invaders. Which is good, because for a while there it was looking like we were busy apologising to them and handing them a bunch of free rugby merch for their troubles. Which made no sense to me, but then a lot of the weird woke stuff that goes on these days doesn’t make sense to me. Like how we seem to kowtow to offenders more than victims now, how we let gang members run riot, we’ve sort of become a nation of apologists, excusing everyone for bad behaviour and just hoping by handing them some rewards like KFC or some rugby kit, that they’ll stop being a pain the arse. Anyway Jason Ryan’s having none of it, he’s said, in lieu of the All Blacks’ first home test this weekend, that they won’t be tolerating pitch invaders. Which is lucky, because given Sam Cane’s grovelling apology and the invader getting some gear out of it, it may be seen as an incentive for others to randomly pitch invade. Ryan says pitch invading’s been ‘a shambles’ lately, he was reported saying he’s got no time for it, the players have got no time for it, and that it needs to stop. He said someone’s going to get hurt and they have to make the consequences a bit harder, he pointed the finger at security saying they need to ‘do their job’. He said they’re there to watch the crowd, not the game. Which is a good point, how are these clowns getting onto the field in the first place, they shouldn’t be able to get anywhere near it if security’s awake and doing their job. But I can’t help thinking Cane’s little trip up of that invader was not a bad thing - it sent a message. Come on here, you’re gonna get hurt. Sadly that didn’t end well in that he then decided to apologise and hand out gear but I support Ryan’s firm stance on invaders. They’re menaces, and they should be not only discouraged but actively stopped. Look at what’s happening at live concerts these days with artists being thrown things on stage and getting hit in the face. Then there’s copycat behaviour, and you’ve got even more people throwing stuff at people on stage. The pitch invasions are the same, there’s a domino effect. So Jason Ryan is right when he says there needs to be tougher consequences, he’s right that they need to harden up on it. I’ll be very interested to see how alert and onto it security guards are at this weekend’s Test match, in terms of keeping these baffoons off the field. I wouldn't be surprised if they increase security for it, and if they don't, then I at least hope the security that is there does its job.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Plastic pollution in Lake Rotorua is reportedly comparable to lakes in Europe and the US. Three places in New Zealand have been part of a global analysis of plastic pollution levels in freshwater lakes. Deniz Özkundakci is a University of Waikato Associate Professor and freshwater ecologist. He told Kate Hawkesby it's disappointing we're seeing high levels here. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

News that business owners are struggling to make ends meet isn't surprising to some in the sector.  Research by accounting software company Xero shows almost half of small to medium business owners aren't paying themselves. Business mentor and Whanganui Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Helen Garner told Kate Hawkesby the statistics are dismaying. Garner says there are ups and downs in business, but with money not moving as it should be, these are not ideal times. She says there is no way of telling at the moment how long this will last. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Capital gains and wealth taxes may not accomplish the goals advocates think they might. After investigating, Chris Hipkins has ruled out those changes while he's Prime Minister.  Deloitte tax partner Robyn Walker says wealth taxes don't bring in a huge amount of revenue, but create higher administration and compliance costs. She says there are unintended consequences which have been seen in overseas countries,  like Norway. Walker says the wealthy and "the want to be wealthy" have fled the country. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s no evidence a BBC presenter who allegedly paid a teenager for sexually explicit photos committed a crime, London police says as the broadcaster’s wife publicly identified him for the first time as veteran news anchor Huw Edwards. Metropolitan police said it made its decision after speaking with the alleged victim and that person’s parents. The parents had complained to The Sun newspaper last week that the BBC had allowed the presenter to remain on air after they told the broadcaster in May that he paid the youth more than $72,000 starting in 2020 when the person was 17. As the scandal remained atop the news all week, colleagues at the BBC had called for the unnamed presenter to come forward. Edwards is one of Britain’s best-known news broadcasters. Photo / BBC It was only early Thursday morning that his wife, Vicky Flind, issued a statement identifying Edwards. She said her husband was suffering from serious mental health issues and was hospitalised. Flind said after “five extremely difficult days for our family” she was naming him “primarily out of concern for his mental well-being and to protect our children”. “The events of the last few days have greatly worsened matters, he has suffered another serious episode and is now receiving in-patient hospital care where he’ll stay for the foreseeable future,” she said. Colleagues at the BBC called for the unnamed presenter to come forward. Photo / AP Edwards, 61, is one of Britain’s best-known and most authoritative news broadcasters, lead anchor on the BBC’s nighttime news and the face of its election coverage. He led BBC coverage of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in September. He’s among the broadcaster’s best-paid stars, with an annual salary of at least $896,000. The UK’s publicly funded national broadcaster had not named Edwards, but said it had suspended a male star over the allegations. The BBC said it will continue its investigation into the matter. A lawyer representing the young person in question, who was not named, told the BBC earlier this week that “nothing inappropriate or unlawful has taken place between our client and the BBC personality”. The lawyer said the allegations reported in The Sun were “rubbish”. Though the age of sexual consent in Britain is 16, it is a crime to make or possess indecent images of anyone under 18.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So more than a hundred million users have signed up for Meta's new Threads platform - making it the fastest growing online platform in history. Can you believe that? How do more than a hundred million people still have so much to say that they need to say it on a whole new platform? It was set up to rival Twitter; it's kind of a Twitter 2.0 but they’re trying to make it ‘kind’, they say. Clearly they don’t understand how the internet works. Anything that even for one moment purports to be ‘kind’ is corrupted eventually - the internet is just not a ‘kind’ place. Even Instagram, which started out as the least nasty of all the social media platforms, still has keyboard warriors coming for you, still has trolls lining up in your DM’s to ask if you were wearing a seatbelt in that last video, or if you really should let your children walk around without shoes on. But with the proliferation of platforms, there are just more outlets for more people to say more stuff - most of which is either irrelevant or of no importance to your life whatsoever. It truly is the domain of bored people and stalkers. Or influencers. Or comedians. Or those with an agenda. You go into it knowing all that and taking it for what it is surely? But I just don’t know why we need more of it? It's like streaming services these days too, are we not so awash with content now that it’s actually just a turn off? Too much of everything? At a time when we are supposedly meant to be getting back to nature and sunlight and less screen time and less stress? Are we not in the process of eating ourselves here? The other thing that gets me about Threads is because it’s linked to your Instagram, apparently once you get it you can’t delete it, without deleting your whole Instagram. So they’ve got you. I was listening to a podcast the other day by a Guru out of India who was saying the world now is just full of expression, rather than perception. We don’t listen anymore, we don’t tune in to what’s really happening, we don’t use perception to enhance our lives, because these days there are so many platforms to express ourselves that we’re just busy expressing all the time. Espousing our opinions, expressing our beliefs and spewing outwardly so much that we take nothing in. We are hungry for more platforms to express more of our views. More social media platforms, more podcasts, more, more, more. But the point he makes is, when we’re so busy all the time expressing, when are we stopping to listen? And if we’re not stopping to listen, then when do we learn? How much of what is being ‘expressed’ is just regurgitated ignorance? There’s a growth in ‘silent’ retreats these days. People are paying to go somewhere and just shut up. They’re paying to stop the noise. There is so much expression now that people actually pay to get away from it. So I look at the addition of Threads to our lives with a certain level of cynicism. I’m not saying I won’t be suckered into it, eventually, but I happily exist without Twitter, Facebook and TikTok, so maybe not. Then again I’m not the target market. I think it’s for Millennials. And you know what? They’re welcome to it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The court system backlog continues. Families are waiting on average nearly 500 days for answers to Coronial cases - and over 170 for District Court case resolutions. Family Court decision wait times have tripled in five years, forcing people to wait over 1000 days for answers. King's Counsel barrister Marie Dyhrberg joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We shouldn't see any surprises from the central bank on the Official Cash Rate today. Most economists are picking no change after Reserve Bank head Adrian Orr indicated they were done. It's expected to be confirmed around 2pm this afternoon. Christina Leung, Principal Economist at the New Zealand institute of Economic Research joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People are questioning the BBC's response to allegations of inappropriate behaviour against a high-profile presenter, with a second person coming out with complaints. The second lot of allegations are from a person in their 20s, who met the presenter on a dating app and allegedly received abusive messages and was pressured to meet with them. The BBC has confirmed it didn't speak to the presenter until last week, despite initial claims being made in May. UK Correspondent Gavin Grey told Kate Hawkesby the BBC took only two attempts to contact the complainant. He says the presenter's identity is still unknown but they are suspended. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I tell you what’s a good look - CEOs who walk the talk - and we’re seeing a bit more of it these days which is great. Because I think we’re at a time now where we expect more of our leadership, one of the things we expect most is that they’re the real deal. That they ‘walk among us’ and seem a little bit human. More and more you’ll see bosses or those in leadership roles sitting at desks in open plan offices rather than being squirreled away in a vault somewhere removed from the hoi polloi. When I started out my media career many moons ago as a naïve 21 year old intern at TVNZ, bosses were tucked away in upstairs offices. You got summoned to them by a PA who would brief you before you went in – so as to prepare you for ‘face time with the boss’. “He’s in a good mood today you’re lucky..”, or “hope you’re not going to be too long in there because he’s flat out today..” There was this constant middle man go between, between you and the manager. Even walking up to see the manager was a big deal. People would see you going along towards the ‘management’ corridors and say stuff to you like ‘hope you’re not in trouble!’ So there were mind games being played on you before you even got to their door. Then when the Pitbull PA or the executive assistant finally allowed you in, the big boss would reach into his filing cabinet and pull out your contract or your folder (pre everything being online) and take a good hard look at the notes before looking up to engage you. A nerve wracking time? To say the least. Thank god those days are over. At least I assume they’re over, please tell me if they’re not where you work, but I’m assuming those days are well and truly over. These days the boss is just another one of you, they’re on the shop floor, they go to pub quiz night, they play on the work social sports teams, they keep communication lines open - or the good ones do anyway. But I raise all this because my parents were at the airport the other day, it was absolutely chocka, school holiday madness, they were waiting to check in, and this guy comes over and offers to help. He’s helping others, he sees them struggling – confused as to where to do bag drop or something, and he offers to help them. He does their bag labels, points them in the right direction, walks them to where they need to be, sorts it all out for them. Anyway, turns out, it’s Greg Foran. Now this isn’t new; Air NZ’s CEO is often out at the airport working the floor in various departments. Staff know it, passengers know it, it endears management to people, it means they’re visible and approachable.. two key attributes of modern leadership. But if you ask Foran he’ll tell you he does it because it helps him get to know the company – and every aspect of it, better than any time in a board room will. Nothing like being on the front line. So that’s impressive, it’s noted by customers, it’s appreciated by staff, it sends a good message that he's one of the team, and that he's not above lugging bags onto a travellator. CEOs on the ground pitching in is hopefully more often nowadays the norm rather than the exception. And if it's not, it should be.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new study has confirmed exercising before an operation will substantially improve your recovery. Researchers at Otago University collated data from their own and other existing studies and found high intensity interval training can reduce the risk of surgery complications by 56 percent. Lead researcher Dr Kari Clifford says even a brief four week programme makes a difference, while also giving patients agency at a time when they may not feel in control. Clifford says it's something meaningful they can do before their surgery that will actually improve their outcome. She adds getting people out of recovery sooner will alleviate pressure on the sector. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dwelling consents have fallen 10 percent this year - slowing down demand for residential building. Latest CoreLogic figures show construction costs still increased by 0.6 percent in the June quarter, in line with March figures. But it's a decrease on the average quarterly rise of two percent which we've seen in 2021 and 2022. Chief property economist Kelvin Davidson says the sector is slowing down, but that doesn't mean new-builds will get cheaper. He says wages are still a big component of the new-build price - and those aren't going to fall. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Pasifika representative says the community will hold the Government to account if changes aren't made to Dawn Raid practices. An independent review suggests the Government should make deep changes to the Immigration Act - and out-of-hours visits should be only the last resort. It also calls for the consideration of those, like children and the elderly. Auckland Councillor Alf Filipaina told Kate Hawkesby the recommendations are clear. He says the Government needs to be held accountable for the changes that need to be made to the practices. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the BBC's leading presenters has been suspended over allegations that he paid a teenager for sexually explicit photos. The broadcaster says it's working to establish facts around the unnamed male presenter, who's a regular presenter and a "household name". London's Met Police says while no formal referral or allegation has been made, it's received initial contact from the BBC. UK correspondent Gavin Grey told Kate Hawkesby that the broadcaster is taking the allegations very seriously. The allegations are that the presenter paid the equivalent of 70 to 80-thousand NZD for explicit photos of the teenager over a three year period. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A criminal lawyer is casting doubt on the benefits of throwing the book at troubled youth. The Act Party wants 17-year-olds to be charged as adults, and for youth justice facilities to be run by Corrections, not Oranga Tamariki. Steve Cullen told Kate Hawkesby that the policy would make problems worse. He says putting 17-year-olds in prison would create a fertile source for gang recruitment. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So while we were away the news from home was pretty much standard. Another MP facing conflict of interest questions (looking at you Peeni Henare), another MP in meltdown and on leave, another Dairy owner attacked, the (entirely predictable) revelation that government debt was way higher than forecast, the disturbing news of half a billion dollars on almost expired RAT tests being stored in a warehouse exemplifying the very worst of this government’s wastage of our money, more youths on roofs being handed KFC for their troubles, and some more gaslighting by Ministers regards how we’re all feeling. Fresh from her ‘we’re all feeling safer’ tone deaf blunder, Police minister Ginny Andersen was busy alleging that Labour hasn’t failed on crime.  She ‘does not accept,’ it was reported, that the Government's record on crime is a "social and moral failure". Not even ‘hammer wielding offenders storming a Dairy and injuring two people’ could sway her. Nope, nothing to see here. No issues with crime, it’s all hunky dory folks! Just in the interests of data, which tends to outweigh and contradict the Police Minister’s opinions, records show “retail crime shot up 39 percent between 2018 and 2022..” according to Ministry of justice figures. The Nat’s Paul Goldsmith blames government mixed messaging. He says, “the one target that they've had is to reduce the prison population irrespective of what's happening in the community and they've created a culture of excuses for crime and that has led to this sense of impunity," it was reported. And he’s right isn’t he? No real consequences for crime and the offenders know it. But when asked if the Government’s soft on crime, Police Minster Ginny Andersen said she ‘refuted it’ (straight from the Jacinda playbook). But she can refute it all she wants, she can deny they’re soft on crime, she can claim it’s not a failure of her government, but the facts and the numbers speak for themselves. The evidence daily in our communities speaks for itself. We know how we feel (not safer), we know what’s going on at our local dairies, (increased and more violent crime) we know what’s happening at Police level (fewer arrests, fewer charges) and we know how it all ends up in our justice system (a cultural background report, a slap on the wrist with a wet bus ticket and at best an ankle bracelet). This is not to be sneering or nit-picky about what’s going on, it’s just the facts. And it's why the Government should spend less time gas lighting and telling us nothing to see here when we see it very clearly with our own eyes on a daily basis. I really hope that when this government is finally relieved of its shambolic approach to running our country in October, that they take some time to reflect on what they’ve done here. Leaving behind eye watering levels of debt, a warehouse full of millions of dollars worth of expiring RAT tests, a country divided, record levels of crime and truancy, a health system in tatters... it's not pretty. F or a government that promised to be transformational, honest, open and transparent, they’ve been nothing but a bumbling circus act of failures and waste. I for one, won’t miss them.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yesterday was a big milestone for the FIFA World Cup here in New Zealand. The first of the 15 teams, Norway and Vietnam, stepped off planes at Auckland Airport. They received a warm welcome in the arrivals area, which has been transformed into a football field, signed autographs, high fived the FIFA mascot and headed to their bases.   The FIFA World Cup kicks off in New Zealand on 20th July - and I’ve got to say: where’s the hype?   This tournament is huge for New Zealand - even if it’s shared with Australia. It's set to be the biggest event New Zealand has ever hosted. FIFA estimates the tournament will bring more than $200 million into the New Zealand economy.   30,000 spectators are expected to arrive in the county to watch the tournament, throwing extra income into local economies. Tourism New Zealand is working hard to promote New Zealand to the potential 1.5 billion international viewers expected to watch the games. It’s all good. The benefits for both the country and women’s football are massive.   But aside from the economic benefits and the beautiful videos Tourism New Zealand is producing for overseas audiences, there doesn’t seem to be a much fuss. We don’t seem to understand or have embraced the magnitude of what’s about to take place.   I may be wrong. You may have a footballer in your house and a countdown on the fridge for the New Zealand vs Norway opening game at Eden Park on 20th July. Or for the other games taking place in Hamilton, Wellington and Dunedin. If I’m wrong - set me right. Reassure me we’re ready to go.   But slow-ish ticket sales suggest we’ve been doing the Kiwi thing of waiting until the last minute to get tickets. Giving ourselves time to confirm it’s ‘going off’ and something worth being part of. How much the hype grows, and the country gets behind the Cup, will also come down to how the Football Ferns go.   On the Sunday Session I’ve spoken to footballers who’ve played at a World Cup, or are ambassadors for this World Cup. They tell me you won’t find a more exciting atmosphere and that it’s a great sporting spectacle whether you’re a football fan or not.   So it’s time to commit, because it’s not just the tourists and footballers who will make this a successful tournament for NZ. It’s us.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The All Blacks squad has been named for the Rugby Championship opener against Los Pumas this weekend. We don't have to cast our minds too far back to the Pumas' historic win against the the All Blacks in Christchurch last year. Newstalk ZB rugby commentator Elliott Smith joined Francesca Rudkin from Argentina. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dairy owners aren't surprised there's been another horrific attack at an Auckland store.  Two men armed with hammers seriously injured the wife of a dairy owner and a customer in Mount Roskill, Central Auckland. A Givealittle page has been set up in support of the owners. It comes as the Police Minister's sitting down with dairy owners next week. Sunny Kaushal is the chair of the Dairy and Business Owners' Group and he joined Francesca Rudkin. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Questions over how the Government managed to spend $531 million on unused Covid tests. Our newsroom can reveal Te Whatu Ora has almost $60 million rapid antigen tests in stock around the country, with 30 percent of them either having already expired or due to by month's end. General Practitioners Interim Chair, Buzz Burrell, told Francesca Rudkin he's glad the figures weren't swept under the carpet. He says we need to be asking where they've gone wrong, as someone has given the Government some well-meaning but not very helpful advice. A Te Whatu Ora spokesperson says they're considering approaching the market - to seek recycling and disposal options or creative sustainable waste solutions. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When the first thing you read about the new science curriculum is a group of science teachers saying “Where’s the Science” it’s hard not to feel despondent - especially if your child is going through the school system.   It’s important to say before we begin this conversation that the information being commented on has come from a leaked draft document from the Ministry of Education - which was sent to just a few teachers for their feedback. They were so taken aback by what they saw they couldn’t help sharing it.   It is a draft document. Once selected feedback has been collected a full document will go out to the wider sector and public for feedback in August. So what’s been seen isn’t set in stone, but I’m grateful to those who have raised alarm bells because it’s in all parents’ interest to be engaged in this conversation. The main concern expressed by the science teachers is that the proposed school science curriculum makes no mention of physics or chemistry. I don’t know about you but I’m under the impression these are quite central to the study of science.   The Ministry wants to take a more holistic approach and excite students by engaging with the issues of the day and teaching science through five contexts: earth system, biodiversity, food, energy and water, and infectious diseases. My science-loving daughter just groaned. “They’re turning it into a social studies or English class. We’re already dealing with the big issues of the day in every other class”, she said, “can’t we just keep setting our hands on fire”   Some context is probably required here. My daughter loves science, not because of the curriculum or because she’s good at solving problems with a formula, but because she has an awesome science teacher who engages the class with exciting experiments to bring the science basics to life. And yes, if the class has done well or has had a good week she lets them set their hands on fire - in a perfectly safe and scientific way.   There’s something in the idea of making a curriculum more relevant and fun for students. Great teachers have already worked out how to do this, but school can’t always be fun and engaging - sometimes it's work.   No amount of playing around with the curriculum is going to make a kid who doesn’t like science suddenly like science. It’s one of those subjects you tend to like if you’re good at it, but will those students be happy to study just five main areas throughout their secondary education.   More importantly though, how is this going to prepare our teenagers for tertiary education. From the friends I know whose offspring have headed off to university to study engineering, math or science, many speak about what a step up it is and how in some ways they didn’t feel adequately prepared. Surely the curriculum also needs to be driven by what universities require of students.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It looks like National's plan for a third medical school is being well received. The Party is promising a new school at the University of Waikato to train more doctors and address the health worker shortage. The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists is backing the idea and Executive Director Sarah Dalton joined Francesca Rudkin. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All Members of Parliament are being urged to treat housing as a human right. The final report in the Human Rights Commission's housing inquiry says all available resources must be used to alleviate the housing crisis. It's found housing affordability has dropped, a shortfall in accessible homes and many houses, particularly rentals, are not healthy to live in. Housing inquiry manager Vee Blackwood says too many people are out in the cold. They say it's as hard as ever to find somewhere to live - particularly for vulnerable communities, Māori, Pasifika, elderly and disabled people. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National's police spokesperson says rising crime rates is coming at an enormous human cost. Ministerial briefings have revealed police response time targets have been extended due to rising pressure on staff and resources. This comes as two people were seriously injured in a broad daylight attack at a dairy in Auckland's Mt Roskill yesterday. National's Mark Mitchell told Francesca Rudkin there's a frustration over the lack of police response - and demand has overtaken any benefit of the additional police officers. He says shop keepers are building cages around themselves - and that's not the New Zealand they want to be living in. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Monday I reflected on a year of Te Whatu Ora, and how those within the sector rate the new centralised health system.   I said that, from what I’ve been told, Te Whatu Ora has not worked hard enough or quickly enough over the last year to get staff on side, to fill the staffing shortages, to fix the postcode lottery, to shorten surgery and GP wait times, to give emergency departments some relief or provide adequate mental health services.   No reasonable person expects them to have solved all these problems in a year, but we should expect they’ve made some key moves.   Since Monday morning the Ministry of Health has been firing out announcements as if it’s on steroids, and doing their best to show the naysayers like myself that tangible action is on its way.   So far we’ve had a new pay equity offer for nurses, another 830 clinical placements for nursing students, a new nation-wide lower threshold for cataract surgery, and yesterday the release of a comprehensive health recruitment and retention plan.   It’s this last announcement which got me excited. The reason is that this recruitment and retention strategy gives us a hint the government has a grip on where they’re at. We finally have the data to know how many staff members we’re short of and in which areas.   It’s estimated we’re currently short by 4800 nurses, 1700 doctors, 1050 midwives, 220 dental or oral health practitioners, 200 anaesthetic technicians, 170 pharmacists, 120 sonographers, 30 radiation therapists and 30 clinical or cardiac phycologists.   There’s more. It’s also estimated we’re going to need a further 8000 nurses, 3400 doctors and 250 midwives make up shortfalls in health demand out to 2033. They’re substantial numbers, but at least now we know where we are at and what we need to work towards.   The reason this is so important is because you can announce increased and improved services all you like, but if we don’t have the resources and plans to achieve these new targets, they’re pointless.   Health Minister Ayesha Verrall has said she expects this plan will make a difference to workforces within a year's time. It may have taken a year to come up with the plan and a plan’s only successful if its executed, but some credit where credit is due, at least we finally know exactly what needs to be fixed. Step one – tick.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Midwives want a seat at the table for boosting their work force in the long term. It comes after the Government launched their workforce action plan - aiming to fill more than 8,000 vacancies of doctors, nurses and other health staff. It includes boosting offshore recruitment, rural training, earn-as-you-learn schemes and wellbeing support. College of Midwives Chief Executive Alison Eddy told Francesca Rudkin midwifery has had one of the most significant shortages in the health sector. She says Government claims there's a 40 percent shortage but Eddy says it's likely higher. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Health advocates are calling for mandatory consent education, throughout someone's high school years. It's often paired with health class, which isn't required past Year 10. However, Family Planning Director Fiona McNamara told Francesca Rudkin students should be learning about consent in schools, around 15 hours a year. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I like to have a good time, I let my hair down occasionally, and over the years I have by no means always behaved perfectly in public after a few drinks on a Friday night. I’ve worked in the media for 25 years after all, an industry that really can’t throw shade at anyone else’s Friday night mishaps. However, Wellington mayor Tory Whanau is likely wishing she had one less glass on Friday night. You know the story; apparently, she turned up to a restaurant with few drinks under her belt, had a meal and a few more drinks with a friend, and then made a bit of scene. Supposedly she said, “Do you know who I am” at some point to wait staff - although we’re not sure of the tone. Was it threatening, like in The Godfather? Comical? Or a genuine question? Then she accidently left without paying the bill - a miscommunication between friends.   Tory Whanau would have been just one of many, many people putting on a show in Wellington, and any other New Zealand town on Friday night. But she’s a public persona responsible for leading Wellington Council, a council currently dealing with a lot of challenges. So was it a good look?   No it wasn’t. It was embarrassing, and unnecessary, and another controversial headline for the Mayor. I like the way Tory Whanau is herself, speaks her mind, and doesn’t appear to be hand-held by a public relations team, but yesterday she should have come out with less excuses; instead simply apologised and moved on. The vast majority of us would have sympathised and also happily moved on.   Former Mayor Kerry Prendergast made a good point on Newstalk ZB last night. She claims this kind of behaviour “diminishes the respect and mana of the office” and the issue is probably more to do with behaviour and what we deem to be acceptable as opposed to whether the Mayor can do her job.     And it’s not like alcohol and politics haven’t always had a cosy relationship. There are books on it. BBC journalists Ben Wright wrote in his book Order, Order, which charts the rise and fall of political drinking in the UK, that “Politics just floated along on a sea of claret for about two centuries.” I’m sure there is a history of New Zealand politicians who can relate to that sentiment.   The reality is much of politics is about relationships, and sometimes there’s no better way of getting to know someone than over a lunch or dinner. And if you’re a politician out with a friend - just remember to pay the bill, presume no one knows who you are, and beware that if they do know who you are they’ll be watching closely.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Public health and nutrition experts are calling for a national food strategy to fix our obesity epidemic. The latest Healthy Food Environment report reveals 1/5 of preventable deaths are related to unhealthy diets. At the same time, one in eight children live in households where there's not enough to eat. Health Coalition Aotearoa Co-Chair Lisa Te Morenga told Francesca Rudkin Government hasn't made food safety a priority. She says not much progress has been made since governments started monitoring the safety of our food supply 12 years ago. LISTEN ABOVE    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Questions have been asked over whether the health system has the resources to deliver the changes to those suffering with cataracts. All New Zealanders with mild vision impairment from cataracts will now qualify for surgery under the new nationally consistent threshold, which removes what's known as the postcode lottery. This will enable approximately 3,500 more surgeries to be delivered. General Practice Chair Bryan Betty told Francesca Rudkin these are likely to be rolled out slowly. He says the issue is that if you put 2,000 - 3,000 people on a operating waiting list you have the be able to resource it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Building consents are coming back to earth after record highs last year. Stats NZ says consents fell 11 percent in the year to May. Certified Builders Association Chief Executive Malcolm Fleming says homeowners are favouring doing up their own houses instead of building new ones. He told Francesca Rudkin that doesn't mean builders haven't been busy. Fleming says there was already existing high demand so builders have good workloads. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The family of a French teenager killed by Police is calling for riots around the country to stop. France has seen its most violent riots and protests since 2018, following the death of a 17-year-old by police at a traffic stop. Thousands have been arrested since it started last week. Europe Correspondent Gavin Grey told Francesca Rudkin that 45-thousand Police Officers have been deployed across the country. He says the relatives of the dead 17-year-old want the riots to stop, and say they just want a re-evaluation of how Police carry arms.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time will tell whether a move to ease nursing shortages will be sustainable long-term. The Government has announced more than 800 additional clinical placements for nursing students, with 130 starting from the July and August intake. For the 2024 intake, Te Whatu Ora will work with nurse education providers to bring in another 700 placements. College of Nurses Aotearoa Executive Director Kate Weston told Francesca Rudkin that the country needs to increase its supply, but questions whether it will be sustainable. She says they'll need to see high quality placements but the other main concern is the considerable financial pressure on the university and polytech sectors. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland Transport says it's been working hard to trim down the bus driver shortage. It's managed to cut it by 72% since its peak, and the agency only needs to recruit another 170 drivers. Auckland Transport Metro Optimisation Manager Richard Harrison says they've searched both locally and internationally for drivers. He told Francesca Rudkin that pay has been a key factor in getting people on board. He says the average wage is now 28 dollars an hour, with hopes that help from the Government can get that up to 30 dollars. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Saturday marked a year since the new heath system Te Whatu Ora kicked into gear. Twenty district health boards were abolished and replaced with a centralised system aimed at getting rid of our postcode lottery of health care.   A year ago, I wished the then Minister of Health Andrew Little good luck with his venture. Our health system had been under pressure way before the pandemic hit, and clearly needed an overhaul.  I liked the fact the government was taking a big swing at this and trying to make sure that New Zealander’s, regardless of where they lived, got the same services and healthcare. Us Kiwis love fairness!   But, for all the good intentions it turns out making changes as large as this, off the back of a pandemic which had further reduced an already depleted work force, may not have been such a great idea. Nor does it seem the transition was as considered or well executed as well as it needed to be.   A year later, it’s not obvious what has changed – except the automatic signature on the bottom of their email, as one specialist told me. Association of Salaried Specialists executive director Sarah Dalton said the union was giving Te Whatu Ora a mark of two out of five so far.   She told me yesterday on the Sunday Session, “There are significant workforce shortages, there are gaps that are simply not being filled and acute demand just keeps getting higher and higher. Which, in turn, is making it really difficult to deliver the planned care." There was a great article in the NZ Herald over the weekend from senior investigative journalist Alex Spencer, looking into the state of our A&E's and work place conditions. I saw this first hand recently.  My son and I visited Auckland Hospital Emergency Department a few weeks back and after a wait of 5 and a half hours, the doctor was very apologetic. As were we; we didn’t want to be clogging up the system. My son got excellent care, but when I asked the doctor if the wait time was normal, he unleashed an exhausted and frustrated monologue about wait times, how long it takes to get a bed in a ward, the lack of staff, and the pressure on the system. His final words were “Make sure you use your vote wisely this election.”   I’ve thought about that doctor often since that night. It was an unexpected and startling moment of candour. What are we doing to these people? We can’t afford to be driving doctors away.   From what I’ve been told, Te Whatu Ora has not worked hard enough or quickly enough to get staff on side, to fill the staffing shortages, to fix the postcode lottery, shorten surgery and GP wait times, give emergency departments some relief or provide adequate mental health services.   No one expects them to have solved all these problems in a year. We understand this is a massive undertaking and it will take time to see results, and yet when those in the system, at the frontline, are saying they see very little change it only seems fair to question the idea and the execution.   Either way, several months out from an election, the government would have been hoping for a better report card than 2 out of 5.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If we ever needed proof this Government was one giant overlord of bureaucratic blow outs, it’s the estimated $1 billion blowout on establishment costs for Three Waters. It’s been reported now that “the cost of creating 10 new Water Services Entities over a transition period that now stretches to July 1st, 2026 is expected to reach $2 to $3 billion. The estimate before recent revisions to the plan was $1 to $2 billion.” But wait, there’s more. “The Crown is expected to foot additional costs in the first instance, costing taxpayers, but costs might ultimately be charged back to the new Water Services Entities, costing ratepayers,” it was reported. Ratepayers, that’s you and me. Us mugs who’re already facing rising rates. But there could be even more. “Official documents also showed further costs to the Crown would likely be required to operate the drinking water regulator, Taumata Arowai,” it says. “An extra $200 million in Crown costs is expected due to the later establishment date. And the fixed costs of establishing 10 Water Service Entities is anticipated to be higher than for four,” the report also said.   Here’s the thing. I’m glad Three Waters is back in the news making headlines again because it got forgotten for a while there as the news cycle moved onto other things, and we all stopped being exercised about it. We were instead busy being exercised by ram raids, youth crime, truancy rates, violent offending and government minister side shows. But now that Three Waters has reared its head back into the news, it makes for sobering reading. It’s a story of cost blowouts, budget over runs and bureaucratic heavyweights raking in large sums of cash. It’s a story of more costs being sheeted our way. The Nat’s Local Government spokesperson said it’s “an extravagant example of this government spending money to set up a mega bureaucracy.. instead of using money to fund needed water infrastructure.”   He said New Zealanders had been promised a plan that would cost less, but which is not panning out that way. Why are we not surprised? I think we are potentially so punch-drunk by this Government’s ineptitude now that we just shrug our shoulders when we hear figures like millions and billions being doled out. It’s par for the course, sadly. But you have to ask the question – why is this government so adamant on this? Why are they progressing on something so expensive, so controversial, so divisive and so flawed? Something that’s not likely to start until they’re potentially not even in government anymore, anyway? Something that potentially only fills consultants wallets, but alienates voters? It speaks volumes about how much this Government has lost its ability to read the room. It has all the hallmarks of a government in a death spiral frantically trying to throw everything at it before the doors close on them. It smacks of the arrogance we’ve come to expect from them, and their disregard for the voter. The crying shame here is that few would argue our water infrastructure doesn’t need upgrading, but the way this entire process has been painfully dragged out has left a bad taste. The cost of it now is making the taste even worse.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Single-use plastic items will be officially banned from shelves from tomorrow. It's the second step in the Government's plan to reduce plastic waste. Plastic cutlery, plates and bowls, cups, straws and produce bags will all be cut. Foodstuffs Sustainable Packaging Manager, Debra Goulding joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time is ticking to fill up, before the fuel tax returns. The Government's relief package ends tomorrow, meaning petrol prices will rise around 29 cents a litre including GST. It'll still be substantially less than the peaks seen after Russia's Ukraine invasion in March last year which saw oil prices skyrocket. Gull NZ General Manager, Dave Bodger told Kate Hawkesby sales have been up, rather than manic. He says yesterday's sales were about 50 percent higher than usual, and expects today will be much like a regular pre-Christmas special. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A primary school principal claims their latest government offer is bittersweet. It includes a six percent base salary increase in July, and further rises next year. There's also lump sum payments and allowances for cultural leadership and professional coaching. Auckland's Laingholm School Principal Martyn Weatherill Kate Hawkesby says it's a step in the right direction - but there's still more to do. He says more funding is still needed for learning support. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Try as we do to endlessly support the Police, they’re not making it very easy for us are they? This story of the citizen’s arrest this week irked a lot of people - and rightly so. If you missed it, a Christchurch business owner and some tradies tackled a thief to the ground after he allegedly stole motorcycle parts, he had an armload of stuff, they chased him, got him on the ground, held him down while they called Police. The guy was putting up a fight and was yelling apparently that if they called the cops he’d ‘go back to prison’. Some pause for thought there as to whether getting sent back to prison might be your motivator to not rob people in the first place, but that’s another story. So these guys call the cops, the Police ask if the offender has any weapons on him, when they say, not that they can see, the Police tell them to let him go. Let him go. An offender, caught red handed, in possession of stolen goods, let him go. They do, he runs off down the street, free as a bird. Now the Police here make a not invalid point- they can’t attend every callout, they can’t prioritize a guy stealing motorcycle parts when they have arguably more serious offences to attend like where people’s lives or safety’s at risk. The Police claimed they had several high priority family harm events to attend at that time. And I don’t doubt that. The sad reality is that they have to prioritise the crimes they attend, because there are not enough of them to attend everything. That’s not their fault, but it doesn’t endear the Police to business owners trying to get by, these guys were aggrieved there was no follow up from the cops, other than being told to file a report online - and Police didn’t contact the business owner to even do that until after the Herald had chased them up on the story.   So that’s disappointing, but again you could argue they’re too stretched, and that’s not their fault. The Commissioner, Andrew Coster admits trust and confidence in police is declining but says it's an international trend. Is it? And if it is, does that make it OK does it? Do we justify things based on whether they're happening overseas or not? He says he's proud of the Police and their work, but that it is a thin blue line. Many of us would argue it feels thinner than ever before. He says they're dealing with high demand, but that doesn't soothe the concerns of law abiding citizens or help placate the plight of victims.   It’s disappointing if you’re a victim of crime, no matter how much you may appreciate how busy and stretched cops are, that they can’t or won’t follow up on incidents. Part and parcel of us all knowing this these days though, unfortunately, is that more people are turning to citizen arrest style action. More people are reticent to call cops and think they can just deal with it themselves. We’ve seen it time and time again with retail crime and witnesses jumping in to try to stop offenders. It’s a dangerous path to go down though, because there could be a weapon involved, you could make things worse for yourself or others. Admirable as it is to have people try to jump in, it’s preferable the professionals are left to deal with it. The glaring problem here is, there are seemingly not enough professionals available, or willing to do so.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is Meta finally doing better at protecting kids online? The tech giant is adding new safeguards across Messenger and Instagram. It's the first time parental supervision tools will be connected to their instant messaging app. Tech commentator Paul Spain joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's D-Day for Let's Get Wellington Moving. The council will vote on a motion of no confidence today as seven councillors push for the programme to be scrapped. Yesterday, the capital's Mayor Tory Whanau rejected a compromise from the group. Diane Calvert is one of the councillors who's signed the motion - she joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former President Donald Trump is trying to turn the tables on the advice columnist who won a $5 million jury award against him in a sexual abuse lawsuit, saying in a countersuit that she owes him money and a retraction for continuing to insist she was raped even after a jury declined to agree. Lawyers for the Republican presidential candidate filed papers late Tuesday saying E. Jean Carroll should pay Trump unspecified compensatory and punitive damages and retract her damaging statements. The countersuit comes a month after Carroll's lawyers filed a rewritten defamation lawsuit seeking at least $10 million more from Trump over comments he made after the jury verdict in May. The jury concluded after a two-week trial that Trump sexually abused Carroll in a luxury department store dressing room in spring 1996. It also found that he defamed her in comments he made denying the attack last October. But the jury rejected Carroll's claim, first made in a 2019 memoir, that Trump raped her in the Bergdorf Goodman dressing room. At trial, Carroll testified that the rape occurred after a chance encounter with Trump at the midtown store, initially friendly and flirtatious, turned into a violent assault after they teased each other to try on a piece of lingerie. Trump has consistently denied ever raping Carroll or knowing her. He said the department store encounter never happened. In his countersuit, Trump's lawyers cited comments Carroll made in a CNN interview after May's verdict, saying that when she was questioned about the jury's finding that she was not raped, Carroll responded: "Oh yes he did, oh yes he did." And they said Carroll also revealed that when she spoke to Trump attorney Joe Tacopina immediately after the verdict, she said she told him emphatically: "He did it and you know it." The lawyers, Alina Habba and Michael T. Madaio, wrote that Carroll "made these statements knowing each of them were false or with reckless disregard for their truth or falsity." "The Interview was on television, social media and multiple internet websites, with the intention of broadcasting and circulating these defamatory statements among a significant portion of the public," they added. In a statement in response to Trump's counterclaim, Carroll attorney Robbie Kaplan said that Trump "again argues, contrary to both logic and fact, that he was exonerated by a jury that found that he sexually abused E Jean Carroll by forcibly inserting his fingers into her vagina." She said four of five statements cited by the counterclaim were made outside of the one-year statute of limitations when a claim must be made and predicted the other will be dismissed by U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan. "Trump's filing is thus nothing more than his latest effort to delay accountability for what a jury has already found to be his defamation of E Jean Carroll. But whether he likes it or not, that accountability is coming very soon," Kaplan said. Kaplan is not related to the judge. Trump, who is seeking the Republican nomination to run for president again next year, did not appear at the initial trial. But extensive excerpts of his recorded deposition were played for jurors, along with an infamous video revealed shortly before Trump's 2016 election in which he bragged that celebrities can grab women sexually without consent. - LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated PressSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new peak has been reached in our drunk driver fatalities. Last year, 111 people died in incidents where a driver was over the limit - up from the 53 seen in 2013. In the last five years, the highest numbers were recorded in Waikato, Auckland, and Northland. Crash Investigator and former Police officer, Hamish Piercy told Kate Hawkesby there's no doubt there has been a spike, but it's important to remember the legal limit changed in 2014. He says they made the limit zero for under 20s, and 250 micrograms per litre of breath for adults - meaning more people have potentially been captured in the statistics. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are in for a bunch of cost increases over the next few weeks. I know, more. It’s not like we haven’t been facing a steady stream of rising costs for a while already, but a couple of things are coming up to bite us. One, the Government’s petrol subsidy is coming to an end this Saturday, which’ll see petrol prices jump by 29 cents a litre. That’s a lot, and it’ll hit hard in a cost of living crisis. Not just in our tanks, but it’ll be passed on across the board in terms of transport and logistics for pretty much everything we buy. Two, fruit and veges. That’s been rising steadily too, in fact food inflation is at its highest level in 36 years, according to a recent report. “Stats NZ’s food price index rose 12.5 percent in the year ended April, the highest annual rate since late 1987. The main drivers over the year were a 14 percent rise in grocery prices, and more than 22 percent for fruit and vegetables prices,” the report said - more than 22 percent.   That’s huge, and we know it because we see it in our trolleys at the supermarket, we get less food for more money, it’s depressing. But there’s more pain to come it would seem. Producers are struggling to get stuff out of Gisborne, due to State Highway 2 north of Gisborne being closed due to flooding and storm damage, which has made all transportation of goods a logistical nightmare. Gisborne’s Mayor said the closure’s having a big impact on the region. Meanwhile, Countdown this week put out a release saying that due to those weather events, there’s going to be limited supply of fruit and veges on supermarket shelves everywhere. “Due to road closures, key produce suppliers are facing difficulties in transporting fruits and vegetables from Tairawhiti and Hawkes Bay, unfortunately it may take some time before the situation improves,” they said. They highlighted bagged salads, lettuce, broccoli and mandarins as an issue, and acknowledged it’s been a challenging time for growers this year. You’ve got to feel for them, they’ve been up against it. So if you’re lucky enough to find broccoli and mandarins on supermarket shelves, you might find you’re paying a bit more for them too. And it’s not like we don’t already pay through the nose for fruit and veges, the sector was the ‘second-largest contributor’ to the hike in food prices this year, ‘driven by tomatoes, avocados, and potatoes.’ Haven’t avocados been dodgy? Lack of supply, hiked up prices to $10 an avocado for a while there, and now though they’re trickling back onto shelves at better prices, the quality’s still not great. I will admit they’re hard to grow though, trust me I’m trying, I have three avocado trees on the go and am still, a couple of years later, waiting for them to produce fruit. So we pay more for the good stuff, it’s going to be harder to get for a while due to road closures, and then as of Saturday we’re going to pay more for petrol too. So, I'm just wondering, what basics are left these days that don't cost a bomb?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the UK, the former health secretary says the UK's pandemic planning was "completely wrong". Matt Hancock, the secretary during the pandemic, has told that country's coronavirus inquiry the attitude was to plan for the consequences of a disaster. He claimed medicines for intensive care were within hours of running out. UK and Europe Correspondent Gavin Grey told Kate Hawkesby Hancock says he's "profoundly sorry" for the response. He says Hancock told the inquiry they should've been looking at how to slow down or stop the spread of Covid-19. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Tertiary Education Union is welcoming the $128 million cash injection to the struggling sector. Split over the next two years, it'll increase tuition subsidies by an extra four percent at degree-level and above. The Government is also promising to review the funding system for universities. Union National President Julie Douglas is hopeful the boost will allow Vice-Chancellors at Otago and Victoria universities to reconsider job cut proposals. She says the universities have a level of autonomy over what to spend it on, but the money wasn't given for a new building and stems from a long union campaign. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There have been mixed feelings about Resource Management Act reforms. The Environmental Select Committee has suggested amendments including faster consenting and enabling local voices. AUT Professor of Construction John Tookey says it will be impossible to have both increased community say, and a faster consenting process. Part of the RMA reforms is reducing the number of RMA plans from 100 to 16, one for each region. Tookey told Kate Hawkesby this will bring positive changes.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concerning new research from Otago University suggests alcohol is the most harmful drug in New Zealand. The first of its kind study ranked alcohol as the most harmful drug for the overall population, followed by methamphetamine, synthetic cannabinoids, and tobacco. Researcher Dr Rose Crossin says the findings suggest the need for policy reconsideration to reduce overall drug harm. She questions the current drug policy settings given that a legal drug is the most harmful. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So another day, another study on alcohol - in fact I’ve seen two just in the last two weeks and of course they say different things. One says even the smallest amount of alcohol can age your brain, another says a small amount is beneficial. So which is it? I honestly believe a lot of it has to do with the makeup of your own body and metabolism, and what makes you tick, what’s in your DNA. As in, some people drink like fish their whole lives and live to almost a hundred (looking at you Prince Philip), others are lightweights who can barely finish a glass of wine without falling asleep (a.k.a me). We all have different tolerances and constitutions. Different strokes for different folks. I also think we get to know ourselves better as we get older, we work out what we can and can’t tolerate because our body lets us know. CNN reported the other day that “For decades, large epidemiological studies have shown that people who consume moderate amounts of alcohol - less than one drink a day for women, and one to two drinks a day for men - have lower risks of major cardiovascular events like heart attacks and strokes compared with people who abstain from alcohol completely as well as those who drink more. Scientists have never been able to tease out exactly why this is the case, however,” they reported. So if the scientists can’t tease it out, God help the rest of us trying to understand it. Constant mixed messaging certainly doesn’t help. A small amount of alcohol is good for your brain and heart, shouts one study, a small amount can increase your chances of cancer, shouts another. We do of course have Dry July coming up, starting next week, where we’re all encouraged to stop and think about how much we’re drinking and why, and pause for a month. I think the why’s important. Mostly I reckon its habit. A glass of wine or a beer after a hard day, or on a hot day sitting in the sunshine – it’s sort of a rite of passage. It wasn’t until I voluntarily stopped drinking one day many, many years ago that I realised I didn’t really miss it, didn’t really need it. Felt better without it. But I’m a lightweight who was never really that into alcohol in the first place. I get that if you’re a wine collector like my husband is or someone who savours the taste or just appreciates the addition of alcohol in their lives then it’s far tougher to give up. And not everyone needs to or should give up. I think if we’re aware of what we’re doing, and we’re not starting drinking at 9am or binge drinking, then we can by and large regulate ourselves. But what it’s doing to our bodies remains a mystery that I’m not sure any number of studies will get to the bottom of. The same way we hear coffee or chocolate is good for us one day, bad the next. It’s hard to keep up. I think we’re best served, as my Nana used to say, by sticking to the mantra, ‘everything in moderation’.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hopes a multi-million dollar government loan to Ruapehu Alpine Lifts liquidators gets the skifields off thin ice. The Government is chipping in up to $5 million towards the liquidators, as a new bid has entered the table A group on behalf of iwi is now proposing to take over operations of the skifields - the bid for operations to be split between two other companies is still on the table. Ruapehu Mayor Weston Kirton says it's a complex situation, but the financial backing helps jobs. He's sure businesses and communities are clapping with joy, and he's hoping for a good snow season. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are hopes Prime Minister Chris Hipkins can shine in his first meeting with Xi Jinping. The pair will meet to discuss topics like trade and the war in Ukraine tonight in Beijing. New Zealand China Council Executive Director Alistair Crozier says New Zealand needs to be sold as an accessible and open country. He told Kate Hawkesby it will be a chance to make up for lost time.  Crozier says it will be the first trade delegation of its kind for seven years. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A $6 million cash injection has been welcomed by food banks, as the number of families struggling with food insecurity rises. The latest funding top up by the Government will be given to community food providers and distributed to areas in need. Zero Hunger Collective Executive Director Tric Malcolm says it's great news, but the question is whether it will be enough. She told Kate Hawkesby the number of people struggling, as well as the level of support needed, is increasing. Malcolm says this is particularly evident in communities that have experienced weather events - where many have lost their basic items. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A reminder of the importance of judge's discretion as the National Party pitches a crime crackdown. It's called for a limit on the sentence reductions judges are allowed to grant, limiting it to 40%. National would also reinstate three strikes and remove taxpayer funding for cultural reports, instead diverting funds into victim support. Criminal Lawyer Steve Cullen told Kate Hawkesby that the law often deals with people who have had horrific childhoods. He says that's when it's important for judges to have discretion to put them on the right path again. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A survivor of child sex trafficking for 16 years is pushing for more to be done over New Zealand's alarmingly high rate of sexual abuse. The Handing the Shame Back campaign aims to give children who have suffered abuse a way to communicate - including using an open palm signal. Our country has a high rate of sexual abuse with one in three girls sexually abused by the age of 16. Author, survivor, and advocate Gloria Masters told Kate Hawkesby that they've spoken to police but there's still work to be done. She can't sit back and watch these rates, and is wondering where the outcry from the public is. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’ve decided we need to build more roads. I don’t know why we don’t just build roads everywhere all the time. The most transformational thing this government –who said they’d be transformational– could have done was build more roads. I don’t know why they hate them so much and cancelled so many of them. The irony of this government having to officially open the Puhoi road the other day, that they originally opposed, was not lost on anyone. It’s a fabulous piece of road, makes the journey smoother, faster, more scenic, it’s actually such a thrill, we were so excited to finally get to drive it now that it’s finally open. But it really is transformational. Trucks were flowing without clogging up a small winding one lane hilly road, cars weren’t held up by them with dangerous bends and passing lanes. Traffic was flowing, and markedly reduced. It was genuinely an amazing experience. I know I sound super excited about just a bit of tarseal, but honestly, roads are fantastic. They get us from A to B safely. They get goods and services to people, they provide access to and from communities and cities. They reduce traffic and wait times. They make our lives easier. Why have we demonized roads so much? It felt so much safer being on that highway, it made the whole experience so much more enjoyable. I know there was similar excitement for those on Transmission Gully and the Waikato expressway. Locals in both those areas still rave about the difference those roads make to their lives. There’s genuine excitement around infrastructure that improves our quality of life, saves us time, makes commuting easier. It’s delusional to think we just don’t build any more new roads. How can we not? Why would we think just adding bus and cycle lanes is it? Surely that can’t just be the be all and end all. We are not hopping out of our cars anytime soon, despite all the carrots and incentives and free public transport enticing us to do so – we still love our cars. We need our cars, there are a million reasons many of us can’t or won’t take public transport, and so we need the roads. Not helping the cause of buses at the moment is a video floating round the internet of an Auckland bus driver getting severely verbally abused and sworn at by someone threatening the driver for several minutes until the bus is stopped. Even then the abuser doesn't hop off before yelling more obscenities. It’s uncomfortable viewing and makes you think twice as to how safe you’d really feel on a bus with an experience like that. Who wants their kids on a bus like that? We do of course want safer roads once we have kids of driving age. Smooth roads with no pot holes, wide roads with plenty of space. Why do we put up with such substandard infrastructure in this country, and such crappy roads? I’d almost forgotten what it was like to drive on a big wide clean straight road. Yes they cost a lot of money, but so does lost productivity due to gridlock, and accidents due to poor road conditions. I think we don’t realise how bad our roads are until we drive on a new one and see how slick they can be. We put up with long winding clogged single lane traffic because we forget how it once was. Roads don’t have to be a thing of the past, they don’t have to be the big evil they’ve been made out to be. Drive a nice new stretch of highway sometime soon like we did at the weekend, and come back to me on how good that feels.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hard to believe it's taken so long to get this new firearms register up and running. Then again - it's a government IT project and we all know there's a well-established track record of these things going way past deadline and of course way over budget. On top of that, it's likely to be clunky, overly complicated and not very well thought out so don't be at all surprised if it needs a multi-million dollar overhaul within the first couple of years. And don't be surprised either if it has no impact on the rampant crime wave we're enduring. Police themselves say there's been a marked increase of guns being used for criminal activity. That's in spite of the fortune we spent on gun buybacks, after the Christchurch mosque attacks. And they say a lot of the weapons they're seizing these days are being traced back to legal buyers. Some get stolen in burglaries, but some have also been on-sold to people who simply shouldn't have them. So, the logic for collecting all this information on legally licensed gun owners and the weapons they're holding is that some of these weapons end up in the wrong hands. The Council of Licensed Firearm Owners doesn't like it; they say legitimate owners are being singled out for police failures. I see their point, but maybe because licensed owners are mostly legitimate owners with legitimate intent - maybe they've lost sight of the potential carnage a gun can be used to inflict. So, while those owners say they're being scapegoated, do they not have a major part to play in making sure these weapons don't get into the wrong hands? Is owning a gun a right or a privilege? Like driving, I'd say it's a privilege. A privilege some people shouldn't have. So, on the face of it, keeping good records of what weapons we have, who has them, and where they are, has to make sense. All we can hope is that the people who've built it haven't ballsed it up and that police use the information they get from it to come down hard on people who shouldn't have guns.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Super Rugby final is tomorrow night - with tickets now sold out. It's Chiefs versus Crusaders - and Scott Robertson's last match in charge of the Crusaders. Crusaders CEO Colin Mansbridge joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland has scraped into the Top 10 in a new ranking of the world's most liveable cities. It comes in at 10 - tied with Osaka, in Japan. 173 cities were compared by the economist intelligence unit on factors like stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure. Viv Beck is the CEO of Heart of the City and joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is optimism the country's first digital gun registry will put criminals under the pump. The online registry goes live tomorrow, aiming to track nearly 240,000 licensed gun owners. It relies upon people registering within five years. Police Association president Chris Cahill told Tim Dower it'll be a key tool to reducing crime, as it would track those selling guns to criminals. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry at this point for the Labour Party and Chris Hipkins. I mean the state of it. It really is from the sublime to the ridiculous. Who's left? Who around that Cabinet table is capable enough to seriously manage all the portfolios of the other ministers who are dropping like flies? It’s a shambles. But is it all a shambles of their own making? Have they played a bit fast and loose with the rules, been a bit slow to react, a bit slow to follow up on anything, a bit cavalier about the importance of being beyond reproach? Is it arrogance? Is it incompetence? The PM sounded absolutely fed up with Michael Wood yesterday and I’m not surprised. Wood hung him out to dry. How you can claim to be so busy and so important that you don’t run a ruler over your potential personal conflicts of interest is beyond me. Especially when you’ve already been in the gun for conflict of interest - how do you take that long to clarify any other conflicts of interest? I initially defended Wood as being probably just a decent guy who’d stuffed up. But now I’m not so sure. Is he decent? Or reckless? Or arrogant? Or both? But imagine being Chippy right now. Week after week after week, distractions and implosions in your own party, in your own cabinet, that keep undermining what your government is trying to do. I mean don’t get me wrong, what this government is trying to do is nothing short of disastrous at the moment anyway, but this is a major distraction Hipkins doesn’t need. He sounded angry and over it. He threw his former Transport Minister right under his much loved bus in saying he was disappointed and it was ‘deeply frustrating’. And we are frustrated as voters too. Frustrated this keeps happening, frustrated that this clown show is still bumbling along unable to follow its own rules, unable to discern what’s appropriate or not appropriate. It’s laughable, but as I said before, do we laugh or do we cry? They’re a joke, but the tragedy is many New Zealanders still take them seriously. But how can voters trust that this Government’s abiding all the rules? How much confidence do you have in their transparency? Honesty? Openness? Are we still falling for that? Speaking of transparency, Nicola Willis alleged yesterday in Parliament that Grant Robertson’s been looking at some further tweaks to tax and has been seeking advice on possible options for increasing or decreasing income tax.  Grant Robertson wouldn’t answer about it, she asked if he could rule out tax changes rejected by Cabinet re-emerging as part of the Labour party manifesto. Robertson would only say the manifesto’s not finished yet. Nicola Willis took the public interest route – that we deserve to know what the Government’s planning re tax. Robertson wouldn’t budge. So what do we deduce from that? That tax changes are coming as part of the Labour election campaign, you can almost bank on that. But we don’t know exactly what because Grant wouldn’t answer. What we should be working out by now as voters, is how much we trust this Government, how much we trust what they do with our hard earned money, and whether they can get their act together in a cohesive way between now and October.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The political headaches continue to pile up for Labour, four months out from the election. Chris Hipkins is expressing his disappointment in Michael Wood - who's resigning as a minister after more revelations about his failure to declare shareholdings. The Prime Minister is also promising to take another look at the rules around ministers' investments. Victoria University political analyst Bryce Edwards told Kate Hawkesby while many voters won't care about the specifics, the sheer number of scandals will be hurting Labour's credibility. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A victim advocate believes there will be more disclosures during a review of Oranga Tamariki. The department has revealed two staff members have been stood down as they're investigated for alleged sexual misconduct with young people in the past year. Former Police Commissioner Mike Bush will conduct a review. Victims' advocate Ruth Money told Kate Hawkesby there could've been a vetting issue. She says if people haven't been convicted or had a notation on their file before, they'd look clean - which is a huge issue with the vetting process around the country. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Only about half of kiwifruit growers expect to break even this year, amid a particularly bad harvest. Production this year is down about 35 million trays on 2022, mostly due to storms. Kiwifruit Growers CEO Colin Bond told Kate Hawkesby there are ways to mitigate the risk like frost protection and artificial shelters. He says the quality of this year's harvest is higher than last year. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I was at my physio yesterday, she’s South African. She moved here to an allegedly ‘safe’ country with her children, they live on Auckland’s North Shore, they’ve eaten at the Albany restaurants where the axe attack took place. She said it could have been them, her, or her children. She asked me what’s happened to this country and why it’s so violent now. It’s hard to answer that question without feeing embarrassed as a New Zealander that our little slice of paradise has come to this. “It’s complex”, I told her, sounding like a Labour politician trying to explain away our many and varied issues. From being soft on crime and reducing the prison muster and leaving too much crime out on the streets, to an increase in gang memberships and gang notoriety thanks to an apologist media and government who seem enamoured with them instead of appalled by them. Then to a mental health system in crisis, to the prevalence of drugs in our society, to a broken and divided country which got locked down for three years and has never really come right since then. I don’t know what the circumstances are around the axe attack, but I’m assuming it will be a combination of one or more of those factors. None of that excuses the act. Just like none of the apologists standing up for gang culture, excuses the way they intimidate and offend. The other day in Auckland’s swanky shopping precinct Newmarket, outside the new Westfield mall, a group of girls picked on an innocent victim, another young girl, and beat her up. In broad daylight, four in the afternoon on a busy Saturday full of shoppers walking by.. none of whom stopped to do anything about it – she got slapped, punched kicked, fell to the ground then got kicked in the head some more. She was 12 years old, did not know the offender apparently, who grabbed her by the hair and just randomly started beating her up. That’s someone’s daughter, age 12, middle of the day in a busy shopping area, just randomly being savagely attacked. Imagine what that does to that girl once her injuries and bruises heal, what has that done to her mentally? Who are these children attacking other children and why are they so vicious and so unfiltered as to think this is in any way acceptable behaviour? And where are the offenders now? Will it just be another case of tag and release? If they even get caught?   I was talking to a bunch of high school kids the other day, they’re in their final couple of years at school, I was asking them what they’re doing when they leave, where they’re going for uni. “ABNZ”, they all replied. Anywhere But New Zealand. They don’t want to stay here, they’re all seeking uni applications offshore. When I asked them why, they looked at me like I was insane. “Why would we stay here?” they replied. That’s heart-breaking. ‘Where is safe these days for our teenage kids to go?’ my physio asked me. Where can they go that you don’t worry about them ending up a victim of crime? It’s horrible to even have to ask that question in New Zealand now, it’s even worse that I can’t answer it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rescuers in a remote area of the Atlantic Ocean are racing against time to find a missing submersible before the oxygen supply runs out for five people who were on a mission to document the wreckage of the Titanic. Despite an international rescue effort, US Coast Guard officials said the search covering 26,000 square kilometres had turned up no signs of the lost sub known as the Titan, but they planned to continue looking. Authorities reported the carbon-fibre vessel overdue Sunday night, setting off the search in waters about 700km south of St John’s, Newfoundland. Aboard were a pilot, renowned British adventurer Hamish Harding, two members of a Pakistani business family, and a Titanic expert. The submersible had a 96-hour oxygen supply when it was put to sea at roughly 6am Sunday, according to David Concannon, an adviser to OceanGate Expeditions, which oversaw the mission. That means the oxygen supply could run out tomorrow night (NZ time). Titanic tourist submersible missing graphic CBS News journalist David Pogue, who travelled to the Titanic aboard the Titan last year, said the vehicle communicates by text messages that go back and forth to a surface ship and safety pings that are emitted every 15 minutes to indicate that the sub is still working. Both systems stopped about an hour and 45 minutes after the Titan submerged. “Either they lost all power or the ship developed a hull breach and it imploded instantly. Both of those are devastatingly hopeless,” Pogue told CBC yesterday. The submersible had seven backup systems to return to the surface, including sandbags and lead pipes that drop off and an inflatable balloon. One system is designed to work even if everyone aboard is unconscious, Pogue said. The Titan is prepared for a dive into a remote area of the Atlantic Ocean on an expedition to the Titanic on Sunday, June 18, 2023. Photo / AP Experts said the rescuers face steep challenges. Alistair Greig, a professor of marine engineering at University College London, said submersibles typically have a drop weight, which is “a mass they can release in the case of an emergency to bring them up to the surface using buoyancy”. “If there was a power failure and/or communication failure, this might have happened, and the submersible would then be bobbing about on the surface waiting to be found,” Greig said. Another scenario is a leak in the pressure hull, in which case the prognosis is not good, he said. “If it has gone down to the seabed and can’t get back up under its own power, options are very limited,” Greig said. “While the submersible might still be intact, if it is beyond the continental shelf, there are very few vessels that can get that deep, and certainly not divers.” Even if they could go that deep, he doubts rescuers could attach to the submersible. By Tuesday morning, 26,000sq km had been searched, the US Coast Guard tweeted. The Canadian research icebreaker Polar Prince, which was supporting the Titan, was to continue conducting surface searches with help from a Canadian Boeing P-8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft, the Coast Guard said on Twitter. Two US Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft also conducted overflights. The Canadian military dropped sonar buoys to listen for any possible sounds from the Titan. Concannon, who said he was supposed to be on the dive but could not go, said officials were also working to get a remotely operated vehicle that can dive to a depth of 6km to the site as soon as possible. OceanGate’s expeditions to the Titanic wreck site include archaeologists and marine biologists. The company also brings people who pay to come along, known as “mission specialists”. They take turns operating sonar equipment and performing other tasks in the submersible. The Coast Guard said Monday that the Titan carried a pilot and four “mission specialists”. However, OceanGate’s website suggests that the fifth person may be a so-called “content expert” who guides the paying customers. Authorities have yet to formally identify those on board, though some names have been confirmed, including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who, according to the company, was a member of the crew. Billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding looks out to sea before boarding the submersible Titan for a dive into the Atlantic Ocean on an expedition to the Titanic. Photo / AP Rush told the Associated Press in June 2021 that the Titan’s technology was “very cutting edge” and was developed with the help of Nasa and aerospace manufacturers. “This is the only submersible – crewed submersible – that’s made of carbon fibre and titanium,” Rush said, calling it the “largest carbon fibre structure that we know of,” with 12cm-thick carbon fibre and 8cm-thick titanium. Harding, who lives in Dubai, was one of the mission specialists, according to Action Aviation, a company where Harding is chairman. Harding is a billionaire adventurer who holds three Guinness world records, including the longest duration at full ocean depth by a crewed vessel. In March 2021, he and ocean explorer Victor Vescovo descended to the lowest depth of the Mariana Trench. In June 2022, he went into space on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket. US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger, commander of the First Coast Guard District, talks about the search for a missing submersible that carries people to view the wreckage of the Titanic. Photo / AP Also on board were Pakistani nationals Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, according to the family. The Dawoods belong to one of Pakistan’s most prominent families. Their eponymous firm invests across the country in agriculture, industries and the health sector. Shahzada Dawood also is on the board of trustees for the California-based Seti Institute that searches for extraterrestrial intelligence. French explorer and Titanic expert Paul-Henry Nargeolet was also aboard, according to David Gallo, a senior adviser for strategic initiatives and special projects at RMS Titanic. Gallo identified Nargeolet, a friend who has led multiple expeditions to the Titanic, on Tuesday during an interview with CNN. Greg Stone, a longtime ocean scientist based in California and a friend of Rush, called the lost submersible “a fundamentally new submarine design” that showed great promise for future research. Unlike its predecessors, the Titan was not spherical.  “Stockton was a risk taker. He was smart. He had a vision. He wanted to push things forward,” Stone said. The expedition was OceanGate’s third annual voyage to chronicle the deterioration of Titanic, which struck an iceberg and sank in 1912, killing all but about 700 of the roughly 2200 passengers and crew. Since the wreckage’s discovery in 1985, it has been slowly succumbing to metal-eating bacteria. OceanGate’s website said the “mission support fee” for the 2023 expedition was $250,000 a person. Recalling his own trip aboard the Titan, Pogue said the vessel got turned around looking for the Titanic. “There’s no GPS underwater, so the surface ship is supposed to guide the sub to the shipwreck by sending text messages,” Pogue said in a segment aired on CBS’ Sunday Morning. “But on this dive, communications somehow broke down. The sub never found the wreck.” - Ben Finley & Holly Ramer, APSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Uncertainty is plaguing Ruapehu. A bid to liquidate Ruapehu Alpine Lifts is being heard in the High Court in Auckland this morning, dubbed a 'worst case scenario' by some. The Government and local council's preferred option, to allow two companies to take over skifield ownership, did not make it over the line in meetings yesterday. Ruapehu Mayor Weston Kirton told Kate Hawkesby everyone is waiting with bated breath to see if companies step in and make a purchase. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A strong message has come that New Zealand's cash-strapped councils cannot make money out of thin air. The Future for Local Government Review has made more than a dozen suggestions. They include lowering the council voting age to 16, introducing transferable votes, and an annual transfer of around a billion dollars a year from central to local government. Local Government New Zealand agrees with ten of the proposals. President Stuart Crosby told Kate Hawkesby increasing funding has been a priority. He says it's been a cry for a long time with them being asked to do more and more with the same funding tools. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is it just me, or is this Government going out of its way to lose the upcoming election? I mean, I’ve had the vibe for a while they’ve given up. Chris Hipkins sounds more and more over it and uninterested in what’s going on in the country he’s supposed to be running. Grant Robertson has sounded despondent for a while – I’m sure he quietly quit months ago, many of the Ministers behave in a way that would suggest they too have given up, but this latest revelation from the Health Ministry.. come on. Race-based healthcare is of itself not new in this country, we kind of knew how it worked, and then Covid came along and the focus again was Māori and Pacifica, but this latest revelation on the surgeries. That just takes the cake. As one texter to me yesterday pointed out, this is not just a jab in the arm vaccination we’re talking about here, it’s major surgery. It can be life or death. No one’s suggesting health outcomes for Māori and Pasifika aren’t worse; there just must be another way. The problem with this Equity Adjustor Score as it’s called, is, as Dr Shane Reti pointed out yesterday, the metrics are not clear. No wonder surgeons are pushing back on it. The Health Minister Ayesha Verrall, when asked about this scheme by Reti, confirmed to him that the measuring process was ‘dynamic’.. in other words, there’s no set method to how patients get scored or prioritized, it’s just ‘dynamic’. Meaning, it can change and flex anytime. So if you’re in the health system, and you’re on a waiting list, you potentially will never know exactly where you are on that list because it could shift anytime based on any given surgeon’s ‘dynamic’ scoring. There is a real problem here to be addressed in terms of inequitable access to healthcare but this solution just doesn’t feel right. A chunk of the texts I got yesterday were from people who were either Māori or Pacifica themselves, saying they were embarrassed by this, felt demeaned by it, or were just sick of the government using race as political leverage. One woman said it was absolutely racist in her view, she was Māori , she’d never used that as a lever in the hospital system before, but now that she was awaiting surgery and heard of this measure, she said she’s going to use it. She acknowledged it’s not fair, and said in her view it was racist. But if it gets her surgery quicker, then she’ll take it. And you can’t blame her. Blame the system. Some surgeons have said it’s medically indefensible and they’re disgusted by it. David Seymour said it’s completely wrong and promotes racial discrimination. Dr Shane Reti said the Nat's would repeal it. However the government defends it, and again I think that shows us just how out of touch they really are, how far they’ve pushed us without even realizing it, and how this election is just getting further and further away now from their grip.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A change to the Government's flagship budget policy on childcare is raising more questions than answers for the sector. It's backtracking on conditions involving the 20 hours free Early Childhood Education, after providers complained about the pay-by-the hour system. Montessori Aotearoa Chief Executive Cathy Wilson says the sector is pleased they're having their concerns responded to. But she told Kate Hawkesby communication is an issue and they've only met with the associate minister, not Education Minister Jan Tinetti. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The forestry industry is sick of being made into the villain on reducing emissions. The Government is proposing to amend the Emissions Trading Scheme and incentivise innovation over offsetting through planting. One option is taking forestry out of the scheme altogether and creating two separate markets. Forest Owners' Association president Grant Dodson says it's a bad idea and he joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Hipkins is set to discuss some of the world's most contentious topics with one of the world's most powerful men. The Prime Minister has secured a meeting with President Xi Jinping during his week-long trade visit to the country next week. It comes as the US and China restarted high-levels talks overnight with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese President Xi Jinping pledging to stabilise their tense relationship during a meeting in Beijing. Otago University international relations expert Robert Patman says Hipkins and Xi are likely to discuss a range of issues, including China's position on Russia and Ukraine. He says China knows New Zealand wants Russia to return to its borders, but may want to hear from Hipkins first hand. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UK police are looking at fresh video of a rule-breaking event during lockdown at Tory Party headquarters. Footage shows Conservative staffers drinking and dancing in December 2020 during lockdown. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson quit Parliament altogether last week. UK correspondent Gavin Grey told Kate Hawkesby that Johnson's still causing current PM Rishi Sunak headaches. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A leading doctor says inequities in the health system need to be addressed. Ethnicity is now a factor in a new medical wait list Te Whatu Ora has rolled out in Auckland, alongside clinical priority, time already waiting, location, and deprivation level. General Practice New Zealand Chair Dr Bryan Betty told Kate Hawkesby that there are dreadful health outcomes for Māori and Pasifika. He says it's an attempt to try to even up the playing field, and something has to be done. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New research is highlighting the resilience of New Zealand's housing market. OneRoof and its data partner Valocity analysed residential home sales between 2018 and the start of this year. They've found sellers in 48 suburbs around the country have never made a loss in the last five years. OneRoof Editor Owen Vaughan says despite a recent slowdown in the market, sellers have been doing well overall. He says retail profits have declined since the market downturn, but the majority of sellers are still making a profit. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So as we look down the barrel of another week of potential strikes, I am heartened by the students calling for it to end, and the prospect that it just might with some independent arbitration. Not before time. As frustrated as we are with the striking teachers, I don’t blame them, it’s the government who’s dragged the chain here in not resolving it and allowing kids to be pawns in all this. So far teachers have rejected the latest pay offer, lump sum, and three payrises, as suggested by the Ministry. Teachers say it’s not good enough. They have more strikes planned right up until the end of term. But over the weekend the PPTA said they’d now look at an Employment Relations Authority proposal that they suspend strike action and start independent arbitration. I can only hope they make a decision on this quickly and that it’s the right decision – to suspend the industrial action. Obviously the Ministry of Education wants it stopped, and parents and many students want it stopped, but it may mean the Ministry has to step up a little bit more to make it happen. Students don’t deserve all this interrupted learning. And they’re saying so. I was encouraged by the group of Waikato students who wrote an open letter to Minister Jan Tinetti saying enough is enough. They said “the greatest detriment to our future as New Zealand students is education disruption. While you battle over pay and conditions, students across the country are being sent home. Yet again our learning - despite all the rhetoric to the opposite - is happily being used as a pawn for political and union conflict”, they wrote. Good on them. Dozens of student leaders from Waikato schools signed it. They also pointed out that ‘as strike action continues, the Education Minister and her staff are contradicting the entire purpose of their jobs - to ensure the education of the country’s children and young people.’ They said, “We, as a student body, are in our fourth year of disruptions. We have not had it easy. However, we have compromised and done our very best, as we knew that the past three years were out of anyone’s control. This time, we do have control. You have control and right now this is a change we can make. Why are you putting us, the students, in the middle of a discussion where we are your focus..” They went on to say that as strike action goes on, ‘the Education Minister and her staff are contradicting the entire purpose of their jobs - to ensure the education of the country’s children and young people.’ So I take my hat off to them for telling it like it is. They have a right to be angry and they have a right to voice it. I only hope the Minister was listening. Because they’re right. They are contradicting the whole purpose of their jobs. The kids are over it. They’re knee deep in internals, they’re stressed, they’re fed up, they want it over. If the government can’t see the damage this is doing, then they’ve got their head in the sand. Let’s hope independent arbitration is agreed on and can work towards a good outcome here, that doesn’t involve more time off school for hard working students who are just trying to get their NCEA credits, and get a bit of learning in.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So as we end the week three things have stood out to me as a bit of a let-down this week. One; the gangs and their cosy relationship with Police. Two; the media. Three; the teachers. I'll start with the Mob and the coppers. 'Working together collaboratively' as one of the Police put it, is not something that endears us to the force. This is not a collab, it's law enforcement and thugs. They're supposed to work at opposing ends - not together. Yes the motivation was clear - keep communities safe - but the execution involved inconveniencing and penalising those communities by allowing the gangs to run riot. And then telling us they did a good job because no one got hurt, and it was 'under control'. A gang intimidating a whole town and closing it down is not under control. It's being under the thumb of the gang. It's sending a message that gangs can close state highways and railroad through towns as they please, and the cops will stand by and wave them through. The odd vehicle will be searched but on the whole, we can do better. We should demand better. Two; the media. In a week where the aforementioned Mongrel Mob shut a town down and the country was plunged into a recession, and teachers stayed on strike and our kids spent two days rostered at home with no learning, some in the media chose to focus on what Luxon said that was stupid this week. Apparently a throwaway line about us having more babies, him calling the country inward looking and negative, and him cancelling a Tesla work car order last year, were the key messages of the week politically. So Luxon's likely to lose the election, according to some media, because he says dumb stuff. That was how we were dished up political news this week. In a week where as I said, teachers continued to strike, we went into recession, and we had gangs close down a whole town. Is it just me or is there not some politics in there that could have been covered? With a rather large spotlight on the government and what it's doing, versus what the leader of the opposition was saying. And that's before we get to the appalling way TV news media covered the gang funeral like they were eulogising some kind of lovely local man, instead of a gang boss. Again, we can do better. And then we get to the teachers. Twice my daughter was home this week, as they continued their strike. She'll be off for some days next week and the week after if they don't call the strikes off or accept a deal. It's a massive inconvenience and backwards step for our kids’ learning and education, at a time when NCEA internals are due, and work is being missed because of reduced classroom time. The non-Unionised teachers themselves are stressed at the backlog of work needing to be cleared here, they're worried about reputational damage what this is doing in terms of losing community support, and they too worry about the impact on these students. It’s not fair on the kids and they're the victims in all this. Their private school contemporaries are all in class getting ahead with the work because they don't have striking teachers. These public school kids will be measured up against them - it's not a level playing field where they're all competing for the same marks, yet some have all their days in school as per, with all their teachers, others don't. It's not fair on them. Again, we can do better here too. Let's hope next week looks a bit better than this one.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is South Africa going to react to no change confirmed to the Rugby Championship Schedule? Sanzaar had to awkwardly clear up claims from its Rugby Australia chair Hamish McLennan on a potential change. Moving the schedule would give South African players a break from a gruelling calendar year. The chair's comments were made on Newstalk ZB's Rugby Direct podcast, hosted by ZB rugby commentator Elliott Smith. Elliott joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It looks like Boris Johnson's political career may finally be over. A new privileges committee report has found the former Prime Minister misled parliament when questioned about Downing Street lockdown parties. It found he sewed distrust in parliament and undermined democracy - some of the highest offences for an elected politician. UK correspondent Vincent McAviney told Kate Hawkesby Johnson could have faced a 90 day suspension if he hadn't stood down. He says Johnson has gone from being the PM to an ex-MP in less than a year. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Organised crime groups keep finding ways to smuggle meth into the country. Police and customs officials intercepted a shipment of maple syrup from Canada at the New Zealand border in January. It was concealing 713 kilograms of methamphetamine, with an estimated street value of $250 million dollars. Drug Detection Agency Chief Executive Glenn Dobson told Kate Hawkesby hiding meth in liquids is nothing new. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm not sure when the 6pm news decided to be a promo channel for gangs, or why they wanted to spend so much time eulogising a gang leader, but I thought the way that Mongrel Mob tangi was covered last night was disgraceful. We've lost the plot in this country - and we wonder why we have gang problems. The coverage looked like a recruitment drive or a PR video for the gangs. We got so ill served as viewers, the real news was not what a great man other gang members or whānau thought he was, it was not to display endlessly all their patches and motorbikes and burnouts like they're some kind of heroes, it was not to run glowing commentary on how they saw off their leader. The news angle was that a town got shut down yesterday, and a main road closed for two hours - by gang members who decided to block it - while Police do nothing. They allegedly said they'd try to clear it but the queue of traffic that couldn't get down the road in Ōhope for two hours may feel they didn't quite work hard enough on that. Gang members were sitting on roofs of houses yelling out, sitting on top of cars, hanging out windows, doing donuts, some locals said the state of lawlessness was unbelievable. There were shots fired at a vehicle near the convoy, no one injured thank god, but clearly weapons were present in cars. Why wasn't every car stopped and searched? Why were they allowed to block roads and close a main road? Why were they allowed to sit on top of their cars while travelling down the road? Can you imagine any of us doing that and not being immediately stopped? Why were they allowed to drive recklessly with no consequences? The Prime Minister when asked about all this, said, "gangs suck." No kidding. But we need a bit more than stating the obvious from our PM. His words have to match some actions. They suck… but we won't do anything about them, is what it looks like. He said it was up to Police, and that it wasn't appropriate for him to comment. Well sorry but this country's going to hell in a handcart on the crime and gang front, and actually as the leader of it, it is not only appropriate for you to comment, but crucial that you do. People are being intimidated and inconvenienced and shut out of their own abilities to use their own roads, parks, schools, and businesses, because of a gang tangi. Because no one says no to the gangs. Not only that, news crews turn up to pop a microphone under their chins to hear about what a great guy the slain gang leader was. They allowed precious minutes of primetime news to eulogise a Mob president. I mean, how did we get here? How did we get the bar so low, that that now masquerades as news? Did the news forget that these guys thrive on notoriety, that all that footage and all those kind words about their leader, is just fuelling exactly what the gangs want. I mean they just played right into their hands. There should've been no footage of gang patches and motorbikes burning rubber, no interviews on how much their leader will be missed and how they replace him, no acknowledgement of the gang other than it being a nuisance to society, behaving illegally, stopping hard working taxpayers from getting about their own business. The story was the state of this country and how we've fallen victim to gangs ruling the roost. That was the story. Not a promo video for the actual gang.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All eyes are on the latest GDP number expected this morning. Economists are split on whether it will be another quarter of negative growth- after Q1 slipped back 0.6 percent. Another negative would technically put New Zealand into a recession. ASB Chief Economist Nick Tuffley joined Early Edition. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is increasing med school intakes by 50 students next year the first increase in almost a decade. It'll be split across Auckland and Otago universities, with the total first year intake increasing to 589 places. But Resident Doctors' Association National Secretary, Deborah Powell told Kate Hawkesby it's not enough. She says there's need for at least another 200, but another 50 is better than nothing. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The seafood sector has net some gains. The value of Primary Sector exports have hit a record high, now worth 14 percent of New Zealand's total GDP. Seafood is forecast to grow by eight percent to $2.1 billion  Seafood New Zealand Chief Executive Jeremy Helson told Kate Hawkesby it's being driven by good price increases in a few key stocks. He says rock lobsters, hoki and mussels are all doing well which is encouraging and foreign exchange is also helping. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well we learned yesterday that state housing tenants call the shots at Kāinga Ora, in that they know they won’t be evicted so they do whatever they want. Figures showed despite 10,000 complaints, only three had been evicted in 18 months. So, bad behaviour rules the roost there. Then we learn also this week that gangs clearly run Ōpōtiki. Again, they know they can do whatever they want, and an entire community will just shut down around them. The fact this is happening in our country, in 2023, beggars belief. And yet still the PM tells us NZ is safe. Tell that to the Filipino family with the 12-year-old daughter who got viciously beaten outside an Auckland North Shore McDonalds at 1.30pm on a Saturday afternoon.   She’s been left traumatized, can’t go outside, doesn’t want to return to school, required hospital treatment and is suffering distress form the impact of her assault. The family ‘moved to New Zealand in August last year, and had “never” experienced incidents like this in the Philippines,’ they said. Try telling them New Zealand is a safe country. And for all those families told to keep their kids at home from school for a whole week this week because of gang tensions in Ōpōtiki, are you telling me that feels safe? This comes after an increase of gang members in the town following the death of a Mongrel Mob president and two suspicious house fires. Police said they’d be maintaining an increased presence in the area. So if you’re wondering where the Police are and why they’re not at other crimes, they’re busy babysitting gang members all over Ōpōtiki. An entire week that town is shutting down for. Let that sink in. A gang can close a town up in this country, for a whole week, just by being intimidating. Schools shut, parks shut, businesses shut because working parents have to stay home to look after their – most likely scared - kids, how’s that a country you want to live in? This is not the NZ we know and love. It’s the same problem we talked about yesterday with Kāinga Ora housing. The way unruly Kāinga Ora tenants can dominate a whole neighbourhood and traumatise their neighbours, without eviction. The balance here has tipped so far to the lowest common denominator now, that we have lost all rational ability or foresight to run our society properly. How do we get that back? When Luxon told farmers the other day that this country’s lost its mojo, he’s not wrong. We’ve lost our way, and I don’t know what’s wrong with admitting that. As individuals we can lose our mojo and lose our way at times, admitting it helps us get back on track to fixing it. So why the government refuses to accept it's true is beyond me. You can’t bluff your way out of this and keep telling us we feel safe. We don’t. Systemic gang crime and activity is a major problem in many regions in this country. It’s unsettling and it doesn’t make us feel safe. Children getting viciously attacked while eating McDonalds doesn’t make us feel safe. Tenants who disrupt other people’s lives don’t make us feel safe. We need to restore some law and order to our communities, and stop just pretending that everything’s fine.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A law change will make it harder for overseas buyers to plant pine on good farm land. The Government is giving local councils the authority to determine where, and how much, carbon forestry can occur. The move limits trees used for carbon farming being planted on productive land, shifting the incentives to make planting on hillsides more attractive. Federated Farmers Meat and Wool Industry Chair Toby Williams told Kate Hawkesby this rights some of the wrongs from the past. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concern the public has been led up the garden path over a long-held promise to boost the country's police force. New police data shows of the Government's 1,800 new police officers, 270 are "authorised officers" and don't have arrest powers. Act Party Leader David Seymour told Kate Hawkesby if 1,800 police are promised, people expect to see officers who can assist and arrest if there's a crime. He says it doesn't mean they're not useful but they're not quite what the average person would think is a police officer. Police Minister Ginny Andersen has told our newsroom Government’s commitment has always included these authorised officers. LISTEN ABOVE    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former US President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. “We most certainly enter a plea of not guilty,” Todd Blanche, Trump’s lawyer, told US Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman. CNN reported Trump had his arms folded and periodically spoke to Blanche while in the courtroom Trump’s motorcade arrived on Tuesday afternoon (EDT) at the federal courthouse shortly before he was scheduled to appear before a magistrate judge, a stunning moment in American history days after he became the first former president charged with federal crimes. Members of law enforcement stand guard as supporters of former President Donald Trump rally outside the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse in Miami. Photo / Alex Brandon, AP Trump, as well as an aide charged as a co-conspirator, have been booked in the Miami federal court. The pair were digitally fingerprinted and had their birthdates and Social Security numbers taken as part of the booking process at the federal courthouse in Miami. The US Marshals Service said Trump and Walt Nauta were booked shortly after they arrived Tuesday afternoon. It’s the second criminal case Trump is facing as he seeks to reclaim the White House next year. He’s also accused in New York state court of falsifying business records related to hush-money payments made during the 2016 campaign. Trump has denied any wrongdoing, saying he’s being unfairly targeted by political opponents who want to hurt his campaign. After his court appearance. Trump will return to New Jersey, where he’s expected to hold a press event to publicly respond to the charges. The motorcade carrying former US President Donald Trump arrives near the courthouse in Miami. Photo / AP Nauta, a Navy veteran who fetched Trump’s Diet Cokes as his valet at the White House before joining him as a personal aide at Mar-a-Lago, is accused of moving boxes from the White House at Trump’s direction and then lying about it to investigators. Trump rode to court with his son Eric, who accompanied the motorcade from the former president’s Doral resort to the federal courthouse in Miami. CNN aired footage of Trump walking to a line of SUVs with his son by his side while someone yelled, “Let’s go Trump!” The former president stopped and waved at supporters, as well as chatted with staff members. Eric Trump appeared to clap his father on the back just before he climbed in a vehicle. As he rode to court, Trump posted on his social media site that the case against him was a “witch hunt”. Via his Truth Social network, he posted: “ON MY WAY TO COURTHOUSE. WITCH HUNT!!! MAGA.” Later, outside the courthouse, Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba said, “Today is not about President Donald J. Trump, who is defiant. “It is not about the Republican Party, it is not about the 2024 election,” Habba added. “It is about the destruction of longstanding principles that have set this country apart.” Alina Habba, lawyer for former President Donald Trump, gives a thumbs up to supporters after speaking outside the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthous in Miami. Photo / Alex Brandon, AP Trump is the first former president to face a judge on federal charges as the city of Miami prepared for possible protests by crowds that officials said could number in the thousands. Security was tight outside the federal courthouse ahead of Trump’s history-making court appearance but there were no major disruptions as the morning unfolded. Trump approached his arraignment with characteristic bravado, insisting as he has through years of legal woes that he has done nothing wrong and was being persecuted for political purposes. But the gravity of the moment was unmistakable as he answers to 37 felony counts that accuse him of willfully retaining classified records that prosecutors say could have jeopardised national security if exposed, then trying to hide them from investigators who demanded them back. The case is laden with political implications for Trump, who holds the dominant spot in the early days of the 2024 Republican presidential primary. But it also poses profound legal consequences given the prospect of a years-long prison sentence. Even for a defendant whose post-presidential life has been dominated by investigations, the documents probe has stood out for the apparent volume of evidence amassed by prosecutors and the severity of the allegations. It’s also a watershed moment for a Justice Department that until last week had never before brought charges against a former president. Attorney General Merrick Garland, an appointee of President Joe Biden, sought to insulate the department from political attacks by handing ownership of the case last year to a special counsel, Jack Smith, who on Friday declared, “We have one set of laws in this country, and they apply to everyone”. The arraignment, though largely procedural in nature, is the latest in an unprecedented public reckoning this year for Trump, who faces charges in New York arising from hush money payments during his 2016 presidential campaign as well as ongoing investigations in Washington and Atlanta into efforts to undo the results of the 2020 race. He’s sought to project confidence in the face of unmistakable legal peril, attacking Smith as “a Trump hater”, pledging to stay in the race and scheduling a speech and fundraiser for Tuesday night at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club. People watch as the motorcade carrying former US President Donald Trump arrives at the Miami courthouse. Photo / AP “They’re using this because they can’t win the election fairly and squarely,” Trump said on Monday in an interview with Americano Media. The court appearance is also unfolding against the backdrop of potential protests. Some high-profile backers have used barbed rhetoric to voice support. Trump himself has encouraged supporters to join a planned protest Tuesday at the Miami courthouse, where he is expected to surrender to authorities. Trump is not expected to be subjected to a mugshot, according to a person familiar with the situation. Generally, Justice Department agencies, like the FBI and US Marshals Service, take a booking photo as part of the arrest process and the photo is uploaded into a shared law enforcement database. A small group of pro-Trump supporters and anti-Trump protesters were squabbling in front of Miami’s federal courthouse as they awaited the former president’s appearance. A man with “Trump sucks” spray-painted on his jacket and pants shouted at supporters of the former president as they passed by while a man held a homemade “Free Trump” banner behind others who shouted at him. Dozens of supporters wrapped themselves in Trump flags or campaign merchandise as they milled about near the courthouse. The crowd included far-right internet personality Anthime Gionet, who served a two-month prison sentence for streaming live video while he stormed the U.S. Capitol with a mob of Trump supporters on January 6, 2021. Gionet, better known as “Baked Alaska,” was live streaming video of his interactions with people around the courthouse — something the terms of Gionet’s probation don’t appear to prohibit. Meanwhile, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, wearing a T-shirt with a police logo, toured the nearby media encampment and said he didn’t expect any disturbances. “So far, so good,” Suarez said. “It’s still early, but the crowd seems to be under control and everyone respectful and peaceful. Let’s hope it remains that way.” Suarez is considering a presidential run and has suggested he could make his intentions known during a speech Thursday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California. Some Trump supporters were planning to load buses to head to Miami from other parts of Florida, raising concerns for law enforcement officials who are preparing for possible unrest around the courthouse. Mayor Suarez had said the city would be ready, and police chief Manuel A. Morales said downtown could see anywhere from a few thousand up to 50,000 protesters. Among those who arrived early Tuesday were father and son Florencio and Kevin Rodriguez, who came to the US 15 years ago as asylum seekers fleeing the dictatorship in Cuba. Wearing a shirt that reads “Jesus is my savior, Trump my president,” the younger Rodriguez, Kevin, said it was possible Trump was guilty of illegally retaining classified documents. But he questioned the fairness of the proceedings in light of other classified information probes concerning Democrats, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Joe Biden. Police gather after the motorcade carrying Trump arrived at the Miami courthouse. Photo / AP Clinton was not charged for sending classified information on a private email server after FBI investigators concluded that she had not intended to break the law. The Biden investigation remains open, but no evidence has emerged to suggest he acted willfully — a core claim in the Trump indictment. “We never abandon our amigos — those who love this country and our liberty,” Rodriguez added, highlighting Trump’s staunch opposition to Cuba’s communist government. The crowd also included far-right internet personality Anthime Gionet, who served a two-month prison sentence for streaming live video while he stormed the US Capitol. Gionet, better known as “Baked Alaska,” was livestreaming video of his interactions with other people as they waited for Trump to arrive. Unlike in the New York case, where photographers produced images of a sombre-faced Trump at the courtroom defence table, the public’s view will be limited. Cameras are generally not permitted in federal courts, and a judge Monday night barred reporters from having phones inside the building. A federal grand jury in Washington had heard testimony for months in the documents case, but the Justice Department filed it in Florida, where Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort is and where many of the alleged acts of obstruction occurred. Though Trump is set to appear Tuesday before a federal magistrate, the case has been assigned to a District Court judge he appointed, Aileen Cannon, who ruled in his favour last year in a dispute over whether an outside special master could be appointed to review the seized classified documents. A federal appeals panel ultimately overturned her ruling. It’s unclear what defences Trump is likely to cite as the case moves forward. Two of his lead lawyers announced their resignation on the morning after his indictment, and the notes and recollections of another attorney, M. Evan Corcoran, are cited repeatedly throughout the 49-page charging document, suggesting prosecutors envision him as a potential key witness. Trump has said he’s looking to add to his legal team though no announcements were made Monday. He was expected to be represented at his arraignment by Todd Blanche, an attorney also defending him in the New York case, and Florida lawyer Chris Kise, who joined Trump’s stable of attorneys last year. Under the rules of the district, defendants have to have a local lawyer for an arraignment to proceed. The Justice Department unsealed Friday an indictment charging Trump with 37 felony counts, 31 relating to the willful retention of national defence information. Other charges include conspiracy to commit obstruction and false statements. The indictment alleges Trump intentionally retained hundreds of classified documents that he took with him from the White House to Mar-a-Lago after leaving the presidency in January 2021. The material he stored, including in a bathroom, ballroom, bedroom and shower, included material on nuclear programmes, defence and weapons capabilities of the US and foreign governments and a Pentagon “attack plan”, the indictment says. The information, if exposed, could have put at risk members of the military, confidential human sources and intelligence collection methods, prosecutors said. Beyond that, prosecutors say, he sought to obstruct government efforts to recover the documents, including by directing personal aide Walt Nauta — who was charged alongside Trump — to move boxes to conceal them and also suggesting to his own lawyer that he hide or destroy documents sought by a Justice Department subpoena. - Eric Tucker, Alanna Durkin Richer, APSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A knife-wielding assailant stabbed two university students to death in the streets of the English city of Nottingham and then fatally stabbed a middle-aged man, stole his van and ran down three pedestrians in a shocking rampage early on Tuesday morning (GMT), police said. Police arrested a 31-year-old man on suspicion of murder. The Nottinghamshire Police force said investigators believe the perpetrator acted alone and detectives were working with counter-terrorism officers to try to establish a motive. “This is a horrific and tragic incident which has claimed the lives of three people,” Chief Constable Kate Meynell said. A man who was among the people struck in the hit-and-run was hospitalised in critical condition. The dead included two 19-year-old students from the University of Nottingham. “We are shocked and devastated by the news,” the school said in an announcement. A graduation ball scheduled for Tuesday evening was cancelled. One of the victims has been identified as Barnaby Webber, 19, with his grandparents saying that his parents ‘are in bits’ about the news. Phil and Jenny Robson, the victim’s grandparents, said: “We are still unsure what has gone on at the moment. “Barnaby’s parents are in bits as you can imagine, but they are with officers from Nottinghamshire Police as we speak. The knife attack on the students occurred around dawn in an area near student housing a short walk from the university’s Jubilee Campus. A caller reported that two stabbing victims were lying in the street. Police think the attacker then killed a man in his 50s and took his van, Meynell said. His body was found on a different street more than a kilometre from the first crime scene. About 90 minutes after the initial attack, witnesses were horrified as they watched the van plough into pedestrians and flee. Police officers block a road in Nottingham where police say three people have been found dead, and three others were hit by a van in linked incidents. Photo / AP Lynn Haggitt was on her way to work when a white van pulled up beside her at 5.30am. She saw the driver look in his mirror and spot a police car approaching slowly from behind without its emergency lights on. The driver then accelerated and struck a man and woman at a street corner, she said. “He went straight into them. He didn’t even bother to turn,” Haggitt told reporters. “The woman went on the curb, the man went up in the air, there was such a bang, I wish I never saw it. It’s really shaken me up.” The driver then sped through the city center with police on his tail, she added. Haggitt said the wounded man appeared to have a head injury but was helped to his feet. The woman was sitting on the curb and appeared to be OK. A third pedestrian was struck on the same street, police said. Two of the hit-and-run victims had minor injuries, Meynell said. Police officers block off a road in Nottingham where three people have died in a van attack in the city centre. Photo / AP “We believe these three incidents are all linked, and we have a man in custody,” the police chief said. “We are keeping an open mind as we investigate the circumstances surrounding these incidents and are working alongside Counter Terrorism Policing to establish the facts, as we would normally do in these types of circumstances.” After stopping the van, officers subdued the suspect with a Taser before detaining him. University of Nottingham student Kane Brady said he awoke to loud shouts of “armed police” and heard what sounded like a gunshot outside. He said he saw officers holding stun guns and a man being dragged out of the van and pinned on the ground. “I saw him getting arrested, him trying to resist,” Brady told British broadcaster GB News. “When they opened the van, I saw a large knife being pulled out and then straight away, that’s when police closed off both roads.” Photos showed the hood of the van dented and cracks in the windshield. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called it a shocking incident and asked that police be given time to investigate the crime. “My thoughts are with those injured, and the family and loved ones of those who have lost their lives,” Sunak said. Nottingham is a city of about 350,000 people some 175 kilometres north of London. Images on social media showed police, some with rifles, standing near cordons at several locations in the city centre. The city’s tram network said it suspended all services. - Jill Lawless, Brian Melley, AP with Telegraph UKSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I was inundated with feedback yesterday from both parents and teachers regarding the teachers’ strikes this term. So many teachers got in touch. They're embarrassed, many of them, and annoyed, that the strikes are going on so long. There are on average five days that high schoolers will be told to stay home while teachers strike for the remainder of this term. So of the three weeks left of school, many students will only do two weeks, one will be swallowed up with strike days. As I said yesterday, this is super stressful for them, because there are all-important internals on and huge chunks of work is getting missed by not being in the classroom. It’s not like lockdowns where they could do online learning either, there is no teaching at all, which has now gotten to the point of ridiculous and even the teachers are fed up. One wrote to me saying she’s so sick of the Union and the zealots who are dragging this out. Another said she’s embarrassed at the reputation this is giving teachers. Another said it’s eroding goodwill with students and parents, and she worries they'll struggle to get that back. One said she can’t believe they still haven’t accepted any offers; they wanted it to be over by now. Another said it is the children who’re suffering – which was my concern too – that it’s the students missing out on critical learning who are the real victims here. It’s a weird thing isn’t it that in this day and age of anxious children and woeful mental health stats, that diehard Unionised teachers are happy to keep stoking that fire with their actions. They’re making these kids stressed and anxious and worried. They’re also setting a really bad example around the importance of education and attendance, which is as we know a huge problem right now in this country. In fact, some schools have opted to have children come into school even if they're not being taught, just to study at school and be there, to maintain the importance of the routine of coming to school each day. Many parents are angry that teachers are playing with their kids futures here, and it’s a legitimate concern. The teachers who’re aware of the support they’re losing from parents and students say they too would like it be over now. But this is the problem with ardent Unionists; they’re zealots for principle, irrespective of the collateral damage. These kids are collateral damage. The Unionised teachers who’re digging in have maybe lost sight of what’s happening here. They’re making a rod for their own backs with the amount of time and teaching they’re going to have to make up for, for these kids who have NCEA grades and internals due. The curriculum keeps going; it doesn’t just stop because teachers walk out. So these kids are in catch up mode and it’s these teachers who have to get these kids through, and get them achieving their credits. How will they feel when they finish all their strike action and return to a classroom where their students are all stressed and falling behind? I’m at a loss to understand how this has gone on this long, at this level of our children’s education. How is it we are at a point where they’re sacrificing our children and their learning, just to make a point?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.