Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

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.