Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

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.