Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

Creepy crawlies are continuing to pop up in food items. The latest is insect larvae which was nestled in a boy's Whittakers bar, the second bug incident the chocolate company has dealt with in less than two weeks. So what's the reputation damage? Marketing expert Bodo Lang joined Kate Hawkesby to discuss. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There has been much discussion over whether or not changes to tax will be made in today's Budget announcement. The Government has ruled out any major changes to tax brackets, despite a wealth tax report showing a major gap between tax paid by the wealthy and poor. KPMG Tax Partner Rebecca Armour joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Don't expect any big surprises, when the Government releases its Budget at 2pm today. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen told Kate Hawkesby pre-Budget statements and announcements show the Government is taking a "back to basics" approach. He says there isn't nearly as much wriggle room in this Budget as there has been before. Olsen says it's good to see more restraint, following the Covid budgets of the past few years. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The vaping epidemic in this country really grinds my gears, because it was all so avoidable. We let the horse bolt, for years, and then sat on our hands until it well and truly took hold, until every school in the country, alongside thousands of parents, were all crying out for legislation and restrictions around it – until we took it seriously. And then we set up endless committees, reviews, and inquiries around it – only to tell us what we already knew – it was a major problem. I was reading yesterday about a kid who started vaping at 6. She’s now 12, she said she started vaping at 6 for goodness sake. Her older brother bought her vapes, easily done, the supply chain on the vape market is unencumbered by restrictions as far as kids are concerned, so it doesn’t surprise me that kids are supplying each other. The problem with it – well there are several problems with it – but one of them is they think it’s cool. How do they think it’s cool? Because they don’t understand the dangers attached to it, they’ve been told it’s better than smoking, so they think therefore it must be fine. Half of them don’t even have a clue there’s addictive nicotine in there. Well not until it’s too late anyway. But it’s been marketed to kids on purpose – this whole – it’s a smoking cessation tool is a bit of a crock when you think about the fact vaping companies are making flavours like bubblegum and strawberry. I mean who’s that aiming at if it’s not young kids? Ironically I know of kids who started vaping as young teens, thought after a while maybe it is bad for you, so they moved onto cigarettes. How does that work? How is that a thing? How do they even compute that? You’re dealing problems like lack of awareness and understanding, but also the trouble with teens is they think they’re invincible and nothing will happen to them. Or worse, as one kid reportedly said in the story I read yesterday, “you only live once you’re gonna die anyways so you might as well.” I mean that’s what you’re up against. Once it took hold in the schools it got worse I reckon – schools that were proactive at trying to stamp it out early on were not well enough supported by legislation, so struggled to make any inroads. Exasperated parents hit a brick wall when suppliers didn’t care who they sold to and kids formed black market supply chains anyway. But they’re getting addicted – and to something we don’t fully know all the consequences of yet either. It’s a big gamble kids are taking with their lungs and we let it go for too long. Turning that ship around now is going to be hard work. All this comes as ASH wants to raise the vaping age from 18 to 21. I don’t think at this stage that will make a difference – once kids are addicted to something they’ll get hold of it either way. And they're already vaping way younger than 18. Apparently no one in this country has the appetite to go as far as Australia and ban all non-prescription vapes. But look at where we're at now. “According to the most recent New Zealand Health Survey, the number of New Zealanders aged 15 to 17 who vaped every day tripled in two years.. for young adults, aged 18 to 24, daily vaping increased from 5 per cent to 15 per cent,” according to one report. So the ship’s sailed, and meritorious as it is to try to turn it around now, I can’t help thinking we’ve left it all a bit late.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Only two Firearm Prohibition Orders have been issued since coming into force six months ago. They were brought in to be used against people with a criminal history. Questions have therefore been raised as to why are police utilising them so sparingly. Hugh Deveraux-Mack is the spokesperson for the Council of Licensed Firearms Owners and he joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Wellington councillor says it's going to be a long road ahead for the community after the Newtown hostel blaze. A fire broke out in Loafers Lodge in the early hours of yesterday morning; six bodies have been found while 11 are unaccounted for. Councillor for Newtown Nureddin Abdurahman says residents are banding together and he joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mortgaged investors are choosing to buy fewer properties as interest rates soar. CoreLogic's latest monthly housing report shows a record 19.9 percent decline in purchases by multiple property owners. Chief Property Economist Kelvin Davidson joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With all this pre-Budget talk I’m just not sure how invested we are in it - how much attention we’re paying it. I mean we should be. We’ve never been fiscally in such dire straits, we are laden down with debt, inflation is rampant, outlooks and optimism levels do not look flash. So what the Government and the opposition want to do with our money should be something we’re laser focused on. Luxon said a couple of things yesterday at the Auckland Business Chamber which resonated with me – one that we tend to confuse activity with achievement in this country. That if people are busy, we think they’re being productive or doing something, when many times, particularly in the public sector, this isn’t true. They’re pushing paper, but productivity outcomes don’t match. There are more people doing more ‘stuff’ but what have we got to show for it? We have a government who has never spent more money, yet what have they got to show for it? What infrastructure project have they started - and finished? How many sectors have been transformed for the better? What do we have to show for all the spending? More consultants? Yes. More advertising? Yes, more branding and rebranding – yes - but what tangible better outcomes have we seen for us the taxpayer? I mean take mental health, for example. Lots of words, promises, and numbers bandied about on how they were going to fix that. In reality, what’s happened? Nothing, money unspent, the sector still on its knees, outcomes no better for those involved. Luxon mentioned speaking with a nurse and a teacher – both in their 20’s, saving to buy a house, the rent had just gone up by $50 that week, they were looking at their outgoings compared to their income and they told him they’d actually started looking at jobs in Australia because they didn’t feel they could get ahead in New Zealand. And that’s a real travesty. If we’re seen as such an expensive place to live, that New Zealand is such a prohibitively costly existence for young people that they’re actually planning a future elsewhere, then we’re doing it all wrong. We have to do better for our kids and their futures and the future of this country. And that’s the bit that worries me – the malaise that’s wafted over this country – during Covid – and is still not lifting. The pandering to the lowest common denominator, the lack of targets, as Luxon pointed out which have been so debilitating for this country on every metric – health, crime, education, we seem to have decided that just scraping the barrel is good enough. There’s a collective lack of ambition, lack of desire to be better or want for more. Where’s our aspiration gone? Where is that 'can do' spirit that our grandparents had? I worry we’ve given up, and we’re happy to just plod along and as David Seymour put it, basically just be a big Fiji. The polls are tight – which means, if you believe them, there are a lot of people in this country happy with status quo. That worries me.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Five farm deaths in three months has horrified a Waikato businessman, who is launching a safety campaign in response. Ag Drive Managing Director Andre Syben is calling for a culture change and wants better buy-in from industry corporates. As well as the five deaths, there have been 30 WorkSafe notifiable injuries from January to March this year. Andre Syben joined Kate Hawkesby to discuss. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Mayor of Ruapehu wants the Commerce Commission to investigate why there are disparities between fuel prices within the region. He's written to the watchdog to help ensure pricing is equitable, and claims it can be almost 50 cents more expensive than Te Awamutu, which an hour and a half away. Mayor Weston Kirton says says Taumarunui locals are frustrated over paying significantly higher retail fuel prices compared to neighbouring townships. He says they should investigate how retail prices compare to other rural areas. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand is taking in more international students than before the pandemic, but polytechs and schools are missing out. The number of study visas issued in the past eight months is up 10 percent on 2019 figures. Education New Zealand says visa approvals for universities have increased, but visa approvals for schools and polytechs have halved. Spokesperson Geoff Bilbrough told Kate Hawkesby there is not one clear reason for this, and students look at many international factors. He says New Zealand universities rank highly on the global stage, making it an attractive option for families. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are hopes that Gore's council can sort out a rift between councillors and the Mayor. 24-year-old Ben Bell and Chief Executive Stephen Parry have suffered a breakdown in communication. Seven councillors are calling on Bell to resign and he'll face them tomorrow at an emergency meeting. Local Government New Zealand President Stuart Crosby says that there's been trouble since the start of Bell's mayoralty. He says even Bell's attendance at a mayoral college caused issues for him back home. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Farmers are dismissing Government funding for mental health support as a drop in the bucket. Part of the billion dollar cyclone relief package announced yesterday includes 35 million for the safety and wellbeing of farmers and growers. Federated Farmers Hawke's Bay President Jim Galloway told Kate Hawkesby that it'll help a little. But he says it won't go anywhere near what's needed to put fences in the ground, dig trees out of silt, or to fix tracks on farms. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So despite more money being announced yesterday for cyclone recovery, there’s still money floating around that hasn’t even been allocated or spent yet. Months on from Cyclone Gabrielle, more than 30 million dollars in donations is still unspent. How’s that possible? What is it they’re waiting for? It was reported that, “So far, only 5 million of the 24 million donated to the Red Cross Disaster Fund has been allocated, while none of the 11.7 million raised in a March Lotto draw has been dispersed… as 79 cents of every donated dollar remains unspent, earning interest of 150 thousand dollars, the Red Cross is defending the time taken, saying it's allowed for crucial planning and trials.” The Red Cross has been worried about ‘distributing the money too quickly’ apparently. Well no danger of that. “So far the Red Cross has received 140 applications for grants of which it’s approved 32,” it was reported. 32. Out of 140. Why is it taking so long when these people are desperate and have been for months? When it would appear abundantly clear where the money needs to go? New Zealanders are incredibly generous and always very quick to dig deep for those in strife. People deeply affected by post cyclone scenes, threw money at the cause rapidly, and in huge amounts. This country is phenomenal at fundraising and the generosity was abundant. So to then hear that months later, a chunk of it is still just sitting there unspent, accruing interest in a Red Cross account, is disappointing to say the least. We regularly hear from people in the Hawkes Bay and Gisborne regions, who say that they’ve not seen a volunteer or had any support. People who’ve been tearing their hair out over the lack of action. And I feel for them. It’s the one thing they feared most – that they’d be forgotten about. But it doesn’t sit well with us when we see that money’s been raised, yet it’s being held onto for ‘crucial planning and trials’ as the Red Cross says. What does that even mean? What trials? Why is the Red Cross not just getting it done? It was reported re the silt for example, that Red Cross has ‘copped criticism for not helping in the cleanup’.. but that they say it’s ‘not that straightforward’. Isn’t it? Red Cross says they’re ‘enabling people to clean up rather than paying for the trucks and the diggers that are actually lifting the silt..’ They say they’re ‘supporting the families and the communities through either helping to clean out their homes to make them liveable … or providing the equipment and protective gear that helps them do the cleanup themselves.’ Well that’s all well and good if that actually works and is working, but many of these families we hear from are absolutely exhausted with trying to clean up for themselves, they have jobs and families and livelihoods to try to look after too. So it’s a harrowing time for them – and continues to be. I just think for a charitable organisation in the business of providing aid and help – and in raising so much money so quickly from extremely generous New Zealanders, it really behoves them to distribute it efficiently and quickly. And it’s not just Red Cross, it’s government money and Lotto money being held up too, by too much bureaucracy and red tape. This is a hugely productive part of our economy, left floundering, so I just don’t know why there isn’t more urgency in getting the money out to people, to get them back on their feet.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So I’m not sure the Mother’s Day brunch this weekend will be including avocado on toast given the shortage of them – and therefore the cost of them. Although despite avocado being $9 and $10 each in some parts of the country at the moment, other places tell me they can still get them and get them cheap. So it might be a case of the old postcode lottery at the moment when it comes to fruit and veges. But yesterday we heard that we’ve had our largest food price increase since 1987. The cost of food in New Zealand is now up 12.5 percent. And of that, fruit and veges were the biggest driver – up 22.5 percent. Grocery food prices are up 14 percent on this time last year. “Increasing prices for barn or cage-raised eggs, potato chips, and 6-pack yoghurt were the largest drivers within grocery food,” it was reported. And don’t we know it. It‘s us the consumers who feel the pinch of this at the sharp end, as we empty our trolley onto the checkout conveyor belt and look on in horror as the prices get rung up. We feel like everything’s costing more.. because it is. But it’s been a perfect storm of factors – bad weather, supply chain issues, freight costs, minimum wage increases, compliance cost increases all resulting in us getting loaded up with higher price points on just about everything. We didn’t actually realise how bad this was until we left New Zealand and travelled and saw arguably more expensive cities in the world with far cheaper food prices. Blueberries in London – 2 large punnets for 3 pounds. Even for six New Zealand dollars you could only get one small punnet of blueberries if you were lucky. Raspberries the same. Bread and milk cheaper, pretty much all food cheaper bar meat. But no matter where you go, people still whinge about the price of stuff and think their cost of living crisis is worse than anyone else’s. In the UK they complain night and day about their cost of living crisis and the price of food and we’re there thinking – are you kidding? Try buying this in New Zealand! So I guess to an extent the grass is always greener somewhere else – and sometimes is actually is. But you can’t argue with the quality of our produce here. I know I don’t think twice about eating New Zealand grass fed meat but I wouldn’t always feel good about eating meat overseas, same with our dairy. We can also drink water from our taps without too many concerns. But there’s always going to be a premium attached to good quality, high standard food, like sustainably farmed meat and dairy. And most of the time consumers understand and accept that. But the other thing we could do more of I suppose is eat in season – which these days we’re not that good at, because we expect everything to be available to us all of the time. Like avocados. And usually growers can bridge the seasonal gaps with extra supply, but not when bad weather hits. The powers that be tell us these prices will all come back down – and I hope that’s true – I hope they understand that just because we’re paying more for fruit and veges now, doesn’t mean we want to keep paying through the nose for food forever.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concerns demand has outstripped efforts to improve frontline police numbers. Police Minister Ginny Andersen says the Government is closing in on its goal of bolstering staffing by 1800 officers. The Police Association's president says the increase made a real difference initially, but officers are again overwhelmed. Chris Cahill says the work to improve staffing represents a 20 percent increase. But he says there's a 60 percent increase in demand around family harm and mental health alongside growing gang numbers. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new report from Westpac claims more is needed to create sustainable competition between supermarkets. This comes as the price of fruit and vegetables is up 22.5 per cent from last year. Vegetables NZ chair John Murphy joined Kate Hawkesby to discuss. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A top Auckland private school has so little confidence in the new NCEA Level 1 curriculum it is ditching the qualification in favour of its own Year 11 diploma next year. St Cuthbert’s College informed parents Wednesday next year’s Year 11 students would not take part in NCEA Level 1 but rather work towards the school’s own bespoke Year 11 Diploma. Principal Justine Mahon said several of the school’s senior academic staff had been on Government advisory panels for NZQA’s proposed changes to NCEA and had become increasingly concerned by what would be taught in 2024. “We don’t think it provides sufficient, in-depth learning for our students,” she told the Herald. “I’m also concerned about educational standards in New Zealand. Some subjects have been merged so that means that potentially, hundreds of students throughout the country will have a less rigorous conceptual framework.” Chemistry and biology had been merged into one subject as had accounting, business and economics. Several subjects, mostly in the arts, had also been removed. Mahon also believed “fundamentals” like the writing requirement and mathematics had been “dumbed down”. As an example, deputy head of the senior school and head of calculus, Julia Fuge, said the current Level 1 curriculum devoted a third of learning to each of number and algebra, geometry and measurement and statistics and probability. The “refreshed” NZQA curriculum devoted half of the teaching time to statistics and probability and the other half to algebra, measurement, geometry and number. “We feel Level 1 is far too young to reduce the teaching of algebra to an eighth of the course. Like a language, it is very hard to pick up later on and is crucial for our future graduates in the fields of science, engineering, medicine, economics and even statistics itself,” Fuge said. “Currently, Level 1 mathematics has an MCAT exam which is set externally and completed in Term 3 nationally. This keeps standards high and this is being removed in the new 2024 course.” St Cuthbert's College principal Justine Mahon does not believe the "refreshed" NCEA Level 1 provides sufficient, in-depth learning. Photo / File Mahon said the programme would “deliver a world-class, comprehensive curriculum which is intellectually rigorous, well-rounded and more challenging than what is being implemented by NZQA next year”. She said less time on internal assessments and exam leave would provide six more weeks of teaching time allowing subjects to be taught more in-depth. Mahon said there would still be end-of-year exams and other “rigorous and relevant assessments” but it would be less of a focus. “We’ve got to be careful that assessment doesn’t drive learning. That’s not to say that we don’t have assessment but you’ve got to be very considered in how you position this.” She said they did not yet know what the new NCEA Level 2 and 3 curriculums would look like but had staff on the panels who would be agitating for a high standard and a strong conceptual framework. “It doesn’t only matter to St Cuthbert’s girls, it matters to us as educators that throughout the country Level 2 and 3 prepare students for the next step,” she said. “NZQA will have to ensure that they are rigorous otherwise we will be disadvantaging students in their entry into universities. They won’t be able to make similar drastic changes to Levels 2 and 3 without compromising students’ tertiary opportunities.” St Cuthbert’s would continue offering both NCEA and International Baccalaureate qualifications to cater to all students in Year 12 and 13. Mahon said taking part in service projects and co-curricular activities like sport, drama, debating or music were also requirements of the diploma as was a 95 per cent attendance rate. St Cuthbert's College will offer its own Year 11 diploma from next year instead of the new NCEA Level 1. Photo / Supplied One St Cuthbert’s parent, who has a daughter in Year 8, said she the school’s decision only confirmed her fears about the state of the education system. The mum of three had intended to send her daughter back to public school for her secondary years but was now reconsidering. “I had always thought my kids might go to university in Australia and it just concerns me that they might turn up and be so far behind the eight-ball that they can’t catch up,” she said. “I believe in public education. I don’t want to be sending my kid to a private school. I want them to go to the local Government school but it just doesn’t seem that it’s good enough.” Ministry of Education curriculum centre group manager Rob Mill said the Ministry was aware a number of schools had made decisions to reduce or cease participation in NCEA Level 1 since the commencement of the NCEA Review in 2018. Pilots for new NCEA Level 1 standards had been running since 2021 and schools involved had reported students were well prepared for NCEA Level 2, he said. “The Ministry is confident that graduates of the new NCEA Level 1 will be better

So a new poll shows the Nats nudging past Labour to form a government with Act. No Māori Party needed as Kingmaker, which has been the current narrative of course.. how close the race is, how powerful Te Pāti Māori could end up. If this poll becomes a trend, not powerful at all. But I still think Luxon did the right thing ruling them out and not a moment too soon. He's dead right when he says they're not the party they were, they grandstanders. But he's also right to do it because it makes him look decisive, like he stands for something, principled, and like a leader. And he desperately needs that right now. Because this latest poll also showed that his personal popularity is still floundering. He got his lowest favourability rating since becoming the leader in November 2021. Now the likes of Richard Prebble will argue women are the problem for Luxon - as in, they don't like him. He wrote a column yesterday saying ‘Polling indicates that women like Chris Hipkins’ “I am just a boy from the Hutt”, and dislike Christopher Luxon’s “I am from head office”. But that’s not true of all women, and it dilutes women’s voting preferences down to identity politics, or the politics of personality. However, Prebble claims the ones who saw Ardern swept to victory in 2020 were the previously National voters, who’d changed their tune and had fallen hook line and sinker for her. They voted for her, not Labour. He claims it’s those ’Ardern women’ as he calls them, who will decide the next election. But surely if that theory is correct, then you have to account for how many of those ‘Ardern women’ will now – post Jacinda, be able to see through the warm fuzzy approach. How many of them have been disappointed and will not be seduced by the ‘Boy from the Hutt’ rhetoric and actually want to see more than just populism and idealism? Women are savvy, they’re smart, and they’re able to see through the BS. Not all of them of course, but I’d be surprised if we see a large proportion of women come October, falling for big smiles and platitudes, again. I also think this election is shaping up to be a bit of a verdict on where we are at as a country. And I’d hazard a guess that we are over it, we are over the way it’s currently being run and what’s happened to it. The state of the economy, the cost of living crisis, the striking nurses and teachers, the health care system in tatters, the education system in tatters, crime through the roof, disengaged disenfranchised youth, division and tribalism, an overarching negativity and oppressiveness about the place. Lack of Police, lack of accountability, lack of transparency – I’m not sure why we’d vote for more of that? One poll does not a trend make, and we'd need a few more to show the trajectory, but I've got a feeling this race won't be as tight as pundits predict. I just wonder if it looks tight in places like social media platforms or Facebook groups or newspaper comments sections, but in heartland New Zealand it’s clearer cut. What about all the people not venting their frustrations or airing their views on those platforms? So still plenty of water to go under the bridge, but in terms of how tight it's going to be; I think we'll see the gap slowly start to widen as people wake up to what's really going on in this country.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Early childhood teachers have painted a grim picture of the state of their sector. An Office of Early Childhood Education survey has found more than 70 percent of teachers believe the industry will get worse in the future. Early Childhood New Zealand Chief Executive Kathy Wolfe told Kate Hawkesby the survey results aren't surprising. She says there is chronic under-funding, teacher shortages and they're overburdened with standards and regulations. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Avocados are due to return to supermarket shelves shortly as prices soar to more than five dollars each. A Rabobank report shows this year's production will be lower than last due to wet weather events. Foodstuffs' Brigit Corson told Kate Hawkesby they haven't been able to bridge the gap while avocados are out of season, hence the higher price. She says it hasn't been a good growing year and combined with the cyclone and poor weather they ran out. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

100 wealthy New Zealanders who believe our public services are underfunded think they should be the ones to pay up. The group has signed a pledge calling on the Government to increase their taxes. Inspired by the initiative Millionaires for Humanity, it believes the current tax system contributes towards the gap between poor and the wealthy. Ex-Retirement Commissioner, Dame Diana Crossan told Kate Hawkesby higher taxes are better than philanthropy, as the money is shared more widely. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s a funny thing being away and suddenly seeing stuff without the blinkers on - and we are blinkered here. We’ve been cloistered in a sheltered environment with shut borders for so long that we’ve maybe lost sight of how much the rest of the world has moved on. And they have moved on. But I tell you what struck me the most, how safe I felt in cities like London and New York, compared to New Zealand. I know, weird eh. When you think of New York you think crime and mayhem, but in fact, there are just so many cops, that it feels safe. And not only are there lots of them, they’re armed and look like the sort of people you don’t mess with. They walk round in minimum of doubles, but usually groups of them. They clamp down on any whiff of action and if something does fire up – they’re on the scene shutting it down within seconds. The sirens of the NYPD are a constant - there are cops everywhere, active and omnipresent, and that’s before we get to all the security guards stationed outside shops, malls and doorways too. Likewise the public don’t suffer fools in New York. We saw an out of it homeless man being a menace to people just outside Central Park and locals just tackled him to the ground and lay on top of him until NYPD arrived about 30 seconds later. So trouble gets cleaned up real quick. Likewise, in London. It feels the safest of all to be honest. Although a mate of mine who lives in London but travels frequently to New York for work said ironically he feels safer there. But in London cops are omnipresent too. They walk the beat in doubles, gigantic handcuffs dangling out of their pockets, some are armed, and they look serious enough to be a deterrent. And they are. They’re also extremely approachable. They’re helping tourists with directions, they’re sorting out traffic issues, they’re genuinely useful to their communities, many are well known, liked and kids look up to them. So a lot different to here. And there are lessons there for our Police Minister and Commissioner. To make people feel safe, as they often say they want to, you have to actually be proactive in creating a safe environment. You can’t do that in a vacuum. We often hear this Government talking about crime numbers coming down – yet we know that’s not true because we know it’s more about how it gets reported, or in many cases not reported. If you don’t classify breaking into a shop’s front door with a car as a ram raid, then it’s not a ram raid stat is it? But we have to be less blinkered. For all the people who go on about how ‘safe’ New Zealand is, is it really? Or is that just a story we keep telling ourselves? A person I know currently here from London said she cannot believe how unsafe she feels in NZ these days, she can’t wait to get back to London. I know of another who said they’d travelled all over the world, and the place they felt least safe was the Auckland CBD on a Saturday night. Some will argue, well at least we don’t have guns like America and that's true, and for that I'm grateful, but we had a gun pulled on a member of the public in Auckland just last week, so there is an issue with gangs and guns. But when I think about how safe I felt elsewhere, in vastly bigger cities, I think the key to it is not that hard, it could actually just be as simple as more cops on the beat in our communities.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An Auckland business leader believes Auckland Council made the right call, when responding to yesterday's flood events. Heart of the City Chief Executive, Viv Beck told Kate Hawkesby while shutting down the city can't be done willy-nilly, it was appropriate in this case due to the widespread impacts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A body has been found in the search for a missing student in Abbey Caves in Whangarei. Specialist equipment brought up from Auckland allowed the search to continue last night. A formal identification process will be carried out, with cordons in place for a routine scene examination. Whangārei Mayor Vince Cocurullo told Kate Hawkesby they expect a review of the doomed school trip to be carried out. He says as the owner of the caves, they will be involved with the review and other processes. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An anti-smoking advocacy group is calling for a 21-year-old age limit for buying vapes. Action for Smokefree 2025 has outlined new proposals that aim to help tackle youth vaping in New Zealand. According to the group, in 2020, daily vaping in Year 10 students increased from one percent to almost 10 percent, and from one percent to 18.6 percent for under 25s. ASH Director Ben Youdan told Kate Hawkesby the group's recommendations aim to improve prevention. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A pay rise for the Defence Force, which has lost about about 10 percent of its personnel over the past year. That works out to around 800 people leaving. What would be really interesting to know and hopefully the Defence Force does know this - is where they're going and why they're going. Is it only because there's more money to be had in civvy street or are there other issues? There was a time when we were losing trained personnel to the Australian military, purely because of money. These days, there's better dough to be had in the Fire Service or the Police and in Corrections too, although you might argue there's more danger in any of those roles now than the military. So we're upping the money by between $4000 and $15,000 a year, meaning 90 percent of NZDF personnel will be above, or close to, market rates. Also meaning about 10 percent, roughly the proportion that left last year, will still be below market rates. Thing is the Defence Force has turned out some fantastic contributors. Recent examples just off the top of my head, MPs and Ministers, a Governor General and an outstanding airline CEO. I doubt many of them went into it for the money and maybe this is where the NZDF could be looking to make itself more attractive. The Defence Force opens doors to fantastic careers for the right people. For others looking to get skills or a trade, it provides training and opportunities that money just can't buy. The downside...well...it's only two weeks since we acknowledged the price some of our people have paid for joining up. In a world that looks more dangerous by the day, what kind of money compensates for that sacrifice?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A 10,000 strong petition is calling for more facilities to fix freedom camping issues. The Responsible Campers Association says the Government is claiming there's a nationwide problem, but its incoming legislation won't fix it. Association secretary Bob Osborne joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A big pay increase is on the way for our Defence Force in the hope of stemming staff turnover. The Government is bringing 90 percent of pay in line with market rates, by putting aside nearly $420 million in the Budget. Another $328 million will also be spent upgrading assets and infrastructure, including Defence Force housing. Former Defence Minister, Ron Mark told Tim Dower he takes his hat off to new Minister Andrew Little. He says he's clearly had the support of Chris Hipkins to come to the table, which is desperately needed as the force is bleeding experienced personnel. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Coromandel Peninsula community is eagerly awaiting an announcement on the fate of State Highway 25A due later this morning. The Kopu to Hikuai route has been closed for three months after significant damage from Cyclone Gabrielle. Waka Kotahi has three options on the table; a potential bypass, bridge, or retaining wall. Coromandel MP Scott Simpson told Tim Dower his concern isn't which one it will be, but rather how long it will take to complete. He's hopeful it can be re-opened before summer, as the closure's impact on the community and local businesses has been devastating. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Australian Government is seeking an end to the imprisonment of Julian Assange in the UK. The Australian citizen and WikiLeaks founder has been incarcerated while the US seeks to extradite him on charges relating to the publishing of classified information about the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Anthony Albanese hasn't been able to find a "diplomatic solution" to the Assange case while in London for the Coronation. But UK correspondent Gavin Grey told Roman Travers that there is some positive news. He says that for the first time both Australia's leader and opposition leader has called for his imprisonment to come to an end. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's believed continuity and stability will be a core-focus for King Charles as he guides the Royal Family into a new era. Royal Commentator, Richard Fitzwilliams told Roman Travers that the King knows his biggest challenge will be connecting with the younger generations. He says it's been a tough time for the monarchy, with Prince Andrew in disgrace and Prince Harry and Meghan's exit, the split affecting young people's attitudes towards the Royals. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's some hope that supplier costs to supermarkets will soon show signs of easing. The Infometrics-Foodstuffs New Zealand Grocery Supplier Cost Index shows a 10% increase in what suppliers charged supermarkets for goods in April. We've seen increases of 10% or more for the past six months. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen says this reflects suppliers themselves are facing very high input price pressures. He says we're starting to see some signs of possibly less intense cost pressures, but they are remaining high for now. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What an astonishing weekend it’s been, right? There aren’t many of us that are old enough to remember in great detail the coronation of our previous monarch, Queen Elizabeth the second. Now we all have Saturday night etched into our memory banks with all that pomp and pageantry, being beamed into lounges across the world with the coronation of King Charles the third and Queen Camilla. Generally, people seem to have been polite enough to park their republican discussions with the possibility that the preponderance of those in favour of sticking with what we have has again become the way we’ll stay. With the coronation formalities now designated to the official websites of royal history and fabulous photography, it’ll be fascinating to see whether the debate around New Zealand becoming a republic once again bobs about. For those excited at the prospect of buying more new shoes, and more very formal outfits for one off occasions, we may well get to see another coronation in a decade or so from now. So hang on to those overpriced outfits. If you live long enough, fashion tends to go full circle. One thing that will cement the love for the British royal family more than anything will be inevitable succession to the throne of William and Kate at his side. There seems to be genuine love, or strong liking at least for this couple, who’ll undoubtedly hope to retain and enhance the ubiquitous favour that the British royal family cling to regardless of the Meghan and Harry debacle. My strong feeling is that rightly or wrongly and for better or worse, New Zealand will make no fundamental changes in terms of our allegiance to the British royal family and the Commonwealth in my lifetime. In fact, the future of ‘The Firm’ shines brighter than ever. Although the official wording within the ceremony did seem bonkers at times, with chants like, ‘may he live forever’, which doesn’t happen for anyone even on the best vitamin regimens, the sentiment seems to be genuine. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What a cool day we’ve had today. We met David Walliams from ‘Little Britain’ and ‘Come Fly With Me’ – two comedy shows that could never be made these days without being cancelled immediately – in fact I don’t even know if there are clips still up on YouTube– probably been gassed by now. But they were hilarious shows. He’s also been the judge on ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ so he’s a big name here. But Walliams is probably most known worldwide for his books I think – fabulous author – Gangsta Granny, Billionaire Boy Robo-dog. He’s an extremely entertaining children’s book author and he very generously gave my daughter some books, he signed them for her and her little brother and sister, he did photos with us, and he was genuinely very funny. He actually just took the piss out of us. He called us ‘a very stylish family’ but then he did have a crack at Mike about his ripped jeans. He said Mike reminded him of ‘a Karl Lagerfeld’ he said he was ‘wearing clothes designed for a much younger man..’ we were in fits. He also said he loved Mike’s ‘stylish sunglasses’ so they were hitting it off. Then after the interview we walked out to his car with him at which point Mike spotted that his car was one he'd owned before, but David had the new model. So, turns out Walliams is a car guy too, so suddenly he’s telling Mike to hop in the car and they’re chatting about cars, then he offers us a ride home – given we’re only staying a short walk away from the BBC we had to decline that, but what a lovely and hilarious guy. As he drove away he wound down his window and yelled out at us ‘ok then leave me alone now!’ so that was a treat. Then we met Graham Norton. Graham Norton we met last time in 2018 when we were here for Harry and Meghan’s wedding, and he was so lovely, polite and effusive. Very humble and low key, and still the same today, just such a lovely man. As he arrived and saw us all, he said, ‘gangs all here!’ Again very generous doing autographs for Marley, photos, and even participated happily in her BeReal post! Anyway, given he’s got a place in New York, I asked him which he preferred. I explained we’d just come from New York, and we couldn’t decide if we like London or New York better. He didn’t even pause for a beat, “New York”, he said. He was very impressed with Mike’s coronation invite and asked if I’d had an invite too, or if Mike could bring a plus one. When Mike explained no it was just him, Graham said, ‘not to be rude, but why you?’ We were all so busy laughing I’m not sure what Mike’s answer was, but Graham was very excited for him, asking if he could take his phone in, if he was wearing tails, if he would recognise all the heads of state there etc. Anyway two very lovely chatty personable and self-deprecating men, doing amazing work here, and really just topping off a fabulous two weeks in London for us. Exhausting, but fabulous. The boss texted today and said ‘are you ready to come home?’ I had to say, nope, I’m not, I’d stay here forever. But the school run and the dog and life as normal awaits, so it’s been a blast, it's been a privilege. But it’s definitely not goodbye to London, it’s see you again soon.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The countdown is on to the historic King's coronation this weekend. King Charles has been heir to the throne for 70 years and excitement's building for the big royal celebration on Saturday. Max Foster is a CNN host and royal correspondent in London, and he joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are now in the final countdown to the coronation. One of those representing New Zealand at Westminster Abbey is former Olympic and World Championship winning rower Rebecca Scown. She now heads up Youth Experience in Sport over in Britain. Rebecca Scown joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The iconic Rodd and Gunn is making its presence felt in London. The lifestyle brand opened in mayfair towards the end of 2019 - and is now expanding into europe. That came after massively successful launches into Australia and the United States. Kate Hawkesby caught up with Rodd and Gunn's UK Regional Manager Eleanor O'Dea. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well today has noticeably ramped up another notch in coronation preparations. More roads closed, more barricades up, more Cops around, and way, way more people. The Palace garden party was on today, so attendees were out in their finery and even the weather played ball with a beautiful and rare blue sky day. Many, who at the start of this week were a bit ho hum, seem now to be getting excited. I was speaking with one woman whose kids insisted she drag them round all the festivities to see what’s in store for the celebrations ‘for our King’, as she put it. She said they weren’t really royalists and felt indifferent about the monarchy, but she said when it came to events like an historic coronation, how could you not be part of it all? She said it’s part and parcel of being British. On the day however, given how busy London already is, she said she’d stay home and ‘watch it on the telly’, which she argued would be a better view anyway, and she’s probably right. But there’s something magical about being here and soaking up the festive vibes, and it’s part of what I love about England; how into it they get. They love a good knees up. They love their bunting, they love their Bank holidays, even if they don’t even love the royals that much. The TV news channels here are all about polls on the monarchy. A recent YouGov one showed 58 percent of Brits still want a monarchy, and just 26 percent say they’d prefer a head of state. There’s ongoing criticism of royal spending of course – when asked if the monarchy was good value for money – 54 percent said yes, 32 percent said no. In young people that stat was higher of course, of 18 to 24 year olds, 40 percent thought the monarchy was a waste of money. The royals are under constant criticism in that regard; from private jet use, to security costs, to living expenses. Royal trustees are currently carrying out a five year review of the sovereign grant and the monarchy already has fewer working royals. Harry and Meghan choosing to leave of course, and Prince Andrew being shown the door. But questions remain about how much more Charles can trim it all down. And even then, will it enthuse Gen Zed’ers into the royal fold? With Charles being 74, most of his support base is 65 plus, and you’ve got an increasingly royally disengaged youth. ‘Nearly four in ten Gen Zed’ers support abolishing the monarchy,’ according to that YouGov poll, just ‘a third of 18 to 24-year-olds back the Crown’. Another question pollsters asked was whether people thought Charles was in touch with the British public. 36 percent said yes he was, 45 percent said no. Looking like you’re in touch helps, and they’re relying very much on the younger royals as in Wills and Kate, to do that. But at the end of the day, Brits by and large seem to love the pageantry around all this stuff. News channels here were reporting on the huge volumes of bunting people had ordered through the post to hang in their homes. But while this may be a festive, celebratory and ceremonially significant week for the monarchy, it’s very much how it plays out from here that matters. Whether King Charles can maintain a monarchy that’s modern and current, and justifiable in the eyes of the British public, is all ahead of him long after the bunting and the flags have been taken down and packed away.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Just one concussion can cause someone to go on and commit a violent crime. New AUT research shows even a mild traumatic brain injury significantly increases the risk of criminal behaviour over the following decade. It also exacerbates mental health difficulties, drug abuse and managing emotional reactions to events. Researcher Gail Pacheco told Kate Hawkesby a concussion can result in more criminal convictions and court charges later in life. She says the risk is higher amongst men and those who have had multiple brain injuries. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You'll probably know the Kiwi company, Karma Drinks. They're an ethical drinks company which launched in New Zealand back in 2012. They are a massive success story in Britain, which now accounts for about half their business. And out of its 25 staff - seven are based in the UK. UK Marketing and Sales Director at Karma Jessamy Besson-Jones joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Hipkins has confirmed he still hasn't heard from Meka Whaitiri. Whaitiri has resigned from minister and from the Labour Party, and plans to jump ship to Te Pāti Māori at the next election. Speaking to Kate Hawkesby from England, the Prime Minister says he's still completely in the dark about why she's suddenly decided to leave. “She clearly hasn’t spoken to anyone about it. She certainly hadn’t raised any concerns up to the point where she made her announcement. So those are really questions for her I guess.” Whaitiri is now expected to carry on as an independent MP, but will run under Te Pāti Māori's banner for the Ikaroa-Rāwhiti seat she holds, in this year's election. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So just as we have rolling strikes beginning this week in New Zealand, the UK has strikes going on too. Nurses and teachers. Today here more than 22,000 schools were disrupted with a mass walkout of Union members. And if you think our strikes are bad, this is the fifth time this year teachers in England have walked off the job demanding better pay and conditions. And it’s raised the question here of who picks up the slack and looks after all these kids for parents who have to keep working and can’t take the time off. There’s a lot of debate here about what they’re calling ‘Granny day-care’ where grandparents are having to take over the caregiving. Some parents are saying it’s too much for elderly grandparents who may have health issues or not be fit and able enough to suddenly be running round after small children all day. It can cause friction between families who’re expecting too much from grandparents. Others are saying it’s just not fair – it’s free unpaid work, and many busy grandparents with full active lives of their own are having to donate time and energy to little ones above and beyond what counts as being grandparents. So the debate is on. The reality is, and similarly for us in New Zealand, many of these families don’t have the resources or finances to cope with much more disruption, take time off work, or hire extra help. And that’s before we get to the kids themselves who’re facing yet more upheaval. I mean I was feeling terrible about dragging my daughter to London for work when the original plan was to drop her home from New York so she could start the term on time after the holidays, but with plans changing and us coming across to London sooner, she ended up being dragged with us so I had to write to the school and explain – because you need permission from the Dean to withdraw your child or have them off during term time. So I had to write a lengthy email to explain and I was feeling bad about that. But then I realised, between Anzac day, teacher only days, a scheduled half day off for parent teacher interviews and now the strikes all inside the timeframe we’re away, she’s hardly missing a thing. In fact it’s probably more educational for her being here at this point. I do feel for teachers though. Have you been in a classroom lately? I mean yes they get a lot of time off as people point out, and it looks like they technically work shorter hours than most – but do they? The teachers I know are working long before school starts, and long after. They’re marking on weekends, they’re prepping themselves admin wise and they’re dealing with a myriad of extracurricular stuff they have to be responsible for. All the social issues they have to deal with inside their classrooms, kids with issues that even ten years ago would not have been such a big deal. They’ve got absenteeism at record levels, kids missing out, new rules and regulations to stay on top of as curriculums and education standards keep changing. It’s actually a huge toll on many very capable people. And they all get lumped into the same basket of course – the Union ones, the non-Union ones, the capable ones, the useless ones, so that doesn’t help either. So I have sympathy for all sides. Kids facing disruption, teachers still having to battle the system, parents left picking up the pieces, and as they’re pointing out here in the UK, all the grandparents getting roped into this for free childcare too.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are four days out now from the coronation of King Charles III. You certainly can't miss it in London, the build up is in full force, but how do the public feel about the upcoming coronation? LBC talk radio host Iain Dale joined Kate Hawkesby out of the UK. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A last push as area school teachers prepare for strike action. Union NZEI has agreed to join the Post Primary Teachers Association in rolling strikes from next Tuesday to Thursday. It's also opted to ban covering relief teacher work. NZEI President Mark Potter told Kate Hawkesby this action is necessary, as they haven't had an offer from the ministry since last year. He says rolling strikes might have an impact on students, but the impact will be even greater if teachers resign. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Rotorua dentist says kids are suffering by waiting so long to be seen. Te Whatu Ora figures show the average wait time for children 15 or under, who need surgery across the city is just over four months, with some waiting up to nine months. Ranolf Dental Surgery owner Leroy Chan told Kate Hawkesby that's an unnecessary length of time. He says it's affecting their health, their families and the whole of society. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I asked AI a question the other day and it didn’t know the answer. I thought Chat GPT knew everything? It came back and said – I don’t know, but would you like me to find out for you? I mean, what do you think? That’s why I asked. Anyway I Googled it, and immediately got the answer. My question was ‘why don’t London cabbies work in the rain’ – I got the answer not only from Google but also from the next Cab I hopped into when he just told me. Always better from the horse’s mouth. But like all things, it doesn’t take long before advancements in technology become battlegrounds for hearts and souls and breeding grounds of distortion and hate. Like the internet itself. The real uses these things are intended for get hijacked by the lowest common denominator or bad actors that look to disrupt. The concern with AI at the moment is that it’s mostly being used as a toy or a tool of trickery – deep fakes, artificial voices and the like. Fake campaigns often go a long way on mainstream before they get picked up. And so it is a similarly perplexing issue for schools and students. Schools and universities now have the battle of how much students use AI and for what purpose. For every advancement in tech, schools and unis have to come up with a counter move to protect themselves from it. How can they ensure students work is their own? Many schools have already employed anti-plagiarism tools and anti-cheating software, but they have to be vigilant and work on student morals too. They have to hammer home the importance of honesty and decency when it comes to AI and not just rely on software programmes to investigate for AI detection. AI certainly speeds things up though these days. Kids don’t have to wonder for long, or try to find out anything themselves the old fashioned way, answers are these days right at their fingertips. I often remind my kids that somehow I got through school without Google; we either had to ask the teacher, or look up books. I mean honestly, how did we get through it? It’s so much easier these days. And the books. The weight of those text books at uni, and the cost of them, they were a nightmare. And we had to lug them round and scour them for hours. These days text books are a foreign concept. You’d be hard pressed to find a text book in any child’s school bag nowadays. But the challenge is how much students use AI. Some schools are saying don’t use it all, but others are more realistic. Encouraging students to use all tools available to them in terms of asking a question, but only using answers by way of research purposes. So for example, you could ask AI the same thing you might ask Google, just not utilise the answers verbatim. And if you thought for one second you could copy, the anti-cheat software’s going to pick it up anyway. So I don’t know whether it’s harder or easier these days for kids. On the one hand all the tools and answers are there for them, but on the other hand, they have to think so carefully about what they can and can’t use. There’s that added layer of paranoia about making sure their work is legit and not plagiarized in any way. It’s a classic case of technology making life easier in some respects, but harder in others.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time to meet a Kiwi making noise in the royal world. Sophie Gaulter is only the second woman to be included in the famed London Scottish Regiment band. This is the esteemed band known for performing at royal events and participated in the procession for the Queen's death. Sophie joined only a few months ago and Sophie Ggualter joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Heading into a busy winter season, the dairy sector is still lacking thousands of workers. The shortage is being partly blamed on the median migrant wage with the $29.66 cent hourly wage requirement being called unreasonable as local workers earn less for the same job. Federated Farmers Dairy chair and Immigration spokesperson, Richard McIntyre, joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The death of MasterChef Australia judge Jock Zonfrillo has sent shockwaves through the food world. Australia Correspondent Donna Demaio told Kate Hawkesby the 46-year-old's loss is being felt across the world. “Tributes from Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, even Aussie rock legend Jimmy Barnes says he feels like he has lost a brother.” It's still unclear if the upcoming season of MasterChef Australia will go to air. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.