Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

So the rain is hitting Auckland city now, but yesterday between 8.30 and 3pm when there was hardly any rain or wind and I wondered why kids in all the unaffected areas couldn’t have been at school. Yesterday turned out to be an average rainy day. Yes I get it, precautions. It’s better to be safe than sorry, but seriously, if this is a pattern of weather we’re going to get more of, then we need to adjust our attitudes to it. We need to dig deep on how we teach resilience and self-responsibility, over and above constantly looking to authorities to make the rules for us and dictate how we should live in a carte blanche fashion. The coolest thing the Auckland Grammar principal did was do his own research on the weather, see that no heavy rain was starting before at least 3pm, and make up his own mind - and he was proven right to keep his school open. People who have lived in countries with monsoons, those who have lived in the States or the UK, anyone whose had to shovel snow from the driveway or the car before getting kids to school - they know that just shutting everything up on a 'maybe', is not sustainable. Visitors currently here from those countries think we’re soft. The level of fear and anxiety leading up to this cyclone was akin to that which was stoked up in this country during Covid. But where does it leave us? Kids at home, the school year interrupted again, people worried sick and productivity ground to a halt while everything gets shut up. This cyclone, much like the last bad weather event we had, has been isolated to certain places. There was no reason for the whole of Auckland to be shut yesterday, particularly the schools. The irony of Chris Hipkins yesterday on Mike’s show saying there will be an announcement on truancy this week because they’ve ‘just got to get kids back to school’ was not lost on any of us. He talked about how too many students are not turning up and how backwards we’re going on that front, and how they really need kids to engage and yet, he said all that on the very day schools are shut. And not just for one day - but two full days. If the message that comes from top down is that school is just something to be turned on and off like a tap, then what do they expect? What kids need is routine and structure. To get them to attend, you actually need the schools to be open. And reassure them they’re always open. How else do you impart the importance of school? Are schools going to shut on days that are too hot? On more rainy days? Someone said to me that shutting schools because there may be a cyclone arriving, is like teaching kids that they can take a day off school if they think they may have a stomach ache coming on. I understand that these weather patterns are relatively new to us so we're not entirely used to them yet, but if this sort of weather is the new normal for us, then we have to find better solutions than just closing everything up, and then wondering why kids don’t take school seriously.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are hopes things could be looking up for the services sector after a difficult few years, that's according to the latest BNZ performance index. The figures showed that we may be seeing the end of the record labour demand, with vacancies filling up. BusinessNZ chief executive Kirk Hope joined Kate Hawkesby to discuss. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emergency services are being kept busy across the upper North Island as Cyclone Gabrielle continues to hit the country. North Shore ward councillor Richard Hills told Kate Hawkesby there's been a lot of trees and power lines down. "It is pretty windy still out here so we are asking people to stay off to the roads to assess the damage and stay away from the coast." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emergency services are being kept busy across the upper North Island as Cyclone Gabrielle continues to hit the country. Our newsroom understands a firefighter is unaccounted for at Muriwai on Auckland's West Coast, with residents of Motutara and Domain Roads being evacuated overnight. Flooding, slips and downed trees are affecting homes in several regions, and a person is trapped in a car in Whangārei. The entire Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Gisborne Regions are in a state of emergency, including the Coromandel Peninsula. Waikato District Mayor, Jacqui Church told Kate Hawkesby defence and roading crews have been out in full-force in northern Waikato, which has been hit hard. Severe weather warnings remain in effect for the entire North Island and upper South, and tens of thousands of people remain without power. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The upper North Island is bracing for the impact of Cyclone Gabrielle. Severe weather warnings and watches are in place for the entire North Island and upper South Island. Red warnings are in effect for Northland, Auckland, the Coromandel Peninsula, and the Gisborne District north of Tolaga Bay. At least 23-thousand homes across Auckland and Northland have spent the night without power. NIWA meteorologist Chris Brandolino says that Northland and Gisborne have had lots of rain already, but the heaviest rain in Auckland is still to come. Auckland Harbour Bridge has partially reopened. However, State Highway One over the Brynderwyns remains closed due to large slips, and Whangarei Heads Road east of Whangarei is closed due to flooding. ALL rail services and MOST flights in the upper North Island have been cancelled. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's been a night of heavy rain in the Gisborne and Coromandel Districts. Coromandel MP Scott Simpson told Kate Hawkesby that the ground across the peninsula is already sodden, and more slips are expected. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I see Aucklanders coming in for a lot of criticism for rushing out to supermarkets and filling their trolleys over the weekend before Cyclone Gabrielle’s arrival, but in defence of Aucklanders: why wouldn’t they? I mean that’s what Civil Defence, the Mayor, and all the media were telling them to do. Not only that, they were putting out those messages in a concentrated timeframe. We were being told to get enough supplies for 3 days, and to do that by the end of the weekend. So you had a mad flurried 48-hour period where people went berserk in supermarkets. You can’t tell everyone to stock up, all at the same time, and not expect that to get hectic. But here’s the thing – what to stock up on was detailed in advance; bottled water, batteries, torches, food. And the supermarkets —and here’s where I think the blame really lies— supermarkets were busy telling us they had plenty! That stock would not run out, there was plenty for everyone, just take what you need, and don’t worry we’ve got masses. But what maybe they didn’t properly compute, was how if you tell everyone in Auckland at the same time, within the same 48 hour period to go stock up on those specific things, that maybe you need to have a huge stash of crates in the aisles like they did with toilet paper during lockdown, as back up. Because the first thing that happened is that all the supermarkets appeared to sell out of bottled water, batteries, eggs, bread... it was a cluster. Why didn’t they bring bucket loads more of that stuff in, knowing that’s what people needed? I felt so sorry for all those so anxious already who then rushed off to supermarkets, as instructed by local authorities, only to find the shelves bare. Yes there were probably people who bought more than they needed, but when you create a sense of panic —as I think has happened this time round because authorities were so determined not to repeat last time— then you have to expect human behavior will respond in kind. Also, we have, as relatively recent experience, lockdowns and how crazy people went at supermarkets then. And again, at that time they were saying the same thing: just take what you need, don’t go nuts. But human nature tells us people do go nuts. Experience tells us people, for some reason, want to buy a lot of toilet paper. There’s also an egg shortage so of course eggs were first to go. Now I don’t doubt many supermarkets were frantically trying to restock on Sunday, but by then the rain was hitting and there’d be many people reticent, or unable, to go back out. The queues and craziness had kicked in Friday and Saturday, and that’s when the back stock needed to be getting restocked – in real time as it was being snapped up. So we’ve not learned much from lockdowns have we? We still go crazy, we still panic, and supermarkets still can’t seem to plan ahead for that.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the school year starts, I am reminded of the beauty of great teachers. Having had five kids through four different schools, we’ve seen the full gamut of teachers – bad, sad, grumpy, useless, brilliant, engaged, interesting, and inspiring. If you’ve got kids in school, you’ll know what I mean. Every year, your child desperately hopes for good teachers and every year you end up hoping for that too because it makes such a difference to your child’s year and their learning. This year my daughter, who is in high school, had a lot of new teachers starting. Many of them young, one even younger than her older brother, fresh faces from Teachers College, ones who have switched from other careers, ones who have been away travelling and returned. But she’s lucked out. Every single one of her teachers is a winner, and it’s already making such a difference to the start of her year. She’s excited to get to school, excited when she gets home from school. Excited for the year ahead. Which makes the whole experience so much better for everyone. I was asking on the way home from school yesterday about what makes these teachers so good. Being young obviously helps she said, because they’re not jaded yet, they’re not so traditional and rule bound, they’re more modern and fun. They’re starting out and they want to have a good experience too. The other thing she said is the organized ones are great because they’re so onto it classes run smoothly, everyone knows what’s expected of them and where they stand. Work is laid out and easily understood. The other thing she mentioned was the personalization – the ones who bother getting to know the students on a personal level. One gave her a birthday card because she noted my daughter’s birthday was just before school went back. Totally unnecessary but very sweet and thoughtful. This isn't a private school by the way either. Another teacher paused class to have a ‘get to know you session’ and she kicked it off by giving info on herself first, so the girls all felt they knew a bit more about her. Which is definitely a very modern thing because I remember being at school and you didn’t know a thing about your teacher’s personal life or if they were married or had kids or not, and you dare not ask either. But these days it’s not unusual for teachers to have pictures of their family on their desk, point out their kids’ names and ages and give little tidbits of personal stories. So it’s fascinating to see how teaching is evolving and changing – many times for the better. It's a good reminder that among the teacher shortage and the woes at the Ministry of Education and all the dramas around NCEA and curriculums and absenteeism that at the heart of all this are clutches of really hard working, keen and enthusiastic teachers, doing an amazing job to keep kids engaged. And it’s teachers like that we owe a debt of gratitude, because despite it all, they push on – and with a smile on their face. And given the disruption of the past few years for our kids in school, I reckon those teachers are worth their weight in gold.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A win for tourism as our local hotel industry thrives, with the sector the most optimistic since the pandemic began. The Tourism Export Council forecasts international visitor levels rebounding to around 2.1 million by the end of May and could approach pre-Covid levels mid 2025. Hospitality NZ Chief Executive Julie White told Kate Hawkesby 2023 is already shaping up to be a bumper year for the industry. She says all market segments are strong, with businesses back to travelling, and a range of events bringing in visitors and helping fill occupancies. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Heat pumps the size of a five-storey building could be on the way from Fonterra. It's partnered with German company Man Energy Solutions to tackle its carbon production through greener steam generation. The giant heat pumps would reduce enough to be the equivalent to taking 25,000 thousand cars off the road. Fonterra chief operating officer Fraser Whineray joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Officials say they may need to do welfare checks on people in the worst hit areas, should Cyclone Gabrielle hit hard. Tairawhiti Civil Defence Controller Ben Green told Kate Hawkesby there could be further damage. “We know enough to guess the different forecast models and they certainly correlate around the fact you’re going to see landfall and impact and it just comes down to varying degrees of impact.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So the worst kept secret in politics yesterday was finally confirmed - the merger is a gone burger. Merging TVNZ and RNZ was never a good idea - right from the get go. Everyone thought it was crazy and so the Government now finally agree. Either that, or they just can’t handle the criticism and unpopularity of it. Because I can’t help thinking if you believe in a policy and invest in it, throw money at it - not just any money either - don’t forget $9,000 a day on consultants, then you believe in it. But as a sop to the failed project what are they doing? Handing out more money. More for RNZ and more for NZ on Air. The media slush fund for state broadcasting goes on and that’s before we get to the $23 million already spent on the merger, which now just gets flushed down the loo. But the sting in the tail of yesterday’s policy walk backs was a little treat come April for businesses - the upping of the minimum wage. And it's not just any increase either but a whopping $1.50 increase. So, businesses who have been struggling during Covid, struggling during border closures, struggling with ram raids and retail theft, struggling to get staff at all are now faced with a bigger wages bill. Hipkins acknowledged that a number of small businesses ‘had concerns’ about this – no kidding. Here’s the rub, Hipkins met with the Auckland Business chamber – one of the first things he did in his new role as PM - to allegedly show the Government’s new interest in listening to business, acknowledging they’d not done it enough previously and even new Chief Executive Simon Bridges fell for it and said he had hope. Well, those hopes got dashed at about 3 o’clock yesterday afternoon. This Government is anti-business, it doesn’t listen to them, it doesn’t care about them. In one breath while telling us it cares about the cost-of-living crisis and people who are struggling, it also hands that problem back to business and makes it their problem. So what will we get here? Well, the inflationary impact to the wages portion of GDP remains to be seen. The impact to unemployment remains to be seen. What we can guarantee is those costs will be passed on to us though. A café owner messaged me yesterday and said the price of your coffee and cake just went up. So the key question - does all this win them votes? Because that’s the aim here. And do you trust them? Do you trust a government who’s all of a sudden happy to toss out their unpopular policies in an election year? Despite what they’ve spent on them and with no regard for all the money wasted. Do you have faith that if they win, they won’t just bring these policies back? We know that’s the case with the social insurance. We don’t know about Three Waters because they’re buying time on that front – but we know they’ve spent a fortune on it, hired people, leased offices, gone down a deep rabbit hole on legislation. So, do Kiwis buy all this? I guess we have to wait for next poll to find out.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Farmers can't catch a break in Bay of Plenty. It's the region's worst maize harvest in decades with around 60 percent of crops wiped out due to the weather. But is it all doom and gloom? Bay of Plenty Federated Farmers provincial president Brent Mountford joined Kate Hawkesby to discuss. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Water New Zealand's boss says we need to focus on what's at stake when it comes to Three Waters - and that's the need to invest in infrastructure. New Local Government Minister Kieran McAnulty has been asked to refine the policy, but Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says the need for reform is unquestionable. Water New Zealand Chief Executive Gillian Blythe says the commentary has focused too much on co-governance. She told Kate Hawkesby we need to remember the words of a Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment more than 20 years ago. Blythe says Morgan Williams said the model is not fit for purpose, and the longer we leave it to address, the harder it will get and the more complex it will be. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some of you will be about to get back in it, I was in it yesterday and it was hell on earth. I’m talking about rush hour, I’m talking about the school run and in Auckland in particular - it was as hellish as they predicted it would be. It feels like a long time between drinks. A long time since we’ve been back in cars, kids have been back in uniforms, bags have been back on shoulders and kids trudging back off to school. February is never an easy month anyway given the humidity and heat, especially if your uniform fabric is nice and thick and scratchy. But the traffic, honest to God, I don’t know how it’s possible but it seems even worse. I left home for an eight minute journey, I returned 40 minutes later. It was chaos. Bumper to bumper madness. And I know the zealots say hey get a bus, or get a train, or get out on your feet and walk but that’s not always practical or possible depending on where you live. So for us it was the car and we joined the throngs of everyone else doing the same thing. And here’s my gripe this morning, because I know it’ll be happening again today and the next day – can they please, for the love of God, get rid of some of the cones? I don’t mean the ones blocking actual hazards and surrounding actual road works. I mean all the extraneous ones just hanging around the streets like they’ve been forgotten about. I drove past so many random nonsensical cones, just in the middle of the road, or to the side of the road, a handful or so of them, no idea what for – no road works in sight, no slips, no flooding, no nothing. Just cones. Why? Has someone forgotten about the cones? Who monitors and registers them all? There are so so so many of them, thousands of them, and they’re being flung off trucks and slapped down on roads left right and centre these days, and I just wonder, is there some kind of spreadsheet or diary entry or managed data on where the all are and what for. And whose checking to see they all get returned? I’ve walked past some that have been in the same place for months, no work going on, just a coned off area for no apparent or obvious reason. Why? Who's in charge? Is there a cone manager? And it’s not like these things are cheap - they’re between $25-35 each apparently. Add that up next time you drive past your rows and rows of cones. I fully get that there are parts of the country in dire need of them, I get that there are works going on, and in parts of Auckland there are slips or damaged roads. But there are more cones it feels like than cars. Forget the City of Sails, Auckland feels like the City of Cones. As you sit in the morning commute this morning, and wrangle your way through traffic, trying to get to where you need to be, count them up, add up the cost of them, and tell me how many were actually necessary versus just cone mania for no apparent reason.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister is set to drip feed the Government's policy changes. Chris Hipkins’ policy cull will be a topic at today's cabinet meeting, with all eyes on the RNZ-TVNZ merger. It comes after a newly reshuffled Cabinet was asked to take another look at its priorities, in a bid to get back to political basics. Political commentator Clint Smith told Kate Hawkesby we'll likely see some announcements, but not everything in one go. He says the advantage the Opposition has is that it can just make an announcement and that's its policy. But Smith says with the whole machinery of government behind things, decisions have to be taken at Cabinet, and that takes some time. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concern over the latest data on online dating and romance scams. The Norton Cyber Safety Insights Report surveyed just over 1,000 New Zealand adults, and found a quarter have fallen victim. More than half have suffered financial losses, on average $264. Systems Engineer Dean Williams told Kate Hawkesby we're not alone, with other countries showing similar rates. He says overall it's quite alarming, and shows this is another cyber issue we need to be conscious of. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Appalling scenes in Turkey and Syria as rescuers continue to search for earthquake survivors. Around 23 million people are thought to be displaced after the two 7.8 and 7.5 magnitude quakes in southern Turkey and the death toll has now passed 6,000. President Recep Tayyp Erdogan has declared a three-month state of emergency in the ten worst affected provinces. Europe correspondent Kay Oliver told Kate Hawkesby it's a dangerous and dreadful rescue mission. She says tremors are continuing, and help is very limited as people are spending a second night out in freezing conditions. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A cutting edge development in the fight for sustainability in the food and fibre sector. New Zealand based company Environmental Decontamination has cracked a way to grind mussel shells into calcium carbonate. It's a product used in paper, concrete and paint. New Zealand currently processes around 100,000 tonnes of green-lipped mussels, which generates around 55,000 tonnes of waste per year. Project lead, Kapish Gobindlal told Kate Hawkesby the new technology offers a step towards a more sustainable future for the food sector. He says the very fine powder can now be used in the construction industry and in commercial goods. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thousands of tourism businesses remain desperately short of staff, with the latest figures showing the sector could be short as many as 80,000 staff - around 13,000 more than last year. As tourism returns to our shores, many visitors have found businesses closed or operating on limited hours due to staffing issues. General manager of Haka Tours and ANZ Nature Tours Eve Lawrence joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So another Waitangi weekend done and dusted.. and what did we learn? Well, not much. I think part of the disconnect around it these days is the coverage of it. Why does it always have to get so petty? What we learned was – who spoke with notes and who didn’t, who spoke te reo and who didn’t, who attended what and who didn’t. How is that taking us anywhere or telling us anything or bringing us closer as a nation? We are not being well served here when we let the sneerers on the sidelines get news headlines out of their pettiness. David Seymour went to the trouble of doing his entire speech in te reo – the only coverage of that? The Greens Marama Davidson sneering at him as he did, and afterwards telling the media.. ‘it’s still racism it doesn’t matter what language it’s in.’ So the fact the media made a big deal of that was either A, because they don’t know any better and are happy to allow themselves to be hijacked by pettiness, or B, because they wanted to let her comment speak for itself. Hopefully it’s the latter. Likewise Chris Luxon was criticised for using notes. Bear in mind he would have been criticised no matter what he did, but the criticism of using notes came again from the sidelines and again from bit players. Shane Jones, sneeringly told media you should be able to speak from the heart and off the cuff. Well maybe for some orators or those who’ve grown up on a Marae where that's customary, that may be the case. But no allowances are made for people who are just trying to do their best. Surely that’s just arrogant and petty.. to attack people just because they happen to hold an alternate political view to you. Would the attacks have been as forthcoming if Chris Hipkins had spoken in te reo or used notes? By the way Hipkins did actually have notes, he was holding notes the entire time, he didn’t refer to them as much as Luxon did, but that was the barrel we ended up scraping for coverage. Who spoke in te reo, who used notes and a big tsk tsk from the bit players who didn’t like it and were seemingly affronted by it. When it dissolves into political bickering it just becomes tedious doesn’t it? I mean we have enough of that all year round, do we really need it on Waitangi Day too? One of the arguments around our National Day is how we engage and involve people more in it and I’m not sure scaring them away from participating by judging everyone on how they participate is the answer. I personally could not care less who spoke from notes and who didn’t, I’m not sure off the cuff speeches are necessarily any better than ones with notes. Off the cuff speeches can get rambly and long winded.. and if you’re someone with a message to get across and want to make your points well, then having the foresight to prep and make notes on that seems like the right thing to do. So another day of petty point scoring and judging and in that is the lesson as to why Waitangi Day is something many people are choosing to ignore, rather than participate in.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concerns increasing delays in court hearings could be putting people at risk. Newstalk ZB can reveal the number of family court applications older than two years, has doubled from October 2022 compared to 2017. Victims Advocate Ruth Money told Kate Hawkesby it means children's safety and domestic violence protection orders are on hold. She says it's a 'warzone' trying to get a family court lawyer, let alone a time in court. The Justice Ministry says these are pandemic delays, and they're trying to work through the backlog. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the travesties of this week’s floods in Auckland has been the acrimonious fallout that’s happened at Council level over the whole response - mainly the beef between the media and the Mayor. I just want to preface this by saying that I think the way the Auckland Mayor has handled this has been appalling. But here’s the thing about calling the media drongos; is he wrong? I myself am in the media, I take it on the chin, we are drongos, some of us more than others, but come on, it’s a bit precious to be offended by that, we’ve heard a lot worse surely. And why can’t you call the media drongos? So often these days the media manage to make themselves the story, make it all about them and then get so mortally offended when they get called out for their bias or their BS. In Wayne Brown’s case, he probably had a right to be peed off. He got ignored at a press conference by media who didn’t know who he was, he got ignored when he bothered to take a helicopter up with his own money to assess the damage in Auckland – I mean why report him doing any good stuff when your agenda is that he’s evil? He got private WhatsApp messages leaked and who among us is sending texts expecting they’ll be published? No one. He said it felt like someone had rummaged through his rubbish bin – I can understand that. He got work emails leaked by people clearly working against him - he’s had a tough couple of weeks. Now that’s not to excuse his behaviour or his tone, or his attitude. I don’t know the guy from a bar of soap, he’s done one interview on my show pre his win, and I said at the time that he could do with some media training, that he sounded a bit gruff and grumpy. That he could probably lighten up a bit. But he doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who takes advice. Nor the kind of guy who gives a stuff what you think. And therein lies the problem. We’ve been so mollycoddled now for so long by our political leaders, with smiles and waves and talk of kindness and teddy bears that it’s become the bar we now expect. We don’t want serious or business like, or people focused on action. You can be a hopeless leader, but pop on a bit of high vis in a crisis, walk around looking concerned, and people will think you're the greatest mayor of all time. We call our PM ‘Chippy’ for God’s sake, the guy gets around the music stations here carrying a diet coke and laughing with everyone about his dirty dog sunnies. We want ‘mates’ and some ‘good buggers’. Don’t worry if they achieve nothing, deliver nothing, what’s more important is that the media loves them and that they’re approachable, and we can have some fun with them! So poor old Wayne is never going to make it in this environment. He’s never going to win over a media who’ve decided they want their leaders light, with a side of hilarity. A media who like to be snuggled up to and spoon fed, not kept at arm’s length and called drongos. I know there’s a lot Wayne Brown’s got wrong, there’s a lot he’s said and done which rarks people up, but calling the media ‘drongos’ I don’t think is one of them. Most people, I reckon, would agree with him.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National is accusing the Government of having its head in the sand, about the prospect of a recession. Finance Minister Grant Robertson has told Newstalk ZB he's confident New Zealand can still avoid a recession, despite the Reserve Bank's efforts to engineer one. But a new forecast from Infometrics suggests a recession is inevitable, given the slowdown in sectors like construction. National Finance Spokesperson Nicola Willis told Kate Hawkesby on Early Edition Robertson is being naïve. She says New Zealand will look back on this time in history, as the moment the Government didn't act to prevent an avoidable recession. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A suggestion health planners are flying blind due to a lack of data. An editorial in the latest Medical Journal raises questions about why we're not appropriately measuring Unmet Secondary Elective Healthcare Need. That's otherwise known as non-urgent hospital treatment. Christchurch Professor of Surgery Frank Frizelle told Kate Hawkesby without the information we can't plan. He says a lack of this sort of data has led to the situation we're in now, where we can't get cancer or urgent cases treated because there's not enough infrastructure. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Supporters of the monarchy are looking forward to the latest royal touchdown. Princess Anne will visit New Zealand later this month for 100th anniversary celebrations at Linton Military Camp in Palmerston North. She will also stop off in Wellington and Christchurch in the first royal visit since the Queen's death. Monarchy New Zealand Chair Sean Palmer says the Princess Royal is a well respected member of the Royal family. He says her trip will be a fantastic opportunity. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thank God the flooding and torrential rain's abated and for parents thank goodness school's back. Although is it? The Ministry of Education spun the wheelie on school closures, but it’s been an incredibly frustrating process as a parent. And not just me, I’ve heard from countless parents absolutely exasperated about the way this has yo-yoed around. From saying all Early Childhood Centres will be closed, to then backtracking and saying some can open, to shutting schools but not making it a clear directive. Hence the likes of Auckland Grammar announced they’d be opening regardless - only to then have to email parents again late that night and backtrack saying the Ministry had said they couldn’t. I heard from primary parents who’d been told that even though school was shut they’d still run a school holiday programme for children in the school hall, only to then have to tell them no, they weren’t allowed to do that either. My daughter’s school emailed initially to say the school was undamaged and would open as usual, only to later that night email again to say no they weren’t allowed to open. The Diocesan principal was ropeable in her email regarding such late confirmation of closures and poor communication from the Ministry. So that part was all a cluster. The kids were bummed, parents were bummed, childcare situations were in disarray and of course there was no continuity about it. Businesses could open – but advised people to work from home – yet that was up to individual businesses as opposed to ECE’s which are also businesses but who had a directive to stay shut. And then yesterday the U-turn. Suddenly schools could open but problem is that many people had made other plans, schools had reorganized curriculums and schedules, parents had restructured work commitments so everyone’s week was thrown into disarray again. Schools were again left to communicate with parents as to whether they’d be opening or not. Some said they would – others said they wouldn’t though and that the last minute turn around was not enough notice for them to back track all the changes they'd already put in place. We didn't hear from our school until an email eventually arrived at 5.30 last night saying that it was ‘very difficult’ to change with a few hours’ notice so the school would remain closed today, but will open on Friday. And then there's a long weekend so let's face it, in all reality, most kids are not back until next Tuesday. So it’s been a haphazard start to their year, and after two years of disruption with Covid, they’re well over it. Won’t it be great to have some precedented times for a change?!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concern from a former Football Fern over reports Saudi Arabia will be a major sponsor of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The partnership between FIFA and Visit Saudi, the Kingdom's national tourism board, has come under fire, due to the nation's widely publicised history of oppression of women. The deal, which is yet to be formally announced, is part of a new commercial partnership structure that FIFA set up to allow brands to specifically support the women's game. Former Football Fern Rebecca Sowden told Kate Hawkesby the deal is a complete misalignment with how the tournament has been promoted. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Clear areas for immediate improvement with Oranga Tamariki. The latest Independent Child Monitor shows the agency is still not meeting the minimum standards for children in care. One third of children are placed in care before caregiver assessments are completed, and social workers are only making 29 percent of caregiver visits they're supposed to. Save the Children Rights Advocacy Director Jacqui Southey told Kate Hawkesby there are two areas that should be top of the list to fix. She says that's getting the social workers with their children when they need to be, and making sure children are well supported and listened to. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A vote of no confidence in Chris Hipkins from Act after the extension of the fuel tax cuts. The new Prime Minister yesterday announced the 25 cent tax cuts and half-priced public transport will now be extended until June. It will cost an estimated $718 million, which opposition parties say is a continuation of old Jacinda Ardern policies. Seymour told Kate Hawkesby Labour's spending on tax cuts needs to be reined in. He says if this is Hipkins' new leadership style, then really it's just the same Labour with a someone different at the helm. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Cabinet reshuffle yesterday was all the confirmation we needed, as I said yesterday, that this is the same old government doing the same old stuff. Which is to be expected because they were never going to be able to just bring in fresh new experienced faces to shake everything up, because they don’t have any. So Police Minister Stuart Nash is back for another round, the very likeable but politically inexperienced Ayesha Verrall is now Health minister, I feel for her. That’s got to be the worst portfolio ever to be handed out. You’re never going to win with that one – and she seems like a nice person – which is possibly why they gave it to her – maybe she seemed less edgy and prickly than Andrew Little. Maybe they hope she’ll be a bit smoother in the role and rub up against the media in a less combative way. I don’t know, I just know Health is fraught, and I’m not sure she’s up for the political jousting that comes with being Health Minister. But here’s the biggest scandal in the whole thing, the most absurd, bizarre and inexplicable thing out of yesterday – well actually there’s two. But let’s start with the first one, the main one. Michael Wood being made Minister for Auckland. On what planet did Chris Hipkins look at the what Michael Wood’s been doing and go.. you know what? Awesome for Auckland. Let’s give him that. I mean, come on, this is the guy that Aucklanders hate. And I mean loathe. And it smacks of a Wellington-based politician not to know that and be so disconnected from the real Auckland that he went so far as to put this guy in charge of it. This is the guy whose genius idea was to build a cycle way across the Harbour bridge, which could not have attracted more protest and fall out before it got so unceremoniously canned. He’s also the guy who wants to lower the speed limits on all our roads. Thus grinding to a halt any productivity left in Auckland at all. He’s also the guy wanting to dig up Auckland for light rail. As Transport Minister he’s done absolutely nothing about the woeful state of the roads, the potholes, the public transport, all of it’s a shambles. Not only that – to make matters even worse, he’s also Immigration Minister. The very guy who has kept workers that very sector has been crying out for out of this country. Same guy. The greatest irony of all was Hipkins comment on it which bordered on farce when he said, “When Auckland succeeds the country succeeds.” And yet, inexplicably, he thinks the guy who can help make that happen is the biggest impediment to success and productivity that Auckland’s ever seen. It beggars belief, doesn’t it? Which leads me to the second most absurd, bizarre inexplicable decision – to keep Willy Jackson. He keeps Broadcasting and Media, but even more inexplicable, he gets promoted. He’s actually climbed Cabinet rankings. How is this possible? What is Hipkins seeing in these guys that we are not? Or is it, as I said at the start, that the Labour party just doesn’t have any talent and that’s now been laid bare for us all to see.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New figures out this morning will reveal just how much the tight job market is driving inflation pressure in the economy. The latest official unemployment rate is being released at 10.45am. Some economists expect the rate to dip back down to a record low, with wage growth continuing to accelerate. But Westpac Acting Chief Economist Michael Gordon told Kate Hawkesby he expects the unemployment rate to remain steady at 3.3 percent. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The new Minister of Auckland is hoping to have a constructive relationship with controversial Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown. Michael Wood has been appointed to the new role in Chris Hipkins' Cabinet reshuffle. The senior minister and Mount Roskill MP was previously an Auckland Council local board member, and is the husband of an Auckland councillor. He told Kate Hawkesby he'll work alongside the mayor and the councillors, to get things done for the city. Wood says they need to work together respectfully and professionally. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The upper North Island is waking up to another morning of heavy rain. Red Heavy Rain Warnings remain in place for northern Auckland, the Coromandel Peninsula, and the western Bay of Plenty. Orange Heavy Rain Warnings remain in effect for the rest of Auckland, Great Barrier Island, eastern Bay of Plenty, and northern Gisborne District. A state of emergency remains in place across Auckland and Northland, with a number of roads closed and hundreds of homes without power. Fire and Emergency Auckland Response Manager Ken Cooper told Kate Hawkesby fire crews have been called to about 15 weather-related call-outs overnight, but conditions will hopefully ease today. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So that feels like a really long holiday, did I miss anything? Jacinda Ardern quitting seems like a long time ago now given all the news we've had since. But I can tell you my first thought was not – oh dear, misogyny forced her out. The true reason of course was the polls, the research, the divisiveness, the polarisation, the fact Labour was on a hiding to nothing with her at the helm. Epic failures to deliver on so much, the arrogance that had crept in, the fact she clearly couldn’t stand the reality of not being popular anymore. Those jumping to assert that it was misogyny only discredit all women in leadership positions. We’ve had female leaders in this country for years, they hold their own, they don’t need coddling and defending and protecting. Ardern just didn’t like the idea of losing. She wasn’t up for the grind of election year on the hustings with people giving her a hard time. And fair enough, that’s on her. I don’t begrudge her wanting to pull the pin on her ‘team of 5 million’ when it didn’t suit her. But even she didn’t want the misogyny defence. Even she argued that wasn’t a factor. She just didn’t want to do it anymore. Fair cop. Although the whole thing did remind me of an Air B&B guest who trashes the place, in our case the country, then leaves without cleaning up. It was not - as may've been inferred - some late summer holiday revelation she had either. We now know it was all planned and arranged back before Christmas. Hence the transition to new leader was so quick and easy. Canny and clever of the Labour party? Or Machiavellian? It doesn’t really matter, the point is she’s gone, and somehow the media got sucked into thinking that a new leader means a whole fresh new Labour. How? It’s the same old government with the same old policies with the same spending habits and dysfunction that we’ve seen all along. Nothing’s changed. The guy who wouldn’t listen to dairy owners over ram raids, or fix the Police portfolio when he had it, or improve our woeful education or sort our Covid response in a way that didn’t divide the entire country, is now in charge. How’s that any better? Well last night's two polls tell us it may be better optics for voters - who also seem sucked into the fiction that a new leader means a whole new approach to governing. So a honeymoon bump? Or can Chippy turn it around for the party? I mean he doesn't grate the average Kiwi the same way Jacinda Ardern did, but he’s still Labour, and they’re still useless. So, my biggest surprise over the holidays was not Ardern quitting or Hipkins coming in, but the sycophantic response to it where he's been painted as some kind of Messiah, and her as a dearly departed Saint.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New year, new Prime Minister, new Cabinet. Chris Hipkins will unveil his Ministerial reshuffle at 4pm today, plugging holes left by retiring MPs. Political Editor Jason Walls joined Early Edition. “Hipkins’ assent to Prime Minister means he vacates a number of fairly chunky portfolios including education and police, those are expected to go to already senior Cabinet ministers but Hipkins has said he is looking to bring some fresh talent into his Cabinet.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some early childhood centres will be open this week, for parents who need to drop their kids off. But Early Childhood Council Chief Executive Simon Laube told Kate Hawkesby a number may remain closed. "If you are in Auckland today, if you haven't heard from your centre, reach out, get in touch and see fi they're open." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Flood-affected parts of Auckland are preparing to be in the firing line once again. Red Heavy Rain Warnings have been issued for Northland, northern Auckland and the Coromandel Peninsula. Orange Heavy Rain Warnings have also been issued for the rest of Auckland and Bay of Plenty. In Auckland, a state of emergency remains in place, many roads remain closed, and schools have been asked to delay the start of term until next week. In the city's west, councillor Shane Henderson told Kate Hawkesby people are worried about getting hit yet again. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland Central MP Chloe Swarbrick says authorities will need to learn lessons from their slow response to Friday's heavy rain. She told Roman Travers there is an obvious disconnect between Auckland's leaders and Auckland's people, which is disappointing. Swarbrick says questions will need to be asked about why authorities were so slow to respond to the severe weather event. But the focus right now, she says, needs to be getting through the week. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People on the Coromandel Peninsula are being urged to brace for more heavy rain. There are extensive road closures, including State Highway 25 between Coromandel Town and Whitianga, and State Highway 25A between Kopu to Hikuai. That means many communities, like Whitianga, are once again cut off. Coromandel MP Scott Simpson told Roman Travers that the slips on State Highway 25A will take the highway out of action for months. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What the weather brought to vast parts of predominantly the North Island over the long weekend will hopefully not be seen again for a very long time. Something else I hope not to see for a very long time is the attitude portrayed by our leader, the mayor of Auckland who told us that it wasn’t his job to get out there with a bucket. It was an interesting thing to hear Mayor Brown say, when clearly there have been several mayors over the years who’ve done that: rolled up their sleeves and just got stuck in. We’ve had a mayor who famously towed his concrete mixer on the back of the mayoral car. Why? Because many of our elected leaders have or have had fantastic work ethics, which is one of the fundamental reasons they got voted in. Surely it’s important to be seen being an active and integral part of your community, whether that’s a small town or a super city. On Saturday, Wayne Brown went on the defence, saying the response to Friday's storm took a lot of concentration, happened quickly and the response was much quicker than people believed. Fair enough. He also said he followed the advice of the professionals when deciding whether to declare an emergency. But during a visit to a community hall in Māngere on Sunday, Wayne Brown said emergency managers may have made some incorrect decisions. I spent all of Sunday morning, clearing the main drain at the end of our road, which neither the Auckland council or the mayor have any interest in getting stuck into. Not just this weekend either. I’ve been doing that and asking the council to get it done for the past six years. Some of us are more than happy to roll up our sleeves, pull on our gumboots and get outside with our spades and buckets without having to worry about whether or not public perception matters. Some of us just do what needs to be done at the right time. Most of us, even super city mayors, are still waterproof. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every time I’m confronted with what people are pay for rent I am completely shocked at how anyone can afford to part with that kind of money, and still have money anything else. I’ve real concerns for my daughters who are in their 20s and just how on earth they will ever get to a position where being able to afford a mortgage is a viable proposition. Yesterday, TradeMe revealed the whopping all-time high rental costs across the country. The biggest increase was seen in Northland, where the median weekly rent skyrocketed. At the start of last year, the median rent for Northland properties was $500 a week. By December, that had jumped to $560. Manawatū, Whanganui, Taranaki and Canterbury also saw enormous increases of at least $40 per week. Do you think it’s time to completely flip the desk on the astronomical cost of existing and seriously consider other ways of living? Is it time to get more communal and build properties as communities which may involve friends and family as a means to reduce the cost of living? The model way of modern communal living been done in Auckland with one extended family building a very nice apartment complex where everything is shared, including the vehicles. When you think about it, it seems pretty strange to live in a street, where everyone owns a lawnmower, a drill and a vacuum cleaner when most of those items are used very sporadically. Doesn’t it make more sense to live in a communal setting where there would be one lawnmower for a bunch of families? One drill set for the same group? You get my drift right? I’m sure this is going to take a few generations to come to terms with, but there’s no way we can continue living our insular lives behind our picket fences on our quarter acre sections in a country that for many continues to become completely unaffordable. The reality is completely confronting. Most of us can’t even afford the picket fence let alone the lovely home that sits behind it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Three-time Olympic gold medalist Hamish Bond is joining Team New Zealand for the America’s cup. He will be a cyclor in the 2024 Barcelona competition. Sailing commentator Mark Orams joined Roman Travers. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Harold the Giraffe is expanding his focus. The popular giraffe puppet has been teaching generations of New Zealand children about their bodies and being healthy. Now, Healthy Harold is teaming up with Barnados to educate five to 19-year-olds about how and when to ask for help with their mental health. Barnardos General Manager Jo Harrison told Roman Travers they're hoping to reach more young people. She says there isn't a more iconic figure to be teaching children about mental health. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A warning that increasing the minimum wage could make inflation even worse. The number of people seeking help because of financial hardship is on the rise, as inflation continues to remain at historically high levels. But National says any increase to the minimum wage is the wrong move right now, as it will increase inflationary pressure. Employers and Manufacturers Association Chief Executive Brett O'Reilly told Roman Travers he agrees, because a minimum wage rise pushes up incomes across the board. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yesterday was a very big day for new Prime Minister Chris Hipkins. There aren’t very many of us that can say we’ve been Prime Minister. Evidently, there aren’t too many who want the job. We’re only up to number 41. There aren’t very many that put their hand up for the job and given the way they’ve been treated in recent years, you’d have to say, it takes a certain kind of someone. Regardless, I think we’re all excited and waiting with baited breath, to hear about which policies will be quietly folded and stuck back in the sock drawer, and which ones will be tinkered with and given new direction. I do wonder how many people engage daily with the news around the new leader of the Labour Party and the announcements being made apropos their new direction. Do you think the new right hand down approach on the drive to the general election is spinning many wheels? Most people are just far too busy. Busy trying to work out how to keep their job. Busy trying to keep a business running. Busy trying to keep their heads above water with rising costs with crushing inflation. Just flat out just trying to live a life dreamt of - but exhausted by national and international events that move us like rising and receding tides. Most people would have been too busy to have been to glued to everything that was said yesterday with the official handing over of the Prime Ministers warrant from the battle-fatigued Jacinda Ardern to the seemingly effervescent Chris Hipkins. So here’s all you need to remember from yesterday’s ceremonial proceedings. Prime Minister Hipkins said he will: “Reprioritise, refresh, and refocus the Government's work programme so we can move our resources where we need to so that we can address the bread-and-butter issues that New Zealanders are most concerned about”. That’s all we need to remember. That’s all you and I need to think about when we go into the voting booth later this year. Will they - and - did they, are the two questions that’ll largely determine which boxes we tick. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some are suggesting kiwifruit growers being hard done by. Zespri has pulled pin on its February payment to growers due to higher costs from last season. Chief grower Carol Ward says it's down to fruit quality. But Seeka says growers shouldn't be taking the brunt of it. CEO Michael Franks joined Early Edition. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A study by NIWA shows almost half of our river network is inaccessible to migratory fish. A further 36 percent could also be restricted but has not yet been assessed. NIWA is now studying the swimming capabilities of native fish to try and come up with a solution. Freshwater ecologist Dr. Paul Franklin joined Early Edition. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It could soon be a little big cheaper to fill up the fruit bowl and vegetable drawer. Latest figures show fruit and vegetable prices are 23 percent higher than they were a year ago, contributing to a 7.2 percent rise in overall consumer prices. But growers are optimistic seasonal fruit and vegetable prices could drop, and supply could increase, in the coming weeks. Vegetables New Zealand Chair John Murphy says price of some products may fall faster than the price of others. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's no guarantee inflation is on the decline. The Annual Consumer Price Index data, due out later this morning, will show how much prices have increased for the average household in the past 12 months. While many economists expect the inflation rate to be lower than the 7.2 reached in the year to October, ASB is predicting the inflation rate will be even higher. ASB Senior Economist Mark Smith says that there's lots of uncertainty in the figures. He says their view is domestic, and inflation will remain more of a problem for the Reserve Bank. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.