Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

And so here we are; Monday morning, with a brand-new Prime Minister and leader of The Labour Party: Chris Hipkins. I guess that now we have two men leading the two main political parties with the same Christian names, they’ll forever now be known by their surnames in order to prevent confusion. Hipkins and Luxon. At least they have differing hair dos. Perhaps that confusion will become even more confounded if Prime Minister Hipkins moves his views further to the centre of right and away from the precarious cliff of the left now that he has the control system in his hands? There may well be ongoing confusion if the amendments to any fixed and firm Labour Party policies are made by Prime Minister Hipkins – that may well replicate those of the not so right National Party. How do you now feel about The Labour Party and the next general election – just months away? Is this now like a once sound building that existed quite peacefully until successive storms began to strip away the paint and putty? Now that building is in need of substantial repairs. The big question really is – could it be too late to save that tired old building or is there time to reverse the damage and return it to its former glory in time for the big day? I’m fascinated to see what Prime Minister Hipkins brings to the political show in order to win back any of the support lost when Three Waters, the public broadcasting merger and other poorly thought-out concepts became award winning policy. Clearly the shiny paint job on those ideas did not last long at all. Are any of their ideas reversible now? Or is crash boxing the Labour Party engine into reverse on those policies simply going to push them off the political cliff and into oblivion in 2023? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I lost interest in the British Royal Family so many years ago that I can’t remember ever having had any interest in anything other than the history that got them there, which is not very pretty. I also promised myself to never click on any articles, written about Megan and Harry. It’s with a heavy heart, overwhelming sadness and the deepest and greatest regret imaginable, that I can inform for you this morning that yesterday, I capitulated and found myself clicking on a story about the incredible hardship that Megan and Harry are suffering given their extreme wealth and privilege. More of their astonishing allegations and accusations against ‘The Firm’ came out yesterday, oddly enough to coincide with the final episode of their mindless diatribe on Netflix which I will never partake in. Trust me when I say that I have watched hundreds of hours of mindless and vacuous diatribe on Netflix, but to stoop to that level for me would be a complete admission of abject failure. What do you think their endgame actually is? Do you think, in a mindless, perverse and twisted way, they’re actually keeping the British royal family in the spotlight and therefore conjuring up more support for something that long ago lost any meaning and relevance for a great many people? As far as I’m concerned, the only person within the British royal family that had any respect from a great deal of people has now gone. The cynic in me says that everything we are hearing and viewing now may well be a highly orchestrated attempt to keep The Firm relevant in an era where nothing could be from reality or the truth for most of us. Oh, and by the way; for full disclosure here; I only read the headline and looked at the pictures.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The National Party says there are big challenges in our economy despite a quarter three GDP boom. New Zealand's GDP increased two percent in the three months to September. That was much higher than most economists predicted and a bigger jump than the UK, the US, Australia and the EU. National's Finance spokesperson Nicola Willis told Roman Travers everyone wants businesses to grow, but not everyone is feeling the positive effects of the economy. She says wages aren't keeping up with inflation for many. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The New Zealand Herald recently ran a poll to get a better understanding of how New Zealanders feel we're collectively doing with regards to climate change. Contrary to some of those with the loudest voices on talkback radio, denouncing almost entirely the science that proves that climate change is unquestionably happening - and at a greater speed than once thought, the collective feedback is that we need to move faster and harder in order to combat climate change. The outcome of the survey is a huge relief to the experts who were concerned that the issue had become quite divisive within New Zealand, as it has in the US. Of the 1000 New Zealanders asked last month; more than 50 percent strongly believed we could be doing more and certainly need to. Another 25 percent of those surveyed said they had no strong view while the remaining numbers were in some form of denial. It’s fantastic to see that younger people are vastly more connected to the detrimental effect that we are collectively having on our country and the planet. They’re the ones who’ll inherit the earth, right? 29 percent of the 18 to 24-year-olds asked, wanted New Zealand to take stronger action compared to 19 percent of those aged 65 and older. It’s also pleasing to see that 2/3 of those surveyed believe that the Government should be doing more and expect our government to do more in future. The New Zealand Herald survey also found that climate change has brought New Zealanders closer together rather than being divisive and that climate change has now become a more personal issue. With so much confronting the country as the next general election looms on the horizon, I wonder how much focus will be placed on climate change, given the severe shortfalls in other areas confronting us.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A telethon of a different sorts is getting underway at Lincoln University. Charity Meat the Need is hosting The Big Feed, where farmers donate livestock and milk to foodbanks and City Missions for families in need. It's New Zealand's first ever rural telethon, starting at 6am, and being livestreamed across Facebook and YouTube for 12 hours today. Co-founder Wayne Langford told Roman Travers they started during the Covid lockdowns in 2020 and carried on since. He says it seems silly there are Kiwis going hungry when they have so much food to share. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A glimpse into how our economy is continuing to fare post-pandemic. Stats NZ is set to release our GDP figures for the third quarter later this morning. It was up 1.7 percent in the June quarter. ASB's chief economist Nick Tuffley told Roman Travers they expect today's numbers will show the economy is still going through a recovery. He says they're tipping it'll show a decent growth of 0.9 percent. Tuffley says they also expect to see more signs of international tourism recovery, which will help the transportation sector. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The end has come for half-price public transport and fuel tax cuts. The Government's announced both subsidies will finish at the end of March. Half-priced public transport will still be available for Total Mobility and Community Service Cardholders. Public transport users association national coordinator Jon Reeves told Roman Travers getting rid of the subsidies does the opposite to encourage people to get on public transport. He says buses and trains are going to be operating regardless, so why can't the fares be reduced. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Bluff Oyster and Food Festival has been canned once again. The festival was to be held in May, but has been postponed due to a former hotel adjacent to the site, having a dangerous building notice on it. It’s the second year running it’s been cancelled, with Covid-19 the reason last year. Festival chair John Edminstin, who owns the building next door told Roman Travers he knows this is disappointing news for Bluff. He says the festival would generally bring in thousands of people who would eat, drink and stay there. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An expectation that Volodymyr Zelenskyy will use his address to call for more lethal aid. The Ukrainian President will be speaking to Parliament via video link this morning, as New Zealand becomes the latest Western country to receive him. And with Ukraine making significant ground in the country's east in recent months, he'll likely expect New Zealand to send more weapons. Democracy Project geopolitical analyst Geoffrey Miller told Roman Travers we haven't sent lethal aid to Ukraine since April's $7.5 million dollars to the UK to buy on our behalf. He says with key supporters like the EU and the US pouring money into the kitty, he expects Zelenskyy to call for us to do the same. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Changes to emergency housing looks to return motels back to tourism. The Government has agreed to a raft of recommended changes, after a review by the ministries of social development and housing. It includes quality standards for suppliers, expanding support services and improved grants to help get people into private rentals. Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell told Roman Travers they've been calling for these changes for some time. She says emergency housing was meant to be a maximum of 28 days but has been extended up to three years in some cases. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As much as anyone might have a long list of things they’d love to have for Christmas; I’m picking that most of us really just want to spend time with family and friends. Gone are the days when a large quantity of presents was the measure of one’s devotion and love. The slow to catch on but evolving trend now is to buy experiences rather than things. Wouldn’t you rather have a fantastic memory for your hard drive as opposed to more stuff to take to the tip and recycling stations in months to come? One family, unable to have the luxury of having their children around this Christmas once again, are the three children missing with their father, Tom Phillips. The real concern is for the young and impressionable Jayda, Maverick and Ember Phillips. Experts have genuine concerns for the children's physical and psychological well-being. They’ve not not been seen since December the 9th last year. That’s when their father Tom Phillips disappeared with them for the second time. Last week the children's extended family said they’re now offering $10,000 for information leading to their safe return. There’s a ‘Give A Little’ page if you’d like to help. Be forewarned though if you’re thinking of making a claim on that ten grand; anyone thinking that they can mislead the police in order to keep these children hidden, is likely to be in deep trouble with the police if that kind of misinformation proves to be a deliberate distraction. It’s quite sad that in the pretty tightknit nation of New Zealand where everybody knows somebody through somebody else; that someone who knows what’s going on has not yet come forth to help the police and the family desperate to be reconnected. Sadder still is that in all likelihood, it’ll probably be the $10,000 reward that brings someone to the surface with the information required to end this horrible saga. But hey; money talks and so far the silence has been deafening.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Seymour says there needs to be consequences over the water privatisation entrenchment debacle. Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta received a letter of advice on making water privatisation more difficult. That was a month before the controversial vote which was criticised by constitutional lawyers, and later labelled a mistake by the Prime Minister The Act Party leader told Roman Travers Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern hasn't shown leadership skills in this situation. He claims former Prime Minister Helen Clark would have fired her on the spot. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The College of Nurses says a pay increase is well overdue. Te Whatu Ora is asking the Employment Relations Authority for interim orders to fix pay equity rates for nurses. It would increase pay for most by more than 14 percent, putting Kiwis on par or better with Australian nurses. Executive Director Kate Weston told Roman Travers it's a shame it's taken so long. She says nurses were the backbone of the health system during the pandemic. The Government has also immediate residency opportunities for nurses, specialist doctors and midwives. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Cancer Society says New Zealand is taking a step towards a Smokefree 2025. Newstalk ZB understands questions still remain over the compliance of almost 1700 products in New Zealand - with 466 already removed due to banned ingredients or high nicotine levels. The deadline for information passed on Friday - and officials are now reviewing details. It comes as our newsroom can reveal British American Tobacco is threatening legal action over the review. Cancer Society CEO Lucy Elwood told Roman Travers it supports the products being taken off the shelves. She says New Zealand is creating addicts by selling vapes with high levels of nicotine. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So, over the weekend, The National Party completely flipped the seat for Hamilton West, which probably means that the Labour Party have flipped the desk with their visceral reaction to losing it; although Jacinda Ardern did appear most magnanimous. With 100 percent of the vote counted, Potaka won with 6629 votes, with Labour's Georgie Dansey trailing by 2285 with 4344 votes. The Labour candidate says it was a tough battle, but she’s still keen to represent Labour at next year's general election. A big surprise for me was the Act Party candidate James McDowall - well behind with 1462 votes, while former Labour MP Gaurav Sharma, whose resignation triggered the by-election, had 1156 votes. Mr Sharma says that he expected more votes, but the most important thing for him was to stand up and not be silenced. So what now for Mr Sharma? Back to medicine or perhaps to university for a night course in diplomacy? There might be a variety of reasons to want to celebrate the Hamilton West by-election result or to commiserate, depending on your political point of view, but should that be seen as a litmus test for next year's general election? The real concern for me is the deplorable turnout. Once again, we’ve seen a general attitude of apathy from the voters in that electorate. Is this also to be a litmus test of what’s to come next year? Sure it’s only a by-election and without question, people have bigger concerns with the end of the year looming and Christmas on the radar. But with the prospect of three waters and other force fed polices being rammed home against the greater will of the majority, what better reason to get into the voting booth and have your say? Is it fair to say that generations have gone before us in order to secure the right to be able to exercise our democratic right to vote? Or is it also fair to say that if there’s a general fug of apathy and a feeling that there’s nothing worth voting for? Are people simply disillusioned with the ongoing disinformation and deception? Regardless of the answers - which will be shrouded in conjecture and dissemination throughout this week; the government has much work to do, and a very long way to go to turn the cascade of capitulating confidence seen this year. National will be pleased to have another seat in The Beehive. But how do they go about eating the big red elephant in the room? One bite at a time it would seem. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwis are feeling the pinch in grocery prices as the Christmas period nears. The latest Infometrics-Foodstuffs New Zealand Grocery Supplier Cost Index data shows cost increases from suppliers to supermarkets have risen by more than 10 percent in November. Around seven-thousand-800 items increased in cost, nearly three times as many items as in November 2019. Vegetables NZ chair John Murphy told Roman Travers that they've had to make up for lost time due to weather, which has played into supply woes. He says they're struggling to keep up with demand, but do see that easing closer to Christmas. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Frustration from councils over the passing of the first of the Three Waters reforms bills. The Water Services Entities Bill jumped its last hurdle, thanks to Labour's majority, yesterday. The reforms take water assets from 67 councils, and amalgamates them into one of four water entities. Communities 4 Local Democracy Chair, and Manawatu District Mayor Helen Worboys told Tim Dower the Government hasn't worked with councils like it said it would. She says they've never had any answers on why this reform will make things more affordable. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new bill to create more flexible parental leave. National MP Nicola Willis's members' bill has been drawn from the biscuit tin for a proposal to allow a baby's parents to both take maternity leave, simultaneously or one at a time. Willis says she's hoping for cross-party support, saying it's a simple legislative change to support families. She says it's a total no brainer and parents should be able to take their leave when and how they need to. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's thought Harry and Meghan's new Netflix series is unlikely to ruffle too many feathers. The first three episodes of the pair's long-awaited docu-series dropped last night, after weeks of rumour about the content. Royal Correspondent Robert Hardman told Tim Dower there's nothing terribly surprising in there. He says the rest of the family will just roll their eyes and get on with it. Hardman says it's an extended version of the complaints we heard in the Oprah Winfrey interview last March. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Young criminals will now have a support plan put in place within 48 hours of offending. The Government is launching a $2 million youth crime package to fund locally-led solutions in Auckland, Waikato, Northland and Bay of Plenty. A new, fast-tracked intervention approach will be taken for children aged 10 to 13 - dubbed serious or persistent offenders. Youth worker Aaron Hendry told Tim Dower it's important children who offend get support as soon as possible. He says they need to be told the repercussions of what they've done and how it will be dealt with it. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A barrister says there was potential for a dangerous precedent, had the judge ruled in favour of the parents of a six-month-old who needs heart surgery. Doctors at Starship Hospital have been granted medical responsibility of the baby until the surgery is complete, and he recovers. His parents won't let doctors use donations from the Blood Service for the surgery - over claims it's all tainted by the Covid vaccine. Barrister Simon Judd told Tim Dower there could be a slippery slope if individual patients could pick and choose the services they receive, or control how a treatment is delivered. He says you could imagine the administrative difficulties and time all of that would take. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new and efficient way of getting across the Hauraki Gulf. Fullers has teamed up with sustainable boat company SeaChange, to bring a zero-emission hydrofoil onto Auckland's waters from next year. The boat is fully electric, carries 10 passengers and can reach a top speed of 55 km/h. SeaChange founder and CEO Max Olson told Tim Dower they're much more efficient than the ferries currently on the water. He says they make them out of high performance materials like carbon fibre which gets better shapes, and they have much better control strategy than normal ferries. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's been five years since New Zealand brought in compensation for live organ donors. It was driven by National's Chris Bishop, allowing living donors to receive 100 percent of their income for twelve weeks after surgery. So far, 344 people have been supported. Chris Bishop joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Waikato University sports sociologist is applauding the actions of Sport New Zealand around inclusion of transgender people in community activities based on which gender they identify with. The document takes a human rights rather than scientific approach to the issue which has tended to be the focus at elite level. Holly Thorpe says the guidelines are an important first step to navigate a complex issue. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

First home buyers aren't taking their eyes off the housing market. The Real Estate Institute of New Zealand's latest survey shows first home buyers remain much more interested in making a purchase than investors. It comes as agents report a new downward pressure on average sales prices. Chief executive Jen Baird told Tim Dower there's been a noticeable drop in investors in the market. She says first home buyers are seeing this as their chance to step on to the property ladder. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National is increasing its lead over Labour. Labour has slid one point to 33 percent support in the latest 1News Kantar poll, while National is up one point to 38 percent. Act has 11 percent —giving it the backing to form a government with National— and the Green Party is sitting at nine points. National Leader Christopher Luxon says it's clear the public want change. He says they want to see a Government that actually gets things done. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

St. Edward’s Crown, the centerpiece of the Crown Jewels viewed by millions of people every year at the Tower of London, has been moved to an undisclosed location for modification in preparation for the coronation of King Charles III next year. The move was kept secret for security reasons until the operation was complete, Buckingham Palace said in a statement Saturday. The palace provided no details and didn’t say where the modification work would take place. Charles will be crowned on May 6 at Westminster Abbey in a ceremony that will embrace the past but look to the modern world after the 70-year reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II. The Imperial State Crown will also be used during the service. Versions of St. Edward’s Crown are believed to have been used by monarchs since the 11th century. The current crown was made for Charles II in 1661, as a replacement for the original, which was melted down in 1649 after the House of Commons abolished the monarchy and declared a commonwealth during the English Civil War. The original was thought to date back to Edward the Confessor, who reigned in 1042-1066. The crown includes a 2.23-kilogram (4.91-pound) solid gold frame — set with rubies, amethysts, sapphires, garnets, topazes and tourmalines — a purple velvet cap and ermine band. It was worn by Elizabeth during her coronation in 1953. Charles will be crowned in a solemn religious ceremony conducted by Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, the palace said in a statement. Camilla, the queen consort, will be crowned alongside her husband. The palace is planning the coronation, known as Operation Golden Orb, as Charles and his heir, Prince William, seek to demonstrate that the monarchy is still relevant in modern, multi-cultural Britain. While there was widespread respect for Elizabeth, as demonstrated by the tens of thousands of people who waited hours to file past her coffin, there is no guarantee that reverence will transfer to Charles. - by Danica Kirka, APSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Funding for a Cystic Fibrosis drug is being described as a miracle. A provisional agreement's been made between Pharmac and Vertex to fund the drug Trikafta for those with the condition aged six and over. The drug buying agency estimated it could give those people up to 27 more years of full health when compared with supportive care. Cystic Fibrosis Chief Executive Lisa Burns told Tim Dower they know from other countries the drug's incredible life-changing effects. “There is a different level of quality of life, there is the ability to put weight on, there’s the ability to work and attend school.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's backdown on entrenching that part of the Three Waters legislation was about as well orchestrated as it could have been. We got the release about 8am yesterday — unusual to be honest — and Chris Hipkins was available to speak to it on ZB just after 9 with Francesca. What a stroke of luck! That opens the door to the Opposition parties to have their say and I suspect that on a bad day for them, the Government's spin team would have been willing to see it play out in the 6pm telly news. So how fortuitous that Pharmac's announcement on the drug for Cystic Fibrosis was embargoed till 6pm. And obviously, given the amount of prep work that had gone into the reports on that, there’d been a couple of days warning at least. So the Three Waters backdown came in about third or fourth — coincidence? I don't think anyone emerges covered in glory over this entrenchment. Chris Luxon's belated outrage doesn't really cut the mustard. His own team should have flagged about the constitutional issues when the paper was slipped into the urgency debate. They voted against of course, but even National's Paul Goldsmith has admitted he didn't realise the significance of it at the time. It took a bunch of private citizens — constitutional lawyers and legal academics, to wake us up to what was going on. One of the best things I've read about why Three Waters is so evil was written a couple of years back by Jason Smith — Dr Smith at the time was the Kaipara Mayor. He was involved in a lot of talks and workshops about it, and his conclusion was that Three Waters is a trojan horse. Look up that phrase online and you'll find his thoughts. You'll also see what he makes of another common phrase around Wellington right now "the tyranny of the majority". Conclusion: Three Waters is a trojan horse for a major shift in the way we run the country. And the entrenchment idea was a trojan horse, within that trojan horse. Wait till you see what they want to do with He Puapua.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kylian Mbappé scored two goals and set up another for Olivier Giroud, giving France a 3-1 victory over Poland and a spot in the World Cup quarterfinals today. The Paris Saint-German forward now has a tournament-leading five goals and the 2018 champions are within three wins of defending their title. Robert Lewandowski scored from the penalty spot in second-half stoppage time for Poland. No country has repeated as World Cup champions in six decades — since Brazil achieved the feat by claiming consecutive trophies in 1958 and 1962. Italy is the only other nation to have won two straight, in 1934 and 1938. France’s quarterfinal opponent will be either England or Senegal. Mbappé scored his first in the 74th minute when he was left unmarked to blast in a long-range shot following a counterattack. He added another in stoppage time when Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny could only get a weak glove on another powerful shot from the man in the No. 10. Having also provided two assists, Mbappé has easily been the most productive player in Qatar. Mbappé celebrated his second goal by waving his arms for the crowd to cheer louder. Then he hoisted himself up onto the crossbar shortly after the final whistle in another celebratory gesture in front of France’s fans. The French team took the lead when Mbappé threaded a pass to Giroud and the AC Milan striker quickly slotted the ball into the far corner. It was Giroud’s 52nd career international goal — breaking a tie with Thierry Henry on France’s all-time scoring list. France's Olivier Giroud celebrates after scoring the opening goal. Photo / AP After Mbappé leaped into Giroud’s arms to celebrate, pumping his fists, Giroud held up seven fingers to the cameras — five on one hand and two on the other for “52.” It’s all the more sweet for Giroud because he wasn’t even supposed to be a starter on this year’s squad until Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema was ruled out because of injury. Giroud also scored two goals in France’s opening 4-1 win over Australia. France, however, wasn’t so sure to go this far when several other top players were ruled out shortly before the tournament because of physical issues, including midfielders Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante, central defender Presnel Kimpembe, left back Lucas Hernandez, and forward Christopher Nkunku are also out. On a record-setting night for France, goalkeeper Hugo Lloris matched the national team mark of 142 appearances held by Lilian Thuram. The previous defending champion to reach the quarterfinals was Brazil in 2006 — when France beat the South Americans before eventually losing in the final to Italy in a penalty shootout. France's Kylian Mbappe celebrates with France's Ousmane Dembele. Photo / AP With two European teams playing, there weren’t all that many supporters of either country inside Al Thumama Stadium except for small pockets of France fans beating drums behind one goal and red-and-white clad spectators chanting “Polska” behind the opposite goal. There were also plenty of empty seats. Poland again struggled to get the ball to Lewandowski, a two-time FIFA player of the year. While Lewandowski did miss wide on one long-range opportunity early on, he also gestured angrily at his teammates for not providing him with the ball. Lewandowski's first penalty attempt in the final seconds was saved but he scored with the second after a video review ruled that Lloris left his line too early. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Big online platforms could be forced to pay a fair price for local news. The Government is drawing up legislation to make companies like Google and Meta pay local news producers for their content. They're encouraged to strike their own voluntary deals, as NZME - owner of Newstalk ZB and the Herald - already has. If no agreement is found, the Government will set bargaining terms. Gorilla Technology Chief Executive Paul Spain told Tim Dower local media are being ripped off in the current environment. “The likes of Google and Meta are taking their content and are monetising it without too much of that money heading back.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So it’s been a long hard year. I don’t know why this year feels harder than last year. I mean last year we had Covid for goodness sake, and lockdowns, and I guess a lot of us thought it couldn’t get much worse than this – but this year has been like a bad hangover that won’t go away. Inflation, cost of living crisis, petrol prices, housing prices, health crisis, mental health crisis, surge in crime. I mean it’s an ugly laundry list of stuff that’s made 2022 not quite the shiny new prospect many of us would have been hoping for this time last year. It feels like a bit of collective PTSD after all that Covid and politics and division and now we end the year with even more uncertainty, with things not really feeling like they’re going to get much better for a while yet. But let’s try and look at some positives. We opened our borders back up, we got tourism starting to fire back up again, we had Covid restrictions dropped, we got rid of lockdowns. See now I’m kind of running out of the positives. There’s a limited amount. Oh I know, David Seymour. As far as politicians go, he wins my politician of the year award. He brought us the art of the one liner, the great grabs, the pithy come backs and the quick ripostes. He, for a big chunk of the year, felt like the only opposition in town. He worked hard, appeared omnipresent, and took all the push back against him in good grace, seemingly not letting it get him down. He’s less a whiner, and more a pragmatist and I like that about him. So he’s shone this year. The Government hasn’t. They’ve lost all credibility, their spin machine is so out of control they’re just spiralling into madness and if they have any credible supporters left by this time next year, I’ll be astounded. Anyone who’s awake and paying attention, and has a vested interest in news, should now be awake to the agenda at play and what is going on here. And if they’re not, they’re blind loyalist apparatchiks who are willingly choosing not to see the cold hard truth. So it’s draining isn’t it? Trying to hold people to account, trying to cover the twists and turns of the spin doctors who like to take us all on a big merry go round ride. It can wear you down. I hope though that we find some respite over the summer break, that there’s enough sunshine and downtime to feel refreshed and ready to tackle it all again next year. I’m tapping out at this point, and turning off my 3am alarm for a few weeks. Going to try and reacquaint myself with sleep. But I want to say thank you so much to all of you, our loyal listeners who I honestly do appreciate so much. You keep us on our toes; you entertain me as much as I try to entertain you. I love your feedback, your texts, your emails, your DMs on my Instagram. I would not be here, literally, without you all, so thank you for your loyal support for another year. I lost my producer this year, early starts aren’t for everyone, so thanks too to all the fill in producers I’ve had the past few months, teamwork makes the dream work. The show goes on for another two weeks, but I’ll see you back In January. In the interim, have a fabulous Christmas, stay safe, and I look forward to being back with you all in the New Year.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A leading advocate against family violence, believes we're days away from another child being killed. Merepeka Raukawa Tait has little hope that much will happen in the wake of an investigation into the death of Malachi Subecz. The Tauranga five-year-old was killed by his carer just over a year ago, after a history of abuse. A damning report into the little boy's murder identifies five critical gaps in the system and makes 14 recommendations. They're aimed at ensuring there are interlocking safety nets in place, to make sure another child doesn't endure the same thing. The Whanau Ora Chair told Kate Hawkesby it's just another report. She says everyone gets sorry and sad about a child's death - but nothing really changes. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A long-time friend of Sir Murray Halberg says he was described as having acid, rather than blood in his veins. The athletics legend has died aged 89. He's best known for striking gold in the 5000m at the 1960 Rome Olympics, and he was also New Zealand's first sub four minute miler. President of Auckland Athletics Murray McKinnon told Kate Hawkesby he did well at secondary school, but it wasn't until he met the great Arthur Lydiard that he excelled. He says Halberg told him he would have just been an average runner and won a few national titles had he not met Lydiard. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The World Buskers Festival will celebrate its 30th anniversary in Christchurch next year. The programme has officially been announced, with more than two weeks jam packed with events. It's been three years since international buskers have taken to the streets and Festival Director Scott Maidment joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Men are bigger Christmas spenders than women. New data by Banked shows people will spend an average $623 on gifts this year, with two thirds happy to fork out for a more sustainable gift if they have the option. Head of Publishing, Kevin McHugh, says when it comes to the gender differences, women tend to be a bit more sensible and conservative with their money. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I think one of the great travesties of this Government, when we eventually look back on their long line of failures, will be what happened to mental health. Don’t get me wrong, no government from what I can see, has ever got mental health right, it’s forever been a sector in dire straits, under resourced and woefully misunderstood. But mental health itself has only become bigger and worse as the years has gone by, and arguably peaking as a real crisis now, post the pandemic. And yet, the Government that promised to fix it – has not. Not even close. So much for the Wellbeing Budget. It’s not like they haven’t thrown money at it – it's just no one seems to know where that money’s gone. And then we learn yesterday that, “a half-billion-dollar programme to deliver better community and primary mental health care is still failing to reach tens of thousands of people,” according to reports. So $600 million was doled out to the Access and Choice mental health programme, yet lack of staff has meant they just haven’t been able to reach people. They're "around 36,000 people short of the target,” it was reported. It’s a perfect storm of increased demand coupled with lack of staff. We know that when it comes to acute beds, we don’t have a single extra one since this Government came to power in 2017. So when it comes to targets, we’re missing them on a lot of fronts. It’s a similar scene in terms of healthcare in general; the lack of GPs and nurses, the wait times at ED departments. The wait times are actually so bad that most sensible people seek to avoid ED entirely if they can. One of our kid's broke a toe the other day and the first thing I said was - don't go to an emergency department. That's how bad it is, and has been a for a while actually. Now when accidents happen or kids are sick, parents are stopping to question whether it's worth going to an ED, given they know they won't get seen for several hours, given the hospitals are so snowed under and under resourced. It's a crying shame that in a first world country, our healthcare system has come to this. As it turned out, the broken toe needed an X-ray which then needed follow up with the GP, and then a referral to a specialist for a splint shoe to support it. And while we were lucky to get to a GP we were not so lucky to get the support shoe sorted, given they informed us they had a two week backlog of people waiting already. So what happens to a broken toe that can't be walked on or supported for two weeks? Nothing. You just have to ride it out apparently. And that's the state of our healthcare. GPs say they’re beyond frustrated, but what can you do? That appears to be what every nurse, doctor, orderly and hospital worker is asking these days, what can they do? It just doesn’t feel right that when it comes to ill health physical or mental, that you have to stop and think about what resources you can actually tap into, and once you’ve done that, what might actually be available to you. Worse yet, is a Health Minister who won’t acknowledge it’s a crisis in the first place, when all those of us experiencing it at any level, know that clearly it is.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Restaurant workers are ready to lodge a claim for better wages. The Fair Pay Agreement bill comes into effect today, and unions are saying they already have enough signatures to demand an FPA for hospo workers. It means any negotiated pay and working conditions will apply to all employers in the industry. Restuarant Association President Mike Egan told Kate Hawkesby it's been a long time coming. He says members have been working hard to offer greater pay and more incentives for people to come and work as there's still a worker shortage everywhere. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fonterra and Swiss food giant Nestle have formed a partnership to develop New Zealand’s first zero carbon emissions dairy farm. In what the parties said was a New Zealand first, the project, to be run with co-partner Dairy Trust Taranaki, will examine all aspects of farm operations to reduce carbon with the aim of cutting emissions by 30 per cent by mid-2027, with a 10-year ambition of reaching net zero carbon emissions. The demonstration farm at the centre of the project is a 290-hectare property surrounding Fonterra’s Whareroa site. Dairy Trust Taranaki will work with Fonterra and industry partners to reduce total emissions on the farm, including methane. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hats off to all the kids who’ve sat NCEA the past few weeks, that’s wrapping up this week, Friday’s the last day for exams. Hats off also to all the parents who’ve managed all that stress at home, juggling kids study schedules while also running them round to rowing before the crack of dawn or all the other sports they’re doing, as well as calming nerves, washing sports gear, trying to make nourishing meals.. look it’s a process. And no matter how many times you go through it, we’re onto our fifth time, it’s always good when it finishes and all that pressure comes off. It’s also good to remember all the hard-working students who actually are bothering to attend school, who do study, and do take education seriously. We talk a lot about all the ones who aren’t or don’t, all the truancy, all the drop outs, all the youth flicking the bird at education. But in that taking up all our focus, we forget all the kids who are getting up each day, getting out of bed, putting on uniforms, lugging heavy books, bags and laptops round the place, and actually going through the paces. On that note, the teachers who’re working hard for them too. The older your kids get the more you appreciate the good teachers. They’re not all good of course, some are downright terrible. But the good ones are like gold, the ones who ‘get’ your child, who go the extra mile, who have a great sense of humour, who encourage debate and a contest of ideas. Those are the cool teachers. The ones who rule with an iron fist and a ‘do it my way or the highway’ routine, the ones who think along one line only, they’re the weakest links. Worse yet are the ones who inflict their political opinions or world view on your kids, that happens more often than you think. Yet another reason to protect kids from having to vote at 16, when their head had been filled with ideas that are not necessarily their own. But it’s funny to watch that as time ticks by, as each year passes, with each child completing another year of education, how little has changed in all this time, even since we did it. The curriculum, scarily, at High School level hasn’t changed much, the approach to secondary teaching in many respects is the same too. But I can’t help feeling like the kids these days have more to worry about. The internet is a double edged sword. On the one hand, I wonder how any of us got through school without Google. It’s awesome that these kids can tap into virtually anything they want to know, and find that information in seconds. The flipside is of course, you have to be increasingly vigilant about what that information is, and where it came from and whether it’s accurate or not. But to have so much info at your fingertips and not have to flip through endless pages of thick textbooks to find it – that’s cool. Although the internet is a tap you can’t really turn off. It’s a good education tool but it’s also often their social playground too – and that can be all-consuming and in many cases detrimental to their mental health. So, kids carry a lot these days, but so do their parents. Which is why I for one am glad NCEA is coming to an end this week, and we can all pack up the stress and pressure for another year. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Immigration experts are concerned a change to work rights for migrants' partners could put people off coming here. Until now, a partner could get an open work visa. But a change going ahead next month will only allow partners of green list workers to do that. Couples will instead have to find accredited employers to sponsor applications for each of them, or have a partner who can visit but not work. Sociology professor Paul Spoonley told Kate Hawkesby most migrants come with partners or families. He's puzzled as to why the barrier is there and believes it'll be a disincentive. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The southern hemisphere's largest agricultural event will be a little warmer this year. Thousands are expected to flock to Fieldays at Mystery Creek in the Waikato this morning, with more than 1,000 exhibitors ready to show off their products and services. The opening will end a 17-month hiatus after the June event was postponed this year, due to uncertainties around Covid restrictions.. National Field Days Society CEO Peter Nation told Kate Hawkesby the sun is starting to come up, which is pretty unusual for Fieldays, given it's usually mid-winter. He says they have 21 degree weather for the next four days, with a little bit of rain today which is expected to clear and everyone is excited. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A major New Zealand bank is the first to move on the back of last week's historic OCR rise. ANZ has lifted its floating and flexible mortgage rates by 65 basis points - all fixed term rates are now over 7 per cent for those who don't have a 20 per cent deposit or equity. All eyes are now on how other big banks will react. Infometrics Chief Forecaster Gareth Kiernan told Kate Hawkesby he is expecting other banks will do the same. He says it's a massive squeeze on people. Kiernan says Reserve Bank modelling suggested 46 percent of borrowers who took on a loan last year, would be paying more than half their after-tax income servicing a mortgage, once mortgage rates hit seven percent. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The PM’s post-cabinet chat yesterday was stomach churning in so many ways. The lies, the disingenuousness of it all, the theatrics and the pretence that they’ve actually been active as a government on crime. Embarrassing. No one’s buying it. This new fog canon measure is too late – they know it, we know it. Worse yet, the PM tried to deflect all blame from her Government by saying that there’d be a delay on said fog cannons – due to a global shortage. This turns out to be an outright lie. Newstalk ZB Drive host Heather du Plessis Allan smelt a rat straight away and last night called a fog cannon supplier to fact check the PM on this one. No surprises in his response.. he said to her, ‘I see the Queen of Spin is at it again..’ He said the facts are, there is no global shortage of fog cannons, the supply issue is due to the Government not placing any orders for them. They’ve dropped the ball, again. He said they’ve been waiting months for the government to place fog canon orders and they’ve just been sitting on their hands. He said it takes about 3 months to make a fog canon, then you’ve got to ship them to New Zealand, and given the Government’s placed no orders, that’s the delay. So the delay is the Government’s fault, it’s on them. Remind anyone of the vaccine rollout? This is a government of inaction and indecision. Unless it’s Three Waters legislation of course, that appears to be able to be rammed through no holds barred. But this fog canon supply shortage claim – or should I say lie, is akin to the same lie the PM trotted out yesterday, that the Government’s new increased support for dairy business owners is not based on the death of Janak Patel. Of course it is. We know it is, you know it is, why pretend it isn’t? The Government wants to pretend it’s considerate, organized and proactive enough not to wait for a death, in order to act, but that’s simply not true. Spinning us lies is just not working anymore; this Government has a credibility problem. The PM has a credibility problem. Included in her post Cab was the other audacious claim that they’ve been tough on crime. She “rejected” criticism her Government was soft on crime. She “rejected” that the Government had acted too slowly, she “rejected” the idea that it took Patel’s death for the Government to act. Hipkins, the Police Minister, singing from the same song sheet, rejected the fact that we’re currently in a crime ‘crisis’. Same way Health Minister Andrew Little rejects we’re in a health ‘crisis’. I can tell you this for nothing, rejecting this stuff doesn’t make it go away. It is a crisis for every single victim and every family member of victims in these burglaries and raids. But the other real crisis we're in at the moment is a spin crisis. There’s too much of it coming from the Pulpit of Truth. We're drowning in it; we're exhausted from being fed it. I do worry about all those who just accept it without question though, or have checked out because they don’t even care anymore. We should care; we are being fed a steady diet of BS, from a government that has no idea what the words accountability or responsibility mean.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concerns the Government hasn't addressed the real issue around ram raids. It's announced a $4 million fund to support local councils in Auckland, Hamilton and Bay of Plenty and a $4,000 fog cannon subsidy scheme. Waikato retailer Ash Parmar told Kate Hawkesby there have been 66 prosecutions and 10 youth referrals, but some 200 young people have been arrested. He says that means there are 129 kids who aren't going to adult court or youth court and it proves young kids are being used to do these types of attacks. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Opposites have attracted in an unexpected collaboration of lipstick and New Zealand strong wool. In what is thought to be a world-first, Wool Source and lipstick brand Karen Murrell have joined forces to create a lipstick coloured with a wool keratin-based pigment. The new lipstick “Kera Kisses” uses wool from Ashburton's Westmere Farm. Karen Murrell says Lincoln Agritech's wool industry research team has developed a wool fibre that could be turned into protein. She told Kate Hawkesby she was asked during lockdown if she wanted to collaborate. Murrell says a year later they have a beautiful product, and describes it as a love story. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So today Cabinet meets looking to “discuss what more can be done to combat crime,” according to the Prime Minister. Sadly she’s a bit late with that statement. The irony being that her government has been inundated with people asking them to toughen up on crime for ages... they did nothing. Poto Williams, in her capacity as Police Minster dropped the ball so badly she was moved on and replaced with Chris Hipkins. There were hopes he would toughen up on crime, but sadly under his watch it’s only gotten worse. The governments’ cheerleaders asking for this tragic death not to be politicised are missing the point. It was already politicised. The government had already dropped the ball, they’d already ignored all the pleas for help, they’d already been too slow to roll out support for business owners, they already had communities living in fear of this very thing. And then once it happened, what did the PM do? She went to the Chatham Islands. She didn’t even go back to her own electorate, her own neighbourhood, her own community, she carried on – business as usual. It was an alarmingly callous lack of judgement on her part. Speaking to the family days later, doesn’t cut it. She knows how to act quickly when she wants to – but she didn’t. So now they’re trotting out the tough on crime lines. She said yesterday they’re focussed now on “prosecuting and holding to account those who are responsible”. But the other thing we know about this too little, too late, soft on crime government is that the justice system cannot be trusted to actually deliver justice. A cultural report, a check in of the offender’s background, a korero about his upbringing, a few discounts for mitigating circumstances, coupled with a Corrections Minister who doesn’t want people in prison and we know how these stories all too often end. Sunny Kaushal, who to his credit has been banging on about this for months on end, says the government needs to admit there’s a crime emergency in this country. He says it’s not just a crime emergency but a social emergency now too. The Migrant Workers Association said that many of our most vulnerable workers just don’t feel safe anymore. Many elderly people don’t feel safe in their communities anymore either. Parents are worried. But what I can’t get past is that this has all been coming, in plain sight, for months, and it’s been absolutely ignored by those who have the power to do something about it. It’s almost like it took a death, for the government to wake up and go, oh wait, what more can we do here? The problem with crime in this country and the surge in ram raids, and youth crime and gang memberships and brazen robberies is not as ‘complex’ as the government would have you believe. Offenders commit crimes, because they can. It’s that simple. They commit the crimes, because they can. They know they can, they know they’ll get away with it. Tellingly, early on in the ram raid epidemic, a teenager caught and interviewed as to why they did it, said, 'because we know we will get away with it. We do it because we can'. And that was all you need to know about how low the bar is these days when it comes to law and order. So what will change after Cabinet meets today? My guess is nothing. And whatever it is, is certainly too late for this Dairy worker.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some of the country's top constitutional experts are raising red flags about the Government's attempt to entrench part of its Three Waters reforms. Under a change proposed by the Greens, and supported by Labour, 60-percent of MPs would need to agree to overturn part of the bill protecting water assets from private ownership. Eight public law academics have written to the Government, saying such use of entrenchment sets a dangerous precedent. Until now, entrenchment has only been used for electoral laws that specify how electorates are drawn up, the method of voting, the voting age, and the length of the Parliamentary term. Timaru Mayor Nigel Bowen —an opponent of the Three Waters reforms— told Kate Hawkesby that it's a worrying development. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ACT believes its truancy plan will help what it’s calling a crisis... despite some criticism. The party wants to make it mandatory for schools to report attendance daily, or risk losing funding. It would also enable parents to be fined and divert Government truancy funding directly to schools to hire truancy officers. ACT education spokesperson Chris Baillie says there'd be a process in place before a fine- with a traffic light system relating to attendance. He says more than 30 percent non-attendance at the end of the term would mean they're referred to the ministry to assess what's happening in the household. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all heard the warnings; someone's going to get killed if we don't crack down on the ram raiders and brazen dairy hold-ups. And this week it happened. Eight in the evening at the end of another long day at the superette providing a convenience service in Sandringham. One of the locals who spoke to the Herald at a gathering of 200 or so said this ‘the whole dynamic of Auckland is changing now’. Say that again. Spin the numbers whatever way you like, but what's obvious to anyone is there's a significant wave of this time of crime right now. Just before five this morning I heard a businessman talking with Roman about how his operation and those of his friend have been hammered. Some places have been hit over and over. Dairies, bottle shops, gas stations and jewellery stores. They're seen as easy targets and that I guess is why police were given that $6 million fund to help install fog cannons and bollards and the like. But to me, that's ambulance of the bottom of the cliff stuff, isn't it? Isn't it basically admitting the streets are now so lawless this is what you need if you're going to run a retail business. Frustratingly for the police, they have been catching offenders. Ccatching and releasing them because they're too young to prosecute. Only to catch them again a few nights later, another business ripped off, tens of thousands in losses and damage. What's it going to take for the Government to recognise the facts of the situation? More deaths? If so, how many? They are soft on crime and everyone, most dangerously that reckless group of offenders, knows it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.