Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

Top athletes are launching an employment case against High Performance Sport NZ. Mahe Drysdale and Kirstie Klingenberg are fronting an 'athletes' cooperative'. They're asking to be recognised as employees of High Performance Sport, not contractors. Clinical psychologist Dr Dougal Sutherland joined Tim Dower to discuss. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The fatal Sandringham dairy stabbing is causing many dairy owners to consider their own security. Auckland Police are still hunting the offender, who they say stole cash from the Rose Cottage Superette's register before stabbing the worker after he was confronted. There are reports some dairy owners in Christchurch are considering closing their businesses. Sandringham Business Association Chair Jithin Chittibomma told Tim Dower something like this was bound to happen. He says crime in the area has been on the rise for the past few months. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Calls for a shake up to immigration. Act has unveiled a new immigration policy that scraps temporary visas, charges based on demand, and allows more migrants to bring their parents. Business NZ Advocacy Director, Catherine Beard, says in a global contest for talent, other countries have made it easier for immigrants. She told Tim Dower new ideas are needed to fulfil New Zealand's future workforce. Beard says with an aging population and declining birth rate, there's no way we can fulfil the need for workers domestically. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Road to Zero looks to be the highway to nowhere we all thought it would be. Another measure the Government has not delivered on, another piece of ideology that’s proven completely unworkable in the real world. We learn now, that three years into the Road to Zero campaign, we have exactly the same number of road deaths as when we started – in fact we are heading backwards in terms of how bad the road toll is. So what has it achieved? Nothing. It’s mental health beds and child poverty and housing and healthcare all over again. A lot of talk, not a lot of action. It’s sadly what we have come to expect as the norm from this Government. Road to Zero included increasing breath testing to prevent alcohol related road deaths. Have they achieved this so far? Nope. They “fell short of the target by almost half, with 1.6 million tests against a target of three million,” it’s been reported in Waka Kotahi’s annual report. Waka Kotahi said this was "well below desired levels," no kidding. What a surprise. So let’s look at the promised road safety upgrades. Again, no sale Steve. ‘Last year it was far off its targets for highway safety upgrades..’ and it’s still behind now. ‘Waka Kotahi's annual report said only 165 km of road had reduced speed limits imposed, compared to a target of 500 kilometres. And what about mobile cameras? Well the report says, ‘it was short on mobile camera hours due to camera breakdowns’.. you can’t make this stuff up. Remember yesterday when I said living in NZ right now feels like living on the set of Fawlty Towers? Yep. Infrastructure? The campaign was ‘one project short of meeting its target for infrastructure safety projects’. OK, so what about the success rate of safety ad campaigns? Again, short of its target here ‘due to its narrow focus on traditional advertising channels.’ State highway and local road improvements.. what about those? They again fell short of targets – but more excuses – this time due to ‘ongoing Covid-19 impacts’.. whatever that means.. and ‘increased time taken to obtain consents and approvals.’ How does that not surprise us either? So what has the Road to Zero campaign got right so far? Not much apart from just rarking a lot of people up, making a lot of promises, and three years on, making a lot of excuses. Not only can this Government not meet any targets or deliver on anything, they seem permanently bewildered as to why none of it happens. Then the excuses start rolling in. So they’re good on word salads, promises, ideology and talking themselves up, but when the rubber hits the road.. excuse the pun, nada. The AA’s disappointed, ‘really disappointed’ they said, even Waka Kotahi’s said if they can’t start turning this stuff around it’s going to be ‘hugely disappointing’. I tell you what is hugely disappointing; everyone who voted for this Government believing their drivel that they’d achieve any of the stuff they alleged they could. Road to Zero is just the latest epic fail in a long line of failures proving to us once again, that this Government just does not have a clue.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A call for employers to take more precautionary action, as supermarket crime soars. Since 2020, Foodstuffs says there's been a 246 percent rise in serious crime. The company has confirmed 29 of its supermarkets in the North Island are using facial recognition technology, prompting concern Foodstuffs is collecting sensitive information about shoppers without their knowledge. First Union General Secretary Dennis Maga told Kate Hawkesby facial recognition may help, but won't be enough to deter offenders. He says they'd like employers to hire loss prevention officers, train staff how to de-escalate a situation - and make sure there is enough staffing in the workplace. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Six people are dead and four injured in a mass shooting at a Walmart in Chesapeake in Virginia. The gunman, who killed himself, making the death toll seven, was the store's overnight shift manager. TVNZ correspondent Anna Burns-Francis told Kate Hawkesby it follows the shooting at a gay nightclub in Colorado. She says the two incidents are just two of the 606 US mass shootings this year, and President Biden is once again calling for action on gun control. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Hawkes Bay could be lining up for an economic boost. Japanese-owned company Tatsumi Limited is constructing a mega glasshouse in the hope of producing millions of strawberries all year round. Japan and China will make up the main export markets. Project director for the build, Mike Harper joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

King Charles has welcomed South Africa's President in his first state visit as monarch. Cyril Ramaphosa will visit Westminster Abbey before going to a banquet hosted by the King and Queen at Buckingham Palace. It's also Britain's first state visit in more than three years, after they were stopped during Covid. UK correspondent Gavin Grey told Kate Hawkesby Charles is expected to layout what he sees as the future of the Commonwealth at the banquet. He suspects the next few state visits will all focus on the Commonwealth and its membership. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ice cream company Tip Top has pulled one of its challenges from its new promotional campaign after sparking significant backlash. The company's latest campaign encourages Kiwis to try something new, of the 32 different messages printed on the sticks, one reads to "take a selfie with a stranger". Tip Top is now removing the stick from their Popsicle range, and apologised. AUT marketing expert Bodo Lang told Kate Hawkesby they've done the right thing. He says the company jumped on the matter quickly once the complaints surfaced. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It may have brought Julie Anne Genter to tears and caused Golriz Gharamann to erupt into celebration, but I’m not in the same camp of jumping for joy over the Supreme Court decision to accept an appeal to the Make it 16 campaigners. Of course, this ruling only means the case has been accepted as valid by the Supreme Court, who agree it’s inconsistent to the Bill of Rights to deny 16 year olds the right to vote. The only people with the power to actually change the law are the politicians. We know which are in favour – the Greens and Labour, we know who’s against – Act and the Nats. Luxon said you have to draw a line somewhere and they’re happy to draw it at 18. I just do wonder if the Justices making these decisions, and the politicians supporting them, have ever raised teenagers and actually know how a 16 year old operates? Yes there are some superbly informed smart and diligent 16 year olds, but there are equally many who are completely out to lunch, totally ill informed, barely turning up to school, or in some cases, just out ram raiding. Now when they do stuff like that – they’re ‘children’ - cue the heartstrings - who can’t possibly be punished or sent to boot camp or put in ankle bracelets, because they’re ‘children’. There is also the argument trotted out every time a young person does do something wrong, that cognitively their brains haven’t fully developed yet. But when it comes to getting them to tick a box for a party and a candidate – suddenly they’re now cognitively proficient informed adults? It’s a mixed message. What the Supreme Court essentially ruled is that it’s discriminatory to not allow them to vote based on their age. So how far do we take that discrimination argument? Is it also discriminatory to use age as an excuse not to pay them benefits, or to use their age as a tool to means test them against their parents income for allowances? Do we lower the drinking age too, now that 16 is so responsible? Is 16 the new benchmark? Anyone who has raised 16 year olds knows that it’s still very young, and I just don’t know why we keep wanting to make childhood shorter and shorter for our young people. They already have to grow up so fast, now we expect them to know about taxes and laws and politics too? Can they not just enjoy their youth while they still have it? I know the counter-argument is that many adults who vote don’t have a clue either, but 16 in my view, is just too young to have formed a well-rounded view that doesn’t just mirror what a parent or a teacher or older person has told them. You can’t know how the world works surely until you’ve actually experienced it? Paid rent or a mortgage, left home, gotten out into the real world, earned your own money, paid your own taxes - lived a little. It’s not up to us though, or the Supreme Court, it’s up to Parliament, and it won't get the 75 percent support required so it's going nowhere. But nor should it, if Parliament’s going to devote time and energy to anything to do with young people right now it should be getting the 60 percent of kids not attending back into school and addressing the surge in youth crime. Surely that’s more pressing right now than whether they can vote or not?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Legal experts say that while lowering the voting age at general elections might be politically challenging, New Zealand could see a differential voting system with 16-year-olds able to vote at local body level as a ”trial” first. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she personally wants to see the voting age lowered for the first time in nearly 50 years and announced Parliament will debate the issue before the middle of next year. It comes after on Monday the Supreme Court declared the current voting age of 18 was inconsistent with the Bill of Rights, namely the right to be free from discrimination on the basis of age, and that these inconsistencies have not been justified. Amending the law for the general election requires the support of a referendum or super-majority of 75 per cent in Parliament, meaning with National and Act currently opposed change appears unlikely. But changing the age for local elections only requires a simple 50 per cent majority, which legal experts say could be included in the same bill and with Government support could offer a “trial” run. The Supreme Court ruling came after a case brought by the advocacy group Make It 16, which was set up in 2019 amid the school strikes for climate initially to find an avenue to give young people more of a say. “This is history,” said co-director Caeden Tipler outside court after today’s decision. Tipler said that they are confident the law will change. “Although we’re celebrating we still have a lot of mahi to do.” The ruling has triggered a process, set up under a new law passed in August, whereby the Government is required to respond to such Bill of Rights Act declarations and Parliament to debate them within six months. The voting age for general elections is “entrenched” under the Electoral Act, meaning any change would need the support of 75 per cent of MPs or be endorsed in a national referendum. Consequently, Ardern said as part of its response to the decision Cabinet had decided to draft a piece of legislation with a proposal to lower the age of voting to 16 for the whole of Parliament to consider. She anticipated it would be before the House before the middle of next year. The super-majority rule only kicks in at the Committee of the whole House stage, after the second reading, meaning it would also go through select committee and public submissions. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern during a post-Cabinet press conference in the Beehive theatrette. Photo / Mark Mitchell Whatever the ultimate decision, it would not take effect before next year’s election, Ardern said. “What I can say is that on this kind of matter, I think we should remove the politics, we should put it to Parliament, and we should let every MP have their say.” Ardern said Labour had not decided as a caucus how it would vote but confirmed she supported lowering the voting age. “For me, it is alignment around some of the responsibilities and rights that are reapportioned at these different ages.” She said people were allowed to legally engage in activities across 16, 17 and 18. “There isn’t one cut-off point that you can say in law New Zealand treated me as an adult, and that’s why I think it’s been the subject of much debate.” National Party justice spokesman Paul Goldsmith, however, was unequivocal in his opposition to lowering the voting age. “We don’t agree with the conclusion that the voting age which has been in place for half a century is suddenly unjustified,” he said. Act Party leader David Seymour was also very quick to rule out supporting any change. There would always need to be an age threshold to voting and to say not having it at 16 was inconsistent with the Bill of Rights was “illogical”, Seymour said. Green Party electoral reform spokeswoman Golriz Ghahraman has long been an advocate of lowering the voting age and included it in her Strengthening Democracy Member’s Bill, which was voted down at first reading in September. She said the court had found Parliament had “for decades been in breach of young people’s basic human rights”. “Now is the time to do what’s right and strengthen our democracy to include the voices of 16 and 17-year-olds.” Ghahraman said a change could occur immediately by picking up the parts of her members’ bill, including amending the entrenching provision, and it could be done in time for the 2023 election. She said other democracies have either already extended voting rights to 16 and 17-year-olds or are currently changing their laws. “Complying with the Supreme Court’s call would keep New Zealand’s democracy among the most modern and inclusive. “Not only would this change create a more representative democracy, but it would also provide more opportunities to engage young people in politics while they’re at school.” The voting age in New Zealand was lowered from 21 to 20 in 1969, and then to 18 in 1974. At each stage, it had the full support of Parliament and was in line with legislative changes across the globe. Currently, only a small -

Prison numbers are down, yet questions remain as to why is violent crime is on the rise. The prison population has dropped 24 percent since 2017, but violent crime has increased by 21 percent and gang membership has risen 51 percent. Much fewer offences are resulting in prison sentences, leaving offenders on the street rather than in prison. National's spokesperson for Corrections, Simon O'Connor, joined Kate Hawkesby to discuss. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The classic brown L&P bottle could be on its way out, due to its effect on our recycling system. Coca-Cola is looking to swap out the brown, and go for clear to make the bottles easier to recycle. The green Sprite bottles have already been ditched for the same reason. Hauraki District Mayor Toby Adams told Kate Hawkesby the L&P bottle is a huge tourist attraction in Paeroa. He says people don't like change, but recycling is important. Adams says people just need to know the reason behind the switch. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The COP 27 climate summit in Egypt has wrapped up, with countries agreeing to establish a fund to help developing nations deal with climate change. But the money isn't expected to go far. The EU is likely to contribute about 120-million New Zealand dollars. By comparison, the floods in Pakistan have already cost 60-billion New Zealand dollars this year alone. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new report emphasizes the need for parents to prioritise their children's swimming skills. Water Safety New Zealand figures show just under half of children don't take regular lessons. Last year, 90 people drowned - the highest since 2011. Chief Executive Daniel Gerrard says people must have swimming skills living on an island nation. He says they are hearing parents will only send one child to lessons, while figuring out what to do with the other two or three. Gerrard says on average swimming lessons cost about 20 dollars for about 30 to 40 minutes. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s fascinating to watch the gradual implosion of Twitter. There are two camps on this. Those who believe it’s been a toxic hellscape of negativity gradually eating itself anyway and Elon just sped things up, and those who believe it is a dynamic platform for free speech, representing a wide variety of views and providing an outlet for all kinds of diversity. Those who believe the latter, are grieving the demise of their outlet, their community, their sense of connection, and the independent citizen style journalism that went along with it. They saw Twitter as a space for discourse, debate, a contest of ideas. A source for breaking news and contradictory views, a sounding board and a mine of information. But I’d be in the former category. I struggle to see Twitter as anything more than toxic trolls lambasting people and ideas they hate, with venomous Tweets which look to cancel and cut people down. I found it a cesspit, hence I left Twitter years ago and did not for one minute look back. So I was bemused when Elon Musk bought it – it was almost like that’s what Twitter deserved. A crazy person buying a crazy platform where everyone behaves terribly and the whole thing is so infiltrated with bots anyway that it’s impossible to know what’s real and what isn’t. The Twitterati though, those who live on it, and find it amplifies their voice and their views and they get a real sense of self-importance out of it – they’re ropeable. How dare Elon come along and ruin their playground. How dare a billionaire with no clue about a social media platform, come in and sack people, and reinstate Trump (even though awkwardly it looks like not even Trump wants back on it) and do all the other hectic chaotic things that Elon has done. He’s popped their self-inflated balloon of believing their echo chamber was real or important... as opposed to a tribe driven by an algorithm, supported by nothing more than hot air. So as well as staff either getting sacked or quitting, users are quitting too – in disgust. And Twitter wasn’t that big to begin with. Time says, “despite having around 240 million users, Twitter is tiny in comparison to Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Google. But it does punch above its weight... it derives its power and value from three communities that depend on it: politicians, celebrities, and journalists. Politicians and celebrities love that Twitter enables them to broadcast directly... without gatekeepers. Journalists love that Twitter gives them an opportunity to build their personal brands while also giving consensus on which stories are newsworthy and which are not. For the rest of the users, Twitter provides the illusion of direct access to VIP’s who would otherwise be beyond reach. Trolls love Twitter because its algorithms give their content disproportionate weight in the conversation.” But Time says we ‘shouldn’t be surprised at how quickly and easily Twitter’s falling apart.’ And that ‘the people who rely on Twitter the most – the politicians, celebrities and journalists– those who probably can’t imagine a life without Twitter, are going to have start doing just that.’ So is it RIP Twitter any day now? That’s what 240 million users are waiting to find out.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One thing I love about the health and wellness industry is that it’s constantly evolving and changing, but that can also make it a challenge to keep up with. Hence, I’m a huge fan of science journalist and author of several health books, Dr Michael Mosley. He’s the guy behind the 5:2 diet and intermittent fasting, he invented them long before they became mainstream and popular. Not that I’ve ever done the 5:2 diet and I’m a terrible faster – can’t do that either – but I know people who do and they swear by it. Anyway I’ve read his stuff and loved his work for ages, hence I was very jealous Mike got to interview him yesterday on his show. If you missed that interview it’s worth looking up on the ZB website on demand, it was just after 8 yesterday morning. He’s actually coming to NZ to give some talks next year, he’s a fascinating guy. What I love about him, is he keeps it simple. He’s a big believer in doing stuff that makes your life easier not harder. So while extremists may tell you ice baths and cold plunges are best, he says if you can just do a cold shower that’s great. He says it boosts your immune system and mood. Likewise, he’s not maniacal about hardcore workouts, he says brisk walking is just as effective, adding some pace, and going downhill (as opposed to uphill) can also give you a good workout. Who knew going downhill burns more calories than going uphill?! He’s big on habit building too. Doing stuff that you can incorporate into your daily routine without much thought. Doing it over and over again until it’s second nature to you. Like standing on one leg while you brush your teeth (great for balance and strength) shutting your eyes for 10 seconds while you do it (good for co-ordination). He also preaches starting your day with a few press ups or squats, a couple of minutes max, he says this strengthens your bones, builds resistance, and is good for your brain too apparently because vertical movement leads to a big surge of blood into the brain. It’s also great for your spine. So a small non-eventful exercise with, as it turns out, huge benefits. Intermittent fasting he says was lunatic fringe when he invented it, now it’s everywhere of course and in many different forms. But Moseley reckons time restricted eating of 14 hours no food overnight – then eating inside a 10 hour window is very do-able for most people. This is easier for people than sticking to diets apparently. His mantra regarding food is to start the day with eggs - good protein and keeps you fuller for longer he says. And he’s a big fan of the Mediterranean diet. He also says there’re many health benefits to reading every day, practicing gratitude, and my particular favourite – napping. Apparently naps do amazing things for your mind and body. Napping boosts mood and wellbeing he says, and promotes good heart health. “An occasional daytime nap was associated with 48 percent lower risk of heart attack or stroke.” Naps can also improve your thinking skills, and make you a better learner. You only need 20 minutes to reset your attention and alertness; he likens it to a ‘cardiovascular holiday’. The other thing he says to do is eat dark chocolate. Come on! So you can see why I love this guy, when he makes being healthy sound this easy and this good, I mean, what’s not to love?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The All Blacks have named their strongest side for the final test of the season against England, signalling Jordie Barrett will have the inside running at No 12 for next year’s World Cup. Looking to end an inconsistent 2022 with an unbeaten northern tour, selectors Ian Foster, Joe Schmidt and Jason Ryan have reverted largely to the team who thumped Wales a fortnight ago. The sees Barrett move back into the midfield alongside Rieko Ioane, leaving David Havili and Anton Lienert-Brown to provide cover from the bench. Barrett has excelled at second five-eighth in limited opportunities while wearing the black jersey and another strong performance at Twickenham will give him a good chance of making the position his own. Beauden Barrett will again start at fullback, with Richie Mo’unga remaining at No 10, while Scott Barrett will shift into the blindside flanker role he occupied when England knocked out the All Blacks in the semifinals of the 2019 World Cup. He started at lock against Scotland, but Brodie Retallick has returned to the team after serving the suspension he incurred for his red card in the tour opener against Japan. This will mark Retallick’s 100 All Blacks test, becoming the 12th man to reach the milestone and the second lock forward, alongside captain and locking partner Sam Whitelock. Retallick and Whitelock will also create another piece of history, setting a new world record of 64 test starts together. The previous mark was held by South Africa’s Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield. Playing in his 11th international season, Retallick will share the special occasion with family who have travelled from New Zealand to celebrate. “The All Blacks congratulate Brodie and his family on what is an extremely proud moment for them,” said Foster. “He has had a massive contribution to the legacy of this team over the last decade, during which he has inspired many.” After impressing on debut against Scotland last week, winger Mark Telea has been retained, while 79-test veteran TJ Perenara will again provide halfback cover from the bench. “We feel the squad has been building nicely throughout this tour,” Foster added. “Playing England is something we don’t get to do often so we are excited for the challenge. “This is an opportunity to continue our growth as a team at one of the great venues in world rugby – Twickenham.” All Blacks team to play England: Ethan de Groot, 2. Codie Taylor, 3. Tyrel Lomax, 4. Brodie Retallick, 5. Sam Whitelock (c), 6. Scott Barrett, 7. Dalton Papali’i, 8. Ardie Savea, 9. Aaron Smith, 10. Richie Mo’unga, 11. Caleb Clarke, 12. Jordie Barrett, 13. Rieko Ioane, 14. Mark Telea, 15. Beauden Barrett. Reserves: 16. Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17. George Bower, 18. Nepo Laulala, 19. Shannon Frizell, 20. Hoskins Sotutu, 21. TJ Perenara, 22. David Havili, 23. Anton Lienert-Brown.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A youth development worker is giving a thumbs down to National's new policy to deal with youth crime. The party is promising to set up Young Offender Military Academies for 15 to 17-year-olds, if it's elected next year. It also wants to put electric monitoring devices on children as young as 10-years-old. Aaron Hendry told Kate Hawkesby evidence shows they're ineffective, as they don't address the root cause of why young people are involved in crime in the first place. He says there are groups of young people living in extreme poverty and homelessness, and struggling to make positive change in their lives. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I thought it was ironic this week when Grant Robertson admitted the rollout of the ram raid support for businesses has been too slow. Slow would be an understatement. I just can’t work out what’s going on here. Because every time you ask the Government about it, they say they’re chasing it, they’re telling Police to speed up, they want it sorted. Yet when you speak to Sunny Kaushal from the Dairy and Business Owners Association, he says the Government is the hold up. He says he has to chase government Ministers for months on end and even then they don’t get back to him. Then there’s the Police – the meat in the middle of this particular sandwich, the people the Government says are charged with sorting this, and they’re allegedly not doing it fast enough. So, if true, whose fault it that? Is it the Police’s? And if it is on them, is it because they are too under resourced? If they are, is that because this soft on crime government just hasn’t backed them enough, hasn’t supported them and resourced them enough? Or is it that they’re so snowed under with the surge in youth crime and offending these days that they literally just can’t keep up? Or is it that this Police Commissioners’ approach involves so much weighty bureaucracy and admin, that Police can barely get out from under their desks? I know a lot of Police listen to this show and they often message me and say that’s the case, some have even said they’ve left or are leaving because of it, because they literally can’t just get on and do their jobs. Being a police officer these days is not what they thought it would be, or what it used to be. So I don’t actually buy that this is the Police’s fault. But, back to the fund. This was announced back in May, this $6 million to help businesses, and here we are in the middle of November, and it’s still not sorted. Seven businesses have been helped. Just seven. At least five of those were trials set up by Sunny himself. So what have they actually achieved here? They’re supposed to be doing 40 to 50 business assessments a week Robertson says, yet they’re not. So why not? In a little bit of buck passing, Robertson says it’s up to Hipkins as Police Minister to chase this. So what does Hipkins say? Well he says since he took over in June – after Poto Williams was rolled from the portfolio based on incompetence, that’s me saying that by the way, not Hipkins, but he claimed once he took over, that Police were “hurrying up.” So why, six months on from the announcement, do we still have so little action? Is it acceptable that the Government looks to blame others – ie the Police, for stuff they just can’t seem to deliver on? Robertson was at pains to point out how awful being a victim of a ram raid must be, but every day there are more of them because this Government just cannot get its act together and provide the help needed. I don’t think blaming the Police is fair. This whole thing has become a political football that no one seems brave enough to actually own and do something about. You can see why these jewellers and dairies and liquor stores are beside themselves, and you can see why the ram raiders continue. Because no one’s owning this.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ukraine is denying responsibility for the deadly missile explosion in Poland. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says it was not a Ukrainian missile. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltetnberg says the explosion appears to have been caused by a Ukrainian air defence missile, fired at a Russian cruise missile attack. But security analyst Paul Buchanan told Kate Hawkesby ultimately, the evidence points to this being Ukraine's fault. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Belief businesses aren't out of the woods yet, despite economic activity increasing in the September quarter Infometrics data shows a 2.6 percent year-on-year rise, driven by stronger tourism and household spending. Auckland and South Island areas have seen some of the strongest gains. Tourism Export Council Chief Executive Lynda Keene told Kate Hawkesby Australian visitors through the winter months have played a key role. She says the results are encouraging, but they won't be too excited until October's results are released, as that's when the season officially begins. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hopes a major international retailer moving to Lambton Quay will give a post-pandemic boost to Wellington's CBD. Clothing brand Calvin Klein has confirmed it will set up shop in part of the building that once housed Kirkcaldie and Stains, and more recently David Jones. It shut down in June. First Retail Group Managing Director Chris Wilkinson says it's great news for the capital. He says having the acknowledgement of an international brand is a great first step in enlivening the area again. Other tenants for the rest of the building's space haven't yet been announced. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So I note the Police commissioner was saying the other day re the surge in youth offending, that it’s up to us to do more about it, and look after our communities better. And then hospitality came out and said staffing issues in the sector may be on us as well. What they’re saying is that customers are getting ruder these days, that abuse and poor treatment of hospitality staff is getting more commonplace, and that they’re sick of it - and we need to do better. It’s apparently turning many off the industry now. An industry that used to be fun, is now not so fun. So it’s on us, the customers, to lift our game. Now this has of course been a globally contentious issue recently, thanks to late night TV host James Corden and his - now infamous – verbal altercation with staff at a New York restaurant. Furious they got his wife’s meal order wrong three times; he told staff he’d be better off going into the kitchen and cooking it himself. Cue the restaurant owner labelling Corden the rudest man he’d ever met. There is no room for rudeness to people doing their best. I witnessed a supermarket checkout operator getting a dressing down the other day. They of course are the other sector complaining that people are getting ruder, and this customer sadly embodied that. He laid all his groceries on the counter and as she was scanning them through, he announced he didn’t have his wallet. He said it was in his car and he’d have to go back to the carpark and get it. The supermarket was chocka, heaving with people, and the queues at each checkout were long and full. The checkout operator politely nodded and as he walked off to head back to the carpark, she finished putting his groceries through, packed them for him, then put his trolley of groceries to one side. She paused the sale and said to us, as we were next in line, that she would put our groceries through as she didn’t know how long he would be and she didn’t want to hold everyone up. Fair enough. As she was finishing scanning our groceries he returned, visibly agitated that she hadn’t waited for him, and pushed past me to the EFTPOS machine where I was waiting to pay and said to the checkout operator, “I hope I’m not paying for these as well, where are my groceries I’m ready to pay.” She politely explained they were all packed for him and the sale had been suspended until he returned and he could pay right after this transaction. I tried to get back to the EFTPOS machine at this point to pay, but he wouldn’t budge. Without making any eye contact with me, he leaned in further towards her, she was about 15 years old, and started giving her an ear bashing about not waiting for him. I interjected at this point and told him given the supermarket was chocka what on earth was he expecting, and I apologized to the young checkout girl for his rudeness. I went ahead and paid, he stood there still fuming. The checkout girl just smiled and said to me, “Thanks, don’t worry, I’m resigning anyway, this happens all the time.” So another checkout operator sick of being treated badly, leaves the job. Add that to all the others, and the hospo staff who’re sick of it, and you can see that the industry leaders saying a lot of this is our fault, may not all be wrong.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some are suggesting our great brain drain may slowing down. The net number of Kiwis that left the country for the year to September was more than 8,000. But for the month, people arriving outstripped the number leaving. Kiwibank senior economist Jeremy Couchman joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former US President Donald Trump is preparing to launch his third campaign for the White House, this afternoon NZ time, looking to move on from disappointing midterm defeats and defy history amid signs that his grip on the Republican Party is waning. Trump had hoped to use the GOP’s expected gains in last week’s elections as a springboard to vault himself to his party’s nomination by locking in early support to keep potential challengers at bay. Instead, he now finds himself being blamed for backing a series of losing candidates after disappointing results in which Democrats retained control of the Senate and House control remains too early to call. “Hopefully, tomorrow will turn out to be one of the most important days in the history of our Country!” Trump wrote on his social media network yesterday. An announcement is expected at 3pm today NZ time from his club in Palm Beach. Another campaign is a remarkable turn for any former president, much less one who made history as the first to be impeached twice and whose term ended with his supporters violently storming the US Capitol in a deadly bid to halt the peaceful transition of power on January 6, 2021. Just one president in US history has been elected to two non-consecutive terms: Grover Cleveland in 1884 and 1892. Trump is also facing a series of intensifying criminal investigations, including a Justice Department probe into the hundreds of documents with classified markings that were discovered in boxes and drawers at his Mar-a-Lago club. Aides and allies had urged Trump to wait until after the midterms were over — and then until after a December 6 Senate runoff election in Georgia — to announce his plans. But Trump, eager to return to the spotlight, is also hoping to stave off a long list of potential challengers, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who cruised to reelection last week and is now being urged by many in his party to run for president a well. Trump has tried to blame Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell for the GOP’s performance — and McConnell allies have criticised Rick Scott, the Florida senator who heads the Senate Republicans’ campaign committee. However, Trump has received the brunt of criticism for elevating candidates in states like Pennsylvania and Arizona who were unappealing to general election voters because they embraced his lies about 2020 election or held hard-line views on issues like abortion that were out of step with the mainstream. While Trump has the backing of the No 3 House Republican, Representative Elise Stefanik, others were already moving on. Asked whether she would endorse Trump in 2024, Republican Senator Cynthia Lummis, of Wyoming, told reporters yesterday: “I don’t think that’s the right question. I think the question is, who is the current leader of the Republican Party?” Asked who that was, she replied: “Ron DeSantis.” Senator Mitt Romney, R-Utah, a longtime Trump critic, compared Trump to a pitcher who keeps losing after GOP disappointments in 2018, 2020 and now 2022. “He’s been on the mound and lost three straight games. If we want to start winning, we need someone else on the mound. And we’ve got a very strong bench that can come out,” Romney said. “I know, there’s some fans that love him. Just like, you know, an ageing pitcher, they’re always fans that want to keep them there forever. But if you keep losing games, try to put some new players on the field.” Others expressed concern that Trump’s announcement would be a distraction from the Georgia race and urged potential candidates to focus there. “What’s really important for anybody who wants to be a 2024 candidate is to help us right now in 2022 to finish the cycle by winning the state of Georgia,” said Senator John Thune, R-SD. “We obviously had higher expectation in the Senate, which didn’t pan out. I think there are a lot of different things that contribute to that,” Thune added. “But I do think that, you know, folks who were unduly focused on the 2020 election, that’s not a winning strategy with independent voices.” Even the former president’s right-flank allies in the House Freedom Caucus kept their distance ahead of Trump’s announcement. “I am focused on what’s happening here,” said Representative Scott Perry, R-Pa, the Freedom Caucus chairman, as lawmakers returned to Capitol Hill on Monday. “I’m just not paying attention to any of those things, so I don’t want to comment on that.” Meanwhile, in Utah, 86 Republican lawmakers on Monday sent out a news release urging DeSantis to run, reflecting dissatisfaction with having Trump as their party’s standard-bearer. The state’s Mormon majority has long been skeptical of Trump’s isolationism and foul language. And in Michigan, Paul Cordes, chief of staff of the Michigan Republican Party, penned a four-page internal memo that criticised Trump-backed candidates for “statewide sweeps” that will give Democrats full control of the state’s government for the first time in 40 years. That includes Tud

A general view that the devil will be in the detail around RMA reforms. Three new laws will take its place, with two being announced so far. The Government says the changes aim to lower costs and will speed up the time it takes for new homes and infrastructure projects to be approved. Environmental lawyer Kate Storer told Kate Hawkesby until now, there's been questions as to what should be prioritised whether that's building houses, protecting rivers or air quality. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So I had quite the day yesterday. And here's the thing, I wish I was one of those people who knew how to react in the moment. I always think of stuff I should have said or done, after that fact. Yesterday I had a very stark example of that. I got bitten by a dog. Now I adore dogs, I’ve never been bitten by one, I love them, I grew up with them, I’ve owned them myself, they’re the greatest companions in the world, I think they’re adorable. But not all of them are. Some are downright vicious, and dangerous, and I put that down to the owner and their lack of control, not the dog. So I was walking my dog yesterday morning, and we see a man with his dog walking towards us, and his dog is pulling on the lead looking excited to see another dog and as we get closer, the polite thing all dog walkers do, is stop and let the dogs have a little sniff of each other. But as we got closer to this dog, it suddenly very aggressively lunged forward of its owner, jumped up and bit me – hard – on my thigh. I felt its teeth pierce through my tights and into my skin, it was incredibly painful, I couldn’t believe it had happened; I was in shock - and a lot of pain. I panicked that this dog was crazy and may attack my dog so I was trying to protect her and pick her up, whilst also try to see what sort of bite I had. I could feel a welt - I knew it was bleeding and the throbbing was so sore I knew I had to get my tights off and check the bite. I could feel the dog's teeth had gone through my tights, I was just so taken aback. The dog's owner, for his part, muttered, 'sorry', 'sorry', awkwardly, as though this dog biting was common practice, and he walked away. And this is where my shock got the better of me. I let him go. I didn't think or act quickly enough in the moment to grab his details and stop him. Too late, he was gone. I went looking for him, he had vanished. I was increasingly worried about whether this dog would attack someone else, I was worried it may bite a child, given it was able to jump so high to bite the top of my thigh, that could easily have been a child's face. I also knew I needed to find the owner once I saw the bite, replete with his dog's teeth marks in my thigh, because I knew it would need medical attention. I googled dog bites and saw you need to wash the wound, then add antibacterial cream, but the risk of infection is quite high and if the bite has pierced the skin you need to call a doctor. So I called the nurse and she said – dog bites are more common than you think, they deal with them a lot these days. Who knew?! I was sad to hear that. She said I would definitely need to come in and see the doctor for antibiotics as a preventative measure, and get a tetanus injection. So this dog bite has caused me pain, disrupted my day, inconvenienced me, and now it’s costing me to see a doctor and go on antibiotics, and have a tetanus shot. So I was now really annoyed that I hadn't acted fast enough and got the owner’s number and details, but shock had prevented me from doing any of that. Which the doctor said is very common actually for people in dog bite situations. But she did say it's very important to find the dog and its owner. So I just want to know, if you’ve been bitten by a dog, what did you do immediately in that moment? Because take it from me, standing there in shock like I did, is not enough.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Belief dropping our speed will drive down our number of road fatalities. Waka Kotahi's proposed sweeping speed limit decreases on state highways across the country - with focus around schools and marae. AA Road Safety spokesperson Dylan Thompson told Kate Hawkesby it's a key part of the Road to Zero Strategy. He says there's clear evidence from both overseas and within New Zealand, that the changes result in fewer crashes. Consultation on these latest changes closes on December 12. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Health Star system is being changed to better reflect added sugar and salt in nutritional ratings. Nutritionists are welcoming changes to the programme, which rates nutritional content of packaged food up to five stars. Today's upgrade gives lower star ratings to foods with high levels of added sugar and salt. Deputy Director-General of New Zealand Food Safety Vincent Arbuckle told Kate Hawkesby uptake has been increasing. He says major producers see value in the scheme, and both major supermarket chains have heavily adopted it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An explosion on a busy shopping street in the Turkish capital Istanbul has left at least six people dead and 53 wounded. Europe correspondent Gavin Grey told Kate Hawkesby that authorities are treating it as an act of terror, and are promising to bring the perpetrators to justice. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A nursing professor says paying students for their placements is a good first step to retaining staff. Health Minister Andrew Little is considering the move, as the country faces severe shortages in the sector. Students currently have to complete 11-hundred hours, but not all of that is in hospitals specifically. Massey University Professor of Nursing Jenny Carryer told Kate Hawkesby that in the surveys that have been done, financial distress comes up as a significant problem. She says it's a difficult problem, but she's pleased there is some consideration for one thing that can be changed. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How good was that rugby Saturday night? I could not take my eyes off it. And I’m not a rugby person, I haven’t really followed the Black Ferns season too closely, I only switched the game on when it was 14 nil to England and I thought oh here we go, it’s going to be a walk in the park for the English. You know, good on us for getting this far, but we can’t win this with the way they just walk us backwards over the line. But then... then the game turned... it was riveting. It was edge of the seat screaming from the sofa material. The very best kind of rugby. You could tell, even from home, that the atmosphere at Eden Park was electric. The crowds, the noise, the chanting, it was the perfect night. I was so happy for the Black Ferns – because they looked so happy, because they were underdogs going in, because they never saw their rugby dream going this far, and because they were actually doing it. But I was also thrilled for coach Wayne Smith – I mean what a way to finish up a career. He said it was “the most phenomenal moment of his career,” how awesome. He said he’s “never been more proud of any team he’s coached”. Not surprised. He can sail back into retirement a happy and fulfilled man, a hero. What a way to go out. There are lots of lessons here for the All Blacks too. The Black Ferns cohesion, their confidence, their attacking game, the sheer love of it. Their enthusiasm's infectious... they took the whole country with them and you really felt like they were playing for all of us. The phenomenal outpouring of support for them and the way New Zealand got behind them, magic. Smith said it’ll go down as one of the great experiences of his life. A rugby expert was cited in one article over the weekend saying this team has ‘changed the face of rugby’... by bringing “legions of new fans to the game at a time when grassroots and school boy rugby has been in decline.” Professor Jennifer Curtin, a rugby researcher, said, “they’ve cured New Zealand women’s rugby as something that can no longer be ignored or potentially underfunded...” She also said they'd ‘changed the face of the traditional rugby crowd.’ It’s funny because it did feel like a different kind of energy, even from watching it on the couch you could tell something different was going on. Curtin claimed they brought, “a different kind of enthusiasm, potentially one that might rejuvenate the code as a whole.” And how incredible would that be? The power of not just this win, but also the way the whole campaign went, and how much it swept up everybody along with it. That’s a phenomenal achievement for the players, the supporters, the coaches, Wayne Smith, Graham Henry, the mentors, the helpers... they can all take pride in this. So the pressure is on New Zealand Rugby now isn’t it? How to capitalize on this success, how to keep up momentum, how to invest in it properly. Because we now know without a shadow of a doubt, that they’ve earned that, and they deserve that. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's tourism innovation fund is now open for bids. There's $54 million up for grabs, but a few hoops to jump through. CEO of Real New Zealand, Stephen England-Hall, joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Job fairs are popping up all over the place these days, with some suggesting this is a sign of how desperate things are for some employers. There's one at Mt Smart stadium in Auckland today, hosted jointly by Work and Income and the Warriors Community Foundation. MSD's Mark Goldsmith joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Black Ferns will square off against England at a packed out Eden Park on Saturday night, in the Rugby World Cup final. The Ferns head into the match as clear underdogs, with the Red Roses looking to extended their 30 game winning streak. Elliott Smith is Newstalk ZB's Rugby Editor and joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

James Corbett, Tom Batterbury and Phil Thomson, the founders of crime prevention and detection software Auror, have been named winners of the EY Entrepreneur of The Year award for 2022. The trio were chosen from a field of five category winners and will represent New Zealand at the World Entrepreneur of the Year awards in June next year against winners from more than fifty other countries. Vaughan Fergusson, head judge for the category, said Auror has the potential to be a massive Kiwi global success story. “Entrants are typically strong across two to three aspects of the judging criteria, but Auror’s entry was strong across them all, and that’s what made them stand out,” Fergusson said. “What impressed us was the work they are doing to make the world a better place, and because the tool has been in use across multiple countries for a number of years, they had some really amazing stats to demonstrate the impact they’re making. “By changing the way we prevent crime, they are making people feel safer in the workplace and community, and that’s a really good thing. What’s exciting is that as Auror further establishes itself in bigger markets like the US.” Auror’s software helps retailers around the world reduce losses, and police prevent crime. More than 80 per cent of retailers in New Zealand use the platform and Auror saves NZ Police 200,000 hours a year in investigations. The Auror founders, who had won the Tech and Emerging Industries category, beat Lumin’s Max Ferguson (Young category), Dawn Aerospace’s Stefan Powell (Product), Brooke Roberts, Leighton Roberts and Sonya Williams of Sharesies (Services) and Stuart Wilson of Modica (Master). Other awards on the night included the Social Impact Award which went to Jennifer Del Bel from soy candle company Downlights New Zealand, and Carrfields Limited, which took home the Family Business Award for Excellence award.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A downward spiral in New Zealand's school attendance is sparking alarm. A new report by the Education Review Office has found 41 per cent of parents are comfortable with their child missing a week or more of school a term. Attendance has been dropping, with a 12 per cent decrease between 2015 and 2019 to 58 percent attending regularly. Te Tai Tokerau Principals Association president Pat Newman told Kate Hawkesby it's not a blaming situation. He says it's not something that can be fixed by government legislation, as it needs to be dealt with by communities. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Democrats have done better than expected, with the results of the US midterm elections not going down well in Donald Trump's camp. Republicans had been expecting a red wave across Congress, but the Democrat performance has hampered their progress. The Republicans scored an important victory with Ron DeSantis retaining his position as Florida Governor, but Trump-picked Mehmet Oz, better known as Dr Oz, lost his Pennsylvania Senate race. US Correspondent Anna Burns-Francis told Kate Hawkesby Trump is reportedly considering delaying his big announcement planned for next week. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I see Meta is planning large scale layoffs for thousands of workers following a hiring freeze and a share price fall of 70 percent this year. 12,000 so called ‘underperforming’ employees could face the chop. Meta’s been under fire for a while now - Zuckerberg getting Metaverse obsessed hasn't helped. I have a hunch the only person really living in the Metaverse is Zuckerberg and I’m not sure why tech companies keep wanting to push us into a virtual existence, forgoing the real one we have right here. One media mogul questioned the decision to pivot towards a Metaverse too, he said, "If you change the name of your company to something that doesn't yet exist to bury what does wildly exist, successfully, something is quite odd in that.” And that sums it up. If it wasn’t broke, why fix it? Because it’s not just Meta encountering problems and rethinking staffing. A number of tech companies are announcing hiring freezes or job cuts which as one observer pointed out, is “a stunning shift for an industry sometimes thought of as untouchable.” You’ve got Elon rarking it up at Twitter, announcing sackings then un-announcing them. Twitter laid off close to 3,700 people, only to reach out to dozens of them afterwards when they worked out they maybe shouldn’t have fired them and needed some of them after all. Twitter’s been losing $4 million a day; it’s a huge turnaround, for the worse, when you think about how hyped and talked up social media once was. Social media companies interest me because there’s such a divide on that stuff now. If you’re in the social media bubble, it can be your whole world, people make livelihoods off of it, they struggle to understand why everyone’s not on it – to them it almost is real. They can’t fathom not being on it. But what if it just all implodes? No bad thing many would argue, because it’s not real. So does it surprise me that Twitter’s in trouble, that Facebook’s struggling and that TikTok seems a hotbed of Chinese spying or misinformation? No, this was all entirely predictable. The internet is a toxic cesspool of stuff which was initially designed in good faith, but has been rorted and wrecked by people after the fact. And monetised to the point where you just don’t know what you can trust anymore. The era of the influencer too, is a weird one; one that some analysts believe is coming to an end. “Their business model is under siege because brands would rather pay influencers to market their products on Instagram versus paying Instagram to market their products, so it’s in Instagram’s best interests to ruin influencers.” So the theory is that as engagement drops, brands will switch back to paid ads instead of paying influencers. And if the influencers are gone, then what’s left? Is Instagram left in a Facebook predicament of old people sharing cat memes? Essentially, a platform young people want no part of. So it’ll be interesting to see where this all goes and whether the tech giants who run it can stem the tide of disengagement and turn it around or whether we get to the point where the social media bubble finally just bursts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Midterm election results leaning away from the US President is being described as normal politics. Voting is underway, with opinion polls tipping a Republican victory in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The pattern will follow previous midterms, with a Republican House during Obama, and a Democratic House during Trump. Former Republican strategist Doug Heye told Kate Hawkesby if Republicans take the Senate as well, it'll make things very difficult for Joe Biden. He says the President will have a hard-time negotiating on things like an open government and debt limits. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington City Mission is selling tickets to an event no one can attend. The charity is trying to sell out symbolic seats to Silent Night at Sky Stadium where 100 percent of sales go to people doing it tough. Tickets range from $10, to corporate box packages to cater for all who want to give. Wellington City Missioner Murray Eldridge told Kate Hawkesby it's an ambitious idea, but believes it'll help those in need. He says people are struggling with the most basic costs. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National's outlining how it will approach working with a Reserve Bank Governor it's criticised if elected next year. Adrian Orr will spend another five years in the role after the unanimous recommendation from the central bank's board. Finance spokesperson Nicola Willis told Kate Hawkesby they'd initiate an independent inquiry into monetary policy decision making over the past two years. She says that would include its contribution to the cost of living crisis, what it's done in terms of unsustainable house price rise and its coordination with fiscal policy. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Federated Farmers says Canada is extremely protectionist in its dairy system. Trade Minister Damien O'Connor has asked for an international panel to hear a dispute between the countries, which has seen New Zealand products locked out of the Canadian market. He says Canada isn't living up to commitments under the CPTPP agreement, by implementing broader dairy import taxes. Federated Farmers President Andrew Hoggard told Kate Hawkesby it's a market they haven't really been able to access, but would like to. He says it'd be good to trade in more markets to reduce reliance on a smaller number of countries. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Retailers will be having a busy rest of their November. Click Frenzy, Singles Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales will all happen before December. Retail NZ Chief Executive Greg Harford says we have imported sales from overseas to keep up with customers' demands. He says while they used to be niche sales, they've now gone mainstream with savings on everything from electronics to clothes. He told Kate Hawkesby the cost of living crisis may be good news for the sales. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A climate expert says not all UN climate change conferences are created equal. Delegates from more than 200 countries are meeting in Egypt over the next fortnight to discuss climate action and compare progress. Victoria University's Adrian Macey says the meeting is unlikely to create any new breakthrough agreements. He says it probably won't be as influential as the 2015 Paris meeting. Macey says that meeting produced a robust agreement on emissions. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An extension to childcare funding could benefit children's education. The Government's announced the income threshold to access the childcare subsidy scheme will be raised from April - making 54 percent of the country's families eligible. The Working for Families family tax credit will also rise by nine-dollars a week for the eldest child, and seven-dollars for subsequent children. Save the Children Research Director Jacqui Southey told Kate Hawkesby that it's incredibly necessary. She says those facing steep living costs can re-direct money going on childcare to other household essentials. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I see a theme at the Labour party conference over the weekend was taking potshots at National leader Chris Luxon. It was reported that Grant Robertson made “19 references to National” and 9 to Luxon personally. When asked if all this reference to the Nats meant they were worried about them as a serious threat, Robertson of course denied it. He added some extra potshots that the Nats were ‘out of touch and inexperienced’. Which in and of itself if laugh out loud irony if ever I heard it. Out of touch? This from a government who has never seen a bigger disconnect between the real world and their beehive Wellington echo chamber? Are you kidding me? No one is more out of touch than this government, and by saying the Nats are the ones out of touch proves it. As for inexperienced.. we could take that seriously if anyone inside the Labour government had any experience or had ever run a business or knew any facts or data around their own portfolios. To top it off.. Robertson, who, disappointingly for Michelle Obama, only knows how to ‘go low’, managed to get a sneering personal dig in as well and give Luxon a nickname.. dubbing him ‘Liz Luxon’ after the UK’s ill fated tax cut PM Liz Truss. Given Luxon was out visiting an aged care facility and actually doing some work, as opposed to name calling, he didn’t hear any of this, but his deputy Nicola Willis did. She replied by saying that Robertson “should focus on his job rather than name calling and petty political attacks”. One political editor said it was "embarrassing" of Robertson, and called him "panicked and petty". But this is what we can expect more of. Hypocritical as it may be, it’s all the so called party of kindness is capable of.. bullying. Even Queen of Kindness herself Jacinda Ardern, when challenged on the rudeness of Grant Robertson's name calling, said she stood by the approach. What does that tell you? It tells you to expect more of this gutter stuff. It’s all they’ve got. And if I was Luxon and the National party I’d take it as a compliment. In fact he did, he said he's flattered they're fixated on him. Labour’s scared, they’re so on the ropes going into this next election, (and the latest poll proves it) that that’s all they’ve got. Potshots and name calling. Robertson will be attack dog in chief. The PM will smile broadly and back up everything he says, or at least won’t resile from it. I guess that’s all they can do when they can’t stand on their record. I mean they do have records, just ones in the wrong direction. Record gang numbers, record youth crime, record debt, record job vacancies, record truancy, record social housing queues. Nicola Willis said, “Labour should stop talking about National and refocus on delivering for struggling New Zealanders who expect the Government to do better for them.” Well that’s what an adult would say, but sadly it’s falling on deaf ears. The game playing from the gutter has begun, and I’d hazard a guess this won’t be the last of the name calling. Which at the end of the day is a contributing factor to what makes people cynical about politicians and puts them off voting entirely. We deserve better than to be part of this sewer system of childishness… but sadly I don’t think we’re going to get out of it for awhile yet.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So predictably, sadly, the huge bushfire in North Canterbury is believed to have been started by two young people letting off fireworks. Why are we not surprised? 130 people were forced to leave their homes in an all-night evacuation. A massive amount of resource was poured into fighting the fire including four helicopters with monsoon buckets, two waterbombing planes, 7 fire crews, 70 firefighters, 12 trucks, 2 bulldozers and 2 diggers. They worked throughout the night trying to get the blaze, which spanned about 200 hectares, under control. The fire engulfed 5 and a half kilometres of the coast north of the Waimakariri River. All of that energy, resource and great expense, all because of a couple of kids with fireworks. Not even letting them off on Guy Fawkes, just randomly letting them off as soon as they’d purchased them. They only went on sale Wednesday. The rules are you can only light fireworks from your own home, and in calm conditions. Who’s taking any notice of the laws? Answer – no one. They couldn’t give a crap. And why would they? There are no consequences in this country for anything anymore so why fear authority or rules or laws? Even ram raiders get a wraparound hug and a meeting rather than any kind of law enforcement. Being young means being off the hook. Kids know it, their mates know it, the parents know it. So why are we surprised when they don’t follow the rules? One of the youths involved has been referred to Youth Aid. How swamped do you reckon Youth Aid is right now? Will they even get seen in the next month or so? There’s more youth in trouble than there is aid. And despite all the best efforts of Youth Aid and their valiant attempts at restorative justice and rehabilitation, we have a major problem in this country with disenfranchised youth. So when I hear Police saying stuff like, oh we identified who started the fire, and one of them is off to Youth Aid, it’s not all that reassuring. Police also say stuff like, by the way, we ‘encourage anyone intending to light fireworks this season to ensure they do so safely. Don’t light them in windy or dry conditions, or around anything that might catch fire, such as dry grass or leaves.’ Literally they say that in the same breath as whipping off to Youth Aid the clowns who did exactly all of that. No one’s listening to the rules. These young people clearly did not give two hoots about the environment or the weather. Health NZ chimed in that Cantabs should ‘close windows and doors, air out their house, keep pets and their bedding inside with clean water and food.’ So just a massive inconvenience to everyone who wasn’t dumb enough to set fire to a whole coastline yet has to deal with the consequences. And that’s the nub of all this – consequences. Let the youths who started it feel them. Let them go round and air out everyone’s house and apologise to everyone and clean up the beach and work alongside the firefighters and say sorry to all those who’re pregnant or with heart or lung conditions. I despair that we are now just in a cycle of youth trouble equals Youth Aid, and that’s it. The forgotten word here is – consequences. And let's ban fireworks while we're at it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A concern New Zealand's meth market may be becoming even more attractive to international drug manufacturers. Kiwi users pay some of the highest prices in the world with 100 milligrams costing around $100. But an increase in global supply has driven prices down around the world. Drug education company Methcon Managing Director Dale Kirk told Kate Hawkesby demand continues to outstrip supply here because we don't have many other options. He says we haven't had opioids, cocaine or MDMA take off as much here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.