Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

Well it’s been a tough week hasn't it? I mean many of us are still in the post-Covid malaise anyway but bad news makes it worse doesn't it? We've had principals this week saying they’re worried about families who’ve just vanished due to truancy. So you’ve got large swathes of kids just not showing up for school for a variety of reasons, some of them so random, like they just don't trust the school system anymore. You’ve got farmers infuriated by the emissions scheme being foisted upon them, which they say is going to kill farming and the communities they exist in. You’ve got power and gas prices about to soar even further making it even tougher for our cost of living crisis. Young people don’t seem bothered to work. We had Hospitality NZ CEO Julie White on the show this week and she said for all the advertising and wage hikes and flexibility on offer, they still can’t get Kiwis into hospitality roles. They need 30,000 people and she said whichever way you slice it, it just seems Kiwis don’t want to work. And with school, it seems many parents don’t seem bothered to get their kids back into school. Many who moved to working from home during Covid now want life to stay that way too. So we’ve had this gradual, but really impactful, disconnect in terms of the way we function. We saw it on display this past weekend with the woeful local body election turnout too – literally no one cares. A worse turnout than last time which is hard to believe, but maybe we just need to start believing it. But when it comes to schooling, I’m not sure it’s all truancy because home-schooling, post the pandemic is up 80 percent. That’s huge. “Northland and Southland have seen the biggest rises, with 91% and 86% increases, respectively,” one report said and then went on to question whether or not these students are actually getting a good enough education. The standard of their education seems in doubt. Which is a worry; given how low the education standards are right now for the students who do still turn up for classroom teachers. I’m not sure home schooling should be isolated out as potentially any worse. All education standards across the board seem to have slipped these days. But you see it in the general shift in mood in shops, cafes, restaurants and many of the service industries. There seems a lackadaisical approach across the board. Attitudes are different. The one thing I hear from friends and colleagues who’re travelling overseas is that the rest of the world seems more upbeat, is getting on with it more, is less bogged down in the daily running of life. The bounce back, I’m not talking necessarily economically, I just mean the bounce back in terms of attitude, has happened faster than it has here. So I just don’t know if the future of the workforce and schooling here is now forever changed, and it just is what it is. Or whether we do get our mojo back at some stage. I’m hoping it's the latter. And I’m hoping it starts happening soon.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The naming of an Auckland suburb among the world's coolest suburbs has come as a bit of a surprise. Kingsland has been ranked the 43rd coolest suburb in an annual list by UK media company Time Out, praising its focused on all things local. Time Out's judges praised Kingsland's eclectic food scene, historic buildings and boutique shops that replace "flashy franchises". Albert Eden Local Board member Jose Fowler told Kate Hawkesby it's surprising, but they do deserve the accolade. He says it has easy access to Auckland's CBD via public transport and cycling, and has everything Time Out has praised it for - and more. A slight hiccough - on the Time Out website, the blurb about Kingsland is accompanied by a photo of the downtown Ferry Building. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New clinical guidelines have been launched for the treatment of advanced breast cancer. It coincides with Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day, which is today. Breast Cancer Foundation NZ chief executive Ah-Leen Rayner says around 400 Kiwis are diagnosed with advanced breast cancer every year. She says their research shows Kiwi women are dying from it twice as fast as those in comparable countries. Rayner says these guidelines provide the best possible treatment that can extend their lives, no matter where they live. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

High hopes new immigration settings will have much-needed talent flocking to our shores. The Government's reopened sections for skilled migrant and parent visas, key residence categories effectively shut off during the pandemic. Malcolm Pacific Immigration Chief Executive, David Cooper told Kate Hawkesby the Government has approved close to 60,000 job checks so far. He says eventually, around 50-60,000 people will get visas, with a good percentage going on to apply for residency. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m pleased to see the 21 year old woman in Wellington who got shafted by Uber is finally calling the ride share out for the crap service it is. We’ve told our kids to cancel their Uber accounts. It’s just not tenable or safe anymore to catch them, because they never turn up. The most common thing they do is cancel on you. This woman in Wellington was trying to get home after a night out and was left in the dark on the side of the road because three Ubers in a row cancelled on her. She’s not alone in having that experience and I can’t work out why they’re doing it. They make no money from cancelled rides, they only upset the riders and it makes people lose faith in the service and in our case, winds up with people cancelling the app. The last time I asked my daughter to Uber home after a school event, she had Uber after Uber just cancel on her. Over and over again. No explanation. She’d waited half an hour – longer than the trip home was – and still no Uber turned up. Just a string of cancelled rides. In the end she walked home. We now suggest our kids taxi places instead. It’s too dangerous to order an Uber if you’re out late, and then risk it never coming. And the other infuriating thing is how often they charge you for the cancelled ride. Even when it wasn’t you who cancelled it. If the driver cancels on you, with no explanation, after making you wait, then it’s not a cost you should bear. But to contest that automatic cancel fee payment which gets deducted from your card, you have to wade through the app’s contact form section and fill out generic questions with pre-formatted answers. There’s no one you can actually pick up a phone and talk to or email. So they have your money, you have no Uber, no service, and no one interested in compensating you. The onus is on you to chase them down online, via the app, to wait for a response – which can take days – and then wait again for a resolution whereby they decide whether they will or won’t refund your card with the unfairly debited cancellation fee. As this woman in Wellington rightly said, it makes you feel unsafe. My last experience with Uber was after a concert when we went to hop into the car, someone else had already hopped in to take it. When that happens, the driver is supposed to check the booking name and if it’s not the rider who ordered it they’re not supposed to take them. But this driver didn’t do that, he just said, ‘no, they’re in the car now, so I’ll just take them’, and drove off. That left me, (a) ride less on the side of the road, but more importantly, (b) that ride was ordered by me therefore on my credit card, so I was potentially paying for their trip home! I had to spend God knows how long on the app trying to find a way to resolve it and get my money back. I deleted my Uber account after that and haven’t been in one since. Some may argue you get what you pay for and it’s a cheap service - but it’s not that cheap anymore at all. Now that I’m taking taxis I’ve discovered they’re the same price if not sometimes even cheaper. So I’m not sure what Uber’s up to in this country or what it’s playing at but it’s fast running out of fans.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Questions have been asked as to whether the Government has read the room wrong on the He Waka Eke Noa emissions plan. The Government proposes requiring farmers to pay levies on emissions from 2025, Cabinet will make the decisions on those prices and also how sequestration will be recognised, with farmers having only a small amount of input. And that's before the large expected loss in production for sheep and dairy farms. He Waka Eke Noa programme director is Kelly Forster who joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Calls to be careful about increases in gas and electricity bills, before jumping to conclusions. Genesis and Contact Energy customers will see their gas bills rise by an average of 11 percent, while Contact's electricity bills will go up by around 8 percent. The move comes as Genesis reports an increase in annual profit of 600 percent, the bills will still go up regardless. Major Electricity Users' Group Chair John Harbord told Kate Hawkesby it's worth unpicking why the increase is happening in the first place. He says the wholesale electricity price doubled overnight four years ago, and some of those increases are starting to trickle into the domestic market. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recruitment company Beyond Recruitment has found the tight labour market means businesses are focusing more on the welfare of their employees. Figures show two thirds of organisations are offering hybrid working arrangements, and the same number are offering flexible work hours. Beyond Recruitment Chief Executive Liza Viz told Kate Hawkesby the job market is a workers' market. She says worker shortages are at an all time high and staff availability is at an all time low. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My daughter’s in Queenstown with a friend and her family at the moment, and she's been snapchatting me pictures of all the shop and cafe windows, with all the 'STAFF WANTED' signs everywhere. I haven't forgotten about the plight of Queenstown, because we still hear regularly from many business owners down there, still exasperated. And many of the visitors who return from there have tales to tell. All the same tale sadly. That it’s a gut-wrenching time of heartbroken owner operators struggling to get by with no staff. For many who are repeat visitors or bach owners there, it’s sadness at what’s become of the place. A once bustling vibrant city with an international feel. Now it’s the same old story all the time - late check ins because rooms aren’t ready, the lack of housekeeping services in general, the lack of staff, the inexperience of the staff they do have, the shut shops and the closed cafes. None of this is new, but the fact it’s still going on is heart breaking. It just hasn’t been fixed yet. They’re still waiting and waiting and waiting, and crickets are chirping. Someone wrote to me just yesterday about their time in Queenstown last week. They said they’d attended a conference there and it was abundantly clear that thousands of employees were still required for the hospitality/hotel scene. They mentioned all the ‘staff wanted’ signs everywhere. Cafes and hotels had delays, their room wasn't ready until 4pm and when it was they were told it wouldn’t be serviced. On top of that they said there are still massive amounts of work being done on the roads and walkways, including along the lake front. They said you couldn’t get into some of the shops because of it and one whole block of public toilets was closed, putting huge pressure on the one remaining block. Which as this emailer pointed out, is all well and good for relaxed Kiwi holidaymakers who might not mind putting up with a bit of inconvenience. But will international tourists be so patient? It’s classically Kiwi to be all ‘no worries mate’ about it, but what if you’ve travelled a long way to be there and paid a lot of money for not a lot of service? The café workers were doing their best under trying circumstances but with the buzz of visitors returning, so too does service need to keep up. And it can’t if there’s just literally no one to do the serving. I think the Government’s still moving too slowly, the immigration department seems unable to keep pace – despite hiring all those extra people to clear backlogs. We still have a backlog of 36,000 international tourists waiting for visitor visas. We only just opened up the country to more chefs, by reducing the qualification component, and it’s a gamble whether they get here in time or even want to come. So the punish for places like Queenstown is on the one hand, great to have borders open to welcome back tourists, but they’re still hamstrung on the other hand, by an immigration department that can’t process enough visas to let all the tourists in who want to come and who can’t seem to fast track enough workers into key areas where they’re still crying out for them. So it's a real shame it's still so under staffed. It seems unfair, and it's not for lack of trying.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The latest rising truancy numbers have principals worried. More than 16,700 new cases were investigated in the first half of the year. Meanwhile, the number of non-enrolled kids nearly matched the total of non-enrolled cases for last year. President of the New Zealand Principals' Federation Cherie Taylor-Patel joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National is ruling out a referendum on co-governance, for now. Act is making the referendum a bottom-line in any coalition negotiations after next year's election. National leader Christopher Luxon told Kate Hawkesby it's not something the party is considering right now. He says it's not the party's policy and he doesn't see the need. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says it's up to National to make its position clear. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A farming expert has her fingers crossed that the latest agriculture sector proposals will be given the green light. Newstalk ZB understands the Government will announce today its response to the He Waka Eke Noa report - which proposes an industry-wide emissions pricing scheme. It's likely to accept key recommendations - which would include farmers calculating and paying for their own emissions from 2025. Lincoln University's Jacqueline Rowarth told Kate Hawkesby it's unknown whether farmers will receive recognition for planting efforts. She says it's important to note tree planting off-sets emissions, rather than reducing them, and recent reports highlight it isn't the main solution. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Newstalk ZB Sport's Andrew Alderson joined Kate Hawkesby to discuss Bathurst, Formula 1 racing and the Black Ferns so-called 'sell-out'. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UK and Europe Correspondent Kay Oliver joined Kate Hawkesby this morning to share news of the tragic bomb explosion at a petrol station in a small Irish town. She said that in the small village of 400 people, everyone has been affected. Pope Francis has sent his condolences. Oliver has also said that King Charles has axed a lot of the pageantry ahead of his coronation next year. The ceremony which usually takes about four hours will be cut down to just over one hour. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hopes changes to chef recruitment rules will help alleviate a 30,000 hospitality worker shortage. Following industry concerns, the Government's removing the qualification requirement for chefs being hired through the Accredited Employer Work Visa. The tourism and hospitality median wage exception has also been extended for another year. Hospitality New Zealand Chief Executive, Julie White told Kate Hawkesby she's optimistic the changes will be felt in time for this summer. She said they really need Immigration to double down and process the visas of incoming chefs quickly. "We are in desperate need. We have a critical staff shortage."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m pleased that the woeful turnout for the local body elections still at least saw change. There is a mood for change – a strong one it would seem, and the results should be a wake-up call to anyone left in the Beehive still not believing that people are sick to the back teeth of the establishment. We are sick of the status quo, we are sick of where we’re at. It was, as one political commentator pointed out, “a bloodbath” for the left. It’s an early shot across the bow for what we might see come election year next year. The country basically threw out incumbents, the whole country pretty much, bar Wellington, swung to the right. Auckland for the first time in a decade voted in a right-wing Mayor. What I like about that is he pulls no punches. When the head of Auckland Transport immediately resigned on the back of his win, Wayne Brown's response was "the whole board should follow suit." This is refreshing. There'll be few Aucklanders who disagree with the chaotic shambles that is Auckland Transport, so he’s off to a good start. And for all the lefties bemoaning the fact he’s white – that in and of itself is racist, the colour of someone’s skin should never be a reason to vote for them, either way. And for all those bemoaning his age – it seems people actually want grown-ups in charge. The idealogues have been told to sit down. The only place that went further left was Wellington – electing Greenie Tory Whanau, who said her city better get prepared for disruption and lots of road cones. So she sounds fun. It’s further proof of the bubble Wellington exists in. It's in its own special echo chamber and much of the reason the Government is so delusional and out of touch with the rest of the country. Even Dunedin voted in a mayor who campaigned on fewer cycle ways and more car parking, an abhorrent concept to the lefties, but clearly immensely popular with everyone else. Faith in the direction of this country is dire. We’ve watched our cities get wrecked by public transport theorists, and anti-car warriors. Crime, which is a national issue, is felt keenly in our local suburbs with ram-raided dairies and liquor shops boarded up. The country’s a mess. People have had a gutsful. Arguably no city’s been more wrecked than Rotorua. An absolute travesty that former mayor and Labour Party stalwart Steve Chadwick stood by and just let happen. So the result I’m most pleased about actually is Tania Tapsell going in there. She deserves it. She makes sense, she’s smart. Every time we've had her on this show she’s onto it, prompt, keen, hardworking and absolutely passionate about her city – which is all you can ask for in a mayor. It seems those connected to Labour in any way got shown the door - even the candidates personally endorsed by the Prime Minister, which speaks volumes about her brand these days. So I reckon a great result. Good to see such a movement for change. There's a rejection of the establishment. You watch, Three Waters will be next to go. I think what the weekend results have told us, is that this Government is on notice.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A host of new mayors and councillors now make up the new local body politics scene - not that the majority of you might have known that. Or care. All the main cities, bar Hamilton, have a new mayor - Wayne Brown in Auckland, Tory Whanau in Wellington, Phil Mauger in Christchurch and Jules Radich in Dunedin. But despite more than a 40% mayoral turnover rate we didn't get out there and vote - the final turnout is expected to be 38-39%. We've got to do something - Local Government NZ President Stuart Crosby joined Kate Hawkesby to talk about the turnout and the disconnect. He said they need an independent review. "The system is broken and we need to do something about it."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tomorrow is your absolute last chance to have your say in who will represent you in your town or city for the next three years. I’m not surprised that the vast majority of us have still yet to vote. Perhaps it’s more a case that the vast majority of us have decided not to bother voting as is the New Zealand tradition. There’s a great deal to be concerned about and invested in when it comes to what happens with your local council. So why not have your say? Sometimes the quantity of key issues can be completely overwhelming, so perhaps the easiest thing to do is to simply focus on the one or two issues that really grind your gears and go from there. Whether it’s cycle paths or the Three Waters proposal or the issue of co-governance that heightens your enthusiasm, there’s no point in having a strong opinion or feeling about something if you’re not prepared to put that into action with your vote. Have a quick look through the booklet that came with your voting form and perhaps initially focus on those standing for re-election. It might be easiest to eliminate those who haven’t stood by the mandate they were given when they were initially elected and then look at fresher faces to see what they promise. I’m really unsure what makes the difference between the big centres but Christchurch is really fanning the flames of enthusiasm compared to Wellington whose turn out is a bit of a fizzle so far. Is that simply a reflection of the critical issues affecting your town? Or is it more a reflection of the vast majority of unknown‘s standing for election? I guess you’ve got to start somewhere and some of these people will have the absolute integrity and determination you read about in that brochure. So well done to all of those who raise their hand and put themselves forward for three years of castigation and relentless often gruelling, confrontational questioning through public meetings. It’s not exactly a thankless job but it certainly isn’t for the faint hearted. You and I are simply tasked with making sure the right people get those jobs.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mycoplasma bovis testing will be ramped up after a new strain has been detected in Mid Canterbury. The property is one of four that is currently infected with the cattle disease across the region Federated Farmers Mid-Canterbury President David Acland told Roman Travers the next step is work out the transmission line to determine how the disease entered the country. He says MPI has genome tested the property multiple times and the disease has been contained. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today at the Seaweed Summit 2022 the seaweed sector framework is being launched. It's all about encouraging a sector that could help us out both economically and environmentally while you can also use seaweed for seemingly anything - food, fertiliser, sunscreen and nutraceuticals. Today's event is jointly organised with a couple of groups, one of those being the Sustainable Seas Challenge Project - Rob Major leads that project and he joined Roman Travers. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National is warning people are in for a pummelling as the Reserve Bank continues to hike the Official Cash Rate. Five 50 basis point rises in a row has the OCR at 3.5 percent. National Finance spokesperson Nicola Willis says every signal is interest rates will need to go higher to get inflation under control. She told Roman Travers government spending is having an influence. Willis says the more spending that goes on, the more fuel goes on the inflation fire. She says the cost of living crisis is raging on, so the Reserve Bank is having to pull ever-harder on the interest rate handbrake. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wasn’t it sad yesterday to hear the news about Sir Dave Dobbyn and his recent diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease? I admire his honesty and the way he let people know through a Facebook post, saying he’d been feeling shaky for a while, and was diagnosed with the disease back in July. He now has a tremor in his right hand, and it’s giving his guitar playing "a new kind of twang". Sir Dave also says that the diagnosis has given him a wider appreciation of life, and he will still be performing. Generally speaking, we are all living longer with conditions that once upon a time ended lives. Now with modern medical intervention, we’re able to keep living well and truly beyond the expectations of years ago. It would almost be without exception that everybody seems to know somebody afflicted by a life changing diagnosis: Parkinson’s, dementia or some other form of neurological disease. Although we seem to have made such advances in many other disease states, the demise in the neurological aspects of life largely remain a complete mystery and one that many scientists are working hard to better understand. Wouldn’t it be fantastic to see all aspects of dementia and Parkinson’s relegated to historical medical journals? Wouldn’t it be amazing to know that upon diagnosis, the prognosis was bright and promising or even preventable? The reality for so many people with these conditions is that life slowly but steadily declines into full-time care. The prospect of us having the kind of care that we’d love to get is largely dependent on the savings we’ve made throughout life. Like you no doubt, I don’t want to be a burden upon my family but I sure as hell expect the state provided healthcare system to do better than what it currently does. Stripping away people’s assets and means testing sufferers for something that’s completely outside of their control remains a cruel mystery to me. As though having the disease isn’t punishment enough without having to lose everything you’ve worked so hard for through life. What’s becoming frighteningly obvious is that without comprehensive health insurance, most of us are destined to rely upon our very shaky third world health care system.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The tide is high for the aquaculture industry as it gets a $210,000 government boost. The funding will be used for a strategy to boost the sector's workforce which is currently struggling, like every industry, to fill vacancies. Sanford CEO Peter Reidie joined Roman Travers. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A suggestion from the Cancer Society that regulating ads children are exposed to could help prevent cancer. It's funded an Otago University study that's found children see ads relating to gambling seven times, alcohol 4.5 times and junk food 27 times every day. Cancer Society medical director, Kate Gregory, says children are vulnerable to messages, which increases consumption of these products. She told Roman Travers around 50 percent of cancers are caused by things like being overweight and high alcohol consumption. She says cancer can be prevented if we're able to reduce the amount of advertising for these kind of products children are exposed to. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National is warning people are in for a pummelling as the Reserve Bank continues to hike the Official Cash Rate. Five 50 basis point rises in a row has the OCR at 3.5 percent. National Finance spokesperson Nicola Willis says every signal is interest rates will need to go higher to get inflation under control. She told Roman Travers government spending is having an influence. Willis says the more spending that goes on, the more fuel goes on the inflation fire. She says the cost of living crisis is raging on, so the Reserve Bank is having to pull ever-harder on the interest rate handbrake. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Canstar have released a survey of 700 small business owners, which shows many small business owners feel positive about their futures, having survived the struggles of recent years. Along with feeling optimistic, more than a third of small businesses say their revenue has also increased in the past twelve months. Jose George is the general manager of Canstar New Zealand, and he joined Roman Travers. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Reserve Bank is widely expected to deliver another 50 basis point hike to the Official Cash Rate today, as it moves to try to head off inflation in the economy. That would be the fifth 50 basis point hike in a row, an unprecedented run, and would take the OCR from 3 per cent to 3.5 per cent. To discuss further, Westpac acting Chief Economist Michael Gordon joined Roman Travers. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Post Primary Teachers' Association wants to ban streaming in schools by 2030. Streaming is grouping students together based on their perceived ability. Auckland's Sacred Heart College principal Patrick Walsh told Roman Travers international evidence proves it doesn't work, even for top academic students. He says it does have a detrimental effect on Māori and Pasifika students in terms of self-esteem and life opportunities. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here’s something I’ve learnt over the years; never ask anyone how they are unless we truly have time to hear the truth. Good health is often something we take for granted until we don’t have it - and good mental health precedes everything else in life. Covid-19 and the ensuing fallout has manifested in so many ways for so many different people. The initial inability to work followed by inability to justify retaining some jobs was closely followed by the train crash in mental health seen in adults and adolescents. Those with expertise in treating mental health saw fewer children and teenagers last year largely due to the ongoing disruptions caused by the pandemic. This wasn’t only due to the inability to get into a critical first scheduled appointment; it was also the inability for our healthcare professionals to recruit into mental health services. Our mental health professionals have told the Government that the pandemic has disproportionately affected our young people and that the effects will be ongoing and extensive. In a nutshell, our mental health services were incapable of addressing the growing need for mental healthcare and now it’s simply being crushed by the weight of the acute increase. When you have a government that’s unable to address such a critical concern for us all; when you have a government that simply asks for more information and ongoing statistics relating to this virtual grenade whose pin has already been pulled; then the outcome can only be of greater ongoing concern for us all. This is incredibly confronting: the number of young people alone requiring acute mental health care has tripled in the past ten years. In that same ten years, the number of young people with acute mental health concerns that have turned up in accident and emergency departments has increased by 400 percent. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A breakthrough for those with inoperable lung cancer. Pharmac is funding a new immunotherapy medicine, called infensey for those with New Zealand's deadliest cancer. It's the first medicine of its kind funded for lung cancer and will be available for anyone to access. Lung Foundation CEO Philip Hope says this is a massive step forward in the fight against cancer. He says the drug gives patients diagnosed with stage 3 non-small cell lung cancer a good option when undergoing treatment. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwisaver funds seem to be doing well, despite increasingly nervous times. According to the Financial Markets Authority, managed Kiwisaver funds have grown by 10 percent in the year to March. Simplicity Managing Director Sam Stubbs told Roman Travers it shows the industry is still growing and people are still saving. He says, if the product does well in tough times like this, it gives people confidence. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UK Prime Minister Liz Truss has instructed King Charles to not attend the climate change conference, COP27, set to take place next month in Egypt. UK Correspondent Gavin Grey told Roman Travers that before the King's ascension to the throne, he had said he'd go to the annual conference. "It is reported that Liz Truss, the Prime Minister, has ordered him not to attend." He says that has been denied by plenty of people in the know. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nurses are being begged to take extra shifts on their days off - but with no corresponding double pay. The Nurses Organisation has suggested its members refuse to pick up extra shifts this week. It comes after their winter bonus of 100 dollars a shift, ended on Friday. Whangarei emergency nurse Rachel Thorn told Roman Travers scrapping DHBs for the new Te Whatu Ora, has made it difficult for executive leadership teams to make decisions to support nurses. She says because Te Whatu Ora has ultimate decision making - their leadership teams have less say than they used to. Thorn says they need Te Whatu Ora to take action on things like safety, short staffing, immigration and pushing the Government on policy. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand’s brand value shot up 13% from 2021, according to global rankings released overnight. Brand Finance Nation brands valued New Zealand’s national brand at US$248 billion in 2022, an increase of US$29 billion on the prior year. The annual Nation Brands Report is a study into the world’s top 100 nation brands ranked by their value and strength. It has been providing key benchmarks for diplomats, tourism boards, trade agencies, geographical indication brands, nation brand managers and consultants for nearly two decades. This rise is one of the largest of any country, with brand New Zealand’s ranking moving up three places to become the 39th most valuable. While the covid-19 pandemic hit many other countries’ national brands hard, New Zealand’s brand value rose 11% from a pre-pandemic valuation. The rankings also place New Zealand at number 13 (of 100 countries) on the nation brand strength leader-board, which combines statistics and perceptions research. Brand strength is calculated based on investment in nation brand (25% weighting), public perception of nation brand (50% weighting), and performance of nation brand (25% weighting). David Downs, Chief Executive of the Government agency responsible for New Zealand’s nation branding, NZ Story Group, says the brand value increase further recognises the country’s outstanding pandemic response. “Effective virus containment paved the way for economic growth, particularly now that our borders have reopened. To add a bit of perspective, Brand New Zealand is now worth more than McDonald’s.” New Zealand’s high brand strength score is underpinned by a high sub-score of 85.2 for public perception, ranking 8th in this sub-category. Downs was pleased with this recognition, noting that “this indicates a strong preference for the New Zealand brand both overseas and domestically.” “The world associates brand New Zealand with integrity, ingenuity, care, and respect. As our exporters gear up to meet renewed global demand and our tourism and education sectors welcome the return of overseas visitors and students, confirmation of this ranking further strengthens the message that New Zealand is well and truly open for business.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're a fan of Shorthand Street, or the Outrageous Fortune prequel Westside, Will Hall will be a familiar face to you. Best known as the skateboarding doctor kip, and loveable cop Mike McCarthy, Will Hall recently moved back to his home town of Christchurch with his young family, and has now turned his attention to local body politics. With low voter turnout historically in local body elections, Will is utilising his skills to encourage Cantabrians to get voting and get engaged in the local elections. Will Hall is standing for the Heathcote Ward in the Christchurch local elections and joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So apart from school holidays starting today, guess what else we’re heading into? Sober October. Who knew? I thought Dry July was a thing and the only thing, but turns out there’s also Sober October. All I know is having not drunk alcohol in so long, I forget that alcohol free months are even a thing until I hear about them and remember that I don’t drink. It’s become such a non-event for me now, but it wasn’t always like that. When I first stopped drinking alcohol it was hard socially to explain it to people. People don’t take it very well when they’re standing enthusiastically in their lounge pouring everyone a glass of champagne and you say, “oh not for me thanks.” It’s got party pooper vibes all over it. Likewise when waiters come to the table in restaurants asking for drinks orders, it doesn’t have quite the same zing to say “peppermint tea for me please.” That doesn't really scream 'let's get this party started'. I’m sure people are trying to act more low key and less reactionary around people who don’t drink these days, but they’re not there yet. It’s usually followed by comments like, “Oh designated driver are we?” or, “had a big one last night did you?” Initially when I stopped drinking, almost 7 years ago now, it wasn’t that common here. Not as much as it is now. I felt I had to explain myself every time I declined an alcoholic drink – “oh I don’t not drink because I’m an alcoholic or anything I just choose not to..” These days I just say no thanks and leave it at that. But I raise all this because I was reading about Sober October and some stats on what a month without alcohol really does to your body. Because it’s a lot like dieting – they say you don’t want to be too extreme about it – and you don’t want to yo-yo in a way that takes your health backwards. The main thing stopping alcohol for a while does, experts agree, is improve your sleep quality, which in turn means you should have more energy. Energy eludes me because I get up at 3am everyday so I tend to feel permanently jetlagged, but the sleep quality I can definitely vouch for. Not waking up in the night with a heart racing and a liver trying to process alcohol makes for a much deeper sleep. Giving up alcohol, according to the experts, also apparently reduces your blood pressure. But they say just giving up for a month is not a cure-all from a health perspective, but what it can do is work as a reset for many people to rebalance or rethink how they drink. I gave up because I wasn’t a big drinker in the first place so it made no difference to me and I found I didn’t really miss it, (although how I didn’t take back up drinking during lockdown I’ll never know), but it’s really tough for many people for whom it’s a big part of their social or wind down routine. I know we have a big binge drinking problem in this country, but I think these one off alcohol free months are more for the everyday drinkers who’ve just crept into a habit they don’t think twice about. I don’t think people should be pressured either way, but if a month off alcohol helps reset how you view it, then maybe for some, that’s no bad thing.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Support for the Crown's decision to appeal the home detention sentence handed down to teenage rapist Jayden Meyer. The 18-year-old is serving nine months home detention, after being convicted of raping four girls and sexually violating a fifth. Meyer's victims spoke out about his sentence, and hundreds of people took to the streets in protest. Sexual violence educator and survivor Rachel Taane told Kate Hawkesby the Crown Law Office's appeal is a welcome move. She says it's an awesome start that gives hope. The appeal is set to be heard next month. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Drug checking services are available at Auckland stadiums for the first time from today, following a law change last year. Volunteers from KnowYourStuff NZ will be at Mt Smart Stadium's music concert "Listen In". A report for the 2021 to 2022 festival season shows samples have been tested at 40 events, nearly twice the number done two years ago. Auckland Stadiums Director, James Parkinson told Kate Hawkesby says it's a new tool to keep people safe, made available by the legalisation of drug checking. He says it's natural to add it to their other security and safety measures. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kelvin Davis' 'how Māori are you' routine in the House yesterday was a disturbing trip backwards for a country now so bogged down in race politics that it's actually a distraction. And one I think most of us are rightly sick of. There appears to be more race division and race baiting going on inside the Beehive, on our behalf, than there actually is out here in the real world. The co-governance spewing forth at a rate of knots, the push for more te Reo inside media, on every signpost, every corporate email, every event, every school. You can argue it's good for us, or it's long overdue or it's evolution, or whatever argument you want to mount for it, but once we start sinking to 'but how Māori are you really?' we've reached the lowest ebb. Deputy Labour Party Leader Kelvin Davis, if you haven't kept up with this, and I notice not a lot of news websites are running it, which in and of itself speaks volumes, but he said in the House yesterday to Māori Act MP Karen Chhour, that she needed to 'leave her Pākehā world'. He said, "What the Member needs to do is cross the bridge that is Te Tiriti o Waitangi from her Pākehā world into the Māori world and understand exactly why, how the Māori world operates." He said this, to a Māori woman of Ngāpuhi descent; she says she is a 'proud Māori woman'. But that's not how Kelvin sees it. He also said to her that it was "no good looking at the world from a vanilla lens". A vanilla lens? What's he alleging here? Apart from the fact she is not Māori, which she is, how does this comment come across as anything other than racist? Chhour was offended by all this, she said, "attacking somebody's mana like that just because they disagree with you is unacceptable". She was reported as saying that, 'as a child of state care, she feels like Davis should take her lived experience seriously'.. She wants an apology. "It feels like if you don't agree with us, you're not a real Māori, or you're not Māori enough, or you don't have the mana of a Māori, and I find that quite hurtful," she told Newshub. Davis for his part still claims she was raised in a Pākehā world, and that's the stuff that creates needless division I reckon, why say something like that? Why look to judge someone you disagree with politically, based on how you might perceive they were brought up? Or based on what colour you think their skin was? Or even how Māori they happen to be? I thought that old 'not Māori enough' thing had gone out in the 80's. Surely. It's a dangerous slippery slope we're on I reckon, when our elected representatives and leaders - this guy is the Deputy Leader of the Labour party remember, when they think it's acceptable to speak to people like that, and not only that but refuse to apologise for it. There's no room for this kind of division and nasty smack talk about how you might perceive someone's race or upbringing. I don't know what he was thinking or why he won't apologise for it, but for a party so hell bent on unity and kindness, I'm seeing none of it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hurricane Ian's most damaging winds have begun hitting Florida's southwest coast, lashing the state with heavy rain and pushing a devastating storm surge after strengthening to the threshold of the most dangerous Category 5 status. Fueled by warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico, Ian grew to a catastrophic Category 4 hurricane overnight with top winds of 250km/h, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm trudged on a track that would have it making landfall north of the heavily populated Fort Myers area, which forecasters said could be inundated by a storm surge of up to 5.5m. People walk where water is receding out of Tampa Bay due to a negative surge ahead of Hurricane Ian. Photo / Steve Helber, AP "This is going to be a nasty nasty day, two days," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said, stressing that people in Ian's path along the coast should rush to the safest possible shelter and stay there. Ian menaced Florida after bringing destruction Tuesday to western Cuba, where two people were reported dead and the storm brought down the country's electricity grid. A classic American car drives past utility poles tilted by Hurricane Ian in Pinar del Rio, Cuba. Photo / Ramon Espinosa, AP Ian's centre was about 80km west of Naples at noon Wednesday, as it churned toward the coast at 15km/h. Ian's plodding pace meant the storm was expected to spend a day or more crawling across the Florida peninsula, dumping flooding rains of 300-450mm across a broad area including Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville in the state's northeast corner. Catastrophic storm surges could push 3.6m of water or more across more than 400km of coastline, from Bonita Beach to Englewood, the hurricane centre warned. "It's going to get a lot worse very quickly. So please hunker down," DeSantis said. Ivan Mendoza begins to repair damage at his mobile home in Davie, Florida, as Hurricane Ian rapidly intensified. Photo / Joe Cavaretta, South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP Off the coast on Sanibel Island near Fort Myers, swirling water-covered residential streets and was halfway up mailbox posts by mid-morning. Seawater rushed out of Tampa Bay, leaving parts of the muddy bottom exposed, and waves crashed over the end of a wooden pier at Naples. More than 2.5 million people were under mandatory evacuation orders but, by law, no one could be forced to flee. The governor said the state has 30,000 linemen, urban search and rescue teams, and 7000 National Guard troops from Florida and elsewhere ready to help once the weather clears. Florida residents rushed ahead of the impact to board up their homes, stash precious belongings on upper floors and join long lines of cars leaving the shore. Utility trucks are staged in a rural lot in The Villages of Sumter County, Florida, in readiness for Hurricane Ian. Photo / Stephen M. Dowell, Orlando Sentinel via AP Some chose to stay and ride out the storm. Jared Lewis, a Tampa delivery driver, said his home has withstood hurricanes in the past, though not as powerful as Ian. "It is kind of scary, makes you a bit anxious," Lewis said. "After the last year of not having any, now you go to a Category 4 or 5. We are more used to the 2s and 3s." Forecasters predicted Ian would make landfall more than 160km south of Tampa and St. Petersberg, likely sparing the densely populated Tampa Bay area from its first direct hit by a major hurricane since 1921. An airplane overturned by a likely tornado produced by the outer bands of Hurricane Ian at North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines. Photo / Wilfredo Lee, AP Officials warned residents that Tampa could still experience powerful winds and up to 500mm of rain. "Please, please, please be aware that we are not out of danger yet," Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said in a video on Twitter. "Flooding is still going to occur." During the night, Ian went through a natural cycle when it lost its old eye and formed a new one. The timing was bad for the Florida coast, because the storm got stronger and larger — 193km/h to 250km/h — with landfall just a few hours away. The size of the storm also grew, with tropical storm force winds extending 280km from the hurricane's centre. "With the higher intensity you're going to see more extensive wind damage," University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy said. "The larger wind field means that more people will experience those storm-force winds." The most damaging winds could hit a coastline where the population has jumped sevenfold since 1970, according to the US Census. Vinod Nair wasn't taking any chances. He drove inland from the Tampa area Tuesday with his wife, son, dog and two kittens to a hotel in Orlando, where only tropical storm force winds were expected. "You can't do anything about natural disasters," Nair said. "We live in a high-risk zone, so we thought it best to evacuate." The eye of Hurricane Ian approaching the southwest coast of Florida. Photo / GOES-East GeoColor satellite via AP Ash Dugney warily watched ocean water being sucked o

Questions have been asked as to whether health policies are backed by the latest science. That's what researchers are asking as they call on the Government to improve the way health policy makers are informed. The 'Healthier Lives National Science Challenge' group wants systems put in place to ensure health policy makers have access to robust, up to date scientific evidence. They also want mechanisms for prioritising issues. Head of AUT’s Public Health department Dr. Heather Came joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our Children's Commissioner believes there are complex reasons behind youth participation in ram raids. Of a group of 63, more than 95 percent first came to Police attention through a family harm event. Judge Frances Eivers says we can’t ignore the fact that for some mokopuna involved in ram raids, their home may be chaotic, unstable, and possibly even dangerous. She says it's important we focus on a holistic approach where whanau and community, including iwi and Police, work collaboratively to wrap support around these youth who might be more at risk. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A landlord wrote to me the other day saying how many more tenants these days are applying for rentals, and on the application form are putting under proof of income, ‘WINZ’. Her point was, since when was a WINZ benefit, which is supposed to be a short term solution for people in difficult circumstances, since when has that become an income? It’s supposed to be a benefit, which you’re on for a short time. But she was saying how many single mums with only one or two kids are going into four bedroom homes courtesy of a government grant or benefit, and that perhaps the real housing crisis lies in the fact too many rentals are being subsidised by government benefits, which allow small no income families to go into large homes that they actually don’t need. And then we hear about the solo dad who said the other day that WINZ actually don’t want to help you get off the benefit. A “Bay of Plenty father with four kids aged four to 10 told Newshub he started looking for part-time work a few months ago…” He has.. “a background in fencing, shearing and forestry and applied for two part-time roles. However, the jobs required equipment so he applied to WINZ for the Transition to Work grant to buy the gear he needed… a chainsaw, hammer, gumboots..” etc that he’d need to do the work. “But he said he was rejected because he didn't meet the requirements of needing to work 30 hours or more a week,” it was reported. He said the message he got from WINZ through this experience was that it’s easier to just give up and stay on a benefit. He said there’s no incentive to really help people into work. Worse still, he didn’t hear from WINZ for months he said, until Newshub contacted them and isn’t that too often the case? Unless a journalist rings up or the issue gets into the media, there’s no action on anything. It shouldn’t be that way. Part of WINZ’s role is to help people get into work with support grants for things like equipment if needed. And yet this solo Dad was left floundering and without support. He said WINZ should take a “look in the mirror at their policies and see if they're actually helping Kiwis get off the benefit.” National agrees there are too many roadblocks to getting people off benefits, it says Labour has allowed ‘benefit dependency to increase at a time businesses are desperate for staff.’ Even the Greens recognised it's not helpful if agencies like WINZ aren’t enabling people to get off benefits and ‘meet their aspirations’. Look, it’s so refreshing to hear of people wanting to get off a benefit, and having aspirations, that it pains me that WINZ may be standing in the way of this. Surely the system can be flexible enough and bold enough to recognise decent aspiration and back it? How else do we break the back of benefit dependency, if those in the very agencies dishing it out aren’t prepared to help people stand on their own two feet and come off it? There is a disturbing entrenchment happening in regard to attitudes to benefits and that is that it’s just easier to give people a hand out, when the focus really should be on giving people a hand up.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A wine grower says more seasonal workers shows the Government is listening to the industry's concerns. It's increased the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme by 3,000 more workers this year - the biggest increase in a decade. The Government's also requiring employers provide the workers sick leave. Wine Growers Chief Executive Philip Gregan told Kate Hawkesby it won't solve labour issues, but will make a big difference. He says they're trying to balance RSE and Working Holidaymaker numbers - but don't know how many people on a working holiday will arrive. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ukraine is accusing Russia of carrying out a "terrorist attack" on two major gas pipelines into Europe. Europe correspondent Gavin Grey told Kate Hawkesby the Nord Stream One and Two have been damaged and have begun leaking off the coast of Denmark, creating the risk of an explosion. “The Russians say they know nothing about it, the EU says it’s too early to draw conclusions but other world leaders are beginning to point sabotage and blaming Russia.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One Kiwi company has secured exclusive shelf space. Everblue is the only New Zealand-made haircare brand to be stocked, despite launching just over a year ago. Chief Operating Officer, Renee Lee told Kate Hawkesby going in with a strong pitch was key. “They don’t want heaps of different brands playing in the same space, they want to find the absolute best brand and get the absolute best deal for their customers. It was really important for them to also work with local businesses.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Act Party Leader David Seymour has faith Chris Luxon can turnaround his preferred Prime Minister numbers. The latest 1News Kantar Poll shows the National Party is in the popularity lead at 37 percent, compared to Labour on 34. But the preferred Prime Minister rankings aren't as rosy for the Nats, with Luxon on 21 percent and Jacinda Ardern on 30 percent. Seymour told Kate Hawkesby Luxon has a year to get better, whereas Ardern has probably peaked. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I think they’re going to have to start offering danger money to work in a jewellery store these days. These clowns in hoods and masks, they’re probably just teenagers trying it on, but they’re armed, they’re yelling at people as they smash up glass cases and demand jewellery, and that must be terrifying if you’re working in a mall not knowing how it could all end up. Hamilton shoppers witnessed not just one, but two smash and grabs in one day at the weekend. Broad daylight, busy shopping areas, armed robbers these days do not care. They don’t care how busy the mall is, how packed the shop might be, how many witnesses are there, they just go in anyway. Witnesses said some in the group of robbers looked as young as 13. Retailers, shoppers, the public, we’ve all been saying it’s not long before someone gets injured or worse; so how bad does it have to get? Some of the young children who witnessed all this in Hamilton were traumatised and wanted to go back home to Northland. And that’s a problem too – how do you think this goes down with tourists and what about international visitors? What sort of look is this? If shoppers were left horrified and workers sobbing, then where does that leave our reputation as a warm and friendly open country? One of my sons in the States said how awful it would be if we go the way of America where people start arming themselves for this very reason. Lack of consequences, lack of Police action, lack of response. It is making people want to take matters into their own hands, which is worrying Police. Experts are warning bystanders to stay clear and not attempt to stop these armed robbers; so who is stopping them? Who actually cares about what's happening here? It doesn't help to have had a PM more focussed on the world stage than what is going on back here. I mean great to be overseas promoting New Zealand as a country if all back home here is rosy and fine and we truly are open for business, but we’re not. I think we'd feel better about the PM promoting New Zealand if and when her Government had addressed all the pressing issues really upsetting New Zealanders right now, like the upsurge in violent crime emergency housing, poverty, inflation and kids not turning up to school. But if at home is a mess, there’s a fierce labour shortage where many places still don’t even have enough staff to open their doors, and then others who do are being ram raided and smashed into, then what does that say about priorities? It’s hard to know when serious stuff like this might be taken seriously, I feel like we've all been banging on about it forever. I don’t know how many editorials I’ve written on it, or how many times we have to say it, or how many opposition politicians have begged the Government to act, or how many retailers have raised concerns, but it feels like crickets are chirping. And all the while smash and grabs continue, offenders remain emboldened, Police remain on the back foot, and innocent bystanders risk real injury or worse. It should not be scary, or dangerous, to go into a mall with your family at the weekend. It should not be dangerous for retailers to go to work and yet, here we still are.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Employers are getting creative as they fight to attract workers in our tight job market. Flexi-work, work-from-home, sign-on bonuses, extra weeks holidays are all on offer as companies scramble to fill job vacancies. Restaurateur Michele Passarello, owner of Paraparaumu based restaurant Passo has gone one step above, offering not only free accommodation and increased wages but a shared profit scheme to his employees, he joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwis are being encouraged to ditch filters on social media this Mental Health Awareness Week. Netsafe and global movement Bodyright are joining to combat photo retouching and body dysmorphia. They're launching an initiative called #beyourselfie. Bodyright spokesperson and psychologist Sara Chatwin joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.