Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

More ways for New Zealanders to take to the skies. American Airlines is returning to the country this morning and will fly between Auckland and Dallas all summer. Air Asia will be back from tomorrow. Aviation commentator Irene King says we will see cheaper flights with the increased competition. But she says prices won't be back to normal straight away. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s annoying to see reports that Covid cases are on the rise again – although I guess we shouldn’t be surprised. Open border equals case numbers up. That’s basic maths. But I think there’s a certain degree of PTSD for us seeing those headlines. Yesterday’s headline by the way if you missed it, was that “Covid infections jump by 1500 in 24 hour period.” The PTSD creeps in particularly for those of us who had Covid quite badly. I know for people who didn’t have it, or people like my husband who had the mildest dose imaginable, eye roll eye roll eye roll… it’s a non-event. But we do not need the alarming reports do we? Or do we? Are we still vigilant? Does anyone still care? The people at the coal face care. I felt for the poor Pharmacist in Picton the other day who said he had passengers coming in from the docked cruise ship Ovation of the Seas, which had 129 people on board with Covid. The passengers coming in were showing cough and cold symptoms he said, they were also not wearing masks. Despite the fact he had a sign up asking them to wear them, and had masks available for free at the counter. His main issue was the fact that he was over 65 with a heart condition – so at a higher risk, but also, that he was the only pharmacist there, so if he went down with Covid, the pharmacy would be without a pharmacist. It’s a fine line – which even he acknowledged, great for small towns like theirs to have so many guests around spending up large, but not great if those guests weren’t respecting the rules. I’m not sure who that’s on? The cruise liner for not being clear enough with the rules? Or the tourists themselves for flouting them? A Covid-19 Modeller told one news outlet that ‘the risk of Covid spread in a small town like Picton was significant during the days the ship was docked, but that transmission rates would depend on the town's mitigation factors.’ How can the town mitigate things if tourists are going to flout the rules though? Surely a mitigating factor is providing free masks and asking people to use them like this Pharmacist was doing? And if tourists don’t use the masks, what more can you do? The modeller claims good ventilation is key... “and good air cleaning”. But I’m not sure how feasible that is in a small shop in a small town? The risks, she admits, are higher in smaller towns obviously, than in bigger more spread out cities. But with new strains of the virus appearing all the time, I just wonder how much we can dodge it, given it’s a while ago now since most of us were vaccinated, and not necessarily vaxxed for all the new strains. My son, whose been travelling all over Europe, managed to dodge Covid, got to London, no Covid, went back to Prague to catch up with mates recently.. got Covid. Round two for him. Despite being fully vaxxed and taking all the necessary precautions, and having had it before, I guess when you’re around so many different places with so many different people, it’s still a gamble. So although I don’t want to read or hear about Covid cases on the rise again, I also want to make sure as few of us as possible get it a second time round.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fair Pay Agreements have been passed into law amidst a fiery debate in parliament. Legislation for the agreements passed its final reading in Parliament last night - making it easier for workers to band together and negotiate better conditions and pay. The bill has received major opposition from the business sector, with National and ACT vowing to repeal it. New Zealand Initiative Chair Roger Partridge told Kate Hawkesby that the bill is highly undemocratic. He says when 10 percent of workers can dictate basic terms for all employees, it removes staff freedom to negotiate their own personal terms. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A concern Kiwis are underinsured. Research from CoreLogic suggests almost a third of respondents don't think they have adequate cover for their property. It also shows the average person reviewed their home insurance cover two and half years ago. Head of Insurance Solutions Matthew Walker says that's not good enough. He says people need to know how comprehensive their coverage is, and how much it would cost to replace their home. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Getting to live across both city and country gives me good insight into what’s happening in both places. I can tell you first hand, rural living is where it’s at. And now stats back that up. We’re leaving the cities. In the year to June this year, Auckland lost almost 9,000 people. A lot went overseas; it looks like the rest went North or into the regions - and I’m not surprised. Our cities are a shambles, Auckland in particular is just an assault of congestion, crime and cones, if you had the option to work remote or from home – you’d be mad not to take it. Suburb-wise it was downtown Auckland from Westmere to Newmarket which had the biggest population decline, the biggest loss in the country, down 5.8 percent. Drive through the inner city Auckland suburbs one day and you’ll know why. Auckland wasn’t the only city people bailed from though. Christchurch and Wellington had net losses, so did Dunedin, but many of them didn’t go far. Christchurch’s Selwyn district saw an increase in population growth of 4.8 percent – which was the country’s highest rate. Again, not surprising if you’ve been to Canterbury lately, it’s a magical part of the world and Christchurch is turning into an extremely desirable city to live near, if not in. Likewise those in Dunedin may have headed to Central Otago. While Dunedin’s population declined, Central Otago’s grew by 2.7 percent. People aren’t just bailing to the regions; they’re also bailing overseas, with our natural increase in population the lowest since World War II. The country’s net international migration loss was 11,500. Again, who can blame them? With a country in the state ours is in, and having been closed off to the world for so long and seemingly going to take so much longer to bounce back, it’s not surprising people have left. But the allure of living rurally or regionally here in New Zealand is huge. It’s stunningly beautiful, it feels less frenetic, and it’s more peaceful. I thought maybe my love affair with rural living was just down to getting older, but I’m seeing more and more young people and younger families moving into rural areas like ours. It makes sense. Quality of life is arguably better, it’s cheaper, you get more bang for your buck, you’ll get more space, and you’ll probably feel a hell of a lot safer than you do in inner city suburbs. I used to think when we first bought a house in the country four years ago that it was a bit slow out there and I may slowly go mad. But the opposite’s happened. It’s stolen my heart in a way that I worry I’ll never be able to give it up. There’s something quintessentially New Zealand and calming about living among trees and hills and paddocks and birdsong. It’s good for your mental health, it’s good for your physical health, it’s lovely to reconnect with smaller communities where you know all the locals and you feel like you belong. I think that sense of belonging is gone from the cities, we all co-exist in our bubbles side by side, but there’s very little connection. I love country ways of living too. More sustainable, more homegrown, low key. I can’t put my finger on it exactly, I just know I’d love to be able to live there full time and join the stats of people waving goodbye to the city for good. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pen licences are well and truly becoming a thing of the past. School kids will soon be able to get an ‘online licence’ as public schools roll out an interactive programme teaching them how to stay safe online. The eSmart Digital Licence programme is targeted at 10 to 14 year olds and is being brought to our schools by NetSafe. CEO Brent Carey joined Mike Hosking. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the afternoon of December 9 2019, commercial helicopter pilot Mark Law sprang into action as Whaakari/White Island erupted in Bay of Plenty. Today, he's being recognised with the New Zealand Bravery Star - our second highest bravery award - in this year's honours list, recognising his bravery in a situation of danger. Mark and his workmates located 20 causalities on the crater floor - flying 12 to hospital over the course of 40 minutes. Mark joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is hope the Planned Care Taskforce's report will work to address the differing blockages in our health system. It's released 101 recommendations for improving equity, increasing access, and reducing waiting times. Thirty will start being implemented in December, while the rest will be phased in through a number of years. Resident Doctors' Association National Secretary, Deborah Powell told Kate Hawkesby a hard look at our systems is long-overdue. She says the devil remains in the detail, which is why the recommendations will take so long to implement. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More than 82,000 community service hours have been wiped between January and August this year, with the Government claiming Covid reasons. Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis says the majority of sentences that had their community hours cut were for "minor offending" - but questions have been asked as to whether delays of sentences that meant offenders would still have to carry out their hours may have been more appropriate. Victims' advocate Ruth Money joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rishi Sunak's won the day, set to become Britain's youngest Prime Minister. The 42-year-old says he's humbled and honoured to have his colleagues support, and is promising stability and unity. Boris Johnson had been plotting a comeback, but he ultimately decided against running. He claims to have had 102 backers, although only 57 MPs publicly declared their support. Political commentator Iain Dale told Kate Hawkesby those who were backing Johnson feel let down, after he led them up the garden path. He says some of them were made to look very stupid for supporting him. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I was pleased this week that Police Minister Chris Hipkins finally got around to meeting Dairy and Business Owners Association head Sunny Kaushall. That only took about six months of chasing by Sunny So they met, which was good, Sunny got to express his concerns, which was good, they posed for amicable photos afterwards which was good, but what we really want to see is action don’t we? Get that money where it needs to go, and fast. We know of the $6 million set aside, that just under $200,000 grand has been spent. Pitiful. Of the hundreds of dairies and retailers hit by ram raids, only seven have seen some of the money. Not good enough. One local business association leader made the very salient point that the Government should send the money to local business associations and they’d very quickly get it sent out to the businesses that need it. It's a good idea and I don’t know why the Government doesn’t talk to local business more and engage local communities, who’re at the coalface, and enable them to help. Newmarket Business Association Head Mark Knoff-Thomas says retailers he’s spoken to are fearful. He says it’s not a crime wave it’s a “crime tsunami”. He says retailers don’t know what to expect day by day. They’re living on tenterhooks. He says the crime trajectory, particularly ram raids, has been gathering momentum since 2020, and the frequency of them has become dire. He says endless lobbying of Police Ministers has achieved nothing, and that “the lack of action to counter retail crime is a stain on this Government.” He spoke with an international visitor who he says was “shocked about how bad crime in New Zealand is”. He says bank workers are fearful too, and that’s just in his area. Many other CBD’s and business associations I’m sure have operators feeling the same way. So encouragement to a degree came yesterday in the form of some stats on arrests Police have managed to rack up. “Thousands of charges” were laid in Waikato and Auckland in relation to youth offending. “From February to September in Waikato, 205 offenders were arrested 307 times.. for ram raids and smash and grabs.. some of them repeat offenders. In Auckland, 142 youth offenders have faced, or are facing, one thousand and 36 charges.. since May.” Investigations are ongoing Police say, and hopefully further arrests and charges will be made, but the repeat nature of these offences and offenders would indicate Police Association president Chris Cahill is right when he says that it’s a core group doing this offending. Disengaged youth. Their motivation, according to the Assistant Police Commissioner, is money, peer pressure and social media notoriety. So we need to make sure all that gets taken away from them don’t we? No access to the money, no access to social media, no room for notoriety. Of course that probably hinders their rights, and a judge would probably argue these days it could reduce their ability to rehabilitate. But I think at this stage, despite all the merits of rehabbing offenders and giving people the benefit of the doubt, we are at a point now where the repeat nature and the brazenness of it all, says they’re not that interested in rehab.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Groundswell organisers are defending yesterdays low turn-out and condemning criticism from the Agriculture Minister. Hundreds of protesters across 60 convoys jumped in their utes, trucks and tractors in opposition of the Government's proposed farm-level emissions pricing scheme. Organisers had been predicting thousands 24 hours earlier. Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor described the size of the crowds across the country as 'embarrassing.' Groundswell Organiser Bryce McKenzie told Kate Hawkesby O'Connor's comments are very disappointing. He says while he'd hoped for higher numbers, it's a very busy time on the farming calendar. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National wants to turn our attention away from the fact the number of people on welfare is going down. More than 21,000 people moved off a benefit and into work in the three months to September. National's Louise Upston says the more important figure is that 35,000 more people are staying on a benefit for more than a year. She told Kate Hawkesby the National party isn't willing to see people write their lives off and become welfare dependent. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s an interesting dichotomy going on in terms of leadership in our big cities at the moment - and I refer specifically to Auckland’s Wayne Brown versus Wellington’s Tory Whanau. We had Tory on the show yesterday, she’s great talent, bubbly, vivacious, chatty, easy to talk to. You can see why she does a lot of interviews, she’s got good chat, and media love to have people like her on. Good talent is good talent, and they often make the headlines and get the coverage because of it. But does that make her a good Mayor? Does that effusive personality make her any better at her job of running and managing a city? Because the obvious contrast is Wayne Brown. Also a guest on this show pre his election win and at the time I said to him at the end of the interview that he could probably work on his rapport with interviewers and be a bit more personable. He was gruff, direct, not interested in winning favour or friends, he was laser focussed on a job he had to do and he didn’t really give the impression he wanted to curry favour along the way. But does that make him a bad mayor? The media would have you believe so. They hate him. They hate him because he doesn’t suck up to them, he doesn’t chat, he won’t do interviews and he doesn’t care about them. The media likes people who care about the media, also known as Jacinda Ardern. Part of her gigantic swing into power was a media fuelled campaign of ‘Jacindamania’ whereby they literally could not get enough of her, smiling and beaming at everyone, waving and chatting, delivering catchy one liners and being great interview talent because she loved to talk. Sadly, though, how’s that turned out for us? All that chat hasn’t really morphed into solid runs on the board has it? For all the smiles and high fives we haven’t got poverty sorted or healthcare or housing or inflation or anything else she promised to do. But she looked good promising it all didn’t she? She was enthusiastic, relentlessly optimistic.. I think is what she said she was. Yet admirable as all that enthusiasm is, it doesn’t fix potholes or get you taken care of in Hospital. So back to Brown. Media darling he is not. It’s early days, but he is doing what he said would do. Unusual concept for a politician. But he is not grandstanding on podiums and firing out press releases and obsessing over imaging, comms and PR. He doesn’t need to. He articulated early and clearly what he would do if elected and now he is looking to do just that. At this stage he looks like a political unicorn and for his all gruffness and rough edges… you have to say, he at least seems genuine. We’re not used to that kind of authenticity. We’re not used to politicians who don’t want to suck up and smile and be all over the media. I mean obviously he’s going to have difficulty balancing his practical realities with taking on an institutionalised local body with entrenched bureaucracy, supported by a sympathetic government, who has a sycophantic media in their back pocket.. that unquestionably is going to make his delivery difficult. But can you blame him for trying? Good on him for at least giving it a crack. So while I’d far rather spend my morning chatting to Tory Whanau on air because she’s great talent, I don’t know that that necessarily makes her any better as mayor?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's been a big uptick in sponsorship deals across women's sports. A major international report has revealed a 20 percent increase year-on-year in 2022, with the arrival of blue chip global sponsors further fuelling growth. It comes, of course, as we're hosting the Rugby World Cup Women's event. Rebecca Sowden, former New Zealand Football Fern and founder of women's sport sponsorship consultancy Team Heroine, joined Mike Hosking. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Claims the entire justice system has failed the five women sexually violated by Jayden Meyer. The Crown's appeal of the teen rapist's nine-month home detention sentence, has been dismissed. Meyer was convicted of raping four 15-year-old girls and sexually violating a fifth when he was 16. He's now 18. The judge says the sentence was "manifestly inadequate" but to sentence Mayer to prison now would undermine his rehabilitation programme. Women's Refuge chief executive Ang Jury told Kate Hawkesby the women have been totally let down. She says they were brave to come forward with the process, which isn't an easy thing to do. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Questions for the Government over the lack of progress on light rail. It's spending $16 million on scope to cost the next phase of light rail in Auckland, a $14.6 billion project. More than two-thirds of the almost $66 million already spent on the project has gone to consultants - with none yet spent on construction. National Transport spokesperson Simeon Brown told Kate Hawkesby it's become a circular economy. He says the Government has failed light rail it had said would be completed by 2021. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guarva Sharma’s stuck it right up the Government by jumping ship before they could invoke the Waka Jumping Bill to push him off it. He was already sacked by caucus in August, but yesterday fired a new salvo – he quit as a party MP entirely. He says because he found out that the party was going to invoke the Waka Jumping Bill six months before the election, thus avoiding a by-election, but he claims it would’ve left his electorate of Hamilton West without any representation, and that’s undemocratic. So he blindsided them and quit before they could forcibly remove him. The PM, though, came out swinging – in a statement she sounded pretty angry as she refuted Sharma’s claims and said they were not considering the Waka Jumping legislation. Weren’t they though? Who’s telling the truth here? Sharma would argue Labour has form fudging the truth. He pointed out that the last time they lied was when they said they wouldn’t meet behind his back to discuss him - and as we know, it turned out they did exactly that. So he’s on pretty sound footing when he says there’s a pattern here. Part of that pattern of course is to gaslight and discredit; basically paint him out to be a nutjob. Many in the media seem willing to run that line too. But is he? Or is he brave enough to speak out against status quo, and bullies, and a corrupt system? We saw Grant Robertson come straight out with the discrediting narrative, saying there was no basis to Sharma’s claims that they were going to kick him out via the Waka Jumping Bill. When repeatedly quizzed on it though, Robertson ended up shrugging his shoulders and saying, “it is what it is.” If that’s not a sign of a government that’s given up, I don’t know what is. Mind you, tough day for Grant yesterday, that CPI figure was an absolute shocker. Maybe he was still reeling from that. Here’s the rub – Jacinda Ardern, in further gaslighting moves, said she’d like Sharma to reconsider his position because it will cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars for a by-election. But wait a minute, wasn’t it she who was busy promoting Paul Eagle, a sitting Labour MP, for Mayor of Wellington? And had he won that, as Jacinda wanted him to, would that not have triggered a by-election in his seat? So how is it ok for taxpayers money to be spent on that, but not on Sharma’s seat? Bit hypocritical isn’t it? The timing could not be worse for labour. Because, in a bad week for the Government, in a bad term for the Government, with ongoing bad polling for the Government, you’ve got to imagine a by-election’s not going to deliver a good result for them either. That Hamilton seat is not a Labour stronghold of course – it’s a swing seat, they won it off National in 2020, but it is a very different political scene now. It’ll be a referendum on the Government’s popularity and they know it. And they should know it won’t be good. National says bring it on. They have every reason to sound so bullish. As Grant Robertson so aptly said, ‘it is what it is’.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

British Prime Minister Liz Truss has an even harder job on her hands winning back the public, as well as her party. A YouGov poll released shortly after her tax cut plan U-turn, found that 55 percent of Conservative voters think she should resign. A further poll on who should replace her, found that 32 percent want her predecessor Boris Johnson, while 23 percent back Rishi Sunak. UK correspondent Kay Oliver told Kate Hawkesby another poll found her to be the most unpopular political party leader ever. She says Truss has a worse rating than former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and disliked more than Prince Andrew. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Latest figures show the housing market continues to decline, with decade-low sales numbers and dropping house values. CoreLogic's latest Market and Economic Update shows the total value of residential real estate has fallen from a peak of $1.73 trillion early this year to $1.62 trillion at the end of September. Property values fell 6.3 percent over six months, with the average home price now under the million dollar mark. Chief Property Economist Kelvin Davidson says it shows the striking weakness of the housing market. He says it's a real downturn and something that hasn't been seen in at least a decade since the Global Financial Crisis. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Senior doctors at Middlemore say working conditions are so unsafe, a trainee teaching programme should be scrapped. A letter signed by 60 doctors is asking for the hospital's training accreditation to be revoked. It also follows a damning review which found its ED was dysfunctional and overcrowded. Association of Salaried Medical Specialists Executive Director Sarah Dalton told Kate Hawkesby they're at the point where they can do nothing more to make the service safe. She says this is a cry for proper resourcing and a road map out of these problems, and that Middlemore has lost sight of clinically informed decision making LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It probably comes as no surprise to any of us who watched on from the confines of our homes as the Ministry of Health bungled its way through Covid, that they’ve just discovered a ’coding error’. It means the number of hospitalisations they recorded was not, in fact, accurate. Turns out when they said just over 14,000 people were hospitalised with Covid, they meant almost 19,500. Whoops. A ‘coding error’ led to the under count. Just the 5,000 odd cases out. No biggie. Unless you’re interested in accuracy of course, or facts and real hard data, which one assumes a Ministry of Health department might be, but beggars can’t be choosers. And when it comes to healthcare in this country, we appear to be beggars, sadly. From our delayed vaccine rollout, to our lack of PPE, to our shortage of flu vaccines, to our appalling lack of cancer treatment services, to our shortage of GP’s and nurses, to our bungles and errors, it’s not exactly a sector firing on all cylinders is it? And then we hear yesterday that ‘the emergency department of one of our biggest hospitals has been slammed as unsafe for patients and staff in a damning new report.’ News sites reported that in a “scathing, five-page document, Middlemore Hospital has been described as dysfunctional, overcrowded and unsafe.” This was written after ‘an independent inquiry into the death of a patient in June,’ who left the Emergency Department after being told the wait was too long. It was going to be hours before she could get seen for a severe headache apparently, so after they told her this, she decided to just leave and go back home. Understandable. “A few hours later she was back in an ambulance after a brain haemorrhage and died the following day.” So the report says she didn’t get triaged, hence no red flags regarding her condition were picked up. The report ‘expressed "serious concerns" about the degree of overcrowding in the ED, which it said was an indicator of significant systemic failures and made it ”clear that this institution is struggling. The evidence provided strongly reflected an overcrowded ED, a hospital well over acceptable capacity and subsequent system dysfunction,”’ the report’s quoted as saying. The upshot was, it’s “unsafe and not sustainable.” So where does that leave patients? And staff? And families in that area? What reassurances are there that anything will change? How can anything change when resources and staff are so tight? It’s hard to know whether to have faith in the platitudes that come after a scathing report like this. It was reported that, “Te Whatu Ora chief executive and former Counties Manukau District Health Board boss Margie Apa, recognised the issues raised in the report.” Is recognising the issues the same as addressing them and fixing them? Is recognising them enough? All that tells me is that you know it’s bad. Te Whatu Ora (which by the way is Health NZ), for its part says it’ll conduct a national review. So we get acknowledgement of the issues, a pledge to review the issues, and in the meantime what? Nothing. I think we deserve better from our health system than just, ‘yep we know it’s bad,’ don’t we?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A large development including more than 700 new homes near Queenstown will be fast tracked for consenting. The Te Putahi project at Lake Hayes has been approved under the Government's Covid-19 recovery act, one of three projects to be allowed to skip some of the usual RMA hoops you have to jump through. 748 houses will be built along with a park-and-ride public transport area and potentially a school. New Queenstown Lakes mayor Glyn Lewers joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cost of living pressures are expected to ease, but will remain at a much higher level than usual. Statistics New Zealand’s poised to unveil the latest inflation figures later this morning. The highly anticipated Consumer Price Index is tipped to drop from the recent record high of 7.3 percent, to closer to 6.5. That’s according to ASB, whose Senior Economist Mark Smith says New Zealand’s probably past peak inflation levels. But he says the expected CPI dip won't stop the Reserve Bank from increasing the Official Cash Rate over the coming months. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More than 30 Rotorua bars and restaurants have closed their doors today to protest a lack of Government support. Hospitality NZ Bay of Plenty spokesperson, Reg Hennessy, says many are turning away business because they can't get the staff they need. But Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says working holiday visas are a big source of hospitality and seasonal workers. She says we've had tens of thousands of working holiday visas issued in as little as 14 working days. Ardern says the issue is then when people are choosing to travel here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The new U.K. Treasury chief on Sunday insisted Prime Minister Liz Truss retains control of her government despite having to roll back her signature economic policies weeks into her premiership. Jeremy Hunt was drafted in to lead the Treasury after Truss sacked Kwasi Kwarteng amid rising pressure following the turbulent market reaction to the new administration’s “mini-budget.” “The prime minister’s in charge,” Hunt, a former foreign and health secretary, told the BBC when he was asked whether he now held all the power at Downing Street. Truss and Kwarteng had slowly unraveled key elements of their economic vision, including tax cuts for top earners and a halt on corporation tax rises, before the prime minister gave in to financial market instability and tanking polling figures and fired Kwarteng. Hunt has now said taxation will rise and public spending will shrink, despite Britain’s growing cost-of-living crisis. He said he had been surprised to receive the call to return to the Cabinet, but he was “honored” to join the government as he shared Truss’ desire to prioritize economic growth. “She has changed the way we’re going to get there, but she has not changed the destination, which is to get the country growing,” Hunt said. It remains unclear if Truss, who throughout this summer’s leadership campaign secured the support of a majority of Conservative Party members but not of its lawmakers, can ward off any plots to oust her. Tory lawmaker Robert Halfon told Sky News on Sunday that many colleagues remained unhappy and the situation “has to improve”. Opposition leader Keir Starmer has pressed the Labour Party’s call for an immediate general election to restore stability, saying the Conservatives are “at the end of the road”. Hunt has suggested an election is not imminent election, saying Truss will be judged on how her government performs over the next 18 months. The Conservatives want to win back the trust of the public before any national vote. Recent polls have placed the Conservative Party at a vote share of around 25%, a far cry from the 42.4% share they received in December 2019 which handed then-leader Boris Johnson a commanding majority in Parliament. The current prime minister argued she still held credibility during a four-question news conference on Friday when she announced the appointment of Hunt. - by Mike Fuller, APSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is it just me or does it feel like Groundhog Day at the moment? As soon as I saw Winston and his ‘usual suspects’ lineup of a few hardcore supporters at the NZ First party conference, it felt like being in a time warp. How are we back here again? How are we back to him sniggering at reporters and giggling as he disparages anyone who dares downplay him? I’m pretty sure last election, or even the one before the that where he put Labour into power as an act of spite to National, that I said I was done talking about him. But here we are again talking about him. He makes sure of it. He knows this is a good time for him. There’s lots of disharmony and angst around and his is a party for the angry and disgruntled. He finds key controversial issues that he knows are bugging people – co-governance, the Treaty, climate change, immigration, gangs, you get the gist. If there’s a gripe to be had on something, he’ll elevate it for you and tell you he’s the man to fix it. But can you trust him? 2017 would tell us firmly no. In fact, in the wake of him putting Ardern into power, we got inundated with people saying they’d never trust him with their vote ever again. But six years is a long time between drinks. Do they forgive and forget? Do they move on? Do they really believe small parties can achieve any of their promises? A man wrote to me the other day and said despite everything, despite all Winston did to shaft them, he would still give Winston his vote again. Why? I just don’t get that. And let’s be honest, it’s a crowded field when it comes to discontent. ACT, also taking a hard line on co-governance and the Treaty, has been gobbling up support. Then there’s all the new fringe players, the one-percenters. The Opportunities Party, Vision NZ, the New Conservatives, NZ Outdoor and Freedom party, Heartland NZ, Democracy NZ, which is Matt King’s new party in Northland. So it’s not like we’re short of small players, and it’s not like the disenfranchised don’t have heaps of options and lots of places to go. So the key question is: can Winston swing NZ First back over the 5% threshold? And of those who choose to support him – how many are new to that particular route? And do they just want change because they’re fed up with the status quo? How many are his tried-and-true faithfuls who would follow him anywhere? How many voted for him in 2017, then when he shafted them, declared they’d never vote for him again yet will be back in 2023? And what is it they expect? Are they looking to split the field even wider? Are they hoping he’ll get to government to ‘keep people honest?’ Who is he keeping honest? What about him being honest? It’s a prediction many political pundits won’t call. Due to the phoenix-like qualities of the man, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone absolutely definitive in ruling him in or out. I always rule him out because I’ve got nothing to lose and I live in hope that people won’t be that naïve, again. But with the state our country’s currently in, with the level of discontent, and with this many minor parties on the edges agitating for the disgruntled voter, next year's going to be interesting.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A third quarter comeback has helped the Silver Ferns to a 2-0 lead in netball's Constellation Cup, beating Australia 52-48 in Tauranga. The victory leaves the Ferns needing just one win from the two games in Australia to retain the prestigious trophy. The Peta Toeava and Grace Nweke combination proved difficult for Australia once again, with the visitors' circle defenders struggling to break their partnership. Australia led by one goal heading into halftime, but crucial defensive gains to goal defence Phoenix Karaka and wing defence Kayla Johnson edged the home side ahead, with New Zealand winning the third stanza 15-9. Coach Dame Noeline Taurua says her side came out firing after halftime. "When we kept ball in hand it meant we could push ourselves forward. That grind that happened out on court and absorbing the pressure - because there were moments where it was touch and go - I'm really pleased." It was once again the Toeava show, with the wing attack notching up 36 feeds. She won't be part of the Australian tests, but Taurua says she's proved herself. "It's a credit to her, the work she's done behind the scenes, her brilliant connection with Grace but also her workload and training ethic, so big raps to her." Toeava's absence will mean a new strategy, with Maddy Gordon, Whitney Souness and perhaps Kimiora Poi stepping into the wing attack bib. But Nweke's not worried about Toeava not being out in front of her. The 20-year-old says the players stepping in know the game plan. "In terms of our style, all of the wing attacks in the Ferns can play the same and do what's required, so it's nice to know we have options." Nweke underneath the hoop is New Zealand's biggest threat. The 20-year-old shot at 100 per cent, slotting all 37 attempts. Combatting her remains one of the main tasks on Australian coach Stacey Marinkovich's list. But Marinkovich says playing against tall shooters isn't something new for her defenders. "They've played against Jamaica's Jhaniele Fowler at the Commonwealth Games, and there's no one more prominent than her in the goal shooting circle. They know that they're not going to win every ball, but those one or two that they do get, it's what we do with it. "It's about the accumulation of pressure and presence so there's much you've got to do in the 60 minutes to get those opportunities." The trip home is well overdue for Australia – it's been nearly three years since they've played a test there. It'll also be Marinkovich's first home test in charge. She expects her side to lift another gear on Wednesday in Melbourne in game three. "I think it's a huge advantage. You get familiar with your surroundings, the girls obviously play in those stadiums in Suncorp Super Netball. It'll be nice to be in a normal routine." There may be one change to the Australian team when they return home on Monday, with defender Sunday Aryang suffering a calf strain, leaving them with just three circle defenders. There are a few changes to the Ferns side for the two tests in Australia, with midcourters Gordon and Poi coming in for Toeava and Mila Reuelu-Buchanan, and defender Elle Temu replacing Sulu Fitzpatrick. - by Kate Wells, Newstalk ZBSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Justice officials are standing by a policy incentivising duty lawyers to achieve early guilty pleas. Lawyers are paid extra for getting their client to enter a plea for all charges and for getting a guilty plea and sentencing on the same day. The Ministry of Justice says the payment takes into account the extra work involved with progressing a client's case and lawyers must still ensure defendants are fully informed. Criminal justice advocate Sir Kim Workman told Kate Hawkesby that's not how things will work in practice. “It might mean that the guy that was arrested one evening appears before the court the next day and might still be under the influence of alcohol doesn't really understand what’s going on.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The retail sector is still feeling angry and unsupported by police and the Government. Back in August, Chris Hipkins told police to move faster on allocating money from a $6 million crime prevention fund for shops to install bollards and other security measures. But only seven businesses have so far received funding. Dairy and Business Owners Group Chairman Sunny Kaushal told Kate Hawkesby it's quite disappointing. “They have not been even been able to spend 2 percent of the fund. And the seven businesses that they’re talking about — five of them were given by us to police as a pilot programme, so no progress has been made.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I have a hero of the week this week. In the wash up from the local body elections, and although very excited about the country's newest and youngest Mayor 23-year-old Ben Bell of Gore, which is quite an achievement - my bouquet goes to Rotorua's new Mayor Tania Tapsell. Absolute go-getter, smart, considered, hardworking and really passionate about her city. She’s the sort of Mayor you feel happy for, irrespective of any political direction, just because they feel like they’ve earned it. They deserve to be where they are, they’re in it for the right reasons. Not platitudes and empty words, but for the real and right reasons. She’s gone hard all along on emergency housing and it speaks volumes she got voted in because that’s exactly what the people of Rotorua are focused on right now. It was a travesty of former Mayor and Labour stalwart Steve Chadwick to allow emergency housing to get so bad in Rotorua. She’s left an absolute headache and a nightmare for Tapsell to try to undo. But within her first week in the job she’s already fired a salvo at the Government over its demands for landlords to bring houses up to healthy homes standards, while allowing vulnerable families to stay in unhealthy and sometimes unsafe emergency motels. So it’s one rule for us and one for the Government it seems. All this at a huge cost to the taxpayer, as we know. Well sadly the Minister Carmel Sepuloni didn’t know exactly. When asked in an interview what it’s costing the taxpayer, she said “a lot”. Which isn’t that helpful. It’s also disturbing she doesn’t know that figure off the top of her head instantly, but that’s what's to be expected from a Government obsessed with spending other people’s money and not caring too much about having any accountability for it. The most disturbing thing Sepuloni does is defend the emergency housing. How can anyone standing on what used to be Golden Mile and is now derogatorily referred to as MSD strip, look at that, and defend it? When challenged on the shocking condition and accommodation standards of some of these motels that the Ggovernment’s funding, Sepuloni said basically it’s not their problem. She pushed it back on council and said it’s a council issue, those regulations happen at council level. So let’s get this straight - the Government handed the city of Rotorua this problem, and it is a problem, it’s a big undeniable shambles of a problem, they then made the problem worse over a sustained period of years and then they sit back and go, ‘oh now that’s your problem Rotorua’. They’re going to ‘have conversations’ with Iwi and council apparently. And I’m just so glad for Rotorua that the person they’ll be having those ‘conversations’ with, is Tania Tapsell. I have a feeling it will be a darn sight tougher for the Government than dealing with Steve Chadwick. So I wish Tania well, she’s agitating for action on this – among other things, within her first hundred days in office, and I hope she continues to get the momentum and drive she’s going to need for this battle. Not just on the emergency motels but all the crime associated with them and with getting back Rotorua’s long held reputation as the fantastic tourist attraction it is.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is splashing the cash on infrastructure in an attempt to get 11,000 new homes built across the country. It's dipping into its billion dollar infrastructure acceleration fund with $192 million going to critical works like pipes, roads and waste water connections. Lower Hutt is getting the lion's share, with $98 million going to its River Link and Valley Floor projects Lower Hutt Mayor, Campbell Barry told Kate Hawkesby the investment is a great result for the city. He says the financial boost allows his council to plan without the pressures of raising the money in a local government setting. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

77 children a day are being hospitalised for preventable diseases due to poor sleeping environments. These are the figures from the charity Variety which says nearly 28,000 children every year are sleeping on couches, floors or are sharing mouldy mattresses. The charity says bad sleeping environments mean children are more likely to contract preventable illnesses like rheumatic fever or bronchiolitis - which can have long lasting health implications. Variety Chief Executive Susan Glasgow told Kate Hawkesby these statistics are shocking. She says their dream beds campaign aims to address real need for children's beds in the community. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Predictions the country needs to go through two-years of stunted growth, to try to re-balance the economy. Infometrics' latest forecast shows inflation may cause problems through until the end of 2024. It's picking economic growth will slip below two percent in the second half of next year. Infometrics Principal Economist, Brad Olsen told Kate Hawkesby interest rates are expected to go even higher than what was thought just a few months ago. He says the housing market will continue it's downward trend, putting pressures on people wanting to borrow and the wider economy. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.