Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

National's decision on Sam Uffindell could provide a window into their future policy. The Tauranga MP's been reinstated to the party's caucus after an independent investigation found bullying claims didn't extend beyond high school. Political commentator, Grant Duncan, told Kate Hawkesby National has shown they do believe in rehabilitation and giving a person a second chance. He told Kate Hawkesby he wonders whether that will be reflected in the party's future law and order policy. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Queen's funeral is now only hours away. It will all take place tonight New Zealand time, with attendees heading into Westminster Abbey around 7pm before the funeral officially begins at 10pm. Joining us now is royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The UK’s biggest ever security operation is underway for The Queen's funeral. With the funeral set to happen in a few hours (10 pm NZT), UK correspondent Gavin Grey is here to update us. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In sports news, New Zealand has secured medals at the world equestrian event championship for the first time in 12 years. Our ZB sports reader, Andrew Alderson, joins us today to update us. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So the Government has taken steps to try and protect productive land from urban development. The national policy statement will mean local councils will need to identify productive land and block it off from housing developments. This is aimed to protect land that grows vegetables, fruit and other produce. Joining us now is Dr Trish Fraser who leads Climate Change Systems at Plant and Food Research. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As if our justice system wasn’t soft enough already, I see they’re now handing out further reductions in sentences if you had a tough childhood. ‘Mongrel Mob members in lucrative drug ring get reduced prison time for horrific childhoods" read a headline yesterday. The story went on to say that, “Two Mongrel Mob members sitting near the top of a sophisticated drug ring were jailed after admitting their roles in the commercial-scale manufacture and supply of methamphetamine across the Waikato. The pair received hefty reductions in their prison sentences for admitting guilt and the "horrific" circumstances of their childhood, the trauma of which a judge said led to their gang affiliations and criminal offending later in life.” So, let’s get this straight. These two Mongrel Mob gang members "oversaw the manufacture" and day to day dealing of meth, in "clandestine labs", were placed in the second-highest category of meth offending based on the quantity of drugs and yet, they got their sentences reduced, because their childhood was rough. Firstly, how do you define rough? And who defines it? And does it differ if you get, as these two did a "cultural report" done, as opposed to just a psych report? Are cultural reports new? Who’s entitled to those? And then, if you meet this seemingly new criteria of "rough childhood", how much is your sentence reduced by? And how rough does it have to be to have it markedly reduced? In this case, one of the offenders had his sentence reduced 25 percent for pleading guilty early, "a further 25 per cent discount for his relevant background ie – childhood trauma", "and another 5 per cent to assist his rehabilitation." So all up, he got his sentence reduced 55 percent. He was due to serve more than 12 years, he will be out in 5. The other offender also got the 25 per cent discount for the guilty plea, and an additional "15 per cent discount for his dysfunctional childhood ,and another 15 per cent for rehabilitation". He’ll serve 4 and half years instead of 10 years 6 months. So what is the message we’re sending here? The more horrific your childhood, the less time you’ll serve in jail. The rougher you can prove things were for you, the more it benefits you later. And is that the case for everyone? If you grew up in a middle class money laundering outfit with a family of high net worth fraudsters, are you shown leniency later in life because that’s all you knew? Or does this just apply to gang members? Does rough childhood have to mean gang affiliations, or can it also include sex pests and abusers? If you are the child of a rapist, and you go on to commit rape, is there a discount because committing rape is all you knew? Where do we draw this line? There is something fishy about this which doesn’t sit well with me from the point of view of the victims, from the point of view of Police who work so hard to get these convictions in the first place, from the point of view of an overall message we are sending as a society. What we're saying is, if you’re a gang member peddling meth, you won’t get locked up for too long if you can get a cultural report done and prove your childhood was rough. Judges have become afraid to put people in jail, they’re finding too many excuses to keep them out, and we wonder why we have gang and crime issues surging in this country. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I've got family coming down from Europe at Christmas, and bringing people who've not seen New Zealand before. We were talking on the phone the other day and the subject of spending a few days at Rotorua came up. It pains me to say it, but I wasn't able in good conscience to recommend Rotorua. I explained about the emergency housing, but only in broad brush terms. I didn't go into big detail about people knocking on the door at night looking to score drugs. Or the police turning up at all hours, places not being safe for families, gang activity and all the rest of it. Thing is we need tourism and especially international tourism if we're going to start paying our way in the world again. Rotorua is already back up to the thousands of visitors a day, so far mostly New Zealanders who kinda know the score. But those overseas visitors are coming back, and some of them are having pretty bad experiences, which of course they go home and tell ten others about. So the idea of, well, it's almost a black list of places to avoid, will have been a difficult call. Does it go far enough to protect visitors? Does it do anything to protect the reputation of Rotorua? Well, in the absence of any government interest in tackling the issues around emergency housing, it was a call the district had to make. But it's not a long term answer. At the same time, surely, by definition, emergency housing is not a long-term answer either. It's a problem created by government policy. Yet another case of a well-meaning feel-good plan carelessly execute with unintended consequences. Something you and I might refer to as a complete cluster.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The All Blacks have managed to retain the Bledisloe Cup for the 20th straight year. But it was a close one 39-37, and it's fair to say it was a controversial finish, with Wallabies getting infringed for taking too long to kick the last penalty. ZB's rugby commentator Elliott Smith joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's under fire for spending millions on consultants for its Three Waters reform. Newstalk ZB can reveal more than $16 million has been paid to contractors in the past Financial Year. Deputy Political Editor Jason Walls says the Government's confirmed even more will be spent in the coming year. Spending's included $100,000 dollars for a virtual showcase of Aussie initiatives, and almost $2 million on policy services. National's Simon Watts says it shows the Government's over-reliant on consultants. The Government admits it's more than usually spent on policy work, but it says these reforms are complex. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new online tool will allow tourists to avoid staying at mixed-use motels in Rotorua. Tourism outfit Rotorua NZ is identifying emergency housing motels after visitors finding themselves in unsavoury accommodation. Rotorua District councillor Merepeka Raukawa-Tait joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Online shoppers are being misled through online sales. The Commerce Commission has issued a formal warning to online retailer, Occasion Box, for making false and unsubstantiated claims on its website last year. It comes after The Warehouse Group's 1-Day, has been fined $840,000 for misleading how long its daily deals would run for, and the quantity available. Fair Trading General Manager Vanessa Horne told Kate Hawkesby this is a good reminder for other businesses. She says they need to be able to back up any claims. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I think if anything symbolized how stressful and exhausting this week has been for the new monarch, it was ‘Pengate’. We saw a very tense, irritated King Charles, flustered that his pen was leaking, and with it all captured on microphone, we got to hear just how annoyed he was. Some media labelled it ‘rude’ others referred to him as ‘losing his Royal cool’. This new incident off the back of a previous pen mishap he’d days earlier when he wanted his desk cleared and motioned angrily at his aides to do it, is a reminder, as if we needed it, that he is under phenomenal pressure, in trying circumstances, and he is handling it 'differently' to how we might. But then again, how do we know how we'd handle anything like this? We're not royals, and as much as we like to think they're 'just human' or 'just like you and me'.. they're not, they're a different breed. As long time listeners will know, I travelled on a plane with King Charles once. Prince back then, obviously. We were on Singapore Airlines, in First Class suites flying out of London. We were told at check in that some very special VIP’s were boarding our flight and that they’d had to move our seats around to accommodate them. I of course immediately asked who the VIP’s were, they wouldn’t tell me. But we were bumped forward by one row so the VIP could slip into the back row – where arguably he’d be less likely to be stared at by the remaining 11 of us in that cabin. When David Beckham hopped on board I assumed that was the VIP, and I was overjoyed and immediately broke all the rules and went to talk to him and of course get the obligatory selfie with him to show my kids. This to be frank was my kind of royalty anyway. But after sitting back down I was then aghast when a second VIP hopped on, and that was in fact the VIP we’d been moved for. The real VIP - Prince Charles. He sat behind us. He had a crew of suited and booted aides with him and they were carrying paperwork and what turned out to be food for the now King. Oat cakes, cheese and chutney, and his own china. Now I don’t want to cast aspersions on a grieving and newly minted King, but this was a man who didn’t suffer fools, and he seemed very adept at ordering people round. He certainly did not carry the light of foot demeanour or 'fun' vibe that Beckham did, he was definitely.. different. So while I admire the fact we want to view these people as ‘human’ and ‘just like us’ .. my experience is they’re actually not. When you've grown up in an environment like that, of others deferring to you and serving you, and that is all you know, it must be incredibly hard to have to now tailor to the new modern generation desire for everyone to just ‘be human’, or to ‘be humble’. The new young royals are more cognizant of optics, because they're a social media generation, hyper aware of how every move, glance or word can be interpreted and over interpreted and 'go viral'. But because they're so aware there's more inauthenticity in how they behave. They're more orchestrated. King Charles is a man in his 70's who has grown up knowing nothing but a royal existence, he's been surrounded by people doing things for him his whole life. He's also just lost his Mother, barely had a moment to grieve, as he's been on a public tour of speeches and hand shaking ever since. He doesn't suffer fools, or clearly dodgy pens. He's obviously not aware of being made into memes - nor does he probably care. So while some might say snapping at aides made him look 'rude', it may just be that that's all he knows.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our largest education union says the Government's attempt to fix workforce shortages has missed the mark. Labour has announced up to one thousand new teachers will be recruited, mostly from overseas and more scholarships will be funded for people wanting to become teachers mid-career. NZEI President Liam Rutherford told Kate Hawkesby things have changed since 30 years ago when funding systems were set up. He says there are some roles which aren't being filled. Rutherford says we don't have the right specialist roles like speech language therapists and education psychologists and in the current environment it's kids who are missing out. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The queue of people lining up to see the Queen lying in state is now more than four kilometres long. Her Majesty's coffin has been transported from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall on a gun carriage, with the new King and other Royals following behind. The procession itself was silent, except for the firing of guns at Hyde Park and the chiming of Big Ben. But Newstalk ZB's Anna Burns Francis told Kate Hawkesby the queue of people lining to see the Queen is growing by the minute. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Slight GDP growth is expected in the second quarter. It follows a 0.2 percent fall for the first three months of the year. ASB Chief Economist Nick Tuffley says while it's hard to predict at the moment, his best guess is a 1.2 percent rise. He told Kate Hawkesby while it's not a sure thing, there are some promising signs. Tuffley says air travel and construction looked like they performed well. The GDP figures will be revealed at 10:45 this morning. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So the Government’s looking at potential scope for a Covid review, and “taking advice”. That in and of itself should ring alarm bells given no government has ordered more reviews than this lot. They ordered reviews like a teenager ordering Uber Eats with their parents credit card. Reviews all round, bugger the expense. So now to pause, reflect, and take advice, seems out of character. It seems a stalling technique. That aside, the taking advice bit is the other thing this Government’s record has been questionable on. They talked a big game – and often – about all the ‘advice’ they were taking – but then more times than not, didn’t take any of it. Case and point being anything Treasury ever said to them. It included advice from the business sector, real people, organisations, even their own review committees. But one sector they did seem to take a lot of advice from during Covid was the domain of the scientist and the epidemiologist. And fair enough, in the early days of confusion and uncertainty around a virus and a global pandemic, they were the experts they should hear from. But where and when to draw the line? At what point did the ‘experts’ go beyond their remit? At what point do the scientists sit down and the epidemiologists accept there’s more to life than looking at everything from the lens of a lab. Things like the fact there’s an economy to think about, a tourism industry, people’s mental health, livelihoods, businesses and so on. Yes the science and the warnings about hygiene, masks, surfaces, germs and closed spaces were all vital at the time.. but two years on, with fewer than a thousand cases in the community. With even our ‘abundance of caution’ Government saying it‘s time to retire the restrictions, why are the epidemiologists still front page screaming that the sky will fall in? The fear and the panic is over. Read the room. Yet still they have a platform to preach fear. It’s not helpful to have the likes of Michael Baker and Rod Jackson saying we need to keep some masks, some controls, some restrictions. Baker claims we should look at “whether we should have a vaccination requirement for travellers, whether we should use testing technology as part of the arrival process into New Zealand.” He reckons we “shouldn't just abandon all controls at the borders." I tell you what we should abandon, the epidemiologists. Thank you for your service, thank you for your insight, thanks for the memories. Time to exit stage left. We do not need this kind of advice running or trying to run our country. It’s beyond their remit, it’s beyond their scope, it only views things myopically from the comfort and luxury of a privileged position with no real connection to the real world. They’re not running a business, they’re not running a ski field or a bungy jump or a hotel or a café or a retail shop. What we need now is normality, tourists, punters, and some basic freedoms back. We can’t live in fear of future pandemics forever. We can’t keep pinging guests to this country in a paranoid fervour of fear. We’ve waved goodbye to the traffic lights, now let’s please wave goodbye to the epidemiologists.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An announcement is expected from the Government today regarding education. One thing being looked at is how to recruit more teachers. We know we need them, especially in rural schools. Tertiary education provider Te Rito Maioha is responding to the shortage. They're launching teaching courses that are specifically aimed to get more rural teachers. Academic leader of their primary programmes Anthony Fisher joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A win for residents who've been fighting for Christchurch City Council to reject housing density plans for the city, but it's not over yet. Ten councillors have voted no to the Government’s plans to allow up to three homes of three storeys each on most sections across the city without consent. Five councillors voted yes, one abstained and one was absent The council will now write to Environment Minister David Parker to ask that Christchurch be exempt from being a tier one city. Riccarton Bush-Kilmarnock Residents’ Association chair Tony Simons told Kate Hawkesby one-size-fits-all isn't appropriate for housing He says the council is now asking for a bespoke plan for the city, instead of one that was designed for Auckland. The Government could decide to put a commissioner in place, or appoint a Crown manager, to push through the rules. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Severe weather is being blamed by some for soaring food prices. Annual food prices have shot up to the highest rate in 13 years. Stats New Zealand says it cost 8.3 percent more to buy food this August, compared with last year. Vegetables New Zealand Chair John Murphy told Kate Hawkesby the weather's been horrendous. He says severe weather isn't something that starts in 2050, businesses are facing the impacts of it now. Murphy says increases in diesel, fertiliser, power costs and staffing shortages are also impacting. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What a relief and not before time that we’re waving goodbye to the traffic light system. Big raps to the Government for getting their heads around that. We’ve moved on, and so should they. It was apparent yesterday when Grant Robertson said to Mike Hosking that they’ll ‘still take Covid seriously’ that they were laying the ground work for the naysayers, the panickers, those who’d freak out, that they were ‘still taking it seriously’, even though they were heaving the system out. I don’t know if that reassured mask lovers or not. I do think it’s a crock they’ve kept the mask rule for pharmacies, that seems a waste of time, I was talking to a pharmacist yesterday whose sick to death of wearing a mask all day, seems unfair they’ve been captured by that rule. The greatest irony of the whole spiel from the PM though had to be when she said, “we take back control.” Ironic when this entire exercise has been about them having control. Then there’s the public holiday announcement. I really feel for small business here. Yesterday I got a message from a busy hairdressing salon.. hairdressers of course knocked for six during lockdowns and some barely just clawing their way back. This business owner wrote to me saying they’re finally back on their feet and booked 4 to 5 weeks ahead for hair appointments. She said they would lose at least $2,500 in revenue on a closed day. She said Inland Revenue had put her on a payment plan this year to pay off her small business loan that she received during lockdown, and that she was under pressure to pay it all back. She pointed out they had no choice during the lockdown and had to take the loan if they were going to keep the business going. This year , she says, they’ve dealt with not only paying back that small business loan, but have had an extra five days sick leave added, another public holiday added, minimum wage increased, staff off with ten and then seven days isolating and pay topped up. It’s been a mission and punishing for small business owners, in fact for all business owners. She said when she heard the announcement of another day off , she burst into tears. She was ringing the IRD to ask them to stop the direct debits for her loan as this extra day off would kill her business she said. So I really feel for people like her. Business NZ’s Kirk Hope said a day off should be voluntary but another public holiday shouldn’t be imposed on people. Treasury estimate the cost of the extra public holiday will be $450 million, which some argue is unfair in a cost of living crisis. But surely the biggest win, especially for those who protested against it, is the removal of mandates. All government mandates end in two weeks’ time, and not before time in my view. That’s been a brutal, and in many cases cruel, part of this process, and not something we should forget lightly. It destroyed people’s livelihoods and created immense division. So I won’t miss the mandates, the masks, the drawn out orange light, the daily reporting of Covid cases, the lot. I’m pleased to see it all go. Good riddance.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

South Canterbury will ask residents if its anniversary day should be moved to the same day as Canterbury. As things stand, South Canterbury anniversary day is September 26, the same day as the country's one-off public holiday to mark Queen Elizabeth II's death. Waimate District Mayor Craig Rowley told Kate Hawkesby they're looking to change the day to November 11, Canterbury Anniversary day. He says businesses are probably keen for the Queen's Memorial Day and Anniversary Day to be the same day - but the general consensus among most people is shifting it's a good idea. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Due to global supply chain issues, some shipping companies are leaving New Zealand off their schedule entirely. This is of course causing massive headaches for companies who rely on export. Rockit Global are a Hawke’s Bay based apple company whose largest export market is China. They were concerned this year's apples wouldn't make it by sea and normal air freight was too pricey. So they've managed to convince Air New Zealand to stack some of their planes heading to China with the apples. CEO of Rockit Mark O'Donnell joined Kate Hawkesby on Early Edition. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Praise for an easing of restrictions from our retail sector. Covid-19 restrictions have been scrapped almost completely, with only aged care facilities and hospitals still requiring masks. Retail NZ Chief Executive Greg Harford says it takes away a lot of tension and confusion around exemptions that retail workers had to deal with. He told Kate Hawkesby he doesn't expect many retailers to ask their customers to mask up. Harford says many workers were on the receiving end of verbal abuse and even violence after asking people to mask up. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So today is D-day on the traffic light system and whether it continues for us or not. Let’s hope not. I’m optimistic – but the caveat is, this Government likes control. This system was all about control, and to ditch it is to lose that. Problem is, and part of the reason I think they’ll ditch it, is that we’ve all ditched it anyway. Sick of masks and controls and traffic lights and restrictions, coupled with seeing Covid in the community for what it really is these days, which is a non-event, we’ve voted with our feet, or our faces. I was out and about at the weekend both in town and in the country, and you can count on one hand whose still wearing masks. Those of us with school aged children who’ve been buying an endless supply of masks for our kids to wear to school are sick of buying them, the kids are sick of wearing them, and as summer approaches and the weather heats up, they’re actually finding it unbearable to wear them. Teachers too. So we know most of us won’t miss them. But will the Government miss the control? Big yes. They’ll also.. if they’re still applying their ‘abundance of caution’ approach, perhaps want the system, or some version of it, in place should things go awry. Once our vaccinations start waning, once colder weather swoops back round. But I take heart from the fact that even their very own epidemiological stalwarts like Michael Baker have popped up and said the traffic light system is outdated and of no use anymore. And, on top of that, a very reliable source from inside the Koru lounge last week informed me that not even former Covid Minister himself Chris Hipkins was wearing one. Packed Koru lounge, cheek by jowl as usual, no food in front of him, he wasn’t eating, just sitting there, maskless. So if even the pin up politicians for mask use are not even bothering when they’re in Auckland Airport’s Koru lounge, then maybe that’s a sign that it’s over. Potentially he may just have been swept up in the vibe of Aucklanders..which that is they’re over them. Perhaps he keeps it on when he’s in Wellington where there’s a more obedient vibe. Either way, they’ll make a decision today that either gives us back our freedoms , that we so rightly deserve, or they’ll cling to control. It won’t be a decision made on what’s best for our health or the health system, they’ll have polled on it and it’ll be a political decision based on popularity. And you’ll know it’s a political decision when they use the words, “this is not a political decision”.. because they’ll be looking to deflect that criticism. But if they’re smart they’ll know the decision’s already been made for them. We’re not doing it anymore, we’re sick of it, bar a handful of people still subscribed to the fear mantra. But most of us know what risk looks like and how to weigh it up, and less than a thousand cases a day is not a risk, it’s not an outbreak, and it’s not crashing the health system. So the only right decision today is ditch the lights, ditch the masks. It’s time to move on.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A New Zealand Defence Force contingent will join the Commonwealth Forces marching contingent at Queen Elizabeth's funeral. More than 30 personnel from the Navy, Army, Air Force and Defence civilians have started to leave for London. Deputy Contingent Commander Lieutenant Colonel Edward Craw says told Kate Hawkesby they'll arrive at a barracks near London and start rehearsals for the funeral procession. He says a small group of Colonel Commandants, retired Army officers from this country, will be on a separate programme operating close to Defence staff in the UK. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UK correspondent Gavin Grey joined Early Edition as Queen Elizabeth II's coffin was carried into the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh after a crowd-lined final journey from Balmoral. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National says our Covid-19 traffic light system is no longer needed. Jacinda Ardern will announce Cabinet's decision on whether to do away with it at 4pm. National Party Covid-19 spokesperson Chris Bishop says compliance with mask wearing is waning. He told Kate Hawkesby he reckons the timing is right. Bishop says now that cases are falling and we're past the winter peak, it's time to move on. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland's city rail link is the project that appears to keep bleeding money with no end date in sight. The public has already been warned there has been a cost blowout of the originally budgeted $4.4b project. But now bosses have admitted they have no idea when the project will be completed. They even haven't ruled out works going beyond 2025. Chief executive of Auckland Business Chamber, Simon Bridges joined Early Edition. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I visited my parents on Waiheke yesterday and my Mum was telling me a story about an Uber driver she’d had in town who was taking her through Auckland’s CBD, which – as most Aucklanders know, is a bit of a dive these days and certainly not easy to navigate if you’re in a car. They’ve made it so impossible to drive through the city now – that like most cities these days - if you’re in a car you’re punished, they’d prefer you on a bus or a bike. But that doesn’t work for everybody and this driver was telling Mum how he'd been transporting a passenger with a disability, who was unable to get on a bus or ride a bike, so he was driving her to her destination, and it became apparent there was nowhere for him to stop to let her out. He realised that with all the parking taken away and all the cycle lanes and enlarged pedestrian paths, he’d have to stop a fair way from where she needed to get to, and she would have to walk back. Worried about his duty as an Uber driver to deliver her safely to her destination, he parked further up the road where he could stop, and got out to help her. Now this was not a legit park, because there is no parking for cars on the main street, it was either a loading zone or a 5 minute park but it was his only option to get her as close to where she needed to be. But given her disability he realised she could not get their unaided. So he parked and offered to help her walk back to her destination. She was very grateful and he assisted her - slowly – at her pace – all the way back to where she needed to go. Once she was safely inside – and very grateful, he returned to his car. There waiting for him was a $160 parking ticket. Aggrieved at this, once he finished his shift he wrote to Auckland Transport explaining the circumstances and contesting the fine. He argued that because of measures by Waka Kotahi to eradicate parks and make life difficult for cars, it had in fact made life difficult for those with disabilities too. He argued he was doing the only right thing an Uber driver should, which was to help get this person to their destination, she needed assistance, and he wanted to provide it given he could not stop exactly where she needed to be. You may or may not be surprised to learn the response he got back. Auckland Transport denied his application to contest the fine, insisted he had breached parking rules by stopping there, and insisted he pay up the $160 dollars. Now what sort of kind caring society are we attempting to dream up here with all this ideology around ‘shared spaces’ and making CBD’s more user friendly, when disabled people are penalised, and those trying to help them get fined? What message does that send other Uber and taxi drivers trying to help passengers with disabilities? And does this kind of behaviour not just discourage more people from coming to town? Surely there’s a line – and room for discretion when it comes to unique circumstances? My Mum encouraged the Uber driver to keep writing to Auckland Transport until they acquiesced, but as he told her, whose got the time for that? Ironically the boffins bogged down in this bureaucracy have the audacity to call this long running campaign of car elimination “Streets for People”. But aside from cyclists, I’m just not sure which ‘people’ they’re thinking these streets are for now, given they’re certainly not for Ubers, taxis or people with disabilities.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Small businesses are hoping to enact change in this year's local body elections. More than nine in 10 small to medium sized business owners are planning to vote next month, with one in three believing council support for them is worse than three years ago. Business NZ Chief Executive Kirk Hope told Kate Hawkesby he's not surprised by the numbers. He says if you think about the worsening of CBDs around the country it's no wonder businesses want to try to make a difference. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A call for an inquiry over mistakes made during our Covid-19 response. Northland was plunged into level three after two women travelled to the region and subsequently tested positive for Covid-19. Officials originally said they had provided false information to get travel permits, but it's been revealed they were issued in error instead. Former New Zealand First Northland MP Shane Jones told Kate Hawkesby their refusal to hold an inquiry is due to overconfidence. He thinks the Government thinks it will win the election without having to care about the north. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a legal victory for former President Donald Trump, a federal judge on Monday granted his request for a special master to review documents seized by the FBI from his Florida home and temporarily halted the Justice Department's use of the records for investigative purposes. The decision by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon authorizes an outside legal expert to review the records taken during the Aug. 8 search and to weed out from the rest of the investigation any that might be protected by claims of attorney-client privilege or executive privilege. Some of those records may ultimately be returned to Trump, but the judge put off a ruling on that question. The order came despite the strenuous objections of the Justice Department, which said a special master was not necessary in part because officials had already completed their review of potentially privileged documents. The department said Monday that it was reviewing the decision but did not indicate if and when it might appeal. The order almost certainly slows the pace of the department's investigation into the presence of top-secret information at Mar-a-Lago, particularly given the judge's directive that the Justice Department may not for the moment use any of the seized materials as part of its investigation into the storage of government secrets at the Florida property. The injunction is in place until the yet-to-be-named special master completes his or her work, or until "further court order." "The Court is mindful that restraints on criminal prosecutions are disfavored, but finds that these unprecedented circumstances call for a brief pause to allow for neutral, third-party review to ensure a just process with adequate safeguards," Cannon, a Trump appointee, wrote in her 24-page order. Even so, it is not clear that the decision will present a long-term impediment to the investigation's progress or significantly affect investigative decisions or the ultimate outcome of the probe. And a separate assessment by the U.S. intelligence community of the risk posed by the apparent mishandling of classified records will continue under the judge's order. "While this is a victory for the former President, it is by no means an overwhelming win for him," David Weinstein, a Florida criminal defense lawyer and former Justice Department prosecutor, said in an email. "While it is a setback for the government, it is also not a devastating loss for them." He noted, for instance, that the judge did not immediately order the seized documents returned to Trump or suppress any of the evidence. Justice Department spokesman Anthony Coley said Monday that "the United States is examining the opinion and will consider appropriate next steps in the ongoing litigation." A lawyer for Trump did not respond to a request for comment. The department and Trump's lawyers are to submit by Friday a list of proposed special master candidates. FBI agents in August seized roughly 11,000 documents and 1,800 other items from Mar-a-Lago as part of a criminal investigation into the retention of national defense information there, as well as into efforts to obstruct the probe. About 100 of the documents contained classification markings. Trump's lawyers had argued that a special master, usually an outside lawyer or former judge, was necessary to ensure an independent review of records taken during the search and so that any personal information or documents could be filtered out and returned to Trump. In this case, the seized records "include medical documents, correspondence related to taxes, and accounting information," the judge's order said. Cannon said it was too soon to know whether Trump will be entitled to the return of any of the records, but "for now, the circumstances surrounding the seizure in this case and the associated need for adequate procedural safeguards are sufficiently compelling to at least get Plaintiff past the courthouse doors." She also said she found persuasive his lawyers' arguments that he faced potentially "irreparable injury" by being denied access to records that might be of significant personal interest to him. She said the investigative process had, so far, been "closed off" to him. "As a function of Plaintiff's former position as President of the United States, the stigma associated with the subject seizure is in a league of its own," Cannon wrote. "A future indictment, based to any degree on property that ought to be returned, would result in reputational harm of a decidedly different order of magnitude." The Justice Department had argued against the appointment, saying it was unnecessary because it had already reviewed potentially privileged documents and identified a limited subset that could be covered by attorney-client privilege. The department had been using a separate "privilege review team" for that work, but Cannon cited at least two instances in which members of the investigative team were "exposed" to potentially privileged material, something she sai

It appears advocates of legalising cannabis in this country are still smarting over having lost that referendum. This was a referendum we shouldn’t have even been having in the first place when you look at all the other things needing sorting in this country. Decriminalizing weed shouldn’t be top of the priority list. The fact it ever was, and that millions were spent on a referendum on it, speaks volumes about this Government and where it sees value. Kids in poverty, people sleeping cars, mental health, housing, health and education would be good starting points for a government who promised a lot on that and have delivered nothing. My bad, sorry, they have delivered something on that – worse stats in every single category. But back to weed. Not content with having lost that debate, they’re now looking at decriminalizing meth. This insane idea comes from none other than the Helen Clark Foundation. They want a health based approach to everything, seemingly ignoring the fact our health system is in crisis, and sending all the meth addicts there probably isn’t going to help anyone. Again, before anything becomes a health approach we surely should be looking at nurses (getting some), resources (getting some of those too) and actually having a few GPs available in more areas than just central cities. But that aside, not only does the Helen Clark Foundation want meth fully decriminalized, but any hard drugs in small quantities. They also want addicts given places where they’re given the drugs in controlled circumstances. This is if rehab – two goes at rehab, hasn’t worked. So to be clear, if you’re peddling or imbibing meth or other hard drugs, the Foundation wants it to be legal, and wants clinics to have some meth dished up to you if rehab didn't work. When Helen Clark’s crowd put out this report, the Health Minister, instead of saying, ‘look Helen, not sure what you’ve been smoking but dream on’ and throwing the report in the bin, said he’ll look into it. Andrew Little wants to look at this idea, while in the same breath acknowledging that there’s no appetite in NZ for decriminalization of drugs given the referendum result. But this Government clearly knows better than us, so despite the fact we didn’t want weed shops on every street corner, and we probably don’t want meth clinics around the place peddling meth to users out in the community either, they’ll still look at it because they know best. Little said the Government’s focused on efforts to support addiction recovery and funding addiction recovery programs like the one for gang members on meth. And they’re ‘willing to take bold steps’ to ‘develop this further and expand it’. He was reported saying that the Government’s poured ‘a lot of resources into health responses for drugs over the past five years’ .. with ‘a lot more money going in’. Is that reassuring to you as a taxpayer? Does that sound like a Health Minister with his priorities in the right place? Call me crazy, but I reckon we could start with some nurses, some GPs, some rural healthcare, some midwives and some decent ED resources.. rather than handing out more money to meth addicts at this point.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is rejecting calls to review tax brackets amid rising inflation. New Zealand’s marginal tax rate system means higher rates of tax are applied as someone earns more income. Stats NZ data shows median weekly earnings increased 8.8 percent in the year to the June quarter, the biggest jump since records began. Tax expert Terry Baucher says told Kate Hawkesby tax brackets have not changed in more than a decade and action is needed urgently. He says people are being squeezed as their incomes rise rapidly, alongside their tax brackets. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Rotorua mayoral candidate says the city needs to urgently shift away from emergency housing motels. National and Te Pati Maori are calling for an inquiry into the system after a TVNZ report exposed tenants in poor conditions. Some residents housed under the charity Visions of a Helping Hand are accusing that group of intimidation and abuse of power by staff and security workers. Rotorua District Council member and mayoral candidate Tania Tapsell says told Kate Hawkesby we need to focus on long term solutions. She says we need to build social housing not rely on emergency housing. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Act says it's time the Government got serious with ram-raiders. Police Minister Chris Hipkins this morning unveiled a plan to refer any child under 14 caught ram-raiding to a cross-agency board, to prevent repeat offending. But Act Leader David Seymour says anyone aged 11-to-14 caught raiding should be forced to wear an ankle monitoring bracelet, so police know where they are at all times. He says it's tragic that New Zealand is in this state of affairs - and this is the consequence of having no consequences for crime. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Potential job losses at AUT are being seen as a tragedy for staff and students. Up to 230 staff could be cut. A drop in student numbers and growing economic pressures are being cited as the reason for the proposed restructure. The Tertiary Education Union says there seems to be too much focus on business outcomes rather than academic ones. President Tina Smith told Kate Hawkesby this isn't the right time to be doing it. She says with our skill shortage at the moment we need educated people. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fears for the impact inflation could have on those saving for retirement. Massey University research shows the savings needed for retirees to fund a basic household living, with few luxuries, sits at $191,000 dollars in the city, and $77,000 in the provinces. A more comfortable living standard in the city requires $755,000 dollars, while a provincial household needs $480,000. It shows many Kiwis in retirement will also need to supplement their super. Author, Associate Professor Claire Matthews says one reason inflation hits those in and nearing retirement harder, is due to their spending habits. She says transport costs are a big factor, as well as housing and utilities. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Liz Truss has been elected as the Conservative Party's new leader, the party announced Monday, and she will take office Tuesday as Britain's new prime minister to steer the country through an acute cost-of-living crisis. The 47-year-old Truss, who is currently foreign secretary, beat former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak after a leadership contest in which only about 170,000 dues-paying members of the Conservative Party were allowed to vote. Truss received 81,326 votes, compared with Sunak's 60,399. She faces immediate pressure to deliver on her promises to tackle the cost-of-living crisis walloping the U.K. and an economy heading into a potentially lengthy recession. Queen Elizabeth II is scheduled to formally appoint Truss as Britain's prime minister on Tuesday. The ceremony will take place at the queen's Balmoral estate in Scotland, where the monarch is spending her summer, rather than Buckingham Palace in London. The two-month leadership contest left Britain with a power vacuum at a time of growing discontent across the country amid spiraling energy and food costs. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has made no major policy decisions since he announced he was stepping down on July 7, and officials insisted that measures to address the energy cost crisis would be deferred until his successor is in place. Meanwhile tens of thousands of workers have gone on strike to demand better pay to keep up with relentlessly rising costs. Inflation is above 10% for the first time since the 1980s, and the Bank of England has forecast that will reach a 42-year high of 13.3% in October. That's largely driven by soaring energy bills, which will jump 80% for the average household starting next month. "I will deliver a bold plan to cut taxes and grow our economy. I will deliver on the energy crisis, dealing with people's energy bills, but also dealing with the long term issues we have on energy supply," Truss told party members after she was elected. "I know that our beliefs resonate with the British people: Our beliefs in freedom, in the ability to control your own life, in low taxes, in personal responsibility," she added. "I know that's why people voted for us in such numbers in 2019 and as your party leader I intend to deliver what we promised those voters right across our great country." Truss has won the support of many Conservatives with her zeal in rolling back state intervention and slashing taxes. Both she and her rival Sunak have spoken of their admiration for Margaret Thatcher, who was prime minister from 1979 to 1990, and her free-market, small-government economics. But it's not clear how Truss's right-wing brand of conservatism, which played so well with party members — who represent far less than 1% of the U.K.'s adult population — will go down with the wider British public, especially those most in need of government relief to afford essentials like heating their homes this winter. Truss has promised to act "immediately" to tackle soaring energy bills, but declined to give any details so far. "The Conservative Party members wanted that message of tax cutting. The country, I would guess, less so," said Bronwen Maddox, director of London's Chatham House think tank. "At the moment you've got people deeply rattled, many very, very afraid going into a year where all they can see are rising costs," Maddox added. "Until she's got an answer on that, she doesn't have a claim to the popularity of the country, I think." While the economy is certain to dominate the first months of the new premier's term, Truss will also have to steer the U.K. on the international stage in the face of Russia's war in Ukraine, an increasingly assertive China and ongoing tensions with the European Union over the aftermath of Brexit — especially in Northern Ireland. Truss will be the U.K.'s fourth Conservative prime minister in six years, entering Downing Street following Johnson, Theresa May and David Cameron. Johnson was forced to resign after a series of ethics scandals that peaked in July, when dozens of cabinet ministers and lower-level officials quit in protest over his handling of allegations of sexual misconduct by a senior member of his government. Both Truss and Sunak were key players within Johnson's Cabinet, though Sunak resigned in the last days of Johnson's time in office. A Truss government may not sit well with many because it reminds voters too much of Johnson's misdeeds, said Steven Fielding, a professor of political history at Nottingham University. "She's basically been elected as Boris Johnson 2.0 by Conservative members — she's made it very clear that she is a loyal Boris Johnson supporter," he said. "I think she's going to find it very difficult to disentangle herself from the whole Johnson shadow." Truss and Sunak were the final two candidates whittled down from an initial field of 11 leadership hopefuls. Under Britain's parliamentary system of government, the center-right Conservative Party was allowed to hold an internal ele

I saw a story yesterday that caught my eye because it was positive and seemed to be offering up a solution by way of cleaning up truancy rates. It’s a campaign being run in Northland, and according to the story I saw, it’s having great success at stopping kids from wagging school. "Let's Get to School Tai Tokerau" is running in 150 schools across the region and at its heart are messages from children explaining why the classroom is a good place to be,” the story said. So it’s student-driven which makes sense, and it’s putting fun back into learning, and viewing school as something you don’t want to miss, rather than a chore or a punishment. The story said kids came up with slogans of stuff they like doing, like, playing with their friends, learning about new things, and on top of this the schools run fun competitions like MasterChef for example. There’s also an incentive scheme like earning points for days attended and.. “at the end of the term depending on their attendance they may get some grocery vouchers.” Now as ludicrous as that might sound, that we have to incentivise kids with grocery vouchers these days to attend school, if it works, who are we to criticise? Surely by now, with truancy levels where they’re at, whatever works, works. And this one maybe works because it’s got kids at the heart of it, coming up with the solutions themselves. It was the students apparently who came up with the slogan for the campaign of, ‘'let's get back to school Te Tai Tokerau.’ And it’s working. One school quoted said they’ve seen ‘for the first time this year, 100 percent attendance in some of the classrooms - and that just happened overnight as a result of the children talking about all the positive things that are happening at school.’ How cool is that. Using carrots not sticks, encouraging kids rather than looking to penalise them. Now this approach doesn’t always work, but in this case it is working– and if tangible results like that keep coming in, then it’s a great example of a community solving its own problems. Sadly it’s not always the case though, and that’s why measures to combat truancy need to keep evolving and seeping into every level of the school community. The teachers, the principals, the parents, the students. And I love the idea of flipping the approach on its head and trying something new. Especially when it’s student led. I think therein lies many of the problems with our education system actually these days, it’s old school stuff that’s always been done the same way and doesn’t evolve or modernise as kids needs change. Too often students are told, ‘this is just how it’s always been done’, instead of asking them how it could be done better. So big ups to Northland schools and communities having success with this approach. I hope other schools and communities are paying attention and taking note, and I hope more student driven solutions find their way into schools eventually too. Sometimes the best people to fix the problems are actually those affected most by them. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a job market severely short of labour, it seems the winner in all this are temp workers. They’re making a killing as employers are wanting them to fill the holes left by the absent migrant workers. Add to that ongoing staff sicknesses. This means pay rates for temps have gone up considerably, with a temp executive assistant now able to charge as much as $60 an hour. Beyond Recruitment CEO Liza Viz joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The NSW government has confirmed that speed camera operators will no longer be able to “hide” behind other vehicles or bushes to catch out unsuspecting motorists. It comes after infuriated drivers accused speed camera operators of deliberately hiding or not displaying their warning signs throughout the year, particularly on rural and regional roads across the state. The NSW government announced that from February this year every mobile speed camera vehicle would have a large double-sided sign on top, but there have been numerous reports of this not happening or the signs being obscured. These concerns were raised at last Wednesday’s budget estimates hearings, with Transport for NSW deputy secretary Tara McCarthy confirming they received complaints about these issues. “The government gave a commitment that from April 1 of this year all vehicles undertaking enforcement of mobile speed cameras would have signs installed. Those vehicles can only be in operation if the sign is in the upright position,” she said. “We have received a number of reports, not that the sign was in the upright position but, because of growth of foliage, for example, or parking of vehicles in front or behind, at times those signs were not visible at a distance to motorists.” Ms McCarthy then subsequently revealed that new rules have been introduced to stop this from happening. Under the new protocols, a speed camera operator must be parked 10 to 15 metres from another vehicle. They must also send a photo back to prove they are correctly positioned in relation to their surroundings. “In response to those issues that have been raised, we have been working very closely with the two vendors and we have developed a number of protocols that are now very clear that they are to ensure that those vehicles are parked in a manner where the sign is visible,” Ms McCarthy said. “They need to look at the foliage, for example; they need to look at any signs that might obscure them; they need to consider the distance that they park in front of or behind vehicles; and a number of other protocols. “They need to report that back to their base as a verification check that the vehicle is correctly positioned. “If the site that we have allocated to them is unsuitable because, for example, the foliage has become overgrown, they are not to operate from that site and they are to report that to us. “It wasn’t in place on April 1. We have responded to community concerns,” Ms McCarthy said. But she made it clear that even if a speed camera sign was hidden or not displayed, it did not mean a fine would necessarily be waved. “At the end of the day, if a person commits an offence, then they have committed an offence,” Ms McCarthy said. “They always have the ability to ask for that offence to be reviewed and individual cases will be considered.” Data from Revenue NSW shows $75m from all speeding offences past financial year, with $47m of that coming from low-range speeding fine offences (travelling less than 10km over the limit). This money goes towards road safety and maintenance initiatives. The NSW government has made it clear camera advisory signs are not legally required in the state but they are a part of a Transport for NSW policy. Orange MP Philip Donato has previously slammed the government after he received reports of speed cameras operating without signs in his electorate. “There’s no deterrence in this covert practice, where drivers receive infringements in the mail up to a month after a speeding offence and left to potentially continue driving in excess of the speed limit,” he said. “The continued use of unmarked mobile speed cameras is a revenue raising exercise – plain and simple.” State opposition roads spokesman John Graham has called for warning signs to be brought back before and after speed camera vehicles. “The government has now spent millions of dollars on pop up signs, and introduced new rules to stop covert cameras, but why not just bring back these warning signs,” he said. “This could have been so much simpler if they had asked the community before they removed these warning signs.” - by Hamish Spence, news.com.auSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I think the only feasible thing that can happen now with the mask mandate is that they get rid of it. When even the Government’s favourite boffin (Michael Baker) says masks aren’t that essential anymore, you’ve got to wonder whose left supporting them. Add to that the fact they’re even up for discussion – the fact they’re now being talked about by the PM herself as something we may be able to review – and you can kiss the mandate goodbye. Because what happens when people in high places start questioning stuff, is that the general public get a whiff of it, and just go ahead and ditch them anyway. Where we live rurally, masks have been a distant memory for a while now. Most of our local shops don’t bother, it’s rare to see people in them, I’m not sure if other rural parts of the country are the same but I think it’s largely a city thing these days. Wellington I hear, (unsurprisingly) is still hot on masks, Auckland is hit and miss, some parts of the city still do them, others don’t bother. You certainly don’t get told off anymore if you wander into a shop without one. In fact more often than not if it’s an owner operated store the staff aren’t wearing them either, it’s just the chains and franchises like supermarkets who’re still having to wear them. But I was in a supermarket yesterday and the majority of shoppers were not in masks. And no one told them to put one on either. Schools are over it, both the teachers and the kids. The students are sick of wearing them, the teachers are sick of enforcing the wearing of them. I’m glad we’ve finally reached this point where losing the masks has gained momentum. I think it’s a lot to do with the borders opening and so many Kiwis getting out to travel and seeing for themselves that the rest of the world has moved on from Covid. Travelling around without a mask and then coming back to New Zealand and suddenly everyone has them on, feels weird, and more people are now realising that. That’s before we get to the tourists who arrive and go – what the heck's happening here. It makes us look backward and what we now know is that it is a factor in putting international visitors off. In fact our whole orange light is. I argued a couple of weeks ago that we needed to go to a green light and someone texted me and rightly said – why a green light? There should be no light system at all. And that’s true. It’s no longer relevant. And it feels like the Government’s finally getting to that point too. That coupled with the fact that all their polling will be telling them how over it people are. I think we, like Australia, will ditch the masks apart from places like maybe hospitals or rest homes and other high risk areas. But the decision won’t be because of health reasons or because Michael Baker said so, it’ll be because it’s politically advantageous to the Government to do so. When you’ve had a few weeks like this government's having, and momentum is slipping away from you at the pace it currently is, ditching masks and traffic lights suddenly becomes very politically attractive. The country needs some much needed positivity.. and a boost in our freedoms may be just the tonic needed for the Government to claw back a wee bit of support.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A claim tightening the Proceeds of Crime Act isn't the right way to deal with gangs. It's understood the Government will announce a law change which will make it easier for police to seize gang assets held under associate's names. The law will also make it harder for criminals to shelter money with KiwiSaver. National Party Police spokesperson Mark Mitchell told Kate Hawkesby while it's good to go after assets, it misses the bigger issue. “They are not going to make any tangible impact right now on the amount of gang violence and gun violence that we’re currently experiencing.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Local Government New Zealand is hoping voters will get to know the candidates in the upcoming local body elections. It's an unprecedented move and comes amid reports of conspiracy theorists and extremists looking to get elected. Grant Duncan is an associate professor at Massey University, he joined Kate Hawkesby on Early Edition. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Local body elections are upon us and there's concern at the number of so-called fringe candidates looking to get elected. Now the club for councils, Local Government New Zealand, is so worried about this, it's launched a campaign to get voters more engaged with the process. Which sounds a bit like they're saying ‘Hey, make sure you pick one of our approved people.’ And what is a fringe candidate anyway? Who is an extremist? Go back 25 years or so, and people were calling the ACT Party extreme right wingers; last election they got 10 seats, and these days they talk more sense than a lot of others. Go back 30 years and people were calling the Greens extreme lefties, some of them still are, but again, last election, they got 10 seats. Point is, everyone is entitled to have a shot at getting elected, pretty much anyone is entitled to stand. And when it comes to local bodies, if you stand, you have a fairly decent chance of getting elected. On average, across the country, the number of candidates per seat last time around was just over two, so if you stand, you've got a 50/50 shot. Turnouts are the issue with local elections. Only about 40 percent of us actually bother to vote and rural communities generally go better than the big centres. So does it matter if a few fringe people sneak onto local bodies, well, yes if they've lied to get in. But can they do much damage? Well, potentially, yes, local bodies have big budgets and they're responsible for some pretty important functions. And maybe if the mainstream parties had taken a little more interest in local politics, they might not be so worried now. If the so-called extremists start intruding on their turf, they have only themselves to blame.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Bill which would require public sector agencies to use clear and concise language is making progress in Parliament. Labour's Nelson MP Rachel Boyack's Plain Language Bill would require agencies to have a designated plain language officer. Rachel Boyack joined Kate Hawkesby on Early Edition. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So we've talked a bit about high absence rates among teachers and students at schools. This is due to Covid and other winter illnesses. We also know our literacy and numeracy rates are pretty appalling. So what are some solutions? Learncoach is a kiwi business that are launching its’ anti-cheating software, that allows students to do their assessments digitally and remotely. Founder and CEO David Cameron explains “There’s a surprising range of software, they need to have a camera and microphone on. But there’s also things measuring how they type compared to how they type beforehand.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A survey in the UK has found the majority of actors and voice talent feel that artificial intelligence is a threat to employment opportunities. This comes as more companies are using AI for voiceover work, instead of an actual person. More AI start-ups are developing tools for use in film and audio, including making AI voices that can be used for marketing campaigns. Toby Ricketts is an award winning voice artist and has recorded for some of the biggest businesses worldwide, such as Microsoft, Google, and even the United Nations. Toby knows the threat AI may pose going forward. “It’s kind of getting better every day. It’s not good at acting still and most of us can kind of tell an AI voice now, but it’s probably going to change soon.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s becoming more apparent every day that this Government is on its way out and I just wonder whether that’s why they’re spiralling now into the realm of the nutty. The KiwiSaver tax announcement certainly looked like it. And now the embarrassment of axing that within about 5 minutes of announcing it due to such widespread backlash. What a cluster. This is a government in real trouble, it's figured out opposition benches are calling them so they’re just going for broke on everything - until it gets enough backlash for them to pull a hard U-turn. It makes me wonder if any thought goes into any policy at all, ever. I just don't know how they’re so tone deaf. Their ability to try to barrel through policy that negatively impacts us, instead of doing anything that’s actually useful, is worrying. The KiwiSaver debacle was just the latest in the line-up of madness and it’s a long line. I was pleased Luxon said they’d repeal it and it should never see the light of day. It seems National’s reading the room a hell of a lot more accurately than Labour are. And it’s not like Labour’s not polling up the wazoo. The dollars on their polling are eye-watering, so for a party that spends that much time finding out what people think, you’d think they’d do better than throwing out policy ideas so bad they get wrenched back within 24 hours. And this one was a no brainer. How they didn't see the negative optics on it is beyond me. I mean what’s the one thing we’ve been told beyond a shadow of a doubt to do in this country? Save for retirement. Put money away, invest in KiwiSaver, save, save, save. Don’t be an unnecessary burden on society, squirrel it away for a rainy day and be proactive. And so we did. We responsibly worked and put aside money for retirement, only to have the ‘no new taxes’ crowd come along and go, oh actually, we’ll have a piece of that. So the hard working saver was going to get less in their back pocket, while the Government creamed off some more. Worse than the ridiculous idea in the first place, is the fact they clearly don’t think through the big picture. The optics of this were terrible from the get go. All it made people want to do was cancel their Kiwisaver. They would have had fewer people signing up for it, or people opting out, and boom it would have been an even bigger headache down the track with not enough people saving for retirement after all. The Nats called it as they saw it; a government addicted to spending, and we know this with the free-for-all spray around treatment of the cost of living payment. But trying to devalue our retirement savings was never a good plan, it was tacky and heartless. The Financial Services Council called the move ‘sub optimal’, and asked the Government to ‘rethink and re-consult’. But why didn't it consult properly in the first place? The arrogance with which this Government is behaving smacks of a third-term Helen Clark government telling us how much water we can have in our showers. When these muppets slid into power in 2020 with their huge ‘mandate’, could we ever have foreseen how out of control they would get in such a short time? They’re lucky to be a two-term government – thanks to Covid – but at this stage I don't think even another pandemic could save them. This is a circus that fewer and fewer of us want tickets to.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.