Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

EV owners in Wellington are getting frustrated. Despite a big push for us to ditch our petrol guzzlers for the electric life, we don't have enough chargers in the city. This is leading to some businesses hogging the chargers, with residents complaining of fleet vehicles parking at the chargers for hours at a time. Liz Yeaman is managing director of Retyna, a consultancy focusing on EVs joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Taxpayers' Union is crying foul on Kainga Ora's plans to hire more staff. A leaked briefing obtained by Newstalk ZB reveals the housing agency wants to take on nearly 500 more full-time staff, in the coming year. It's now gone back on that figure, saying the number will be 465, and that almost half are needed to fill existing vacancies. Taxpayers Union Executive Director Jordan Williams told Kate Hawkesby the payroll has been growing fast. He says it only had 1200 staff in 2017, but that jumped to 2200 last year, and it is now on track to reach 3000 by next year. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Kiwi HR company says wellbeing sessions at work or 4-day weeks are never going to be the work/life fix employees are currently demanding. Greaterthan has worked with Callaghan Innovation, Edmund Hillary Fellowship, AJ Hackett International, and other New Zealand organisations to address the changing attitudes of workers since the pandemic. Partner Lucia Die Gil says it’s the dog-eat-dog nature of getting ahead in the work place which is leading to high staff turn-over, burnout and poor productivity. Lucia Die Gil joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Newstalk ZB sports reader Andrew Alderson joined Kate Hawkesby for a wrap of Team NZ's Day 3 at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We seem to have a culture of excuses thriving in this country at the moment that is top down. When apologists are at the helm it’s I guess where we end up. I noticed over the weekend it’s now crept into our policing. We're now making excuses for repeat raiders of retail stores, the same way we made excuses for ram raiders. (Who, to refresh your memory, apparently only needed a bit of a talking to by their parents.) But reports of retail crime have nearly doubled in five years under Labour. That includes shoplifting, vandalism, ram raids, the whole gamut. Police and the retail sector confirm it’s ‘a violent trend.’ So why then are we making excuses for it? How does that go anywhere towards fixing it? National says this spike in violent retail crime is evidence of a government soft on crime. Hard to argue with? Well not if you’re the Labour party, or it seems even the Police. Police national retail investigation manager was reported saying, "[The increase] is not actually a bad thing.” The increase is not actually a bad thing? Well apparently the increase means it’s helping identify ‘hotspots’ so preventative measures can be focussed there. So the spike in violent crime is useful, because it’s helping Police work out where the issues are. And what this spate of crime has told them, is that the hotspots are ‘urban areas.’ No kidding. Are you serious? Did we need to wait to watch repeated and violent raids take place on retailer after retailer, before we could start figuring that out? Is that how we police now? Wait until a whole bunch of people get hit repeatedly, until we can start working out where resources may be needed? Retailers in CBDs and main streets have been crying out for months, telling you until they’re blue in the face where the problem areas are. But wait it gets worse. This article also quotes a ‘youth advocate’ who ‘rubbished the calls for more punitive actions, saying 'young people are being let down.’ He said what we need is.. “more of a focus on restorative justice.." he says, "they're dealing with trauma, they're hurt... we are failing them, we are not providing enough support.” So it’s us failing them. And the theory then is that if we just pitched in and helped them more, the crime would stop. I wish it were that simple, I really do. I wish we all had all the time in the world to help out our local crims, but the harsh reality is, we don’t. Most honest law-abiding New Zealanders are working to support their family, they’re paying mortgages and school fees, trying to put food on the table and petrol in the car. They’re juggling busy lives and schedules as they work to contribute to society. They could choose a life of crime I suppose, or some cheap thrills with a crowbar into the window of a jewellery shop, but most people don’t. A youth advocate and a Police retail investigation manager saying, ‘oh let’s just be more understanding,’ only goes to show they've never clearly had their front door broken down by thugs carrying axes. Fearing for their life and livelihoods, only to have to endure it all over again from a repeat offender who decides this is so easy I’ll give it another crack. The last thing stressed retailers need to hear is that Police are finding this crime surge helpful to identify hotspots, and that we should be more understanding of the offenders.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Overseas-based Kiwis are "confused" and "embarrassed" at being told they would receive the Government's cost-of-living payment tomorrow and critics say including those living out of New Zealand in the scheme is "disrespectful" to hard-working taxpayers. Kiwis as far afield as the Netherlands, Sydney, London and Dubai have expressed their concern to National's Nicola Willis, who said many of them felt guilty and that they did not deserve the money. One man working in Dubai had not been a New Zealand resident for nearly 22 years, yet received the same email as more than 2.1 million Kiwis: that his first payment would be in his account within the next two days. His mother contacted the Herald irate at what she said was "incredible wastage of our taxpayers' money". Numerous members of a Facebook group for French travellers in New Zealand also received the payment email despite no longer being in the country. One person had been away for 13 months while others' visas had been cancelled so they couldn't see how they were eligible. An Inland Revenue spokesperson acknowledged it was possible people no longer living in New Zealand could get the payment. "If someone has left the country and hasn't told Inland Revenue they're not living here currently we will have treated them as resident and they may receive the cost of living payment." They also said people who weren't in paid work in New Zealand during the 2021/22 tax year could receive the payment if they have income from bank interest. The spokesperson said that IRD is "using a variety of information" to determine eligibility, including addresses, bank accounts and tax residency status. "People must have had a 2022 tax assessment with eligible income such as salary and wages or bank interest," the spokesperson said. The cost of living payment was a surprise addition to the May Budget. Eligible New Zealanders will get roughly $27 a week for three months, adding up to $350. To be eligible for the payment, you had to earn no more than $70,000, not be receiving the Winter Energy Payment, be 18 years or older, a New Zealand tax resident and be present here and not be in prison. The first payment will be $116.67, followed by another payment of the same amount on September 1. The final payment of $116.67 will be on October 3, the first business day of that month. The projected cost of the rollout is $816 million. Willis, who is National's deputy leader and finance spokeswoman, said people outside New Zealand receiving the funds showed "how cavalier" the Government had become with taxpayer cash. "The Government should be treating every taxpayer dollar as carefully as the taxpayers spending it right now, we are in very tough times, wages are not keeping up with prices, Kiwis are doing it tough and they have a right to expect that the Government will be careful with their money." Willis maintained that this was "disrespectful to taxpayers who work hard, who are suffering with the cost of living and are now learning that the Government is spraying their money around offshore". She had received many messages over the last few days from people saying they were "embarrassed" to receive the underserved money. Some were "very confused", saying that they were not only paying tax to another country, but also paying off student loans, so surely this would have alerted something within the IRD's system. "The Government was explicitly warned that ... by doing this policy on the fly, there would be all sorts of unintended consequences," Willis said. "They were warned that it would be difficult to target people effectively, warned that people who shouldn't be eligible for it would get it regardless and that is exactly what's happening." The payments are designed to help Kiwis battle the rising cost of living, with annual inflation hitting 7.3 per cent in the June quarter. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern yesterday didn't accept that the payments would themselves help stoke inflation and said they were expected to have minimal impact on any rise. "The advice that we got from Treasury is that because it was time limited and targeted would lessen the potential impact on inflation," she told TVNZ's Q+A. "The responsibility we have is to help New Zealanders get through it and that's where you'll see that we've been so squarely focused on where we can take that pressure off. "You'll see that we've tried to be agile to the circumstances we see and we'll continue to see what impacts these are having on New Zealanders and do what we can, we have a way to go with getting the food costs down which is another big project for us." Ardern said she'd be prepared to take an "honest" look into the drivers of inflation in New Zealand but reiterated that the country is in company with the rest of the world.She said the main cause of inflation was global drivers rather than government spendingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prince Charles has landed himself in hot water over a series of dodgy financial dealings. The Sunday Times reports he's accepted nearly $2.5 million from the family of Osama bin Laden. The Prince of Wales's Charitable Fund took the cash from two of Osama Bin Laden's half-brothers in 2013 - two years after the al-Qaeda leader was killed. UK correspondent Gavin Grey told Kate Hawkesby it comes on the back of lots of accusations of bad judgement, and is not a good look for the heir to the throne. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games are about to get underway. The opening ceremony began at 7am New Zealand time. Newstalk ZB sports reporter Kate Wells is in Birmingham and joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A regional visitor levy is back on the cards to cover the costs of tourism on small communities as borders fully re-open on Sunday. The proposal was a common theme in new destination management plans written by regional tourism organisations following the Covid-19 lockdowns. Many say they need more financial support to manage the effects of tourism. Regional Tourism New Zealand chair David Perks joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This year is on track to be one of our deadliest on record. Latest figures show 320 people died on our roads last year, down more than 11 percent on the road toll in 2018. But the AA says this year's road toll is on track to reach 350 to 360. Road Safety Spokesperson Dylan Thomsen told Kate Hawkesby usually when fuel prices jump, road deaths decrease due to less people driving, but that isn't happening. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Te Papa is collecting relics of our very recent past. The national museum has been adding momentoes from the Covid-19 pandemic to its long-term collection. Among them are concrete barriers, tennis balls thrown at journalists during the anti-mandate outside Parliament, face masks, and PPE. Te Papa spokesperson Kate Camp told Kate Hawkesby she finds the posters from the early days of lockdown particularly interesting. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vehicle importers are shining a light on apparent faults within the the Government's Clean Car rebate scheme. The Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association is pulling its support on the programme. It claims the programme isn't appropriate for its supply dynamic, and the Government won't work together on a suitable scheme. Chief Executive David Vinsen told Kate Hawkesby there's an unnecessary level of complexity and confusion. He says customers are incised into a yard with the expectation they'll get a rebate, only to find out they might have to pay a fee. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I note the average time to wait to get in to see your GP is three weeks. That’s the average. For many it’s longer than that. And for some rural areas in this country, you’d be hard pressed to see a GP at all, far less one close to you. You may have to drive for miles to get to even get to one. So we know it’s a problem, but how to fix it? President of the Royal NZ College of GP’s, Samantha Murton, wrote a piece for the Herald yesterday saying how it’s not an easy fix. “We can’t magic away the chronic GP shortage”, she said. She puts it down to the low number of trained GP’s. She says that “our Med student numbers are lower than in many other first-world countries”, and that “they have little opportunity to train outside of hospitals, and early career doctors are not encouraged to work in general practice.” And I know that to be true, we have a daughter at Med school currently and she would concur that not a lot of her peers are there to wind up in a GP’s office. Advocates for the work of GP’s will tell you it’s dynamic and ever changing, it can be a lovely interface with the community, Murton says it’s complex work and it’s never the same day twice. Although I find that hard to believe at the moment, where surely every second patient is a respiratory illness. I know that when I tried to see my GP recently it was nigh on impossible to get in, and when I eventually did, she told me I was one in a long line of patients she was seeing with all of the same symptoms and ailments. But that’s Covid and the flu for you isn’t it. The crux of Murton’s piece is that we need to give “serious consideration to supporting other health professionals working in general practice” and I just wonder if the current Government's cognisant of that. Because it feels like they’re more focused on delivering bureaucratic overhauls, increasing bureaucracy and paperwork and not throwing much at the frontline where it’s needed. But if Murton is right about no magic fix other than long term good investment in encouraging more people down the GP career path, then we need to surely start by offering more training to more students. Limited spaces at only two Med schools in this country, is not enough. And if we can’t train enough here then we just have to let more into the country and enable them to be able to work here, without having them end up driving taxis, because they don’t meet strict NZ requirements. Or because we force them to re-sit a bunch of tests they’ve already sat and passed and yet we throw them back to square one. We don’t have time for that luxury and to be that pedantic. What’s galling is that having been through a pandemic and two years of closed borders, and with the health workforce crying out for help from every corner for so long, we still haven’t had the foresight to improve things. In fact it’s only gotten worse. It’s a problem of successive governments in terms of neglect, but Murton’s point is that if we don’t start proactively doing something about it right now, we are not going to be any better off in another ten years, in fact, it may even be worse.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An employment law expert says the Kamahl Santamaria saga should send a clear warning about the dangers of hiring friends. TVNZ Head of News Paul Yurisich has resigned, after a review found he did no reference checks before hiring the former Breakfast presenter. The pair had previously worked together at Al Jazeera. Employment law expert Max Whitehead told Kate Hawkesby TVNZ has suffered huge reputation damage. He says this is one of the most foolish things he's seen someone do. Phil O'Sullivan will remain TVNZ's Acting Head of News and Current Affairs until a permanent replacement is chosen for the role. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Reserve Bank is being urged to show more urgency in its efforts to curb inflation. Governor Adrian Orr has acknowledged interest rate decisions he has made during the Covid pandemic, have contributed to inflation reaching the level it has. National is now calling for an independent review of the central bank's monetary policy response. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen told Kate Hawkesby central banks, both here and overseas, should have acted sooner once they knew the impact the pandemic was going to have. “When the facts change, when the economy started to shift, when we saw inflation starting to come forward, we had to react. In fact, we took far too long to move from one foot to the other.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The heat is steadily seeping out of the country's property market.A new quarterly overview from Core Logic shows the slowdown of sales activity at the start of the year has flowed through to a decline in property values. Property values have tumbled for three months in a row to an average of just over $1 million, down 2.3 percent from the peak. But Core Logic chief property economist Kelvin Davidson says it's important homeowners wanting to sell up don't lose perspective. He says moving house in a slowdown can sometimes pay off - because the next property may have lost more value, providing an opportunity. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m just wondering how many of you who’ve been overseas these past couple of weeks, maybe for school holidays or just a winter escape, whether you’ve come back refreshed and feeling better. Was it the elixir you needed? Did it revitalize your soul? Has it washed away the pall of gloom over most of us at the moment? I ask because I’ve heard mixed reports. Some say it was everything they needed and just the serotonin boost they’d been missing. Others say it was almost too much, because coming back to cold and wintry old NZ has been a bit of a down buzz and anticlimactic. Others say it’s still a bit of a cluster travelling internationally at the moment, because although they’re not doing masks and they’re over the Covid obsession, there’s still a lack of resources, staff, the airports are chaotic, it’s a gamble whether or not your bags turn up and there are too many queues. The experience is not quite back to its heyday. So as someone who’s yet to leave the border, I’m curious. Because I feel like what we all need right now is some hope. Some optimism, some light relief. We need to exhale. The angst and uncertainty and stress of the past two years is weighing heavily on everyone, being shut up and shut in feels claustrophobic, so does getting out help? Because, my hope is that that’s not the only elixir. We shouldn’t need to leave our own country to lift the malaise, and yet I’m not sure how else we do it. Do we just have to head offshore for a reset and an attitude adjustment? Be around happy people for a while and see what that feels like? My son who’s bailed off overseas says it’s a seismic shift in mood to be around happy people who’re not bogged down with fear and anxiety. He says it’s intoxicating and puts into perspective just how much of a funk NZ is in. And as parents we do try to encourage our kids to chase their dreams don’t we and find enjoyment in life and always look for silver linings. But what do we do when increasingly their answer is – well I need to leave New Zealand in order to do that. Kids are smart, they’re not blind. They see the rise in crime, the senseless violence, the looseness of a society unplugged. They see how many kids are not turning up to school anymore. Less than half by the way, if you missed those truancy stats, less than half of students are showing up regularly for school these days. It’s an appalling stat. But kids are also cognisant of how much change there is going on around them. They see the social engineering, they feel the creep of change into their curriculums, and they see where it’s going. They know mediocrity’s getting rewarded over and above achievement. They see diversity being played around like a political football. In fact success is less likely to be rewarded these days, the intensity of division and tribalism seems to have Tall Poppy syndrome at a peak. So what do we do to turn this ship around? Because my concern is that we’ve gone so far down this doom and gloom rabbit hole, we’ve lost sight of how to get out.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's depressing the amount of crime we’re seeing these days isn't it? Racist attacks, brazen ram raids, people getting shot or stabbed or beaten up, it’s actually disgusting and not representative of who we are, collectively, as New Zealanders. And there's still a lack of action on this low-rent crowd of trouble makers. I see retailers are now so stressed about lack of action on burglaries and repeat raids that they’re suffering ‘very high levels of anxiety’, according to one Business Association. And I think it’s a twofold problem. On the one hand, raids and burglaries are still occurring all too often, but also, it’s more and more becoming the victims’ problem. The targets of these raids and burglaries are the ones suffering. They’re the ones having to bolster security, spend excess amounts of money, retrain or counsel staff, and spend sleepless nights worrying about security. How is that fair? How is it possible that hard working, decent retailers are left anxious, out of pocket and scared, while thieves brazenly run amok? How are the thieves allowed to carry on with their despicable raids, while retailers lie awake at night filled with anxiety? There’s something very wrong with this picture, but also very familiar. It has parallels with the motorists and commuters who were trying to make their way along main highways in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch this past weekend, only to find Waka Kotahi had shut the roads so protestors could march along them. It's the gang funeral convoys all over again. That’s the other problem with this stuff; it’s all too familiar these days. So the retailers are being punished the same way commuters were. When did we get so scared in this country to take action against law breakers? When did we start pandering to the lowest common denominator? When did we start making the gripes of the minority a problem for the majority? When did police decide to just stop reacting and acting? And I don’t mean frontline police, who as we know are stretched, exhausted and over it, hamstrung by bureaucracy and ideology. I mean at the top. At what point does the Government, Police Minister and Police Commissioner snap out of the ideology of just hoping criminals and law breakers find a better way and instead look like they might actually want to do something tangible about it? Because I’m not seeing it. The retailers aren’t seeing it. All we’re seeing is the denigration of a country into a free for all for causes, protests and crime. The word “brazen” is bandied around a lot because they are brazen. They’ve been emboldened by a lack of any consequences. They know they have the upper hand. They know no one will stop them, far less charge them. And even if they do get charged, what will happen? And so the cycle repeats. There's got to be a line drawn in the sand at some point. If at least for the anxious retailers, losing sleep and money, stressed about this. It just doesn't seem fair.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Less than half of students are regularly attending school. The latest truancy data shows regular attendance in term one dropped to just 46 percent. It's down on 72.8 percent in 2019 - pre Covid - and 50.5 percent in 2020. Post Primary Teachers' Association President Melanie Webber told Kate Hawkesby the numbers don't surprise her. She says irregular attendance is having more than two days off school a month. Webber says while that adds up and isn't ideal, there is huge variation in the data. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fears for the impact foot and mouth disease could have on the economy, should it reach New Zealand. Biosecurity has been keeping an eye on Indonesia's outbreak for several weeks. And in the past week, non-infectious traces of the disease have been found on meat imported to Australia. Federated Farmers National President Andrew Hoggard told Kate Hawkesby the disease would be catastrophic for this country. He says if it emerges here, meat exports would be stopped immediately until we got on top of it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Generation Z has a new obsession. Subtitles have become popular thanks to TV shows like Stranger Things. Screenshots of the show's creative captions have been flying around the internet, with things like "squelching wetly" both delighting and horrifying viewers. Tom Augustine is a film and TV writer and joined Kate Hawkesby to discuss this latest trend. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Greens trying to roll James Shaw is about the most active thing I can think of that the Greens have done during this whole electoral cycle. As a party you don't hear much about them doing anything, in part I guess because they're so wrapped up with the Labour party now that there's less theatrics and vocal opposition to things. So it’s good to see them exercised about something - although a party in disunity is never a great sign. I’m wondering if part of James Shaw’s problem is actually the aforementioned - the Greens have become too cosy with Labour for many hardcore Greens liking. And on top of that, James Shaw is actually very likeable. He seems about the most reasonable and rational of all of them, which is possibly why a portion of the party’s trying to roll him. They seem to prefer radicals and activists. People more on the fringe - people who are more vocal and edgy - like Chlöe Swarbrick. I think if Chlöe throws her hat in the ring it will be game over for Shaw. But she’d have to be keen to make her leadership run now - which she may not – and if she doesn’t, then I can’t see who else is a contender. Former Greens MP Catherine Delahunty has given some good insights already into what’s going on from the activists’ point of view. Shaw is too agreeable. He doesn’t rark it up enough, he doesn’t hold Labour to account enough, he doesn’t agitate strongly enough. Delahunty sees Shaw as ‘weak’, but she wouldn’t speculate on other potential leaders, and that’s the problem, are there any? Apart from Swarbrick, probably not. And this is where the Green obsession with ideology comes unstuck. According to Delahunty, the Greens need to focus on ‘vision,’ rather than individuals. She told a reporter yesterday that, “it was important to focus on the vision other potential leaders offered, rather than speculating on which individual.” So she wants “transformative policies to stop climate change, defend the vulnerable in society, and improve social justice”, but admits she can’t think of anyone who could do that. So maybe that’s where James keeps his leadership role. In wanting more, or different, or better, many Greens don’t even know what that is or could look like. If they’re just looking for ‘vision’ then the foundation of their search is all a bit vague. Anyone can offer ‘vision’, what you need is runs on the board, progress and collaboration. James Shaw managed to get the Greens into a government Cabinet, he's made huge strides on climate change, he shepherded through the Emissions Trading Scheme. He's gotten things done. But that’s not what activist fringe Greenies want; they want social engineering, they want ‘vision,’ they want noise for noise’s sake, and they seemingly want the opposite of all that James Shaw represents. Delahunty said, “It's got to be different from a middle-class, middle-age party just propping up the Labour government." Is that the tired old woke catch cry of getting rid of middle aged white men? Because if it’s just about ‘not wanting James’, but they don’t know what they want instead, then I’d say the whole exercise seems futile, pointless and a waste of everybody’s time.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former Green MP is pulling no punches with her opinion of James Shaw's leadership. The Party was thrown into disarray on Saturday when the co-leader was not re-elected at its AGM. Any potential contenders now have a week to confirm a challenge against Shaw, who's indicated he is likely to run again. Former Green MP Catherine Delahunty told Kate Hawkesby he's not what the Greens are about. She says the party needs someone in Parliament who's willing to stand up on vital issues, and not just be a lap dog to Labour. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All Blacks head coach Ian Foster has confirmed he has the support of the dressing room after asking senior players to assess the current situation the team find themselves in and how to turn it around. After dropping a series at home for the first time in almost three decades with their loss to Ireland earlier this month, the team announced they have parted ways with forwards coach John Plumtree and backs coach Brad Mooar on Sunday – a move Foster said "we all feel we need for this team". Speaking on Sky Sport's The Breakdown, Foster revealed the message he gave to his players after the series against Ireland, and what that led to. "That's one of the questions that I got them to talk about," Foster said when asked if he was confident he still had the support of the dressing room. "I'm not in the room; it was just them and with all the noise around – there's been a lot of people putting me under pressure for a long, long time so in many ways this is not new to the group. But part of my job is to go back and get an honest appraisal out of them about how I'm going and getting the belief factor. "I've had it loud and clear from them, but I also know with that comes a massive responsibility. That's only one variable. I believe I've got the group; now I've got to deliver the plan. Part of the changes we've made are about making sure I'm not taking for granted their belief in the direction I'm heading, but I'm also listening to them and making the changes we all feel we need for this team." Crusaders forwards coach Jason Ryan will join the team in Plumtree's place, while Foster himself will work with the backs in the short-term. Joe Schmidt will also be involved in the group, working with Foster when it comes to the side's overall strategy and attack play. The side is set to gather in Wellington on Monday ahead of the start of the Rugby Championship and, with a little more than a year to go until the Rugby World Cup, Foster said he believed the team were not far off being in a position to be a contender for the title. However, he admitted they needed to put their foot down and make the progress he believes they are capable of in their opportunities before then. "We're connecting the dots. We've got to do it quicker," Foster admitted. "There are a couple of Achilles heels in our game that we dealt with well in the Irish series but they came to bite us in that third test. We've got to sort those things out and if we can – and I have utter belief in the direction this group is going. But we have the Rugby Championship; we've got to hoe into our work, we've got to get away from feeling oppressed by all the tension that's out there and we understand that people are frustrated but at the end of the day that doesn't help us. We need clear heads, a desire to go and play, and fundamentally start doing the things we know we're good at." Their first opportunity to do so comes when they travel to South Africa to begin their Rugby Championship campaign in a two-test tilt with the Springboks, with the first test at Mbombela Stadium on August 7, before a visit to Ellis Park the following week. "It's not the first time we've been slow starters in July. I hate saying that, but it is reality," Foster said. "We've got to speed up the gains we want. We're a wounded All Blacks team. We've got a job to do over there and we actually want to play a game New Zealanders are proud of."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Water Safety New Zealand says it would be wrong to blame lifeguards and coastguard staff for the uptick in drownings. It's released its updated final report into drownings last year, with 90 people dying in the water. It's the worst year since 2011, when 91 people died. Water Safety New Zealand chief Daniel Gerrard told Kate Hawkesby there are real challenges, but front line services aren't the problem. He says we need more investment in prevention, to move people away from the edge of the cliff, rather than relying on them being rescued. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Big things are happening in the small west coast town of Reefton. An economic boom has increased demand for housing, but zero rentals are available and few houses are for sale. Buller District mayor Jamie Cleine joined Roman Travers. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kmart is shifting south. The retail giant is moving its distribution centre from Auckland to the Ruakura Superhub in Hamilton. It will be a bigger and better facility that spans four rugby fields and is set to open late next year. Chris Wilkinson, Managing Director of consultancy company First Retail Group joined Roman Travers. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A call for the Government to show more restraint, with its spending on advertising. Newstalk ZB can reveal advertising spending by public sector and Crown agencies has increased 122 percent since 2017. The Government says the spending is needed to provide critical information about issues like Covid. But National's Public Services Spokesperson Simeon Brown told Roman Travers much of the increased spending has nothing to do with the pandemic. He says a lot of the money is being used to sell Government policies, like the Three Waters reforms and Road to Zero initiative. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One thing many of us have in common because of the global pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns is the ability to watch endless episodes of quality drama or movies on demand. Sadly, that may well be about to change. Soon we might be paying more for fewer good options. You might recall earlier this year when Netflix disclosed that it lost subscribers for the first time in a decade. When the streaming leader started to stumble, it set off a mass questioning about streaming services in general. Although streaming entertainment remains viable, the way we receive it and how it’s paid for will undoubtedly change. Streaming platform commentators believe the total potential market for Netflix might be 400 million customers worldwide, rather than one billion, which Netflix had long said it was reaching for. You might wonder why Netflix and some other streaming services are releasing episodes of series one at a time or in batches rather than all at once for our bingeing pleasure, that’s partly a result of growth concerns. Netflix wants you to subscribe for months to watch the new season of ‘Stranger Things’ instead of watching all new episodes in a weekend and then cancelling. Netflix is beginning to push what they call ‘Paid Sharing Subscriptions’ or charging extra to those people who now share a single Netflix password with others. When Netflix was confident about its growth, it mostly ignored account sharing. But those days are gone. It also seems that the 'all you can watch buffet' of endless entertainment available on streaming platforms like Netflix without advertising, may well soon be over too. You and I might think that we are paying enough as users of these platforms but when they’re not making a profit the only option is to provide cheaper content or to charge you and I more for the privilege of being a customer. I just hope I can get through the entire six seasons of The Sopranos before things change. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wayne Naylor: Hospice NZ acting CEO says there could be issues if euthanasia rules are alteredSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tim Alpe: Jucy Managing Director on their opening of a 300-bed pod hotel in AucklandSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Phil O'Reilly: Former Immigration NZ boss on changes to migrant investor visasSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Roman Travers: What is holding us back from further limits on firearms?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Roman Travers: How do we encourage people to vote in local body elections?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gavin Grey: UK correspondent as nation breaks record for highest temperature as Europe sizzlesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sheryl Mai: Whāngarei Mayor says govt cash injection won't cover full costs of Three Waters systemSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Barry Williamson: Recruitment specialist says resignations forcing counter offers are inflating wagesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duane Mutu: Director of LetsPlay.Live on Sam Kerr becoming first female footballer on the cover of FifaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Roman Travers: We are being conditioned to accept mediocritySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kay Gregory: Marriage celebrant on Jennifer Lopez reportedly changing her surname to AffleckSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nicola Willis: National Finance Spokesperson names five ways govt could stop prices from spiralling out of controlSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rosann Connolly George: Travel agency owner on AirAsia's return to New ZealandSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Roman Travers: Tangible aspects are what will make us vote one way or anotherSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike Bennetts: Z Energy CEO says fuel sector is supportive of govt's transport cost reliefSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finn Robinson: ANZ economist says the inflation rate isn't likely to get any higherSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ivan Lawrie: Foundation for Arable Research general manager on bread prices expected to get worseSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tim Dower: Even Govt knows they've lost the room when it comes to CovidSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sean Fitzpatrick: Former All Blacks captain on this weekend's decider between the All Blacks and IrelandSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aaron Martin: Immigration lawyer on some immigration application fees set to increase by more than 130 percentSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's a saying about having nothing to fear, as long as you have nothing to hide.It's been used to justify increasingly intrusive data gathering, especially by government departments, and various infringements on our personal privacy.Crustier listeners this morning will remember the fuss over digitised photos on our driving licences.in the day that was pretty controversial, your driving licence becoming a de facto identity card.It would prevent fraud and stop people stealing our identities, so, we went along with it.Four years ago the police got live access to that system, mmm, seems logical. They should be able to check you are who you say you are, so, OK.Now there's a further extension of that; bringing in the Department of Internal Affairs so it can access drivers' photos.But the Transport Agency says oh, this is just so the DIA can use the licence photo to verify a person's identity, and only if the person agrees to it.And it denies there's been any kind of data dump of images to Internal Affairs or any other government agency.Oh, OK.But what is happening, and there's legislation in the pipeline, is a project to build an all-of-government digital identity system.So, Inland Revenue, Social Welfare, the Health Ministry and Immigration all with access to one very big database...and your photo.Still comfortable with that?All sorts of promises are being made about data security, but how many times have databases leaked or been raided in the past? Too many times.I'm by no means a conspiracy theorist, and I'm a law abiding taxpayer, so I don't think I have anything to hide.But I'm beginning to think I may have something to fear.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.