Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

There are concerns that despite the resignation of two senior leaders at Gloriavale, there's been no real change at the top.Fervent Stedfast and Faithful Pilgrim have both left their leadership roles.It follows an unprecedented public apology last Friday.Gloriavale Leavers Support Trust's Liz Gregory says it's a good start, but the two senior leaders were clearly asked to do it.She told Kate Hawkesby Overseeing Shepherd Howard Temple hasn't gone anywhere.Gregory says he's still in authority and everyone submits to him - so there's no change.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gun control is very much on the agenda, both locally and globally.The Police Commissioner says the spree of drive-by shootings in Auckland is partly due to our relaxed gun laws.He said Police's long-term goal is to tighten up gun control.We also had the school shooting in Texas, and now Canada’s Prime Minister wants to ban the sales of guns altogether.Spokesperson for the Council of Licensed Firearms Owners Hugh Devereux-Mack joined Kate Hawkesby.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Santamaria scandal at TVNZ and the information that keeps seeping out over this is increasingly disturbing.Last night two more women came forward with allegations of inappropriate online conduct. It's also emerged from a woman who worked with him at Al Jazeera that there were lewd emails, kissing attempts, objectification, inappropriate texts and a power imbalance. She was not the only woman there to experience this apparently. But she said she was so ‘mortified and terrified’, that she took to hiding in the work bathroom to avoid him.That’s how bad it got.This information was all passed on to Al Jazeera newsroom management, she says, to the executive producer, by way of complaint.How then, we must all ask ourselves, was fellow Al Jazeera colleague and now Head of News and Current Affairs at TVNZ, Paul Yurisich, able to hire Santamaria and bring his allegedly creepy behaviour here?It’s a question so glaring even the Government woke up to ask it. Where was the correct protocol around Santamaria’s recruitment and hiring? Where were the checks and balances? Did Yurisich do any checking or engage in any scrutiny around his new hire? Or was it just a job for a mate?Late yesterday afternoon TVNZ’s CEO also woke up and realised this is serious and needs addressing - he's hired a lawyer and ordered an external review of the recruitment process.So I think we can read between the lines here - this is TVNZ getting ahead of the inevitable next announcement which will be the ‘resignation’ of Paul Yurisich.It’s the only right thing to do; Yurisich has to exit stage right.How does he maintain the confidence of his newsroom, the confidence of the management and the board, how does he stay in that role? It’s irresponsible at best, to bring this kind of allegedly predatory behaviour into a newsroom in New Zealand when Al Jazeera’s EP could have warned him. It’s incompetent, at worst, if Yurisich didn’t even bother to ask.Either way, Yurisich has to go. Red flags are waving all over the place – journalists inside TVNZ’s newsroom who were getting no answers from Yurisich or TVNZ management had to hire an independent lawyer. That in and of itself tells you how bad this is. It’s a powder keg in there we hear.Internal emails are being leaked, including the ones asking staff not to leak emails, but staff are rightfully upset.The Breakfast show, which apparently has had a revolving door of hosts anyway, has a reputation to repair, journalists are angry, and that’s before we even get to the poor women who’ve been at the centre of this alleged sleaze.All this inside a government owned enterprise which is having hundreds of millions spent on it to merge with state radio, to become one giant state entity.Surely the last thing the Government needs there is a perception that managers are precariously ignoring correct recruitment procedures, thus endangering fellow colleagues.As for TVNZ, for a communications business, it's been doing a crap job of communicating to not just us the stakeholders, but its very own people.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China's offering reassurances about its step-by-step move into the Pacific.Foreign Minister Wang Yi has failed to convince Pacific countries to sign up to a new wide-ranging trade and security pact, but has struck an agreement on areas of cooperation.He's also urging us not to be too "anxious" or "nervous" about China's plans to play a greater role in our region.Democracy Project international analyst Geoffrey Miller told Kate Hawkesby China is starting a long-term push for influence in the Pacific.He says there's a growing polarisation between the east and west that will only continue to grow.China has reached some wins, signing new economic development agreements with Fiji.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Banks are starting to lift mortgage and deposit rates following last week's OCR hike.Kiwibank has lifted its headline rate for a two-year fixed mortgage to 5.19 per cent and ANZ has signalled changes to its interest rates.Mortgage broker Marcus Hull told Kate Hawkesby people are feeling the pinch.People look to tighten the belt and find ways to do a better budget, so brokers are seeing an increase in demand for their services.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is confidence the Government's moves to tackle the supermarket duopoly will increase competition.It's matched 12 of the 14 Commerce Commission recommendations, and gone further on two of them.It's going to do annual competition checks on supermarkets instead of the report's suggested checks every three years.Night 'n Day is our third biggest grocery retailer, and General Manager Matthew Lane told Kate Hawkesby the yearly check-ups make sense.He says it will keep the supermarkets on notice, and ensure they're following the rules.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It seems all those Kiwis wanting to bail and go live and work overseas are having trouble even getting on flights.A travel agency was reported yesterday saying flights are just so hard to get. “We have so many people wanting to leave the country to work abroad but there just aren't any seats on direct flights to the USA or to Australia until the end of July," the agent was reported saying. And we know this first hand, one of our kids is headed to the US but securing a flight is proving tricky - and expensive. There are barely any seats, and what is there will cost you an arm and a leg. Not great for young people who’re already going to almost halve their savings when they convert their currency anyway. Leaving New Zealand is proving very costly.Part of it is air capacity – we still don’t have enough. Many of the carriers who were here back in the good old pre-Covid days have not come back yet, and despite all Air New Zealand’s promises of putting on extra flights, there’s still a woeful lack of them.So, young people are a bit hamstrung getting out right now. And that’s just the OE crowd; there are also the brain drainers – off to Australia or Canada or greener pastures elsewhere for bigger pay checks. And then there are the ex-pats who came home during the pandemic thinking they were coming back to the promised land, only to discover New Zealand is not quite the New Zealand they fondly remember. We have developed, as one ex-pat put it, a ‘lockdown mentality’ and they find it all a bit oppressive. That is not surprising if you’ve been living and working in places with broader mindsets and more freedoms like the UK or the US, both of which are back travelling at pre Covid levels by the way for both leisure and business.But we are the slowest to get international travel back up and running here in our hermit kingdom, mainly because we did lock down for so long, we were too slow to open back up, and our national carrier couldn’t gear up in time for reopening because our government was too slow to give them any certainty on dates.Australia, by comparison, its government gave Qantas a heads up on opening in plenty of time – made it a priority, which it should be, and dealt with the whole thing more efficiently hence they got routes and flights humming way quicker.We dropped the ball, and it’s still dropped. It’s likely we won’t be in full swing until later in the year when other carriers return like American Airlines, Air Canada, Latin Air - and when the likes of Emirates and Singapore Airlines gear up more flights.But for now, if you’re a Kiwi wanting to head off and get out, you need to either pay through the nose for whatever flight you can possibly get on over the next two months, or wait until the end of the year for competition to heat back up.Let’s hope by about October, which seems a ridiculously long time to have to wait, but let's hope by then, we might just get some normality back.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We want to bring your attention to the idea of 3D printed schools.Thinking Huts, a non-profit dedicated to making education more accessible, has just opened a 3D printed school in Madagascar.The most amazing bit? Founder and CEO Maggie Grout is just 22-years-old.Maggie Grout joined Kate Hawkesby.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For those of you who don’t live in Auckland, I’ll just paint a picture of my weekend so you get the gist.Saturday we go to lunch at a suburban café, sitting outside, minding our own business, eating lunch, and this extremely large woman – I’m telling you about her size because it’s significant in terms of what she said. She’s extremely large, and she walks slowly and unevenly - seemingly struggling to carry her own weight. And she comes right up to our table, leans in close to us, interrupts and says: “Can you help me?” We are sitting there thinking what are we helping her with? Directions? Is she lost? She says, “I need money… I need money for food, I haven’t eaten in a week or two, my family hasn’t eaten either, we need money.”So my first thought is that she doesn’t look like she hasn’t eaten in a week or two, but also, is it one week or two? Like there’s a big difference there if you’re starving for one week versus two. You’d probably know exactly, so for a couple of reasons her story doesn’t add up. I tell her we don’t carry cash – which is true, who carries cash these days? She doesn’t say ‘no worries’ or ‘thanks anyway’ - she just huffs and puffs like we’ve really pissed her off, and she lunges off to the next table. So that’s your al fresco lunch.Later I go to the supermarket, I’m coming out with my trolley of groceries, looking for my car keys and a young woman – maybe in her 20’s, leans into me from around the corner of the exit as I’m leaving. She’s so far into me I apologise, assuming I’ve blocked her way or something, but she’s in my face and doesn’t budge. “I need money,” she says. I stop and tell her the truth, which is I don’t carry cash. She rolls her eyes and goes to the next person. As I unpack my groceries and return my trolley I observe her hitting up about 15 more people leaving the supermarket asking them for cash.Sunday morning I wake up to read the story of an Aucklander riddled with lead bullets and still traumatised by a gun attack in the CBD which has left him unable to work, his kids too afraid to visit him in Auckland from their home in Christchurch. Auckland resident Paula Bennett’s column is in the paper too, the headline is “I’m scared”. She’s scared about the gang gun violence happening. She says loaded guns are putting innocent lives at risk, shooting up our neighbourhoods.There’s also the story naming the homicide victim from a fatal violent attack of an innocent 25-year-old in Mount Albert, killed as he walked home from Uni.By Sunday afternoon it’s reported another 20 bullets have been fired into a house in South Auckland.My sons wake up from their big night on the town, I ask them how it went – I worry when my kids are in town, I hate them going in there. They tell me town was OK, “only about 3 fights,” that they witnessed.So just the 20 bullet holes, the 3 fights (that we know of), and the suburbs filled with opportunists hitting people up for cash.Welcome to Auckland - what a cool place to live.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Red Bull driver Sergio Perez held on to win today's rain-marred and chaotic Monaco Grand Prix.The race was red flagged after Mick Schumacher slammed into the barriers at the swimming pool area in a scary incident.Schumacher lost control of his car and his Haas car split in half, such was the impact of the crash.Thankfully he walked away from the incident unharmed. 🚩 Red flag after Mick Schumacher's big crash 💥#MonacoGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/R2FbT9WOq6— Motorsport.com (@Motorsport) May 29, 2022 Perez rebounded from Red Bull team orders that denied him a chance to race for the win one week ago to pick up his first Formula One victory of the season.Perez earned his third career F1 victory after a questionable strategy call by Ferrari cost pole-sitter Charles Leclerc a win on his home circuit.Although Leclerc finished the race for the first time in four tries, he finished fourth and allowed reigning world champion Max Verstappen to extend his lead in the points standings. Carlos Sainz Jr. finished second for Ferrari and Verstappen was third for Red Bull.Verstappen now leads Leclerc by nine points in the standings; Leclerc has two wins this season, Verstappen and Perez have combined for five victories as Red Bull and Ferrari have claimed all seven races.But the win on the slick city streets of Monaco went to Verstappen's teammate just one week after Perez was ordered to cede the lead to Verstappen during the Spanish Grand Prix. Leclerc had dropped out of the race with an engine failure and Red Bull chose to capitalize by manipulating the finish to get Verstappen the win in Spain.The team promised Perez he'd be allowed to race for wins and held its word Sunday."You dream of winning this, and after your home race, there is no place more special to win," Perez said after waving the Mexican flag. He is third in the standings and only six points behind Leclerc.Red Bull team principal Christian Horner patted Perez on the back as he walked alongside the driver following the race. Perez is in a contract year and both Red Bull and Perez have said discussions on an extension would ramp up over the summer months."Checo was sensational," Horner said. "It's very tough in conditions like that but we got the calls right."Horner joined Perez on the podium and Perez struggled to hold back tears as he puffed his cheeks and wiped his eyes while the Mexican anthem played."It's a massive day for myself and my country. I am very happy. I was wearing a Pedro Rodriguez helmet," Perez said. "I am sure he was looking down on me and hopefully he would be very proud."Rodriguez, a Mexican driver who won two F1 races, died in 1971.Verstappen celebrated with Perez, whom he considers the best teammate of his career."Amazing result for Checo," he said. "Very pleased for him."Red Bull driver Sergio Perez of Mexico celebrates on the podium after winning the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix. Photo / APLeclerc led from the pole and screamed in rage when told to pit for a second tire change on Lap 22 — at the same time as Sainz. His engineer realized the mistake and yelled "stay out!" but it was too late and Leclerc returned to the track in fourth."What are you doing?" Leclerc shouted.After the race, he lectured Ferrari again."No words, no words. We cannot do that," he radioed.Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto accepted the team made the wrong call for Leclerc."I know he's not happy. It's normal that he's not happy because we only made mistakes. If you're first and end up fourth it's obvious something didn't work," Binotto said. "We should have stayed out. We'll look at why we made that decision."Leclerc also won the pole a year ago but never got to start because he crashed at the end of qualifying, and the car's gearbox failed moments before the start. In 2018 and 2019,...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tear gas fired indiscriminately around children and the elderly. Pepper spray unleashed at close-range on frustrated fans. Ticket holders blamed for delaying kickoff when they’d spent hours trying to enter the stadium in bottlenecks in tight spaces.Liverpool supporters have been defending themselves against accusations by French authorities they were responsible for the unrest at the Champions League final amid overcrowding outside the Stade de France caused by operational failings on Saturday.The British government called the treatment of the fans "deeply concerning."UEFA officials spent the hours after Liverpool lost 1-0 to Real Madrid in talks about the chaotic scenes that delayed the start of the final for 37 minutes in the biggest club match of the year.Even as the final started, riot police were firing rounds of tear gas immediately outside the stadium doors into wide open spaces to disperse any lingering people around Gate U.The French ministers for the interior and sports blamed ticketless Liverpool fans trying to force their way into the stadium, contrary to the scenes witnessed by reporters of people who appeared to be local youths climbing over fences. “Get down,” Liverpool supporters could be heard shouting.“The stigma around English fans is being used by the French public authorities for cheap political gain,” Ronan Evain, executive director of Football Supporters Europe, told The Associated Press on Sunday.The closing of gates sparked concerns among hundreds of fans outside the Liverpool section but little obvious aggression from them. Hostility by police appeared to inflame frustrations.Problems had been encountered even before getting to the final turnstiles with entry points into the wider perimeter blocked off, forcing fans through narrow passages that caused bottlenecks.While UEFA blamed fans arriving late for delaying kickoff in stadium announcements greeted by jeers, thousands from Liverpool were seen arriving hours before the game to be greeted by organizational disarray in the heat of the late afternoon.The congestion was partly caused by fans being diverted to a small entrance rather than a bigger one 150 meters away, said Evain, who advises UEFA on supporter issues.“There have always been mobility problems around the Stade de France,” Evain said.“We are appalled by the communication by the French public authorities. Liverpool and Real Madrid fans are the victims of yesterday’s fiasco and are not the culprits here.“Tear gassing people trying to enter the stadium is insane.”The British government called on UEFA to launch a formal investigation into what went wrong with officials from the stadium and French authorities.“The footage and accounts from Liverpool fans and the media on their entry to the Stade de France last night are deeply concerning,” Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said.“It is in the interests of everyone involved to understand what happened and to learn lessons from these events.”- by Rob Harris, APSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwis who came home at the beginning of the Covid outbreak are now taking a one-way ticket back overseas.Some reasons are believed to be employers being closed off to the idea of global experience and recruiters not being able to translate people's specific skills to roles here.Tribe Recruitment's Sarah White told Kate Hawkesby many people who came home when the pandemic struck weren't in a position to properly settle back into New Zealand.“They can’t put their roots down like a lot of people have here, so it’s best to go back overseas, do a couple of years and come back with a bit more in the bank.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's hard not to feel helpless, and a whole lot more, watching the news stories out of Ukraine.There is something you can do to show solidarity that won't break the bank and there's something in it for you.You have the opportunity to see a film, or a couple of films, even a Ukrainian film in Auckland.The Ukrainian Film Festival starts this weekend in Devonport.Filmmaker Dasha Volga joined Tim Dower.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Disagreement between National and the construction industry, over the pressures facing the industry.The recent liquidation of Tauranga's Oceanside Homes and Wellington's Armstrong Downes has exposed the pressures the multi-billion dollar industry is under.But Construction Industry Council Chair Graham Burke told Tim Dower talking about a recession, is the right way to go about making one happen.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jacinda Ardern has taken a swipe at keyboard warriors.The Prime Minister gave the commencement speech at Harvard this morning, speaking to roughly 8,000 graduates and their families.A key theme of her speech was rallying against misinformation and calling out social media to do its part to shut it down.She also took a swipe at those who deliberately peddle misinformation, the 'keyboard warriors'.Jacinda Ardern says when she sees abusive comments online she imagines it's written by a lone person unacquainted with personal hygiene practices, dressed in a poorly fitting super hero costume.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I really feel for these guys throwing in the towel on their construction businesses, there's been a spate in the past couple of weeks.Most recently, not a big one, a firm in Tauranga but bad enough if you're one of the creditors, who won't be seeing any of that half million shortfall.Since the start of the year, nearly 100 construction companies have gone unde, .nearly 1 in five of all business failures.When your company folds with a half a million shortfall that's pretty devastating.It has a ripple effect; the suppliers and the taxman and workers and all the others who don't get paid.But the likelihood is that's gonna be a Mum and Pop sized operation, so what you don't see is the impact on them, their money is the first to go.The house might well be on the line, other assets too. The wheels, the tools and any cash the business owes them, all gone.The half-point hike in the OCR comes as no surprise, but it'll be a death knell for some.These businesses are the canaries in the coal mine, just think back a year to how pleased we all were with ourselves.When they start to go over, we know things are turning and these 90 collapses so far this year should be a big flashing red light.Not only are things going south, they are going south in a hurry.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New guidelines for school uniforms are being praised as a step in the right direction .The Human Rights Commission has released non-binding standards, to help schools align their policies with the Bill of Rights.It includes consistency with the Treaty of Waitangi and consideration of non-gendered uniforms.Otago University public health researcher Johanna Reidy told Kate Hawkesby treating everyone the same, isn’t treating everyone fairly.She says these guidelines help create uniforms that are inclusive and flexible.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A differing of opinions from Auckland's mayoral candidates, on the latest spate of gang activity in Auckland.Police have been called to about a dozen gang incidents in recent days.It includes seven gang shootings on Tuesday night, and two firearms incidents in Mellons Bay and Massey last night.Viv Beck says told Kate Hawkesby she wants a tough, urgent response from law enforcement.“We’ve got to have much stronger Police presence, we’ve got to have the resource focused on the right things.”Leo Molloy says the shootings need to be considered in context.“This latest little spate is a one-off between two gangs with a deeply entrenched hatred for eachother.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Police say they’re disgusted by the shootings happening in Auckland. They can join the club, we all are.And although it’s believed to be gangs feuding in some kind of reignited turf war, two of the houses shot at had no gang links whatsoever, Police revealed.How disturbing, and as Police say, disgusting. Police also say they’ll be increasing their presence in the area, they’re worried it’s only a matter of time before someone gets seriously injured or killed. The community is worried too and rightly so. The question is – how did it even get this far? And the answer to that, sadly, is it got this far because it was able to.Gangs have not been stood up to for the bullies, criminals and reprobates they are. They have been pandered to and curried favour with, and time and time again been given the benefit of the doubt by a naïve government soft on crime. I’m not interested in these gang members back stories and how tough their childhoods’ may have been, or whatever other excuses are being offered up, they’re not living in a civilized way inside a civilized society. They’re wreaking havoc, displaying criminal intent, malicious illegal behaviour and now endangering innocent lives. When is it enough?Law abiding, decent Kiwis have watched them take over the streets for tangi and convoys wherever and whenever they fancy, including during lockdowns. We have witnessed them terrorize communities with stand over tactics and intimidating behaviour, we have seen them make endless excuses as to why they should be allowed to do whatever they want. We have watched a government stand by, inept and incompetent, and do nothing.I don’t blame the Police, we know from many who’ve contacted us how infuriated they are that their hands are tied, that they’re so bogged down in bureaucracy they can’t even act if they wanted to. There are administrative hurdles, and committees, and rules to jump through, there’s investigative work and community work, and allowances made to be sensitive to circumstances.But there appears very little action. Words, concern, meetings, chat.. all hui no dooey. It’s top down of course, and a head in the sand approach from a government who refuses to accept that it’s soft on crime approach doesn’t help. It doesn’t help us and it doesn’t help them. We can all see it for what it is, so why can’t they? And in refusing to see it they look foolish because there’s no pulling the wool over our eyes on this one. They can’t spin their way out of it. Cuddles Coster has given an overarching impression that Police will turn a blind eye, certainly the recalcitrant ram raiders know that. Two of the teens quoted recently on why they repeatedly ram raid, said it’s because they know the cops will do nothing.Charming. I don’t doubt it’s a sentiment shared by gangs too, who’ve been emboldened by this government, and who bank on its lack of action. And don’t even get me started on the types of guns used, high powered rifles Police reckon. So a perfect storm of terrifying high powered weapons, brazen gang members, and a slow to act soft on crime government.What a mess.And worse, what a crying shame it’s all been allowed to get this far.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some consumers are fizzed up over Cocoa-Cola's decision to axe two of its soft drink flavours.Coke Zero and Coke No Sugar will soon be merged into one new flavour, Coke Zero Sugar.Auckland University marketing expert Bodo Lang told Kate Hawkesby outrage caused by the move shows how attached people become to brands.He says you'd expect the criticism over a change to a product such as a car, but it's surprising to see it happen over a soft drink.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Reserve Bank is expected to lift the OCR to its highest level again since 2016.Economists are predicting a lift of another 50 basis points, trying to cool demand while we deal with rising inflation.It's also predicted all mortgage rates will be above 6 percent over the coming year.John Bolton is the founder of mortgage broker Squirrel and he joined Kate Hawkesby.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New data suggests our shopping habits have changed for the long term.NZ Post's e-Commerce Spotlight report says online shopping was up 31 percent this quarter, compared to the previous year.To put it in context, it's up 86 percent compared to 2020.Even though we're out of Covid lockdowns, questions are being raised as to whether shoppers and businesses chosen a "new normal" of predominantly shopping online.Retail NZ CEO Greg Harford joined Kate Hawkesby.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hands up if you had no idea yesterday was a traffic light announcement day.My hand is up. I was so oblivious, it was like stepping back in time, I thought the Herald had the wrong headline up when it ran front page news that Chris Hipkins had announced we were staying in an Orange light. Really? No kidding. Didn’t even know the prospect of coming out of that was on the cards. That’s how brow-beaten we all are by now. We don’t even expect our full freedoms back do we?But it seems we're staying in Orange not just due to Covid - but the flu too.There seems to be a very nasty flu hitting Australia, we’ve had some of it here in Dunedin already, I know there're many families back to isolating and staying home with sickness. Auckland's seeing resurgence in Covid cases – up 75 percent. In fact both the shops I visited yesterday had signs up saying, ‘please be patient, we have many staff away due to Covid.’ So it appears we’re not out of the woods yet, and is worse yet to come in the form of flu?And is it that this year's flu is expected to be really bad, hence we're staying in masks, or is that the norm now, that every winter we'll go to an Orange light and stay in masks?Has Covid and the pandemic powers exerted by governments brought with it a change to life as we know it forever?Will there be a time that we once again go maskless in winter? Or will they just be the bad old days?Once the border fully opens in July and more Kiwis are travelling for school holidays and winter escapes, we will be back to circulating the usual bugs and viruses. And our immune systems will be unprepared having been locked down as a country for two years, and staying in our little bubbles.But in terms of ever getting back to Green light life? I don’t see the return to freedom happening before Christmas.But who amongst us would be brazen enough to predict anything these days? God forbid we start thinking we know what might happen or how it might unfold. Largely we just plan for the worst these days don’t we? Do we have collective PTSD from Covid? I mean Monkeypox reared its head with a handful of cases and the global panic looked to be back on immediately.We are so scarred aren’t we? I was in a lift yesterday and a woman came to hop in behind me and then she paused, neither of us were wearing masks, and she said, ‘do you mind me hopping in with you without a mask?’It’s a fair question I guess, it’s the new normal, we are paranoid about tight spaces with each other, well not all of us, but many of us. She went on to tell me she’s not had Covid, we didn’t know how we’d both dodged it so far but no one wants to be smug about that anymore given it may still come for us.The other thing I find people volunteering is their vaccination status. I was in close proximity with a stranger in a queue the other day and they turned to me and randomly volunteered, “Oh I’m double jabbed and boosted don’t worry.”Assuming that everyone is worried!It’s a wacky old world we’re living in these days, when chit chat with strangers turns into volunteering vaccination status. I guess come winter we'll just be adding in the new one .. 'don't worry I've had the flu jab.'See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It might be hard to catch people using their phones when they're driving.Waka Kotahi is starting a six-month trial in Auckland, with cameras set up to detect people using their mobiles.The Agency says it wants to find out how widespread the problem is.Crash investigator Hamish Piercy told Kate Hawkesby it could be challenging to make images from the system enforceable.He says the cameras will use a form of AI to identify people breaking the law, but it's always possible the technology might get confused.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With our mental health rates looking pretty dire, we need to think outside the box to try different treatment methods.Over in the UK, they're trying stand-up comedy.Comedy on Referral is a course for trauma survivors to try stand-up.It's been so successful, it now has NHS funding to expand the programme to men at risk of suicide.Comedian and founder of Comedy on Referral Angie Belcher joined Kate Hawkesby.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A helping hand to ensure residents near Christchurch's wastewater plant can get their clothes dried in fresh air.The city's Student Volunteer Army has launched a new service, offering to pick up and dry clean laundry for people suffering from the stench.Founder and CEO Sam Johnson told Kate Hawkesby the service will be needed over the coming months - especially with winter on the way.He says it's important to have it operating when rotting material is removed from the plant, as the smell is then expected to get even worse.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I note the Greens are back at it with their ‘lower the voting age’ routine. And by Greens, I mean Golriz Ghahraman.She’s calling for the voting age to be lowered to 16. Here’s the problem with that – it’s never going to happen. It’s a waste of time and energy. Golriz says that, “16 to 17-year-olds are a very engaged group and have stood for what they believe in, which has been demonstrated by the school climate strikes. They can leave school, they can work, they pay taxem, but they don't have this one right. And it's just one vote."So that’s her pitch, that’s her rationale. The thing is, those of us who’ve had 16 year olds, who’ve raised them and watch them grow up, know, that 16 and even 17, is still very young. It doesn’t sound young if you’ve got babies or toddlers right now, to those parents 16 does sound grown up, but take it from parents who’ve raised teenagers, there’s a lot 16 years olds don’t know and don’t understand.Oh they’ve got opinions alright, and they know how to strike, and they know how to make their voices heard, and don’t get me wrong, many are intelligent and informed and well educated and aware of how the world works.But they lack the experience. They don’t have mortgages and hold down full time jobs by and large. They’re not raising families, they’re not paying bills, they’re not awash with life experience. Yes many may be bright and astute, but many are not. Many as we know, are just out ram raiding, or wagging school. And on that note, surely the priority for young people should be re-engaging them with school and teaching them how to contribute to a civilised society, over and above giving them the right to vote? The numbers of young people not attending school is up, we have problems with literacy, and as many Police will tell you, issues with respect from youth who don’t even know how to be a part of a civilised society, far less make an educated vote on it.The Make it 16 crowd argue for more civics to be taught in school and that in doing so, it will help educate young people more, thus enabling them to make more informed votes. My argument would be let’s try to get those 16 year olds back in school, for a start.With more and more of them not even attending, how does changing the curriculum help? And how do you teach civics in a way that’s independent of unconscious or even conscious political bias? Anyone with kids at High School or Uni these days knows there’s so much bias in what’s taught, that it’d be very hard to find any High School civics without bias clouding it.Ghahraman argues a lower voting age would increase voter turnout. I’m not sure how she reaches that conclusion with a major problem facing this country right now being the number of 16 years olds not even turning up for school.So, they’re not happy to attend school, but they’re more than happy to turn out to vote? It feels a bit cart before horse to me.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All eyes on what incoming Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will do around 501 deportees. He took a softer stance on key issues throughout the campaign, including opposing the Morrison government's bid to increase 501 deportations 501 Support Advocate and Iwi in Aus co-founder Filipa Payne told Kate Hawkesby the policy has been a point of tension for the past seven years. She says it's had a huge impact on society, and a ghastly impact on the people who have been through the detention centres in Australia. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Manchester City clinched a sixth Premier League title in 11 seasons today by scoring three times in five minutes to come from behind to beat Aston Villa 3-2 in the finale to avoid being toppled by challenger Liverpool. City was trailing 2-0 to Villa until İlkay Gündoğan began the comeback in the 76th. Rodri equalised two minutes later and Gündoğan put City in front in the 81st. At one point even when City was losing, it was still set to defend the title as Liverpool was only drawing 1-1 to Wolverhampton. But Mohamed Salah then put the second-place side in front in the 84th minute, which would have taken Liverpool into first place had City not mounted its fightback at the Etihad Stadium. Andy Robertson then sealed Liverpool's 3-1 win. Had City conceded a late equaliser, Liverpool would have snatched the trophy away but Pep Guardiola's side held on for the win in a thrilling climax. Pep Guardiola's defense of the trophy was secured on the final day in a more jittery way than expected when City briefly had a 14-point lead in January. City's fourth championship success in five seasons produced a first for Guardiola. It's the first time City has sealed the title in front of its own fans who spilled onto the field in their thousands at the final whistle against Villa. Although it went down to the wire, this one came without any of the anguish of 10 years ago when City's first Premier League title was only clinched in the final minutes of the season. That success, which produced City's first championship crown in 44 years — with Roberto Mancini as manager — ushered in the era of dominance enjoyed by a club transformed by the influx of investment from Abu Dhabi. City is now enjoying the steady stream of titles it once had to watch crosstown rival United sweep up under Alex Ferguson. The rise of City has coincided with the retirement of the Scot — who won the Premier League 13 times from 1993 to 2013 — and the decline of Manchester United. The teams entered the final round on Sunday with City 32 points ahead of United and with Liverpool the greater threat to Guardiola's side. In the last five seasons, the only time City didn't win the trophy was when Liverpool's 30-year title drought ended in 2020. But it will be another season ending with City unable to win the biggest prize in European football — the Champions League — while Liverpool will be contesting the final against Real Madrid on May 28. While Liverpool's net spending on transfers has been around US$250 million in the last five years, City's has been more than US$530 million. City's financial might wasn't enough to convince Tottenham to sell Harry Kane ahead of this season, leaving Guardiola to achieve this title without a recognizable striker. Yet, City was able to break the British transfer record to sign Jack Grealish for 100 million pounds (US$139 million) even though the midfielder only started sparingly. City has already reinforced its attack for next season, with a deal clinched with Borussia Dortmund to sign Erling Haaland for 60 million euros (US$63 million), adding one of Europe's most exciting young forwards into the squad. Still, concerns remain for human rights activists and less wealthy rivals about the club's Abu Dhabi ownership and its actions. Human rights violations by the United Arab Emirates are glossed over by City fans who largely overlook how their club has been used by a state as a tool of soft power that exploits the glamour of the world's biggest sport to cleanse its image. City owner Sheikh Mansour has only been seen at one game during his 14 years as owner. Mansour, who is deputy prime minister of the UAE, was condemned by the British government for recently hosting Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. City was fined €10 million (US$12 million) in 2020 for obstructing a UEFA investigation into its finances following leaks of internal correspondence...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Monkey Pox is not as much of a concern as some might think. The World Health Organisation has identified more than 90 cases of the disease across the US, England, Australia and Canada Belgium has put in place a 21-day quarantine period for people who catch it. Canterbury University Professor of Epidemiology Arindam Basu says told Kate Hawkesby we are in danger of over-hyping this. He says rather than let people panic, we need to say it's a problem, but it's probably not going to kill people like Covid can. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While media were quick to report that a win for Albanese and the independents was a win for climate change and a more liberal approach to governance, I think there was a chunk of voters who just voted for change. In other words – anyone but Morrison. It’s a story the world over and one our government will be acutely aware of. Regimes who presided over the pandemic, who locked down their citizens, who exerted a lot of power and control over people, are getting tossed out. It's a vote against status quo. People are fed up, they’re sick of fear, sick of feeling anxious, sick of the division. So, in that regard, Morrison had no chance. If you look at Albanese as a campaigner and a candidate for PM, he wasn’t exactly smooth. He botched his way through it, did not work as hard as Morrison, did not know his stuff enough, had a campaign loaded with gaffes. But none of that mattered at the end of the day. Australians clearly didn’t care about the detail or how much the potential new PM knew or didn’t know, they just knew they didn’t want Morrison anymore. Australian commentators said of Morrison that, “his failures as a crisis manager with vaccines, RAT tests, fires and floods made him unattractive.” That’s likely true. He certainly seemed to lose women, and he lost young people. Commentary out of Australia also said that “by presiding over a fast-rising cost of living and higher interest rates, Morrison delivered the final insult to people on low and middle incomes. He wasn’t responsible for global inflation, but Australian voters held him accountable nonetheless.” And therein lies the lesson for our government. Blaming everything else except themselves for inflation and a cost-of-living crisis may play well to the Government’s base who’ll want to believe that, but they’ll potentially get punished nonetheless. They’ll likely be held accountable for all the things they’ve presided over. Look at our polls here, they reflect an international trend. Ardern tanking as preferred PM is no different to what’s happened to Morrison, and then further afield to Boris Johnson and Joe Biden. The popularity of leaders who’ve led through these times, who oversaw lockdowns and vaccine procurement, who exerted maximum control over their citizens, has plummeted. So what can our government do to redeem themselves? How do they fight against the collective mood for change? The collective frustration? How can they secure themselves another term? Do they have the luxury of time on their side? We are still a long way out – a good 17 to 18 months out from an election – is that enough time for the voting public to forgive and forget? Will the Covid era be so much in the rearview mirror by then that voters no longer care about it? Or will the hangover from this period still be coming home to roost? Voters traditionally have short memories, but two years of a pandemic – all we lost, all we had to give up – will that be just too hard to forget?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese are doing a last-minute blitz of marginal seats, ahead of tomorrow's Australian election.2GB's Michael McLaren told Kate Hawkesby the vote could still to go either way.“I think it will be closer than opinion polls and in fact a lot of people suggest it might be.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time will tell how many people will actually benefit from changes to help first home buyers.House price caps for the First Home Grant have been lifted in many parts of the country, while the caps for the First Home Loans scheme will be removed entirely.First Home Buyers' Club Director Lesley Harris told Kate Hawkesby the bank's criteria is key.She says they're stress-testing people at a much higher rate, and interest rates are climbing up, there are no guarantees that just because these things are available that people will be able to get the lending.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A rare moment of agreement across the political divide as National's Leader says he's supportive of the idea to scrap the school decile system.Christopher Luxon told Kate Hawkesby deciles were too broad.He says what they proposed was to use data which highlights the families who are doing it tough, and schools are allocated money in an anonymised way, based on the families at their school.The Government will implement a new Equity Index to replace the decile system.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A group of people unsoothed at yesterday's Budget is of course the nurses - who've been crying out for support for ages - yet got nothing.And this comes as our number of Covid deaths passed the milestone of a thousand this week, just as a new round of Covid seems to be slowly taking hold of our colleagues here, and some family and friends too.You can see why the push is on to get flu jabs before winter really kicks in. With the borders opening and international foot traffic increasing, so too will the traffic of new viruses, according to the experts.We know already that in Dunedin there’s a nasty bout of flu plus Covid going around, seeing many students hospitalized because of it. A mate of my son’s studying at Otago reckons it’s the sickest he’s ever felt – in fact he said Covid seemed a breeze compared to the flu he’s got. And this Covid surge happening around us in Auckland at the moment will be the case in other centres too eventually, so it’s something we all need to be aware of.But at the same time, the health sector we locked down for so long to protect, is saying it’s not ready. The Nurses Union says the public health system is short of four thousand nurses, and they warn the worst is yet to come. They were stretched they say during Omicron, to breaking point, and they haven’t had time to regroup or get ready yet for winter and the influx of patients that may bring. In fact, many say the hospitals are already busy and resources already tight. The big problem of course is not just now or this winter, but long term how we attract nurses back into the profession here. We are competing with higher wages being offered across the ditch – albeit the working conditions may be similar, but with fatter pay packets in Australia, it’s hard to keep nurses here.And that’s before we get to the cost of living crisis and other barriers like the competence assessment programme we run. That’s a programme for out of practice nurses or those who’ve trained overseas, they have to take a fresh competency assessment and that’s not cheap – it costs hundreds of dollars to do it. So we’re up against it. And it’s a real bind for nurses and other health sector workers because they’re there because they want to help – yet they’re obviously feeling so stretched and burnt out they can’t, or not to the best of their ability anyway. Many are putting in huge amounts of hours over and above what they’re being correctly remunerated for, just because they don’t want to see their patients suffer. They take their duty of care very seriously, but that doesn’t appear to match the Ministry’s sense of duty to care for them.We are heading for crunch time with winter ills and chills, and with Covid still at play too, it'd be a crying shame if we spent all that time locking everyone down, closing all those businesses, sealing up our borders and locking out our citizens.. all to protect our health system, only to see it come crashing down come winter. The nursing staffing issue is acute, nurses are already flagging it as a crisis, it's just a shame none of that was recognised by government yesterday.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Wellington City Council data suggests the capital is losing its sense of mojo, and the city’s water woes could be to blame. Wellbeing indicators show a sense of community and pride have fallen in the capital over the past four years. Council member Fleur Fitzsimons told Kate Hawkesby the city’s under-investment in water systems is taking a toll. She’s says it’s not uncommon for the water to be out and pipes to be leaking and that Wellingtonians are fed up. The most important thing the council does is bring water into people’s homes, which hasn’t been invested in for years.Fitzsimons says we are now seeing the cost of that. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concern drivers are becoming increasingly cavalier around road works.Road work contractors in Bay of Plenty are reporting an increase in speeds near their vehicles, raising major safety concerns.Three road workers were killed near Whakatane in 2019 in a truck crash at a work site.AA Road Safety spokesperson Dylan Thomsen said it's no surprise to hear motorists are ignoring the temporary speed signs, and its been a long-standing issue.“My experience is it’s very seldom that people get down to that 30km/h level if they’re going through an active worksite.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Salvation Army says getting housing under control is the first step towards solving deeper poverty issues.It's calling for a mix of immediate rent assistance and longer term efforts to get people into affordable housing in today's Budget.Senior Policy Analyst Paul Barber says clothing and food for struggling children are essentials.He told Kate Hawkesby we need to be bolder.Barber says we should be trying to eradicate child poverty before the 2028 goal.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s the big day and I can’t help feeling the Government is going to miss the mark here given their obsessive focus on climate change and Māori health. Add to that their inability to listen, or tune into where the real world is at, and you’ve got a cocktail for disappointment for the average New Zealander. But then again, it feels like the average New Zealander is not in their sights at all, in general. The ‘squeezed middle’ as the opposition calls them, are used to being ignored by this government by now.But none of that excuses what will likely happen today. Which will be billions sheeted to climate, and hundreds of millions to Māori heath. This country is in dire straits. The labour market is a shambles, immigration is stuck and faltering, inflation’s through the roof, we have a cost of living crisis, there’s no growth, we’re forecasted for a recession and house prices are flagged to tank.There’s social division and disharmony, crime is surging, young people are outsmarting Police, we have 15 year olds ram raiding shops and saying they do it because they know they can get away with it and the Police will “do nothing” quote unquote. We lack Police and the ones we do have are frustrated they can’t do their job properly anymore. Mental health is a train wreck, the health workforce is striking due to pay and conditions, the nurses say they’re at crisis point too; rural GP’s and dentists are barely existent. Emergency housing’s a mess, we’re on the cusp of a brain drain and are already losing our best and brightest to overseas.Infrastructure is woeful, we still have a teacher shortage, rest homes are crying out for staff, as is hospo. Confidence is down across all sectors, even the commodity prices like meat and dairy are coming off their highs. Volume and value is down.Productivity is in the toilet. The service sector, manufacturing, business outlook, it’s doom and gloom wherever you turn. It’s an ugly picture to have to paint when you have to be honest about the real state of things.We’ve been fed the warm and fluffies for so long this is all a bitter pill to have to swallow, as reality dawns and looks to bite us in the bum, because guess what? We apparently didn’t see any of this coming. And by we, I mean they, the Government. There was no forward planning. Nothing other than printing money.So given all of that, and given how unpalatable that picture of this country is, the government’s focus today should be very clear and very concise. But it isn’t. It’s still got its head in the clouds. Pie in the sky ideology like emissions targets and carbon footprints are a nice to have, but not a need to have right now. And that’s where this government’s out of touch and out of good ideas. And that’s why today is going to be a big let down. We need to rein in spending, curb inflation, get productivity firing again. We need to reward hard work not penalize it. Tax relief would help. Improving education would help. Being bold and decisive and laser focused on what matters to New Zealanders would help. Sadly though, I don’t think we’re going to get any of those things today. I hope I'm wrong.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another surprise public appearance by the Queen - this time at Paddington Station.She's attended the opening of the Elizabeth Line, a new train line on the London Underground that opens to the public next week.UK correspondent Gavin Grey told Kate Hawkesby the project is well over budget and well behind schedule.He says it was due to open in 2010 with a budget of NZD$30 billion, which has now risen to NZD$40 billion.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some alarming figures out around flu jabs.Running the numbers, only around one in five people are eligible for a free one, despite the Government saying they are prepared.Official numbers out from the Ministry of Heath also show a low uptake in vaccines with only 736,000 jabs being administered. That's again not even a fifth of the population.Questions are being raised as to why it isn't free for everyone and do we have an issue waiting to happen.Royal NZ College of GP's Medical Director Dr. Bryan Betty joined Kate Hawkesby.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So it seems the internet is killing the television star.New research out from Canstar shows more than a third of Kiwis no longer watch traditional television - up 20 percent over the past year.Along with that, nearly 80 percent of people get their entertainment mainly through the internet.Tech commentator Jordan Tini joined Kate Hawkesby to discuss how television remains hanging in there.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elon Musk may be getting cold feet about buying Twitter.The Tesla CEO says the deal can't move forward unless Twitter shows public proof that fewer than 5 per cent of its accounts are fake or spam.Wedbush Security managing director Dan Ives says these accounts are undoubtedly an issue.He told Kate Hawkesby the issue could be more of an escape clause for Musk, if he's looking for a way out of the deal.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This time yesterday I was talking about divorce – not mine, but whether or not we were collectively as a voting public slowly divorcing ourselves from this government or not. Well today I’m talking marriage. Again, not mine, but why science says that according to data, we are not dating properly.. or dating to marry. I only know this because Glenn shoved this piece of research in my face yesterday and so I thought I’d share it with you. It’s the kind of research dating websites live for. Everyone wants to know the key to a happy relationship or the key to finding the perfect mate – but turns out we do a lot of it wrong. It’s not as simplistic as we think it should be.For example, you’d think having similar values, preferences and being of similar demographics like age, stage, education or status, might be an obvious road to happy co-existence.. but that’s not true. Data surprisingly showed that happy relationships are unpredictable – they have very little to do with any of that stuff. In fact the variables that predict a couple’s happiness are surprisingly small. And here’s the irony – the stuff you may look for in a dating scenario, is not the stuff long term happy couples claimed made them any happier in their long terms relationships.So for example, people on dating websites are looking for a lot of aesthetics.. attractiveness, success, a good occupation, similarities to oneself, ethnicity, and when it comes to women looking for men – height apparently. Yet long term happy couples reported none of those things correlated with their enduring relationship happiness. So the researchers concluded that in fact, “in the dating market, people compete ferociously for mates with qualities that do not increase one’s chances of romantic happiness.” They refer to those qualities dating singles are looking for as ‘shiny qualities that immediately grab our attention,’ but actually make no difference to our long term happiness. In other words, romantic partners we might desire may not actually be that good for us long term. And bear in mind, on the list of desirable attributes daters look for alongside height or attractiveness, are also ‘people with sexy names and people who may share our initials.’It doesn’t get wackier than that, surely?So if that short term shallow stuff is tricking us into thinking it’s true love, when it’s not going to be, then what does make for a happy long term relationship? Well, I’d say of course in my very unscientific opinion – marry your best friend. But the researchers say actually in order to find happiness inside our relationships, we need to find happiness firstly outside of the relationship too. So our pre-existing mental state is what drives our mental state inside relationship.Apparently, if we are someone who’d say our life was happy single, then we’re more likely to say we’re happy inside a relationship too. So if you’re wondering if your relationship's a long term happy one, apparently, the question is not – are you happy as a couple, but, are you happy with yourself?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New findings show autistic children are three times more likely to be stood down or suspended from school, than other students.These levels reverted back to the general population average, when autistic students received high-needs funding.Principals' Federation President Cherie Taylor-Patel told Kate Hawkesby suspension can be a strategy for schools to push the Ministry of Education to support students in need.She says it's clear that when autistic children have the right levels of funding and support, they're more likely to experience success.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are predictions of a few hiccups in getting more electric vehicles on our roads.The Government wants total driving cut by a fifth, and 30 percent of people driving zero emission cars by 2035.Manufacturer Singer Electrical says home charging units haven't been subsidised, and can cost up to $5,000.Marketing Manager Finn McLaren told Kate Hawkesby that's not the only issue.He says supply issues mean people could be in for a six month wait for a unit.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand On Air has been slammed, over the awarding of 200-thousand dollars for a documentary about Green MP Chlöe Swarbrick.The project, Being Chlöe, looks to explore the political and personal life of New Zealand's youngest MP.Swarbrick wasn't involved in pitching the project.Former Arts Minister Chris Finlayson told Kate Hawkesby it's a misuse of taxpayers' money.He says New Zealand On Air shouldn't show political favouritism and that's exactly what they're doing.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m enjoying the politicians who’ve stepped away from politics long enough to be able to look back in on it with fresh eyes and with wisdom, and then write about it. Paula Bennett has a column in the Herald on Sunday which is always a good read, Steven Joyce writes for the Herald and his pieces always make sense too. Part of it may be that it reminds me of what it was like when grown-ups were in charge. But Joyce’s piece this weekend if you didn’t read it, look it up, is good because he talked about the Government not listening to the public, and it struck a nerve because – he’s right. Time and time again we have people on this show from various industries and sectors in strife, who’re pleading with the Government over something, and time and time again when you ask them what the response has been from government, the answer is invariably – ‘we haven’t heard’, or ‘they’re not listening’, or ‘they never got back to us.’Yesterday we had Peter Dunne on the show talking about the latest poll putting the Nats and Act ahead of Labour, and again he said Labour's problem may be - they're just not listening. Steven Joyce points out the gap is getting wider between the planet the Government lives on, and the one we inhabit. He also points out, “The first rule in politics is the public is almost always right. That means the one that has to do the listening is the Government.”But they’re not. Why not?Has so much arrogance crept in that they no longer care? Is it because they believe they’re right, irrespective of what we think? Is it because they’re not focussed on the right things or they’re spending too much time on social media and not enough time out in the real world? Is it because they don’t have the answers so they’d rather ignore the questions? Or is it just because they don't care?Steven Joyce says, “Ministers are clearly focused on growing the public service, doling out a big climate change slush fund.. implementing co-governance of public assets, and pouring another massive dollop of borrowed cash into the hungry maw that is their giant new health bureaucracy”.While the public he says, “on the other hand, are dealing with a runaway cost of living, shrinking household budgets, rising mortgage rates, diminishing asset values, a surge in aggressive criminal activity, long queues at the local hospital, and a declining education sector..” That’s tough to disagree with isn’t it?He says with the Government and the public talking past each other, “we are heading towards a messy divorce.”I wonder if that's true.Joyce's point is that they're propped up by their fellow ideologues.. “The anti-car crowd, the co-governance crowd, and the identity politics crowd..” they’re all egging them on. So where is this all headed?Divorce come Sept/Oct next year? Or can they close the divide and win us back?At this stage, I’d put my money on a divorce.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Better investment in public transport is being seen as the key to making a congestion charge work.Plans for a charging regime are expected as part of the Government's Emissions Reduction Plan, which comes out at midday.Mevo CEO Erik Zydervelt says in the past in cities like Auckland there was a feeling you needed a car to get around.He told Kate Hawkesby that's changing.“We’re right at the stage where we’re really starting to wake up as a country and go: public transport is actually, if you invest in it, really good.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A wayward final stretch has cost Kiwi golfer Ryan Fox a second win on the DP Tour this year, finishing in a share of second at the Soudal Open in Belgium.Fox blew a three-shot lead with 11 holes to play, losing a head-to-head battle with England's Sam Horsfield who captured his third DP World Tour title.Horsfield shot a final round 68 to finish at 13-under, two shots clear of Fox and German Yannick Paul who both took home €166,385 ($NZ277,043) for second.It was there for the taking for Fox who went into the final round with a one-shot lead, and stretched it to three after bouncing back from a second hole bogey with three straight birdies.With Fox and Horsfield tied at the 16th tee, the Kiwi went bogey-birdie-bogey to card an even par 71 and finish two shots behind the Englishman.Fox will now head jets to the US PGA Championship at Southern Hills in Oklahoma for his 12th major appearance. A consolation from today's result is that the second placing secures him a spot in next month's US Open at The Country Club in Massachusetts.The Kiwi world number 106 could also jump back into the world top 100 tomorrow as he takes plenty of form into the second major of the year and his first since last year's Open Championship.It's been an impressive run of form for Fox since returning to Europe following a two-month break in New Zealand in the wake of his victory at the Ras al Khaimah Classic in February.Today's result at the Rinkven International Golf Club in Antwerp was his third straight top 10 finish and places him sixth on the DP World Tour standings. Fox has already amassed €566,439 (NZ$943,160) in prizemoney in 2022 as he heads to the lucrative US PGA Championship where first place earns US$2,160,000.But there will probably be a feeling on that flight across the Atlantic Ocean that he let one get away leading what wasn't the strongest chasing pack with a three-shot lead and 11 holes to play.Starting with a one-shot lead, Fox lipped out a par putt at the second hole to move back to 10-under and a tie at the front with what was just his second three-putt of the week.He then took the solo lead straight back with a 26-footer for birdie at the third and followed that up with a brilliant approach at the fourth to get within five feet and another birdie. Fox then nearly chipped in for eagle at the fifth and rolled in a third straight birdie to take a three-shot lead.Horsfield made an impressive 33-foot birdie to cut the lead to two at the seventh hole before Fox picked up another shot with a nine-foot birdie putt at the eighth.The lead was reduced to two at the turn when Fox found the trees on the par fourth ninth, and then stuck by a tent for his third shot and needed a drop. A brilliant chip gave Fox a chance to save par but he walked away with bogey.Fox still had a two-shot lead on the 12th tee but a birdie for Horsfield on the par three and a bogey for Fox at the 13th saw the two players level with five to play.The Kiwi gave up the lead for the first time since the third round on the 16th hole with his fourth bogey of the final round but rebounded with an eagle putt on the penultimate hole, getting to within two feet to take birdie. Horsfield however responded with a birdie putt to retain a one-shot lead heading to the last.The Englishman found a sandy path with his tee shot on the last but hit a brilliant approach to the green while Fox mis-hit his second from the rough and found the greenside bunker, all but conceding the tournament.- by Cameron McMillan, NZ HeraldSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.