Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

I hope you managed to get out and do some of the things you love to do over the delightfully long Easter weekend. Or perhaps you’ve tried something completely new.I’ve been a cyclist since I can remember, which is a very long time; so this weekend I got out and rode my bike every day, clocking up 240 kilometres over the whole long weekend. Not bad for a middle aged burnt out man in lycra.But as much as I love cycling, I usually avoid the designated cycle lanes. That’s because they’re usually filled with life’s little crap. It’s the little things that make a big difference and I’m talking glass, staples, pieces of metal and nails. All of that stuff naturally drifts from the main lanes to the sides where the cycling lanes are.Designated cycling lanes very rarely - if ever - seem to be cleaned and after many punctures over a short period of time, I tend to avoid them like Covid-19.Like many cyclists who also drive a car, I often look at the absolute dogs breakfast of ubiquitous signage, traffic lights and cycle lanes crossing main roads and pedestrian ways and wonder who won earth designed them.I also often wonder why we spend millions of dollars building cycleways but very rarely if ever free them of the debris that causes many riders to avoid using them.It’s one thing to renew all of the delightful green paint and signage but unless cycleways are cleaned then all you can expect is more cyclists to avoid them.That old adage of ‘build it and they will come’ is certainly true apropos New Zealand cycleways and we are seeing cycling going off like a dog in a butchers shop, especially in Christchurch where cycling has always been big and Wellington has a plethora of pathways in the planning.But nothing will make the general motoring public fizz at the bung more than seeing cyclists navigating through the texting traffic and not using these incredibly expensive designated cycleways.Continuous punctures trying to do the right thing leaves me feeling incredibly deflated. Why spend millions on cycle lanes and not maintain them?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One economist says the Reserve Bank has needed to increase the Official Cash Rate for a while. It's gone from one to 1.5 percent. Infometrics Chief Economist, Gareth Kiernan, welcomes the central bank coming to the party, and realising we don't need interest levels so low. He told Kate Hawkesby the housing market's been running rampant and there's been strong household spending. Kiernan says that was great when we thought Covid was going to hammer the economy, but that hasn't happened. He's been looking at the low unemployment rate and the housing market for the last nine months or so, saying something's got to change. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concerns have been raised about masks not needing to be worn at schools. Now in Orange, masks are still compulsory at retail stores, public transport and planes or when visiting a public or healthcare facility. But they're dropped for hospitality patrons and in schools. Developmental paediatrician Jin Russell told Kate Hawkesby while it's not mandatory - it's still strongly recommended. She says the pandemic's not over - there are still thousands of Omicron cases circulating in the community and some of those will pop up at schools. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Data suggests that 18-39 year olds could become a "lost generation" as a lot of our young people are planning to try their luck overseas. Questions are being raised as to how we keep skilled young talent from taking their skills offshore. Auckland Central MP Chloe swarbrick says we need to make our CBDs more attractive for young people. AUT Professor of Management Jarrod Harr joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hallelujah, praise the Lord, kudos to the Government today for coming to their senses, for ignoring the howls from the epidemiologists, and for finally putting us all where we need to be – into an orange light. I’m thrilled for the tourists arriving, for the hospitality sector, for retailers, for the events business, for nightclubs and bars, for everyone who’s been hamstrung by a red light. Not only that, there’s no big delay on it which I thought there would be. Into an orange light – boom, as of midnight last night, no mucking around, that’s what we like to see. Decisive bold action. I couldn’t work out why the PM wasn’t there to deliver this resoundingly positive news in person. I mean surely, she’d want to be the face of such good news? But no, it was left to Chris Hipkins. Who, I have to say, turned up woefully under prepared which I also thought was unusual. Why did he not have the rules of Orange at his fingertips? How did he not know there’d be questions on that? Surely the most obvious part of it would be the mask rules.. and yet that was the very thing he seemingly knew nothing about. Not only that, he took a wild guess and got it wrong. So wrong that he had to apologise for giving the wrong information. No.. at the pulpit of truth? A mistruth? How is this possible? He admitted to not having ‘refreshed himself’ with the guidance around mask use before he came to do the press conference. He apologized, admitted he should have been better prepared, but said that “there’s been a lot going on.” Not really an excuse when you’re a senior Minister in Cabinet and your one job as Covid Minister is to actually know and be able to explain the rules you’ve invented around where and when to wear a mask. Which by the way is so confusing in Orange I won’t even try to explain, but you can look it up. Suffice to say it’s probably safest to keep a mask on you at all times just to be ready for the different circumstances they’re required. He wasn’t the only senior minister caught short yesterday though. Megan Woods, Associate Finance Minister, didn’t even know what the official cash rate was until she googled it. Winston Peters said there was something dramatically wrong with that, he said “if you don’t know these things, then what exactly are you bringing to the Cabinet when you come to make decisions?” I’m not sure how, in a week when the biggest story out of Australia was Albanese’s gaffe at not knowing the cash rate, how you don’t think to school up on that here? How you think you won’t get asked? Surely you must assume it’s likely and you should know it. And how do they not know this stuff anyway? The details of their own portfolios should be apparent to them at all times surely? An Associate Finance Minister should know the cash rate, a Covid Minister should know the mask rules. Apologists will tell you they’re busy and tired, aren’t we all? But sadly ‘having a lot on’ is not really an excuse that washes when you’re in government. Being in government by its very definition is to have a lot on. It’s a privilege. But look, they got us to an orange light at long last, so for that today, I give them top marks.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are calls to replace aging underground pipes in Christchurch. An Otago University study has found evidence of asbestos fibres being released by aging underground pipes across the whole city, but the amounts detected don't exceed levels of concern for human health. Study co-author Dr Sarah Mager says it was concerning to find some of the pipes pre-date 1950. She says by global standards many of these pipes would be considered to be well past their prime. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marketing efforts to draw Australians to our shores are being ramped up. Fully vaccinated Aussies can now come here without needing to isolate, with the first flight touching down from Melbourne just after midnight. Tourism New Zealand chief executive, Rene de Monchy, says the organisation has been lightly promoting New Zealand to keep people interested. He told Kate Hawkesby with the border reopening, it's now activated a new campaign called Beyond Your Wildest Dreams. De Monchy says they'll soon be launching a winter campaign because Australians are a crucial audience. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Jones is leaving Lambton Quay in Wellington. This will leave a huge hole in the city as in a short time, David Jones became a flagship store for the area. Foot traffic has been down in Wellington due to Covid, the protests and the council's removal of a lot of on-street parking. Retail NZ's Greg Harford joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As of this morning, Australians are welcome back to our shores. The long-awaited welcome mat gets laid out as the border creaks open. It’s going to be interesting over the next few weeks in terms of how many take up the opportunity – will they come now? Or wait for the ski season? Will our red light put them off? Can they get decent priced flights? Can they get good hotel rooms in parts of the city that might be bustling, as opposed to shut or low on staff? And what about Kiwis? How many of us are heading away? And I don't mean the exodus for the brain drain.. which is estimated to be now around 50,000 Kiwis who are going to up sticks and bail.. could even go as high as 125,000 they say. But I don't mean them, I mean the holidaymakers. I know my sister snapped up seats to cross the Tasman for the school holidays. It cost her a pretty penny though. She spent about two thousand dollars per person return, for her family to go away for a week. I asked her if she thought it was worth it to spend that much money on flights to Australia, but she said they’re just so desperate to travel, she figures it’ll be worth it. I hope so. But what we want to know here is how many Aussies will come in, how long will they stay, and crucially, how much will they spend while they’re here? Most CBD’s in this country are desperate for the return of tourists. Christchurch’s Central City Business Association chair Annabel Turley said recently [in one report] that tourists will be crucial for central businesses. She was reported as saying that "three years ago Australian visitors spent more than a million dollars in the city over just four days of Easter," and they’d gladly welcome that sort of spending back. Further south, ski field operators seem to think it won’t be until winter that we see more Aussies arrive. Skiing being the obvious drawcard. And if you go as far as the glaciers, they say they’re waiting for summer to get busy. I think most of the arrivals over the next few weeks will be family and friends reconnecting. We’ve got a family member coming home to visit after a long time locked away, and that’s very exciting, but family visitors are not really tourists are they. I mean they may go out and spend a few bucks on dinners out or a few drinks, but they’re not dropping tourist size bundles of cash, and they’re not partaking in touristy activities. But for those who do arrive to see the sights and frequent the tourist hotspots, are those hotspots ready for them? I know in Queenstown the struggle for staff is real. My brother was down there the other day and said sadly so many shops were either shut due to lack of staff, or open for reduced hours only. He was concerned tourists arriving would not get the usual good service and treatment they were used to. And that the knock-on effect could be that it puts them off. Word of mouth is a powerful thing, and the last thing you want is for visitors to be told that although we say we’re open for business, we’re not really. So I have my fingers and toes crossed that it goes gangbusters.. that we really do look and feel open for business, and that we welcome the Australians in with open arms.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome relief for farmers as the Government announces it's allowing 1600 primary sector workers into the country. They'll include 500 each for the dairy industry and red meat sector, and nearly 600 for forestry workers, wood processors and manufacturers. But Federated Farmers employment spokesperson, Chris Lewis, told Kate Hawkesby it's a slow, frustrating process to bring them here. He says Filipino workers have to wait six weeks to get a medical certificate in their country, then need their visas processed here. Lewis says they won't get the green light until the middle of June, then have to find a flight. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand is deploying a c-130 Hercules with 50 Defence Force personnel to Germany. They'll assist with transporting and distributing donated military aid. We are also spending $7.5 million to help the UK acquire weapons for Ukraine. Former Defence Minister, Wayne Mapp, joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over 40 per cent of Kiwis agree the Government should forcibly bring house prices down to pre-Covid levels. That would be around a 20 to 25 per cent drop in prices. These numbers come from a One-Roof consumer link survey. Kelvin Davidson, Core Logic's chief property economist joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m not sure how many times cars need to ram through the front windows of shops before Police accept ram raids are a problem. And an increasing problem. Ask Gucci and Louis Vuitton Queen Street who got hit yesterday. Ask any Dairy owner, any Liquor store owner, any retailer with glass front doors. They’re fed up. They’re shelling out of their own pockets for bollards, fog machines, security cameras, alarms, the works. And it’s not cheap. And it’s not foolproof. Some are being hit more than once. Many Mum and Dad retailers or small business owners say their impression from the Police is that they don’t care, don’t have enough resources to deal with it, or can’t deal with it, because a lot of the time the offenders are too young to charge. It’s been reported that Police who do turn up and catch offenders usually drop them back home or send them off to youth court. And it’s only a matter of time before those offenders are back to their old tricks. So why have the Police Minister and Police Commissioner got their heads in the sand on this one? Why is lawlessness and this scourge of ram raids being allowed to continue without any kind of consequence or punishment? Business owners say that because it’s so rife, offenders are emboldened that it’s easy to get away with, so there’s more and more of it. There seem to be very few attempts to stop it. The Dairy and Business Owners Association say they’ve lost faith in the police and justice system. They say there are just no consequences for ram raid theft. In Auckland, Heart of the City boss and Mayoral Candidate Viv Beck has been jumping up and down about this for ages. She’s been asking for the reinstatement of the CBD Police station – can you believe they got rid of it? She’s been asking for help and support for an already struggling CBD hit hard by Covid, she wrote an open letter to the Police Minister, calling for action and a meeting.. nothing. There seems a vacuum of leadership here, and we are paying the price for it. And it’s not even the stolen goods which are the biggest headache. It’s the damage, repair job and wait time afterwards to get shops fixed back up that takes forever and costs a fortune. Time spent closed, staff freaked out, urgent measures have to be put in place to prevent it happening again. One Dairy owner in Ponsonby said he can't get bollards up because local residents objected saying they'd ruin 'the look' of the area. Council takes months to sign off on bollards anyway, so many of these places are hamstrung as to how they can solve their own problems. It’s added stress they just don’t need. So, I can understand why these business owners are feeling abandoned here. Under this government’s watch, we’ve had gang violence increase, Police response times lengthen, the Police budget shrink, Police stations closed down, gun crime seemingly on the up, and now, a disturbing trend of repeat ram raids. I’m just wondering at what point the Government wants to, A) acknowledge we have a crime problem, and B) actually do something about it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A lot of anticipation for Prince Harry’s tell-all book out later this year.It’s now being alleged he may go for Prince Charles and Camilla in the memoir.One royal author says Harry can’t stand Camilla and takes issue with her becoming queen.It’s also alleged that he’ll touch on his rift with his brother Prince William.Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams joined Kate Hawkesby.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Charles Leclerc has completed a dominant weekend in his Ferrari after converting his pole position into a comprehensive triumph in the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday.The 24-year-old Leclerc extended his lead in the drivers' championship while claiming his second win of the season following victory in the season-opening race in Bahrain.Leclerc was able to hold off Red Bull rival Max Verstappen during the opening laps and defended well mid-race under safety car conditions to pull away for a decisive 20.524-second victory.Sergio Perez overcame a slow start to take second ahead of the Mercedes' combination of George Russell, who secured his first podium finish for the season, and Lewis Hamilton.McLaren pair Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo finished fifth and sixth.Verstappen, the world champion, endured another frustrating race when a mechanical failure ended his hopes while he was running second 39 laps into the 58-lap race.Verstappen, who was clearly disappointed after the race, never really challenged Leclerc, whose Ferrari was the quicker car under race conditions in Melbourne.The drivers' championship leader, who pitted on Lap 22, confirmed that when posting the fastest lap of 1 minute, 20.260 seconds with a final-lap flourish.He is the first Ferrari driver since Fernando Alonso in Singapore in 2010 to complete a racing "grand slam," having claimed the pole position, led wire-to-wire, claimed the race and also posted the fastest time."Honestly, what a car today. Of course, I did a good job all weekend, but it was not possible without the car," he said.His teammate Carlos Sainz, who finished on the podium in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, had less luck in a testing weekend.After an issue in qualifying resulted in him starting from ninth, he dropped back further in the field with a slow start and then lost control on the second lap, ending his race.But Leclerc believes Ferrari has demonstrated it is going to be competitive in the manufacturers' championship this year."Obviously we are only in the third race, so it is difficult to think about the championship," he said. "But, to be honest, we have a very strong car, a very reliable car too, and for now we have always been there. I hope it continues like this and if it does, we probably have chances for the championship."The Mercedes team has endured problems so far this year and is off the pace of their Ferrari and Red Bull rivals.But Russell was pleased with the improvement in his car this weekend, though he conceded they received some luck with Verstappen's misfortune."We got a little bit lucky today … but we will take it. To be standing on the podium is special," Russell said."We are never going to give up. We are going to keep on fighting. We have to keep this up while we are on the back foot, I'm sure we will get there after a few more races."Verstappen said the Red Bull was "already miles behind" Ferrari."I don't even want to think about the championship at the moment," he said. "I think it is more important just to finish races, because today was, in general, just a bad day again. It is pretty frustrating and unacceptable."I knew there was a problem and it was always going to be a question mark for finishing the race, but these kind of things, if you want to fight for the title, cannot happen."-APSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So as we slide towards the Easter break this week there will be many in tourism and hospo keeping their fingers and toes crossed that this week sees the long-awaited move to the Orange Traffic Light.Remember at the last announcement of a possible announcement we were told we’d get another update this week? Thursday the Pulpit of Truth will be returned to, for more conjecture on the state of our Covid situation. Which to be frank surely can’t be pumped up to be anything more than what it currently is – a declining trend – even the experts are saying we’ve passed the peak. We are seeing record low case numbers at the moment.So given that, surely nothing but good news is coming our way? I’m not going to be as naively optimistic as I was last time; I made the classic mistake of overestimating the government and underestimating their abundance of caution routine. I thought they’d have a bit more heart, I thought they’d read the room, but no, I got that horribly wrong.So the obvious thing to do this week of course is go to a now very long overdue orange light, but I’m not going to predict they do that.I think what they will do, is sadly, make another announcement of an announcement. I know, it’s laughable that they could keep this up, but I think they will. They’ll signal an orange light – but not yet, they’ll make us wait for it and they’ll buy themselves another media moment at their beloved Pulpit. Which by the way no one’s watching anymore, to be frank, most of us have moved on and couldn’t care less what the Government says at these conferences, most of us are doing our own thing these days anyway. The city feels almost back to normal, streets are busy, people are out and about, traffic’s back in full force, shops are full, normality is creeping back in despite the never-ending fear-mongering. But if they move us, it won’t be instant I don’t think.And worst-case scenario – and we can’t rule this out – is that they will continue to keep us in Red – which would surely be political suicide at that point. Auckland Business groups have banded together and asked the government to fast track the decision and the announcement. They want it today, instead of having to wait for Thursday and you can’t blame them. There’s no reason to drag it out. Likewise, tourist operators must surely be desperate to know. We do after all have the welcome mat out to Australians this week and there’ll be many hoping for a flood of those, as opposed to a trickle. But will the Aussies, like many businesses, also be waiting to see if we go into an Orange Light? How many Australians are stumping up the big bucks it costs at the moment to fly across the Tasman, just to come here and hang out in a Red Light?So the Government’s under pressure to move us, and surely the lowering case numbers and hospitalisations make a compelling case. But we are heading into school holidays, Easter holidays, and with the Aussies coming in, lots of movement around the place. So you can’t rule out the old abundance of caution may be back in action, and if that’s the case, we sadly won’t be seeing anything but red this week again too.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ukraine's President says his country is bracing for a "hard battle" to come in eastern Ukraine.Volodymyr Zelenskyy says while everyone would like to see a diplomatic end to the war, Ukrainians are ready to stand their ground.Officials are urging civilians to flee eastern regions, particularly the south-eastern Donbas region.Europe correspondent Gavin Grey told Kate Hawkesby there's now a race to get weapons to the region to fend off an incoming convoy of Russian soldiers.“Certainly, aerial footage shows a massive amount of troops gathering, making their way to that south-eastern region.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former senior Labour MP says the party's treatment of Louisa Wall looks bad for Labour.The outgoing MP told TVNZ's Q+A programme that Jacinda Ardern said she would never be a cabinet minister under her leadership.She says she often felt unwelcome in the party.Peter Dunne left Labour to set up United Future and told Kate Hawkesby what Wall's saying doesn't reflect the party's stated values.“The Labour Party says it’s inclusive. The Labour Party says it tolerates the diversity of viewpoints being expressed. None of these things tends to apply in Louisa Wall’s case.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday announced plans to build more nuclear power plants, boost renewable energy production and further tap domestic oil and gas reserves to help the U.K. reduce its dependence on Russian energy following the invasion of Ukraine.Critics quickly panned Johnson’s energy security strategy for focusing almost entirely on boosting supplies while doing little to increase energy efficiency and cut demand. As a result, they said, the plan offers no relief to consumers pummeled by soaring utility bills and risks undermining Britain’s commitment to cut carbon emissions in response to global warming.“This takes the U.K. backwards not forwards,” said Professor Matthew Paterson, an expert in the politics of climate change at the University of Manchester. “It is a knee-jerk response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine that goes back to old, tired solutions focused on expanding energy supply, and does so in ways that contradict the U.K.’s climate strategy.”Johnson announced the strategy three weeks after he said Western countries had made a “terrible mistake” in failing to wean themselves off Russian energy following President Vladimir Putin’s annexation of the Ukrainian region of Crimea eight years ago. That emboldened Putin to invade Ukraine in February and left Europe vulnerable to “blackmail” amid Russian threats to cut off energy supplies, he said at the time.Oil and natural gas prices have soared in recent months, first as demand for energy increased following the COVID-19 pandemic and more recently amid concern that the war could curtail supplies from Russia. High energy prices are fueling a cost-of-living crisis in Britain, where household gas and electricity prices jumped 54% this month.The government on Thursday responded to these issues with what it called a strategy to boost “long-term energy independence, security and prosperity.”“This is about tackling the mistakes of the past and making sure that we are set well for the future,” Johnson said at Hinkley Point C, a nuclear power plant under construction in southwest England. “And we are never again subject to the vagaries of the global oil and gas prices, and we can’t be subject to blackmail, as it were, from people such as Vladimir Putin.”That includes plans to build eight new nuclear reactors by 2050, tripling U.K. production of nuclear energy to 24 gigawatts, or a quarter of projected electricity demand. A key challenge in meeting this goal is the development of as yet unproven technology for small modular reactors that are less than a third the size of existing reactors, the government said.Paul Dorfman, an associate fellow at the University of Sussex Science Policy Research Unit, was particularly critical of the focus on nuclear power, which is expensive and slow to develop. He described it as a “boys and their toys” response that the government is portraying as a magic solution to the problem.“The reality is these things will turn out to be white elephants and very, very costly white elephants,” Dorfman told The Associated Press. “There really is no logic to it, especially given the low-hanging fruit to start off with is energy efficiency, demand-side management and energy conservation.’’In addition, the strategy targets a 10-fold increase in production of electricity from offshore wind farms and an unspecified boost from onshore wind farms in a “limited number of supportive communities.”Community opposition has curtailed onshore wind projects, which currently account for less than 8% of U.K. electricity generation capacity.The government also announced a new round of licensing for oil and gas projects in the North Sea, saying these fuels would be key to U.K. energy security and as a transition to low-carbon renewable energy. The government also argued that domestically produced oil and gas would have a lower carbon footprint than overseas energy that has to be...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Questions over whether the current Police Minister is up to the job.New figures show police response times have risen in almost every part of the country over the past five years and tripled in some regions.Minister Poto Williams responded by saying it's an operational matter and Covid-19 was playing a big part. Former minister National's Paula Bennett told Kate Hawkesby Williams needs to be doing more to address the wait times, increasing gang numbers and violent crime.“There’s a whole lot of laws and leadership that she could be showing that we’re not seeing. Instead, she hides through her Commissioner from scrutiny and denies that there’s even a problem.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Consumers are hoping to weed out the rotten eggs in the chocolate industry this Easter.The annual Chocolate Scorecard study surveyed 38 confectionary companies across the world.They found more and more are trying to improve ethically sourcing ingredients and their environmental impact.Be Slavery Free co-director Fuzz Kitto told Kate Hawkesby there's pressure on the companies to act.“Consumers are more and more aware and are wanting ethically sourced cocoa and chocolates.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m not averse to banning fizzy drinks in schools. I know many schools have already done it, some schools even have a water-only policy for drink bottles, and that all happened without too much pushback. There was, a few years ago, a big push to clear out tuck shops of all junk food too. Remember in the bad old days when we could get donuts, pies, Chelsea buns with icing, hot chips? Those days were brought to a grinding halt off the back of the good food movement and around the same time Jamie Oliver was busy trying to clean up school lunches in the UK. The sanitising of tuck shop food got more push back than the drinks did, but kids seem to have adapted and like all things, over time it becomes all they know.Younger generations will never know their school tuck shop used to serve sugar-laden carbs dripping in icing, or deep-fried treats. So I’m not sure what the holdup is with fizzy drinks. I know there’s the ‘don’t demonise food’ brigade, and the “don't tell us what to do” brigade, (I'm in that brigade actually to be honest) but on this, I'd have to agree that young children are not particularly good at choosing the healthy option. We know from taking them to the supermarket that if given half a chance, they’ll fill the trolley with junk food before they pick up a broccoli. So it makes sense, in this case, to just take the choice away from them. Yes, you could argue it’s pointless if the Dairy next to school is still selling Fanta, they’re just going to buy that on the way home anyway, but if you’ve removed at least one other avenue for them to buy it, consume it, or think about it, then you may well be able to contribute to healthier habits being formed. And that’s surely all it is.If every time you open the fridge the only option is Coke, then that’s all you know, you may not even know it’s a bad thing. But if it’s taken out of schools – for a reason, and that is – it’s bad for you and it will rot your teeth, then you’re going to think twice about it, you’ll at the very least be more educated about your choices. So the proposal’s out for public consultation and if it passes it’ll mean primary schools will have to ban the fizz, and all sugary drinks, leaving only water and milk as options. And for primary school-aged kids I’m not sure what’s wrong with that? It’ll be harder on teachers of course, once something gets demonized kids are really quick to call you out on it.A cheeky Coke Zero in the staffroom is not going to get past an eagle-eyed 9 year old ready to tell on you. I remember when plastic wrap got demonized by schools and we all had to invest in recyclable containers or paper bags for school lunches. God help you if you sent your child to school with anything wrapped in Glad wrap. And it turned out the children were the biggest policers of all. Once they were told it was bad, we never heard the end of it. The minute one of our kids saw Glad wrap on the bench at home, we’d get a lecture on how we were killing the planet. So I do sympathize with those who’ll be on the receiving end of another round of virtuous youngsters telling us how bad we are.And that'll be the most unbearable part of it, to be honest, being lectured by sanctimonious seven-year-olds.But at least they won’t be getting rotten teeth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rules requiring local body candidates to put residential addresses on campaign advertisements are being described as outdated.Stories of harassment towards public figures, particularly women, are rising.They come as we head towards local body elections in October.Waitaki Deputy Mayor Melanie Tavendale, who's not standing for re-election, told Kate Hawkesby it feels like an invasion of privacy.“I had a very young family when I first stood and you didn’t like the idea of people that could be quite grumpy if they’re turning up on your front doorstep in front of your family. It’s not ideal.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This time yesterday I was talking about the disconnect between Wellington and Auckland and how much of an echo chamber it is; how out of touch they are. I referenced the way Ashley Bloomfield had dismissively written off the red light as no big deal. He seemed dismissive and over it, and just a few hours later we learned why. He’s going. And who can blame him? I get it. Who wouldn't be over it by now? For a while now we’ve been saying how tired he looked, how sick of the politics he looked, and maybe he’s figured out he just doesn’t need all that stress anymore. That explains why he may’ve been so dismissive. What a relentless couple of years working that closely and that intensely with the Labour party for that long, that would surely take its toll on anyone. He was quick to rule out any future in politics when asked and that’s completely understandable. If you think about his role, as a public servant, he was never supposed to get that politicised anyway, but the past two years of such a close working relationship with the government did turn him into a political animal. When he was stationed next to Chris Hipkins or the PM day in day out for press conferences, which were always loaded with politics let’s be honest, then he just couldn’t help but get sucked down that rabbit hole. And a very revealing comment from Hipkins I thought, when he said that Ashley had a terrible poker face. Was he meaning that he doesn’t lie as smoothly as other politicians? Why did they need him to have a poker face? That was an odd thing to say. The reality of the role was that Bloomfield held enormous power over our lives, and we very early on lost the ability to scrutinise him because he was deified by the media into some kind of Women's Weekly pinup. On top of that, the public decided he was a celebrity, instead of an incredibly powerful public servant requiring accountability. Turning him into tea towels and t-shirts did us no favours, nor him. For us, it became sacrilege to ask questions like where's the PPE you promised? Where are the flu vaccines? Where are the Covid vaccines? Where are the RAT tests? Why are we still in lockdown? The push back on questioning or critiquing Ashley was insane. And for him, that intense worshipping in the public eye, alongside looking like an extra member of the Labour party, muddied the waters of what his role actually was. Add to that the PM's constant interrupting and answering for him at press conferences, and it was very difficult for Bloomfield to look like anything other than another Labour party puppet. But it's not just him heading for the exit, top Ministry figures are following; Caroline McElnay and her Deputy are also off. So, what does that tell you about the future of the health reforms in this country? The Health Ministry these guys signed up for, will be a very different beast by this time next year given the sweeping reforms coming, and I don't doubt for one second that they haven't seen that as a cluster waiting to happen and they're bailing. Who needs all that bureaucracy and even more stress to deal with, when you’ve already had two years of a pandemic to handle?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Changes coming up in the health sector are thought to be part of the reason why Ashley Bloomfield's resigned. The Director-General of Health, Director of Public Health Caroline McElnay, and her deputy, are all leaving the Ministry of Health. The DHB model's set to be replaced in July. Health commentator, Ian Powell, told Kate Hawkesby Bloomfield's wrong when he says it's a good time to go in terms of Covid, but the restructure would reduce his role in the funding of health services. “I do know, to his credit, that Ashley Bloomfield has made it known to his political masters that he has reservations about that, various reservations.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Biden has announced more sanctions on Russia – including Putin’s two adult daughters? And Oklahoma has moved closer to passing a near-total ban on abortion? US correspondent Katherine Firkin joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concerns there's no regulation when it comes to ordering alcohol, vaping products, and tobacco through online delivery platforms. A study shows the pandemic's created a surge in people buying these products – with little oversight from the government. One of the co-authors, Hannah Miles, from the University of Otago Christchurch's Population Health Department, joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A security expert says New Zealand may have too little weaponry to send to Ukraine. The Defence Minister has asked Cabinet to send anti-tank missiles and lethal support over, but his request's been declined. Victoria University Centre for Strategic Studies' Jim Rolfe told Kate Hawkesby one reason could be a group in Cabinet prefers non-lethal support. “Another possible thought is that the numbers we have are quite small really, and it might look as if a little bit derisory to be sending tens of weapons rather than hundreds or thousands that other countries can send.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Flights are being cancelled in the UK due to staff shortages. Two “stolen” notebooks written by Charles Darwin have been mysteriously returned. UK and Europe correspondent Gavin Grey joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Workers at Countdown are unhappy with the supermarket's plan to change their Covid-19 leave policy. Countdown had allowed staff to use extra leave instead of using their sick leave when they have to isolate due to covid. But now it wants workers to use their sick leave first instead. Other companies have made these same changes including Fletcher Buildings. First Union organiser Ragda Hassan joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The entrance to Wellington's Embassy Theatre is to be restored to its former glory. The project's being financed by former mayor Dame Kerry Prendergast and his husband – former Wellington City Council member – Rex Nicholls. They've loaned the Embassy Theatre Trust just over a million dollars to get the job done. Nicholls told Kate Hawkesby the theatre's already magnificent on the inside. Nicholls expects there'll be a bit of pushback to the digital billboard, but says it's for the public benefit. “We’re lending the money to spend to build the entrance foyer the way it was in 1925, and then we’re putting a big digital ad up on top of the building and that will pay us a rent.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I thought Ashley Bloomfield said something quite revealing on Mike’s show yesterday about where the hospital system is at. We know there are more than 700 people in hospital with Covid related illnesses but that’s not in hospital because of Covid – that’s in hospital with Covid related illnesses. Unfortunately, Bloomfield said they don’t know specifically the breakdown on how many of those are in which category, but he said roughly about 30 to 40 percent of people across the Auckland-Waikato region are in hospital not because of Covid, but with it. In other words, it’s incidental to their sickness. On top of that, hospital numbers are actually coming down. And yes, we can ask the obvious questions around why on earth they didn’t fix the health system over the past two years, and why they didn’t staff the health sector properly, and it’s not just this government, it’s a cumulative problem. But here’s the key. It’s not under pressure exclusively due to Covid. Bloomfield admitted it’s under huge pressure even without an Omicron outbreak. He said there’s 'a lot of need out there due to a backlog of both preventive care and planned care', so what he’s saying is, there’s pressure there anyway. So, we find ourselves in the invidious position of having 400-500 people in hospital with Covid, and that suddenly appears to be tipping over our health system, or close to it. There are other factors at play Bloomfield admitted, the modellers got it wrong. The peak of people in hospital is going longer than the modellers predicted. But here’s the other thing, just like we were told “two jabs for summer”, which turned out to be false, we were also told that once we’d peaked, we’d be heading out of the woods, and closer to the easing of restrictions. But Bloomfield said yesterday that in fact they’re waiting for the peak to pass. So, which is it? Seeing a peak? Or getting to the end of the peak? And everywhere? Or just some regions? Bloomfield said they want to “get to the other end and see it through.” The goal posts keep changing. Worst of all though I reckon is the lack of any real understanding of the impact of this on events, hospitality, indoor sports, all the people held back by the red light. Regrettably, Bloomfield when he had this put to him, said, “we’re not holding the country back from anything.” And that’s the saddest part of all. That this Wellington echo chamber actually believes that. That they think a red light has no impact on people’s lives. That’s just so dismissive of every single person and business struggling and hemorrhaging right now. Bloomfield argued “a lot was happening for business out there,” he said, “it’s just an indoor cap in red,” as though an indoor cap is just no big deal at all. I’d love him to go into a nightclub unable to make money, or an orchestral group unable to hold events or any number of indoor sporting fixtures, and tell them to their faces that it’s no big deal. I know there’s been a disconnect between the government and it’s lackies, and the rest of us for a while now, but this sort of condescending rejection of a red light having no impact, is not only naïve, it’s cruel.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Looks like the Government’s back to listening to Rod Jackson.I started the week so optimistically yesterday. I was so full of hope that we’d be going to an orange light, after all, we’re through the peak, especially in Auckland, we’re largely double vaxxed and boosted, we’re still in masks, we’ve done everything we’ve been asked to do.. but nope, we’re staying in red.I just don’t know when this Government will be able to give up their Covid micro management and all the PR and media time it affords them. I can see it is getting increasingly difficult for them to let it go. I mean here we are again spending another week angsting and dissecting more Covid framework decisions that are drip fed to us in little increments of time from their beloved podium of truth.Adding in another review period – before Easter and before the school holidays, just keeps us all on tenterhooks, keeps the Government in control and at its podium, keeps the media focused on their Covid response – and while we’re focusing on that we’re not looking at all the areas of failure of this Government. We're not looking at failure to deliver on housing, or poverty, or mental health, or crime, or the economy. We are instead just sitting on the edge of our seats waiting for our next lecture, our next list of instructions, our next dressing down about how serious Omicron is and how important it is to get boosted. I mean I assume they’ve focus grouped this and worked out the politics of it favours what they’re doing. Because, as we know, this Government’s one and only calling card is Covid.Event planners must be tearing their hair out. How do they even begin to plan anything? How do indoor events even grab any skerrick of hope? The PM talking up outdoor events as being without restriction is of no use to them. Her saying the Covid fund will address those who have to cancel events – come on. Who’s even planning an event based on this uncertainty?No one will be eligible for cancellation compensation, because no one will be planning anything – they’re in limbo, that’s the problem, and that’s the part I’m not sure the PM gets. But she’s still trying to have two bob each way. In reminding us all of the doom and gloom, she also said people should feel safe and relaxed about going out. So on the one hand, it’s not safe enough to leave a red light setting, Omicron is not a mild illness it’s serious and we all need to take it seriously, but on the other hand, please head out and enjoy hospitality venues as usual. I mean which one is it?People are rightly confused and fed up. The thing about this Government is that it feels like you’re permanently sitting in a waiting room. But you never get the call up, and you don’t know where in the queue you are. It’s just a drawn out charade of announcements of announcements of possible announcements, and just asking us all to stay tuned for their next appearance. It’s so mind numbingly tedious, and I’m just so bummed that in 24 hours I went from being naively so full of hope.. to just disappointed again.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People are being warned to expect more rises to mortgage interest rates.Kiwibank has lifted its standard 5-year home loan rate to 6.79 percent, the highest since 2014.Umbrella Company mortgage advisor, Sara Hartigan, says as a country, we've been conditioned to very low interest rates but it's not going to stay like that.She told Kate Hawkesby there are many things affecting interest rates, such as the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and high inflation.Hartigan says it's time people started paying attention to that awful B word - budget - and started thinking about the future.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The country's ski industry is grappling to fill 250 specialised roles before the Australians arrive.With the border beginning to reopen next week - places such as Queenstown are bracing for what could be its biggest ski seasons on record.But the industry wants a class exemption to get the needed workers into the country, and are waiting to hear from Immigration New Zealand.Cardrona and Treble Cone Ski Fields general manager Laura Hedley told Kate Hawkesby they're anticipating good numbers this season.She says they've had a good response from the Australians and are hoping they'll want to come back.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand staying in red will help give the health system more breathing space.The Government has decided not to change our traffic light settings, with hospitalisations not expected to peak in parts of the country until mid to late April.Cabinet will reassess Thursday of next week.College of Emergency Nurses member Sandy Richardson told Kate Hawkesby this'll give time to see whether what's happening in hospital is mirroring the community.She says they'll be able to see whether the days patients spend in hospital are reducing, and the number of sick staff is reducing.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the Russian military shifts its campaign to focus on the east and south of Ukraine, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak has called on the US and its allies to deliver heavier weaponry to the ex-Soviet nation."After the rapid retreat of the Russians from Kyiv and Chernihiv, it is clear that Russia has prioritized another tactic -- to move east/south, to control large occupied territories (not only in Donetsk and Luhansk regions) and to gain a strong foothold there," Podolyak said on Saturday."They have established in the east and south and are dictating harsh conditions," added Podolyak. "So we definitely can't do without heavy weapons if we want to unblock the east and Kherson and send [back] the Russians as far as possible."Last month the Russian military said the "first stage" of its invasion of Ukraine was complete and that it would withdraw forces from around Kyiv and Chernihiv to concentrate on the Donbas region in the country's east.Russia's announcement of that new phase in part may provide political cover for the Russian military, explaining heavy setbacks in the battles around Kyiv, but Ukrainian officials have also reported a ramping up of military activity and shelling in the Donbas by Russian forces.Podolyak alluded to an expectation from US and Western officials that Ukraine might need to prepare for further partisan warfare -- and referred to the Kremlin's bloody nine-year campaign to support the Marxist government in Kabul."Our partners must finally understand that the 'Afghanization' they want and the long-lasting exhausting conflict for Russia will not happen," he said.The war, which began when Soviet forces invaded in 1979, claimed nearly a million Afghan lives and 15,000 Russian troops, with a further 50,000 wounded."'Afghanization' is when there is a strong guerrilla resistance across the country that inflicts heavy losses on the aggressor for many months or even years and thus significantly weakens the power of the occupier's army," explained Podolyak."Such actions took place during the Soviet Union's attempt to control Afghanistan: Afghan guerrillas destroyed and weakened the Soviet occupiers for years. As a result, weakened Russia as a whole.""Russia will leave all Ukrainian territories except the south and east. And will try to dig in there, put in air defense and sharply reduce the loss of its equipment and personnel," Podolyak added.The US is expected to help facilitate the transfer of Soviet-era tanks to Ukraine, a source familiar with the plan told CNN on Saturday. Officials have declined to say how many tanks will ultimately go to Ukraine.They will be Soviet-era T-72 tanks, which Ukrainian military personnel have experience operating, a senior US official told CNN.Those tanks will be delivered "within days, not weeks," the official said, from NATO partner countries.The New York Times first reported on the transfer.The Ukrainian presidential adviser's comments came hours after the Russian ambassador to the United Kingdom, Andrei Kelin, said that if Britain delivers long-range artillery weapons and anti-ship systems to Ukraine, they would be "legitimate targets" for Russia."Any weapon deliveries are destabilizing, especially the ones mentioned by (Ben) Wallace (the British Defense Secretary)," said Kelin, according to Russian state news agency TASS. "They exacerbate the situation and make it bloodier.""Apparently, these are new, rather high-precision weapons. Of course, they will be legitimate targets for our armed forces if they cross the border of Ukraine.""I have a feeling that London's idea of what is happening in Ukraine militarily is formed on the basis of the bravado reports of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and the Ukrainian leadership," Kelin said.Russian officials have long complained about deliveries of advanced military weapons to Ukraine by the US, the...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alyssa Healy struck 170 from 138 balls in one of the finest one-day international innings to power Australia to victory over England in the Cricket World Cup final.Healy went on from a run-a-ball century to record the second-highest ODI score by an Australian woman and to lead Australia to an extraordinary total of 356-5 as they batted after losing the toss at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.It was too hefty a challenge for England to overcome, despite a remarkable innings from Nat Sciver, who blasted an unbeaten 148 off 121 balls to give England an unlikely shot at victory, but they fell 71 runs short as Australia claimed their seventh ODI World Cup title.Healy's 160-run opening partnership with Rachael Haynes in just over 29 overs dampened the spirts of an England team that were hoping for back-to-back titles after winning the 2017 World Cup at home.Her 156-run partnership with Beth Mooney for the second wicket then left England close to despair.Had it been a one-off, Healy's innings would have been an extraordinary and memorable one. But Healy also made 129 and put on 216 with Haynes in Australia's semifinal win over the West Indies five days ago.Haynes made 85 in the semifinal and followed up with 68 from 93 balls on Sunday. Mooney followed her unbeaten 43 in the semifinal with 62 from 47 balls against England, including a half century from 38 deliveries.Only Belinda Clark, who made an unbeaten 229 against Denmark in 1997, has scored more runs for Australia than Healy in a one-day international innings. The fact Healy did it in a World Cup final made her innings even more of a landmark in Australian and women's cricket.Australia were 316-2 when she was out in the 30th over. From the 138 balls she faced, she hit 26 fours.Her signature shot was to step back to leg and strike the ball through or over the off-side field, usually between point and cover. Even with the prior knowledge she would attempt the shot, England were unable to prevent it. But she played a full range of shots, including pulls, drives and scoops.Among other milestones, she took her tally of runs in the tournament to 509, a record for a Women's World Cup which overtook the record set by Haynes during her innings in the final.Her efforts led to a mammoth chase for England, which ended up being a one-woman mission, with no other batter reaching 30 as Sciver tried to do it alone.After Healy had played possibly the greatest one-day innings in a World Cup final, Sciver had a case for the second-greatest, backing up her century against Australia in the group stage with a knock that pushed England far closer to glory than they had any right to be.At 179-4 in the 28th over, there was hope, but wickets tumbled to leave England at 213-8. They still had overs up their sleeve though, and No 10 Charlie Dean stuck around with 21 off 24 balls as the pair added 65 for the ninth wicket.But Dean fell in the 43rd over with 79 still needed, and when No 11 Anna Shrubsole fell the next over Sciver was left stranded, and Australia were ebullient.- With APSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you know what I’m loving at the moment? Normality.At least as much normality as you can get with a mask still on.But as of tonight mandates are gone, and vaccine passes are gone - more steps towards a more relaxed lifestyle.Our local pub was excited - it posted on social media that it looks forward to welcoming everyone back into the pub and not having to scan vaccine passes, and exclude people It also said it’d love to see Covid dropped as the only conversation being had. The pubs post said “let’s try to keep Covid chat to a minimum and find something more interesting to talk about”. Too right.And how good is it to see crowds back at the Super Rugby? And good crowds too.What a difference it makes to the atmosphere and the vibe of live sport to have people there enjoying it in person.We are slowly getting back to the way it should be.Not everyone’s on board of course. These changes have some concerned. The Herald had a story yesterday on the age divide over the reaction to mandates going. It said, “Research New Zealand, a privately owned social and business research organisation, found there were almost double the number of older respondents - aged 55 and above - unhappy with the decision, compared to younger respondents - those aged 18 to 34." It goes without saying that the fear will be hard to shake – and for some more than others.Fear is a very powerful messaging tool and there seems a natural propensity for humans to gravitate towards all the fear possibilities in every scenario. But as we push forward, hopefully more and more of us will see that life can indeed go back to some kind of normal. A different normal obviously – I doubt it will ever be the way it was pre-Covid. There will always be that residual fear or reluctance to behave in the same way we did pre-Covid. For example, sharing drink bottles, I can't see anyone feeling good about that for a long time congregating in large crowds in small spaces, hugging and kissing strangers. Those things I think will take a long time to revert to pre-Covid ways.But given our collective nervous systems have been through the ringer the last couple of years, I’m looking forward to a bit of calm in the coming months. Hopefully it’s not the calm before another storm. Hopefully there won’t be a stampede of sickness come winter.But I guess what we have gotten good at is taking it all one day at a time. Or one week at a time. I’m hoping this week also sees us go to an orange traffic light. I mean it’s tragic to be “hoping” for a traffic light colour because there is an argument we shouldn’t even be in any traffic light system at all, but given we are, orange is our best hope. I doubt we will see green anytime soon.So by the end of this week we will have mandates removed, vaccine passes gone, and if we are very lucky, we’ll be in an orange light. Well some of us at least may be anyway. So I start the week optimistic today, that normality is knocking.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The ripples from that Oscar slap continue for Will Smith.The actor's resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and Netflix has now put his next film on the backburner.PR firm Red Banyan CEO Evan Nierman Kate Hawkesby he missed an opportunity to act quickly during his Best Actor Oscar acceptance speech.“In that speech, he apologises to all sorts of folks like the Academy, his fellow nominees, but he doesn’t apologise to the guy he’s just smacked across the face on live television.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Wellington bar is catering to its customers still keen on vaccine passes.From midnight tonight, it won't be mandatory for businesses to check passes.Hashigo Zake is planning on still requiring them for the first half of the week, and not for the second half.Owner Dominic Kelly told Kate Hawkesby some of his patrons are only comfortable going places checking for passes.He says the arrangement probably won't be long-term.“By the start of May, everyone’s vaccine passes are going to start expiring and unless there’s a flurry of activity from some in, I don’t know, Ministry of Health, they’re probably all going to stop working anyway.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christopher Luxon thinks National's responded well after Labour politicians in Christchurch were harassed online. Two Young Nats have resigned from the National party as a result. The move followed misogynistic and personal attacks were targeted at three women. They were Cabinet Minister and Wigram MP Megan Woods, Ilam MP Sarah Pallett and Christchurch City Council member Sara Templeton. Christopher Luxon told Kate Hawkesby the pair reflected on the party's new code of conduct, and quit. He says they've implemented the code, as the comments were vile and utterly unacceptable. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A student representative says the increase to the student allowance and living costs will affect very few people. They are both increasing by $25 a week. Union of Students' Associations President Andrew Lessells told Kate Hawkesby it's far too little far too late. He says the increase isn't going to cover the rental increases most students are seeing and it's not going to cover the cost of food they're seeing either. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’ve been pretty vocal in my criticism of the Police Commissioner, but never the actual police. However, yesterday my brother had an experience that makes me question what on earth is going on inside the police force at the moment. Yesterday morning my brother was dropping his son and his son’s mate to school around 8am. My brother’s friend who's just flown back into the country was on speaker phone in the car, telling them all about his trip, when my brother notices a paddy wagon surging up behind, lights flashing, 4 or 5 cops inside. He immediately pulls over to let them pass, assuming they’re after someone ahead and he wants to get out of their way. But the wagon pulls in behind his car. A female officer hops out, comes over and says to my brother – “you’re on your phone.” He says, “it’s a hands free call, it’s coming through the car speaker.” She says, “no, you had the phone up to your ear.” He says, “no I’ve never had it at my ear, it’s been on speaker, my boys can testify to that because we were all listening to the conversation.” She’s not having it, the officer arks up all of a sudden angry and says, “You were on your phone, holding it.. I’m prepared to go to court over it.” So now my brother is shocked at what the hell is going on here. Her level of aggression and tone is so intense. But he knows he’s in the right, he knows he wasn’t holding his phone, so he replies, “I’m prepared to go to court over it too”. She remains defiant. My brother says to her, “I know for a fact I wasn’t holding my phone because my son was holding my phone because he was using one of my apps at the time of the call.” She gets more irate, “no you had it at your ear.” My brother says, it was categorically not at his ear. She argues it was. So at this point he’s like, “wait a minute, my hand to my ear is different to my phone to my ear – if my hand was at my ear I would’ve been scratching it, or flicking my hair behind it.” Aware she’s losing this argument – which by the way should never have even been an argument, she then says – “open all the car windows so I can see the children properly and if they’re in appropriate car seats.” He winds down the windows to reveal the two boys are in fact teenagers and well beyond car seat age. She then says she needs to check the car is his. She runs a plate check and confirms it is. She then says she will not fine him today, on this occasion she will ‘let him off with a warning’ .. but that he ‘should set a better example for his children.’ He replies that he’s perfectly comfortable with the example he’s setting his children. Can you believe this attitude and aggression from the police? What the hell is going on with them? Why are they nowhere to be seen when there're real crimes like burglaries, assaults, gangs blocking streets, homeless bothering retailers, ram raiders, drug dealers, .. there's so much crime going on at the moment that the police are not attending, how is it 4 or 5 of them have got all that time to stop and interrogate a law abiding Dad driving his kids to school? And as for the tone - to threaten court action? Are you kidding me? Just what sort of police are we turning out these days? How is this sort of attitude acceptable?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air New Zealand's $2.2 billion recapitalisation package is being seen as the only way forward. It plans to use it to repay the Crown loan. The Government will participate in the raise to retain its majority 51 per cent shareholding. Aviation commentator Irene King told Kate Hawkesby Air New Zealand really doesn't have any option. She says the fallback is for the Government to inject more money, and then it brings into question whether Air New Zealand shouldn't be nationalised. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the things that's irked me this week - apart from Will Smith - (who I'm still irked by, by the way), but the other thing annoying me, is Auckland Transport. I mean I guess we shouldn’t be surprised at the lengths they'll go to, to get us out of our cars.. and actually if you think this is just an Auckland thing, think again. The anti-car brigade is coming to a road near you any day now. It’s top down, driven by idealogues inside the Government and includes advocates like Julie Anne Genter who would have us all on bikes by now if she could. The latest car bashing going on is to strip away all the parking. Not just the regular amount of parking they’ve already stripped away, oh no, that was just an appetiser. They won’t rest until ALL parking is stripped away. That includes parking on the road right outside your house. And what, you may ask, will they do with all that empty space where cars were once allowed to park? More bike and bus lanes of course! Here’s the thing no one seems to want to admit – we are not a country of public transport users. We are not London, we are not Melbourne. We do not have our homes perched on main line stations and accessible through roads, we do not have thriving city centres heaving with people all eager to get on a bus. What we have, particularly in Auckland, is far-flung suburbs, people who commute all over the place – they might live on the North Shore, work in West Auckland, and have kids at school in the Eastern suburbs. The after-school sport may be somewhere else. We are families with bags and gear and equipment and things that need to be carried in something more robust than a bike basket. We live and work on routes where buses don’t come, so we would have to walk in all weathers to all manner of places after the bus stops miles from where we need to be. Our CBDs are shadows of their former selves – they are crime-filled dens of inequity and empty shops with 'for lease' signs. Homeless have set up camp, retailers have left. They’re not places we want our kids hanging around all hours to wait for a bus that may or may not turn up. What I’m saying is, we are not a country geared up for this, we are not compact, and we love our cars. And let’s break this down in terms of the metrics they’re actually planning. 240 kilometres of road, taken back, taken off us, and our cars, and given to buses and bikes. That’s very roughly 48,000 cars, and if you recycle that car park 4 to 5 times a day, that’s roughly 200-250,000 cars swept off the road. Public submissions on this plan start tomorrow and are open for a month. Can you believe initially they were going to do this WITHOUT any public submissions? The arrogance of that. So they’ll “consult” which we know is code for “let you speak”. Will they listen though? Do they really care? Or will it all just get railroaded.. excuse the pun.. through? If they do get their way, then I hope they’ve crunched the numbers on how much more productive movement they’re gaining. Because all I know from retailers is that when you take away the car parks, you take away the business.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With most vaccine mandates being scrapped for workers soon, the Government have given some guidance for how private businesses should navigate the changes. It says businesses should undertake their own risk assessment as to whether they should keep mandates. But just because you lost your job due to being unvaxxed, doesn't mean you should expect an offer for your old job back. CEO of Beyond Recruitment Liza Viz joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A large study out this morning found New Zealand has the highest melanoma death rate in the world. It also predicts worldwide cases within the next 20 years will increase by 50 per cent, and mortality rates will increase by 68 per cent. Dr. Chris Jackson, medical oncologist and former Cancer Society medical director joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is spending $15 million over three years on its zero road toll campaign. The National Party say that money is better spent on actually fixing the roads. But Transport Minister Michael Wood says it's about getting the word out that change is needed. Mike Lee, Associate Professor of Marketing at Auckland University joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holding the America's Cup in Barcelona is expected to breathe new life into the event. Team New Zealand head Grant Dalton says having the event there will allow the team to propel its growth trajectory on the global sporting stage. America's Cup commentator and double Olympic gold medalist, Shirley Robertson, says the team was up against others with unlimited budgets. She told Kate Hawkesby she's sure it's been a tough decision, but says it will put some energy into the Cup. Robertson says three European teams are confirmed, and to have the event in Europe will be good for investment and fans. She says Barcelona is also an easy-to-get-to, loveable city. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.