Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

More calls for pregnant women to get the Covid jab. Thirty per cent of women giving birth at Middlemore Hospital have Covid-19. They're being recommended to wear masks in labour. Auckland University researcher Dr Michelle Wise told Kate Hawkesby the vaccinated and boosted rate for pregnant women is lower than for the general population. “Every study that’s come out in the last couple of years, shows that the vaccine is safe in pregnancy.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sadly, no detail on the Government's RNZ/TVNZ merger but let's start with the very brutal truth – it’s going to be about as exciting as watching paint dry. It’s going to apparently ‘better reach those groups who aren't currently well served; such as our various ethnic communities and cultures,’ Faafoi said, so in other words, kissing a mainstream audience goodbye. Here’s the first problem – it’s going to operate under a charter. That’s been tried before – and failed – it was disastrous because it was invented by boffins all based on theory and PC BS, with no regard for the realities of the real world and what audiences actually want to see and hear. On paper, some sneering academics may jot down their wish list of ‘Kiwi’ content to ‘reflect us back to ourselves’.. but in all reality the only thing being reflected back is their own Twitterverse echo chamber. What they think we want to see, and what we actually want to see, are two very different things. Issue number two – it’ll have a - quote unquote- trustworthy news as a core service. Stating this shows just how far removed from reality the politicos have become. You want us to accept that a government run media entity, is going to have a ‘trustworthy’ news service? Are you serious? Is it as trustworthy as the blinkered left leaning media currently in the Government’s pocket? This on the very day an OIA revealed the Government – donkey deep in image consultants, PR lackeys, spin doctors and focus groups, actually gave “special briefings” to commentators who’d likely be talking to media about the Government’s Covid response. If you don’t know what I’m talking about here, look up Kate McNamara’s excellent piece in the Herald yesterday – it’s part of a three-part series she’s done on examples of government communication being bogged down in spin and murky disclosure. She’s got all her info through Official Information Act requests; it makes for eye-watering reading. Every time you saw media roll out Michael Baker or Sousxsie Wiles or Shaun Hendy, they and a bunch of others had all been ‘briefed ‘in advance by the Government, to give positive media coverage favourable to the Government’s narrative. Basically, to flatter the Government’s slow and clumsy Covid response, particularly around vaccine delays. So if you thought those commentators all sounded like Labour politicians when you heard them, you were right. They were part of the spin. So now this least open honest or transparent government ever, wants us to believe they’re going to run a ‘trustworthy’ news service? Put it on a Tui billboard, it’s farcical. Here’s the other insult – it’ll be partly funded by us the taxpayer. So invented by government, designed by government, partly funded by government with our tax payer dollars, but allegedly with complete editorial independence. And then there's the fact they're 'targeting youth'. Anything that says it wants to 'target young people' is not going to. Young people don't want to be targeted, they want to curate their own media sources from a variety of places, and this won't be it, it never has been. So, no wonder TV3’s lapping this announcement up and welcoming it, because although RNZ/TVNZ may be awash with government cash - winning the money that way, doesn't win you the audience.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Online shopping isn't just more convenient, but lighter on your pocket. Australian research shows consumers can save more than $1300 a year on groceries by shopping online, rather than in person. Auckland University associate professor in marketing, Karen Fernandez told Kate Hawkesby going online eliminates impulse buying. “There’s another little cute thing that happens in online shopping, you can see your total mount up. Then you think, do I really need this?” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A juror told a judge Tuesday that failing to disclose his child abuse history during jury selection at the trial of British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was one of the biggest mistakes of his life — but an unintentional one. "I didn't lie in order to get on this jury," the juror said. A U.S. judge questioned the juror extensively as part of an effort to decide whether the revelation about his personal history as a sex abuse survivor will spoil the verdict in the sex trafficking trial. Lawyers for Maxwell — who was present in the courtroom, clad in a dark blue jail smock — say the verdict should be thrown out. Maxwell's lawyers potentially could have objected to the man's presence on the jury, on the grounds that he might not be fair to a person accused of a similar crime. Maxwell, 60, was convicted in late December of helping financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse multiple teenage girls from 1994 to 2004. Sitting in a courtroom witness box, the juror repeatedly expressed regret as U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan asked him dozens of questions about why he didn't reveal repeated incidents of sexual abuse by two people at age 9 and 10 on a questionnaire during the jury selection process. The juror said he "skimmed way too fast" through the questionnaire. "This is one of the biggest mistakes I've ever made in my life," the juror identified only as Juror No. 50 said as he looked directly at the judge. "I flew through the questions," he said, adding that he was "super distracted" by nearby conversations and movements of prospective jurors who dropped off their completed questionnaires just a few feet from him. "I honestly never thought I'd be chosen for this jury." The juror said he also incorrectly answered a question asking if he'd ever been a crime victim, in part because the sex abuse he endured "doesn't define me." "I do not feel I am a victim of a crime," he said. "It's not something I think about. It happened so long ago and it's not part of who I am." The judge gave lawyers in the case until March 15 to submit legal briefs on whether the verdict should be set aside. Maxwell's sentencing is scheduled for June. The juror did several media interviews after the trial in which he revealed he'd been abused. He described persuading some fellow jurors during deliberations that a victim's imperfect memory of abuse doesn't mean it didn't happen. All potential jurors in the case had been asked to fill out a screening form in early November that asked: "Have you or a friend or family member ever been the victim of sexual harassment, sexual abuse, or sexual assault? (This includes actual or attempted sexual assault or other unwanted sexual advance, including by a stranger, acquaintance, supervisor, teacher, or family member.)" The juror checked "No." The juror said in the interviews he didn't remember being asked that question, which was No. 48 on the form. The judge granted the juror immunity before he answered questions for about an hour. He said he would invoke his Fifth Amendment privilege without it. Maxwell lawyers in January asked the judge to immediately order a new trial after the juror's public statements, but Nathan said she could not do so without questioning the juror. Outside court, Maxwell's sister, Isabel, said the family was hoping a new trial would be ordered. "A full and impartial jury is the very basis of the criminal justice system and it must be preserved," she said. Maxwell was convicted of sex trafficking and other charges after a monthlong trial that featured testimony from four women who said she played a role in setting them up for abuse by Epstein. Epstein, 66, killed himself in August 2019 as he awaited trial at a federal jail in New York on related sex trafficking charges. Maxwell says she's innocent. - By TOM HAYS and LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated PressSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark Manson is the author of two great books I’ve read.. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k, and Everything Is F**ked: A Book About Hope. They were New York Times bestsellers, which sold over 13 million copies. These days, like everyone else, he podcasts, and he has an interesting take on social media - which intrigued me given my recent battle with Facebook and how annoying I think tech giants are. I am deeply suspect of their algorithms which just capture people into their own little echo chambers. Anyway, Manson argues that everything we say about social media being bad - is not actually social media’s fault. He reckons it’s the user's problem. He says it’s about how we use it. So is this true? Can we dip in and out as we please, set personal boundaries, limit our exposure and keep social media a healthy space? It might be a good time to reassess this given how much awful news we’re consuming online at the moment. I for one, cannot read enough on Ukraine, it absolutely breaks my heart, it leaves me devastated, and yet I can’t stop reading about it. And the fact I’m seeking that news out means the algorithms will send more of it my way - and if I’m not careful my feed will be awash with nothing but war. So whose fault’s that? Mine? Or Instagram’s? It poses an interesting question. Is social media responsible for all society’s ills or not? Obviously, Manson argues not. He says social media is a simple dynamic of a three-tiered network. Creators (or influencers), engagers, and lurkers. The creators are the people who feel passionately about stuff and are confident enough to post about it and create the content, the engagers are the ones who form tribes around these people because they appreciate the sentiment, like the way the creator's framed it, they identify with that narrative, and they’ll defend the creator and engage with them. Lurkers are too busy to bother commenting or engaging or creating, they’re scrolling mindlessly while also cooking dinner or changing a nappy, they care less. It’s these 3 groups he says, who make up the bulk of social media users. Of course, the largest group is the one outside of social media – the silent majority. Disturbingly though, Manson argues the people who’ve been screwed over the most by social media are those who work in mainstream media. He says we’ve been ‘screwed sideways’ by it. It’s become our information channel, our source of all reporting. He says we follow it, target controversy, look for moral panic, and report it back, thus, feeding the monster. We’re looking to supply content quickly, and he argues that’s overtaken our ability to use time to search for facts, so he says our culture gets shifted to extremes, as we look to shift awareness. He argues in general we all need to push our perceptions back to a more mature understanding of social media. Because as he says, social media hasn’t corrupted us, it’s merely revealed who we always were.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new startup company considers themselves the "Tinder for barns" Called Heybarn, the idea is that rural and lifestyle property owners that have free shed space, can rent out that space for Kiwis who need more room. They can "match" online, and despite being early days, the startup is seen as a world first. Heybarn co-founder Tom Brownlie joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The culture of New Zealand’s law profession may need an overhaul if it wants to stop burn out. The Aotearoa Legal Workers Union has found 74 percent of lawyers feel their work is causing their mental health to suffer, with 83 percent believing it's doing the same to their colleagues. It identifies a range of causes from unmanageable workloads, subject matter of the work, poor or no supervision and feeling undervalued. President Tess Upperton told Kate Hawkesby what people get paid is also a big contributor. “People at the younger end who are earning not much above minimum wage and then when you take into account the sheer volume of hours they are working unpaid they are dropping below minimum wage sometimes.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A suggestion there's not too much of an appetite for an even shorter isolation period. Covid cases and household contacts only have to isolate for seven days, from midnight Friday - with contacts testing on day three and seven. EMA Head of Advocacy Alan McDonald told Kate Hawkesby while the business community would like it to be less, there's a large chunk of the population still worried about living with the virus. “The other issue is I don’t think yet we've seen a peak through the health system and the Government has always taken a health approach, quite rightly, and I think until we see reach peak through the health system you’re not likely to see more change.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I find the debate about whether we’re in a cost of living crisis at the moment fascinating, because it’s exactly the sort of thing Ardern would’ve argued vehemently when in opposition – yet because she’s currently in government, is denying. No cost of living crisis, according to her. Yet as the Wellington City Missioner said yesterday, anyone who says there isn’t one, is someone who’s doing OK. It’s easy to get removed from that kind of reality when you’re someone on the PM’s wages driving an electric car and never pushing your own trolley round a supermarket wondering how you’ll pay for your groceries. But this crisis is being borne out, if not to you personally, then certainly all around you - and maybe we should be a bit more mindful of it. Which is why I beat myself up yesterday after my petrol station hustle. Well, I thought it was a hustle – and that’s part of the problem. With increasing desperation comes increasing crime, and that makes people wary. Having had our garage broken into twice, and seeing a surge in crime in our area, and with the CBD such a festering mess of violence at the moment, it’s easy to jump to conclusions when some random comes up to you asking for money. So, I’m putting gas in my car and this guy rocks up to me, hoodie up, all dressed in black, looking down at his feet, comes over right into my personal space and says, “Hey Miss I need some money for gas.” And my first thought is - don’t we all mate it's a bloody fortune, but he's on foot, I don't see a car anywhere, so I immediately think - oh he's hustling me for cash.. an opportunist, targeting a woman alone on a forecourt. I say, “Sorry mate I don’t carry cash.” But he’s not taking that for an answer, he says, “just a little bit – my tank’s empty.” And I repeat, ‘sorry, no cash’.. which is true, but also, I don’t want to engage him as to where his car is. I just finish pumping my gas and get into my car, at which point he goes back behind the gas station which is clearly where he’s hanging out. But as I drive away I start to think – what if he genuinely did just need money for gas? Should I have offered to give him some petrol and asked him to bring his car round? Could I have bought him a gas voucher? Was I too mean? You see here’s the problem, I want to help people, always, but this whole scenario just had me feeling uncomfortable. Because the sad thing about a desperate society is the fact there’s more crime, the more your defences go up, the more you get cynical.. all because you don’t want to get mugged. And then I thought maybe I’m turning into my Nana – who always lamented what had happened to society and talked about ‘the good old days’ when you could “leave your front door unlocked” and there were “no weirdos on the bus”. I started thinking about the old days of forecourt attendants who would’ve bounced a guy like this right off the forecourt before he even had the time to bother customers, as opposed to these days where attendants are stuck far away inside, behind a counter, oblivious. So, was I getting hustled? Or was I witnessing the cost of living crisis in action?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Nurses’ Organisation is unhappy with changes allowing staff with Covid to return to work. The Ministry of Health is now allowing infected staff to return early if their absence means the service couldn't run. It means healthcare workers can leave isolation on day six if they test negative twice. If they still test positive, they can work on Covid wards. Nurses Organisation President Kerri Nuku told Kate Hawkesby it puts everyone at risk. “It puts patients and staff at risk because the risk is if you don’t have a well-staffed ward, the quality of care on patients is compromised.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concerns at the length of time it may take for changes to the supermarket industry to bring prices down. The Commerce Commission's final report recommends Woolworths and Foodstuffs offer wholesale supply to other grocery retailers on a voluntary basis. It also recommends helping consumers make more informed purchasing decisions and enhance competition at the retail level, by introducing mandatory unit pricing. Registered dietitian and nutrition researcher Leanne Young told Kate Hawkesby what's recommended is a relatively slow way of driving down prices. “We would like to have seen something more structural that would give consumers confidence that prices would go down.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s pretty quiet in Auckland at the moment, with what feels like everyone isolating. The roads are not as congested with traffic, the malls are quiet, cafes are either shut or operating at reduced hours, it's all a bit sad. How many of those isolating actually have Covid though? Because it seems like an awful lot of people are at home, and I just wonder how many of them actually need to be. There’s definitely still confusion out there as to what the rules are. Who should isolate and for how long. To do a RAT or not, to register it or not. There are those still paralysed with fear, those still doggedly scanning in. What for? You’re not being contact traced. There is no point. And yet, two years of fear messaging has left people unable to think for themselves, apply logic, or just own their own lives. It’s a tough reality for some to accept that the Government isn't that interested in a prescriptive day in day out Covid response anymore. Yet there are still some among us terrified of not being told what to do. I do hope our sensibilities and ability to think rationally returns. I do hope we gain back a sense of independence and faith in ourselves. I also hope the peak is indeed over and we start getting out the other side of this thing. I’m keen to see shops and cafes bustling again, people hugging, people less afraid of each other. But the key to making that happen does actually lie in the Government’s hands. They need to reduce isolation time for positive cases from 10 to 7 days. 10 days is way too long. The CDC in America says 5, Australia says 7, we say 10. Why? It’s a cold for most people lasting no more than 3 days. 10 days is over the top – and it’s holding up business, closing services, shutting things down. 10 days is also clearly too appealing to those who’re work shy. So much so did you know you can buy positive Covid tests to show your employer? That's fraud by the way, but doesn't stop people selling them. Surely we can drop isolation to 7 days. It would be good to not only curb the absenteeism, but also get back to some semblance of functioning in a first world capacity again. Food on supermarket shelves, services running. I tried to send a parcel by overnight courier yesterday. They told me I was dreaming. Nothing’s happening overnight they said, because everyone at the courier company’s isolating. They said their courier workforce had been hobbled by Covid and they’re virtually shut down - and to get a parcel out of Auckland overnight was impossible. I asked how long it would take for my package to reach its destination – they didn’t know. Depended on staff availability they said, of which there was barely any. So, this third world vibe of no services working properly and empty shelves and no supply chain is something I’ll be happy to see the back of sooner rather than later. And I think reducing our iso time might be a good place to start.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is urgently passing a new bill specifically targeting the Russia-Ukraine conflict. New Zealand has been criticised for not having sanctions as strong as some other countries. It includes freezing assets in New Zealand, a travel ban on more than 100 people and the economic targeting of people supporting the invasion, including oligarchs. Democracy Project international analyst Geoffrey Miller told Kate Hawkesby it's taken a while to be introduced. “You had everyone from Switzerland and Monaco to Singapore and Japan and all of those countries traditionally have been reluctant to impose sanctions.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the last two years, we've heard countless stories about businesses needing to do business travel. When it comes to making deals and trades, doing it on Zoom with dodgy Wi-Fi often doesn't cut it. But economists are forecasting that business travel will resume at barely half the rate they once were. General manager of corporate brands at Flight Centre Keely Alton joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's supermarket industry could be in for a major overhaul today. The Commerce Commission will release its final report from its market study of the industry this morning. Last year's draft found a lack of competition between supermarkets. The commission could make a range of recommendations, including asking supermarkets to divest their wholesale divisions. Auckland University Marketing Lecturer Bodo Lang told Kate Hawkesby he's expecting meaningful change to come from this. “I think we will see something that is a fairly deep restructuring of the sector, otherwise a lot of people will say ‘why didn’t we do more?’ We had the study conducted, a lot of investigation.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It seems a fitting memorial to Australian cricket legend Shane Warne.Following his death in Thailand on Friday, fans have gathered at Warne's statue outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground placing not just flowers but also beer, cigarettes, pies and cans of baked beans.Warne's reported love of baked beans was came about in the 1998 tour of India when he said he was only eating the canned goods because he wasn't used to the local spicy cuisine. A reported 1,900 tins of baked beans were then shipped out to Warne and the side.The Victorian state government, which has offered Warne's family a state funeral, announced Saturday that the Great Southern Stand at the MCG would be renamed the S.K. Warne Stand - "a permanent tribute to an amazing Victorian."Ordinary, everyday Aussies shed tears. Mick Jagger, Elton John, Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe were among the celebrities mourning Warne's death — not as if his incredible career achievements needed any exclamation points from the entertainment industry. But they were there in abundance.Former England captain Michael Vaughan said it best for many of his fellow cricketers past and present."Shane was the greatest-ever cricketer but more than that his character lit up every dressing room ... bar, golf club & friendship group ... his energy & positivity was beyond anyone I have ever known .. he was loyal beyond loyal," Vaughan said on Instagram."Everyone wanted to be around him but ultimately he was just a normal guy who could do incredible things."The Australian test team was told of Warne's death following play on the first day of the series-opening test match against Pakistan in Rawalpindi. On Saturday, there was a moment of silence before play began on the second day."We all grew up watching Warnie, idolizing him," Australia captain Pat Cummins said. "What we loved so much about Warnie was his showmanship, his charisma, his tactics, the way he willed himself and the team around him to win games for Australia."The Australian and England women's teams also wore black armbands for their Cricket World Cup clash at Seddon Park on Saturday.'Come on, Shane'A Thailand paramedic has opened up on the efforts to revive cricket legend Shane Warne after he suffered a fatal heart attack last Friday.Warne passed away aged 52 in Koh Samui, Thailand on Friday night.Paramedic Anuch Han-iam told The Sun that Warne was unresponsive by the time help arrived at the two-storey villa at the Samujan resort at 5pm local time."Shane's friends were already trying to bring him back to life," he said."I took over doing CPR while we waited for an ambulance."They were desperate. I think one was crying. They were really stressed and panicked."They kept trying to wake him and I heard someone saying, 'Come on, Shane. Come on, Shane'."I could see they were all shocked and I just tried to concentrate and do my best.Han-iam told the Sun the villa looked very clean."There were about four or five other people in the room. All men, there were no women."The villa was clean and I didn't see any beer or cigarettes inside."There was nothing unusual that made me think they'd been partying. I didn't know when I arrived that it was Shane Warne. But I know who he is, he's a star."I did my best for him and gave all my energy. I'm so sorry that I couldn't help him."Extreme dietSpeaking with Australian TV show Nine's Today, Warne's long-time manager James Erskine said Warne had finished a fluid-only diet for two weeks."He did go on these ridiculous sort of diets … and was just finished one, where he basically only ate fluids for 14 days, and he'd done this three or four times."He was a bit all or nothing, it was either white buns with butter and lasagne stuffed in the middle, or he'd be basically having these black or green juices," Erskine said."I just think it...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has set out a six-point action plan to counter Russia's war on Ukraine.It includes rapidly strengthening defences in NATO countries, more economic sanctions on Russia and mobilising international humanitarian efforts.Johnson outlined his plan in the New York Times.Europe correspondent Gavin Grey told Kate Hawkesby the Prime Minister publicised his points before meetings this week.“Meetings with the Canadian Prime Minister and the Dutch Prime Minister here in London tomorrow Monday our time. The following day he’s going to host leaders of central European nations.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s hard to believe we are still watching the war raging between Russia and Ukraine unfold in front of us.It feels desperate and helpless, and almost perverse to watch this play out while we can do so little about it.It’s utterly heartbreaking.But also heartbreaking is the fact ignorant New Zealanders are deciding now’s the time to attack Russians living here.I cannot believe that people think this has anything to do with them – just because they are Russian. It’s abominable.I was horrified to read a headline at the weekend that said “Russian Kiwis in Auckland say they’re encountering abuse and harassment in the wake of the invasion”. The report says they’re feeling excluded like they should hide their nationality, their children are getting bullied at school. As one of the Russian Kiwi Mums said, “The war is not about us, we are just normal people who live in New Zealand and pay taxes.”A Russian Church was vandalised, as well as a shop selling Russian goods.These are senseless ignorant acts done by people who clearly have no compassion and no understanding of what is actually going on here. No Russian born person is responsible for the acts of a crazy leader. It defies logic that the insane actions of a monster on the other side of the world should be blamed on Russians who’ve made New Zealand their home.It is also not a time for further division and attack, but a time to surely promote peace and show love.I always feel embarrassed when I see racism here, it’s not who we should be, and there should be no place for it at all.I spoke with the Race Relations Commissioner last week who was concerned about this very thing happening, he described it as a “few naughty people” who would undertake racist acts like this. But it’s an attitude, it’s a bubbling undercurrent of ignorance which we should all be working hard to extinguish. As if the world isn’t a tough enough place these days, why would we turn on our fellow Kiwis just because of their accent or where they were born?The other heartbreak at the moment is watching Zelensky’s cries for help go unanswered. He says the world ‘must not watch, but help’. He wanted NATO to close the airspace over Ukraine and develop a no-fly zone to stop Russia attacking, especially after the attack on Europe's largest nuclear power plant. But the West, nervous about potentially making things worse and escalating the war beyond Ukraine, refused.Zelenskyy called NATO’s actions weak, and I can understand his frustration and desperation. I mean how is it we are watching a man, a father, a husband, fighting literally for his and his country’s lives, having survived 3 assassination attempts, and still begging for help the West just can’t give, it’s soul-destroying. The humanitarian disaster we’re watching unfold will have far-reaching consequences – more than a million people seeking refuge already. It is all so so harrowing that it’s hard to believe the best some people can do here at home is attack Russians who’ve left their country behind, to come here to live a peaceful life.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concerns the National Party's tax plans could cause more harm than good.Leader Chris Luxon's announced in his first State of the Nation speech that he'll reverse every tax increase the current Government has imposed if he becomes Prime Minister.He also wants to adjust all tax bracket thresholds, so people pay less tax.Council of Trade Unions Chief Economist Craig Renney told Kate Hawkesby that's not going to fix the country's problems.“Property speculators is not going to reduce the price of fuel, reducing taxation on multiple landlords is not going to reduce international shipping costs.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It may be time for men to take better care of themselves.News broke over the weekend of the death of Shane Warne at 52 after a suspected heart attack in Thailand.Thai authorities have been carrying out an autopsy on Warne's body, as they continue to investigate his death.College of GPs Medical Director Dr Bryan Betty told Kate Hawkesby heart attacks are becoming more common in men over 40.“We do see it, it does happen and it’s just something I think we need to be aware of and think about it as a wake-up call that perhaps we should do more.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland Airport is gearing up for a busy weekend - and this time it's the international terminal that should see a bit more action. New Zealanders from anywhere across the globe will be able to return home without having to go into MIQ from midnight tonight. Neither will they have to self-isolate - if they're Covid negative. Auckland Airport's Corporate Services General Manager Mary-Liz Tuck told Roman Travers staff are preparing for the arrival gates being flung open. “So we are expecting about 900 New Zealanders to come back through tomorrow and that’s the first time in two years we’ve been able to welcome Kiwis home from around the world.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There has been some discussion this week about the Brain Drain, and how with the world opening up for Kiwis again, we could lose a lot of workers overseas. Employers are having to think of ways to make sure they don't lose their workers going on OEs. Randstad NZ thinks they have worked it out. They are giving staff the choice to work anywhere around the world, for up to four weeks a year and not lose any of their pay or leave. Randstad NZ's country director Katherine Swan joined Roman Travers. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s unknown how many rentals are meeting healthy home standards. The Government has revealed it's not collecting data on how many homes are compliant. It's also not requiring properties be assessed by a third party to verify whether it meets the standards. Property Investors Federation Chief Executive Sharon Cullwick told Roman Travers she’s confident the noncompliant rentals are still being found. “There’s also a complaints area that tenants can complain about their house, they are capturing them, but they’re not keeping a detail.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Too little too late would be my assessment of yesterday's clear out of the protestors. And when I say clear out - there's still a few there, but the most obvious question is why on earth it took so long to get to this point? Surely what happened yesterday could’ve happened week one, before it grew, got infrastructure and spread around other cities. To let it get entrenched to the point where riot police with shields and pepper spray had to be called in to clear it out, is to have left it far too long. I wonder if Coster, in his quiet moments (of which there appear to be far too many), ponders the merits of faster action. By the time they’re plumbing showers into the city’s water mains, and setting up toilets and kitchens, it’s gone too far. But that first week, when all the rabid nutjobs were there, that was the time to go in. Nip it in the bud. It was an illegal protest so shut it down within 48 hours. Instead, they poured fuel on the fire - everything from Mallard's macarena and sprinklers, to Ardern's condemnation of them from her very high horse, to Coster's decision to stand back and do nothing- making Police look weak and ineffective. The cops we were hearing from were fed up, sick of sitting on the sideline when they could've been more active. The protest, fuelled by petty actions from politicians, and emboldened by Police's acceptance of their presence, not only grew but started to garner public sympathy - one poll showed 1 in 3 New Zealanders supported it. Mandates became a public debate the PM couldn't ignore, momentum kept building. Are we at all surprised it ended the way it did? Coster claimed he didn't want to turn the whole thing into a fight, but after all this time, how was it ever going to end any other way? The protestors were rarked up, they'd had tips offs Police were coming, they were bristling - and by the time cops got there - it was all on. In the end the fringe let the protest down, the crazies that joined in wrecking any chance of the peace and love brigade getting cut through. And that’s where the more moderate protestors lost the room. Instead of attacking the media and police for not telling their story correctly, they should’ve been dealing with the nutjobs themselves, extinguishing their presence and voice at the occupation. Instead - it got feral. Protestors were given the chance to leave, but many decided to riot instead. No common sense, law-abiding New Zealander, not even the ones mad about the mandates, would condone that sort of behaviour. And so, the protest undid itself, proved the PM's summation correct when she called them deplorable - a badly handled mismanaged shambles of a protest. A Police Commissioner too slow, too ponderous, too piece-meal. And a government who badly misread it and unwisely didn't follow their own favourite mantra of going hard and going early.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former rugby league star Manu Vatuvei has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison. This is for his role in a meth importation scheme. His defence lawyer says part of the issue is Manu struggled with adjusting from professional sport life, to a life post-rugby league? Questions are being raised as to whether there is enough support for sportspeople navigating a life post-retirement. Dr Lefaoali’i Dion Enari is a lecturer in sport leadership and recreation at AUT and he joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Police have been maintaining a presence overnight, in case of further protests. But Alistair Boyce, owner of the Backbencher Gastropub in Wellington, told Kate Hawkesby there are no signs of any protesters in the area right now. “Can’t see any protesters, they’ll be lingering in the shadows if they’re anywhere. It was a pretty cold night in Wellington.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Retailers are defending the cost of Rapid Antigen Tests. A Consumer New Zealand survey's found the price varies from $6.40 to $19 a test. Retail NZ spokesperson Aimie Hines told Kate Hawkesby some pharmacists bought them at a high price so have to charge $19 but says that's not a sustainable price. “I think what we will see across the board is between $6 to $12 max, that’s a pretty fair price, even with freight costs.” Aimie Hines says retailers managed to land stock within a week, rather than the usual three. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yesterday I had a very strange experience, Facebook-related. A scammer is pretending to be me, commenting on my show page, as me, telling commenters that they’ve won a cash prize. Apparently, fake me is giving away $20,000 in cash prizes. All you need to do is give ‘fake me’ your credit card details. Trust me, if I had 20 thousand dollars to give way right now, it would be to Ukrainian refugees, not people on Facebook. So this fake Kate Hawkesby, which has pictures of me ripped off Google, is out there in the wild west of the internet trying to scam people. I only got clued into this when people started messaging me yesterday on Instagram telling me they were so excited to have been selected. I asked them to send me the link, and thus unravelled the fake news trickery that’s out there in my name. Here’s the really awful bit. Facebook won’t believe me that it’s a scam. My boss contacted our security team here at NZME, he contacted the digital people, he reported the fake account and the scam to Facebook itself and included proof of the real me page versus the fake me page. Seems like enough good evidence to me. But not for Zuckerberg. His Facebook bots or support team - whoever they may be – came back to us hours later declaring in all their wisdom, that upon investigating, they’d discovered that the scammer was in fact me. I kid you not. Facebook tells me there’s nothing to investigate because their insightful probing shows I am indeed the fake account. How is this possible? More to the point, how is it advertisers are happy to part with thousands if not millions of dollars to advertise on this platform – which can’t even patrol correctly what’s fake and what’s real? How could you ever trust Facebook? And why would brands want to align themselves with such a shoddy platform? Mainstream media like us have to be beyond reproach, scrupulous, jump through many regulated bureaucratic hoops for our advertisers. We have to be clean as a whistle. Yet, Facebook, it seems, can do what it wants. It can literally leave up a fake scam impersonating someone, attempting to rip people off, all because it can’t tell the difference between real and fake. How worrying is that? As I sit here now, fake me remains out there messaging people who comment on our show page, that they’ve won thousands of dollars. I spent a good chunk of yesterday messaging people back explaining sadly they'd not won anything. But I can understand their confusion, scammers are clever, the pictures are mine, the ZB logo is there, it’s got ripped off sponsor IDs stamped all over it.. it looks legit. In fact, when alleged winners are contacted by fake me, they’ve asked ‘is this for real?’ and the scammer has replied ‘yes it’s legit – you win!’. So, who really wins here? Not us as Facebook users, not Facebook because they lose credibility, not advertisers because who’d want to be part of this shambles. The only winner is the scammer – the fraud. Worst of all, Facebook’s approved it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Russian forces are continuing their attack on Ukraine as international pressure mounts on the Kremlin. Ten people have been killed and another 35 wounded in a rocket strike on a government building and civic square in Kharkiv. A strike on a television building in Kiev has killed at least five people, and taken several TV stations off air. A 65-kilometre-long Russian military convoy is now less than 30 kilometres from the capital. Meanwhile, representatives of dozens of countries have walked out of a speech by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. UK correspondent Gavin Grey told Kate Hawkesby the UK Government has set aside $440 million in humanitarian aid. “It’s now saying up to 200,000 Ukrainians could come to the UK as part of a scheme to help those fleeing the war.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From this morning any Kiwis coming home from Aussie do not need to self-isolate and no MIQ. But with the welcome mat opening for KIwis round the world, it also means we can leave New Zealand too. ANZ economists are warning about 20,000 Kiwis will move to Australia alone. With a large outflow of people, this is warned to increase our worker shortage and add demand to our labour market. Infometrics Senior Economist Brad Olsen joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

20 percent of Countdown staff are currently isolating - that's comes out to roughly 1000 workers. The two Auckland distribution centres are down to 50 percent staff, leading to bare shelves across grocery stores. Countdown says it's continuing to recruit temporary team members where it can. Ben Peterson, First Union retail organiser joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Race Relations Commissioner says Russians here have faced discrimination over the invasion into Ukraine. Meng Foon says told Kate Hawkesby one of the main reasons immigrants come here, is to find a better life and adhere to our values. “Unfortunately, there’s a few naughty people that have violated other people’s rights.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My brother had Covid last week. Omicron struck him and his whole family, save for one child. He was asymptomatic, bar a dry cough and a tickly throat. All of which he said under normal circumstances he would’ve gone to work with. It lasted 3 days, he said he wouldn’t even rank it in the top 10 of head colds. So, from where he sat, it wasn’t worth the fear and angst afforded it. I’m sure there are those gravely affected by it – those unvaxxed, or with underlying health conditions, or immune-compromised, or elderly or young children. But for the majority, it’s so low key the CDC in America don’t recommend more than a 5-day isolation period is necessary. So my brother’s view is that it’s not worth the fear, the social dislocation, the decimation of tourism, hospo and international education.He doesn’t see the need for the $80 billion debt blow out and human misery. The massive toll on mental health, and elective surgeries. He sees the condescending endless barrage of expensive overly researched slogans, made up graphics, and ever-changing frameworks and traffic lights as a waste of time. This Government's big on marketing, advertising, social media. It’s a government steeped in comms and marketing, but light on actual substance. A lot of ads, posters and billboards, but not enough ICU beds, health workforce manpower, PCR testing capability, RAT kit procurement and distribution. No amount of teddies in windows and ‘be kind’ motorway signs can make up for the fact that as ‘feel good’ as they wanted our response to look, it fell flat in real hard data. The beds, the tests, the RATS, the PPE, the staff. So now as we face the full brunt of our outbreak, what does the Government of this self-proclaimed world leading response do? They abdicate. The day my brother tested positive he was told he’d be notified by Public Health on what to do next, 5 days later still nothing. In fact, the day they finally called him to ‘contact trace’ was also the day the announcement came that contact tracing was being abandoned. So a late, and as it turns out wasted, phone call. What should the Government be doing here? Well firstly, accept (like every other country in the world) that Omicron is mild to moderate and has overrun our response plan. In line with that they need to make positive result isolation periods 5 days not 10. Remove all onerous scanning in requirements from businesses given there’s no contact tracing now anyway. Disband MIQ immediately, welcome back international visitors and attempt to rebuild our tourism, international education and hospitality sectors. Then we might be able to address the real issues we’re facing like increased cost of living, our debt to GDP, our emaciated labour market, low productivity, a failing education system, our mental health crisis, housing, the creeping co-governance by stealth to name a few.Oh and an added bonus – the protestors would go home. Surely that’s a win-win.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Federated Farmers is welcoming the news of a free trade deal between New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The UK has agreed to phase out all tariffs on our exports, saving Kiwi exporters about 37-million dollars a year. It's also expected to boost our GDP by up to $1 billion. President Andrew Hoggard told Kate Hawkesby free trade deals are always a win for New Zealand. “We sign them and you expect some benefits and then we're usually blown away by how many benefits we do get.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Starting friday 11:59pm, vaccinated Kiwis from anywhere in the world will now be able to return with no self-isolation requirements. For those coming from Australia, that begins Wednesday 11:59pm. RATs will be needed before and after arrival, and on day 5. Cabinet is now looking at whether the remaining three steps of the five-step border reopening plan can also be bought forward. Grounded Kiwis spokesperson Alexandra Birt joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There has long been talk of government merging TVNZ and RNZ into a new public media entity. Cabinet is said to have finally made it's decision on the matter, and is expected to announce the merger will go ahead. Someone who has a keen interest in this is TVNZ's main competitor Discovery who owns TV3. Senior Vice President and General Manager of Discovery Australia and New Zealand Glen Kyle joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

These are awful times globally, aren’t they? I mean there have been darker periods in history, but for young people living through a pandemic and now witnessing what’s unfolding in Ukraine right now, awful.Horrific for all of us actually, not just young people. But we have record levels of anxiety amongst our young people in this country at the moment – exacerbated by the pandemic, and I do worry how much worse it’s going to get for them. Young people are seeing this war unfold in real-time, this is not black and white grainy footage from times gone by, they’re watching civilian videos on TikTok and across social media as people literally fight for their lives in front of them. A phone in their hand is broadcasting all the action live for them to witness. And without a wider context of history, or any real memory of conflicts like the Balkans, Crimea, Chechnya, they will be rightly worried and freaked out. Mainstream media puts its own narratives on what they’re witnessing, politicians do too, but confusion still abounds. There’s terror of a World War 3, which I don’t believe will be the case, but I can imagine how frightening it must be to hear, see and read that everywhere. Young people these days are used to hearing things from the horse’s mouth. they get their news from Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. So they’ll be glued to those sources — often bereft of any analysis — just scary war-torn pictures and stories raining down on their feeds. It’s a lot for them to digest off the back of two years of a pandemic and all the fear messaging that went with that.If you think about it, our young people are surrounded by fear these days. It’s hard to imagine them being able to be light of foot, optimistic, planning OE’s, relaxing with friends without a care in the world like we did at the same age. Many of them have missed landmark moments at school or University, unable to do the usual rites of passage like prizegivings, graduations, sports finals, Uni orientations. They’ve been masked up, mandated, vaccinated, sanitised and sent home. Usual pomp and ceremony curtailed. Stood down from school for lockdowns, restricted from sport, jobs lost or changed. Parents under stress or financial pressure. Grandparents isolated. And now they’re seeing division and protest across their own country, while also absorbing an all-out war in a far-flung one. I’m not arguing that young people in other decades didn’t go through worse, I’m just saying it hits different when it’s your own young people. And when it’s a digital generation who’re seeing it all unfold right in front of them, in full colour, the murky bloody desperate horrors of war.I feel for them, and I hope they’re able to build resilience, find gratitude for what they have here, and focus on that. The irony of Kiwis marching for freedom this past weekend, when you see what’s happening in Ukraine — I mean, it’s embarrassing.I hope despite all of this, we can keep perspective on just how lucky we actually are.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Colin de Grandhomme century and two vintage Neil Wagner wickets have given the Black Caps hope, but they'll still need to accomplish a rare feat for another test victory over South Africa.South Africa reached stumps on day three of the second test at Hagley Oval at 140-5, holding a lead of 211 runs as the Black Caps hunt for their first test series victory over the Proteas.While a crucial pair of Wagner wickets in the final session opened an avenue into the South African tail order, the visitors aren't far away from providing an imposing total.Just twice have New Zealand successfully chased a fourth-innings target of 230 or more in New Zealand, and there have only been five winning fourth-innings chases of more than 235 by any team in this country – none since 2003.That statistic doesn't tell the entire picture, as the 235 mark has been passed 25 times, 20 of them coming in draws or defeats, but it points to the old adage being true – fourth-innings chases, even those with feasible targets, are no walk in the park.That the Black Caps even have a sniff of victory is thanks to de Grandhomme, whose second test century brought New Zealand back into the match.De Grandhomme's unbeaten 120 was his highest test score, and could hardly have come at a more pivotal time, walking to the crease at 91-5 and heading back off having helped drag the Black Caps to 293.He was assisted by Daryl Mitchell, who made 60 in a partnership of 133 for the sixth wicket, but Mitchell was trapped lbw by Keshav Maharaj, who showed enough to indicate that his spin could be dangerous in the final innings.De Grandhomme however largely navigated the spin well, playing a patient game in the 90s before cutting Maharaj behind point for three to casually bring up his century off 138 balls.Having brought up his 50 from 36 balls, he had displayed the savvy in the following 102 deliveries to suggest an even larger score was in the offing, but the big man was let down by the tail order.Kyle Jamieson (13 off 30 balls) and Tim Southee (five off eight) both fell swiping at short balls, and while Wagner (21 off 18) had some fun smacking Maharaj and Marco Jansen in revenge for their ninth-wicket partnership in the first innings, he and Matt Henry fell in consecutive balls to Kagiso Rabada to leave de Grandhomme stranded.From 224-5, the Black Caps would have been disappointed in 293 all out, with Rabada finishing with 5-60 and Jansen 4-98 as the visitors took a vital lead of 71.It was a lead than ensured even a middling second-innings effort would still leave New Zealand with a challenging chase, and middling would be a fair descriptor for South Africa's effort with the bat.By tea, they had slumped to 42-3, with Southee and Henry knocking over the top order and ensuring the Black Caps wouldn't be batted out of the test.Rassie van der Dussen and Temba Bavuma provided resistance, with the vocal van der Dussen getting chippy with the equally fiery Wagner in a tense battle.Van der Dussen was content to attack Wagner's trademark short ball – a tactic that carried some risk for New Zealand, with a few lofty blows seeing runs flow and South Africa rapidly increase their lead.The already riled-up Wagner was even redder when de Grandhomme shelled a straightforward chance at square leg to remove van der Dussen, but with his fielders letting him down, Wagner did it himself, luring the batsman into a false shot and taking the return catch.That ended a 65-run stand, and 11 runs later Wagner had the other big scalp – Bavuma driving straight to short cover to expose the start of South Africa's tail.Kyle Verreynne and Wiaan Mulder – both players under pressure for their place in the team – stuck together for 26 valuable runs before stumps, and more resistance tomorrow morning will leave the Black Caps with a tall order in their quest to write history.- by Niall Anderson, NZ...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sitting with her teenage daughter in a hotel foyer in northern Romania, 38-year-old Viktoriya Smishchkyk breaks down in tears as she recounts her departure from Ukraine.“I could hear the sound of the fighting outside, it was very scary,” Smishchkyk, who is from Vinnitsya in central Ukraine, told The Associated Press from a hotel that is offering free accommodation to refugees.“We left all our belongings behind, but they are material things — less important than the lives of our children,” she said.Smishchkyk and her daughter are among hundreds of thousands of people who have fled Ukraine since Russian launched its attack on Thursday. The U.N. refugee agency said Sunday about 368,000 people have fled the country, many into bordering nations like Romania, Poland, Hungary, Moldova, and Slovakia.Amid the horrors and chaos, volunteers from far and wide are showing support by extending help to those whose lives are being shattered by war.At Romania’s Siret border crossing, where thousands of Ukrainians have entered, government workers race to distribute basic amenities donated from all across the country. Meanwhile, people and businesses are pooling resources to provide the refugees with everything they need.Stefan Mandachi, a businessman who lives in Suceava, a city about 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of the Siret border, has converted a large ballroom at the hotel he owns into a refugee reception center and is offering private hotel rooms for free to the displaced.Scores of mattresses are laid out on the ballroom’s floor, donated clothes are piled high and young children run around.“I feel the need to help, it’s my duty to help,” said Mandachi, who is also offering free food for Ukrainian refugees from his fast food chain. “I have locals who speak Ukrainian — we are united to help them.”For Vasiliu Radu, a 34-year-old emergency service worker at the Siret border, the outpouring of support from volunteers has made him proud of his fellow citizens. “It’s more important these days, in these situations of war and instability — that people must help each other,” Radu said.But not everyone trying to flee Ukraine is receiving the help they need.Some Indian citizens seeking to flee into Poland were stuck at the border Sunday and were unable to cross, according to Ruchir Kataria, an Indian volunteer in Poland who is trying to help them.Kataria, who has been in cell phone contact with Indians stuck at the border crossing into Medyka, and a smaller group at Poland's Krakowiec border, told the AP that the Indians trying to cross at Medyka were told in broken English: “Go to Romania.”But the group had already made long journeys on foot to the border, not eating for three days, and had no way to reach the border with Romania which is hundreds of kilometers away.In Poland’s southeast city of Przemysl, just a few kilometers from a border crossing with Ukraine, hundreds of people waited in a parking lot to help refugees who were being bussed in from the border by authorities.“I am very happy that I have come and I want to thank all the people who are organizing this,” a young Ukrainian girl, who had just arrived, said. “This feels really nice that people are waiting for us in your country.”Moldova, which shares a long border with Ukraine, is also seeing a massive influx of refugees. Authorities said that since Thursday, 70,080 Ukrainian citizens have entered the small nation of about 3.5 million.Moldova's President Maia Sandu, who visited a northern border crossing Sunday, urged people to remain calm and vigilant and thanked volunteers for their work.“In these difficult days, I am proud of the citizens of our country, who have shown solidarity and humanity and have offered our neighbors a helping hand when needed," Sandu said.Jacob Sontea, a Nigerian student who was based in Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine, arrived by train at...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Covid-19 and other world events are increasing anxiety in children.Clinical therapist and parenting expert Dr Anna Martin says access to social media means kids are more likely to come across upsetting images.She told Kate Hawkesby parents can't put their heads in the sand on tough issues like the current Ukraine conflict.“Answer questions that they may have, but also let them know how safe they are and what’s happening over there isn't going to be happening in their backyard.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The travel industry's imploring the Government to remove self-isolation requirements for returnees as the first phase of the border re-opening begins.Fully-vaccinated New Zealanders and other eligible travellers from Australia can now skip MIQ and isolate at home for seven days instead.The first flight into Auckland Airport is due at 2.45 pm this afternoon while the first into Christchurch Airport is scheduled for 5.30 pm.House of Travel's Brent Thomas told Kate Hawkesby a limited number of New Zealanders will head over from here due to self-isolation.“What we do need is for business travellers to be able to travel as well. They need to be able to go and see their suppliers, they need to go and be able to see their customers, and then coming back for a week and having to self-isolate just doesn't work.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Businesses still expect to feel under pressure in phase three of the Omicron response. Health officials will now primarily focus on managing high-risk contacts and locations of interest, like aged care homes. Only cases and their household contacts must isolate for 10 days - with all other contacts expected to monitor for symptoms. Canterbury Employers Chamber Chief Executive Leeann Watson told Kate Hawkesby the difference between phase 2 and 3 is minimal. “We’re still going to see hundreds of thousands of people who will be self-isolating – only for ten days - and that will continue to have a significant impact on businesses' ability to actually operate.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So we’re into Phase 3 as of today – and not before time. Problem is, nobody knows what any of it means. I was out all day yesterday driving around Auckland and what I can tell you is that there are still snaking queues everywhere for PCR tests. Why? Why is no one getting the memo on that? Why are all these people still queuing for tests? Possibly because RATs, which we’re supposed to be doing, are so hard to find. One of my trips yesterday involved a covert side of the road operation like a drug mule, picking up RATs I’d managed to source – at no small expense I might add – from an anonymous source who was transferring them to me from their car boot wrapped in a rubbish bag. I kid you not. It’s like prohibition days – only the prohibited substance is something that should be readily available to everybody, like it is all over the rest of the world. Why RATs aren’t in every Pharmacy up and down the country by now is beyond me. But here at Hermit Central, we’re still waiting to be told when we can have stuff, where, and how. God forbid we try to adult. I was tracking down RATs because I have a family member who was a contact, and their work required a negative test before they’d let them return. Unable to get a PCR, they managed to source a single RAT kit, did the test, sent the negative result to the employer, so far so good. Except for the fact the employer said they wanted a second test result done “just to be sure”. Now here’s where it gets iffy. Employers who are unilaterally making up the rules as they go for employees make things tricky. Where were they supposed to get another RAT from? They’re like hens' teeth, still no access to PCRs, and let’s not forget that under the new rules, being a contact doesn’t even mean you have to isolate anymore anyway unless you’re in the same household as the positive case. Was the employer going to supply the RAT? No, they weren’t. Many businesses are struggling to source them too, they’re having to jump through hoops and if they’re not critical, they’re usually falling flat on their faces. So long story short, I went into mafia mode and sourced some RATs which even if you waterboard me I’m not going to tell you where from, and I was able to supply this family member with one so they could do another test. Desperate times call for desperate measures. The infuriating thing is why is it all so desperate when we’ve had all this time to get ready for this? The problem’s not just the RAT access and limited availability, but also the employers who’re freestyling the rules, the people who’re still confused about the new contact rules, those freaked out despite the Government relaxing the rules and still wanting to ’play it safe’ - and all the people just making it up as they go along. Shambles? Yes, it is. The Government’s clearly given up on this, but we're so acclimatised to rules and fear, we seemingly can’t let go. If I can just say one thing to you today it’s this - it’s time to let it go.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A sense of shock across Ukraine - as Russia ramps up its invasion of the country. Forces are carrying out a major military assault -- with missile strikes and explosions being reported near major cities. The Ukrainian military claims to have shot down at least six Russian aircraft - with reports at least 40 of its troops and several civilians have died. Al Jazeera's Abdul Al-Kadiri spoke to Kate Hawkesby from Kiev where many people are trying to flee. “There is some reports of some heavy clashes on the West side of the capital.” Russian paratroops are now in control of an airbase near Kiev, and are reportedly trying to seize the Chernobyl nuclear plant. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Explore Tāmaki Makaurau voucher programme has been a shot in the arm for struggling Auckland businesses. It's a scheme where you sign up for a voucher to spend on Auckland activities, and registrations are closing today. More than 220,000 Aucklanders have registered, with 53,000 vouchers used so far. Auckland Unlimited investment and industry director Pam Ford told Kate Hawkesby three and a half million dollars' worth of vouchers have been spent, and more than a hundred businesses have benefited. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The testing thing is doing my head in. The lack of preparedness, the lack of enough RATS, the queues, the delay on results, absolute cluster. Then we’ve got the crazy isolation rules – so many people down and out having to isolate. I mean you know when Auckland’s iconic Ponsonby Road restaurant Prego has to close due to no staff that’s it’s end times. I mean that’s surely the final straw for many Aucklanders. And it's not just them actually - a bunch of Auckland restaurants have been hit so hard they have to close the doors for now. I’m not sure how bad it has to get for this Government to adapt, evolve, shift strategies and accept they could do this better? They seem disconnected from all reality. Here’s the absolute gut punch on all this. Students and workers are being told to isolate in their droves, and not come back until they can prove a negative test. Problem is, when and where are they getting that test? Queues for PCR’s go round the block and then some – you’re waiting hours – even if you manage to get one, which is unlikely, you’re then even more unlikely to actually get the result. There’s a 5 or more days lag on results coming back – the labs have confirmed they’re overwhelmed, they can’t do it, they’re at capacity, game over. Some tests that are sitting there may never see a result. So, what’s your alternative? It's what we should have had months ago - RATs. Can you get one of those? Again, unlikely. You’d have to be an essential or critical worker, or part of the health workforce to be automatically supplied one. If you’re just a regular nobody like most of us, you’re going to struggle. They’re not being handed out quite as generously as the Government would have you believe, it's not as simple as they say. You’re either queuing for hours to get one from a testing station, or you’re buying one on the black market or illegally importing them because the Government's somehow against people taking responsibility for themselves. In trying to be a responsible citizen and take care of my family, I tried to buy RATS. Felt like a criminal in doing so. It’s bordering on a covert operation, akin to importing nuclear weapons for goodness sake. Why? Why are we being treated like children – or worse – criminals – in this country, for trying to solve our own problems? My extended family and friends are dropping like flies as close contacts or positive cases and I can tell you out of about 20 of them, just 2 have been contacted by the Ministry of Health to confirm test results and instructions. You’re basically left to your own devices anyway so why not let us all have open access to RAT’s and be done with it? There's so much confusion out there, it’s like the Wild West. And that’s before we get to all the parents fed up with kids at home isolating as close contacts which means they’re off work too, all waiting to be able to show a test result they either can’t get a test for, or won’t get a result to. We had so long to plan for this, so many months to watch it unfold elsewhere .. how are we still cocking this up?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

RATs will be the norm at testing sites in Auckland. PCR testing has been pushed to its limits causing long delays. Covid Modelling Aotearoa Lead Researcher Emily Harvey says the tests still need to be prioritised for people who are close contacts or have symptoms. She told Kate Hawkesby if you test positive with a RAT, you should trust it. “Very highly likely a positive result, so well over 99%. The main thing you should be worried about is the false negative rate.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is confident its new goal of zero road deaths by 2050 is realistic. An extra $140-million will be spent on road policing in the next three years as part of the Road to Zero campaign. Police Minister Poto Williams says human error is a good place to start in addressing the issue. She told Kate Hawkesby the plan uses not only government but community agencies and educators as well. “It really speaks to key elements; how we have safer roads, how we have safer road users, how we look at speed, how we look at infringement and education and all those things combined.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's superannuation fund, as well as ASB and Westpac's growth fund all hold shares in Russian listed companies with ties to the Kremlin. British and American sanctions on Russian companies therefore might start impacting our KiwiSaver funds. Barry Coates, chief executive of Mindful Money joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Case numbers yesterday were another ‘record’ of course, but given the lag in getting results notified, and the delay in having them updated, we can only assume these numbers are old. And by old, I mean, out by a few days. In which case, if the experts who say numbers double every 4 to 5 days are right, then you’re looking at in all reality, us sitting at about 5 and half thousand cases at this stage, not the 2 thousand 800 reported yesterday. And if that’s the case, then the Government’s response is dealing with outdated information, and their settings are not accurate for where we’re at. Think about it, they said at about 5 thousand cases a day we’ll move to phase 3, yet we are still in phase 2 because the reported numbers say we’re only at less than 3 thousand cases at the moment. Except that in reality, we’re probably not, due to the delays. So in fact, if testing was keeping up, we’d see a more accurate picture of numbers, instead of a week-late picture, and we’d be more accurately going to phase 3 now. Do you see what I mean? So in Phase 2, the 'transition' stage, isolation periods for cases reduced from 10 days to 7. But under Phase 3, the definition of contacts changes to household - so only higher risk contacts will need to isolate, not this current whack a mole approach of everyone. We'll self-manage at home, notify our own contacts, and test to return to work. Which is about where we should be now, and no doubt will be very soon. This current slow down of results and delays is of course not the fault of the lab technicians and the testers who for all intents and purposes are working their butts off here - they seemingly cannot go any faster than they already are. But they're at the behest of a system that's been created without much regard for what's actually possible. The classic theory versus reality strikes again. Government has invented a political response which you could argue at the moment is neither current nor relevant. It ignores, one, the mildness of the illness, and two, the actual real time data. It's frustrating and I don’t even have it yet. Only a matter of time surely. My daughter’s school mates are dropping like flies, many schools have so many teachers isolating they’ve had to shut shop. There's a clock ticking for those of us who’re parents of school students and it’s the waiting that’s the annoying bit, isn't it? The anticipation of it, and for many, the fear that goes with that. I hope those who’ve locked themselves up with fear will be able to relax a bit once this washes through. It’s sad how restrictive many people have made their lives, and it makes you wonder if they’ll do this during flu season too or if it’s just the name ‘Covid’ that freaks people out. Either way, hopefully we see a peak soon, and we can start to come out the other side of all this.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.