Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

House values continue to rise out of reach of many young Wellingtonians.The latest rating valuation has been released by QV.Over the past three years, the average home value across Wellington city has increased 60.4 per cent to sit now at more than $1.4 million.All of the capital's suburbs now have an average value above $1 million and land value across the city has increased to more than $980,000.Infometrics principal economist Brad Olsen told Kate Hawkesby Wellington seems to have become a millionaire's paradise.“I think the challenge that we’re seeing going forward is that still now getting into a house in Wellington, it seems to be a fair way away for a number of particularly young people.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christopher Luxon's new deputy leader of the National Party is confident the pair can overcome the party's internal divisions.Nicola Willis told Kate Hawkesby National's liberal and conservative wings came together at yesterday's caucus meeting to support them.“What we saw was an uncontested leadership, we saw everyone come in behind. All 33 of us are on that same page.”The Wellington list MP worked for Sir John Key and Sir Bill English in a variety of roles between 2003 and 2011.She entered Parliament in 2018.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A big challenge for National, to appeal to almost everyone with its next choice of leader.Former Air New Zealand boss Christopher Luxon appears to have the numbers over former party leader Simon Bridges, ahead of a caucus meeting this afternoon.Simon Bridges says the leadership will come down to a vote of MPs which insiders say Luxon is likely to win.Former National Cabinet Minister Jonathan Coleman told Kate Hawkesby he'll need to choose a deputy and front bench that unites the liberal-conservative divide.“We’ve got to be a party that appeals to that broad middle swathe of New Zealand, and frankly, the country’s changing, so we need to have a look, feel and a leadership team that reflects that and can appeal broadly.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I don’t know why we keep getting our hopes up for these announcements, they’re always such a letdown. I mean I guess we knew Auckland was starting in Red, and not just Auckland but a total of ten other districts around the country as well. That’s a lot of Red.The rest of the North Island starts with Orange, the whole of the South Island Orange. No one’s in Green, because guess what?They’re taking a “cautious approach”. Of course they are. The problem with this whole thing is the lack of definitive criteria for it. That does two things, one, gives the government all the power with little or no accountability, and two, leaves people in the dark.Can festivals go ahead or not? Can people make holiday travel and accommodation plans around that or not? A review of the traffic lights comes on December 13th. Is that enough time for festival organisers to cancel or postpone their events which start a couple of days after Christmas? Is just over ten days enough time for contractors to get the yay or nay? For festival-goers to tweak plans? Book accommodation? Book travel? I doubt it.It’s tough to play a game when you don’t know the rules, and this is the problem with the government not being transparent here and holding all the cards. I mean why is Auckland, as a region one of the most vaxxed areas of the country, starting on Red? The Government claims it’s because “it’s the epicentre of the outbreak.” But when is Auckland not going to be the epicentre of the outbreak?For as long as MIQ is in Auckland, it's an epicentre. The definitions also state that Red is about protecting the health system from being overwhelmed. Yet the health system’s not remotely overwhelmed, not even close to it, so again, why? Starting Auckland in Red literally makes no sense. And given that, how do you justify moving it out, what’s going to change between now and when it moves to Orange?Nothing. They say they’ll be looking at factors such as vaccination rates (high in Auckland), the state of the health system (again, in good shape), contact tracing and case management capacity.. well that part’s up to them, not us.You can't punish us for something we have no control over. Surely holding Auckland back based on the government’s own ability or otherwise to do something is just plain cruel?So we start this thing Friday, Aucklanders get to leave their boundary two weeks later, the whole thing gets reviewed again January 17th. But before we get our hopes up too much, we still don’t know what’s yet happening with Omicron. So we still don’t have a lot of surety about our lives, but then again, isn’t this just how we live now? Living in fortnightly bundles of hope tinged with anxiety.The problem is, we’re so browbeaten by all of this, that despite still being dictated our lives in two weekly sermons, we somehow still feel grateful for every incy wincy bit of freedom they allow us.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Australian federal government has "paused" its plan to ease border restrictions from Wednesday, December 1, delaying the move by a fortnight as the world grapples with the new Omicron Covid variant.This means fully vaccinated visa holders will not be able to fly into Australia without an exemption.Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison made the announcement on Monday night after a meeting of the Cabinet's national security committee was briefed on the latest information about Omicron.At this stage, the easing of border restrictions will be delayed until December 15."On the basis of medical advice provided by the Chief Medical Officer of Australia, Professor Paul Kelly, the National Security Committee has taken the necessary and temporary decision to pause the next step to safely reopen Australia to international skilled and student cohorts, as well as humanitarian, working holiday maker and provisional family visa holders from 1 December until 15 December,'' a spokesman said."The reopening to travellers from Japan and the Republic of Korea will also be paused until 15 December."The temporary pause will ensure Australia can gather the information we need to better understand the Omicron variant, including the efficacy of the vaccine, the range of illness, including if it may generate more mild symptoms, and the level of transmission."The standard rules, including that all arrivals to Australia require a negative PCR test and must complete traveller declaration forms detailing their vaccination status, will continue to apply.Previous changes announced over the weekend include the reinstatement of home quarantine in some states that had dumped the requirement for international travellers.Over the weekend Australia introduced temporary bans on travel to Australia from several African countries.Anyone who is not a citizen or permanent resident of Australia, or their immediate family including parents of citizens, and who have been in African countries where the Omicron variant has been detected and spread within the past 14 days, will not be able to enter Australia.The countries are: South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Malawi and Mozambique.Australian citizens and permanent residents arriving from these countries will need to go into immediate supervised quarantine for 14 days subject to jurisdictional arrangements.In a statement, the Morrison government noted that the Australian Border Force retains discretion to allow people who are already in transit to enter, but these people will be subject to state based isolation requirements.Under state public health orders, New South Wales and Victoria have already initiated testing and 72-hour isolation requirements for Australian citizens, permanent residents and immediate family members entering the country. In other states, 14 days of managed quarantine are required, and traveller cap arrangements are in place."Australia has a proven record of dealing with Covid, we have one of the lowest fatality rates, highest vaccination rates and strongest economies in the world," Morrison said."We will continue to take sensible and responsive evidence-based action, led by medical experts. This will ensure we can open safely, and stay safely open as we learn to live with the virus." Prime Minister @ScottMorrisonMP says the federal government is "calmly and carefully' responding to the latest information about the new Omicron COVID-19 variant. pic.twitter.com/aXoYs9zVRn— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) November 28, 2021 "Of course [Omicron] is concerning and that's why we're getting all the information we possibly can," Morrison told Sunrise on Monday morning."We moved very quickly on Saturday, this moved from a variance under investigation to a variant of concern within a very short period of time and we immediately put those extra controls...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland Police officers might need better protection as they respond to more firearms events.Three police officers are recovering in Auckland Hospital after being shot in Glen Eden.The offender was shot dead.Former Justice Advisory Group chairman Chester Burrows, who's also a former cop, told Kate Hawkesby police need more to respond with than pepper spray and a taser.“The Police Association has been saying for a long time they want to have guns on their hips. I would hate to think that we’d go there, but it’s difficult to find out what the other answer is.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Understanding from Whakatane about why it's moving into Red under the traffic light system from Friday.Most regions will start in Orange, apart from Auckland and places with low vaccination rates, including Northland, Gisborne and parts of Bay of Plenty.Whakatane Mayor Judy Turner told Kate Hawkesby she isn't surprised because the area's still working on vaccination levels.She says a large percentage of the population lives in isolated rural communities.“To getting those services out there has been a challenge, but it is happening. We’ve got a couple of amazing providers who have just gone for broke.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Aucklanders endured their last weekend of an alert level lockdown, waiting to move into our red traffic light this weekend, Covid reminded us that it’s in the driving seat, not us. Relative freedoms just a handful of days away, inching towards some kind of normality, and then boom, news erupts over the weekend of this new variant Omicron. With hope having been dashed to shreds over this past year, it’s hard to stay positive, especially when countries start restricting travel again, re-introducing self-isolation, and not ruling out a return to lockdowns. The familiar creep of dread washes over us. We don’t know yet whether the vaccine’s effective against this variant, UK health officials say there’s a "reasonable chance" that vaccines could be less effective against it. Reports yesterday said, “early data suggests it could be several times more infectious than the original virus, and appears to be outcompeting Delta.” Michael Baker says it’s a variant causing alarm because “it has a very large number of mutations," some of which affect the structure of the spike protein, which is what makes the vaccine effective. He says it has the potential to be “more infectious, more lethal and evade vaccine protection”. It'll be a few weeks until we know the facts on that, so in the interim people rightly feel nervous about future lockdowns, border closures, and as Baker said, going down the elimination path again. Old mate elimination! Oh no! The thought of more micro managing and restrictions from government on our movement and freedoms is enough to take the edge off any premature excitement for a freer festive season. The nightmare of lockdowns potentially returning is a bitter pill to swallow, especially for Aucklanders sitting here on Day 104 of lockdown. Grant Robertson said at the weekend that despite the new traffic light framework we’re moving to, they’re not ruling out lockdowns returning, the Government still has the legislation in place to impose them if need be. Meanwhile, in a rant that resembled New Zealand’s own version of Greta Thunberg, Siouxsie Wiles blasted world leaders for not dealing with the pandemic properly. She told media the new variant “was inevitable, and that after two years of the pandemic, the world’s still not learning or responding appropriately.” She clearly missed the PM's assurances that our Government’s prepared for this. Ardern said New Zealand's “well prepared for the discovery of new Covid variants.” That'll come as a shock to pretty much everyone, given all the official reports talk about these days is how woefully underprepared New Zealand's been in every aspect of its pandemic response, particularly when you consider our natural advantage of time and distance. So as Omicron spooks world markets, scares governments and threatens further impositions on our freedoms, it’ll be interesting to see just how prepared for this new mutation New Zealand really is.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So it's November 29, a date we've all been waiting for. Originally the D-day for the announcement of all announcements, we already know on Friday we're heading to the traffic light system. But today we find out what colour each region will be going in. Sociology professor Paul Spoonley joined Early Edition. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new heavily mutated Covid variant has been identified named Omicron. It's been rapidly labelled a variant of concern by the World Health Organisation, and is already spreading to other countries, including Australia. Originating from South Africa, there's a shortage of real-world data, and no one really knows how big of a threat it poses. Principal scientist at the Institute of Environmental Science and Research professor Mike Bunce joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Surprise from Judith Collins' former and current colleagues, about how her time as National leader came to an end. MP Jacqui Dean has told the Otago Daily Times she's surprised and disappointed Collins used a conversation from some weeks ago to demote Bridges. But speaking exclusively to Newstalk ZB, Collins says she has no regrets about demoting Simon Bridges. Former colleague Chris Finlayson told Kate Hawkesby while he isn’t surprised by her departure, but he is shocked by how it happened. “It is a real doozy.” He said the frontrunners for leadership, Luxon and Mitchell, are both are very able. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who’d be in politics, eh? I mean talk about brutal. How do they just keep getting knocked over and get back up again. It’s so so tough. I don’t know what came over Judith, apart from obvious desperation and I actually feel a great deal of sympathy for her; she clearly felt so backed into a corner she lost all perspective. And I don’t know whose advising her anymore or if anyone did, but it goes to show how important the team around you is, the perspective, the depth of talent needed. And that’s what worries me going forward. I think a reheated Simon 2.0 is just Simon again but at a different time. There’s nothing that leaps out at me to say he’s morphed into a considered strategic and smart team player. He still seems unable to hold his cards close to his chest, keep his cool, look considered and elder statesman like. He’s more relaxed, for sure, but I don’t know that’s enough to lead this motley crew and rein them in as much as they clearly need to be reined in. Then there’s Luxon. Still new, naïve, learning, unsure, and still not media savvy enough on the hoof. He looks like a guy that’s used to being briefed with press statements and sound bites in a corporate office, but when he’s door stopped by a reporter with a microphone out in the real world, he looks a bit like possum in headlights. Like it or not, being media savvy is a huge requirement of the job, and he needs work there. Not too much work or you end up looking too scripted, but maybe it’s just confidence he needs. Also, the media will play up the Christian thing with him because it’s an easy hit and the media seem to have it in for anyone exhibiting any sign of a faith. That’ll be tough for him to dial down in a way that doesn’t alienate him from conservatives, while also not freaking out the mainstream that he’s too happy clappy. Bill English got away with his faith I think because he was Catholic, whereas evangelical is a big leap. So Luxon’s a risk, but then again, they all are. Mark Mitchell - by the way, if Mark Mitchell gets it, I just want it on the record that I said way back, at the get go, that Mark could be leadership material and had potential. He’s solid, ex Police, tough on crime and justice, fights for the underdog, is genuine, takes the job seriously. He’s in it for the right reasons. Whether he’s the man to take it all the way for National in 2023 remains to be seen however. I wish the women in there were more experienced and up for it. You have some great talent in Erica Stanford and Nicola Willis but I'm not sure leadership's their goal at this stage. And there's something smart about a long game, and with the state National's in, the long game may look the most appealing. So, we wait for Tuesday, and all the titbits of leaking between now and then. Who knows where this will all end up, all I know is, whoever it is, has got their work cut out for them.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

England and France are at odds over how to deal with illegal migrants crossing the Channel, after 27 people died trying to get across. It's the largest loss of life there in a decade. Europe correspondent Vincent McAviney told Kate Hawkesby 25,000 migrants are trafficked across each year from Iran, Iraq, Syria and Eritrea. He said they're smuggled by gangs from the Netherlands, Belgium and France. McAviney said the French believe the coastline's too hard to police, so Britain's offering to send officers to help, but France is resisting that. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The retail sector is in for a much-needed boost today. The industry is set to make about 270-million dollars from Black Friday sales. Retail NZ Chief Executive Greg Harford told Kate Hawkesby he's hoping Kiwis will get out and support businesses. “It could really be busier than Boxing Day. Black Friday has become a really significant part of the shopping calendar.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Judith Collins says history will judge her kindly, for her decision to demote Simon Bridges. Collins was removed from the leadership yesterday -- after her surprise decision to demote Bridges the night before. She says she was acting on a complaint from a female caucus colleague about comments Bridges made in that colleague's presence five years ago. Speaking exclusively to the Mike Hosking Breakfast, Collins says it was an inappropriate action, by a person in a position of power. She says in the fullness of time, people will see she did the right thing for the party, knowing there would be consequences for her. Auckland University political commentator Lara Greaves told Kate Hawkesby opinion is likely to be divided. She says the culture of Parliament isn't comfortable for women and for many people, but on the scale of what could have been, this seems to be on the minor side. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What the hell is going on inside the National Party? Here's the problem with that question. We shouldn't even be asking it. We shouldn't need to ask it. They shouldn't be making everything about them and drawing attention to themselves in this way - at a critical time for the opposition to make hay, with so much material available to them to clobber the government with. What are they thinking? This hit job on Bridges is so poorly timed, mind you, so is his clearly bungled coup attempt. But look at all the things they could be jumping on here: the staggering MIQ announcement yesterday - no Kiwis coming home for Christmas, no trans-Tasman bubble, in fact, no access for Australians at all without MIQ until April next year for goodness' sake. I mean this is the most cruel and crazy decision. In fact, even the Kiwis who can come home mid-January still have to self-isolate for seven days when they do. It's pure fortress NZ madness and ripe fodder for a functioning opposition. Add to that, the traffic light law rushed through under urgency last night - flawed and full of government over reach with holes all through it - again, ripe for the picking. You can also add to all this the fact that today is day 100 of Auckland being locked down... one hundred. Which in and of itself is so unbelievable and unnecessary. The timing right now for the opposition to have an absolute field day with the Government's mess is all there for the taking, and yet what does National do? Shoot itself in the foot, again. And let's look at the incredulous leap we're expected to make here - again timing wise, in regards to this Jacqui Dean complaint. She's had 5 years to litigate this and pursue it. Why now? Why wasn't it canvassed when Simon was elected leader? Why wasn't it raised when Todd Muller rolled Simon as leader? Why was it never pursued earlier when she had 5 years to pursue it? Yet, on the brink of an alleged coup attempt by Simon, this complaint magically appears. And speaking of Simon, coup 101 mate, do it quietly. Grinning all over the media like the cat who got the cream, playing with questions from journalists like it's all a big game, leaking about your prospects - how's that smart? All that did was infuriate Judith, strengthen her resolve, clue her in to your plans, and ensure she was going to hobble them... and you. And here we are. Back at the root of everything National keeps getting wrong - forgetting who they're here to serve, forgetting they're a team. All this self-serving crap does is put voters off, and make the National Party look like even more of a circus than the government currently is, which is really saying something. This is an opportunity squandered, a terribly timed hit job, on the back of a bungled coup attempt, by a party that just cannot get out of its own way.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has arrived in Canada, but little is known of what her day will entail. It's the last leg of her first international trip in the role. She's meeting with her Canadian counterpart today Melanie Joly. But Correspondent Anna Burns-Francis, who's in Canada with Mahuta, told Kate Hawkesby it's all a bit hush-hush. She said she’s not sure what they'll discuss, saying the media wasn't even allowed to film them meeting. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many of Auckland's city slickers are upping sticks and moving north to the Hibiscus Coast. Within three days, seven coastal properties were snapped up for more than seven million dollars. Bayleys Orewa owner and manager Kirsty Macky told Kate Hawkesby inner city Aucklanders are pushing up the prices very quickly. “It’s just supply and demand. We’ve just got more buyers than we have properties for sale and so the competition for what we do have is fierce.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Businesses are welcoming back the ability to travel internationally without MIQ. Fully vaccinated Kiwis will be able travel home from Australia without MIQ from January 16, and from all other countries from February 13. All other fully vaccinated travellers will be able to come here from April 30. All must still self-isolate for seven-days. Christchurch exporter Enztech chief executive Iain McMillan told Kate Hawkesby this is great news. “We probably look to be travelling in January to Australia; it’s a nice little warm-up market for us.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A bus carrying tourists back to North Macedonia crashed and caught fire in western Bulgaria early Tuesday, killing at least 45 people, including a dozen children, authorities said. DNA tests were being carried out to identify the victims. The bus apparently ripped through a guardrail on a highway, though authorities said the cause was still under investigation. Photos taken shortly after the crash showed the vehicle engulfed in flames as plumes of thick, black smoke rose. Daylight revealed a burned-out shell with all of its windows blown out, sitting in the median. A portion of the guardrail was lying in the road. Seven survivors were hospitalized after the crash, which took place as a group of buses was returning from a trip to Turkey. Twelve children were among the dead, according to the North Macedonia chief prosecutor, Ljubomir Joveski. Bulgarian Interior Minister Boyko Rashkov told reporters at the crash site that he had "never in my life seen something more horrifying" and that the identification process would take time. “The people who were on the bus are turned to charcoal," Rashkov said. "There were four buses that traveled together, and it is possible that passengers changed buses during the stops.” Borislav Sarafov, chief of Bulgaria’s national investigation service, confirmed that 52 people were on the bus that crashed. Among the survivors were five North Macedonia citizens, one Serb and one Belgian, according to North Macedonia's Foreign Ministry. Albanian Foreign Minister Olta Xhacka said almost all of the dead were ethnic Albanians, but it was not clear if they were also citizens of North Macedonia. Blagoj Bocvarski, North Macedonia’s transport minister, told reporters in the capital of Skopje late Tuesday that officials have started a procedure to revoke the transportation license of the travel company that owns the bus. He said the company has four buses licensed to carry passengers internationally, but for the bus involved in the accident “there was no record in the ministry that it possessed the license.” News of the crash hit hard in the small Balkan country of 2 million people. The North Macedonia government observed a minute of silence Tuesday and declared three days of mourning. Flags will be lowered to half-staff, and all public events will be canceled. The country's prime minister travelled to Bulgaria, as did its chief prosecutor, who visited the crash site. Azem Sadiki, mayor of Studenicani municipality near Skopje told reporters that 20 of the crash victims were local residents. He said the dead included a mother and her four children as well as the woman’s sister and her two children. “We are very sad. This is a huge loss for us all, and the whole country,” Sadiki said. Outside the government building in Skopje, Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani told The Associated Press that authorities are “trying their best to identify the victims as soon as possible.” “The identification of the victims has started,” he said. “The autopsy and also the DNA identification, because for some of the victims that is the only way they can be identified.” Osmani added: “Two things are important for us now, first the identification to finish as soon as possible, and second, to find the cause of the accident.” The country's prime minister, Zoran Zaev, who visited survivors in the hospital, told Bulgarian television channel bTV that one said he was awoken by an explosion. In Skopje earlier, relatives gathered outside the travel company believed to have organized the trip but the office appeared closed. “Now we are waiting for bad news,” a distraught Bekim Aliti told reporters outside the building. He said his wife and his brother's wife were on the trip. Eldin Shiroki said his cousin was a tour guide for the company. "We still don’t have any accurate information — so we are waiting,” he said. In 2019, Bulgaria had...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well, we learnt this week from a senior MIQ official, that Grant Robertson was indeed involved in the decision to refuse entry to the SailGP team, even though he denied it. Not only did he deny it, but he blamed MIQ officials for it, who’ve now called for him to “correct the record.” He won’t of course, because this government is always right, it’s never wrong, never accepts responsibility or blame for anything. And that, to me, is an increasing worry, because as the wheels come off this government, voters have to start looking beyond Ardern; who may well mic drop and exit stage left for the UN anytime. In the early days, the obvious successor was Grant Robertson. He seemed to add substance and hold a calm veneer. But a pandemic is a long time in politics. And we went from world leader to world loser. The last remaining country locked down, locked up and out of luck. During that time, Jacinda’s become increasingly removed from the mainstream, more arrogant, more out of touch. Reports from Wellington mention her ever-decreasing circles of influence, where her own experts are ostracized and left out in the cold if they dare to disagree or challenge. Then there’s the disharmony in her cabinet, Minister’s contradicting each other, Cabinet divided between “Auckland Sympathisers” & “Wellington Sychophants”. I’m hearing it’s not the happiest of camps. So why hasn't Grant Robertson risen up through all this with some elder statesman appeal? Instead, he's seemed deaf to the cries of business, particularly in Auckland. He’s not gone into bat hard enough for corporates, sole traders, those abandoned overseas, companies, beauticians, hospo, or those drowning under the burden of a collapsing MIQ system. He’s appeared as aloof and removed as Jacinda’s been. Nothing is more expensive than opportunity squandered, and Grant's squandered it. He’s presided over the largest stimulatory fiscal response in the nation’s history – we had the balance sheet capacity, and drawing on it was the right thing to do. The “why” was right, but the “how” has been woeful and wasteful. Business has been left aghast on the side-lines, while Grant’s run his own agenda on where the largest sums of money the nation has ever spent, were “invested” – or rather “squandered.” School sandwiches anyone? Robertson's communication style and demeanour's also shifted. He‘s no longer the pragmatic, hardworking, willing to engage Grant Robertson from 18 months ago. Instead, he now appears smug, all knowing, and unquestionable. Quick to anger and increasingly snide and cynical. You’ll see it when he performs in the House - petulant and aggressive. So we’ve seen that calm unflappable veneer crack right open, at a time we needed him to be solid. Which begs the question, who then in this party has kept a cool head?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A litigation lawyer says she's been inundated with stories from neighbours of Kainga Ora tenants. Associate Housing Minister Poto Williams says she's had discussions with the state housing provider about looking at its process around evictions. No state tenants have been kicked out since the start of 2018. Lawyer Adina Thorn told Kate Hawkesby the no evictions policy has to end. “This isn’t going around, evicting lots of people across New Zealand. It is putting deterrence's in place in state houses where we’ve got anti-social tenants.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand is set to reap billions of dollars in benefits, thanks to a new travel and trade route. A New Zealand China Council-commissioned report has found a route linking Asia to South America via New Zealand could bring close to 1.9-billion dollars over 10 years Executive Director Rachel Maidment told Kate Hawkesby it would benefit our e-commerce, tourism and education sectors. “There is going to be one major point in Oceania and we really want it to be us so we need government and industries to continue to work together to ensure the right fundamentals are in place.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another major retailer is making vaccination mandatory for staff. Countdown has announced it will require all staff to be jabbed by January 10, following The Warehouse Group's decision to require its staff to be jabbed by January 16. Rival chain Foodstuffs is also discussing a vaccine mandate with its store owners, which could take effect on February 16. First Union retail organiser Ben Peterson told Kate Hawkesby unvaccinated staff should only lose their job, if there's no alternative. “That’s something we really want to avoid. We do want to look at if there are lower risk roles that can be moved into and that all other options are explored before we get to that.” Other businesses, like PWC and Russell McVeagh, have already announced vaccine mandate rules. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

They say half right isn't wrong, so that's me this time yesterday. I said this time yesterday that they'd open hairdressers and the beauty industry this week. So, half right. Which is pleasing given the pasting I took after the show right across the spectrum from colleagues to siblings, all telling me I was nuts. But I was basing it on Robertson's visit to Auckland last week when he saw how acute the suffering of businesses was and seemed keen to advocate for them. There’s increasing tension around the Cabinet table, as we know, between the fear mongers and the realists, so I don’t doubt Robertson may've put up a solid argument for Level 3 Step 3, but the fear mongers, (Ardern and Hipkins), won. So just hairdressers get to open, no hospo, no beauty. And that’s unfair I reckon. Just plain cruel actually. Not only do they have to stay shut, at the traditionally busiest time of year, but it’s almost another fortnight before they can open. Our so-called “Freedom Day”, later than anyone thought, now not until December 3rd. And by freedom, I mean of course a red traffic light. This, I think, is the death knell for many hospitality businesses in Auckland for two reasons. One, they’ve already suffered three long months of lockdown and this is now dragging on longer than even they could’ve predicted. And two, because what do Aucklanders do in December - January over the Christmas holidays? They bugger off. Especially Aucklanders who’ve been cooped up for months, having been held like prisoners in their own city. So if you’re an Auckland café or restaurant, you get to open your doors about 10 days before the border opens, at which point there’s a mass exodus out of Auckland. December – January is a notoriously quiet period for hospitality in town anyway, it’ll be even quieter post December 15th. So, a really tough time looms for them, even with the certainty that they can plan for a date, they’re still hamstrung in reality. Likewise, the beauty industry’s in a similar boat. How many facials and massages are being done in town when Aucklanders are bailing to the bach and the beach? So much of this is inconsistent; why alfresco dining can’t open now is beyond me. Why beauty can’t open when hairdressers and botox can is beyond me. It’s hard to comprehend that with our high vax rates and low hospital admissions and ICU numbers, that we are staying shut, held to ransom by the unvaxxed and the Government’s slow vaccine pass system getting up and running. I’ll be interested to see how renegade this gets now, whether the Leo Molloy, who vowed to open as of December 1st, will still go ahead with it, whether cafes go rogue and just throw open their doors. It’s a long time to be at the mercy of erratic decisions, and it felt like yesterday’s call was a cruel final nail in the coffin, for many hospitality operators.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland hairdressers can open up from Thursday, for the purpose of trialling vaccine passes. Aside from that, the Government says step three isn't necessary, given we're going into the traffic light system next Friday. That's pleased a Manurewa-Papakura Ward Councillor, who worries vaccination rates among Māori and Pacifika in South Auckland are still desperately low. Councillor Daniel Newman told Kate Hawkesby they’re still seeing lots of people who are very hesitant coming to get vaccinated because of the mandates and vaccine certificates. “We’re moving in the right direction but, it has been slow.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everybody loves hearing stories of Kiwi start-ups using kiwi ingenuity to take on the global business market. A local footwear company based in Wellington says they have developed the world's lowest carbon footprint sneakers. YY Nation are launching their environmentally friendly sneakers both here and in the U.S this morning. Founding Director Jeremy Bank told Kate Hawkesby algae and sugar cane are being used as a substitute to harmful chemicals in the outer soles. “There’s been all sorts of challenges but it’s great to be at this point where we’re launching...It’s about doing things in a new way.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The criteria for blood donations is being expanded, to help keep up with demand. The upper age limit for first time blood or plasma donors has risen to 71 - and existing donors are now eligible until 81. New Zealand Blood Service spokeswoman Asuka Burge told Kate Hawkesby having donors give blood for longer is a big help. Three hundred donors, who currently donate, will be able to keep donating as the upper age limit has extended but there may be many more hundreds of people who previously used to donate or considering donating that will now be able eligible.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia's reopening its borders to vaccinated international students, business visa holders and refugees from Wednesday next week. In this country, the Government's approved visas for a thousand international tertiary students, but they won't start arriving until March. Australian correspondent Donna Demaio told Kate Hawkesby Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the move's a major milestone in Australia's pathway back. “He says allowing foreign visa holders to enter the country is that further stepping of international travel, of course, but also supporting the economy.” Donna Demaio said the international education sector's worth about 36-billion dollars to Australia. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I run the risk of making a massive dick of myself today – well to be honest, that’s a risk everyday, but today in particular, because of what I said last Friday.Friday morning I was on the Mike Hosking Breakfast which has just a teeny tiny smidge of a larger audience than we do, just a smidge, and I said to that rather large audience, that today Cabinet would announce they’re going to open hairdressers and the beauty industry this week.I said they’ll open them up earlier than expected, so to my mind the salon doors will swing open as of Wednesday morning, that was my prediction.I was so confident in my prediction that I rang around various places like the desperate cooped up Aucklander I am, and started asking for appointment bookings.Most of them responded with “what are you talking about, we have no expectation we’ll be open until December 1st,” at which point I would regale them with my prediction of early opening doors and how they should start taking bookings.I’m not sure how much of this is me wishful thinking, how much of it is me going completely round the twist as we enter almost Day 100 of lockdown, or how much of it is real. We’ll know that by 4pm this afternoon.Public health experts of course are against. But aren’t they always? They’re against everything, however so far, I see all of their predictions of overwhelming the health system have come to nothing, ICU being flooded has come to nothing, we’re down to 5 in ICU which is a non event. On top of that, none of the so called ‘super spreader’ events that were going to bring us to our knees have eventuated into super spreader events, so I’m figuring with so many of us vaccinated now, the game is up.Hospo will be hoping there’s an early move for them too. But I see their worries around how they do that before a traffic light framework’s in place in terms of how they manage vaccine passes. Thing is of course, they won’t have to, until the traffic light comes in, but it’ll still confuse many none the less.It’s a crime alfresco dining hasn’t been allowed, or outdoor food courts in malls given the malls are open, or hairdressers, when botox has been up and running. There’s absolutely no consistency but I think we gave up a while ago on any consistency from this Government. So today we need to see cafes, restaurants, bars, hairdressers, and the beauty industry all allowed to open back up. It’s been more than three long painful months, Auckland’s done as it is told, we’re vaccinated, we haven’t overwhelmed the health system, it’s time. It’s time for those who’ve sacrificed so much to be thrown a bone. And also for me, so I don’t look like a dick for saying it'll happen.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The good news for the Black Caps is the test series starts on Thursday. The bad news? Well, there was a bit of that. New Zealand slumped to their fourth-heaviest loss by runs in T20 international history, being swept 3-0 by India at Eden Gardens this morning. The hosts triumphed by 73 runs in Kolkata, a margin of defeat for the Black Caps that marked an ignominious end to a forgettable series. After being competitive in the first match - which came three days removed from their World Cup final heartbreak - New Zealand were taken apart in the next two. There is hardly need for much recrimination, not after such a successful World Cup campaign, but this series will have certainly stung the pride. India even set themselves a challenge today, as if to make life more interesting. Boasting a perfect record when chasing and a losing record when batting first this year, they opted for the latter approach after again winning the toss. But no mercy was shown to an already-vanquished opponent as India proceeded to outplay New Zealand in all three facets and record their biggest T20I victory over the Black Caps. After stand-in skipper Mitchell Santner (3-27) was the only bowler to find much joy as India racked up 184-7, Martin Guptill (51 from 36) was the sole batsman to put up much of a fight in the chase. It had looked likely to be a tough day for the tourists from the moment India raced to 69-0 at the end of their powerplay. Ferguson, Trent Boult and Adam Milne all struggled to find their line as India had almost as many boundaries (13) as dot balls (16), before Santner's introduction pegged back the hosts. He and Ish Sodhi combined for 4-58 from their allotment - with Sodhi snaffling a brilliant caught-and-bowled chance on an otherwise poor fielding day for New Zealand - before Ferguson (1-45) and Milne (1-47) returned to the attack as India finished how they started. Rohit Sharma (56 from 31) again tormented the bowlers but Guptill began intent to match his counterpart, although he was fortunate to survive being dropped in the first over. Daryl Mitchell went cheaply before Mark Chapman and Glenn Phillips fell for consecutive ducks, New Zealand stuttering to the end of the powerplay on 37-3. Guptill had added 32 of those runs and he soon advanced to a 19th T20I half century, helping his side reach 68-3 at the halfway stage. But three balls later the opener holed out to long on and the Black Caps' mission was nearing impossible. Self-inflicted blows further hindered the tourists' slim chances, as Seifert looked for an ill-considered second run and was caught short of his ground, while Jimmy Neesham's stay was brief and a second run out saw Santner also fall cheaply. It was ugly stuff and only a bit of free swinging from the tailenders prevented the loss from being any uglier. Thankfully for New Zealand, they will now be donning the whites for the first time since beating India to claim the World Test Championship in June. Thursday can't come soon enough.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland businesses are pleading for the right to reopen this week. Cabinet will decide today whether to move the region to Step Three restrictions on Wednesday -- allowing bars, restaurants and hairdressers to reopen with public health measures in place. A spokesperson for the Prime Minister has suggested such a move is unlikely. But Hospitality New Zealand Auckland President Jamie Freeman told Kate Hawkesby he's trying to stay hopeful. “We go to 3.3 and hit the traffic light system next week, we need to move as quickly as we can to orange and that’s when hospitality starts to make money and patron numbers are back.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NCEA and scholarship exams start today after a disrupted school year. Students who have been affected by the ongoing level three lockdown are eligible for an Unexpected Event Grade. If students don't sit the exam, they'll get that grade and if they do sit - they'll receive whichever grade is higher. National Party education spokesperson Paul Goldsmith told Kate Hawkesby there'll be low numbers sitting exams in Auckland. “The bit that worries me, is that is reveals a culture of achieving basic standards, then cruising, rather than striving for excellence.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So, Northland's lagging behind in the vaccination stakes - second to last on the national league table. But to be fair, it's not for a lack of effort. Right now, there are campervans touring around offering vaccines, pop-up vaccination tents left right and centre. At the weekend, the DHB staged an all-day event in Whangarei with music, dancers, free kai and vaccinations - must have cost thousands. The result: 350 jabs. Now, after 4 months of miserable lockdown, Aucklanders are itching to go north for a couple of weeks in the sun, spending up on accommodation and hospitality. And Northland needs it. We've been blocked from the rest of the country, blocking us from that tourist money. But the worry is, that Covid will depart from Auckland and arrive in Northland before Northland is ready to deal with it. In theory, people can't leave Auckland without being double-vaxxed or having a negative test but the Government wants to run this on a trust model. Like the drink-drive laws the Prime Minister said the other day...oh...righto. Here's the thing. We have been pouring millions into this campaign to get people vaccinated. But the daily increments have been getting smaller, much smaller. We are very very close now to reaching everyone who wants to be reached. I still believe it's absolutely a person's right to say no, even though the potential consequence falls on the rest of us as taxpayers. But there has to come a time when we dial back on this insane profligacy, and quit making excuses for lazy people. If you want a jab, go get a jab. If you don't, that's your privilege, and your look-out.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Chef and Restaurateur Adam Dickson is unimpressed with the Government's treatment of the hospitality sector. He's behind 'Hands up for Hospo'. An initiative designed to help those struggling, stay afloat, by way of an online fundraising auction. Dickson told Tim Dower this is designed to help business owners who are having to shell out for lots of hidden costs. “A little from a lot of people will hopefully see us straight.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some hard data has confirmed the devastating effects lockdown has been having on people's mental health. Police have been too busy to attend half the mental health callouts in the past year – 140,000 of them overall. Newstalk ZB can report a 55% increase in events in August and September, compared to the same months in 2019. Dr. Angela Lim, Chief of Clearhead, an online mental health platform, told Tim Dower they’ve noticed a dramatic increase in distress that they can connect directly to lockdown. She said people need to have some hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's not just businesses trying to navigate the new traffic light system. Catholic churches are planning to hold mass for people with vaccination passes, and a separate service with limited numbers for unvaccinated worshippers. A date on when the country will move into the new framework will be decided on November 29. The Anglican Bishop of Auckland Ross Bay told Tim Dower he's consulting with his community on what to do moving forward. “We are committed to doing our best to continue ministering to all people.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It feels weird to stop and think what’s become of our lives these days and how basic things like leaving your city or walking into a café, now require passes, proof and a QR code. It’s like a futuristic movie, but sadly without the hovercraft. Hovercraft would come in handy right now come to think of it, if it meant getting across borders without checkpoints. But here we are. Regimented, archived, coded, scannable. Yesterday I spent the endless time refreshing the My Covid Record site to log on to request my vaccine pass, to then download it to my phone to then upload it to my Apple wallet and then print off a hard copy just in case. That will only of course get us into venues domestically and will only be valid for 6 months, whereby we’ll need a booster shot and a new pass. If we want to travel internationally, we need to apply for a separate vaccine certificate. Why they can’t be simpler and the same thing is beyond me. We also of course have our vaccine cards, which you would’ve got when you got jabbed, and I had my very first experience with having to show that yesterday. I took my dog to the vet, my daughter came too, and the vet asked us both for proof of vaccination before we came in, so I was able to present our vaccine cards. They took them and wrote down the details to ‘log us’, and as they did I thought, this is the future, this is the new normal. Being scrutinized, judged, checked, and ‘logged’. It’s a wacky old world. Do you reckon though that we are now so brow-beaten by being so heavily regulated with our movements, that we still just feel grateful to be allowed to move? And speaking of movement, those of us who might want to travel in or out of Auckland have to wait almost another month to do so. And when we do, a soft border with random spot checks will be waiting; either you’re double vaxxed, can prove a negative test, or you face a one thousand dollar fine. But here’s where I see potential trouble brewing, and look, call me cynical, but that’s a journalist’s job, look for where trouble might brew. One, the tests have to be back within 72 hours of travel – imagine the bottleneck on testing capacity and turnaround times when you still have a hundred thousand Aucklanders unvaccinated. You can just see that being the story – all the tests that didn’t come back in time. Does that then become another block for the unvaxxed to actually do anything? So it looks kind in theory, but in reality, they’re still screwed. And if so, is it just a ploy to hike up vax rates? And who pays for these tests? Taxpayers? And two, the Northland border. The PM said, ‘being mindful of such low vaccine rates in Northland means Police will be working with local iwi on those checkpoints – so that’s going to be your choke point. The other issue is timeframe proximity to Christmas; everyone travelling just 10 days out from Christmas day, are you kidding me? We’ve got our pass and the ability to move, how much freedom is it really though?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The move from a hard border to a soft border around Auckland is being welcomed by trucking operators. Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand Chief Executive Nick Leggett told Kate Hawkesby it would have made a chaotic summer period even worse. “Kiwirail is going to have its network out, it’s peak season. You’ve got to get food, gifts, everything else on the back of the truck. Added to that, we’ve got a shortage of drivers because the borders aren’t open internationally.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many of us are aware now of how brutal the MIQ system has been in restricting people coming home, and separating families and friends from each other. But this story is particularly tragic. Shelley Grierson is currently stuck in MIQ and is desperately trying to get a compassionate exemption to self-isolate at home. Her sister has terminal leukaemia and has been given days to live. Despite her sister's health, a doctor’s letter to support this, and multiple negative tests, she keeps being declined. Shelley joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I spoke yesterday to a construction consultant about the housing building boom going on right now and how it’s hampered by supply chain interruptions and inflationary pressures. Basically, the cost of building is doubling. And as inflation creeps, its tentacles are hitting everywhere and everyone. Auckland City Mission says it's seen the highest demand for its services over the past three months, in all of its 100-year history. Tens of thousands of families are needing food, it’s handing out 16,000 food parcels a week, which is double pre-Covid amounts. The trouble is not just Covid and lockdowns creating more need, but the cost of living. Food, power, water, rent. And here’s the rub, we’ve never had more money pumped into the economy, yet thousands upon thousands are struggling. Former Finance Minister Steven Joyce pointed out at the weekend that “pumping more money into a country than it has capacity for,” means “that money ends up chasing too few goods and services and that means inflation.” It’s not just us, but overseas too, and it’s central banks, Joyce claims, which are causing the problems. “They pumped eye watering sums of money into economies in response to the pandemic.. dismissed early signs of inflation as transitory..” and now.. here we all are. Commentators are starting to point the finger not just at the Government, but also Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr, for taking “a revisionist approach to housing, under forecasting increases in inflation and house prices, and over forecasting unemployment.” Steven Joyce says this cocktail of Orr’s actions being “excessively stimulatory” alongside the Government’s “extraordinary amount of borrowing and spending”.. has seen us where we are now. Too much stimulation. “Money has been sprayed all the over the place, “ Joyce points out, “the public service super sized.. further increases in social welfare payments..” and expensive pet projects like light rail. And here’s where it hurts for those on lower incomes.. “inflation is effectively a tax which hits lower income people hardest and increases poverty” according to Joyce, which ironically is the one thing this Government was going to try to fix. So, we’re in a Catch 22 here, aren’t we? No point pouring more money into welfare, if the price of every basic need like water, power, and food, is just going up and up. Joyce says Government needs to pump the brakes, minimize spending, and “try to take inflationary pressure off household budgets”, instead of constantly talking about spending more. With commentators talking up a big bounce back and surge spending post lockdown, you have to wonder how long that’s sustainable for and at what cost? 'Persistent inflation' is the last thing we need, so we can only hope the Government is listening to advice from a seasoned pro like Steven Joyce, rather than ignoring it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Retirees say they've had a gutsful. This is on the back of the Retirement Commissioner saying back in June, that there needs to be an urgent review into the retirement villages act. Research showed low satisfaction around village contracts. Associate Minister for housing Poto Williams says a review was warranted, but may take time. And now it's taking too much time, and the Retirement Village Residents Association has had enough. President Peter Carr joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are safeguards in place in My Vaccine Pass to prevent fraud. People can log in or call My Covid Record to request their pass, which will be in the form of a QR code, from later this morning. Once the traffic light system's in place, the pass will give double-jabbed people access to all sorts of things such as gyms, bars and sporting events. AUT computer science expert Ken Johnson told Kate Hawkesby it will have the person's name, date of birth, and the expiry date of the pass. “Venues can ask to cross-reference that information with an official ID like your license and passport, so that’s an important message to reduce the pass forgery.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland's Mayor says there's no way the Government is keeping a hard border around the region this summer. The Government will make an announcement today about the plan for Covid borders. Our newsroom understands Aucklanders will be locked in by the borders for the next month, before travel restrictions are eased in time for Christmas. Mayor Phil Goff told Kate Hawkesby a hard border, with checks on every traveller, simply wouldn't work. “I can’t see that they can have a hard border, you imagine Boxing Day, 60,000 people travelling south from Auckland, you just couldn’t do it.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So, as I said last week with the other two polls, what you look for is a trend. And multiple polls showing the same thing is a trend. And the trend’s not good. Not surprisingly, with the shambolic vaccine rollout, the cluster that is MIQ, divisive policies and controversial mandates. Three waters, He Pua Pua, a never-ending lockdown for Auckland, businesses going belly up, a token insulting ultra-curated stopover in Auckland and inauthentically calling that “a visit”. And zooming in and out by way of private jet when climate change was going to be her ‘nuclear moment’. Hard to fathom that one from the inside of the Airforce jet whizzing back and forward, that’s a lot of carbon miles. I said last week this was a ‘let them eat cake’ approach and the clanger here is how disingenuous that is, when this is the Government that promised to govern for everybody. Poverty, gang problems, gun violence, inadequate leadership, lack of accountability, flip flopping, protests, these things are all becoming part of this regime’s calling card. And that’s a bad look. So bad that now the polls reflect it. Hero to zero is happening at a faster rate than most popular governments, they’re falling out of favour Term 2, most successful governments at least wait to do that until Term 3. So, they’re down 2 as a party to 41 percent, Jacinda Ardern’s popularity has dropped 5 to 39 percent. That’s her lowest preferred PM score for two years. Labour’s decline has been consistent across the last five Colmar Brunton polls, each poll since the 2020 election has seen them drop. Ardern claims Labour’s holding up well however, she thinks it’s a strong majority to govern. And she’s not wrong, it is a majority. 53 seats for Labour and 12 for the Greens would still be a comfortable majority to govern. But the downward spiral is on. Ardern chalks up the downward trend to ‘having to make tough decisions’. I notice Grant Robertson said it was our fault. "People are feeling anxious." he said, so it's not them it's us? I think we call that gaslighting. But where the Government’s dipping, the opposition's not making the gains. National is only up 2 to 28 percent, but as Act’s David Seymour points out, the gap between left and right is steadily closing. With Act steady on 14 and National on 28 percent, it’s still not enough to govern, but the trend is working in their favour. Judith Collins, whose approval rating by the way is at a new low, summed the Government’s fortunes up well when she said it would “take a while for people to accept the Government sold them a pup.” The trend unfolding now indicates voters are waking up to that fact.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some cheeky shoppers could be in to make a killing - reselling supermarket collectables at an eye-watering price. They're using the launch of Countdown's Lego-like brick collection to their advantage - re-selling the items on Trade Me for as high as $200. Trade Me spokesperson Ruby Topzand says told Kate Hawkesby it's not something new. She says the most recent craze was the New World SMEG Knife collection. “In the three months that that campaign ran, we saw over 600,000 searches for Smeg on site and it was consistently one of our most searched items.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's relief for doctors at news they'll be able to get a booster shot from the end of this month. Anyone over 18 who's been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 for six months will be able to get a third jab. Association of Salaried Medical Specialists executive director, Sarah Dalton, told Kate Hawkesby she heard from a lot of members who were concerned it wouldn't be until next year. “Certainly, some of our members, particularly working in EDs who are seeing Covid-positive people every day were talking about getting the third shot privately.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The cost of materials for house construction continue to climb. The Cordell Construction Cost Index shows a 1.6 percent increase in the three months to September- almost twice the expected increase. Disruptions to the supply chain, and increased demand for housing are being blamed for the price jumps. Construction Management consultant Mike Blackburn told Kate Hawkesby the industry has been flat out. “We’re building more houses in New Zealand than we’ve ever built in history.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Absolute downbuzz on Freedom Day plans from Andrew Little this weekend. He called our much anticipated ‘Freedom Day’ “nothing of the sort.” Just when we thought escape to a red traffic light was coming November 29th, Little told Newshub, “You might have misunderstood what the Prime Minister has been saying, the Prime Minister said on the 29th of November Cabinet will do a significant check-in on the state of the system…" but.. “It won't be introduced from the 29th of November - that is the point at which a decision should be expected to be made, but it won't be introduced straight away." He claims they’ll want to wait longer to get our vaccination coverage up, “particularly for lagging groups like Māori.” So, if not the end of this month, then when? Little claims it’ll be by Christmas, but that doesn’t give much hope to those of us languishing in day 90 of one of the world’s strictest lockdowns. I mean come on. Surely enough is enough. By November 29th, Aucklanders will have spent more than a hundred days locked down. But, “It won't be on the 29th of November,” Little said. So how much longer after that can we expect freedom? A day? A week? I can’t work out if this guy is the only one in the Cabinet telling the truth, while the others just let us believe in false hope, or whether he’s the one out of touch. The upshot is there’s still so much unknown and un-announced, that Aucklanders are still living in a quagmire of uncertainty. And that’s not good for anyone, not good for mental health, not good for planning purposes, not good for families torn apart, not good for businesses struggling to work out when they may get their doors back open. Having a cabinet swinging all over the place in terms of who says what – doesn’t help. Remember when Hipkins casually suggested allocated timeslots for Auckland border travel, only to have Robertson shoot it down, only to have Hipkins reignite it? Then we had Little saying the Ministry of Health wasn’t coping with numbers on home isolation, only to have Hipkins and Bloomfield poo poo that too and say oh no, all is well. (Standard government line when trouble's brewing). Then Little announced he’d be talking to Bloomfield about the release of Māori health information for vaccination purposes, only to have Bloomfield essentially indicate Little can’t tell him what to do, and the information remains private. So given the shonky circus act currently running the country, it’s perhaps not surprising that Andrew Little is suddenly claiming no Freedom Day for November 29. Maybe it’s just a ruse to dull our expectations so that the PM can look like a hero if and when the doors are flung open that week? I mean at this point anything is possible, but all I know, is that come the end of this month, if there aren't freedoms fast beckoning, then Aucklanders are going to lose the plot. More than they have already.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Taylor Swift once again caused some frenzy over the weekend when she released a re-recording of one of her albums. She's re-recording her first six albums, after a dispute with her old record label. But despite being originally released nearly ten years ago, Red has become the most streamed female album in a single day on Spotify. We have been able to track down a Swiftie, one of Taylor's biggest fans in New Zealand, if not her biggest fan, Helena Goldsmith who joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.