Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

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.

Principals are being urged to do all they can to encourage unvaccinated staff members to get the Covid-jab. All education workers who have contact with students must have their first jab by the end of today. Those who don't comply will be barred from entering school grounds. Auckland University's Head of Initial Teacher Education Paul Heyward, told Kate Hawkesby school leaders shouldn't be giving up on their unvaccinated staff members just yet. “Let's begin the conversation, rather than seeing all anti-vax teaches as a kind of lunatic fringe, which they’re not. We could lose some very talented teachers.” Staff must be fully vaccinated by January 1st. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Queen Elizabeth II missed out on the Remembrance Sunday service in London to pay tribute to Britain's war dead because she sprained her back, Buckingham Palace said Sunday. The service is one of the most important events on the 95-year-old monarch's calendar, and was meant to be her first public appearance after taking a few weeks off to rest under doctor's orders. British media reported that the back sprain was not believed to be related to the recent medical advice to rest that prompted other cancellations. "The Queen, having sprained her back, has decided this morning with great regret that she will not be able to attend today's Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph," officials said just hours ahead of the ceremony. "Her Majesty is disappointed that she will miss the service." The queen spent a night in a London hospital last month after being admitted for medical tests. It was her first such stay in eight years. On Oct. 29, the palace said she had been told by doctors to rest for two weeks and only take on light duties. She canceled plans to attend the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, but sent a video message. But officials stressed at the time that "it remains the queen's firm intention" to be present for the national Remembrance Sunday service. On Thursday, Buckingham Palace said the monarch planned to watch the ceremony at the Cenotaph war memorial in central London from a balcony, as she has for several years. The Queen served in World War II as an army driver and mechanic, and is head of Britain's armed forces. She attaches great importance to Remembrance Sunday, a solemn ceremony to remember the sacrifices made by fallen servicemen and women. The national service, which follows Armistice Day on Nov. 11, is traditionally marked by the wearing of poppies and a national two-minute silence observed at 11 a.m. On Sunday, other royals and politicians led the ceremony in London's Whitehall, with hundreds of military personnel and veterans lined up around the Cenotaph memorial. It was the first time the event had returned to normal since the pandemic began. After Royal Marine buglers sounded the "The Last Post," Prince Charles, 73, laid the first wreath on the queen's behalf, as he has done since 2017. He was followed by other royals and Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The queen has continued to work from home, doing desk-based duties, during her period of rest. She has spent most of the time at Windsor Castle, west of London, although she made a weekend visit to Sandringham, the royal family's eastern England estate. She has missed several other events, including the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday. Officials also said she will miss the opening of the Church of England's governing General Synod on Tuesday. Penny Junor, a royal biographer, said the queen may be entering a new phase of her reign where she will not be seen as much in public. "It's very sad for the queen, because this is the one event in the year that she really, really likes to be at," she said. "We're so used to seeing her out and about and looking years younger than she is that I think we've been lulled into thinking she can go on at this kind of pace forever. Clearly she can't." Britain's longest-lived and longest-reigning monarch, Elizabeth is due to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee — 70 years on the throne — next year. - by SYLVIA HUI Associated PressSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The world’s top carbon polluters, China and the United States, agreed Wednesday to increase their cooperation and speed up action to rein in climate-damaging emissions, signalling a mutual effort on global warming at a time of tension over their other disputes. In back-to-back news conferences at U.N. climate talks in Glasgow, Chinese climate envoy Xie Zhenhua and U.S. counterpart John Kerry said the two countries would work together to accelerate the emissions reductions required to meet the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change. “It’s beneficial not only to our two countries but the world as a whole that two major powers in the world, China and the U.S., shoulder special international responsibilities and obligations,” Xie told reporters. “We need to think big and be responsible.” "The steps we're taking ... can answer questions people have about the pace at which China is going, and help China and us to be able to accelerate our efforts," Kerry said. China also agreed for the first time to crack down on methane leaks, following the lead of the Biden administration’s efforts to curb the potent greenhouse gas. Beijing and Washington agreed to share technology to reduce emissions. Governments agreed in Paris to jointly cut greenhouse gas emissions enough to keep the global temperature rise “well below” 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times, with a more stringent target of trying to keep warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) preferred. Both sides recognize that there is a gap between efforts taken globally to reduce climate pollution and the goals of the Paris deal, Xie said. “So we will jointly strengthen climate action and cooperation with respect to our respective national situations," he said. A U.S.-China bilateral agreement in 2014 gave a huge push to the creation of the historic Paris accord the following year, but that cooperation stopped with the Trump administration, which pulled the U.S. out of the pact. The Biden administration brought the U.S. back in to that deal, but has clashed with China on other issues such as cybersecurity, human rights and Chinese territorial claims. “While this is not a gamechanger in the way the 2014 US-China climate deal was, in many ways it’s just as much of a step forward given the geopolitical state of the relationship,” said Thom Woodroofe, an expert in U.S.-China climate talks. “It means the intense level of US-China dialogue on climate can now begin to translate into cooperation.” The gesture of goodwill comes just days after President Joe Biden blamed Chinese President Xi Jinping’s and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s failure to attend talks in person for the lack of more progress in climate negotiations. The U.S. and China will also revive a working group that will “meet regularly to address the climate crisis and advance the multilateral process, focusing on enhancing concrete actions in this decade,” the declaration said. Both Washington and Beijing intend to update the world on their new national targets for 2035 in 2025 — a move that is particularly significant for China. The declaration also said China will “make best efforts to accelerate” its plans to reduce coal consumption in the second half of this decade. The announcement came as governments from around the world were negotiating in Glasgow about how to build on the Paris Agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect vulnerable countries from the impacts of global warming. U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres called the move “an important step in the right direction.” Some experts noted the deal was short on commitments that would significantly reduce heat-trapping gases. “It’s a good sign that the world’s two biggest emitters can actually work together to face the biggest crisis of humanity but there’s not a lot of meat there after the...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Duchess of Sussex has apologised for misleading a British court about the extent of her cooperation with the authors of a sympathetic book about her and Prince Harry. The former Meghan Markle, 40, is embroiled in a court battle in London over a British newspaper’s publication of portions of a letter she wrote to her estranged father after her 2018 marriage to Harry, a grandson of Queen Elizabeth II. She sued the publisher of the Mail on Sunday and the MailOnline website for breach of privacy and copyright. A High Court judge ruled in her favour in February, saying publication of the letter Meghan wrote to her father, Thomas Markle, was “manifestly excessive and hence unlawful.” Publisher Associated Newspapers is trying to overturn that decision at the Court of Appeal. The publisher argues that Meghan wrote the letter knowing it might be published, and made private information public by cooperating with Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, authors of “Finding Freedom.” The duchess’ lawyers have previously denied that she or Harry collaborated with the authors. But the couple’s former communications director, Jason Knauf, said in evidence to the court that he gave the writers information, and discussed it with Harry and Meghan. In a witness statement, Knauf said the book was “discussed directly with the duchess multiple times in person and over email.” Emails released as part of Knauf’s statement showed he also emailed Harry to discuss the book and to say he would meet the authors. Knauf said Harry replied: “I totally agree that we have to be able to say we didn’t have anything to do with it. Equally, you giving the right context and background to them would help get some truths out there.” In a witness statement made public on Wednesday, Meghan accepted “that Mr. Knauf did provide some information to the authors for the book and that he did so with my knowledge, for a meeting that he planned for with the authors in his capacity as communications secretary.” She added that “the extent of the information he shared is unknown to me.” The duchess said she did not remember the discussions with Knauf when she gave evidence earlier in the case, “and I apologize to the court for the fact that I had not remembered these exchanges at the time.” “I had absolutely no wish or intention to mislead the defendant or the court,” she said. Associated Newspapers says Knauf’s evidence also undermines Meghan’s claim that she did not intend the letter to be seen by anyone but her father. In his witness statement, Knauf said the duchess “asked me to review the text of the letter, saying ‘obviously everything I have drafted is with the understanding that it could be leaked.’” Knauf said Meghan asked whether she should address her father in the letter as “Daddy,” adding that “in the unfortunate event that it leaked, it would pull at the heartstrings.” In her own written evidence, Meghan said she had not believed that her father “would sell or leak the letter, primarily because it would not put him in a good light.” “To be clear, I did not want any of it to be published, and wanted to ensure that the risk of it being manipulated or misleadingly edited was minimised, were it to be exploited,” she said. Lawyers for Meghan told the Court of Appeal Thursday that if she had wanted to put the letter to her father in the public domain, the “Finding Freedom” book would have been the “perfect opportunity” to do so. Defending the newspaper, lawyer Andrew Caldecott also argued that Thomas Markle had the right to publicly rebut misleading claims about his relationship with Meghan that surfaced in a 2019 People magazine interview with five of her close friends. “Thomas Markle has been royally attacked in the People magazine... and this is his reply,” he said. The appeal continues Thursday before three senior judges. A ruling is expected at a later date. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So, what you look for with polls is a trend, and when we say the wheels are coming off this Government, it seems the polls now back that up. It’s a downward spiral. Two different polls out yesterday both confirm the drop for Labour, and the drop for Ardern personally. I’m not surprised and I doubt many Aucklanders would be surprised. If anyone has reason to feel aggrieved, let down and cast adrift by this Government, it’s Auckland. That was exemplified by the insulting visit the Prime Minister made to the city this week. Less visit, more orchestrated stopover. And, in that arrogance, is everything that’s going wrong here. You can only pull the wool over voters' eyes for so long. You can only rely on goodwill for so long. You can only bank on your support, in such a smug fashion, for so long. What voters want is transparency (which this Government promised and has failed to deliver on), authenticity, also now out the window, surety that there’s a plan, a way forward, some leadership. That’s all missing and has been for a while. It goes to show the huge highs this party enjoyed were a post Covid love-in where people were emotive. This time around, there’s still plenty of emotion – but in the opposite direction. People are angry, disillusioned, divided, locked out of their home country, in the case of many Kiwis overseas, and being driven to despair. Instead of being honest and admitting when they’ve got it wrong, this Government continues to put its head in the sand and tell us ‘nothing to see here’. They govern on the hoof, are reactive not proactive, lack experience and political nous, and continue to railroad through policy they won’t even bother consulting on. So, the reckoning is coming and only two things stand to protect them. One, the short memories of New Zealanders who, by 2023, may’ve forgotten the misery of lockdown, the dishonesty of Three Waters and the incompetence of the health system. And two, the fact National isn’t bouncing high enough in the polls – even with Act – to block a left leaning coalition. The gap’s closing – but it’s still not tight enough. We do, however, have a long way to go. And the mood in this country has changed. And that will push political trends if it continues. If Kiwis continue to feel the country’s going in the wrong direction, then that’s going to bite this Government in the bum. And here’s the part I think Labour voters need to think long and hard about – who replaces Ardern? It’s felt for a wee while now, like the lights have gone out for her on the leadership front, she really doesn’t seem that interested in the cut and thrust of political leadership. She seems to prefer the cosy Facebook lives from home to the rigour of the road. And if she bails, how many of the ministers lining up behind her are you willing to have lead the country? Where I would’ve once backed Grant Robertson, I now don’t. (I’ll tell you more on that next week), but as far as this week goes, the wheels are officially off.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former National MP says the Three Strikes Law made the country no safer. The Government's scrapping the law which was created by Act in the National-led coalition government 11 years ago. It meant people convicted of a third serious violent, sex or drug offence would automatically get the maximum sentence without parole. Former National MP and Government justice advisor Chester Borrows says it meant there was no incentive for people to do rehabilitation programmes. He told Kate Hawkesby that rehabilitation programmes do work but without an incentive to do them nobody is better off. “I don’t think it was a good law.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Research is suggesting rural hospitals are being ignored in the Covid-19 pandemic. A study published in today's New Zealand Medical Journal says DHBs have a poor understanding of rural hospitals and facilities, and feel uncertain on managing Covid patients. Otago University researcher Garry Nixon told Kate Hawkesby part of the problem is around the physical resources available and workforce shortage. “There’s also the inevitable issue, whereby, the DHB is going to be largely focused on their large-based hospital” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A worsening surge of inflation for such bedrock necessities as food, rent, autos and heating oil is setting Americans up for a financially difficult Thanksgiving and holiday shopping season. Prices for U.S. consumers jumped 6.2% in October compared with a year earlier, leaving families facing their highest inflation rate since 1990, the Labor Department said Wednesday. From September to October, prices jumped 0.9%. Inflation is eroding the strong gains in wages and salaries that have flowed to America's workers in recent months, creating a political threat to the Biden administration and congressional Democrats and intensifying pressure on the Federal Reserve as it considers how fast to withdraw its efforts to boost the economy. Fuelling the spike in prices has been robust consumer demand, which has run into persistent supply shortages from COVID-related factory shutdowns in China, Vietnam and other overseas manufacturers. America's employers, facing worker shortages, have also been handing out sizable pay raises, and many of them have raised prices to offset those higher labour costs. The accelerating price increases have fallen disproportionately on lower-earning households, which spend a significant portion of their incomes on food, rent, and gas. Food banks are struggling to assist the needy, with beef, egg and peanut butter prices jumping. Millions of households that are planning year-end travel, Thanksgiving dinners and holiday gift-giving will be forced to pay much more this year. The jump in inflation is hardly confined to the U.S. Prices have been accelerating in Europe and elsewhere, too, with annual inflation in the 19 countries that use the euro currency exceeding 4% in October, the most in 13 years, and energy prices spiking 23%. In Brazil, inflation soared more than 10% in the 12 months through October, according to data released this week. Higher prices for electricity, cooking gas, meat and other staples have plunged many Brazilians further into financial instability. Americans are now spending 15% more on goods than before the pandemic. Ports, trucking companies and railroads can't keep up, and the resulting bottlenecks are swelling prices. Surging inflation has broadened beyond pandemic-disrupted industries into the many services that Americans spend money on, notably for restaurant meals, rental apartments and medical services, which jumped 0.5% in October. At the same time, the economy is managing to sustain its recovery from the pandemic recession, and consumers, on average, have plenty of money to spend. That is in contrast to the “stagflation” of the 1970s, when households endured the double hardship of high unemployment and high inflation. Many Americans are also receiving healthy pay raises, especially workers at restaurants, hotels and entertainment venues, where hourly wages are up more than 10% from a year ago. And families, on average, have built up substantial savings from stimulus checks and enhanced unemployment benefits. “We're still looking at an economy in a strong position,” said Sarah House, a senior economist at Wells Fargo. “The consumer is still going out and spending, which is why we are seeing the price gains we’re seeing.” Used car prices have rocketed more than 25% from a year ago. With automakers sharply slowing production because of parts shortages, prices for new cars have also risen for seven straight months. Furniture is more expensive. Grocery prices have climbed 5.4% in the past year, with the price of beef roasts leaping 25%. Bacon is up 20% from a year ago. The Biden administration has attributed higher meat prices to consolidation in the meat-packing industry, with lack of competition enabling big processors like Tyson's to raise prices. Meat-packing companies have countered that COVID-related shutdowns of plants, and the difficulty in finding workers to staff the factories when they reopened, are the...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MIQ has to go and it’s important the pressure keeps being applied to the Government on this, because this is a government that responds to pressure. As Justice Venning pointed out in Murray Bolton’s successful judicial review of his MIQ exemption, under the Bill of Rights, every New Zealand citizen has the right to enter New Zealand without “unreasonable limitation”. And in those two words are the keys that open the gates, and clearly highlight that the legal grounds for MIQ are no more. MIQ’s also redundant because we’ve abandoned elimination and shifted to containment, we have Covid throughout our communities, we’re 80% double vaccinated; and data from MIQ shows that double vaxxed returnees, who test negative on arrival, pose a statistically insignificant risk in the context of this outbreak. New Zealand citizens wanting to return home, who are double vaccinated, Covid negative, and who are prepared to self-isolate for 7 days, should be legally free to return. We are averaging well over 120 cases per day; there are more than two thousand people isolating at home, including more than a thousand who are Covid positive. Meanwhile, the Government’s released stats showing that for the 24 thousand people who were in MIQ over a 3-month period, only four tested positive after day 8. That’s 4 cases in 3 months, out of 24,000 people, and here we are with more than a hundred a day in the community. It makes zero sense. ACT and National want MIQ abolished for returning New Zealanders and even Michael Baker has buddied up with other academics and called the Government out on this. As they said, you’re more likely to contract Covid in an Auckland supermarket, than from a double vaxxed returnee. The Government continues to kick the can down the road on this, but it needs to happen now. Returning Kiwis would need to be self-isolating from December 16th at the latest, in order to be around the Christmas table with family and friends. That's also the time the Government's indicated we'll be moving to the orange traffic light, so my pick is, we will be welcoming more freedoms then. For now though, the Government’s showing a lack of ability make pragmatic decisions and deliver. No doubt there’ll be more – and there should be more – legal challenges to MIQ. Pressure will continue to mount as case numbers rise, vaccination stats improve, and the number of people self-isolating continues to grow exponentially. So the Government has to be agile here, instead of waiting until the last minute, then suddenly announcing change and spinning it that that was their policy all along and we clearly all misunderstood them, again. Scrapping MIQ now matters because there are thousands of New Zealanders desperate to return home, return to work, to loved ones. We, as a country, need hope and each other, and Christmas is the very best and most obvious opportunity to make that happen.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A move to get kiwi kids interested and engaged with farming and the primary sector. Entries are now open for the Junior Young Farmer of the Year for the 2022 season. It's aimed to get school kids from both town and country engaged with the primary sector and where our food comes from. NZ Young Farmers CEO Lynda Coppersmith told Kate Hawkesby they want children to better understand the connection between what farmers to everyday and what appears on their table. “It's amazing how just one or two experiences will actually spark a bit of imagination and passion.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The return to school in lockdown areas is being called a dog's breakfast. Auckland and Waikato schools will welcome back students from Wednesday. Years 1 to 8 will return part-time, and schools can offer half days or alternate days by year group. Papatoetoe North School Principal Stan Tiatia told Kate Hawkesby he's livid and can't believe the responsibility has been put on principals to sort out the health and safety of their students. “What we need are some strong guidelines that show us what we need to do to open, what we need to do when there’s been a positive case in our school and to manage the safety of students and staff.” He said principals are not medical experts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Covid restrictions are failing to dent investor confidence. ASB's latest survey shows net investor confidence reached 25-percent in the three months to October - its highest point in almost five years. Net confidence in Auckland reached 31-percent - its highest point in more than seven years. ASB Senior Economist Chris Tennent-Brown told Kate Hawkesby people are thinking beyond their short-term frustrations. “It seems that Aucklanders are looking through the lockdown and focusing on the true question which is ‘do you think investment returns will be better over the next 12 months?’” He said KiwiSaver balances have been recovering, and term deposit rates have been going up. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Under pressure from rising infections and worried health experts, the British government on Wednesday urged millions of people to get booster vaccine shots but resisted calls to reimpose coronavirus restrictions such as mandatory mask-wearing. Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the government would “stay vigilant, preparing for all eventualities,” but would not trigger its “Plan B” of bringing back restrictions on daily life. Britain is relying heavily on vaccines to keep the virus at bay during the fall and winter months. Almost 80% of people 12 and over in the U.K. have received two vaccine doses and millions are being offered a booster shot, including everyone over 50. But critics say the booster campaign is moving more slowly than the virus. The U.K. recorded 49,139 new infections on Wednesday, by far the highest total in Europe, and cases are averaging more than 45,000 a day, up 17% from a week earlier. Hospitalizations and deaths are also rising, though both remain far lower than before vaccination was widespread. Javid said cases “could go as high as 100,000 a day,” but insisted it was not yet time to reverse course. “None of us want to go backwards now," he said at a televised news conference, adding that the government did not think the health system was under “unsustainable” pressure. But Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the health care group the NHS Confederation, said Britain's health service risked being overwhelmed unless more measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 were introduced. “It is time for the government to enact Plan B of its strategy without delay, because without pre-emptive action, we risk stumbling into a winter crisis,” he said. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative government lifted domestic coronavirus restrictions in July, including mandatory face coverings and social distancing. Nightclubs and other crowded venues were allowed to open at full capacity and people were no longer advised to work from home. Infections remained stubbornly high after the reopening and recently have begun to increase — especially among children, who largely remain unvaccinated. Hospitalizations and deaths are gradually rising, with deaths averaging 136 a day over the past week. Britain has recorded more than 138,000 coronavirus deaths, the highest total in Europe after Russia. Against that backdrop, some feel that Britons have been too quick to return to pre-pandemic behaviour. Masks and social distancing have all but vanished in most settings in England, although Scotland and other parts of the U.K. remain stricter. Even in shops, where masks are recommended, and on the London transit network, where they are mandatory, adherence is patchy. A plan to require proof of vaccination to attend nightclubs, concerts and other mass events in England was dropped amid opposition from lawmakers, though Scotland introduced a vaccine pass program this month. Critics say the vaccination program — among the world’s speediest earlier this year — is moving too slowly. More than 4 million people in Britain have had a booster, although about half of those eligible have yet to receive their shot. The U.K. also waited longer than the U.S. and other European nations to vaccinate children from 12-15, and only about 15% in that age group in England have had a shot. The government says it will act to boost vaccination rates, with a new ad campaign and more sites where kids can receive their shots. “We’ve got plenty of vaccines and we just need people to come forward and play their part," Javid said. He also said the government had bought two antiviral drugs to prevent coronavirus infections or lesson the severity of disease — one by Pfizer and the other by Merck Sharp & Dohme. Neither has yet been approved by Britain’s medicines regulator, but Javid said he hoped they would be in use by the winter. Javid renewed calls...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jacinda Ardern is being urged to confront the frustrations of Auckland business owners during her visit to the city today. The Prime Minister is expected to attend a couple of events under tight security. Auckland Business Chamber Chief Executive Michael Barnett told Kate Hawkesby she needs to be willing to have some confronting conversations. “Talk to businesses that aren’t allowed to open, who are sitting there asking ‘why the hell not?’ He said she needs to listen to the messages businesses have been sending for the last three months. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It won't quite be business as usual for Auckland's public facilities on the first day of Step Two restrictions. Libraries will only be open for contactless click and collect pick-up. Some visitor centres, galleries and museums will be gradually reopening over the coming days, but Auckland Zoo will only be open for existing annual pass holders with confirmed booking slots. Motat Museum Experience Manager Sally Manuireva told Kate Hawkesby it will open, but it could be a bit quieter than normal. “Ordinarily, we have a lot of school groups so we’ve been sad that so many of our groups have to had to cancel.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Those in Level 2 who can't imagine what this must be like today for Aucklanders. Try to imagine 3 long months, 12 whole weeks - in fact we're now into week 13 - of absolutely no shops open. You can't buy your printer ink, new shoes for your growing child, you haven't been able to try on jeans, no new socks, no ability to just whip to the shops and grab birthday presents or any little things you suddenly realise you need. Nope, three long months of having to order that online, if it's available, and then wait the sometimes 3 weeks for the backlogged courier to deliver it. Some shops have offered click and collect, but again, on a schedule that suits them, not you. So the convenience is missing. But as of today, doors are open. Big question is- will Aucklanders go nuts? Actually, several questions. Will they go nuts initially and then stop? Because what retailers need is spending all the way through to Xmas to stop the haemorrhaging. So will Aucklanders head out in droves initially, then freak out when cases spike, and stop shopping? Or, will they take a wait and see approach, mindful of how many cases are in the community, a bit apprehensive, and decide to play a waiting game on shopping? Will they spend at the levels needed to dig retailers out of the hole? Rod Duke's predicting a greater rebound than last lockdown due to the timing of it being so close to Christmas. I was amazed last year when we came out of lockdown how much people spent - remember that? Art, cars, houses, boats, people went crazy. Retail will be hoping for that sort of frenzy again. My daughter has a list of the things she needs, having had a big growth spurt over the last 3 months, but I can't think of anything I actually need but I'll still go just because I can now. Also, I want to support my local shops. So how many will be sympathy shoppers like me? And how are the retailers going to handle it? Remember last time, some went crazy with the QR codes and the hand sanitiser and the one in, one out, policies, security on doors, queues - really making getting into their shop a full-on administrative exercise. Meanwhile other retailers had a more casual approach, shops full, no social distancing. Then there'll be the Karen's who complain if they feel it's not going right. The one person in the changing room who doesn't like someone trying something on too close to them and complains. So how it all unfolds will be interesting. I'm sure there'll be numbers done on shoppers and dollars spent in the first week but, what I'm interested in is, what happens in the weeks following that. Those will be the critical weeks for retailers to know how bumper the shopping season really is and whether it gets enough cash back in the tills to fix the damage done by 3 months shut.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Foreign Minister's expected to try to put New Zealand's eggs in more than one basket as she visits six countries. Nanaia Mahuta leaves tomorrow for her first overseas foray in the job. She'll be heading to six nations; Australia, Indonesia, the UAE, Qatar, the US and Canada. Otago University International Relations Professor Robert Patman told Kate Hawkesby the Government's trying to increase New Zealand's economic links. “China’s our number one export destination. I think there’s been a determination by the Foreign Minister, expressed many times, that we need to diversify.” He said Mahuta would have had a lot of Zoom calls with them already but, that's no substitute for in-person links. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well done Auckland. The high vax rates have led us to where we are now – getting shops open come Wednesday. It’s several weeks too late, but we’ll take it. Key takeaways from yesterday’s announcement - it’s no longer about Covid and cases, it’s about, as I said yesterday, length of lockdown, lack of compliance. The ‘health response’ for all that the Rod Jackson’s want to squeal about it, is over. Ardern did make mention of mental health though, about time. What an unnecessary strain this has been. Northland goes to Level 2 later this week, the traffic light system will be in place by the start of next month, the PM sounded super keen for a summer, and why wouldn’t she be, she’s got a wedding to get underway. And call me cynical, but her choosing Wednesday as the day to visit Auckland is not lost on anyone. How convenient. The day the shops open up, she’s suddenly able to waft into town... are you kidding me? If anyone was in any doubt that this is a ‘good vibes only’ PM, there’s your confirmation. We won’t see her at any hairdressers or hospo outlets; God forbid, she’ll be in Counties Manukau, somewhere in South Auckland, looking for high fives. Surrounded by preferably children, or pre vetted supporters. She was actually asked if she expected protestors, she played that down saying only a small minority protested her, she said she won’t be increasing her security. I mean why would she, she’ll be sticking firmly to vaccination centres in far flung places. So poor old hospo is still on ice. At least another three weeks, it has to wait until all three Auckland DHB’s reach 90 percent double jabbed. There’s now a huge expectation riding on first doses rocking up for their second doses in the next three weeks. My guess is even if they don’t, the Government will blink first, they’ll admit defeat – though they won’t word it that way. They’ll word it as some kind of world leading world beating huge achievement but, basically they’ll fold on the 90 percent if it hasn’t been reached. So mark your diary for Freedom Day November 29. As for the border, it’ll be open too. iIt’s still a mystery how and that’s concerning that they still don’t know what they’re doing there. But for the people still listening to the squealing hysteria of the ‘people will die!’ epidemiologists, like Rod Jackson, you’re in for a shock. The Government’s no longer listening to them, neither should we. I don’t know why they get so much airtime. All they’re doing is fuelling fear, and the fear mongering is over. So, I for one, will be happy to be out supporting local shops as they fling open their doors Wednesday. I’m confident the sky won’t fall in, hospitals will not be swamped, we will just live with this virus, and it’s about bloody time.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A nurse has been arrested and charged with falsely giving a teenager the Covid-19 vaccine. The 51-year-old from Western Australia went into her workplace at a Perth medical centre on Sunday. She obtained permission to administer the vaccine to the teenager of someone she knew. Police allege the nurse inserted the needle into their arm but failed to insert any liquid. It’s claimed she then disposed of the vaccine but then falsely claimed in medical records that the teenager had received the vaccine. The woman is also accused of claiming another employee had administered the dose. The nurse, from Byford, was arrested at her house on Sunday after her employer reported the incident to police. She is expected to front court on Monday charged with one count of gaining benefit by fraud. By - Shae McDonald, news.com.auSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

First home buyers' 26.4 percent market share is the highest on record. CoreLogic figures show the group's share over the third quarter of 2021 was well above the long-term average of 21.8 percent. Chief property economist, Kelvin Davidson told Kate Hawkesby it goes against the perception of first home buyers struggling. He says people are finding ways in. “They're using Kiwisaver, the bank of Mum and Dad, and getting in with less than 20 percent deposit as well as looking at different locations, and smaller properties like townhouses.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite ongoing labour and supply challenges, New Zealand's local wine seems to still be in high demand. The value of our wine exports hit $600m in the September quarter - up 9 percent on the same period last year. NZ Winegrowers Chief Executive Philip Gregan told Kate Hawkesby says he’s delighted that their buyers are enjoying our wine. “We’ve got a good loyal customer base that is growing all the time.” But, he says the labour supply is very tight at the moment. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aucklanders have a path towards freedom and being reunited with the rest of the country. The region will move to Step Two restrictions at midnight, and is set to move to the red level of the traffic light system at the end of the month. It come as a Covid case is reported on Waiheke Island, and Mount Albert Grammar School returns to online classes due to another student testing positive. College of GPs Medical Director Bryan Betty told Kate Hawkesby the Government is trying to chart a middle ground. “The situation in Auckland has obviously reached a point where there has to be an end to this, we have to move on and through it but, it really does put an emphasis on really keeping the vaccination program going.” He says getting vaccination rates higher and hospitalisation rates lower remains the priority in Auckland. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It seems to matter less and less what’s said at these post-cabinet announcements because people are so over it, they’re just getting on with it anyway. The sun came out this weekend in Auckland and the balmy weather saw pretty much everyone head for the beaches, the parks, the backyard BBQ’s. It’s almost like Aucklanders took themselves to Level 2. Likewise, there's a flourishing black market of hair, nails and beauty treatments being done. More and more restaurants are opening up – on the brink of giving up, and just serving anything they can in a takeaway container from their front door. Groups are gathering in larger sizes, it’s as though Aucklanders have made a collective decision not to live in fear anymore. Having such a high double vaxxed rate helps of course. But when I see the fear in the regions where Covid turns up in the wastewater and everyone panics, it seems so foreign to Aucklanders, who’ve been wandering around with more than a hundred cases in the community for ages. Aucklanders are very much living with the virus, and the bulk of us have done everything right to get to this point. You can only push people so far for so long. And you can only police so much. In fact, it’s the lack of policing, or selective policing, that’s gotten under the skin of most law-abiding Aucklanders. Watching gang members cruise through border checkpoints only infuriates the rule abiders who laboriously apply for exemptions. I know people being forced to sell their homes, businesses going belly up, families torn apart, kids having huge anxiety issues, elderly people feeling alone and depressed, teenagers at their wits end. When you push people this long, with no plan, and no structure, and no end in sight, you’re going to break them. This weekend felt like a marker – Aucklanders have absolutely had a gutsful. So, the shops will open Wednesday, there’s no way they can back down on that now, they must be cognizant of how much compliance has gone, the traffic light system must surely come into play soon, the vaccine target abandoned, and the Auckland border scrapped. These archaic and strict measures don’t work when people stop believing in them. It may’ve looked good in theory on a spreadsheet inside the Beehive from their cosy Level 2 perspective, but out here in the real world with actual human beings, I can tell you it’s more unrealistic by the day. When the ‘let them eat cake’ leadership becomes this inane, the peasants revolt. So, we will be open for business December 1st, I guarantee it, the border will go because it’ll be too hard to police, and the messaging will shift to “living with the virus”. If we’re lucky, we may even start to hear a bit of that at post-Cab today. If we don't, then the control freaks running the place still have their blinkers on.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Could New Zealand adopt New South Wales' Covid-19 roadmap? The Australian state is fast tracking new freedoms for fully vaccinated residents from Monday. It includes removing limit on house gatherings, opening sports stadiums and cinemas, and even allowing dancing in nightclubs. The unvaccinated people must wait until December 15, or until the state reaches a 95-percent vax rate. Auckland University Emeritus Professor of Medicine Des Gorman, says it's good plan, that could work here. “People need encouragement, people need some sort of reward and the best way to reward people is for behaviour that actually keeps them safe.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.