Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

As you'll be aware we're in Te Wiki o te reo Māori at the moment - Māori Language Week. And today is the day the Māori Language Commission want us to get together at midday today and set a record. They're calling it the Māori Language Moment, and are hoping to set the world record for most people speaking an endangered, indigenous language at the same time. Māori Language Commissioner, Rawinia Higgins, joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“We need to stay the course. We don’t want to yo yo in and out of lockdowns. We don’t want to waste our hard fought gains thus far. We have to stay vigilant. We don’t want to be Australia. We need to stay focused on the end goal here. Auckland is doing the heavy lifting but we know Aucklanders can do a little bit more.”That’s just some of the rhetoric well get dished out today. Expect any or all of these things to be rolled out.My guess - and I’m no expert or epidemiologist - I’m just another Aucklander staring at the 4 walls of my house sick and tired of cooking all day - but my guess from here is we are not coming out of level 4 this week.And that’s not so much to do with case numbers or testing numbers - as we’ve been led to believe. It’s about the mystery cases. Something the government purposely didn’t talk about early on but you’ll notice is now talking about. Because they have to.Because they’re the crux of this thing. It’s not the numbers of infected people inside bubbles and families - it’s the mystery ones they can’t trace. That’s the real worry. Because those are the ones that could still be out there transmitting the virus - and if we spring out of lockdown now, the concern will be that numbers spike. And we become Australia. We are looking at what the PM said she didn’t want to see - a long tail.When we first went into lockdown level 4 I said to my husband we’d be in it for 6 weeks. He said I was being overly dramatic. Who moi?! I said it because I was looking at Australia and how much once Delta’s in, it wreaks havoc.I hope I’m proven wrong but my hunch today is they won’t want to crush our hopes too brutally. So they’ll play us.They’ll say they need another few days just to be sure - they’ll tell us what a great job we are doing and how we just need to stay the course a wee bit longer to get this right and finish it.So I think today they’ll say - level 4 will be reassessed Friday (best case scenario) and on Friday they’ll say look we need another week (which they’ll have planned for all along but they won’t want to hit us with that up front). They’ll eek it out for us in dribs and drab’s.A few more days here, a few more there - and ultimately we’ll do another two weeks in level 4.I may just be another brow beaten locked down miserable Aucklander seeing only worst case scenarios right now.And I hope I’m wrong.But my gut says get used to being stuck at home a bit longer.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some good news over the weekend with Denmark sending half a million Pfizer vaccines to New Zealand.But this comes as Denmark is completely getting rid of its own Covid restrictions.What makes their situation interesting is how they have a similar population to us.So what have they done right and could we learn a thing or two from Denmark?Professor of Viral Diseases at Copenhagen University Hospital Jens Lundgren joined Kate Hawkesby.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Among all the air fryer chat, there is confirmation that buying one is a real trend this lockdown.New Zealand PriceSpy data shows interest in an air fryer has gone up by 285 percent year on year.Are they a lockdown fad or on track to replace ovens?Celebrity chef Allyson Gofton from Food In A Minute joins Kate Hawkesby.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Authorities in Britain have decided not to require vaccine passports for entry into nightclubs and other crowded events in England, Britain's health secretary said Sunday, reversing course amid opposition from some of the Conservative government’s supporters in Parliament.Health Minister Sajid Javid said the government has shelved the idea of vaccine passports for now but could reconsider the decision if COVID-19 cases rise exponentially once again.“We’ve looked at it properly and whilst we should keep it in reserve as a potential option, I’m pleased to say that we will not be going ahead with plans for vaccine passports,’’ Javid told the BBC.The U-turn came just days after both the government’s vaccines minister and the culture secretary suggested that vaccine passports would still be necessary, despite growing opposition from lawmakers.In particular, members of the governing Conservative Party have objected to such passports as an unacceptable burden on businesses and an infringement on residents' human rights.The idea of requiring people to show proof of vaccination or a recent negative test for COVID-19 has been uncomfortable for many in Britain, where people generally aren’t required to carry identification documents.Other European nations are using similar documents showing peoples' vaccination status as a way to re-open society — although the rules vary widely. Each of Germany’s 16 states has slightly different rules on what is required, but in general, people are required to show a negative test, vaccine or recovery certificate before being allowed to participate in indoor dining, drinking or dancing.Passes are required in France when frequenting bars, cafes, restaurants, museums and other places where the public gathers and for long-distance travel on buses, trains and planes. In Italy, where discos have not re-opened since the start of the pandemic, so-called Green Passes are required to dine indoors, attend a concert or for domestic travel by trains, buses, planes or ferries, although local transport is exempt.- APSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another week, another commanding bonus-point victory for the All Blacks. Each more impressive than the last, too.After three comfortable wins against the Wallabies, the last two ensconcing the All Blacks atop the Rugby Championship table, Ian Foster's men held the Pumas to the open flame grill and then uncorked Mendoza's best Malbec with one stunning second-half try.The All Blacks enjoyed total control on the Gold Coast – so much so it was no surprise the Pumas were held scoreless. The imagination and attacking potential between the two teams was poles apart as the All Blacks' freedom of expression and variety blew the Argentines away.A change in style was supposed to restrict the All Blacks more than in recent weeks. After a Wallabies team that, like the All Blacks, embraces pace and width, the Pumas' confrontational approach, their suffocating defence, would present a different challenge. That theory was true for brief periods, but not nearly long enough.With five more in this match the All Blacks have now scored 19 tries in their past three tests – a warning shot of their potent attacking weaponry. Beauden Barrett's magic flick ball for Luke Jacobson's first try will have the world in awe yet similar interchanges are becoming frequent between the All Blacks big men up the middle.As was the case in Perth last week, this is where the All Blacks again did the business with first time captain Brodie Retallick, Nepo Laulala and Jacobson - the Chiefs No 8 nailing his chance with two tries - all prominent.The physicality from their forward pack was evident from opening tackle when Laulala flatted inspirational Pumas captain Pablo Matera. From then on, the All Blacks never shied away from the confrontation to win several breakdown penalties – Retallick claiming two, TJ Perenara, Dalton Papalii, Samisoni Taukei'aho, Quinn Tupaea one each – and lay a platform to unleash their brilliant backline.Outside Barrett, regaining his dynamic running game with each outing, the midfield pairing of David Havili and Rieko Ioane shone. Havili continues to prove a steadying influence, showing his nous to make sound decisions about when to tuck the ball and take contract, pass or kick.With ample time and space Ioane proved as threatening from centre, where he stepped in late for Anton Lienert-Brown, as he was from the wing in Perth last week.Such was the supreme All Blacks dominance Foster had the luxury of replacing Barrett and Havili after 49 minutes, with Damian McKenzie coming into No 10 and Tupaea slotting outside him.Despite missing Richie Mo'unga, Sam Whitelock, Aaron Smith, Ardie Savea, Codie Taylor, Dane Coles and Lienert-Brown, the All Blacks took another major step forward in this match. They continue to build depth - the performances of Taukei'aho and Tupou Vaa'i off the bench cases in point – and progress their game in different situations.Since shocking the All Blacks for the first time in Sydney last year the Pumas have now conceded 77 points and scored none in the two return tests. With poor discipline and conceding two yellow cards, they were never in this contest.By way of comparison, the world champion Springboks defeated the Pumas 32-12 and 29-10 in much less emphatic fashion in South Africa.Scott and Jordie Barrett on the attack for the All Blacks. Photo / PhotosportTo view the scoreline in isolation is to believe the All Blacks ran rampant from the opening whistle when, in fact, they were made to work incredibly hard for their points at times.While the Pumas attack and clearance kicking left a lot of be desired, their defence brought its usual commitment to the cause – the All Blacks forcing them to make almost 200 tackles.The All Blacks savoured 70 per cent possession and 73 per cent territory in the first half yet they often found cracking the Pumas tryline difficult.Jordie Barrett couldn't quite finish two kicks...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For a government obsessed with optics, it beggars' belief that more thought wasn’t given to James Shaw’s decision to travel all the way to Scotland for a climate change conference in 8 weeks' time. I mean, let’s get past the glaring carbon footprint of all that travel and look at the other hypocritical aspects of this. This is a party who objected so strongly to Parliament being resumed in person that they refused to attend; such was their horror that travel should take place during Delta. That same sentiment seems to have conveniently been overlooked in this case. Add to this, the fact that he will take up an MIQ spot which has magically appeared for him at the end of it all. So that’s a spot he’s taking that could have gone to someone else. There are people in virtual queues for months on end with a variety of excellent reasons as to why they should get an MIQ spot, yet James Shaw just magically jumps the queue and gets one. Optics? Not good. But then, for a bright guy, James Shaw seems to make a lot of bizarre choices. Remember the Green school debacle? That controversy raged last year after he supported handing millions of taxpayer dollars to a private "green school", much to the alarm of his own base. And surely that same base is aware that lowering carbon emissions is a tenet of Green party politics, as opposed to increasing them by zipping round the world for, of all ironies, a climate change conference? On top of that, optics wise, is the fact that we have been locked down or closed in with shut borders for so long now, that it’s a rare day politicians rub it in our faces by gallivanting overseas. Trade Minister Damien O'Connor travelled to the UK and Europe this year, he’s the only one. The PM was meant to go to Australia, but that trip got canned, and her upcoming sojourn to the UN in New York looks unlikely too. So why is James Shaw so special? Why does he deserve privileges here? How does he justify being only the second Minister to depart our borders since the government slammed them shut? But actually, prior to them being shut, he was a big fan of the international travel too. Data from 2019 showed Shaw spent more on international air travel than any other minister, more than even the Prime Minister. No other minister's international travel expenses came close to Shaw's total, it was reported at the time. So, we know he likes a jet ride, and let’s be frank, like many of us he’s probably been itching to get on a plane and get somewhere. But you can’t have it both ways. It’s got a touch of Harry and Meghan about it. You can’t be an active and vocal campaigner against the stuff you then go and do. It looks, and is, hypocritical.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One man is on a mission to feed the homeless in lockdown. Hangi Master's Rewi Spraggon says he and his son have given out about three thousand hangi to Tamaki Makaurau's homeless and food banks. The caterer told Kate Hawkesby lockdown has affected the homeless. "A lot of them usually eat in the back of restaurants, in the rubbish cans behind the restaurants. But with no restaurants open, there's no food, so there's a huge struggle." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This weekend will mark the 20th anniversary of 9/11. Most of us remember where we were that fateful day, watching those horrific images coming out of New York and Washington DC. It changed the world forever, and the challenge is how to make sure future generations don't forget the lessons learned from 9/11. Director of tourism at 9/11 memorial and museum in New York Isaac Pacheco joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An Auckland tourism operator says international tourists will be needed to help keep local businesses afloat. Bush and Beach Tour Company's Ben Thornton says most Kiwis see the region as the epicentre of Covid outbreaks. He argues the 17 MIQ facilities scattered throughout the city, will put other New Zealanders off wanting to visit. Thornton told Kate Hawkesby international tourists will be the key to survival. "The only glimmer of hope I have is, because the Government have left it so long it's now too late. Potentially, once they've got the vaccination numbers up they'll be able to help in the new year, that's what we're hoping for and praying for." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It feels like a raw deal doesn’t it? We’re locked down, grocery prices are creeping up and up and up, and then we get the news that we’re in for an expensive Christmas. Shipping lines have announced a ‘peak season surcharge’ on containers coming in from China and Singapore, and other shipping lines will likely follow suit. So, when the cost goes up for them to ship stuff to us, they’re going to pass that cost on to us, and yet again, the consumer gets pinged. Kiwibank’s chief economist said in one report that we can expect higher prices this Christmas, and potentially even some empty shelves. There may also be deliveries that just don’t show up in time due to delays. He says that ‘significant delays and disruptions in the supply chain don’t seem to have abated since last year’ when we had ‘a shocking whiplash in global logistics’. If we haven’t caught up this year, then we know it’s not great news for the Christmas shopping. And Christmas, by the way, just to freak you out, is just over a hundred days away. Here’s the thing we’re learning in lockdowns, though, aren’t we? The simple life is where it’s at; gratitude for the little things. Suddenly we are zeroing in on the small pleasures in life and realising, do we really need the big things? (Although I am debating whether or not I need an air fryer, but that’s another story) It’s Catch-22, though, isn’t it. Businesses need us to come out of lockdown and spend, spend, spend like last time and get the economy booming again, but many who’ve been badly financially impacted by lockdown may be a bit more wary this time round. I just don’t know whether we’ll be so loose with the purse strings after this one because as they keep telling us, Delta has changed the game. And there’s that prickly little fear that even if we get rid of it, it’ll be back and we’ll potentially be in lockdown again, so I’m not sure we’ll feel as carefree as we did last time. I could be wrong, but I don’t see the surge in spending being as massive, especially with inflation and rising costs of living. If you’ve been locked out of work unable to pull in your usual revenue, as well as had to keep staff afloat and pay increasing costs for food and rent, then are you really in a position to fritter money away on extras? And is it going to get worse from a supply chain point of view? It was reported yesterday that the ‘shippers who’re being forced to swallow massive freight cost increases, have become increasingly concerned about the market power wielded by the global shipping lines.’ And it’s a double edge sword – fees on containers are a cost bump, plus access is a problem; can you even get a container for your goods in the first place? So sorry to sound like the Grinch here, but when they say Christmas may be a bit tough this year, I think they're probably right.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It turns out herbicide resistance is a far bigger problem in New Zealand than anyone thought. Scientists have just completed the first nationwide survey on resistance. Instead of finding the expected 5 percent of arable farms and vineyards being resistant to common herbicides, they found 50 percent are. Agresearch senior scientist, Dr. Trevor James joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we approach the twenty-year anniversary of the 9/11 disaster one of the key masterminds of the attack has still yet to face trial. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is known as the principal architect of the attacks. He has been kept in Guantanamo Bay since 2006. But his pre-trial has been going on for nine years, with no set date yet for when the actual trial will begin, where he could face the death penalty for his crimes. Kevin Powers, a national security expert at Boston College, who previously advised the Pentagon on Guantanamo issues, joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The latest Delta outbreak has forced a Government rethink, on recently announced plans to reopen the border. The Government still intends to go ahead with a trial, to allow some fully vaccinated overseas travellers from low-risk countries to self-isolate at home upon arrival. But the plans on how to reopen borders early next year will have to be completely rew Auckland University Emeritus Professor of Medicine Des Gorman told Kate Hawkesby Delta strain seems to have caught the Government by surprise. "We've known abut Delta since late last year, yet when this outbreak occurred we simply weren't ready, 80 percent of us weren't vaccinated." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I know this move today to Level 2 is a step in the right direction; God only knows we all want to get down this level slide ASAP and back to some kind of normality. But I hear the businesses who're saying this Delta 2, the heavier version of Level 2 with new mask rules and capped numbers on indoor venues, is actually really tough. Many say they're just not profitable this way, small cafes and bars for example. By the time they socially distance the tables, mask up all their staff and cap their patronage at 50, it's barely worth opening the doors. Then you've got gyms, with people expected to sweat and pump iron while stringently remaining 2 metres away from any other gym goers or an instructor. Yoga classes with mats separated 2 metres, that doesn't leave you much room unless you have a huge yoga studio. How this plays out inside hairdressers who'll have to leave gaps in chair space, cinemas, churches, it's still a juggle for them, and many won't be making anywhere near the money they'd expect to be making in a regular level 2. You've also got compulsory scanning in, so that's an extra challenge for staff at venues to police, and is this the job of retailers and hospo workers? To enforce you wearing your mask and that you've scanned in? How do they deal with the odd person who refuses or doesn't want to? Wellington's Chamber of Commerce is reported as saying three quarters of businesses could operate at this new version of level 2, but not all of them. The challenge? The 50-person limit. A director of several hospitality businesses in Wellington was reported as saying the new Level 2 rules would have "a huge effect" on businesses, some would not open at all given it would not be financially viable. He said in one report that, "100 people was tough but having to make 50 work is a million times more difficult." Like many other businesses, he's just hoping for a fast transition to Level 1. But will it be a regular Level 1? Or can we expect a Delta Level 1 with additional restrictions? The Government hasn't given any detail on that yet. Nor do we know when a Level 1 might be in sight. For those of us still in Level 4 in Auckland, having a shop or a cafe even open would be a thrill, even if you do have to mask up and socially distance. At least in Level 2 you have access to a hairdresser, and some food you haven't had to cook yourself, and a cafe coffee. I mean these are things Aucklanders would kill for right now, so while a lot of New Zealand is whining about the restrictiveness of Delta Level 2, just remember those of us still languishing in Level 4 would trade places with you in a heartbeat.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Delta Level 2. Well, for most of the country, Auckland still has work to do. For a lot of Kiwis, the last few weeks have involved plenty of time in front of the television, with some even complaining they have run out of content to watch. Sky owns streaming service Neon and Head of Entertainment Programming Kristen Prendergast joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Northland has become an island under the new Level Two restrictions. While many businesses can reopen, travel between Northland and the rest of the country through Auckland is restricted to approved essential travel. That means the crucial tourism sector remains in hibernation for now. Jereon Jongejans from Dive Tutukaka told Kate Hawkesby everyone hopes the restrictions can be safely removed soon. "I sort of agree with being a bit cautious. Tt would be nice to have a kōrero in there, but to organise all of that in the mayhem we've got at the moment is a bit tricky." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Relief in the construction industry. The Government's agreed to allow manufacturing of some building products to restart in Auckland during level 4. There's been a supply chain issue looming because those in level 2, in the rest of the country, can resume construction. Construction Industry Council chair Graham Burke told Kate Hawkesby it's a problem they'd been talking with the Government about before the dual Alert Levels were announced. "Obviously quite complex, and we're very pleased we've come out with an approach that will hopefully work." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stoked for everyone, bar Auckland, who gets to wake up tomorrow morning in Level 2. A few changes, but hey, at least you’re in level 2. Or ‘Delta 2’ as they’re calling it. Always a catchphrase. The new rules include recommending mask use in schools, especially in secondary school settings, not compulsory, but recommended. So how does this transpire? Leaving it up to schools, who’s monitoring or enforcing that? Parents? Schools? I’m sure we'll soon find out after schools go back Thursday. The other potential prickly one is surveillance testing of any essential workers crossing the Auckland border. How this takes shape I’m not exactly sure, we know it’ll be free, and you don’t have to isolate while you’re waiting on results unless you have symptoms. But how much does it inconvenience companies and how much hold up will there be at the border? Again, time will tell. The PM acknowledged these changes would be tough, which is about as useful as her expressing her frustration on things. It doesn’t change anything for the people and businesses involved. Despite coming in late and taking a good fifteen minutes to get to the actual level adjustment announcement at the post-cab presser yesterday, the glaring omission for me was no vaccine supply announcement. Another day has ticked by, and still no deal. Robertson said yesterday they were ‘working on it’.. what I’d like to know is - whose working on it? Has anyone at the top level of government actually picked up a phone? Who is negotiating this deal? Why is it taking so long? Why do they keep saying an announcement is imminent any day now, when the days just keep ticking into weeks and no announcement gets made? To make matters worse, we’re being shown up across the Tasman. ScoMo now has double the doses this month for his rollout, simply by hustling for it, and making deals with three countries. While he’s sewn up deals with Poland, Singapore and the UK, what have we been doing? Robertson claims ‘these things take time’, but awkwardly for him, that doesn’t appear true; ScoMo wrapped up the UK deal in just over two weeks. How he did it wasn’t rocket science either. He got the departments of Foreign Affairs and Trade to scour the world for jabs, High Commissioners making phone calls to counterparts, then ScoMo got involved at the top level; making phone calls to Boris to get the deal moving. It's been reported that because the two worked around the clock, the deal ‘assumed a pace and scale that surprised both sides’. That’s what happens when you hustle, so why aren’t we? Have we tasked our embassies and MFAT to scour the world for Pfizer? Have we picked up a phone to another country’s leader? Or are we just sitting back waiting on yet more advice?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Missing boy Anthony "AJ" Elfalak has been found alive after a desperate three-day search, NSW Police have confirmed. Anthony, or "AJ", who is autistic and non-verbal, had last been seen at about 11.45am on Friday. A widespread search of the family's 650-acre property at Putty, west of Newcastle, had lasted for almost 72 hours and included police, emergency services and volunteers when the miraculous discovery was made. "Missing 3-year-old boy Anthony 'AJ' Elfalak has been located a short time ago. He is yet to be assessed by NSW Ambulance paramedics. More info to come," NSW Police posted to Twitter. It is understood AJ was found by a rescue helicopter at a creek within the property, several kilometres from the family home. Police and family raced on foot to the creek and after several minutes of commotion, police confirmed they had found AJ. A widespread search of the family's 650-acre property at Putty, west of Newcastle, had lasted for almost 72 hours when the miraculous discovery was made. Photo / Google The circumstances of AJ's disappearance remain at this point a mystery, with several suspicious findings made in connection with the search. Before the discovery was confirmed, NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian was asked about the good news at her Covid-19 update in Sydney. "I don't know if that's the case, but if it is, I would be absolutely delighted," she said. "I mean, I think all of us have been crossing everything to make sure AJ is brought back safely. And if that's the case, it's much-needed good news in otherwise difficult circumstances." On Friday, the family had noted seeing a "suspicious" white ute on the property, which was then seized from a property at Bulga – 78km northeast of where Anthony was last seen. And just hours before AJ was found on Monday, family friend Alan Hashem told the Today show CCTV footage from around the time of Anthony's disappearance had gone missing. Anthony, or "AJ", who is autistic and non-verbal, was last seen at about 11.45am on Friday. Today he was found alive. Photo / NSW Police "There's one key factor and this is probably the first time I've actually mentioned this, I installed cameras on that post right there," Hashem said. "There's footage missing, unexplained. Days before, days after, but not during the time. "You know what's more alarming? We installed it so high you can't tamper with it and we had two mechanisms of storage, cloud storage and physical storage, and there's no data in that timeslot. "We provided the user name and password to the police, we provided them the actual original memory card. There's a lot of explaining to do." Appearing on Sunrise moments later, he elaborated more on the grim discovery. "We did have CCTV footage, I (installed) it myself as a matter of fact, I put it high up, so high in the tree that when the (Fire Brigade) said, 'Let me get the CCTV footage,' we went in there and I can't explain it, the window in which he went missing (is gone)," he said. "Probably a much greater, larger window, about four hours, there is footage missing. "We do have two mechanisms in which we store it, through cloud-based, which is obviously internet-based, and we have also got the physical memory cards, both have been provided to police and they are investigating further." At the time, Hashem said he feared Anthony was abducted. "Without a doubt; for the simple reason he is on the spectrum of autism but he is always quite afraid and attached to his mum," he said. Family's joy after hearing AJ was found News crews at the property captured the moment the family found out he had been located. There were emotional scenes at the property as family members threw their hands in the air, screaming and crying from happiness and relief. AJ's father hugging his other two children after hearing his...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Confidence teachers will be able to navigate the issues around mask wearing at schools. It's recommended for over 12s but not required, when school begins for most of the country on Thursday. Clinical psychologist Dougal Sutherland told Kate Hawkesby schools should make a clear decision about mask-wearing, with exceptions for children with communication difficulties. He says it could be a bit tricky because of peer pressure. "I think, though, we should have faith in our teaching staff. Teachers, their job is to engage kids, they know how to engage kids in learning and, yes, this is another barrier, but actually these guys are professionals." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Māori leader is outraged after David Seymour tweeted a Māori only vaccine code. The code allows people to book in or turn up without an appointment at a drive through clinic in West Auckland. The Act Party leader argues getting vaccinated shouldn't be a race-based issue. The National Māori Authority Chair Matthew Tukaki told Kate Hawkesby his rhetoric is unhelpful. "David has completely lost the plot on this, we are trying very, very hard to get the Māori vaccination rate up, as we are trying to get the vaccination rate up for the country more generally." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Otis, the first New Zealand oat milk brand to grow its own oats, is wanting some company.Its launching the 1 percent fund today where one percent of its sales will be dedicated to funding projects and initiatives to make oats a viable alternative for farmers.Otis co-founder Chris Wilkie told Kate Hawkesby they deliberately set out to be both pro-farmer and pro-environment and believe the two don't contradict."We've always and we will always sing the praises of New Zealand farmers because they're the best in the world, but at the same time, we're conscious that farmers might say 'well that's all very well and good Otis, but talk's cheap' and well we agree."LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How you holding up there Auckland? As the meme says, what a year last week has been. A Level 4 lockdown, an escapee from MIQ, flooding in West Auckland, and a terrorist attack. I mean you wouldn’t read about it. Except that we have. How’s everyone’s nerves?I have so many questions.Why was someone on a terror watchlist out in the community? Why was someone known to the PM at the highest level of office, as a serious threat to Kiwis, and yet the law was never changed to get him in jail? Why, after Christchurch, has nothing been learned? Why wasn’t this aspect of the terror laws tightened up? Why did they not act faster to fix the legal loopholes? Why did Police wait for him to not just grab a knife, but then go on and stab 6 people before shooting him? Can we believe in a socially distanced supermarket that he was able to stab one person every ten seconds? Six people in 60 seconds? Really? How much has been spent on surveillance of this guy 24/7 for the past 5 years? Reports of up to 30 people surveying him. That bill must be enormous. And how do you justify that amount of money and manpower when you could have just changed the law?Why after he was released from jail and ordered to attend rehabilitative services and never did, why was that not followed up? How many dangerous prisoners are released from jail and ordered to do rehabilitation programmes and never do? Why did he never undertake the psychological assessment as ordered by the courts? How many people get ordered to do these and never do? Whose job is it to follow up on this stuff? What’s the point in ordering people on terror watchlists to do anything if no one’s going to bother following it up and making it happen? How was he able to keep buying large hunting knives? Why is someone who commits violent offences allowed to keep their New Zealand citizenship? Why wasn’t he stripped of that sooner? How did Immigration NZ not have a system in place to vet his fraudulent refugee application at the time? How many fraudulent refugee applications are there?Why did the government spend so many years ‘waiting for advice’? How much did those housing him in the Mosque know about his motives and intentions? How does the Police Commissioner justify his confidence that police did "everything they could" to prevent what happened? Why did he say there was ‘nothing to prevent him from being in the community’ when the guy was on a terror watch list and a known violent offender and ISIS sympathizer? Is that not enough justification to keep someone out of the community?Since the Christchurch attack the government had one job – secure the terror laws to keep Kiwis safe. They knew about this man, they knew about the potential for violence and terror, and yet, again, they’ve been caught napping. ‘Seeking advice’ for years is not good enough.When will this government learn actions speak louder than words?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How things can change in just three games.After an embarrassing first-up capitulation and the last-ball loss that followed, the Black Caps have gone full circle to spin their way to a crunching 52-run win in their third Twenty20 against Bangladesh, and stay alive in the five-match series.A rapid adaption to the conditions in Dhaka has caused the drastic turnaround, and after the bowlers showed promise in the first two clashes on the slow spinning wickets, this time the batsmen and the fielders backed them up in a display that earned Rachin Ravindra and Cole McConchie their first international victories.They were key contributors to the win as well, with Ravindra hitting 20 before taking a miserly 1-13 from his four overs, while McConchie returned his best T20 figures in his professional career with 3-15.Add in the star turn of Ajaz Patel, with 4-16, and the Black Caps ripped through Bangladesh for 76, a statement performance from a second-string team against a full-strength Bangladeshi side in their home conditions, and a result that continues a terrific turnaround.Playing on the same pitch that saw them routed for 60 in the opener, the Black Caps batsmen showed sharper skills to compile a total that looked maybe a touch below par, but still competitive.Coach Glenn Pocknall made the correct call by bringing in explosive opener Finn Allen at the expense of one of the many seamers in the squad, and after being 9-4 in the first match, in the third match the Black Caps had bashed 11 off the opening over.Allen's innings only lasted 10 balls, but he still showcased the immense promise he has as New Zealand's long-term opener in his breezy 15, while Ravindra and Will Young (both hitting 20 at a run-a-ball) managed to provide the Black Caps with their first platform of the tour.It nearly went to waste. Colin de Grandhomme and Tom Latham both departed cheaply, before Henry Nicholls and Tom Blundell attempted a dangerous rebuild, with the Black Caps going 45 balls between boundaries as they creaked to 88-5 with just four overs remaining.It was a mighty risk – with the big-hitting talents of McConchie and Scott Kuggeleijn still to come and more than capable of scoring quickly, it seemed a classic case of senior batsmen overestimating the importance of their wicket, and playing too conservatively.Had things gone awry with Blundell on 12 off 19 balls, the game may have shifted, but Nicholls and Blundell managed to execute their plan to near-perfection, smashing 40 off the last four overs in a 66-run stand off 57 balls that dragged the Black Caps to a defendable total.Henry Nicholls and Tom Blundell battled through for a pivotal partnership. Photo / PhotosportA loose start with the ball had Bangladesh well on their way at 23-0 after just 2.3 overs, but Liton Das was trapped lbw by McConchie, and from there it was remarkably one-way traffic.Patel leaked seven runs from his first over but took two wickets in his second, including the prized scalp of Shakib Al Hasan, who took a wild slog off the second ball he saw and was caught at long-on.Under fairly limited run-rate pressure, some of the early Bangladeshi batting was a bit baffling, but unlike in the second T20, this time the fielders didn't let the bowlers down, and made the hosts pay.Nicholls took two sharp low catches inside the circle, one of them to remove Mahmudullah as Patel took two wickets in two balls, reducing Bangladesh to 44-6 after 10 overs.From there, the result was never in doubt, and perhaps the greatest sign of New Zealand's all-around improvements came from Blundell, who made amends for his Friday fielding foibles with a superb tumbling catch in the deep, as the Black Caps cruised to a victory that has reignited the series.Text by Niall Anderson, NZ HeraldSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former close aide to Prince Charles stepped down temporarily from his role as chief executive of a royal charity amid reports that he helped secure an honor for a Saudi donor.The Sunday Times and Mail on Sunday newspapers reported that Michael Fawcett coordinated support for an honor for Saudi businessman Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz.The Times said the businessman donated sums of more than 1.5 million pounds ($2.1 million) to The Prince’s Foundation to fund heritage restoration projects of interest to Charles, including residences Charles used.The report said Charles gave Mahfouz an honorary CBE, or Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, at a private ceremony in 2016. The Saudi denies wrongdoing.The Prince’s Foundation said in a statement that Fawcett offered to temporarily step down from active duties as the organization’s chief executive while an investigation takes place. It said Fawcett will assist the investigation.Fawcett began his royal service in 1981 as a footman to Queen Elizabeth II and later became Charles’ assistant valet.In 2003, he was accused of selling unwanted royal gifts but was cleared of financial misconduct allegations. He resigned from his position as valet but continued to work in other roles including as Charles’ events planner.Text by APSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Don't blame terrorism on mental health issues or treat extremism like a mental health condition.A police scene examination is continuing at Auckland's Countdown LynnMall, after seven people were injured in an ISIS-inspired terror attack on Friday afternoon.The terrorist was shot dead by police officers at the scene.Mental Health Foundation chief executive Shaun Robinson told Kate Hawkesby the terrorist may have been experiencing mental health issues, but that doesn't explain or excuse his behaviour.“Hundreds of thousands of Kiwis experience mental health issues. They don’t then become terrorists.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Before we blow a fuse at managed isolation, let's have some context. Nearly 170,000 people have been through the system. 12 escapes all up involving 16 people, and that includes this one we had yesterday, who'd been in there not even 7 hours before he made his break. What makes you sick about this guy is that a whole bunch of police have had to go chasing after him, and be exposed to him. They now all have to be tested and I suppose isolate until they come up clear. Ironically, if they've caught it in the process of picking this character up, they'll end up in MIQ. The point is that this one escape is really serious; the guy has put a whole lot of people at risk. We don't know anything yet about where he went while he was out and who else might have been exposed. Hopefully, because everyone is meant to be at home and this happened in the middle of the night, it won't be a lot of people. But there was a driver, whether that person was a deliberate accessory is another matter. What I'm wondering, is whether this guy should have been in MIQ at all. From what I've read of his online ranting and raving, the man was not a willing guest of the system. That would have been clear from the get-go, so to point the bone at MIQ for the escape seems unfair. And now we're plucking people from their homes into obligatory quarantine, we can expect more of this. And we need to have, what shall I call it, alternative accommodation for those who don't want to play the game.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Even in the midst of lockdowns, the hospitality sector has been vocal about labour shortages. The industry wants urgent visa extensions and border exemptions But a McDonald's in the United States has found a solution, recruiting kids as young as fourteen. Questions are being raised as to whether employers in New Zealand should be more open to hiring teenagers. AUT Professor of Management Jarrod Harr joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Waikato University is launching the world's first degree in climate change today. The aim is to produce graduates to lead future climate change solutions - combining science, economics and social and political systems. Margaret Barbour, the University of Waikato's Dean of Science joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concerns a new MIQ booking system may not make things any better. A new virtual queue for spots will come into action once the outbreak-induced pause is over. People will be selected from random, meaning they won’t have to constantly refresh the website. But Travel Technology Consultant Mike Moore told Kate Hawkesby there should instead be a system that provides people with some ability to plan. "One is the idea of a wait list, which basically provides the opportunity for people who want to to form an orderly queue, and other part is to extend the booking horizon as far as possible into the future." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Of those working in our construction industry, just two point six percent are women. Research out this morning shows both employers and women want the number to be higher, so questions are being raised as to where the disconnect is. Kelly Bennett, who is the Principal Advisor for Women at the Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation (BCITO) joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shout out to Auckland this morning, and Northland for that matter. The only two places still waking up in Level 4. Doing the heavy lifting for the rest of the country. Let’s hope it’s only for another two weeks Auckland.. fingers crossed. I saw some stats out of Australia yesterday where lockdowns are really starting to bite. One poll showed 86 percent of Australians intend on getting vaccinated – which is higher than pre-Delta. 50 percent of them want lockdowns to end when 80 percent of the country is vaccinated, so getting out of lockdowns is a big impetus. Their fears are the same as ours – 58 percent feared businesses closing and job losses, 56 percent worried about what effect lockdowns are having on mental health, which I talked about yesterday. And 52 percent of them find home schooling a negative. I think the thing with home schooling is the isolation of children at such a social time of their lives, but also the inequality of it. Your household’s home schooling regime may look very different to someone else’s. For every home that has a kid in their PJ’s on a laptop, there will be some homes where the child has no access to computers or wifi, where they just don’t have the resources from their school to be able to work effectively from home. I’m very grateful and appreciative to my daughter’s school who seem to have online learning down pat. They take a roll for each class for online attendance, the teacher sets out work and asks if anyone has questions, there are online portals they can go for resources and worksheets, they’re still submitting work and getting it marked. It’s probably the easiest age bracket to do the online learning to be honest. Too young for NCEA yet, and too old for primary school, which must be so hard to manage. I can’t begin to imagine how tough it must be to keep children occupied and focused and at that age when so much of the learning is visual and hands on.Of course, those in Level 3 can’t return to school yet either, so it’s still really tough for households with school children around the country, especially with parents who’re also trying to juggle working from home. But yesterday was day 14 for Auckland, and there are 14 more days of that to go. And it got me thinking, what’s our incentive out of this? Obviously, demand is high for the vaccine here, which is good, but we need to keep up that momentum. Having to slow our rollout down due to lack of supply is less than ideal, especially when momentum's building. But where are our incentives? New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian has outlined more freedoms for vaccinated people in her state after NSW hits the target of 6 million jabs. She’s outlining a roadmap for a return to normality, and setting targets to get there. So, as we sit here in Auckland, on day 15 of a Level 4 lockdown, with at least another two weeks to go, I can’t help wishing we’d adopt a similarly ambitious approach.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Deliveries are also an option for those who don’t want to queue Domino's New Zealand general manager Cameron Toomey told Kate Hawkesby they’re expecting a big day But he says, they’ve been here before and they know what to do "We do serve a lot of customers every day normally, so we just make sure we've got the right amount of people rostered on and we've got the right procedures in place to allow us to meet the demand." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An immunologist says new vaccine eligibility should be celebrated. From today anyone over the age of 12 has the ability to book in to get the Covid-19 jab. Despite this some are set to face long waits. Malaghan Institute immunologist Graham Le Gros told Kate Hawkesby it needs to be targeted. "The regions, Māori community, Pacific community and really make sure that they're really safe too, because they're the ones that live in high-density conditions and they're very vulnerable to this virus if it gets into them." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today will see the return of cafe coffee and gloriously greasy takeaways for those south of Auckland, regarding it can be picked up or delivered under Covid guidelines. But for a small business outside of a major city centre the cost of delivering is often hardly worth the profit margin. Development West Coast has got a scheme to help with that, and the CEO Heath Milne told Kate Hawkesby an incentive is more effective than a payout. "We thought, rather than give cash to businesses, we’ll help them to get into that market, by giving them a rebate for every delivery that they do.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A lot of talk around mental health at the moment, and rightly so. This lockdown feels tougher, and we’re right to feel deflated by it, our lockdowns are stricter than Australia’s. In Melbourne you can still meet up for coffee with people outside your bubble, exercise with someone outside of your bubble, go out for takeaways, coffees, flowers. My girlfriend in Sydney says basically most businesses are considered essential and are therefore open, the same mixing of bubbles applies, and there’s more movement. That’s arguably why it’s spreading faster, but it pays to remember their lockdown is not our lockdown, so we are rightly feeling the pinch of our super strict Level 4 rules. Some say the mental health shadow pandemic will be bigger than the Covid one. In Australia it already is. There are 342 young people a week in Victoria being admitted to hospital for mental health issues, 40 kids a day in New South Wales. It’s tough. Anxiety levels are through the roof, isolation is triggering all sorts of feelings, as is loss of income and fear. Add to that increased alcohol or drug use, more sedentary behaviour, lack of socialisation and you have the recipe for a plethora of mental health issues. For parents at this time, it’s super stressful too because on top of all your own worries, you’re worried about your kids as well. So how do we keep our mental health in good shape during this uncertain time? Funnily enough, the answers to good mental health often lie in good physical health. Experts say good nutrition, getting good amounts of exercise, sunshine and Vitamin D are all key. Limiting alcohol consumption is another good idea – easier said than done for many at this time I know, but also, staying active. Knowing all this stuff often doesn’t make it any easier to do it, especially when we’re stressed or anxious, but it’s good to know that we can build resilience even when we don’t feel like it. Stress can change our appetite, energy levels, sleep patterns and concentration abilities, but we can do little things too. Like take breaks from all the news coverage, take breaks from social media, take deep breaths or pick up a meditation app. We can still connect with others through Facetime or on the phone, just as we try to boost our physical immune systems, we have to also try to boost our psychological immune systems. Focussing on positives is hard when the world feels upside down, and for many, the struggles are phenomenally difficult right now. I liken this lockdown to being at home those first few weeks with a newborn. Walking around sleep deprived and exhausted not knowing what day it is, binge eating, regarding showering and washing your hair as an accomplishment. But as author Glennon Doyle famously says, we just have to remind ourselves, “we can do hard things”.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two weeks is a long time when it comes to Covid. There are 562 community cases in the current Delta outbreak -- with just 53 new cases reported yesterday. That's 30 fewer than the day before. Most of the country comes out of Level Four at midnight and Northland is likely to follow on Thursday night, while Auckland faces another two weeks under Level Four restrictions. Otago University infectious diseases physician Kurt Krause says told Kate Hawkesby while yesterday's drop in case numbers is encouraging, only time will tell whether we have the outbreak under control. "There's new variants brewing around the world, different things are happening. It really has been hard to settle down and be confident about what's going to happen from one week to the next." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Civil Defence officials still don't know the full extent of the damage, from a night of heavy rain and extensive flooding in Auckland. Emergency services have received more than 150 calls about flooding, mostly in West Auckland. One Swanson resident has described seeing cars being swept down the road, children being carried through shoulder-height flood waters, and homes ending up underwater. Auckland Emergency Management Deputy Controller Rachel Kelleher told Kate Hawkesby response crews will head out to assist, where needed. "It's still an emerging situation at the moment, we're just working through what the needs are out there." Kelleher says the need to evacuate overrides any alert level requirements, but people should socially distance where possible. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Those on one side of a Waikato road will wake up tomorrow in level three, but the other will still be in level four. Everywhere south of Auckland will move to level three at midnight but the boundary cuts across Koheroa Road at Mercer. Waikato District Mayor Allan Sanson told Kate Hawkesby he's spoken to the Prime Minister's office about it but they're sticking with their decision. "The stupidity in having a boundary down the middle of the road, I can't defend that position, it's just crazy." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It may be easier than we think to combat online scams that are continuing to run rampant in New Zealand.New research by BNZ shows nearly four out of five New Zealanders are being targeted by a scam and nearly a quarter are falling for them.It comes as BNZ launches its annual Scam Savvy Week, running from today until Friday.BNZ's Head of Financial Crime, Ashley Kai Fong told Kate Hawkesby with everyone online in lockdown, they’re more susceptible.But he says there are simple steps people can take.“Keep their software updated, do all the software patches that are required and actually educate their staff not to click on links.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Public Service Commissioner, Peter Hughes, took umbrage at an editorial I wrote last week challenging the under performance of Ashley Bloomfield in his role as Director General of Health.Hughes misinterpreted this as me criticising frontline public servants, who he said deserve respect. That’s right, they do — from Ashley Bloomfield, whose supposed to be working on their behalf.No one’s a bigger supporter of people on the frontline than me. They do an incredible thankless and tireless job. I was not referring to them. I was talking about the man tasked with overseeing our Covid health response, and paid more than half a million dollars to do so. My criticism was of the bloated ineffectual bureaucracy sitting behind desks, which suffocates frontline workers with unnecessary overloaded processes. These are the people often caught off guard by announcements made from the 'pulpit' that aren’t directly communicated to them. It’d be great if public sector workers could be left to get on with it – let police police, let teachers teach, and keep funds flowing to them rather than the refurbishment of Wellington offices, but that’s not the case. Upper echelons of the public service are more interested in impressing politicians. Hughes embodies this by showing he’s out of touch. While Bloomfield may’ve previously enjoyed the halo effect of the PM’s well lubed Covid PR machine, he does not enjoy the same ‘bubblegum’ popularity with the frontline health workers he represents.Hughes argues I crossed a line critiquing Ashley, (proving my point that Bloomfield’s clearly beyond reproach). As Voltaire famously said, “to learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticise”. That's something that should concern New Zealanders — the push back on any critique or quest for accountability of highly paid officials and politicians.Our job is to question, it improves the information flow and action for all of us.Hughes argues Bloomfield fronts up to scrutiny more than private sector CEO’s. We can forgive Hughes for not knowing what scrutiny CEO’s are under given he’s spent a life in public service, but private sector CEO’s are in fact accountable to boards, shareholders, customers – some have the added responsibility of compliance with NZX and FMA regulations.They’re scrutinised by Institutional Investors, Analysts, the Shareholders Association – and, yes, the media. They operate under “continuous disclosure” which legally obliges them to release any material information as soon as they become aware of it. They do not have the luxury of controlling what information they release or when they release it, like Bloomfield does. They’re required to explain results, provide guidance – and yes, set targets.Hughes says he’s proud of the job Bloomfield’s done, and this is precisely what I’m concerned about. How can you state that in the midst of an avoidable lockdown? When the mental health of our teenagers, our elderly, and those living alone is being strangled? When we’ve known since December last year that vaccination is the answer, and that effective procurement and distribution would be critical. We’ve known about the threat of Delta since May. We’re the last country to get it, not the first. The Government commissioned report on initiatives we needed to prepare for Delta, was ignored by Bloomfield.So to say as Hughes does, that Bloomfield has delivered ‘in spades’ is disingenuous. Bloomfield has been found wanting across a litany of issues from flu shots to testing capacity to PPE to saline injections. The only thing Bloomfield has done with spades, is dig himself holes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When six rounds were complete and Lisa Adams saw her name at the top of the leaderboard in the women's shot put (F37) at the Paralympic Games, a dream had been realised.She sought out her coach and sister, Dame Valerie, and the two shared an embrace before Adams had the New Zealand flag draped around her shoulders.It was a moment she won't soon forget."Honestly, it was just phenomenal," Adams told Newstalk ZB's Elliott Smith of having her sister with her in Tokyo. "That was so special to me; that hug is up there with one of the best hugs I've ever had in my life. That was so special to be on this journey with her."I couldn't do this without her, so that was special in that moment. She's been my coach throughout, but that hug was definitely a sister hug. She put the flag on me and that whole moment, it was so special. I really, really loved that." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dame Valerie Adams (@valerieadams84) Adams' Paralympic gold is the latest in a growing collection of sporting feats for the Adams family. It matches the gold medal she won in the event at the world championship in Dubai in 2019, and adds to the family's haul in Tokyo after Dame Valerie claimed the bronze medal in the women's shot put at the Olympic Games earlier in the year.It was Dame Valerie's fourth Olympic medal in the event, with gold in 2008 and 2012, and silver in 2016, adding to an impressive medal collection from her career.In the NBA, Steven Adams has made a name for himself as one of the toughest players in the world's top basketball league since being named to the NBA all-rookie second team in 2014.After seven seasons playing with the Oklahoma City Thunder, during which he earned a contract worth more than $100m, he was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans ahead of the 2020-21 season, and has since been moved to the Memphis Grizzles. In recent years, he has taken on the role of a mentor to younger players around him, and was recently seen working out with rookie big man Evan Mobley, who was drafted with the third overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in this year's NBA draft.While Lisa Adams has added a gold medal to her collection, her campaign at the Paralympic Games isn't over. She is also entered into the discus (F38) event, which will see medals won on Saturday."Discus is fairly new," Adams admitted of her next event. "That's a fun event for us so we haven't had a lot of training. But we're still looking to go out and do our best and see how we go."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday praised the "colossal" effort to airlift civilians from Kabul, as U.K. troops and diplomats flew home after the two-week mission, ending 20 years of British military involvement in Afghanistan.In a video message, Johnson praised the "colossal exertions" of British troops engaged in "a mission unlike anything we've seen in our lifetimes."But his government is facing criticism for leaving behind hundreds, or even thousands, of vulnerable Afghans whom the U.K. had promised to protect.The U.K. ambassador to Afghanistan, Laurie Bristow, was among those who arrived at RAF Brize Norton northwest of London on Sunday, hours after the government announced that all British personnel had left Kabul. More flights bringing back approximately 1,000 U.K. troops from Kabul airport were due throughout the day.Britain says it has evacuated more than 15,000 U.K. citizens and vulnerable Afghans in the past two weeks, but that as many as 1,100 Afghans who were entitled to come to the U.K. have been left behind.Vice Admiral Ben Key, who was in charge of the British operation, said: "We tried our best."But the government is under pressure to explain why it didn't act more quickly once it became clear the U.S.-led military presence in Afghanistan was ending.A former head of the British Army, retired Gen. Richard Dannatt, said the government was "asleep on watch" and had been warned that former interpreters and others who worked with British forces were at risk."This issue has been on politicians' desks for two to three years and, certainly, it's been there during the course of this year," he told Times Radio."We should have done better, we could have done better. It absolutely behooves us to find out why the government didn't spark up faster," he added.Johnson acknowledged that Britain "would not have wished to leave in this way," but said it was tied to the departure timetable set by the United States, which is ending its 20-year Afghan involvement by Aug. 31."Though we now leave with the United States, we will remain represented in the region," Johnson said. "Together with our allies in America and Europe and around the world, we will engage with the Taliban not on the basis of what they say but what they do."If the new regime in Kabul wants diplomatic recognition, or to unlock the billions that are currently frozen, they will have to ensure safe passage for those who wish to leave the country, to respect the rights of women and girls, to prevent Afghanistan from, again, becoming an incubator for global terror, because that would be disastrous for Afghanistan."Text by Jill Lawless, Associated PressSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National says scrutiny of the Government, in person, is critical.The Prime Minister suspended parliament last week, on advice from the Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield.But, it will now resume tomorrow, after National and ACT rejected a proposal to hold it virtually.National Covid-19 spokesperson Chris Bishop told Kate Hawkesby the select committees on Zoom were pretty inadequate.“We need to get back to Parliament and ask the questions New Zealanders need the answers to like: why is our vaccine rollout so slow? Why are we the slowest in the developed world? Why did we not prepare for this Delta outbreak properly?”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Isn’t it interesting how much lower the bar is for bureaucrats than the private sector? Even our sports teams get more scrutiny. Imagine if Ashley Bloomfield was an All Black coach. Bear in mind, this guy is our number one, head and shoulders above the next best suitable candidate. That’s the worryingly low benchmark we’re setting and accepting across the state service for where performance expectations sit. If he was an AB’s coach, he’d be getting dissected, analysed and critiqued by all, including the NZRU. There'd be unsolicited nominations from pundits left, right and centre on who should replace him. But obviously the national game is of greater public importance and held to a higher standard than our Covid response. Not only is this a major concern for the continued underperformance of our Health Ministry and Covid response and more importantly planning, but it also gives a stark and alarming insight to the calibre of bureaucrats in the Ministry of Health. In a global pandemic threatening our safety and our prosperity – this is it. This is what we’ve got. If this were the private sector, we'd score KPI’s, canvas high and lowlights, and grade performance. The only conclusion we could draw would result in a small chat with HR in which Bloomfield be invited to bring a support person, followed by a press release about spending more time with his family, and, if he’s lucky, a small pay-out. But this isn’t happening with Teflon Bloomfield, NZ’s highest profile bureaucrat. His key job in the last 18 months has been to effectively manage and mitigate the risk of Covid. He's had the support of the PM, backed up by the Government balance sheet and printing machine, to insure against any further outbreaks, by building in latent capacity across our defence and response network. And although he’s a likeable guy, he’s unfortunately clearly now a recidivist under performer. On numerous occasions he's at best withheld or obfuscated material information – and at worst has bare face lied to Cabinet, a Select Committee and the public. On testing, on flu vaccines, on PPE, on the critical vaccine procurement and rollout, on saline injections, on text messages to Foreign Affairs. He continues to defend the indefensible. He’s failed to act on the recommendations of Ayesha Verrall and Sir Brian Roche, and on the best practise evident globally. Our response has unquestionably been found wanting. We've been caught short – and he’s not fronting that with a mea culpa, or even highlighting areas where things could've been better, nor is he being put under scrutiny or held to account by his employer. He has not demonstrated the light-footed dynamism of thought that's required in managing the risks of an ever-evolving pandemic. In the private sector he’d be toast, and yet, we have deified him.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Great news overnight with New Zealand winning our first medal in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Sophie Pascoe won her 16th overall medal, getting silver in the 100m breaststroke. This will be a great Paralympic watching weekend while we are all stuck at home. What are the ones to watch out for? Sports broadcaster and commentator John Mcbeth joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While the South Island might feel some relief today if they head into Level Three, for teachers, Level Three can be bit of a headache. Level Three is where schools are open for kids of essential workers, so enough teachers to cover that go into work. That means some teachers are stretched between the kids at school and the kids at home learning online. Perry Rush from the Principal's Federation says Level Three presents more challenges. “Level Four is definitely an easier level to manage, in terms of your whole staff being in the remote and being able to support all students who are in the remote.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some parts of the country could be about to move from one form of lockdown, to another. Cabinet will meet today to discuss whether to move most of the country out of Alert Level Four from midnight tonight. Auckland, the epicentre of the outbreak -- will remain at Level Four until at least Tuesday night. Otago University infectious diseases expert David Murdoch told Kate Hawkesby other parts of the country, particularly the South Island, are likely to move to looser restrictions. "It's likely to be Alert Level 3. I think the Alert level 3 might be slightly different from before, we're learned a lot about the virus as time has gone on." There are now 277 cases in the current outbreak, and there's a growing list of more than 20-thousand contacts and 500 locations of interest. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The thing that should be scaring us all more than the virus right now is the information vacuum. Now laid stark before us, for anyone that was ever in any doubt, with the saline scandal. And this critical piece of information was not even offered up by the Government or the Ministry of Health, but instead revealed by the media. The disingenuousness of this not remotely open, honest or transparent Government should worry us all. The spin being peddled, the lack of honesty, the withholding of information, and the inability to admit mistakes. Why won't they admit they got procurement and rollout of the vaccine wrong? That mistake is going to cost us now dearly. Why won't they give the same data and information they gave last time? And in a timely way? Why are they hiding so much? Why the lack of transparency? According to Act, and some media sources, the Government's purposely not releasing each day's data before they get to reveal it under a spotlight at 1pm. By not releasing it when they have it, reporters have to wait until after the press conference for it to be published, this means they have less time to interpret, review it and form questions. It allows the Government to remain less accountable. It allows the Government to have a more captive audience at 1pm. David Seymour said, “Withholding that information until Ministers and Ashley Bloomfield have left the stage ensures they aren’t scrutinised on the latest information in a timely fashion, only the cherry picked ‘good news’ they choose to highlight.” You have to ask what sort of democracy we live in when the Government won’t allow Parliament to sit, won’t bring back the Epidemic Response Committee to be held accountable, and won’t release official information in a fair timeframe. Everything they're doing is based on what suits them, what they can spin to micro manage our reactions, what commands the most attention. They're banking, based on last time, on New Zealanders buying it. Will we? Make no mistake, the propaganda machine is in full swing. We are being subject to the withholding of information until it suits them to release it. A government choosing to be opaque on forecast vaccination delivery dates, refusing to set rollout targets, game-playing on lockdown extensions they know full well are coming, staging press conferences, not giving us the full picture when they have it, and worst of all we learned yesterday - flat out lying to us. Do you know their priority right now? Extensive polling around ‘best messaging’, what makes them look good in the eyes of Kiwis, how to keep us on side. They care more about how this all looks for them, rather than what it means for us. So you have to ask yourself, who are they actually governing for?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.