Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

Spencer Elden, who appeared as a naked baby on the cover of Nirvana's 1991 album "Nevermind," has claimed the record's iconic artwork is child pornography and is suing the band over alleged "child sexual exploitation." The rock album's cover features Elden, then an infant, swimming underwater while undressed, his eyes fixated on a one dollar bill. It became one of the most enduring images in rock music after the record's release. But in a complaint, filed on Tuesday at a federal court in California and obtained by CNN, Elden's attorneys said the image was pornographic and that he has suffered "lifelong damages" as a result of his involvement. Elden, now 30, has listed the surviving band members, the executors of lead singer Kurt Cobain's estate, and various record labels as defendants. He is seeking $150,000 in damages from each of the defendants, plus legal costs, and alleges the defendants "knowingly produced, possessed, and advertised commercial child pornography." The lawsuit alleges Elden was sexualized because the dollar bill used in the image made the baby resemble "a sex worker." Elden has recreated the image at times during his adulthood, but has also suggested in interviews he felt uncomfortable about the popularity of the album cover. In 2007 he told the Sunday Times he found it "kind of creepy that many people have seen me naked ... I feel like the world's biggest porn star." The following year he told CNN that he was often asked to attend events as the "Nirvana baby." "Nevermind" and its lead single "Smells Like Teen Spirit" sold millions of copies and helped popularize grunge music in the United States. Both its content and artwork were heralded as seminal rock works, but three years after its release, Nirvana's frontman Kurt Cobain died by suicide in Seattle and the remaining members subsequently disbanded. Elden told CNN in 2008: "Rumor had it that Cobain had the original concept of wanting to show a mother giving birth under water." Elden added: "But the compromise was to have a baby swimming under water. Or so that's what I was told." The lawsuit alleges Elden "has been and will continue to suffer personal injury by the distribution and possession of child pornography," including emotional distress and loss of earnings. Cobain's wife, the singer Courtney Love, is listed on the lawsuit as an executor of Cobain's estate, alongside others including the photographer Kirk Weddle and record labels Warner Records and the Universal Music Group. CNN has contacted each party for comment. - by Rob Picheta, CNNSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You may have heard about ‘netiquette’. The tips and tricks so your emails in lockdown don't start accidentally offending or disrespecting colleagues. A new study shows, no matter how much you try avoid sounding ruder than you'd like, the recipient's likely to find something to be offended by. It's a real thing - called negative intensification bias. Professor of Communication at Massey University, Ted Zorn joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Calls for the Government to learn the lessons of previous lockdowns when they make their decisions around this one. The transport industry is frustrated at road-blocks holding up freight, and dates for expired warrants of fitness not being automatically extended.Road Transport Forum Chief Executive Nick Leggett told Kate Hawkesby the decision-makers aren't helping. "It seems as though they're gripped by this timidity, and we don't understand where it is coming from. We think this stuff should be easier the second or third time around, not harder." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Much discussion has been taking place around the difficulty that some students, parents, as well as teachers are facing with remote learning. Several principals are said to be frustrated that some kids don't have the digital devices to do remote learning. But it's been over a year since most schools were last in lockdown, so have Kiwi schools gotten better this time round, when it comes to online learning? Kami are an education technology company that helps schools do remote learning. Chair Bob Drummond told Kate Hawkesby schools were better prepared this time around. “They’ve had a lot more notice this time and people realised schools closing down was an actual thing.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m feeling for the teachers this lockdown. For everyone to be honest, not just the teachers, and also while we’re at it, those of us parents having to juggle work and home schooling while also keeping households calm, well stocked, as well as walking the dog. What a time. Feeling slightly jealous of the people able to just sit back and watch Netflix this lockdown! But the teachers have been thrown back into something most of them don’t enjoy – and that’s having to drum up all their lessons into online learning. So much of what happens in the classroom these days is practical, hands on and experiential. That’s tough when kids are sitting at home in their PJs with a laptop on their knees trying to decipher worksheets. Made tougher if they have parents who, like me, aren’t the most helpful on the old maths front. I mean to be fair to us, it’s a long time since we did maths right? How are we supposed to remember how to multiply fractions? Actually, I can multiply fractions, it’s the algebra that throws me. We didn’t bank on having to repeat it did we? But for the teachers this is tricky. And it’s by no means easy for the kids either. My daughter lamented the fact yesterday that she didn’t have all her school supplies at home. The school had given them a heads up about a week before lockdown to clear their lockers and take all their books and bags home. They’d obviously had a directive from the Ministry of Education or Health that a lockdown may be imminent and it’d be prudent to prepare. I remember that day vividly because my daughter came out of school at pick up time loaded down with bags, convinced we were going into lockdown that night. “We must be” she said, “because they’ve made us take all our books home and they said be ready for online learning!” But that was a whole week before we actually went into lockdown. And here we are, and though yes, we’ve been here before, it's not the easiest. The teachers, from what I’ve seen, are doing a fantastic job. They’re trying their best to make the learning manageable, they’re trying to get the balance right between workload and downtime. Many of the teachers doing the online learning have kids of their own at home needing attention in the background too. Much like last time, I notice my daughter is working harder and longer for online lessons than she does at school. The first day she didn’t take a single break and forgot to eat. Without the punctuation of a bell, it can be confusing for them to stick to structure, so we’re trying to manage that better. It’s stressful for the kids, but I’m grateful to the teachers who’re showing compassion for that, who’re abandoning and redesigning their lesson plans as they try to work around the circumstances. And to the ones keeping the kids’ morale up by making some of the online learning fun and checking in on their mental health, they’re the best teachers of them all.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fears a concerning pattern of healthcare inequity is once again being repeated. The Director-General of Health's confirmed more than half of the cases in New Zealand's Delta cluster are Pacific people. A health expert says it's depressingly familiar - with Pasifika making up 60 per cent of cases in the August 2020 outbreak. Consultancy firm Pacific Perspectives' director Debbie Ryan says infectious diseases disproportionately impact Pasifika, time and time again. She says there's abundant evidence the way health services are delivered is problematic. "That one size fits all approach means that our diverse communities do not get the quality of services they require." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Get off the screen and stretch your legs. That's the message from an expert in mental wellbeing after new research showing a marked increase in device-time during lockdown. Neuroscience educator Nathan Wallis told Kate Hawkesby exercise is crucial. "People go on about it, but it makes a huge difference to your mental health. Kick-start the hormones that are in your brain and you can get that from just 20 minutes exercise a day, actually you can get it from just walking to the mailbox and back." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It seems the Taliban holds the cards, in terms of the security situation and the military balance in Afghanistan. G7 leaders have met virtually overnight, as the Islamist militant group warns the US to leave by next Tuesday. It's understood European leaders urged US President Joe Biden to push for an extension. Rand Corporation political scientist Andrew Radin told Kate Hawkesby the Taliban is more willing to accept risks, in terms of what it gets from the international community. "They've lived in harsh conditions before, they have priorities. The first of which is getting US and foreign troops out of Afghanistan." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m feeling for the South Island this morning, who really shouldn’t be here, but here we all are. They have a right to be more frustrated than anyone. And even though we had suspicions short and sharp would be no such thing, this seems a stretch for the South Island with zero cases. And every week this goes on, it’s more dire for us economically. Which makes me wonder what the handful of commentators saying the economy is in robust shape for this, are basing that on. If it’s based on printing more money, then your economic bar is very low. If it involves us all rushing out post lockdown and buying more cars and houses, I think that’s misreading the room. This is different; Delta has changed everything. Inflationary pressures are mounting, economic gains have stalled, we have no collective faith that we will stay out of lockdowns based on the Government’s flawed elimination strategy, people’s confidence will be more negatively affected this time round. If it’s based on borrowing more, how much more before it gets dangerous? The Government’s smugness around our economic performance and position is misplaced and concerning. With tourism shut down and other industries impacted by surging input costs, supply chain shortages and no labour, our economy is in a precarious position. Add to this the economic direction Xi Jinping’s taking in China, which is giving rise to a slowing if not recessionary China, which would have a knock-on effect for Australian and New Zealand economies. And the picture, despite all Grant Roberston’s smiles, does not look good. This is where the Government falls over - theory versus reality. It forgets in smiling and telling everyone that everything‘s fine, that a lot of these people are business owners, employers, tourist operators, suppliers, franchise holders, importers, exporters, people at the coal face. They’re the ones who’ll tell you the truth; it’s not fine. The Government simply has to change its narrative and start getting real with New Zealanders. It has to change its myopic thinking that what saved us last time will save us again. We are only just beefing up our vaccine rollout, 8 months behind the rest of the world. We have not even ordered booster shots yet. The fact we have known since last year that vaccination was critical, that effective procurement and distribution was critical, and yet we still sat on our hands, beggars belief. A Delta outbreak was entirely foreseeable and the stark lack of planning, preparedness and scaling up of contact tracing, testing and surveillance is actually inexcusable. Businesses must be tearing their hair out. Ongoing and repeat lockdowns and closed borders are no longer luxuries we can afford. To smile and keep saying we can afford all of it is simply dishonest.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A steady hand is calling for calm amid Parliament being suspended for a week due to Covid-19 restrictions. Select committees will still go ahead online. However, there have been calls for the Epidemic Response Committee to be reinstated in order to ensure the Government is being held to account. But Wellington Barrister Graeme Edgeler told Kate Hawkesby it’s not the end of the world. "They can wait a week; Parliament didn't sit last week. Parliament didn't sit for three weeks in July, it's a week's delay.' LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A call for employers to cut their staff some slack as they juggle their responsibilities. Under Alert Level 4, the majority of kiwis are working from home. Working parent advocate Emma McLean told Kate Hawkesby employers need to have realistic expectations. "They wouldn't expect us to turn up to work with our three children, yet they're expecting us to work just like we do we don't have them when we're at home, so there's got to be allowances." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some South Island businesses have been left frustrated.Auckland will stay in Alert Level Four until at least next Tuesday while the rest of the country will stay in lockdown until at least this Friday.That's despite no community cases being detected in any South Island towns or cities.Business South Chief Executive Mike Collins Kate Hawkesby says there are businesses still feeling the pinch from previous Alert Level changes."I was just talking to the teams over in Queenstown the other day and they're really, really struggling. The wage subsidy is a great addition, but at the same time, it's not sustainable for the future, it doesn't cover all of the costs."LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Australian Prime Minister's plan to reopen the country at a 70-80 per cent vaccination rate and treat the Delta variant "like the flu" has been slammed as dangerous and reckless by some of the nation's top health and economic researchers.According to modelling from the Australian National University, if Scott Morrison's current coronavirus plan proceeds, tens of thousands Australians will likely die and hundreds of thousands will likely develop cases of long Covid."We found substantial morbidity and mortality is likely to occur if the Australian government sticks to the national plan," ANU economics professor and study co-author Professor Quentin Grafton said.If Australia reopens with 70 per cent of Australians aged over 16 fully vaccinated, there could eventually be 6.9 million cases of Covid-19, 154,000 hospitalisations, and 29,000 fatalities, Grafton said."We simply can't afford to do that, both in terms of lives and long-term illness from Covid."And even if the PM waits until 80 per cent of the adult population are vaccinated to open up, thousands of lives will still be destroyed, according to the modelling."Assuming 80 per cent vaccination coverage for only those over 16, as per the national plan, there could be approximately 25,000 fatalities and some 270,000 cases of long Covid," Grafton said."The consequences of prematurely and fully relaxing public health measures to suppress Covid-19, even after vaccinating 80 per cent of adults, would likely be irreversible, and unacceptable to many Australians," study co-author and University of Western Australia senior research officer Dr Zoë Hyde echoed."It's simply too dangerous to treat Covid-19 like the flu."But Morrison has stayed firm in his insistence that lockdowns will become "a thing of the past" once 80 per cent of the adult population has been vaccinated."Once you get to 80 per cent vaccination, it is against the country's interests not to open up," Morrison told the ABC last Monday.But to prevent mass deaths and hospitalisations, the ANU-led modelling outlines that a vaccination rate of at least 90 per cent, which includes children under 16, is needed."If children are also fully vaccinated, national fatalities – for all age groups – would be reduced to 19,000 with 80 per cent adult vaccination coverage. This would fall to 10,000 at a 90 per cent adult vaccination coverage," Grafton said."Children also directly benefit from vaccination. If we could achieve 75 cent vaccination coverage among children and adolescents, we could prevent 12,000 hospitalisations in these age groups."To give Australians a decent chance in a country without lockdowns or other restrictions, the researchers argue that four key steps must be achieved first:Vaccinating both children and adolescents; reaching 95 per cent full vaccination among people 60 and older as well as other vulnerable groups, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders; giving an mRNA booster shot to all Australians vaccinated with AstraZeneca, as well as a booster shot to those vaccinated with an mRNA vaccine, when appropriate; reaching more than 90 per cent vaccination coverage among all Australians.Study co-author and University of Melbourne environmental economics professor Tom Kompas warned his research had used the lower estimates of the severity of the Delta variant, meaning the real-life outcomes would likely be even worse than the modelling predicted."Our projections likely represent a lower estimate of the cumulative public health outcomes of fully relaxing public health measures at Phase D of the national plan," he said.But Kompas said it wasn't too late for the federal government to turn things around, noting there was still an opportunity to devise "a safe and affordable transition to a post-Covid-19 era"."If national cabinet revises its strategy to include our four vaccination steps,...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The one thing this government needs to start doing real quick is getting honest. Fewer and fewer people are tolerating the smoke and mirrors, the spin, the fudging. The best example of this was Friday’s press conference where Ashley Bloomfield admitted he’d advised Cabinet that Auckland should in fact stay in Level 4 until August 31st. The PM equivocating on this only does us, and her, a disservice.It’s dishonest because we all know as of today, odds on she'll announce Auckland's indeed staying in level 4 until August 31st.So why did she drag that news out? Why would she not want to give businesses, families, schools, some certainty in extremely uncertain times? Why don’t we get all the facts when they have them?Instead of some government controlled timeline? Is this micromanaging of when we get information a control thing? What’s the point in being disingenuous with people who are already feeling uncertain? It's treating us with contempt to leave us in an information vacuum, until it suits you politically to do otherwise.Here’s the other issue at play – apart from our excruciatingly slow vaccine rollout, we have no plan B. The government, whose had 18 months to prepare for this very eventuality, has not prepared for it. The elimination strategy which they used successfully initially, still appears their only strategy. I don’t understand how on the one hand they tell us Delta changes the game, and then on the other hand – we’re still employing the same game plan. Everything’s changed, so why aren’t we changing?I think the PM will rue the day she dug her toes in on elimination, if you just look around internationally, you’ll see it’s a pipe dream.Reassuringly, Covid Minister Chris Hipkins yesterday alluded to the fact the government may now be waking up to that reality. He admitted that they are now having to look closely and ask “some pretty big questions about what the long term future plans are”. No kidding. Pity they didn’t do that sooner.And for those still buying the elimination strategy, which I guarantee we'll eventually abandon because it’s ridiculous, think about how many times plunging in and out of lockdowns is acceptable to you. Once the novelty of Netflix marathons and baking binges has worn off and the cold hard reality starts to hit, how appealing is elimination really? Look around at the rest of the world. It’s open. To put a closed sign up on New Zealand now, is condemning us to a future as a tiny isolated backwater at the bottom of the world. Admitting you got some stuff wrong, admitting you need to change course, would be the most open honest and transparent thing this government could do for us right now.Let’s hope they see the light soon.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Don't dream, it's over.The Warriors still have a mathematical chance, but their playoff chances are out of their own hands after an agonising 24-22 loss to the Broncos tonight.The Auckland club will need to rely on some improbable results from the teams around them, even if they win both of their remaining games.Although the Warriors have showed great spirit with their late-season revival, this was a massive opportunity lost.They led 14-12 with 25 minutes to play, after burning back from 12-4 down, but were guilty of switching off twice as Albert Kelly and Anthony Milford scored opportunist tries for the Broncos.Still they could have forced extra time, after a 77th-minute Euan Aitken try, but Reece Walsh missed the conversion, then was just wide with an audacious two-point field goal attempt with 30 seconds to play.Goal kicking made the difference on the scoreboard, with Walsh missing four from five attempts, though they were all from out wide.But that's tough on the teenager. As a team the Warriors slipped from the standards set in previous weeks, particularly in the first half.They didn't quite click for long periods, allowing the Broncos to build pressure, and lacked crispness in attack and hunger in defence.Coach Nathan Brown, as he likes to do, shuffled the deck before kick-off, leaving Wayde Egan on the bench and omitting Kodi Nikorima from the 17, which was a brave call.The Warriors dodged a bullet early, with the Broncos nearly forcing the ball under the posts, after a risky play by Dallin Watene-Zelezniak behind his own try line, before Aitken was denied minutes later for a double movement.The Broncos opened the scoring through Xavier Coates, after Walsh completely misjudged an Milford bomb. Some hot footwork from Milford set up Coates soon afterwards, after an unfortunate Watene-Zelezniak error.Walsh had struggled to get involved in the first quarter, but finally made his mark with a sizzling break, beating four defenders from deep inside his own territory. That sparked the Warriors, with Montoya finishing a sweeping backline move.But the Broncos were dominant, and should have extended their lead through Milford, who was everywhere. The Brisbane playmaker was over the line – after a sharp passing move – before a miraculous effort by Peta Hiku to hold him up.Hiku went close at the other end, after some pinball, but the Warriors spent most of the first half on the back foot, forced to make almost 80 more tackles than their opponents, not helped by eight errors.They showed great spirit to keep their line intact, defending a series of sets as the home side benefitted from a couple of charitable calls from the officials in the latter stages.Some instinctive magic from Hiku, who was having a stormer, brought the Warriors closer early in the second half, as the centre nudged the ball between two defenders with his foot, following a Watene-Zelezniak grubber, then showed agility to touch down.There was more to come, as Josh Curran forced his way over following a bumping Bunty Afoa charge.Josh Curran of the Warriors celebrates scoring a try against the Broncos. Photo / GettyThe Warriors had all the momentum but gave some back with a disappointing Broncos try. As a Milford kick bobbled around, Kelly wanted it the most, while his opponents were guilty of ball watching.But Hiku was irrepressible, with a subtle flick putting Watene-Zelezniak across, after pressure from Walsh had forced a line dropout.That levelled the scores, setting up a frantic final 17 minutes. But Milford broke Warriors hearts with an opportunistic try, after following up his own bomb and getting lucky as it was propelled back.Aitken gave some late, late hope – forcing a Walsh grubber – but it wasn't to be.Broncos 24 (Xavier Coates 2, Albert Kelly, Anthony Milford tries; Herbie Farnworth 4 con)Warriors 22...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A 24-year-old in the US has spent six years creating AI that helps users draft legal letters.If you tell the chatbot what your problem is, it will let you know what legal language to use.Do Not Pay creator Joshua Browder says the cases it's designed to help for are not rocket science to get out of."What the robot lawyer will do is talk to the user, and instantly match it with a legally correct defence, take down a few details and then use all of that, generate an appeal letter to send off to the right place."LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tony Blair, the British prime minister who deployed troops to Afghanistan 20 years ago after the 9/11 attacks, says the U.S. decision to withdraw from the country has “every Jihadist group round the world cheering.”In a lengthy essay posted on his website late Saturday, the former Labour Party leader said the sudden and chaotic pullout that allowed the Taliban to reclaim power risked undermining everything that had been achieved in Afghanistan over the past two decades, including advances in living standards and the education of girls."The abandonment of Afghanistan and its people is tragic, dangerous, unnecessary, not in their interests and not in ours,” said Blair who served as prime minister during 1997-2007, a period that also saw him back the U.S.-led war in Iraq in 2003.“The world is now uncertain of where the West stands because it is so obvious that the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan in this way was driven not by grand strategy but by politics," he added.Blair also accused U.S. President Joe Biden of being “in obedience to an imbecilic political slogan about ending ‘the forever wars’, as if our engagement in 2021 was remotely comparable to our commitment 20 or even 10 years ago."The former prime minister, whose reputation in the U.K. took a dive from the failure to find the alleged weapons of mass destruction that were cited as justification for U.S. coalition’s invasion of Iraq, said Britain has a “moral obligation” to stay in Afghanistan until everyone who needs to be evacuated is taken out.“We must evacuate and give sanctuary to those to whom we have responsibility — those Afghans who helped us and stood by us and have a right to demand we stand by them," he said.Like other nations, Britain is trying to evacuate Afghan allies as well as its own citizens from Afghanistan, but with a U.S.-imposed Aug. 31 deadline hovering into view, it’s a race against time.In addition to the 4,000 or so U.K. citizens, the country is thought to have around 5,000 Afghan allies, such as translators and drivers, earmarked for a seat on a plane. The Ministry of Defense said Sunday that nearly 4,000 people had been evacuated so far.Blair conceded that mistakes were made over the past two decades but added that military interventions can be noble in intent, especially when challenging an extreme Islamist threat.“Today we are in a mood which seems to regard the bringing of democracy as a utopian delusion and intervention virtually of any sort as a fool’s errand." he said.Blair also warned that the decision by the U.S. to keep Britain largely in the dark about the withdrawal risks relegating the country to “the second division of global powers.”However, he said the U.K., in its role as the current president of the Group of Seven nations, was in a position to help coordinate an international response to “hold the new regime to account”.Britain's Conservative government has been working diplomatically to ensure there is no unilateral recognition of a Taliban government in Afghanistan.“We need to draw up a list of incentives, sanctions, actions we can take including to protect the civilian population so the Taliban understand their actions will have consequences," Blair said.Text by PAN PYLAS, Associated PressSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The hospitality sector has questions about enforcement of the Covid tracer app.The Government's making scanning or manually signing in compulsory, in the hope to improve contact tracing.It will apply to businesses and events, and come into effect seven days after the next change in Alert Level.Hospitality New Zealand chief executive Julie White told Kate Hawkesby they still don't know how it will be enforced and what happens with non-compliance.“It’s going to be essentially a cost to the business by then refusing entry if someone comes in. And then you’ve got the added stress on the workforce.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I talked at the start this week about crime in the CBDs and how it’s on the rise, dangerously so. Businesses are exasperated, retailers are at their wit’s end, city dwellers are fed up. And it’s not like the people running these inner-city business associations haven’t been agitating for action here. They have, as I said earlier this week, been flagging this for more than a year now. It‘s not new. And yesterday, frustrated beyond measure, central Auckland business associations sent an open letter to the PM. It barely got media coverage, which was annoying but not surprising, it was after all, critical of the lack of government response on this over many, many months. But the lack of any response from government is not new either. If I had a dollar for every person who comes on this show from various sectors and industries saying they’ve tried to get engagement from the government and failed, I’d have a fortune. And bear in mind, this is all predating this Delta outbreak which many will argue will now be taking up all their time. So, yesterday’s letter pointed out that they’ve been asking for a co-ordinated cross government approach to deal with these issues, and they identified three immediate actions; increased police presence on the street, better management of emergency housing, mental health and addiction services. They point out they’ve continued to do what they can locally – their own CCTV and security systems and patrols, but they need more assistance. The letter says that “only the Government is in the position to bring about a coordinated solution between ministries of Health, Housing, social Development and Police.” It finishes by saying “please can you bring quick decisive action to keep our city safe and appealing for locals and visitors.” I mean, I wish them well with their letter. But I fear it’s going to get the same response they’ve had so far; radio silence. The inaction here of government to face up to what’s happening right under their noses is frustrating, but also short sighted. In ignoring the problem for the past year, it’s only been made worse. And adding to the woes is increasing the amount of emergency housing in these areas, which the Government has done without first of all addressing all the issues created form the first raft of emergency housing. The level of antisocial and criminal behaviour that’s come with this housing has been felt acutely by CBDs, and yet, still, nothing. The problem now is, with Delta on our doorstep and further lockdowns likely as part of the Government’s elimination strategy, CBDs are going to be facing a lot more trouble than just crime surges. I feel for these businesses right now who must be thinking as if it wasn’t bad enough already, it looks like it could get a lot worse, before it gets better.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Children aged 12 to 15 can get the jab from the start of next month, but there might still be a barrier in their way. Parents and caregivers who are already eligible, can bring their children with them before then. But, Waikato University legal expert Claire Breen told Kate Hawkesby a Ministry of Health Covid survey found some parents are still hesitant about vaccinating their children. "About 16 percent of those parents of 12 - 15 year olds said they definitely wouldn't allow it, and that's up from 10 percent a couple of months prior to that." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chances are you've already asked this question to close friends and family. 'Are you getting the Covid vaccine'? Sometimes it feels like you've started talking about religion and politics at the dinner table. It really can divide some people. But it does beg another question, whether or not it's okay to ask? Tim Dare is a medical ethicist at Auckland University and he told Kate Hawkesby creating narratives around subjects like this can do more harm than good. “We ought not to create the impression that this is something which is extremely sensitive like those stereotypes of religion and politics.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Hamilton community service expected to pick up 500 kg's of unwanted food yesterday from the likes of restaurants and cafes to redistribute. It ended up collecting two tonnes, which has been redirected to feed crisis centres throughout the city. It's called Kaivolution and started up just before last lockdown. Manager Jo Wrigley told Kate Hawkesby Delta has made their job even tougher than previously. “There’s an awareness about how contagious or how easily transmittable it is, so trying to keep that distance while doing the thing.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This time yesterday I was saying how hopefully this lockdown would be short and sharp. Oh how much can change in 24 hours, that now looks like a pipe dream. But I was trying to stay optimistic, take it one day at a time, have a good attitude about it. But then I saw the 1 o’clock update. Oh my gosh. It brought everything back didn’t it? I tried, I really did, but I wanted to stick needles in my eyes by about 4 minutes in. I’d forgotten how soul destroying it is to be spoken to like a 3-year-old. I also felt exasperated that the press gallery seem to have all had lobotomies and are unable to ask a single probing question. Not one. I understand this has come from the top down. The PM apparently has issued instructions on how these 1pm pressers are to go, they have to play by the rules, and the rules appear to include only getting your question answered if your question is an easy one. Like, 'remind us again Prime Minister of what people should be doing in their bubbles? Or, ‘could you tell the NZ public again Prime Minister what you’d like them to do?’ I mean, come on. Are they handing out sleeping pills before these start? Who, apart from the Labour party, are these press conferences serving? I’m also slightly worried about the habitual patterns of people going back into the collective trance we went into last year. Where we consume the saturation coverage, turn our brains off and get into a zombie like state of just existing for 1pm updates, making shrine worthy memorabilia to Saint Ashley, and seeing the PM as some redeeming saviour. Let’s keep it real here. Our vaccine rollout, as has been pointed out by multiple international media yesterday, has been extremely poor, shockingly low, the lowest in the OECD. Add to that our porous border, and we are where we are - it was avoidable. Bear in mind, other countries are back out enjoying freedoms, all bar parts of Australia that is. And what we're seeing from our government is an instant return to the catchy mantras, the focus-grouped cliches, the ‘go hard go early’, ‘team of 5 million’, and ‘be kind’ regime. Teddy bears are back in windows for goodness' sake. And like exhausted zombies we revert to our daily ritual of watching case numbers, panic buying toilet paper, and baking banana bread. Look, I’m not suggesting we don’t follow the rules here, we absolutely must stay put, remain in our bubbles, follow the protocols, lockdown is our only choice here. But the level of this could've been avoided. So, I just hope we don't disengage our brains, don't abandon rationality, don't revert to fear ruling our lives. Because from what we now know, it looks like this lockdown may not be all that short and sharp.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An economist says an Official Cash Rate rise in October is on the cards, but it depends on how this Covid-19 outbreak goes. So far, ten people have tested positive for the virus, but early modelling shows 50 to 120 people could've been infected before the lockdown. The Reserve Bank has kept the OCR at 0.25 percent because of Alert Level Four. NZIER principal economist Christina Leung told Kate Hawkesby you only have to look across the Tasman to see how quickly things can change. "We can see there's a resilience in the economy, however, having a community outbreak does throw a lot of uncertainty over the outlook, the fact that businesses have to close at short notice." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thousands of people who visited locations of interest will need to get tested for Covid-19 over the coming days. Otago University Professor of Biochemistry Kurt Krause told Kate Hawkesby it's crucial that people get tested, as soon as they can. "It's so important not to let this wait, because the Delta variant is much more rapidly transmissible, and if we wait too long then we could get behind." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Frustration is growing around frontline police not being made a vaccination priority. Police Association President Chris Cahill believes this is a breach of work safe legislation, and they’re looking at legal action. Lawyer Chris Patterson told Kate Hawkesby the union definitely has a leg to stand on, in the eyes of the law. "All employers, which includes the New Zealand Police because they are an employer, have to take all reasonable, practical steps to ensure that every employee is protected from harm." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you, like me, feel your heart skip a beat when the news flashed across your phone yesterday afternoon that officials were investigating a positive community Covid case? Especially for those of us in Auckland, given it was in the Auckland community, of course it was. It was always going to be. My sister and I have discussed this a lot in recent days, she lives in Christchurch and we were debating when Delta would hit us and how fast we’d go into lockdown, and she pointed out (rightly so) that it would be Auckland first. But even knowing in the back of your mind that it’s a possibility, doesn’t make it any less awful to see the news does it? Even though we have form on lockdowns and we know the drill, it’s still an awful pit of the stomach gut punch. I had a bet with my brother that we’d be in lockdown by the end of September. He bet me it’d be by the end of August. He wins. But even though we were kind of mentally prepared for it, it’s still an UGH moment. Added to that is the fact we've been watching our friends in Australia and all the chaos they’ve been dealing with. I had ironically, in preparation for this, slowly been stocking the pantry over the past couple of weeks, I’d told my kids to do the same thing. In fact, yesterday morning I told them to do a full grocery shop as I suspected we'd be in a lockdown soon, and while they’d rolled their eyes at me at the time saying I’m paranoid about lockdowns, they were first on the phone yesterday afternoon to say oh my gosh Mum, you were right. I headed to the fruit shop after school pick up, and the queue was already out of the door. The local butcher round the corner had all but sold out. They said their shop was full within about 5 minutes of the first news of a community case. What I love about that is 1), how informed and engaged people are with news that they're that quick out of the blocks, and 2) how Aucklanders can sniff out a lockdown at a hundred paces. They weren't waiting to be told. They knew. I tell you what was also impressive, most people were in masks. So once we heard the PM's fateful words ‘going hard and going early’ it was all on. So here we go again. As deflating as it is, we know the drill. It’s not easy though. I feel desperately sorry for small businesses, for hospitality, for the beauty industry, the hairdressers, for school children, for frontline health workers, for those who don’t want to be stuck at home with the people in their bubble. We just have to take it one day at a time I guess and stick with what we know. Routine is key when the world feels topsy turvy. I for one, will still be here every morning at 5, Mike will be here every morning from 6, everything stays the same for you here. So all we can do is stick to what we know, and hopefully make this as short as possible.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Results of genome sequencing are due back this morning. Auckland University Covid modelling expert Shaun Hendy told Kate Hawkesby it could tell us whether Auckland is in lockdown for seven days, or several weeks. "If the whole genome sequencing points us back to a known case, then there's a good chance we will be out of this in that time. Otherwise, the situation is very uncertain." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concerns Coromandel peninsula GP's will be inundated with people seeking a Covid-19 test.There are eight locations of interest in and around the western side.Coromandel District Councillor John Morrissey told Kate Hawkesby there are no testing stations on the Coromandel."I'm hoping the Ministry of Health will step up and we might get some testing stations. As for GPS, we haven'tthat many of them in town for a start and we don't want to overrun them with just testing."LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s never feels good to read about crime stats, especially when they’re getting as bad as they are in our CBDs, but even more so when it’s entirely preventable.“More than 1000 people have been assaulted in Auckland's CBD this year, many of whom have been randomly punched by strangers while enjoying a night out on the town,” according to the Herald.It reported new Police stats showing a sharp rise in violent crime in Auckland’s city centre.“A 63 per cent increase in assaults for the first five months of this year, compared with the same period in 2019."Basically a night in town these days could mean a night in hospital.We shouldn’t blithely accept this kind of thing as – oh well, times have changed.We should be safe in our cities, people should be able to go out at night and not end up at A&E.Of course, one of the factors is the scale up of inner city emergency housing and with that, an increase in anti-social behaviour.What worries me though is that it’s not just our CBDs; smaller, more localised shopping precincts are seeing a crime surge too.Head of the Newmarket Business Association, Mark Knoff-Thomas, warned a year ago about a ‘Covid crime wave’ with “anti-social behaviour on an upwards trajectory,” he said, “retail theft was increasing“ along with threatening behaviour.Well, he’s written again this week that a year on, he’s “sad to report it’s only gotten worse”.He says Police “are run ragged with no additional backup to deal with the smaller stuff.”According to Knoff-Thomas, the smaller stuff is things like retail assistants getting randomly punched in the face, people defecating on busy footpaths in broad daylight, youths threatening retailers, stores getting robbed.What’s frustrating is that he warned of this a year ago, and now things have only gotten worse.He says we need “a more holistic, cohesive approach across multiple government agencies, development of the next step of emergency housing – not leaving people in motels forever,” and he’s right, there needs to be a plan.Because in the interim businesses, shoppers, families and school students, are getting victimised on their own local streets.In fact it is the businesses that are carrying much of the load here in a vacuum of government interest.They’re funding CCTV, street patrols, graffiti removal and more.But their resources are finite, and really how much of their time and money should be taken up with this stuff?Knoff-Thomas says what‘s happening across NZ right now is ”a slow degradation of our way of life,” and we need it addressed at a national level.As he says, “whether you’re politically left, right or centre, every New Zealander should be able to enjoy a basic level of safety.”And that’s hard to argue with isn’t it?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's confidence our Government's working hard to get New Zealanders, and people who helped our Army, out of Afghanistan.Forty Defence Force staff are being sent to help with evacuations - possibly due to leave tomorrow.Former Labour MP Chris Carter, who worked for the UN in Afghanistan, told Kate Hawkesby Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's promised to send a Hercules to Kabul Airport as quickly as possible.He says the Government's identified who can come, and may include other at-risk people, like young female journalists.“If we can fill these up with people who face the real prospect of death in Afghanistan, and particularly people who have helped the New Zealand troops there, then I think we should get them out.”But things are becoming increasingly complicated - with all flights suspended in and out of Kabul at the moment.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Farmers are getting ready to make more noise over government regulations.Thousands of tractor-riding farmers brought their dogs to towns across New Zealand last month for the Howl of a Protest - against changes on freshwater and climate change mitigation.Groundswell New Zealand Co-organiser Laurie Paterson told Kate Hawkesby the Government has remained silent.“Perhaps James Shaw and David Parker that effectively said ‘we’re not going to change anything’, that’s it. We certainly haven’t heard from the Prime Minister.”Farmers will be out honking horns for two minutes around lunchtime for the next three Fridays.Another big protest is planned for November.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Warning: Distressing contentThousands of Afghans rushed into Kabul's main airport Monday, some so desperate to escape the Taliban that they held onto a military jet as it took off and plunged to their deaths. At least seven people died in the chaos, US officials said, as America's longest war ended with its enemy the victor.The crowds came while the Taliban enforced their rule over the capital of five million people after a lightning advance across the country that took just over a week to dethrone the country's Western-backed government. There were no major reports of abuses or fighting, but many residents stayed home and remained fearful after the insurgents' advance saw prisons emptied and armouries looted. Can’t believe my eyes. Men holding lower part of the US aircraft moments before it took off from #Kabul airport. pic.twitter.com/bT97WrNa12— Sudhir Chaudhary (@sudhirchaudhary) August 16, 2021 Across the nation, the International Committee of the Red Cross warned that thousands had been wounded in fighting. Elsewhere, security forces and politicians handed over their provinces and bases without a fight, likely believing the two-decade Western experiment to remake Afghanistan would not survival the resurgent Taliban. The last American troops had planned to withdraw at the end of the month."The world is following events in Afghanistan with a heavy heart and deep disquiet about what lies ahead," warned United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.As the US military and others continued evacuation flights, Afghans swarmed over the international airport's tarmac. Some climbed into aircraft parked on the taxiway, while others dangled precariously off a jet bridge.US troops took positions to guard the active runway, but the crowd stormed past them and their armoured vehicles. Gunshots rang out. As one US Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III tried to take off, a helicopter did low runs in front of it to try to drive people off the runway.Videos showed a group of Afghans hanging onto the plane just before takeoff and several falling through the air as the airplane rapidly gained altitude over the city.Senior American military officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing operation, told the Associated Press that the chaos left seven dead, including several who fell from the flight. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said US forces killed two people he described as carrying weapons in the melee. He said 1000 more US troops would be deployed to secure the airfield and back up the 2500 already there.Hundreds of people run alongside a US Air Force C-17 transport plane, some climbing on the plane, as it moves down a runway of the international airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan. Photo / via APAll flights at the airport — both military and civilian — were halted until Afghan civilians can be cleared from the runway, Kirby added.Late Monday night, hundreds of people remained trapped between American forces trying to push them out of the airport and Taliban forces trying to keep them in, witnesses said. An Associated Press journalist also saw what appeared to be an airstrike target two vehicles near the airport.Shafi Arifi, who had a ticket to travel to Uzbekistan on Sunday, was unable to board his plane because it was packed with people who had raced across the tarmac and climbed aboard, with no police or airport staff in sight."There was no room for us to stand," said the 24-year-old. "Children were crying, women were shouting, young and old men were so angry and upset, no one could hear each other. There was no oxygen to breathe."After a woman fainted and was carried off the plane, Arifi gave up and returned home.Other Afghans, like Rakhmatula Kuyash, are also trying to leave through land border crossings, all of which are now controlled by the Taliban."I'm lost and I don't know what to...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Got my jab yesterday.And here’s the rub on that.It was easy as.No queues, no faffing around, very efficient, very slick, very well organised.The jab itself is a non-event – and no one is more needle phobic than me, so if I didn’t feel it, you certainly won’t.I was, to be perfectly honest with you, vaccine hesitant.I felt like I was in no rush to get it, I didn’t need it, I thought it was too rushed of a vaccine, and I didn’t need that in my body.I’m into holistic healthcare and alternative medicine.My husband joked with me that what was I expecting to do when and if Covid hit me, was I just going to rub myself in orange peel, he asked.I’m not sure why he’d think that given I’ve never rubbed myself in orange peel, but I took his point. I wasn’t anti-vax, I just wasn’t in any hurry.But then a few things dawned on me.Well firstly Delta hit Australia and I thought, wait a minute.This is not good.This is a bit close to home, this is a bit out of control.But also, I realised, getting vaccinated was not actually exclusively about me.It’s actually about those in our community who’re vulnerable and immune compromised, and how would I feel if I passed it onto them?Also, it’s a collective effort to help our country get back into a connected functioning part of the world.We cannot remain an isolated hermit kingdom forever.Also, basic logic.How often do we rock up for jabs in our arms if we’re travelling for example to foreign countries that require us to have certain vaccinations?How many of us have paused or refused those, suspicious of what's in them?I'd argue very few.How many of us have had the flu vaccine and not asked once what’s in it?Or whether we are being micro chipped by having it?How often do we put antibiotics and other prescribed medications into our bodies without thinking twice about what’s in it.So I found fewer and fewer reasons to question it.On top of that, the data shows the percentage of reactions to the vaccine are infinitesimally small.The conspiracy theorists are winning the fake news war though.There’s a plethora of literature floating about the web against the vaccine.Don’t worry, I’ve been sent all of it.You Tube videos, interviews with ‘insiders’ from pharmaceutical companies, digital leaflets from ‘those who know’.It’s on high rotate and you or someone you know may've seen some. It can be alarming, that’s the point of it. But you have to drill down into the sources of these things, you have to rely on facts.You can’t rely on fear to make decisions for you.And so much of the fear mongering rhetoric is fuelled by this propaganda.So while I absolutely respect everybody’s right to make their own decision about their own body, I just wanted you to know I feel good about getting it done. Even if I do have a sore arm today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another country, another top 10 finish for Lydia Ko. Whether it's the United States, France, Singapore, Japan or Scotland - it doesn't seem to matter when it comes to the form of the New Zealander.Ko blitzed her final round to finish tied for second at the Scottish Open at Dumbarnie Links in Fife, nine days after taking bronze at the Tokyo Olympics.Ko shot a nine-under par 63 which included seven birdies - and an eagle on the par four 17th. The world number nine finished at 14-under for the tournament, three strokes behind winner Ryann O'Toole from the United States.O'Toole became the sixth first-time winner of the 2021 season after shooting an eight-under 68.It is Ko's third second place of the year and her ninth top 10 finish. Five of those top 10 finishes have come in different countries.Ko went straight into the Scottish Open on the back of her bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics as she prepares for the British Open next week less than an hour away in Carnoustie.Her best finish at the British Open was tied for third in 2015 after twice being the leading amateur in 2012 and 2013. Ko has already had two top six finishes at majors this year heading into the final major of the year.O'Toole began the day tied for the lead at nine-under with Ariya Jutanugarn and Charley Hull, and the American took the lead with birdies on three of her first four holes.Thitikul drew even with O'Toole with a birdie on the par-3 sixth, but O'Toole got back in front with a birdie on the par-4 ninth to turn in 31. She maintained her advantage throughout the back nine and finished with eight birdies, including all four par-5s."I tried not to look at the leaderboard," O'Toole said. "I tried to just trust in my caddie to guide me to whether we needed to lay or get aggressive, stay patient or whatnot. It wasn't until 18 that I saw that Lydia was not far off and I could tell when I made the birdie on 17 that there must have been some sort of gap because people were cheering, and I was like, OK, clearly I can't mess this up too badly now."O'Toole was working with a new caddie, Michael Curry, after her previous looper retired following the Evian Championship. She said she had also been considering retirement."I'm getting married in December, and OK, my clock's ticking. I want to have kids. Like, how much longer am I going to be out here? I thought maybe this year would be my last year," O'Toole said. "I've never wanted to be a mum on tour as far as having a kid and doing all that. It doesn't sound fun to me. But at the same time, I don't know if I could stop playing golf now."On the European Tour, Kiwi Ryan Fox finished in a share of 13th at the Cazoo Classic in Kent, England following a two-under 70 in his final round. Scotland's Calum Hill won the tournament for his maiden title.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Afghanistan will be on the Government's agenda today.Taliban fighters have swept into the capital Kabul forcing thousands to flee the city, including Afghan's president.This morning's Cabinet meeting will discuss how New Zealand could potentially help evacuate civilians who helped this country in the past.Meanwhile, an international security expert doubts the United States or the UN, will ask us to send troops to Afghanistan.Massey University's Dr Negar Partow told Kate Hawkesby the circumstances are different for New Zealand's last deployment.“There needs to be a coalition of willing, there needs to be some kind of discussion for the UN level for any form of invasion or military engagement with Taliban, and I can't see any determination or will, even from Americans.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concerns our first responders are coming under attack more frequently.$13 million has already been paid out by ACC this year for assault-related injuries.More than 3000 ambulance staff reported being verbally or physically attacked last year.Ambulance Association Chairman Mark Quin told Kate Hawkesby it's not just ambulance staff.“There's the same sort of level of violence that's been experienced by emergency departments and nurses and doctors and even firemen attending incidents, particularly car accidents.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Afghan officials say embattled President Ashraf Ghani has fled the country as the Taliban moved further into Kabul.Two officials speaking on condition of anonymity as they weren't authorized to brief journalists told The Associated Press that Ghani flew out of the country. Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council, later confirmed Ghani had left in an online video."He left Afghanistan in a hard time, God hold him accountable," Abdullah said.Ghani's whereabouts and destination are currently unknown.Several news outlets are reporting the Taliban have taken over the Presidential Palace and Maulana Abdul Ghani has been declared as Afghanistan's new President.A Taliban official earlier said the group will declare the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan from the presidential palace in Kabul.That was the name of the country under the Taliban government ousted by US-led forces after the September 11, 2001, attacks. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to brief media. And now these are the First visuals of #taliban inside the presidential palace #Afganistan #Kabul pic.twitter.com/geVIdZsbWc— Aishwarya Kapoor (@aishkapoor) August 15, 2021 The US Embassy in Kabul has suspended all operations and told Americans to shelter in place, saying it has received reports of gunfire at the international airport.British Forces from 16 Air Assault Brigade arrive in the Afghan capital of Kabul to assist in evacuating British nationals. Photo / Leading Hand Ben Shread, MOD via APThe US is racing to airlift diplomats and citizens out of Afghanistan after the Taliban overran most of the country and entered the capital early Sunday."The security situation in Kabul is changing quickly and the situation at the airport is deteriorating rapidly," the embassy said in a statement."There are reports of the airport taking fire and we are instructing US citizens to shelter in place. The US Embassy in Afghanistan has suspended consular operations effective immediately. Do not come to the Embassy or airport at this time." Security Alert ⬇️https://t.co/D5PEDKeOOA— U.S. Embassy Kabul (@USEmbassyKabul) August 15, 2021 Senior US military officials say Kabul's international airport has been closed to commercial flights as military evacuations continue.The suspension of commercial flights cuts off one of the last avenues to escape the country for Afghans fearful of Taliban rule. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing operations.The Taliban captured most of the country in a matter of days and swept into the capital on Sunday. #Taliban raise their flag above the Presidential palace in Kabul, #Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/FgWHewy2T5— Roel Thijssen (@roelthijssen) August 15, 2021 Scenes of chaos played out at the airport earlier, as Afghans rushed to get on the last flights out of the country.Videos circulating online showed airport personnel struggling to coral crowds boarding a plane on the tarmac, while a man with an injured leg lay on the ground. In the background, a US Air Force plane was landing.Afghan leaders have created a coordination council to meet with the Taliban and manage the transfer of the power, after the religious militia's lightening offensive swept to the capital.In a statement posted on social media by former president Hamid Karzai, he said the body will be led by the head of the High Council for National Reconciliation, Abdullah Abdullah, as well as the leader of Hizb-e-Islami, Gulbudin Hekmatyar, and himself.Afghans wait in long lines for hours to try to withdraw money from the Kabul Bank as Taliban fighters enter the capital. Photo / Rahmat Gul, APThe statement said the move was "to prevent chaos and reduce the suffering of...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's decision to start opening the border in the New Year is either a complete flip-flop or a deliberate tactic to scare us into getting vaccinated.For the past 18 months, the strategy has been to keep Covid out, whatever the cost.We've endured a total national lockdown, regional restrictions, worker shortages, family unable to come home and so on.And at the beginning, most of us were freaked out enough by what was happening overseas to go along with it.As time has gone on, people's willingness to go along with it has worn thin.We're over it.A lot of us will be very happy to see the borders opening, but the way it's come about seems bizarre.In one breath, you've got Chris Hipkins saying he hopes our Aussie mates - to quote him - get on top of their outbreak soon.But Hipkins doesn't expect to see the Aussie bubble operating again before the end of the year.Then you've got the PM saying we're opening to the world, people who've been vaccinated will be able to come and go pretty much as they please.At the same time you've got experts saying this new Delta variant spreads like wildfire.So where does that leave us?Even opening the borders a crack means we're now all of a sudden willing to let Covid get in, and deal with it when it gets here.The scare campaign to get everyone vaccinated has already started.Because as soon as those border restrictions do start to come off, it'll be here within days.So, we've thrown in the towel on elimination.Hindsight is a wonderful thing.But after all we've put up with...after all the preaching and all the incredible expense, we're changing tack.And why?Because of the optics, and most importantly, because of the polls.The Government knows we're over lockdowns, we need people from overseas to pick the fruit and we want a tourism industry again.Which makes me ask, if we'd invested just a fraction of what this has all cost us in our health system, right at the very beginning, would we be better off todayWe would at least have something to show for it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Travel agents are feeling encouraged by the Government's roadmap to reopening our borders.It's introducing three-tiered risk pathways to get into New Zealand, from early next year.They will range from vaccinated travellers from low risk countries getting to skip isolation, to the unvaccinated or visitors from high risk countries having a 14-day stint in MIQ.Travel Agents Association president Brent Thomas told Tim Dower they're gearing up for lots of pent up demand, from people wanting to go to the United States and Europe to visit family.“And then also we’ll see the travel starting to pick up from next year, particularly as we start bookings for the winter season of 2022.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While New Zealand is looking to close its door to Fiji -- Fiji is looking to open its door to the world.All travel from Fiji and Indonesia to New Zealand will be banned from Monday morning, with an exception for New Zealand citizens and their parents, children and siblings.Fiji remains in the midst of a major outbreak -- with almost 40,000 cases and almost 350 deaths.But Tourism Fiji Chief Executive Brent Hill told Tim Dower case numbers are dropping, vaccinations are increasing, and Fiji could open to vaccinated travellers before the end of the year.“That won’t be for everybody, but certainly there are people that are up for coming and from Fiji’s perspective we do want to get back open again.”Indonesia's total case number has doubled in a month, to almost four million cases.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A mismatch in the workload, structure and staffing numbers of the country's Emergency Departments.They're revealed in a study published in today's New Zealand Medical Journal.The problems differ between bigger and smaller hospitals.Staffing is the main issue at larger urban hospitals - having enough doctors on at any one time; while at regional ones - space and ED beds are the biggest problem - then staffing if there's an ED surgeMedian wait times range from 13 minutes to more than an hour and a half.College of Emergency Nurses chair Sandy Richardson told Tim Dower we need to recognise EDs are under incredible pressure.“And there is variability in terms of waiting times, and it’s not just the geographical location, it’s also the fluctuations in work load across those EDs.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So yesterday we got a bit of blah blah basic arm waving around a potential roadmap out of Covid, but no hard and fast plan, no detail, no specifics.And that’s what business needs desperately, some surety, some certainty, some specifics.But details are not this Government’s forte, and they won't want to set a vaccination target they can't reach and then get politically punished for.So is the business sector in for a giant disappointment today?I mean, if yesterday is anything to go by, probably.It looks like we’ll keep the elimination strategy, which as David Seymour has said may well turn out to be the thing that started as our biggest strength and ends up our biggest weakness.I mean is it totally naïve and idealistic to think we can pull that off long term? Or are we just prolonging the inevitable? Do we really believe we could be one of the few countries in the world to keep Delta out, and stay virus free during a global pandemic?Or is that arrogant?I mean sure, we have some advantages, our whopping great moat around us distancing us from the rest of the world is a major one, but as soon as those borders do open, well, jury’s out.But I’d hazard a guess the virus will be in.So the elimination strategy may prove a naïve waste of time.And then we get to the vaccine situation.It looks like we will keep plugging away at the vaccine rollout, but with seemingly few incentives.Surely there has to be some upsides to the jabs? Like no MIQ, or isolating at home, or access to a bubble or a travel corridor?If not, will people be less inclined to get it? And how do we speed up the plan for those waiting to get it at the moment? How do we speed up supply and availability? We are still, despite being ahead in cohorts eligible, jabbing people at a desperately slow rate.Fewer than a million of us have been double jabbed. We are way, way off where we should be.So, that all brings us back to the all-important border.If you think that’s opening up anytime soon, think again. It looks like we'll be keeping the borders shut for the foreseeable.Any opening early next year is a pipe dream. And there'll still be those who think a closed border is great, who’re only interested in ideology, who believe being removed from the world is smart.But the gloss may wear off that theory once they start getting impacted in their back pockets, and realise we’re paying more for absolutely everything, and we’re living on a bubble of borrowed money.So what will we get today by way of detailed plans? Well we know a snap lockdown is coming – as I've said all along, as soon as Delta hits.But as for today’s ‘new normal’ announcement, as they’re calling it?I doubt we’ll get any firm timeframe or targets, and that for business, is a travesty.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The ball is truly in the job seekers court.Job ads are up 88 per cent compared to this time last year.And it looks like job seekers are starting to make the most of this, with nearly two-thirds of job seekers wanting flexible hours, and half wanting flexibility over location.Jarrod Haar, professor of management at AUT, told Kate Hawkesby while job seekers are definitely in a strong position, they should not be overconfident.“I’ve heard from recruiters of candidates coming in and slapping a $10,000 raise on the table and if an organisation has two candidates to choose from, you may price yourself out of the market.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Business New Zealand says the Government has plenty of work to do, to prepare the country for gradually reopening borders.Chief Executive Kirk Hope told Kate Hawkesby at the moment, we're extremely vulnerable.“I don’t think we’d have the capacity, if an outbreak occurred, to manage it particularly quickly, particularly if it’s Delta, because we haven’t advanced contact tracing.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christchurch city councillors are set to go head to head today, over the city's planned multi-use arena.Some councillors have called for a U-turn on the decision to proceed with a 25,000 seat stadium – a reduction from the initial concept of 30-thousand seats.Christchurch Employers' Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Leeann Watson told Kate Hawkesby 30,000 seats would benefit the city the most.“Why would we build something that’s not going to enable us as a city to compete with other main centres around the country, when we’ve got the opportunity to build a first-class, purpose-built facility?”Adding five thousand seats would cost an additional $50 million to the present budget of $473 million.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An Emeritus Professor of Medicine and Immunologist is warning Australians to take lockdown more seriously.I’m watching Australia closely at the moment with this Delta outbreak, because I can’t help thinking we are just one border mishap away from Delta being our problem here too.And like Australia, we’ll have no choice but to lock down immediately.Thankfully, we have form here on taking lockdowns seriously, we seemed to oblige willingly the last few times we’ve had them, most Kiwis seemed to get it. But I wonder with the onset of time, whether we’ll get less compliant with lockdowns.Towards the end of the last Auckland lockdown, people were over it, flouting a few more rules, and it didn’t take us all long to ditch the contact tracing and mask wearing.So we’ve become complacent.In Australia, they’re watching what’s happening in America, where fully vaccinated people are still getting infected with Covid. So the message appears to be that while vaccination rates are crucial, so is keeping up certain restrictions around our movement.And this is the part we may take a while to get our heads around.In the States, the professor points out the ‘American summer provides a real-time cautionary tale.. Despite having only 50 per cent of the population fully vaccinated, related restrictions were eased prematurely.’ and in ‘Cape Cod, hundreds crowded into the popular holiday area where the virus had a field day.’Most alarmingly, he says, ‘74 per cent of the infections occurred in fully vaccinated people.’ So, now they're back to even vaccinated people wearing masks, even when they’re inside.And of course, to maintain social distancing.So is the vaccination push giving us all false hope?Vaccination may not be the ticket to freedom we think it is, because what these latest waves of Covid are telling us, is that it's not that simple.You might not die or get as sick if you’re vaccinated, but it doesn’t mean you can’t still catch it and pass it on.In Iceland, 86 per cent of the population has been fully vaccinated; their government thought they had the pandemic beat, so they loosened restrictions too. But with Delta seeing case numbers soar, they too have put restrictions back in place. The same goes for Israel.We are of course way behind on all this, as we don’t even have our vaccination rates up to a suitable level of protection in the first place, but we should be mentally preparing ourselves for the fact that even when we do, it’s not necessarily the cure all.Even into 2022 and beyond, we may be required to wear masks and social distance. I mean thus far, touch wood; we have somehow, by some sheer miracle, escaped Delta diving into our community. But I’m not sure for how long that’ll be the case.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some very exciting fashion news for those interested in the rise in athleisure clothing.It's when people wear activewear in casual settings, at home, supermarket, even work.Well it's a booming industry, and JD Sports has been a market leader overseas.This month they're opening their first store in New Zealand at Sylvia Park.JD Sports ANZ CEO Hilton Seskin told Kate Hawkesby they are attempting to carve out a new market here.“We create new demand for product that’s never really been readily available in the market.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It has been suggested that labour shortages aren't as easy of a fix as the Government would like.It seems bringing in more automation is the Government's plan to resolve current labour shortages in the meat industry.But those in the industry say it's not that simple.Meat Industry Association CEO, Sirma Karapeeva told Kate Hawkesby a robot or computer can’t fill every role that a human can do.“We have many, many roles within the industry for which there simply isn’t any automation or technical solutions available.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's been told any travel bubble the Government chooses to open, should only be for the fully vaccinated.An independent panel of experts, led by Sir David Skegg, has released advice about reconnecting New Zealand.It says border restrictions must remain in place until the majority of us are vaccinated, but doesn't give a target.Bubble travel should be restricted to the fully immunised, as more people get jabbed. Newstalk ZB chief political reporter Jason Walls told Kate Hawkesby it's highly likely the Government will agree to that.“It kind of makes sense doesn’t it, you see how devastating the Delta variant has been in places like Australia and Fiji.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.