Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

For those who have entered into the housing market in the past seven years, the prospect of a rising interest rate will be new.ASN and Kiwibank have moved already, hiking fixed mortgage rates.ASB expects the Official Cash Rate will rise half a percent next month, and it's not the only big bank thinking that way.For your average property prospector, the question remains as to whether these projections are right.Nick Goodall is Corelogic's Head of Research and he told Tim Dower he is waiting to see how the situation plays out.“They see some of the pressures on inflation as being still a bit one-off and temporary, and if that’s the case then they still may wait until November until they make any lift on that one.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A mass vaccination event in South Auckland needs to address the failure so far to vaccinate vulnerable groups including Māori, Pasifika, and those in south Auckland, health experts say.Five months into the vaccine rollout and nearly 1.4 million doses having been administered, the rate of Māori fully vaccinated is more than 40 per cent behind Pākehā per capita.Pasifika are also about 20 per cent behind, despite both groups being identified as about twice as at-risk from Covid-19 and expert advice they be prioritised.Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said these reasons, and proximity to the border, were behind the country's first mass vaccination event, delivering 15,000 doses over three days, being held in Manukau, South Auckland.The event would target Manukau Institute of Technology students, staff and families and take place at the Vodafone Events Centre over the weekend of Friday, July 30, to Sunday, August 1.Other population centres with density could expect to see similar events to "top up" vaccination rates, he said.Choosing Manukau was also in recognition of low vaccination rates for Auckland, tracking about 40,000 doses or seven per cent behind schedule.Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said it was concerning the gap was still widening for Māori in terms of vaccination rates. (Photo / Mark Mitchell)Across New Zealand the rate of Māori fully vaccinated per capita is about 42 per cent behind European/Other New Zealanders.Data analysis by the Herald cross-referencing Ministry of Health vaccine data with Stats NZ population data has found just 6.8 per cent of Māori have been fully vaccinated, compared to 11.6 per cent of European/Other, 11.5 per cent Asian ethnicity, and 9.4 per cent Pacific Peoples.And the gap between Māori and European/Other is widening, up from 39 per cent two weeks ago, despite the rollout having moved well into group 3, which has a strong focus on Māori.Due to differences in recording ethnicity between the departments - Stats NZ allows multiple ethnicities while the ministry records just one in order of priority with Māori first - the Māori percentages are likely to be the most accurate while the Pākehā percentage would likely be higher.Founding director of Te Pūnaha Matatini Professor Shaun Hendy said such an event should have occurred earlier to address the vulnerability of Māori and Pasifika to Covid-19. (Photo / Supplied)In Auckland, which has been the centre of the country's largest outbreaks and where majority of managed isolation centres are located, Māori rates are just slightly more than half those of Pākehā, taking into account population.Hipkins said there was expected to be a gap initially, given Māori were underrepresented in the medical workforce who were first to be vaccinated, but now group 3 was being targeted he expected the gap to rapidly narrow."We want to see those overall rates start to get close to a proportionate share of the population, and it is one of the reasons we have chosen south Auckland as we know there is a high concentration of Māori and Pasifika living in that community."Am I satisfied with those rates? Not at all, we are going to need to do better among those communities."The fact it hasn't budged much as we move further into group 3 is a concern so is something we need to look at."Founding director of Te Pūnaha Matatini Professor Shaun Hendy said the location of the event "absolutely" should be about addressing the failure so far to vaccinate vulnerable groups - including Maori, Pasifika, and those in south Auckland."It would have been good to see that happen earlier. I don't think enough weight was given to the vulnerability of Maori and Pacific people."Despite expert advice, the Government rejected a recommendation to prioritise vaccinating Maori and Pasifika aged 50 and over, instead keeping the age group priority...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Would it surprise you to find out that the requirement for pre-departure COVID tests is only being checked on a random basis?It surprised me.As I'm sure you know, under the travel bubble, anyone coming from Australia is meant to have negative test in the 72 hours before flying.Now, you might have thought this was being checked before people get on the plane, but as we've reported earlier this week, more than 50 people have been caught without one.How so?Well, it turns out that Customs is dealing with this by what it calls "random validation."In other words, not everyone is being checked.And given that we've caught more than 50, and we're only doing random checks, would it be fair to say a lot more have probably sneaked through by the skin of their teeth?I'd say it's highly likely.You can't tell me that it's too much work to check everyone.For a start, the airlines have always been responsible for checking people have the proper travel documents, and it's in their interest to get it right, because they're stuck with taking people back if they don't.Surely, the Covid test is just another travel document.No test, no boarding card. Is it really that difficult?On top of that, the numbers actually travelling right now are a tiny fraction of what they were pre-pandemic.So surely, with the army of people available to control our supposedly vital border, this is not an overbearing amount of work.How many more shortcomings and stuff-ups do we tolerate before we call this out for what it is, incompetence.As usual, ACT's David Seymour picks it, he says our response has barely evolved in a year, and we're a sitting duck praying for luck.The Minister of Customs this morning is Meka Whaitiri.If the ninth floor of the Beehive wants to show it expects competence, there'll be a new Minister by lunchtime.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Ministry of Education's being urged to stump up enough funding to help children with autism and other learning needs.An Auckland mother's been told she can't keep paying 10-thousand dollars a year for a teacher aide for her eight-year-old son.It followed her email to Education Minister Chris Hipkins, arguing there's not enough support for all learners at existing state schools, and suggesting the ministry pay for the help.Principals' Federation president, Perry Rush, told Tim Dower there isn't enough funding to go round.“If we support inclusive practice, and I think we do, it’s important that every young person’s needs are met, government need to step in and address the funding shortfall.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is being told it has a great opportunity to take advantage of cryptocurrency.Parliament's Finance and Expenditure select committee has launched an inquiry into the risks and benefits of cryptocurrency.Environmental impact and criminal use will be probed.Cryptocurrency advocate Matthew Griffin told Tim Dower the inquiry is essential.“They really do have to have a deep understanding of this technology because it’s something that they also do, but it’s currently being done in the public without much oversight.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to figures, as a nation, we're feeling a lot better about our finances than we did 12 months ago.Investment house Kiwi Wealth says more than a quarter of us feel wealthier.70 percent are confident about the economy, and the number struggling to make ends meet has halved, to 4 percent of the population.Kiwi Wealth acting CEO Rhiannon McKinnon told Tim Dower there are a few reasons for the figures.“I think good savings behaviour is really, really encouraging to see though and you're seeing a bit more asset diversification with Kiwi as well, so all really good positive trends."LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia’s approach to tackling the Delta Covid-19 variant has come under fire, with multiple experts warning the current strategy is putting the nation at risk of fresh outbreaks.The current strategy of letting states and territories deal with outbreaks in their own ways has attracted criticism, with infectious disease experts saying not having a national approach is putting the country at risk.Professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of South Australia, Adrian Esterman, described the current strategy as “absolutely stupid”, telling the Sydney Morning Herald a set of common rules on border closures, quarantine and lockdowns were needed.Head of Monash University’s epidemiological modelling unit, Professor James Trauer, said the country was in “desperate need” of a national approach, saying the outbreak in NSW was highlighting the “enormous the holes” in the current strategy.It comes after NSW recorded 112 new Covid-19 cases on Monday, bringing the total number of infections in the outbreak to 678.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen up, this is important, a stern message from the Prime Minister.This is directed at people travelling here from Australia, who think it's OK to ignore the requirement about a pre-departure test.Jacinda Ardern is not amused.If we catch you in future she says you run the risk, mark that, run the risk of two weeks in managed isolation.And you know what, we might even make you pay for it.You've been warned.I'll bet that sends a deep shudder of fear through anyone contemplating bucking the system.You'll have heard by now that about 50 people have been caught doing this, and Chris Hipkins is working on ways to strengthen the system.How someone even gets on a plane without the right paperwork is beyond me.I hope any Australians who get caught are put on the first plane back, deported, they obviously don't meet the good character test.But hang on a moment; didn't we get a stern warning from the Prime Minister only a few months ago when the travel bubble opened?Weren't we were warned it was fly at your own risk?If you get stuck in a lockdown over there, you're on your own.Now of course, we learn that's not really the case at all.We're allowing people who've been in New South Wales, about a thousand of them, to come home on repatriation flights.Emergency MIQ rooms are being made available, and of course we're paying for it.So what's the message here? Here's your bubble, these are the rules and mark my words we're very strict about this, we're talking a public health issue here.And if you break the rules, make no mistake, there's a strong chance you'll get a telling off.Don't say we didn't warn you.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced current Covid restrictions will end on the 19th of July.The move is hugely political, with it having already been delayed, and half of people still wanting to keep current restrictions in place.UK correspondent Vincent McAviney told Tim Dower this isn't the big release that many people were hoping for."Whilst there are legal obligations lifting for things like mask wearing, there is still the hope and expectation that people should wear them especially in confined spaces."LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Getting vaccine doses into the arms of 1800-odd unvaccinated border workers is a top priority and should be done as quickly as possible, a leading public health expert says.But port bosses say the 11-week lead-in time for workers to get a single jab is necessary to limit workplace disruption, and even then exceptions may be needed to keep operations afloat if key workers - such as maritime pilots - still refuse to get vaccinated.Yesterday Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a change to the Public Health Response (Vaccinations) Order so it would apply to more border workers.As of July 9, there are still 1766 border workers who are yet to have a single dose of the Pfizer vaccine - the majority of them port workers.As of July 9, there were 1766 active border workers who were unvaccinated. (Photo / Supplied)The expanded order will apply from Thursday, but the extra non-government border workers it captures - which make up most of the 1766 unvaccinated workers - won't need to get their first jab until September 30.Government workers newly captured by the order will need their first jab by August 26. Any new border worker will need to have had one jab before they can start work.It comes as the Government reopened quarantine-free flights to New Zealand from Queensland from 11.59pm last night, though anyone arriving without a negative pre-departure test will face a 14-day stay in MIQ - and a hefty bill.Only about 50 per cent of travellers are being checked for a pre-departure test, and so far more than 50 travellers have been caught without one.The pause on the transtasman bubble remains for New South Wales - which had 112 new cases yesterday.New Zealand citizens and residents are able to return home on green flights with a 14-day stay in MIQ, though flights for the next two weeks sold out within minutes.Ardern said the Government was still considering enforcement and privacy issues around making QR code scanning mandatory for bars and restaurants, and more widespread mask use at alert levels 2 and up.She said it was an "extraordinary" step to make vaccinations mandatory for privately-employed border workers - even though she had said in April that all border workers will need to be vaccinated or they would be redeployed.Otago University epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker said the unvaccinated worker gaps at the ports and airports should be plugged as quickly as possible."I'm sure there are logistical and other barriers to getting vaccinated, but we've got all of the infrastructure in place to administer the vaccine and track who needs it. The supplies are there. The staff to administer it are there."The unvaccinated workforce at the border was the weakest part of our Covid defences, he said, following the decision to reduce the number of travellers from high-risk countries."If you look at what happened in Taiwan, Sydney and Singapore, those were all problems around workers connected with borders, but not MIQ workers."Otago University epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker says unvaccinated border workers is currently the biggest weakness in New Zealand's Covid'19 response. (Photo / Supplied)Ardern said the long lead-in time would limit disruption at the ports."There may be people in key roles that this will affect that will have a significant knock-on effect, if that particular worker chooses not to be vaccinated."We have allow the time for those workforces to readjust, if that is what is required."Those key roles included maritime pilots, and specialised stevedore roles and crane operators, said Charles Finny, chair of the Port Company CEO Group, which represents 13 ports."It is very near impossible to recruit replacement staff in New Zealand in a hurry," Finny said."We don't want perverse outcomes here. We don't want the whole sector to shut down. We'll have to work...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One small trip for Sir Richard Branson, one giant leap for space tourism.The 70-year-old billionaire has successfully reached the edge of space, on board his Virgin Galactic space plane.The aircraft has been in development for 17 years.US space expert Wendy Whitman Cobb told Tim Dower the achievement will ease people's concerns about safety."They really have a strong incentive to ensure safety, to make sure what they're doing is 100 percent safe, especially when you have somebody like Richard Branson or Jeff Bezos going up."Whitman Cobb says for the ordinary person, the possibility of space tourism is now in reach.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some of the script for the film about the Christchurch mosque shootings has been leaked out.Newshub says it's seen the draft document, it runs to 120-odd pages...and there's a graphic reconstruction of the attack itself.We have shown the version of the script obtained by Newshub to some of the victims, who describe it as worse than the terrorist's livestream of the 2019 atrocity.Now this is being circulated around the film industry, looking for a potential buyer.Working title 'They Are Us'...it's being pitched as not so much the story of the attack, but the response to the attack.But Newshub says the draft shows the attack taking place over 17 pages, and that would come out at around 17 minutes of film.More than a dozen of the murders are depicted in graphic detail.One woman who lost both her husband and her son says the movie sounds worse than the livestream.And she thinks it would encourage others to commit similar atrocities.I dunno about that.I can't for a minute imagine why anyone would want to see it...but then morbid curiosity has driven plenty to seek out the material online.So I guess there is a market for it.And who hasn't seen a documentary about the September 11th attacks...or the film about United Flight 93?I have.Did they stir up violent intentions...not in me personally...but in others...who knows?Perhaps this project is touching a nerve for me because it's so close to home.But we've had a doco about Aramoana...13 people killed there....did that set off a wave of mass shootings...no.Perhaps the problem with this one is the timing...the indecent haste of it all.And from what Newshub's reported...the idea so far does seem to at least flirt with the idea of glamorising murder.Not my cup of tea thanks...and ultimately...people will decide for themselves whether they want to see it or not.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National says the Government needs to consider the long-term impacts of Covid-19.Documents released under the Official Information Act show officials have been looking into long-term MIQ facilities since July last year.But they say a shortage of health workers would make it difficult to staff them.National Covid-19 Spokesman Chris Bishop told Tim Dower a way needs to be found to establish purpose-built facilities, as the pandemic isn't going to be over anytime soon."I think we will need MIQ in some shape or form for the foreseeable future for some years to come."LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Football fans reportedly breached the Wembley gates hours before the start of the Euro 2020 final between hosts England and Italy.The Telegraph is reporting that a number of fans broke past stewards at Wembley as the thirst for entry reaches desperation for those who don't have tickets to the game.Daily Mail reporter Mike Keegan on the scene described it as "carnage". Can only describe scenes outside Wembley as carnage and not in a good way. First line of security clearly breached. Dozens hanging around outside turnstiles offering operators cash to let them in and trying to barge in behind punters with tickets. Police nowhere to be seen.— Mike Keegan (@MikeKeegan_DM) July 11, 2021 Febrile atmosphere at Wembley. This is near the main entrance to Club Wembley a few minutes ago where it looked like a group of fans broke through the security cordon. Stewards currently chasing people around. Not sure they’ll get all the way to the wine and canapés pic.twitter.com/YTIx8eQLz2— Sam Wallace (@SamWallaceTel) July 11, 2021 Lack of security at Wembley is unbelievable. Fans have just rushed a disabled gate (D11) when it opened. No ticket checks until the turnstiles. Seen hundreds here without tickets trying to jib in. Remarkable contrast to security at La Cartuja in Seville.— Richard Martin (@Rich9908) July 11, 2021 Estimated 200,000 fans in the Wembley area. Disabled areas in front of the press box now being invaded. Stewarding essentially non-existent.— Oliver Brown (@oliverbrown_tel) July 11, 2021 A large group of fans set off red and yellow flares and some were banging drums at Wembley Way. It started getting rowdy about four hours before kickoff with beer cans being thrown into the air.Fans started hurling cans at one man who had climbed a tall light pole and he was trying to dodge them. He then slid down like a firefighter to the cheers of the crowd and the pole started to wobble.Two women pose with England fans near Trafalgar Square in London. Photo / APSeveral dozen Italy fans were allowed into the stadium about three and half hours before the start. The normal entry time for supporters is three hours.England is trying to win a major football tournament trophy for the first time in 55 years.Thousands of England fans also descended on central London.Piles of rubbish left behind by partying England fans in Leicester Square central London. Photo / APBottles and other objects are being thrown and Leicester Square is full of litter like beer cans, empty boxes and plastic bags. So far no violence has been reported but the scenes are chaotic. One man threw a large yellow cone high in the air and as it came down another man headed it like a soccer ball. Police with helmets were seen walking through Leicester Square.The official fan zone is in nearby Trafalgar Square and thousands more are there. A large contingent of police are on standby.-APSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Richard Branson became the first person to ride into space aboard a rocket he helped fund. The supersonic space plane developed by his company, Virgin Galactic, roared into the sky over New Mexico early Sunday, carrying Branson and three fellow crewmembers.Branson -— along with Virgin Galactic employees Beth Moses, Colin Bennett, and Sirisha Bandla and pilots Dave Mackay and Michael Masucci — boarded the SpaceShipTwo, a winged plane with a single rocket motor that the company has spent nearly two decades developing, before the crack of dawn. Attached beneath its massive, twin-fuselaged mothership, dubbed WhiteKnightTwo, the vehicle took to the skies at 8:30 am MT and climbed to about 50,000 feet in the air.Just after 9:15 in the morning, the SpaceShipTwo detached from its mothership and dropped momentarily before its engine screamed to life and the vehicle swooped upward. On board, the passengers experienced up to three Gs of force from the burst of extreme acceleration and watched the blue sky fade into the star-speckled darkness of outer space. At the top of the flight path, more than 50 miles high, the vehicle was suspended in weightlessness for a few minutes, allowing the passengers to enjoy panoramic views of the Earth and space as SpaceShipTwo flipped onto its belly. It then deployed its feathering system, which curls the plane's wings upward, mimicking the shape of a badminton shuttlecock, to turn the spaceship rightward as it flew back into the Earth's thick atmosphere and glided back down to a runway landing.As Branson floated around in microgravity, he taped a message using cameras onboard the space plane: "To all you kids out there — I was once a child with a dream, looking up to the stars. Now I'm an adult in a spaceship...If we can do this, just imagine what you can do," he said.This flight marked only the fourth test flight of the vehicle that reached the edge of space.Surrounding SpaceShipTwo's takeoff was — in typical Branson fashion -— a high-production party with friends, family, employees and a few VIPs in attendance. Earlier on Sunday, Branson tweeted a picture of himself and a barefoot Elon Musk hanging out. Grammy-nominated artist Khalid is also expected to perform an as-yet-unreleased song on an outdoor stage.What this meansBranson's flight — which came just nine days before Amazon bilionaire Jeff Bezos is slated to rocket into suborbital space aboard his own company's spacecraft — is a landmark moment for the commercial space industry. The up-and-coming sector has for years been seeking to make suborbital space tourism (a relatively simple straight-up-and-down flight, as opposed to orbiting the Earth for longer periods) a viable business with the aim of allowing thousands of people to experience the adrenaline rush and sweeping views of our home planet that such flights can offer.Branson and Bezos are situated to become direct competitors in that industry, each offering tickets to wealthy customers for brief rides to the upper atmosphere aboard supersonic, rocket-powered spacecraft.Virgin Galactic plans to conduct just one more test flight before it will begin flying paying customers. More than 600 people have reserved tickets priced at $200,000 to $250,000 so far. The company is expected to reopen ticket sales soon, though at a higher price point.Branson's flight also helps bolster Virgin Galactic's reputation as the "world's first commercial spaceline." That's how the company advertised itself as it signed up those hundreds of willing customers who've waited through development delays — and a tragic mishap — for their chance to ride aboard SpaceShipTwo.But whether or not Virgin Galactic will really be the "first" commercially operational suborbital space company is not yet clear. Bezos' space company, Blue Origin, appeared poised to put its founder in space before Branson, until Virgin Galactic made the surprise announcement earlier...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air New Zealand is preparing for its busiest July school holiday period ever.That's very welcome news to tourism operators and hotel owners, who are now dealing with the news that the Queensland and New South Wales bubble pause is indefinite.Paul Anderson, from NZ Ski in Queenstown, who operate Coronet Peak and the Remarkables, and Paul Button, from Rotorua Canopy Tours joined Kate Hawkesby to discuss the news.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’ve received the best news ever this week, another sleep study. I love sleep studies because no one gets less sleep than shift workers.We sleep at weird hours; we wake at weird hours, those of us who are up early for other reasons like kids sport, or gym classes or being woken by babies.I mean, we all want to know the deal on sleep don’t we?So according to a new study by an international psychiatry journal, scientists now say getting to bed earlier, and getting up earlier, can dramatically reduce your risk of depression. The study investigated the relationship between sleep timing and mood and found that ‘even one hour earlier sleep timing is associated with significantly lower risk of depression,’ according to one report.So, no more late nights.To delve into this they needed to look at which came first; ‘whether staying up late led to depressive symptoms or whether depressive symptoms led to staying up late.’ According to this report, they “found ‘firm’ evidence it's the time that people go to bed that influences their state of mind, not so much the other way around.”And what does it all come back to? Light.“Research suggests it's that early risers get more light exposure, which can positively affect mood.” They say we need to keep our days light and our evenings dark.We need to set our circadian rhythm with sunlight exposure in the morning, blocking out the light at night. But what about those of us who get up in the dark? So we’re up early but it’s still dark outside, how does that work?Do we turn on all the lights at home and stare at them?I’m not sure how that sleep study affects those of us operating in the dark, or whether we are any less depressed because we are up so jolly early? But I’m hoping it has a positive effect. Because the other thing we know about sleep is that large amounts of deprivation of it does us no favours.It increases the risk of health problems like obesity, diabetes and heart diseases, according to Harvard University sleep researchers.So the tried and true old tips for sleep remain the same. Good sleep hygiene like blocking light, keeping the bedroom cool, keeping blue light and electronics away, not exercising too close to bedtime.Also, staying away from caffeine before bedtime or rich foods can help you get off to sleep easier. Even though we know all this, it’s often not that easy to do.The best news of all is that naps are good. If you’re a shift worker and you’re tired - don’t skip the naps apparently, just have them by the middle of the day no later.So I think that’s good news for us early birds.At least if you’re getting up about now you’re more likely to feel more positive, just make sure you get yourself into some sunlight as soon as it’s up.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are no doubt a few hangovers across England on Thursday after a night of wild celebrations in the wake of the national football team's victory over Denmark in the European Championship semifinals.There will likely be many, many more on Monday morning if England manages to beat Italy in the final, its first in a major tournament since winning the 1966 World Cup.The worry is that beyond the headaches and the grouchiness, the outpouring of joy will worsen rising coronavirus infection rates, particularly among younger men, many of whom have yet to receive a vaccine against COVID-19.“Whilst association does not necessarily mean causation it is difficult to escape the conclusion that celebrations around the Euros have been an important factor in driving up the epidemic in the U.K.,” said Paul Hunter, a professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia.It's clearly difficult to rein in the enthusiasm associated with England's march to Sunday's final.There's a lot of pent-up frustration out there that has been further fueled by the rigors endured during coronavirus restrictions — and a fair bit of booze. The British Beer & Pub Association predicted that fans across the country would consume 6.8 million pints during the match alone.The scenes inside Wembley Stadium were particularly raucous — more than 60,000 fans were allowed to attend the match. Long-suffering England supporters outnumbered their Danish counterparts by around six to one.Two England fan favorites — Neil Diamond's “Sweet Caroline” and the Lightning Seeds' “Three Lions,” with lyrics by comedians David Baddiel and Frank Skinner — were sung with delirium, even by the England team and staff who joined in the singalong after the final whistle blew.The partying didn't end there. On leaving the stadium, fans released red-colored smoke and carried on singing as they swarmed out of the stadium and went home, no doubt to celebrate some more.“It was a brilliant game, the atmosphere was absolutely amazing," said 18-year-old Scarlet Devereux.It wasn't all positive though. European football's governing body UEFA charged the English Football Association with three offenses at the stadium — the use of a laser pointer by fans, fireworks being set off and for disturbing the Danish national anthem.Another 27.6 million people tuned in at one point during the match — the biggest peak football audience ever for a single channel, according to broadcaster ITV.It seemed that most of them took to the streets the moment it ended.People clambered on top of London buses, while others opted to stand on the roofing of the subway station at Leicester Square.It was one of those nights.John Engall, 65, who was a student during England’s only previous major triumph, said he felt “absolutely fantastic” after watching the match from Boxpark entertainment venue in Croydon, just south of London.“I remember ’66 but I’m much more ecstatic now than when I was 10,” he said.As is always the case, there's always a cleaning up process following the festivities, and teams were out in force to remove litter on Thursday morning. Streets across England were strewn with empty disposable plastic pint glasses and food cartons. Even laughing gas canisters.London's Metropolitan Police said 23 arrests were made by officers across the capital following the match for offenses including common assault, public order and assault on police.Concerns have also been raised that the team's progress in the tournament is responsible for spreading coronavirus across the U.K., which is seeing a third surge in the pandemic as a result of the more contagious delta variant.Although infections are less likely in an outdoor environment, public health experts warned that the virus could still find a way to spread, notably as tens of thousands of fans travel to and from Wembley, which after the final will have...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Forget Facebook and Twitter, even Instagram should be worried.Tik Tok is where all the kids are these days.But it seems the popular app is encouraging more young people to read books.Book Tok has become a trend, where people post videos reviewing and recommending books.This has boomed in popularity, so much so that book sales have greatly increased.Joining us now from New York is director of books at Barnes and Noble Shannon DeVito it’s not just books that have been released in the same era as Tik Tok.“So many new readers are discovering or rediscovering books that in some cases have been on shelves for over a decade and it’s really heartening.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As you may know, for the first time ever, skateboarding is going to be included in the Tokyo Olympics.But this has caused some division in the skateboarding community.While some say it's good for the sport, others say it could harm the industry.Others argue whether it's actually a sport?Ian Michna is the publisher of skateboarding magazine Jenkem and he joined Kate Hawkesby from New York.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I see Chris Hipkins is saying we won't, in this country, aim to be like the UK and take the approach that we just have to learn to live with Covid. Hipkins says lifting restrictions like the UK is about to is not a realistic option for us long term.So it seems the eradication strategy is still NZ's goal. And if this is true, then are we in for a life of lockdowns and closed borders?As of the 19th of July the UK, rightly or wrongly, is ditching all restrictions and opening the place back up, normal life can resume. They are desperate for it, let's be honest they've been locked down a very long time, but the new Health Minister's approach is – learn to live with Covid, take some personal responsibility, this is what it is.That may sound terrifying to some of us. There'll be a lot of people in the ‘too soon’ brigade who will freak out at that freedom.But if not now, when? When is it ever going to be ok to lift restrictions and how long can you keep a country locked down for?One thing is for sure, schools need to get back to normal. According to one report, “Children have missed almost a billion days of school since the start of the pandemic,” that’s according to analysis by a think tank called the Centre for Social Justice.That can’t be good for kids at all. Socially, pubs and other venues can open back up and will have to take customers details, but the previously tight restrictions prohibiting people from normal operation will be gone.And I just wonder when you’ve lived with rules and regulations and a government telling you how to live your life for so long, whether in fact you are ready to just go it alone all of a sudden?In a sense you lose the ability to make your own decisions and run your own life, you're used to being told what you can and can’t do.In general terms, I’m a fan of this approach of personal responsibility and letting people live their lives, but then again I’m not inclined to be one of those people who goes nuts.But how do you account for the people who do take crazy risks and flout their newfound freedom? And then you’ve got of course the potential conflict of those who’re sensible versus those who are not.Are people going to start ganging up on each other and taking matters into their own hands if they feel someone isn’t standing far enough away from them, or hasn’t coughed into their elbow? What then?It'll be an interesting experiment and I guess the bonus for us (if there is one) of being so far behind everyone else, is that we can look on and watch how it unfolds.Boris is asking people to ‘exercise judgement‘ and ‘carefully manage risk’.. which sounds good in theory, but you have to be interested in managing risk, or responsible enough to exercise judgement in the first place, don’t you? Which is why I think the world will be watching with interest from July 19th.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Richard Branson will take a rocket-powered space plane on a 2,400 mile-per-hour ride to the edge of space this weekend. That's if everything goes according to plan. And there's plenty that could go wrong.The rocket motor could fail to light up. The cabin could lose pressure and threaten the passengers' lives. And the intense physics involved when hurtling out of — and back into — the Earth's atmosphere could tear the vehicle apart.But Branson is ready to follow in the footsteps of the test pilots and Virgin Galactic employees who have already flown on VSS Unity, the vehicle Branson's company, Virgin Galactic, has spent nearly two decades working to develop. If all goes as planned, Branson will also be the first billionaire ever to travel to space aboard a vehicle he helped fund the development of, beating fellow space baron Jeff Bezos by just nine days.Any time humans are on an airborne vehicle, there's risk involved. Here's a breakdown of just how much danger Branson -— and the three people going with him — will be taking on.About the space plane: VSS UnityRichard Branson founded Virgin Galactic in 2004, after watching a space plane called SpaceShipOne rocket into space to win the Ansari X Prize. Branson bought the rights to that tech, and a team of engineers set to work developing a larger vehicle capable of carrying two pilots and up to six paying customers on a high-speed joy rides. The evolved designed is called SpaceShipTwo.SpaceShipTwo takes off from an airplane runway attached beneath the wing of a massive, custom-designed quad-jet double-fuselage mothership known as WhiteKnightTwo. Once the mothership reaches about 40,000 feet, the rocket-powered plane is dropped from in between WhiteKnightTwo's twin fuselages, and fires up its engine to swoop directly upward, accelerating up to more than three times the speed of sound, or 2,300 miles an hour.Once it reaches the very top of its flight path, it hangs, suspended in microgravity, as it flips onto its belly before gliding back down to a runway landing. From takeoff to landing, the whole trip takes roughly an hour.VSS Unity — the name of the SpaceShipTwo that Branson will be taking to space and the first to make the full trek — has completed three successful test flights so far. But the company's development program has also endured years of delays for a variety of reasons, including a fatal 2014 crash that killed a test pilot.A planned test flight in December was also halted when VSS Unity's onboard rocket motor computer lost connection. And Virgin Galactic encountered a potentially serious safety hazard during a test flight in 2019, New Yorker staff writer Nicholas Schmidle revealed in a new book, "Test Gods." A safety probe was ordered to investigate why a seal on its space plane's wing had come undone, risking loss of the vehicle and the lives of the three crew members on board. No one was harmed in the test flight, which was publicly deemed a success.But after VSS Unity's third test flight in May, the company received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to begin flying passengers. That doesn't mean, however, that the FAA — which is focused primarily on ensuring safety of people and property on the ground — is guaranteeing the spacecraft is safe. That decision is left up to Virgin Galactic, and the company made the surprise announcement on July 1 that Branson would be on the very next test flight — becoming the first non-crew member ever to make the trek — this Sunday.Markus Guerster, an aerospace industry professional who co-authored a 2018 paper on the risks of suborbital space tourism, said there is never a perfect time for a company to deem its spacecraft safe enough to fly members of the public."It's kind of a difficult decision to make — if you're ready, or if you're not ready, because there is some risk remaining. But if you don't try it, you're also not going to learn,"...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Bill stating marriages and civil unions should be allowed to be dissolved immediately in domestic violence situations has been submitted by a Labour list MP.Angie Warren-Clark said Labour was committed to protecting survivors of domestic violence and submitted her Family Proceedings (Dissolution for Family Violence) Amendment Bill to the members' bill ballot."The current law requires a couple to be separated for two years before a divorce can occur. This means people must remain married to the person that is abusing or has abused them, even if a protection order is in place," Warren-Clark said."This Bill allows a person to apply for an order dissolving a marriage or civil union if they have been the victim of family violence inflicted by the other party in the relationship."Many people are surprised that survivors of domestic violence are required to stay married to their abuser for two years before being able to finalise their divorce. This change is overdue and I'm calling on my parliamentary colleagues to sign on to support this Bill."This Bill builds on the Government's work to protect survivors of family and sexual violence, including the biggest-ever investment in family violence and sexual violence support services, the introduction of domestic violence leave and new offences, like strangulation, to better reflect the severity of family and sexual violence." Warren-Clark said."I worked in the family and sexual violence sector for 15 years before coming to Parliament and I'm proud to be able to progress this change on behalf of the many women who have raised it with me."The Bill was lodged in the members' bill ballot this morning. If the Bill receives the support of 61 non-executive members of Parliament, it will be introduced on the next sitting day.- Bay of Plenty TimesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Folic acid will be put in bread making flour to prevent devastating birth defects that can result in death or lifelong disability, it can be revealed.Fortifying bread and other food staples with folic acid has significantly reduced birth defects of the brain, spine, or spinal cord in other countries including the United States, Canada and Australia.The move comes after an investigation by the Herald exposed the heartbreaking stories of parents who have been pushing for years for New Zealand to match other countries by fortifying bread."This is about protecting babies. Low folate levels in mothers cause neural tube defects that result in the death of babies, or lifelong disability," said Food Safety Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall."This B vitamin is safe and essential for health, particularly for development of babies early in pregnancy. Folate is naturally present in food - folic acid fortification restores what is lost during processing such as flour milling."A little over half of pregnancies in New Zealand are unplanned, so it's not practical for all women to take a folic acid supplement one month before they conceive."The health measure is a breakthrough for New Zealand's medical and scientific communities and patient advocates, who were despondent after plans to add folic acid to bread from 2009 were upended by industry opposition claiming possible risks from "mass medication".An illustration of spina bifida. A 'snowflake condition', it affects each person differently.Under the policy announced today, fortification of bread making flour will happen from mid to late 2023. Organic and non-wheat flour will be exempt, which the government says will give consumers choice.The change is expected to prevent 162-240 neural tube defects over 30 years, and save $25 million and $47 million over the same period in health, education and productivity costs. Flour millers will get about $1.6 million to buy and install the necessary equipment.Today's announcement follows a Herald investigation that revealed the benefit could be much greater, because official estimates did not count miscarriages earlier in pregnancy. The College of Public Health Medicine believes as many as 200 such miscarriages could be prevented every year, something it called an "iceberg of heartbreak".Our reporting also told the stories of families affected by birth defects, including a woman who lost her son to anencephaly, an unsurvivable defect where parts of the brain and skull don't develop.Verrall told the Herald that quantifying any prevention of miscarriages in early pregnancy was tricky, given such tragedies often don't generate medical statistics."We made the decision to make sure we could prevent neural tube defects, and if in the course of that we happen to save some families the grief of miscarriage we'd be very happy."An illustration of anencephaly, one of the birth defects that adequate folate consumption can reduce the risk of.Getting enough folate, a natural B vitamin found in foods such as leafy green vegetables, before and in early pregnancy can considerably reduce the risk of such neural tube defects, the most common of which is spina bifida.It's difficult to get enough from diet alone, and women are advised to take folic acid tablets. However, many don't, and more than half of pregnancies aren't planned - a proportion that rises for young mothers (83 per cent), Māori (75 per cent) and Pacific Kiwis (71 per cent). When those women realise they're pregnant it's often too late - the neural tube closes 15 to 28 days after conception.For this reason, NZ and Australia agreed to mandatory fortification from 2009, but the new National Government backed out after an opposition campaign by bakers and the Food & Grocery Council (an industry lobby group), who warned of unknown effects and labelled the initiative an example of the "nanny state".See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you obsessively read the grading ratings on eateries like I do, or are you normal?You know how the kitchens and backrooms of restaurants and cafes get inspected and graded based on hygiene and cleanliness? More ratings came out this week and I’m obsessed with them.Because I’m a hygiene freak and if I see anything other than an A rating I want to run for the hills. How the system works is that a D or E rating basically means the situation is pretty revolting. Uncovered uncooked food left out, cockroaches, filth or flies look, it’s gross. This has all come about due to Food Safety checks, for which we should be eternally grateful. So MPI wanders round with inspectors, checks out the state of eateries and slaps a grading on them.Auckland Council took it further and adopted the measure that these gradings have to be displayed publicly; we have to know what we’re dealing with. And that’s why I have now become obsessed with looking for that little food safety certificate every time I walk into a takeaway outlet. The good ones, the ones with the A ratings, display them proudly at the front door or behind the counter. The dodgier ones with not such flash ratings may have theirs a bit more buried from view, but I’ll look for it.Mainly because I take cockroaches and food poisoning and filth, extremely seriously. I mean, who doesn’t? Cockroach infestations, ‘extensive’ ones, luckily, mean a business has to close. How often does this happen? More often than we’d like to think. Auckland Council says in regards to food safety, pest infestations are their greatest concern.I was alarmed to read Waiheke’s Cable Bay Vineyard was one of 11 eateries in Auckland slammed with an E grade for a “critical” cockroach infestation. The premise can clean up their act and the rating gets adjusted, they’re now back to an A, by the way. But I read the list exhaustively because for someone who balks at a fly landing on a pizza even for one second, this is not heart-warming news to me.I mean is basic hygiene in food preparation too much to ask? How are these eateries that get D and E grade ratings and have uncovered food laced with flies or roaches, how are they even allowed to reopen once they’ve cleaned it up? I mean, haven’t they already proven they don’t know how to manage food storage? Not all of the dodgy rated places are pest issues.Some are cleanliness, food safety, unregistered businesses, but if we look at the pests, and I am, the most common identified were roaches and flies, followed by rats and mice, followed by birds. Maggots are on the list too, as is hair. I hope you’re not eating right now as I tell you this. Sure, not everywhere you’re getting your takeaways is a rat infested dive, but it does give pause for thought on why those grades are important. It also makes you stop and think, how badly do I want those takeaways?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are calls for Police to up their game in the enforcement of seatbelt rules.Figures released to Newstalk ZB show the number of fines being handed out for failing to wear a seatbelt, have almost halved in the past decade.That's despite the number of serious injuries and crashes where a driver or passenger wasn't wearing a seatbelt, have either increased, or remained unchanged, over the same period.Independent crash investigator Hamish Piercy told Kate Hawkesby the importance of such fines shouldn't be underestimated.“They do have an effect, and it’s not necessarily the amount either it’s actually the sting for an indiscretion or wrongdoing that tends to wake people up.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nurses say striking is a last resort and not something they do lightly.Members of the Nurses Organisation have voted to walk off the job another three times this year, in July, August and September.Some strikes will be as long as 24 hours.Nurses Organisation industrial advisor, David Waite, told Kate Hawkesby it's the most significant strike action nurses have ever voted on, and will ever take.“And I guess it really goes to the frustration that members have felt after a year of negotiations and these tow issues around pay and staffing are still unresolved."LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Generation Z, the generation after Millennials, want to make their mark on the world.This includes in fashion.It seems more of our younger generation want to buy gender-fluid clothing.In 2019, 56 percent of Gen Z consumers shopped outside their assigned gendered area.There are suggestions that it is time some of our local retail brands, Farmers, The Warehouse, Kmart, got more with the programme.Senior analyst at World Global Style Network Nick Paget told Kate Hawkesby there is more than one barrier to inclusive clothing.“I think to do something that’s really truly inclusive; it’s about making all clothing inclusive to everyone, which is both a technical challenge and a challenge to society’s perception to clothing and gender as well.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trying to get a Covid-19 vaccination is a bit like the “Hunger Games”, according to the NSW Health Minister.Brad Hazzard offered the scathing review of the vaccine rollout while standing alongside the NSW Premier and chief health officer to deliver the latest Covid update.There have been 35 new cases of Covid in NSW, a huge spike on the 16 infections revealed on Sunday.While addressing the media, Mr Hazzard was probed about the commonwealth rollout.“It is almost a sense now of the ‘Hunger Games’, of people chasing the vaccine,” he said.“Until we get enough vaccine (doses) and enough GPs actually at the frontline able to provide that vaccine into arms, we will continue to have effectively the Hunger Games going on here in NSW.”Brad Hazzard has described getting the jab as a bit like the Hunger Games. (Photo / NCA)He was quick to defend the federal government though.“It is easy to be critical in hindsight but the federal government did their best to try and get the vaccine when we didn’t know what vaccines would become available,” he said.“Of course the AstraZeneca has had its challenges and Pfizer supplies haven’t been great, so accepting that the federal government did their best at a difficult time to get as much vaccine as possible.“The focus should be on at the moment, and the federal government appears to be doing this, is to try to roll out as much vaccine as they have available. They are doing their best to get more vaccines.”A little more than 7 per cent of the Australian population is fully vaccinated and about eight million doses have been administered, well behind other developed nations.People queue for testing. (Photo / NCA)The sluggish rollout is a cause for concern as the nation grapples with Covid spot fires in several jurisdictions, particularly in NSW.Of the 35 new cases revealed on Monday, 24 were in isolation for their full infectious period.Four cases were in isolation for part of their infectious period and seven were in the community.There are five new cases associated with Virgin flight VA524 from the Gold Coast to Sydney on June 26, bringing the total number of infections linked to the flight to nine – eight passengers and a household contact.The aged care cluster stands at five. (Photo / NCA)“It is pleasing to see that we’ve contacted those individuals. We had already identified them as close contacts and they were isolating and therefore pose no other risk to the community,” NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant said.She warned anyone who was on that flight who was in isolation to remain at home for the full 14 days.Meanwhile, another two residents at an aged care home in Sydney have tested positive, taking that cluster to five.The two new infections are both women in their 70s. Only one of the women has been vaccinated.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I wonder, with school holidays starting at the end of this week, how many people are put off by the bubble given the mess Australia’s in currently.Quarantine free travel to South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and the A.C.T is back open, but it comes with a warning. Epidemiologist Rod Jackson said go at your own risk, basically. Be prepared to be stuck there for weeks or even months, he says.That’s harsh. But is it true?How many people are still prepared to risk it?I think a lot of us have acclimatised to the new reality of no international travelling at the moment.Well not all of us. My sister hasn’t. Having lived in Europe for 10 years and travelled extensively she’s a wanderer with itchy feet. She’s hated not being able to travel. She’d booked the Gold Coast for the school holidays for her family but that’s obviously off now. So she’s booked the Cook Islands.She said basically because it’s the only place she feels she can safely and easily go with her kids and she’s sick of not going anywhere. The second week of the holidays was already fully booked in terms of flights so clearly she’s not the only one feeling that way.But I wonder how many Kiwis will still jump on planes to Australia at this stage, or whether they’ve been spooked?Greater Sydney’s lockdown is due to end this Friday night, that remains to be seen if it will, given it’s still recording high numbers of cases. But their lockdown's not like our lockdowns. My girlfriend who lives there was saying it’s basically no school for the kids but you can move around. For example, you can go to your holiday homes, lots of shops and businesses are open, she hasn’t run out of toilet paper, her supermarket shelves aren’t bare. So it’s not as dire as we might think.But Rod Jackson believes our approach regarding travel with Australia should still be one of caution. “Overly cautious,“ he said.He’s also reported as saying that he doesn’t “think we can change that approach until nearly everyone is vaccinated.” Wow. That’s going to take a while then. Because the aim for us is to get 90 per cent vaccinated, which is a lot. Especially considering the States had a goal of 70 percent by July, they’re close, they're at 67 percent vaccinated currently.The UK has 63 percent of its population fully vaccinated, and Australia’s sitting at a woeful 7 percent. And outbreaks are still happening, so can all countries ever really achieve herd immunity?And if not, are we ever going to open our borders again? Or will overseas school holiday choices really just be Australia or the Cooks for the foreseeable?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The hospitality industry is uniting for a collective ‘lights out’ moment and they hope it'll help avoid them going dark for good.Businesses will switch their lights off for two minutes to express concerns about immigration policies.They say there's a desperate need for overseas workers and visa extensions.Pre-Covid, about 30 per cent of the industry was made up of migrant workers.Owner of Monsoon Poon in Wellington Mike Egan told Kate Hawkesby they're not asking for much.“They can just look around and go well, ‘this could be the reality one day’.. We’re an important part of cities, towns and villages.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's fair to say this year's Olympics, which start this month, will be different to others.Athletes will feel increased stresses and pressures, travelling and competing in an event during a worldwide pandemic.But another factor will be the spectators.The smaller than usual crowds are not allowed to cheer, sing, chant, give handshakes or hug but must sit quietly.Sports psychologist Sara Chatwin told Kate Hawkesby the lack of cheering may affect individual athletes differently.“I dare say, the athletes I’ve worked with, they don’t rely on crowd support, because you’re just as likely to get support as you would the nay-sayers.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Regular saliva testing for staff at New Zealand's managed isolation and quarantine facilities could be underway in weeks, which aims to strengthen the country's border against Covid-19.Asia Pacific Health Group (APHG) was awarded a Ministry of Health contract in May to provide virus surveillance testing through saliva samples from staff at New Zealand's MIQ sites.Testing at the border has been a contentious issue, punctuated by revelations in April that an infected Grand Millennium security guard wasn't tested for six months, even though he was meant to be tested fortnightly.As at June 28, 161 MIQ workers were overdue for a test.Auckland's Grand Millennium MIQ facility. (Photo / File)It was estimated between 6000 and 20,000 saliva tests would be done per week.Early indications were MIQ workers would submit a sample every second day when the programme was rolled out in the coming weeks, following a prototype in Christchurch last week.Voluntary saliva testing had been offered at MIQ facilities since January but uptake had been poor.The 12-month contract was worth up to 60 million but was dependent on testing volumes. That meant tests could cost between $58 to $192 each.Labtests, which is one of five APHG facilities primed to process the saliva tests, gave the Herald exclusive access to its Auckland laboratory, which had processed 520,000 Covid tests since the pandemic began.Labtests general manager Chris Davey said there were no concerns about the efficacy of the test and was confident it was the best option."We don't believe that there are better tests out there."MIQ workers will drop off their tubes at collection booths based in their facilities. (Photo / Michael Craig)As explained by Labtests microbiology and molecular head of department Susan Smith and molecular section head Blair Shilton, the process will start by MIQ workers signing into an APHG phone app.This requires a person's National Health Index (NHI) number and date of birth, but only for the first sign-in.Through the app, the worker would scan the bar code on the tube, which their "sample" is going in, deposit the sample and scan the bar code again.The worker will then scan a QR code at a collection booth before dropping off their sample.Once at the lab, the sample is heated and further liquified in a water bath to make it easier to process. Then any viral RNA - evidence of the virus being present - is extracted.Reagents, substances that cause chemical reactions, are added to bind to any viral genetic material before it is amplified. Inferences can be made about how infectious a person is by how quickly the genetic material amplifies.Labtests molecular section head Blair Shilton (left) and microbiology and molecular head of department Susan Smith are confident in the process. (Photo / Michael Craig)Smith said a positive test result could be determined within three to six hours, depending on the urgency and quantity of samples.APHG is owned by NZ Healthcare Investments Ltd, which was partially owned by the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, which holds a 48 per cent stake.The Ministry of Health denied any suggestion of a conflict of interest in awarding the testing contract to a company partially owned by another Government entity."The successful tenderer was appointed after a comprehensive process, which followed Government procurement processes and included independent evaluation of proposals by panel members from across the testing sector," a spokesperson said.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A snapshot of the scale, lays bare the geographic spread of New Zealand's meth problem.The New Zealand Herald's obtained two years of wastewater test results that police have used to monitor consumption of illegal drugs around the country since late 2018.Analysis shows small towns with high levels of deprivation - including Kaitaia, Opotiki and Wairoa - have been saturated - recording weekly per capita consumption more than double the national average.Herald reporter Jared Savage says police are using the data to provide funding for community groups tackling the issue."For example, provide extra social workers or other support and funding for resources that they can have this wrap-around holistic approach to families that might be struggling."Savage says rehab centres, counselling services and other resources across the country are already very low, but almost non-existent in smaller towns.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If I had a dollar for every parent contacting me about the state of things at Starship, I could make a large donation to the Hospital.It's dire in there at the moment. There’s a severe lack of funding, staff, beds, you name it, they’re screaming out for it.I just can’t fathom how the country’s only specialist children’s hospital can be so over run and in such dire need… and yet the government does nothing. I know it’s a DHB issue, and that model's questionable to say the least in terms of the way it handles funding, but it still doesn’t make sense to me that it can get this woeful, and the only thing propping it up is private donors.Off the back of last year, a year when the government locked people up and shut people out, the inevitable result was hundreds and hundreds of babies and children untouched by bugs and sickness. The follow on from this of course is that their little immune systems never got exposed to anything, never got the chance to toughen up or protect themselves. So now, this winter, with an influx of winter bugs, they’re getting knocked over and super sick... in their hundreds.One of the many mums who reached out to me desperate with a baby in Starship, said the place is just heaving with children. She said there’s not enough space for them all, it can be seven hours just to get to even see a doctor. Starship’s ICU... the only dedicated intensive care for children in the country, is at critical capacity every 48 hours. This Mum told me nurses were telling her they just can’t take any more patients because it’s reaching ‘unsafe limits’. The cleaners can’t keep up, there's urine all over the toilet floors, she said.Parents and nurses alike are desperate and at breaking point. One Starship Paediatrician told 1 News they’ve had “record numbers of presentations to the emergency department and very high numbers of hospital admissions..." According to another report, Kidz First Children’s Hospital at Middlemore has banned all visitors who're not primary caregivers to try to limit the spread of this surge of winter viral respiratory illnesses. ‘Hawke’s Bay and Christchurch Hospital [have had] a surge of sick kids needing treatment... with several admitted into intensive care’ too, according to 1 News.So sick kids are swamping emergency departments around the country... they're overrun.So given all this, where’s the funding? Where’s the money to help ease this pressure and treat this scourge of sickness which can be sheeted back to locking a country down for large chunks of winter last year?It’s heartbreaking that all this is going on, especially as one Mum of a sick Hospitalised child said to me, when money can be handed out for a cycle way across Auckland's Harbour Bridge.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Text by Danica Kirka, APEngland may soon abandon legal requirements for wearing masks, a government minister said Sunday as the nation waits for U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson to announce plans for easing COVID-19 measures.Johnson is expected in the next few days to update England on “freedom day’’ — the plan to scrap the remaining restrictions on business and social interaction on July 19. British media widely reported that many requirements, including mask wearing, would also end.“We are going to, I think, now move into a period where there won’t be legal restrictions — the state won’t be telling you what to do — but you will want to exercise a degree of personal responsibility and judgment and so different people will come to different conclusions on things like masks,’’ housing minister Robert Jenrick told Sky News. “The prime minister will set out more details on the national policy on some of those restrictions in the coming days.”Some doctors have expressed concern about further easing of restrictions as infection rates rise, largely because of the more transmissible delta variant. Despite the jump in new infections, there hasn’t been an equivalent increase in hospitalizations and deaths, emboldening government ministers who believe Britain must learn to live with the virus.The number of confirmed new infections recorded throughout the U.K. over the last seven days rose 67% from the previous week, according to government statistics. There were 118 coronavirus-related deaths reported last week, one less than the previous period.Public health officials attribute the divergence of the figures to the success of Britain’s vaccination program. Almost 86% of U.K. adults have received at least one dose of vaccine and 63.4% are fully vaccinated.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National's Simeon Brown is fuming over a Human Rights Commission donation to the Mongrel Mob.Newstalk ZB has revealed the commission gave the Waikato chapter $200 as koha, after Chief Human Rights Commissioner Paul Hunt spoke at the Mob's hui in May.Brown says its unacceptable any amount of taxpayer money is being donated to a gang."It's absolutely outrageous the Human Rights Commission is giving money to a criminal organisation. The Mongrel Mob were recently caught in a major transnational drug bust and gang bust. There's no way that any government department should be donating money to that cause"Brown says this is a kick in the guts to victims of crime, people who have been hurt by the Mongrel Mob, and it sends all of the wrong messages.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I feel bad for Mike King, not just him actually, but for every family he’s tried or is still trying to help and can’t get funding for.Yesterday the government told him they’re not funding Gumboot Friday to provide free counselling for young people struggling with mental health. I find this ironic given the government’s talked a big game on mental health, handed out 1.9 billion for it, acknowledged it’s a problem, say their work is ongoing, yet they’re not supporting this.It’s also ironic they can find the money to fund a cycle lane over the Harbour Bridge for a handful of Auckland cyclists, but they can’t find money for this. Likewise, they can throw 50 million at a slush fund to look for alternatives to cotton buds, but they can’t fund this. There are plenty of examples of money being printed and handed out from the Beehive and I’m just not sure how this one doesn’t make the cut.Our mental health stats are woeful. The government’s well aware of it, has had solutions offered to them, people with practical tangible answers and it still says no.Does the rejection of this funding go hand in hand with Mike King speaking out against the PM and returning his New Zealand Order of Merit?I would hope not, but the timing’s not great is it. King says he’s devastated by this, mainly because of the devastation it’ll have on families already battling with mental health services, already struggling to pay, or get access, or get attention in this sector.The services are over run, the system is broken, ask anyone whose had to deal with it, it’s just not catching all the people it needs to. It is failing people on a regular basis.The Ministry, in rather a condescending tone, said of its rejection of Gumboot Friday funding that there is ‘more work to be done’ in this sector, and that they share Mike King’s passion and commitment. The PM made the same utterances. But that’s all it is, empty words. The rubber, literally, was hitting the road here with King’s work, and they’ve just shut the door on it.We had Mike King on the show recently when he was returning his medal; he was aggrieved about the lack of transparency on where that mental health money the government had packaged up in 2019 had gone. Turns out only 5 extra beds had been added to facilities over two years. Minister Andrew Little said he was ‘frustrated’ and there was general acknowledgement it wasn’t good enough. But tut tutting the failures and making promises like ‘we’ll try to do better’, don’t really cut the mustard for a guy like King who’s been on the front line and has to face these families on a daily basis. What do you even say to families who are at absolute breaking point, when a government that pretends to care, clearly doesn’t care enough?So when King says he’s devastated this week, I completely understand why.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The number of people studying nursing in New Zealand has stalled and is closing in on a decade low.The Nurses Organisation are concerned the mounting pressure on current nurses are keeping people from entering the profession.Dr. Sandy Richardson, College of Emergency Nurses chair, told Kate Hawkesby“It’s more what do we do with them once we’ve got them into nursing? How do we find placements for them when they’re training? And how do we find jobs for them when they’ve finished training?”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Britney Spears' father has asked the court overseeing his daughter's conservatorship to investigate her statements to a judge last week on the court's control of her medical treatment and personal life, which she called overly restrictive and abusive.James Spears emphasized in a pair of documents filed that he has had no power over his daughter's personal affairs for nearly two years.His filing says the court must investigate "serious allegations regarding forced labor, forced medical treatment and therapy, improper medical care, and limitations on personal rights.""Given the nature of the allegations and claims, it is critical that that the court confirm whether or not Ms. Spears' testimony was accurate in order to determine what corrective actions, if any, need to be taken," the documents said.The filings come a week after Britney Spears spoke for the first time in open court in the conservatorship that has controlled her life and money for 13 years. She condemned those with power over her, saying she has been forced to perform live shows, compelled to use an intrauterine device for birth control, made to take lithium and other medications against her will, and prevented from getting married or having another child."I truly believe this conservatorship is abusive," Spears said.James Spears controlled his daughter's personal life for most of the existence of the conservatorship, but he now oversees only her money and business dealings along with an estate-management firm. A court-appointed professional, Jodi Montgomery, has had power over Britney Spears' personal decisions since her father relinquished that role, known as conservator of the person, in 2019."Mr. Spears is not the conservator of the person. He has not been the conservator of the person since September 2019," one of the court filings says. "Ms. Montgomery has been fully in charge of Ms. Spears day-to-day personal care and medical treatment."Montgomery, whose appointment Britney Spears supported, is serving temporarily. The court was expected to make her role permanent, but one of James Spears' filings says his daughter's criticism of Montgomery last week suggests that she doesn't want her in the role.James Spears says that when he was conservator over his daughter's personal decisions, he did everything in his power to support her well-being, including consenting to her getting married in 2012 and sharing conservatorship duties with her fiance. Spears was engaged to former manager Jason Trawick in 2012, but the couple broke it off in 2013.Montgomery's attorney Lauriann Wright said in a statement in response that "conservatorships in California are subject to the strictest laws in the nation to protect against any potential abuses," and that Montgomery is "a licensed private professional fiduciary who, unlike family members who serve as conservators, is required to follow a Code of Ethics."Wright said Britney Spears' right to marry or have more children are not affected by the conservatorship, and that Montgomery has had no say in those matters since she took on the job."I can state unequivocally that Jodi Montgomery has been a tireless advocate for Britney and for her well-being," Wright said, adding that "it is her sincere personal wish that Britney continues to make meaningful progress in her well-being so that her conservatorship of the person can be terminated."Montgomery is creating a care plan with that end in mind, the statement said.James Spears' filing is also critical of Britney Spears' personal attorney Samuel L. Ingham III, saying that he wrongly asserted in a recent filing that the court had found Spears did not have capacity to consent to medical treatment and is using that as a pretext for a court order taking away her right to give informed consent.An email sent to Ingham seeking comment was not immediately returned.While Britney Spears was...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prince Harry and Prince William almost look as though they've buried the hatchet, putting on a united front to celebrate their late mother's 60th birthday early Friday (NZT).The feuding brothers smiled and laughed with each other as they arrived together at Kensington Palace, looking to be in high spirits as they greeted a small number of guests at the unveiling of Princess Diana's memorial statue.It was an emotional day for the family of Diana - who died in 1997 - with her beloved sons releasing a rare joint statement shortly after the ceremony."Today, on what would have been our Mother's 60th birthday, we remember her love, strength and character – qualities that made her a force for good around the world, changing countless lives for the better," it read."Every day, we wish she were still with us, and our hope is that this statue will be seen forever as a symbol of her life and her legacy."Britain's Prince William, left and Prince Harry unveil a statue they commissioned of their mother Princess Diana, on what woud have been her 60th birthday. (Photo / AP)The bronze statue, made by Ian Rank-Broadley, depicts Diana with her arms around two children with another little boy following behind.The statue towered over the brothers as they revealed it to the world surrounded by 4000 of her favourite flowers.Beneath the commissioned piece, a project which the brothers had been working on since 2017, a plaque reads: "These are the units to measure the worth of this woman as a woman regardless of birth. Not what was her station? But had she a heart? How did she play her God-given part?" The Diana statue has been unveiled at Kensington Palace. Underneath it is a paving stone engraved with: ‘These are the units to measure the worth Of this woman as a woman regardless of birth. Not what was her station?But had she a heart?How did she play her God-given part?’ pic.twitter.com/VIFIuUKOgB— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) July 1, 2021 Prince Charles was not present at the ceremony, which was changed to a "private event" instead of the large celebration to mark Diana's life as originally intended.The move to scale back the unveiling was largely due to bad blood between the brothers and Harry's determination to control media coverage - it was only broadcast after it was over and the Duke of Sussex was leaving.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More companies around New Zealand and overseas are letting staff pick their own working hours.Deloitte Australia is the latest big player to give it a go.One staff member is making the most of it by working two hours in the morning, surfing in the lunch break and then coming back to do another six.A dairy farm in Canterbury, Align Farms started the same thing recently.Align Farms CEO Rhys Roberts told Kate Hawkesby the flexibility has attracted workers from other industries.“That dairy farm actually just employed the head trainer at f45 in Ashburton, which is obviously a whole new skill set and diversity into the team. You’d argue we wouldn’t be able to employ someone of that calibre onto a dairy farm 12 months ago without that flexibility.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I am just wondering how many parents are , like me, watching a generation of kids who don’t or won’t cook.And how much of this has been exacerbated by Covid?What I mean by that is, yes during lockdown people cooked from home more, but they also ditched the supermarkets a bit and got into meal kits and takeaways. We know this from a recent Herald survey which looked at life ‘post-Covid’ for Kiwis.Feels weird saying ‘post-Covid’ given we didn’t really have Covid here like other countries did, but also are we ever really ‘post-Covid?’ I think it’s something we’re going to have to live with forever. But this Lifestyle Survey by Colmar Brunton and the Herald found that how we eat has changed.I know for our family, a couple of our kids became hooked on Uber Eats. Easy, convenient, you can get what you feel like, you don’t have to leave the house, you don’t have to waste time cooking. There are no dishes.Our kids got dependent on it for their flat, it was the easiest solution to the ‘what to have for dinner’ question and they now seem unable to shake the habit. This is despite their mother banging on to them endlessly about what an expensive waste of money that is, and how they really should cook for themselves.Thing is, they tried the supermarket shopping and cooking thing, and decided they didn’t like it.Too time consuming, too hard. I’m sure blowing up their microwave didn’t help, but that’s another story.So I wasn’t surprised to see in this survey that actually this is typical for this age group.This is their new normal. Those “aged 18 to 24 said in the survey that would order Uber Eats on a weekly basis.“And it’s not just the convenience of Uber Eats, the meal kit business also took off post Covid.Meal kit businesses ‘soared in popularity’ apparently. “Around a fifth of under 50’s are using meal kits more now than a year ago.”I would have thought all that time during lockdowns baking sourdough and making endless pasta, that we would have enjoyed provisioning and making our own food, but apparently not.There are large chunks of us who want the convenient and easy way out, and I know at least two of our kids fit that bill.It’s a time poor thing I guess, but it’s also a variety thing. You may not know how to cook a good Indian curry or a yummy Thai dish, but you sure can order it in from an expert in about 20 minutes. So it’s not hard to see why that’s appealing.I’m old school though, and admittedly I’m not in that age demographic of die-hard weekly Uber Eats orderers, so it’s hardly surprising I’m not a huge fan of takeaways.But to try and convince my kids about the merits of making your own food from scratch? Disappointingly, it’s a battle I‘m losing, and Uber Eats is winning.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A set of professional conduct rules kick in today for New Zealand's lawyers.Enforced by the Law Society, the rules clarify the standards of behaviour expected of lawyers around clients and colleagues.Aotearoa Legal Workers Association director Harrison Cunningham says there are three key changes.He told Kate Hawkesby two are clear definitions of bullying and harassment.“And the third one is a lowering of the threshold for essentially when lawyers have to tell on each other.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the world comes out of the pandemic, the international luxury hotel market is heating up.After what would have been a difficult period for most, there's now going to be more pressure on hotels to push the boundaries, and try outdo each other.For the last few years, the Gevora Hotel in Dubai has been the world's tallest hotel.But, there is competition now with the J Hotel Shanghai Tower also claiming to be the highest hotel.General Manager of Gevora hotel in Dubai Jairaj Gorsia told Kate Hawkesby he can already see the signs that things are returning to normal again.“I guess part of the reason is people have been locked down so many months and have extra disposable income to spend, so I guess they want to splurge and have a god time.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's scepticism at predictions water bills could balloon to nine thousand dollars a year, if water services aren't consolidated.The services of 67 councils could be put into just four water entities, under the Government's reforms.South Canterbury mayors say they don't know where the Government's getting its numbers from.Timaru District Mayor Nigel Bowen told Kate Hawkesby he has his doubts about the figures.“It just looks like a marketing campaign; the data is coming out in a timely fashion that suits the government.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bill Cosby has been freed from prison after Pennsylvania's highest court overturned his sexual assault conviction.In a stunning reversal of fortune for the comedian once known as "America's Dad," the state Supreme court ruled that the prosecutor who brought the case was bound by his predecessor's agreement not to charge Cosby.Cosby, 83, has served nearly three years of a three- to 10-year sentence after being found guilty of drugging and violating Temple University sports administrator Andrea Constand at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. He was the first celebrity tried and convicted in the #MeToo era.Bill Cosby's Twitter account released this photo of the comedian inside jail earlier in his sentence. Photo / TwitterThe former "Cosby Show" star was arrested in 2015, when a district attorney armed with newly unsealed evidence — the comic's damaging deposition testimony in a lawsuit brought by Constand — brought charges against him days before the 12-year statute of limitations ran out.But the Pennsylvania Supreme Court said that District Attorney Kevin Steele, who made the decision to arrest Cosby, was obligated to stand by his predecessor's promise not to charge Cosby. There was no evidence that promise was ever put in writing.Justice David Wecht, writing for a split court, said Cosby had relied on the former district attorney's decision not to charge him when the comedian gave his potentially incriminating testimony in Constand's civil case.The court called Cosby's arrest "an affront to fundamental fairness, particularly when it results in a criminal prosecution that was forgone for more than a decade."A Cosby spokesman did not immediately return a message seeking comment. Nor did a Steele representative, Constand or her lawyer.The justices said that overturning the conviction, and barring any further prosecution, "is the only remedy that comports with society's reasonable expectations of its elected prosecutors and our criminal justice system.""Mr. Cosby should never have been prosecuted for these offenses,' said lawyer Jennifer Bonjean, who argued Cosby's appeal. "District attorneys can't change it up simply because of their political motivation." She said Cosby remains in excellent health, despite being legally blind.A Steele representative did not immediately return a message seeking comment. Nor did Constand or her lawyer."FINALLY!!!! A terrible wrong is being righted — a miscarriage of justice is corrected!" the actor's "Cosby Show" co-star Phylicia Rashad tweeted. FINALLY!!!! A terrible wrong is being righted- a miscarriage of justice is corrected! pic.twitter.com/NrGUdwr23c— Phylicia Rashad (@PhyliciaRashad) June 30, 2021 "I am furious to hear this news," actor Amber Tamblyn, a founder of Time's Up, an advocacy group for victims of sexual assault, said in a Twitter post. "I personally know women who this man drugged and raped while unconscious. Shame on the court and this decision."Four judges formed the majority that ruled in Cosby's favour, while three others dissented in whole or in part.Peter Goldberger, a suburban Philadelphia lawyer with an expertise in criminal appeals, said prosecutors could ask the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for reargument or reconsideration, but it would be a very long shot."I can't imagine that with such a lengthy opinion, with a thoughtful concurring opinion and a thoughtful dissenting opinion, that you could honestly say they made a simple mistake that would change their minds if they point it out to them," Goldberger said.Even though Cosby was charged only with the assault on Constand, the trial judge allowed five other accusers to testify that they, too, were similarly victimised by Cosby in the 1980s. Prosecutors called them as witnesses to establish what they said was a pattern of criminal behavior on Cosby's part.The Pennsylvania Supreme...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

British police said Tuesday that they are investigating the circumstances around the seeming harassment and intimidation of England's chief medical officer by two men in a park in central London.The incident, which was captured in video footage and shared on social media, shows Prof. Chris Whitty struggling to get away from the pair, who appeared to be manhandling him while trying to take a selfie.British Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the "thugs" accosting Whitty, who has been one of the most prominent voices during the coronavirus pandemic."I'm shocked at seeing the despicable harassment of chief medical officer Chris Whitty," Johnson said. "I condemn the behaviour of these thugs. Our hard-working public servants should not have to face this kind of intimidation on our streets and we will not tolerate it."The 20-second video shows the two grinning men grabbing Whitty as they shout "Oi oi" and ask for "One photo please?" As the clearly perturbed Whitty attempts to walk away, the men try to grab him again.With a line of police vans visible in the background, a voice is heard saying "leave the gentleman alone" before the clip ends.London's Metropolitan Police said in a tweet that officers spoke to all those involved at the time and that their details had been taken."We are in contact with the victim and the circumstances continue to be investigated," it said.Home Secretary Priti Patel said she was "just horrified" by the incident and that officials are looking at support available to Whitty."It's terrible to see such an important public figure, someone that day in, day out, has been serving our country in the way in which he has to keep us safe, being subject to just appalling abuse," she said on Times Radio.It is not the first time Whitty has been forced to endure public harassment. During the pandemic, Whitty has become one of the most visible public faces , often hosting press briefings alongside Johnson and the government's chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance. While he has undoubtedly become one of the most trusted voices, he has faced the fury of lockdown skeptics.Earlier this month, he was confronted in a street in Oxford by a man accusing him of lying to the public about the virus, while in February a man accosted him near Parliament. Both incidents were filmed on mobile phones.Whitty brushed off the February incident, saying he was sure the person involved would "become a model citizen in due course."- by By PAN PYLAS Associated PressSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the never ending battle of what we can and can’t eat, the one consistent evil these days appears to be sugar.And now a new study published by Frontiers in Neuroscience says ‘children who consume too much sugar could be at greater risk of becoming obese, hyperactive, and cognitively impaired as adults’.Cognitively impaired, that's serious.So just how much sugar are we eating?According to the study, children and adults in more than 60 countries have a diet consisting of more than four times the sugar recommended by the WHO. So the WHO recommends 25 grams a day, most of us are consuming 100 grams a day.The worse news is that over eating sugar leads to more general over eating. We tend to eat more processed food, the more sugar we eat.Long term sugar consumption ‘significantly boosts weight gain, elicits an abnormal and excessive stimulation of the nervous system and it also alters both episodic and spatial memory,’ the study says.This is similar, apparently, to what happens with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders.I’m always surprised by how many things sugar is actually buried in. Tomato sauce, for example, pasta sauces, yoghurt, salad dressing and even your hearty oatmeal. We know muesli bars can be full of it, and juices, but how often do we blithely just consume it without even realising how much we're consuming?So now on top of the hyperactivity, obesity and damage to teeth, we also have neurocognitive deficits to worry about.Professor Bartlett said "there is increasing evidence of overlap in the brain circuitry and molecular signalling pathways involved in sugar consumption and drug abuse."That’s so disturbing isn’t it? Because we often do eat sugary treats for pleasure or comfort. Bad day? Bar of chocolate. Rough night? Sugary drinks.The experts say this ‘hedonistic desire for palatable food is reward-driven and can override our ability to regulate.’So, in effect, we lose the ability to stop ourselves.Look it’s not all doom and gloom, there was some good news in this study.Apparently overall our ‘sugar consumption has dropped since the mid-1990s’ but (why is there always a but) ‘obesity rates have climbed,‘ which scientists say could be the delayed effect of high sugar intake over a life span.So what can we do? Well apparently we need to eat four times less sugar than we currently do. That’s a lot.So let’s start with breakfast. If you’re about to get into a bowl of cornflakes, think again, maybe try some eggs.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Statue of Liberty is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the world.And in an exciting week in New York, a second Statue of Liberty is arriving just in time for Independence Day.Like the original, the statue has been gifted by France, it is slightly smaller though, about one sixteenth the size of the original.President and CEO of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation Jesse Brackenbury told Kate Hawkesby the logistics of moving such a piece across the Atlantic is considerable.”“It hasn’t been entirely straightforward, but it’s a lot easier than getting the 300ft version here. It did take a crane and a specialty crew and specialty company.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.