/on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/rss 九一星空无限 KERRE WOODHAM MORNINGS Audio Opinion This is the show that delivers a little bit of everything. 九一星空无限, opinion, analysis, lifestyle and e Sat, 19 Apr 2025 17:31:39 Z en /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/john-macdonald-whats-so-bad-about-ex-mps-being-on-local-councils/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/john-macdonald-whats-so-bad-about-ex-mps-being-on-local-councils/ I’m starting to wonder who isn’t running for mayor in Wellington.   Former Labour leader Andrew Little is the latest one joining the race to oust current mayor Tory Whanau.   And, just in case you think so, I’m not endorsing Andrew Little in any way, shape, or form. But I do think having former MPs on local councils is a very good thing.    Because whether we like it or not, local councils cannot operate in isolation and knowing how things in Wellington work is invaluable.    Andrew Little isn’t the first ex-MP wanting to get into local government. Former National MP Nick Smith is the mayor of Nelson. Phil Goff was mayor of Auckland. In Christchurch, former Labour politician Lianne Dalziel was elected mayor three times. Maurice Williamson —who was a National MP and minister— is on Auckland Council these days. John Banks. The list goes on.   And they don’t admit it at the time, but when these ex-MPs stand for their local councils, it’s not just their political experience they're banking on. They also know full well that they’re making the most of apathetic voters who look for a name they know and end up voting for them.    When it comes to name recognition, I reckon an ex-MP has way more chance of being successful in the job than some of the other people you see milking their name recognition to get elected to their local council.   People in my game do it. In fact, it seems to me that if media people don’t go on to be marriage and funeral celebrants, they go on to be a local councillor.   Not that you will ever catch me doing that. Last thing I’d want to do.      Sportspeople milk their name recognition too.   I’m not in Tauranga and don’t know all the ins-and-outs, but I think it's pretty safe to say that the reason Mahe Drysdale is the mayor of Tauranga is because of his brilliant rowing career.   He’s got none of this so-called “business experience” that some people think is essential for someone to be good at running a town or a city.  He’s got no prior political experience. He’s just a name. Voters obviously thought he was a good Kiwi bloke, he’s done well in his sport, so they voted for him.   Not that, from what I’ve seen, it’s been all plain sailing for him so far. I’ve seen a few stories with him getting heat for stuff – and that is where people’s lack of political experience shows.   And why I think it’s a very good thing to have people former MPs on our local councils.    They’re not perfect —Lianne Dalziel was far from perfect— but they know what they’re getting themselves into.    They generally don’t set the world on fire, but I don’t care about that. Because, whether we like it or not, local and central government are intertwined. Local government is way more dependent on central government than it would like to admit.   Especially, when they’re in the schtuck. When they need to get Wellington on their side.   Which is why having people as mayors and councillors who know exactly how to get the government on side —because they've been there and done that— that’s why it is so beneficial.   And that’s why I’ll take an ex-politician over an ex-media personality or an ex-sporting hero any day, when it comes to who I want to see on my local council.   Thu, 17 Apr 2025 01:26:11 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/liam-dann-nz-herald-business-editor-on-the-inflation-rate-rising-to-25/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/liam-dann-nz-herald-business-editor-on-the-inflation-rate-rising-to-25/ Inflation is officially on the rise again.  The latest Stats NZ figures show the Consumers Price Index rose 2.5% in the year to March – up from a 2.2% rise in the year to December.  The numbers cover the 12 months to March 31, and don't reflect the impact of Donald Trump's new tariffs and other new trade barriers.  NZ Herald Business Editor Liam Dann told John MacDonald that despite the increase, economists are reasonably confident the Reserve Bank will be able to continue cutting interest rates.  He says the economy is very slow, so they’re expecting non-tradable inflation to continue going down.   LISTEN ABOVE  Wed, 16 Apr 2025 23:45:29 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/john-macdonald-lets-not-go-all-misery-guts-over-these-crime-stats/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/john-macdonald-lets-not-go-all-misery-guts-over-these-crime-stats/ How are you feeling about the world, now that we know the Government’s goal of having 20,000 less violent crimes by 2029 has already been achieved? Four years early.   Anyone who tries to pick holes in this result would be a bit of a misery guts, because who could find anything possibly wrong with there being 20,000 less victims?    Try Ginny Andersen. Labour’s police spokesperson is saying today that the numbers raise more questions than they provide answers.   Which is a bit like a school kid getting excellence in their NCEA and their parents asking how they managed it when they seemed to be on their phone all the time.   That doesn’t matter, does it? The kid’s got NCEA with flying colours. Just like it doesn’t matter why there’s been this decrease in violent crime, there just has.     Although, I kind of hear what Ginny Andersen is saying. In Canterbury, there’s been a 43% decrease – 15,000 fewer victims of violent crimes. And no one seems to know why that is. But I’ll take it, thanks.    And Ginny Andersen doesn’t seem to be excited by the fact that the Government has released these numbers in a different way. Normally, they're released once a year, but the Government is now releasing them every three months.   But however this decrease has happened, why it’s happened, and whoever can take the credit for it happening, is irrelevant.    Because the data tells us that something is working.     We could go down a rabbit hole of trying to work out what particular bit of government policy might have actually done the trick, but I don’t even think the Government can put its finger on that one.   Which is pretty much what Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith was saying on 九一星空无限talk ZB today.   But, for now, the target has been reached, which I’m going to the vibe that’s been coming from the Government regarding crime, because I think that’s as important as any specific policies themselves.   I’ve always been very doubtful about the gang patch ban, for example. I’m not convinced yet on that one, and I don’t actually think that will have much of an impact on violent crime stats.    Just like the boot camps for bad kids – I’m not a fan.    But, despite my misgivings on those things, I won't be giving the Government a hard time today about these crime numbers.   I reckon a big part of it is the increased visibility of the police.   I don’t know how they’ve done it —because the numbers haven’t shot up or anything— but certainly in Christchurch, the police are way more visible.   I spend a lot of time in the central city, and I would say that I haven’t seen as many police on patrol in that part of town for years.   It wasn’t all that long ago when I’d have business owners in the central city telling me about assaults and things and the cops being nowhere and not even turning up when they called them. Even though the central police station was a hundred metres away.   Fast-forward to today, and it’s a very different story.   So that’s one thing I reckon has definitely made a difference and is part of the reason why violent crime is down.   Wed, 16 Apr 2025 01:23:24 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/dr-alison-vaughan-spca-scientific-officer-on-the-new-regulations-cracking-down-on-prolonged-dog-tethering/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/dr-alison-vaughan-spca-scientific-officer-on-the-new-regulations-cracking-down-on-prolonged-dog-tethering/ The Government’s cracking down on dog owners tying up pets for too long.  MPI and SPCA Animal Welfare Inspectors will now be able to issue fines topping $1,000.  The regulation targets dogs tethered in poor conditions with signs of mistreatment like excessive barking.  SPCA Scientific Officer Dr Alison Vaughan told John MacDonald that the regulations won’t be targeting people who tether their togs temporarily, such as when they pop out to the shops.  She says the issue is prolonged tethering, sometimes known as life chaining, in which dogs are living out their whole lives on a chain.   LISTEN ABOVE  Wed, 16 Apr 2025 00:28:49 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/ruth-money-chief-victims-advisor-on-the-latest-crime-figures-showing-a-downwards-trend-in-victim-numbers/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/ruth-money-chief-victims-advisor-on-the-latest-crime-figures-showing-a-downwards-trend-in-victim-numbers/ The Justice and Police Minister says the Government's surpassed its own violent crime reduction target.  It set a goal in March last year of having 20 thousand fewer victims of serious violent crime, with an initial 2029 deadline.  It claims it’s already beat the deadline, but admits the data is volatile and subject to change.  Chief Victims Advisor Ruth Money told John MacDonald that although she’s delighted by the figures, she’s cautious in her celebrations since it’s only quarterly data.  But she says we do also need to acknowledge that there are a lot of crimes that aren’t disclosed willingly, so these numbers, although encouraging, are volatile.   LISTEN ABOVE  Wed, 16 Apr 2025 00:10:33 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/john-macdonald-new-sex-ed-curriculum-is-a-great-start/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/john-macdonald-new-sex-ed-curriculum-is-a-great-start/ I’m liking the sound of Education Minister Erica Stanford’s approach to sex education. But it won’t be plain sailing, and she knows that.   But there’s a glaring gap in this new framework she’s put out for consultation, with ideas of what kids might be taught and when from year 1 to year 13.    I’ll come back to the glaring gap. But Erica Stanford is going into this with her eyes wide open, knowing how fraught this can be – with some parents thinking that it’s not a school’s job to teacher their kids about sex and relationships.   I’m the complete opposite. I think there is a role for parents in sex education, but it’s in the area of values. Because a curriculum can't teach values – that’s the sort of stuff kids learn from parents and caregivers.    So let the kids get a consistent sex education at school and let the parents discuss how what they’re being taught fits with their personal and family values.   I’ve had a read-through of the draft guidelines which are all about making sure kids up and down the country —from the time they start school at age 5 to whenever they finish school— are taught the same stuff at the same time about sex and relationships.   The Education Minister has been at pains to say that NZ First hasn’t had its hands on the drafting of the framework, but it may as well have.   Because I've read through the document and, from what I can see, the word “gender” is mentioned only once. And it’s not used in a way that means kids being confused about their gender identity.   There’s pretty much nothing in there about gender identity, but there should be. Because, whether we like it or not, there are kids crying out for this.    But that is something NZ First has been big on. With its demand —as part of its coalition deal with National— that the Government remove and replace the previous gender, sexuality, and relationship-based education guidelines. And as a result of that, we have these new guidelines which are out for consultation.   But nothing in there about gender identity, which I think is a major shortcoming. Because, surely, our sex and relationship education needs to reflect the real-world, not one particular view of the world.   And, surely, kids who are struggling with this can only benefit from what they’re experiencing being acknowledged in the education they and their mates get.   I’m not expecting you to get that if you haven’t necessarily been through the experience of having a child with gender issues. I haven’t, but I know people who have. And I reckon that, unless we’ve been through that experience, we have no real idea about the need for this to be included in the curriculum.   I'm talking about the need for our sex education programme to be honest and realistic and to include some of the things that some of us would rather ignore.    Tue, 15 Apr 2025 00:36:50 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/greg-murphy-road-safety-campaigner-and-kiwi-driving-legend-on-changes-to-the-driver-licensing-system/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/greg-murphy-road-safety-campaigner-and-kiwi-driving-legend-on-changes-to-the-driver-licensing-system/ The driver licensing system may be in for a government overhaul. Under proposals released yesterday, the practical driving test for a full licence will go, and fewer eyesight tests will be needed. A clean record would be needed for restricted drivers to gain to their full licence, the demerit threshold for learner and restricted drivers would fall to 50, and there'd be zero alcohol limits for learner and restricted drivers of any age. Road Safety Campaigner Greg Murphy joins the show to discuss the changes.  LISTEN ABOVE.  Sun, 13 Apr 2025 22:52:57 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/henry-and-lani-air-new-zealand-workers-on-the-newly-unveiled-uniforms/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/henry-and-lani-air-new-zealand-workers-on-the-newly-unveiled-uniforms/ Air New Zealand’s new uniform has been unvieled.   It was designed by world-renowned Kiwi designer Emilia Wickstead and comes 14 years after the airline’s last uniform update.  An onboard wearer trial is beginning in May, and the new uniform will be rolled out in full from 2026.  Henry, a pilot for Air New Zealand, told Kerre Woodham it’s definitely a change, but airlines all around the world are bringing back double-breasted jackets as part of their uniforms.  Flight attendant Lani says it’s exciting to have such a meaningful uniform – with beautiful hand drawn designs from Te Rangitu Netana and iconic New Zealand symbolism.  LISTEN ABOVE  View this post on Instagram A post shared by 九一星空无限talk ZB (@newstalkzb) Thu, 10 Apr 2025 22:31:26 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/ryan-cosgrove-campaign-for-wool-chairperson-on-the-government-directive-to-build-using-wool/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/ryan-cosgrove-campaign-for-wool-chairperson-on-the-government-directive-to-build-using-wool/ Industry celebrations over a directive to use Kiwi wool in Government buildings.   New builds worth more than $9 million and refurbishments costing over $100 thousand must use wool where possible from July, meeting a Coalition deal.  The directive orders state agencies to follow the directive where practical.  Campaign for Wool Chairperson Ryan Cosgrove told Kerre Woodham they’re stoked to see this formalised into policy.  LISTEN ABOVE  Thu, 10 Apr 2025 01:17:57 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-how-do-you-operate-in-an-environment-like-this/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-how-do-you-operate-in-an-environment-like-this/ The phrase “may you live in interesting times” is bestowed not as a blessing, but as a curse. And living in these most interesting of times, you can see why that might be. That's not even taking into account the previous five years – if we just take 2025 as our year of living in interesting times, you can see why it might be a curse.    Donald Trump raised tariffs on goods from China to 125%. Tariffs against seventy-five other countries are paused for 90 days with a 10% tariff because they were getting “yippy”. US share markets, which had been in freefall, have now rocketed higher. The Dow closed up 7.9%, the S&P500 closed up 9.5%, and the tech heavy NASDAQ was up 12.5% – this was all happening overnight. The normally phlegmatic Eric Crampton of the New Zealand Institute was about as ruffled as I've ever heard him this morning, talking to Mike Hosking on the Mike Hosking Breakfast.   “Well, I was expecting more chaos and we're still getting it. So I had a bit of insomnia – wake up at 4am, okay tariffs are still on. Wake up at 6:30am, okay tariffs look like they're gonna be off. It is really hard for any business to plan in this kind of environment – the chaos is just going to continue. The guy who's responsible for administering the tariffs was talking for two hours about how great the tariffs are and how they're going to keep implementing them, and was told during his speech that Trump had put a 90 day pause on the tariffs. He presumably hadn't known before Trump did it. I don't think that there's any plan here at all.”  Yeah. As for New Zealand exporters, well, I don't know. Founder of Egmont Honey, James Annabell told Ryan Bridge last night they're scrambling.  “We've got five or six containers on the water which I believe are exempt actually, which is great, but I know that for a fact that we've got about 10 containers due to leave sort of end of April/May, which will all be subject to 10% tariffs. So we were obviously scrambling when we got the news last week. I believe anything that left before Saturday last week, we're exempt. I could be wrong there – an expert will probably ring in and say I'm wrong, but we understand that what's on the water now is okay, but the containers to come are all going to be subject to that 10%.”  So how do you operate in an environment like this? For those of us not directly affected by the goings on in the United States —we're all ultimately affected, but not directly for many of us— it's a case of grab the popcorn and watch it play out. Take the White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt's approach: shrug and say boys will be boys, pass the popcorn. But for many Kiwis, they are having to try to make sense of all this to survive.     The PM's just delivered a speech to the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, where he said, among other things, that the events of the recent days are the most significant challenge to the rules-based trading system since the general Agreement on Tariffs and Trade was formed in 1947. He told attendees that the direct impact on the New Zealand economy from the US tariffs announced last week is likely to be around $900 million, or roughly 0.2% of GDP. But the second order consequences of a region and a world retreating from trade and increasingly uncertain about its economic future will be more significant, despite the welcome news of de-escalation this morning, he said.   I know for many businesses keeping an eye offshore and for those New Zealander’s watching their KiwiSaver accounts, that could be confronting. He said, the exporters I've spoken to in recent days remain buoyant, rightly confident in the quality of their product and their ability to navigate choppy waters. But for countries whose prosperity is underpinned by global trade, the months ahead will be challenging for their economic interests, and many commentators will see these events as the next step in a longer-term trend towards economic secur... Thu, 10 Apr 2025 01:00:48 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-policing-is-a-community-minded-calling/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-policing-is-a-community-minded-calling/ Now the police have been in the spotlight in the past few weeks. It should have been criticism, with Wellington Central MP Tamatha Paul's comments and the criticism of police pulling back from attending mental health call outs, but in fact, the attention has highlighted just how much our men and women in blue are valued.   I'm pretty sure that wasn't the original intention of Tamatha Paul when she made her much publicised comments that people in Wellington didn't want to see police officers everywhere: “for a lot of people, it makes them feel less safe”. She said it's that constant visual presence that tells you that you might not be safe there if there's heaps of cops. She also accused police of waiting for homeless people to leave their spot, packing up their stuff and throwing it in the bin. She doubled down on her comments later and said it was no wonder some people didn't trust police because they were quick to use force against people with mental distress.   To give her comments some context, she was speaking at a panel with the University of Canterbury Greens and Peace Action Ōtautahi, where alternative forms of policing were being discussed. So you can imagine it wasn't a police love-in. These were people who were anti-establishment outside of what they would conceive of as a patriarchal, oppressive society, and they have their views their own experiences. And that's what it was. She might well have had anecdotal experience of people having unsatisfactory dealings with police, but plenty of us had our own anecdotes of more than satisfactory dealings with police, and that's what came out. It wasn't a police pile on, in fact, people came very quickly from all corners to defend the police.   When we were discussing mental health last week, for example, and whether people were now more able to access the care they needed, we had about four or five texts and callers tell us they didn't receive much help from mental health professionals. Where they got the most help and support, tangible help and support, was from the police. Far from being quick to use force against people with mental distress as Tamatha Paul would have it, the police officers they encountered were kind, compassionate, patient, and able to offer practical solutions for friends and family members.   So there were criticism of police responding to mental health events, and now they're getting in the neck for withdrawing their response to mental health events. I do not blame them for not wanting to be the first port of call – that is not what they signed up for, and that is not what they were trained for. But because every other agency and organisation abrogated the responsibilities, the police were last men and women standing. And police have announced they will be delaying the changes and will stagger the withdrawal of services across districts to give the appropriate agencies more time to prepare, as Police Association President Chris Cahill explained to Mike Hosking this morning.   “Police have agreed to just slow down and do it by district. I mean the best thing Mike, is finally Health at the national level are recognising they've got to step up and take responsibility for what is a health problem, not a police problem. Originally people in the health area just didn't want to take responsibility and that's what we learnt from overseas, unless police draw a line in the sand and say, nope, you're going to do it, the people suffering mental distress won't get the right care, from the right people, at the right time. And that is not police officers sitting in in hospitals for six hours. That's not good for anyone. So we had to push it. We pushed it, so now we're engaging, and I understand – we want to slow down and just make sure we get it right. We don't want anyone falling through the cracks. But remember, police will still go to anyone who's at risk of harming themselves or the public.”  Exactly. I was really intereste... Wed, 09 Apr 2025 00:55:57 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/chris-quin-foodstuffs-north-island-ceo-on-the-latest-supermarket-announcement-competition-prices/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/chris-quin-foodstuffs-north-island-ceo-on-the-latest-supermarket-announcement-competition-prices/ Pak’nSave shoppers seem to be getting the best deal.  A recent study by Foodstuffs North Island has found that New Zealand stores offer the lowest grocery prices when compared to leading retailers in Australia and the UK.  The study compared 20 everyday necessities, and after adjusting for sales tax and exchange rates, Pak’nSave came out on top – cheaper than Woolworths NZ, Woolworths Australia, Tesco UK, and Aldi Australia.  Foodstuff North Island CEO Chris Quin told Kerre Woodham that when they look at that data, there’s a really competitive, innovative story being told.   He says they don't have price match guarantees because there's just too many products to cover.   Quin says supermarkets may hold up to 18 thousand different products so it would be too tricky to match them all.  He told Woodham they have more holistic aims.   Quin says for Pak N Save stores it's about getting the cheapest basket possible, and with New World it's about providing a good shopping experience.   LISTEN ABOVE  Tue, 08 Apr 2025 21:45:59 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/mary-holm-personal-finance-journalist-on-the-impact-of-trumps-tariffs-on-investment-funds/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/mary-holm-personal-finance-journalist-on-the-impact-of-trumps-tariffs-on-investment-funds/ Kiwis are being urged to stay calm and stay the course as stock markets tumble.  There’s global uncertainty off the back of Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs, and investment funds like KiwiSaver have been taking a hit.  Mortgage brokers have been facing concerns from first-home buyers, wondering what to do about the slump in their balance as they look to purchase.   Personal Finance Journalist Mary Holm told Kerre Woodham that people should always keep money they plan to spend soon out of high-risk funds.   She says that if you plan on spending a significant chunk of money within the next two to three years, you should request your KiwiSaver moved to the lowest risk fund.   For those who cut it close, Holm says to sit tight.  She told Woodham that share markets often overreact to economic events like the tariffs, and they’ll recover eventually.   LISTEN ABOVE  Tue, 08 Apr 2025 01:27:33 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-we-have-to-be-willing-and-prepared-to-play-our-part/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-we-have-to-be-willing-and-prepared-to-play-our-part/ Well, we were a little in advance of the day yesterday, weren't we? If you were with me yesterday, I was looking at the armed forces lowering their standards to try to attract more people into the services. They're leaving in droves, finding it very hard to recruit new people, men and women, to join the services. And instead of lowering standards, I said, why not make the Defence Force more attractive as a career? Address the poor pay, the substandard housing and the lack of opportunities for career advancement for servicemen and women to stop them leaving in their legions. And what do you know? Twelve hours later they have.   A huge investment into our services, $12 billion over the next four years for a modern combat capable New Zealand Defence Force, $9 billion of that 12 is new money. Where is it going to come from? Who knows? All will be revealed. It's an unprecedented investment into services and it will certainly bring them into the 21st century. Morale must have gone through the roof. So to the grandad that texted in yesterday and said we've just encouraged our grandson onto a Pathways Programme into the Navy, have we done the right thing? This time yesterday morning, no. Today? Abso-bloody-lutely!    The Defence Capability plan released yesterday afternoon will see all sorts of things. It will see the ailing Boeing 757s replaced – that'll cost between $600 million to $1 billion. Other smaller vehicles, including light armoured vehicles, will get around the same – $6 million to $1 billion in funding. The maritime helicopters will be replaced, that'll cost $2 billion plus. There'll be uncrewed autonomous vessels. There'll be javelin anti-tank missile upgrades, enhanced strike capabilities, long range remotely piloted aircraft, space capabilities. You name it, Uncle Tom Cobbley and all. The Governments chosen not to replace the two Anzac frigates, Te Mana and Te Kaha, certainly not in the first part of the plan. Instead, they're going to spend around $600 million to keep them going.  Former Defence Minister Ron Mark says he sees NZ First’s hand in the defence commitment. He said there would have been a lot of nudging, a lot of feeing on, a lot of encouragement from NZ First, and he told Mike Hosking this morning that this significant commitment to our defence will only enhance our standing with our long term allies.   “This will play well with our strategic partners globally. I mean I'm thinking right now ASEAN, FPDA, and the Indo Pacific. I'm thinking of security comfort that the South Pacific Defence Ministers will get. Five Eyes also, and NATO, can't forget NATO. But it's also going to enhance the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs ability to secure our economic future. You can't have prosperity without security and right now we're living in possibly the most insecure times that we've seen since the Second World War.”  Amen to that. He also told Mike that he wanted to get the contract signed as soon as possible so that in the event of a Labour/Greens coalition there wouldn't be a U-turn on this defence commitment. But Labour leader Chris Hipkins said he broadly agreed with the plan as it stood on Monday. He was interested in seeing how it would be paid for, as indeed are we all, but what would he care about that? Didn't bother him in the past where the money came from. He basically sees an increase in defence spending as an extension of Labour's 2019 plan, and they did put in a considerable sum of money, again, probably as part of the coalition commitments.   I guess when you see Chris Hipkins saying he broadly agrees with it, political leaders with an ounce of experience and pragmatism, who are not blinded by ideology, understand that the world is indeed a precarious place. We have to be willing and prepared to play our part in helping ourselves and helping our friends, and with that commitment yesterday we're certainly showing that we're willing to do so. &n... Tue, 08 Apr 2025 01:10:23 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-nzdf-has-compromised-standards-not-fixed-the-problem/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-nzdf-has-compromised-standards-not-fixed-the-problem/ I find it incredible that within a few days of a report into the sinking of the Manawanui - a damning report that revealed the crew and the Commanding Officer of the Navy ship were under trained, ill-prepared, not up to the job, the boat wasn't up to the task it was doing when it grounded on a Samoan reef - we learn that the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has lowered its standards to make it easier for people to apply for a job. This is an RNZ story and documents obtained by RNZ show that last year the Defence Force quietly removed some entry requirements for NCEA levels 1 and 2, which you would have hardly thought were the most onerous of qualifications to get. To apply to train as an army combat specialist, an auto technician, a plumber, a Navy diver and logistics specialist, and an Air Force firefighter- among other roles - you'll now need three years of high school up to year 11, you don't have to pass Level 1 credits. The Defence Force says the changes prompted a surge in applications in 2024, however, it's unclear whether that surge is continuing or whether it has had a marked effect on enlistment numbers. The drop in standards - because however you dress it up, that's exactly what it is - came about because people were leaving the army in droves and bosses needed to get boots on the ground however they could. There's a great piece in North and South Magazine from 2023 looking at just this problem, the attrition within the Army and the decline in standards and the decline in it being an attractive career option. More than one in 10 military personnel left the organisation in 2023. In the interview with North and South, Chief of Defence Force Air Marshall Kevin Short, estimated that the attrition rate for the most skilled personnel was even greater, somewhere between 20 and 30 percent. So you're losing the experienced people, those who are able to be good leaders, they're going. It's almost certainly higher now. Short said “We cannot sustain that loss.” Then defence Minister Peeni Henare said these are some of the worst rates the Defence Force has seen in its history. The consequences of that, the Royal New Zealand Navy idled three of its nine ships for lack of people to crew them. A recent briefing to Henare explained that the NZDF was experiencing significant fragility and presumably the new Defence Minister, Judith Collins, has got that briefing as well. When asked whether Defence Force could maintain a peacekeeping operation in the South Pacific - the organization's most important task after after civil defence - Short says it would struggle. And that's despite the most significant boost to military spending in living memory. However, the boost -  that money  - was all spent on new planes, ships and vehicles. Money needed to be spent on them, you couldn't keep some of those planes in the air and the dear old Manawanui was bought and that disappeared. The problems causing the mass exodus of personnel weren't addressed. And that is the poor pay - they're about 7% to 16% percent less than civilian counterparts - substandard housing, the lack of career advancement and the lack of leadership. So those are the problems, that is why people are leaving. They can't see any way to advance their careers. It used to be a great career option - if you wanted to get you go to university, if you wanted to learn a trade, you'd join the forces, you'd have subsidised housing, you'd put in your service to the country, and in return you'd have a great career. You'd have options after you've done your time. If you decided to leave, you could go into Civvy Street, you'd be snapped up in no time because they knew that training was great, that you'd be a benefit to any organisation. That's just no longer there. The reason why people are leaving is the poor pay, the substandard housing, the lack of career advancement, the poor leadership. And that simply hasn't been addressed, other than to dumb down, lower a... Mon, 07 Apr 2025 00:35:28 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/pete-wolfkamp-newstalk-zbs-resident-builder-on-the-governments-decision-to-ease-construction-regulations-for-granny-flats/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/pete-wolfkamp-newstalk-zbs-resident-builder-on-the-governments-decision-to-ease-construction-regulations-for-granny-flats/ Backyard granny flats are about to get bigger, and easier to build. The Government's announced it's going further to ease construction regulations, allowing for an estimated 13-thousand new flats to be built without consents. The proposed 60 square metre maximum is now increasing to 70. Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk, says removing these barriers is critical for increasing housing supply. 九一星空无限talk ZB's resident builder Pete Wolfkamp talks to Kerre Woodham.  LISTEN ABOVE.  Mon, 07 Apr 2025 00:04:08 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-are-our-mental-health-services-working/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-are-our-mental-health-services-working/ The Access and Choice Programme, biggest investment in mental health in a generation, has now been in place for five years. The Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission released its final report on the programme rollout yesterday. The programme was funded from the 2019 wellbeing budget. You'll remember that, where more than a billion dollars, nearer to $2 billion, was committed to mental health support, to provide support for ‘mild to moderate’ needs relating to mental health and problematic substance use or gambling in primary care and community settings. That’s the official name for it. So you turn up to your GP, the GP says your corporeal self is not the issue, you need to shore up your mental wellbeing and instead of sending you away and then you have to make an appointment and wait, they can just hand you over to a mental health worker who's parked up right next door. It’s is a really sound idea in principle.   Did it work? Is it working? The answer appears to be, looking at the report, up to a point, yes, it is. The number of people seen per year by services has increased steadily over the last five years to more than 207,000 for the 23/24 financial year, but it does fall short of the programs target of 325,000. CEO of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission, Karen Orsborn defended the program on the Mike Hosking breakfast yesterday and says the program is achieving what it's set out to do.   “It does work. And we've heard some really, really positive feedback from the people who use these services. And so it is working for many people, it's just not getting to the number of people that it really needs to. And some of this is the way the service was designed – so having people in individual practices and people being able to access on the day and that's, there's not a steady flow of people always needing those services. So what we also need to use is some of the digital virtual tools to make sure that people are being fully utilised across the country. So there are some strengths in the model, but there's also some areas that need to improve.”  And that's pretty much what the Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey said when he spoke to Early Edition yesterday. He said that when he was in opposition, he was broadly supportive of the Access and Choice Programme, but since becoming Minister, he's seen ways to improve it and to broaden its reach.   “Looking forward, I think part of the solution is going to be digitising the Access and Choice Programme, shifting it online so that will enable the staff to have higher utilisation rates and see more people. What I want to see is that programme rolled out further. We want to hit its target of seeing 325,000 people. Not only that, one of my first targets, I've set five targets for mental health —first time in New Zealand would have mental health targets— is for people to be seen within one week of the service, so I want more people to be seen and seen quicker.”  I guess the questions I have are, given the conversations we've had around the lack of support for parents looking for help for their children, for people looking for help and dealing with their mental wellbeing is, is it fit for purpose? Are you able to access the help when you need it?   When it comes to the substance abuse, that's one aspect of mental health and wellbeing. When it comes to the problem gambling, it's another, when you've got children who are in pain that's a whole other area. When you've got people who are just struggling with the day-to-day life, that's a whole other area as well. There are so many different ways, just as there is with physical ill health, that you can be mentally unwell. Are the services there for those who need it across the broad spectrum?  Fri, 04 Apr 2025 00:27:14 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/matt-doocey-mental-health-minister-on-the-results-of-the-latest-quarterly-target-updates/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/matt-doocey-mental-health-minister-on-the-results-of-the-latest-quarterly-target-updates/ Slow and steady improvements in mental health and addiction service access.   Minister Matt Doocey's latest quarterly target updates have been released and show a small increase in the proportion of people being seen by specialist and primary services in under a month.   However shorter ED department stays are still far below the 95% target, rising slightly to 65%.   Doocey told Kerre Woodham it's a work in progress.   He says he believes there is no silver bullet, but improvements happen through the sum of every action, which is why they now have very clear targets.   LISTEN ABOVE  Thu, 03 Apr 2025 22:44:56 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/todd-mcclay-trade-minister-on-the-new-tariffs-coming-out-of-the-us/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/todd-mcclay-trade-minister-on-the-new-tariffs-coming-out-of-the-us/ Our Government is asking the US for more details on its new import rules for New Zealand.  Donald Trump's announced 10% tariffs on almost all goods entering the country from around the world – including New Zealand.  Many countries face much higher tariffs, with goods from China being hit by a combined 54% levy.  Trade Minister Todd McClay has confirmed officials are still seeking information.  He told Kerre Woodham that while a trade war isn’t ideal, New Zealand has a very diverse trade strategy, with agreements with most parts of the world.   He says that trade will adapt, and exporters will have other opportunities.   LISTEN ABOVE  Thu, 03 Apr 2025 00:04:32 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/tony-mitchell-residential-property-managers-association-chairperson-on-the-new/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/tony-mitchell-residential-property-managers-association-chairperson-on-the-new/ Kiwis seem to be on the move.  Ministry of Housing and Urban Development data shows that half of New Zealand tenancies are less than two years old, and just 1% have been in place for more than 18 years.  The average tenancy is now 50 months long, up from 28 in 2010, and the median has reached 25, up from 14 in 2010.   Residential Property Managers Association Chairperson Tony Mitchell told Kerre Woodham that it comes down to flexibility – mostly on the part of the tenant.  He says most landlords would prefer a long-term agreement, but tenants prefer the flexibility of shorter contracts as it allows them to move or upsize as needed.  LISTEN ABOVE  Wed, 02 Apr 2025 23:54:45 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/chris-hipkins-labour-leader-talks-the-new-us-tariffs-future-coalition-partners-future-of-the-labour-party/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/chris-hipkins-labour-leader-talks-the-new-us-tariffs-future-coalition-partners-future-of-the-labour-party/ Labour's leader says the US tariffs on New Zealand aren't justified in a retaliatory sense.   A US chart states New Zealand imposes 20% tariffs on US imports, and Chris Hipkins is wondering if this includes GST, which isn't a tariff.   He told Kerre Woodham New Zealand's one of the world's lowest no-tariff countries.  Hipkins also says New Zealand won’t just be impacted by the tariffs directly imposed on us, but we could be hit harder by indirect knock-on effects from the higher amounts Trump is imposing on other countries.   The Labour leader says the party’s learned from its last stint in Government.   Hipkins says the Labour Government tried to do too many things at once, preventing them from doing many things well enough.   He says watching the current Government has made him reflect on another lesson.   Hipkins told Woodham the Government had also spent too much consulting and asking people what they thought, and sometimes people just want them to get on with it.  LISTEN ABOVE Wed, 02 Apr 2025 20:44:49 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-paying-the-piper-by-turning-down-the-americas-cup/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-paying-the-piper-by-turning-down-the-americas-cup/ Here we go again – the America’s Cup. How many times have you heard the debates for and against the America’s Cup? The Government, as you will have heard, has declined the opportunity to invest in hosting the America's Cup in 2027 and the usual arguments are raging over the wisdom or otherwise of that decision. Tātaki Auckland Unlimited (TAU) chief executive Nick Hill said it was with great disappointment that they were confirming that Auckland would no longer be bidding to host the 2027 America's Cup, explaining that Auckland's bid was contingent on a three-way funding partnership between Auckland Council, central government, and the private sector.   MBIE informed TAU that the government is unable to provide the funds required and, on that basis, he said, he bid cannot proceed. He said the situation illustrates the need for a long-term, sustainable funding model in New Zealand to support major events, and there, I would agree. Rather than having it on an ad hoc, piece meal, “hey, what about this guys?” kind of a basis, having some sort of structure to provide funding for major events as they come along would be a very good idea. Viv Beck, from Auckland's Heart of the City, also expressed her disappointment ruing a missed opportunity.   “The reason it's so disappointing is it's ripe for the picking. I mean, we've got the infrastructure, the economic benefits would be there and if there had been quicker action on finding alternative funding. I mean we understand that there are other priorities for the government, but growth is also a big opportunity, a big priority and you know the reality is that the GST alone could pay for that money. So I think with some imagination and will and determination it could have been a different result.   “We know we don't compete internationally now. Often, we don't, we're a small country, we get that. But I think we do have to have the energy and drive and will to try and find ways to actually grow this, because events are a great way of attracting people here. It's not just a one-time wonder that people come and have a great time. I mean the benefits from trade and jobs, international profile. You look at Barcelona. I mean, imagine if we had that in 2027, something along those lines at a time where we really do need to have something that actually excites people, that we actually are growing and not just full of problems.”  Yes, yes, yes. But at risk of stating the obvious, we aren't bloody Barcelona, are we? We're not in the middle of Europe, surrounded by nations who are just a fair wind filling a spinnaker away. We're at the bottom, next stop, Antarctica. The last time New Zealand hosted our economy was left $293 million worse off. That was the 36th America’s Cup in 2021, and that was according to an official cost benefit report. Auckland's economy alone was left with a financial deficit of $146 million, with a financial return of 72 cents back for every dollar put in. I am a financial and economic numpty, but even I can see that that does not make sense.   To be fair, we were severely hampered by Covid-19, and according to the Trevor Mallard and the Clarke government – they crowed about the 2003 event, they said that generated around half a billion dollars of economic activity into the New Zealand economy which made the investment of around $10 million worthwhile. They said back in 2003, an extra 9360 full-time equivalent jobs were created. And while 85% of the extra economic activity was generated in Auckland, there was still a substantial effect in other regions as international visitors travel to other parts of the country.   That was 22 years ago. The world is a vastly, vastly different place. Right now, an America’s Cup is a nice to have. It would be lovely, it feels great. I've been in Auckland for a number of Americas Cup’s, and they were fantastic, feel-good affairs. They boost morale, and the bars and restaurants do a roaring trade, and everyo... Wed, 02 Apr 2025 00:00:40 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/mark-orams-aut-sailing-professor-on-the-dropped-bid-to-host-the-americas-cup-in-auckland/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/mark-orams-aut-sailing-professor-on-the-dropped-bid-to-host-the-americas-cup-in-auckland/ Auckland's chance of hosting the next America's Cup has gone the way of the wind.  Auckland Unlimited confirmed yesterday that the city is unable to proceed with its bid for the 2027 event, as the Government isn’t contributing any funding.   AUT Sailing Professor and former world champion sailor, Mark Orams told Kerre Woodham that the professionalisation of sport has resulted in finances playing a more significant role when it comes to decision making.  He says New Zealand lagged behind the trend as much of our sport remained amateur, but sailing has now caught up to the transition.  “The days of hosting the America’s Cup or having Team New Zealand sponsored by a family of five New Zealand sponsors are now gone.”  “The costs associated with both mounting a competitive campaign and hosting a major international sporting event are just beyond our ability to fund within New Zealand.”  LISTEN ABOVE  Tue, 01 Apr 2025 23:45:41 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-theres-got-to-be-a-happy-medium-in-health-and-safety/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-theres-got-to-be-a-happy-medium-in-health-and-safety/ The war on road cones has ratcheted up, with the coalition government setting up a hotline for people to report the overzealous use of road cones and no, it's not an April Fool's joke. The hotline is part of a first tranche of measures introduced by Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden, designed to reform the country's health and safety laws so businesses can focus on the necessary and the essential - not on the “senseless and superfluous” as Brooke van Velden told Mike Hosking this morning.   “One of the things I heard from travelling from Whangarei to Bluff, talking to small business and workers, was that most of them don't know what to do to comply. We're going to make it a lot clearer, so you only need to focus on your critical risks. Things that will actually cause people harm, rather than posters saying warning hot water or warning here is a staircase. We've got to bring some common sense back to New Zealand and to business.    “A lot of it is companies finding they're spending a lot of money on over compliance because they are fearful of prosecution. You know, and we've heard it even in the case of traffic management that sometimes some companies are spending nearly half of their project cost on temporary traffic management. So, we're bringing some common sense back and saying look, in some cases you're doing too much and in some cases, we need to focus less on the paperwork and making sure that WorkSafe has a paper trail and more on how you actually reduce harm in your workplace. Let's go back to what you can recognise as things that could cause death or serious illness and injury and not sweat the small stuff.”  So businesses will now only notify WorkSafe when significant events occur, such as death, serious injury, and illness, which is a good thing. I remember coming out of the studio door a couple of years ago and a bit of loose metal cut the top of my foot. Not seriously, I required a Band-Aid, not stitches, but I had to fill out a workplace health and safety form. It was an incident.   However, the Opposition spokesperson Jan Tinetti says the Government is weakening workplace health and safety reforms and is being reckless. She says health and safety is not a political game, and everyone must get home safely. And whenever I think of the words “getting home safely”, I think of Jahden Nelson. The 28-year-old scaffolder had to have both of his arms amputated after a metal pole he was carrying touched a live overhead power line. The workplace he’d been working on had been given a Close Approach Consent – that's required when work is being done near overhead power lines. The consent required the crew that put up the scaffolding to be the same crew that took it down for safety reasons, so they knew where the power lines were, they knew they were live – it makes sense.   However, WorkSafe found none of the four man dismantling crew, including Jahden, had been involved at the outset. The initial crew received a safety briefing – not the dismantling crew. So the company was sentenced, and the fine was reduced to nothing because they couldn't pay it. And you know, ultimately it doesn't really matter what sort of fine they got or what sort of punishment they got because Jahden’s the one who is living without his arms. A 28-year-old man, fit, strong, healthy, goes to work, spends six months in hospital, his life has changed forever because some numpty didn't bother to assess the critical risk and tell the dismantling crew ‘make sure the overhead power lines are switched off’. Or you don't go near them, or they're insulated. And that, I guess, is what Brooke van Velden is talking about, that if firms are focused on the critical risk factors involved in the business it makes much more sense than saying be careful of the Zip, the water's hot.   We have an absolutely shocking record of work-related deaths. An estimated 10,000 people, men, women, and, in some cases,... Tue, 01 Apr 2025 00:10:13 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/tex-edwards-monopoly-watch-research-director-on-supermarket-duopoly/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/tex-edwards-monopoly-watch-research-director-on-supermarket-duopoly/ The Government announced a formal Request for Information looking into what it could take to bring a third supermarket chain to the country.  Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis isn't ruling out a major restructure as she says all options are on the table.  Monopoly Watch Research Director Tex Edwards talks to Kerre Woodham about the announcement.  LISTEN ABOVE.  Sun, 30 Mar 2025 21:24:55 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-we-cannot-let-people-get-away-with-their-crimes/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-we-cannot-let-people-get-away-with-their-crimes/ Law and order was a major concern of voters going into the 2023 Election – to be fair, it's usually on the minds of voters going into any election campaign, but particularly the last one.   Voters had had a guts full of doing things a different way. Of policing by consent, of giving authority to the gangs and then seeing them take over towns. We had guts full of seeing young kids ram raiding, of seeing neighbourhood crime increase. You saw numerous community Facebook pages showing kids as young as 10 being driven around by older people, breaking into homes, stealing what they could find. People were sick and tired of it, and they were sick and tired too of judges letting young punks walk away from their crimes and their responsibilities. They wanted the authorities to ensure consequences were in place when offenders broke the law. The coalition partners may have their differences, when it comes to law and order though, National, Act, and New Zealand First were, and still are, singing from the same song sheet. They all wanted to go hard in direct contrast to Labour who wanted to and did empty the prisons. Under Labour, incarceration rates plummeted from 213 people per 100,000 in 2018, which is near the highest in the OECD to 149 per 100,000. Although victims of crime increased by 12%. So unfortunately, treating people kindly, nicely with compassion didn't seem to be working terribly well.   Labour's reforms were part of an overall goal to reduce the prison population by 30% by 2033. In one area where it achieved success, it achieved that 10 years early. In the 23 campaign, then Prime Minister Chris Hipkins saw that the writing was on the wall and in a stark illustration of pragmatism over ideology, showing that power to him was more important than Labour's principles, he scrapped the target as part of the policy bonfire. But it was too little too late. Labour was voted out, the Coalition voted in, and now tougher sentencing laws have been passed by Parliament.   The changes kept the discounts that judges can apply during sentencing to 40% – which still sounds an awful lot. It also scraps repeat discounts for youth and remorse and absolutely – that makes sense. How many times can you be bloody sorry? How many times can you say, oh, look, I'm sorry, I was only 16, I was only 17, I was only 18, I was only 19. I have absolutely no doubt that the dreadful upbringings that many of these offenders have contributes to the reasons why they offend, but how many times do you get to play that card? It is awful. It's unspeakable. It shouldn't happen. But you can't keep saying sorry and getting away with it and having it apply.   There are three new aggravating factors: penalizing offenders who target sole charge workers, good, those who aid and abet young people, good, and those who live stream their crimes, double good. The changes also encourage longer sentences for people who offend on bail, in custody, or on parole, and implement a sliding scale for early guilty pleas, so an offender can only get a 5% discount if they change their plea to guilty during the trial.   This is common sense that absolutely discourages bad behaviour. But as Julie-Anne Kincaid, the Law Association Vice President told Mike Hosking this morning, the changes are all very well and good, but we're running out of places to put the lawbreakers.   “Our prisons are full. We have these new things coming into play, which are designed to make prison sentences longer and people to be imprisoned longer, as well as 3 strikes coming into play on the 17th of June this year. And these will lead to an increase in our prison population, which is already at breaking point.   “It costs $150,000 about to keep a person in prison for a year in New Zealand. So that's 10 more people in jail for one year each is $1.5 million, and that would pay, I'm sure for a palliative paediatric doctor to come to New Zealand.”  It absolutely would. There... Wed, 26 Mar 2025 23:45:23 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/jamie-cleine-buller-mayor-on-the-plans-to-move-the-town-of-westport/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/jamie-cleine-buller-mayor-on-the-plans-to-move-the-town-of-westport/ Westport residents have been berating their council over a plan to move the flood-prone town.  Draft master planning began in 2023 on a proposal to move to Government-owned Pamu-Landcorp farmland southwest of the current settlement.  Buller Councillors yesterday voted to continue to the third stage.  Mayor Jamie Cleine told Kerre Woodham that step enables more conversations.  He says the plan has never been to just pick up and move Westport, it will be an inter-generational process.  LISTEN ABOVE  Wed, 26 Mar 2025 23:02:37 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-what-is-our-obsession-with-shiny-new-stadia/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-what-is-our-obsession-with-shiny-new-stadia/ What is this mania for the building of stadia when this country has so many already and very, very few of them are economic assets? The decision over whether to upgrade Eden Park in Auckland or to build a brand spanking new stadium on the waterfront is such an old debate. And before I go on, I will say I've been a guest of Eden Park, but it does take more to buy my opinion than a very nice lamb chop and a glass of non-alcoholic rosé, I promise you.  The contest for Auckland's main stadium yesterday ended with neither Eden Park nor Te Tōangaroa proving feasible without public funding. Eden Park's upgrade is technically feasible but requires $110 million from the Government. Te Tōangaroa’s proposal lacks technical and commercial feasibility. So right there I'd say, “well, I'm gonna stop you there” if I was a councillor. If it lacks technical and commercial feasibility, wouldn't we go, “well, thanks very much, bit of a waste of our time, ka kite anō” to the people behind it? Anyway, they plan to progress land acquisition over 12 months.    Now, most of you will be familiar with Eden Park, even if you're from around the country. Te Tōangaroa is more ambitious, includes a 50,000 seat stadium —which is the capacity of Eden Park— that can be scaled down to 20,000 capacity for smaller events. It’s the centrepiece for the redevelopment of Quay Park with up to four hotels, hospitality, scope for 2000 apartments, plus commercial offices.    Different parties have been trying to build a waterfront stadium for years now. You'll remember Trevor Mallard had a plan to build a stadium in time for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, and that came to naught. Another proposal in 2018 was floated and came crashing down to earth. Developers would build a shiny new waterfront stadium, in exchange, they'd get the land at Eden Park, plus the ability to build apartments on the waterfront land. There's always something in it for the people behind the developments. Of course, there is, otherwise, why would they do what they do? And it ends up being chumps like you and me who pay for it. We have stadia. We have stadia up the Yin Yang, all over the country, all over Auckland that are underutilized and uneconomic.   As the chief executive of the 2011 Rugby World Cup, Martin Snedden told Mike Hosking this morning we need to get over ourselves and consolidate into just one stadium.    “It's time people really got collaborative, and I know, you know, you may not agree with me here, but the Warriors, Auckland FC, they should be incorporated into the program at Eden Park, so that, you know, that venue is... This is what's happened, you know, places around the world is the multi-use of one venue.   "Look at what happened at Eden Park over the weekend, where on Friday they had White Ferns and Black Caps internationals played there, Saturday it was the Crusaders and the Blues, and Monday it was the All Whites qualifying for the World Cup. That's the right use of the stadia, and that's what we need to move towards. We don't need to keep propping up other stadia that are just not fit for purpose, let's just concentrate it all on what we've got.”  Absolutely. But why is it too, that every city around the country, every large town, big city, wants its own stadium when they don't make economic sense? There's a great piece in the conversation by Robert Hamlin and he points out, there have been just 30 major events at Forsyth Bar in Dunedin since 2014. He wrote the piece last year, so that's three a year. Te Kaha in Christchurch is being funded mostly by ratepayers —the Crown's put in a bit— and the stadium was solely responsible for a 2% increase in rates last year.   We come to Hamilton, and these figures are from 2015 so there might have been a remarkable turnaround – I doubt it, but there might have been. Since Claudelands Event Center opened in 2011, it has run at around a $10 million deficit per year. And who pays... Tue, 25 Mar 2025 23:19:53 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/hamish-firth-mt-hobson-group-director-on-the-changes-to-the-resource-management-act/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/hamish-firth-mt-hobson-group-director-on-the-changes-to-the-resource-management-act/ The Government's scrapping the Resource Management Act and replacing it with new planning laws.  RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop says current rules make it too hard to build the infrastructure and houses New Zealand desperately needs.  He says Cabinet's agreed on a blueprint for reform, which will standardise zoning and remove differences for each local council – aiming to implement it before councils start their 2027 long-term plans.   He claims the replacement RMA will cut admin and compliance costs by 45 percent.  Mt Hobson Group Director Hamish Firth told Kerre Woodham he’s expecting a much more liberal planning system – one that presumes land use will be permitted unless it significantly affects other people's property rights.   LISTEN ABOVE  Mon, 24 Mar 2025 23:50:54 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-completely-fair-tax-system/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-completely-fair-tax-system/ Is there any such thing as a completely fair tax system?   Surely the most you can hope for is a least unfair tax system. I ask this because a UN report is calling for countries to check taxes are being applied proportionally to the wealthiest individuals, and questioning the fairness of GST. The UN Committee for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights said a tax policy that maintains a low personal and corporate income taxes without adequately addressing high income inequalities is an example of a regressive and ineffective policy, and consumption taxes —of which GST is one— can have adverse impacts on disadvantaged groups, such as low-income families and single parent households, because they typically spend a higher percentage of their income on everyday goods and services. They don't have the option of withholding spending; they have to buy the basics.   In New Zealand, personal income tax rates went to a high of 69 cents in the dollar in the late 70s/early 80s until the Fourth Labour government came crashing in with a hiss and a roar and made changes that are reverberating to this very day. One of them being the major changes to our tax system. They standardised indirect tax and introduced an across-the-board tax on goods and services that is GST. It started at 10% and went up to 12% and is now 15%.   Tax incentives were removed, personal income tax rates were simplified. At the time, there were just two personal income tax rates, 24 percent on income, up to $30,000, 33% above that. The introduction of GST was sold as a tax that would get those who didn't pay it. It would collect those in the black economy, those who took part in cashier's drug sales, that sort of thing. You know, they might not pay tax, they might not declare income, but they had to buy stuff. And once they bought food and once they bought cars, that sort of thing, then they had to pay GST on it.   But even then, when it was introduced, it was slammed as a regressive tax, hitting those who had to buy the basics the hardest. It was interesting that David Lange, towards the end of his life, had a great deal of regret about how New Zealand had changed with the introduction of his government. It wasn't him leading the charge so much —he was the public face of the changes— it was Roger Douglas and Rogernomics that caused the greatest change. He said for those who wanted little personal involvement with government, those who did not want government in their lives, it was a fantastic thing. But for the uneducated, disabled, the disadvantaged, it was an absolute tragedy. And there was, I think, much regret towards the end of his life as to the changes that he had been a part of.   New Zealand's tax system is widely regarded as a sensible one, in as much as you have to have taxes —that's how governments raise revenue and that's how they pay for the roads and the schools and the hospitals and the police and the like— it's straightforward, there's little room and little need for tax avoidance. The international tax competitive index rates 38 OECD countries on the best tax environment for investment, as well as for workers and for businesses and New Zealand ranks third in that because it is so straightforward.   But again, it comes down to the least unfair tax system. I think there are always going to be people who feel that they are hard done by when it comes to the taxes they pay. They feel that they pay too much. They pay a disproportionate amount of their income towards tax, while others aren't pulling their weight. And then you also look at the way governments use your money. That was one thing that really ripped my nightie during the Labour Government’s last six years. We're getting up early, we're going to work, we're doing our bit, and they were squandering tax money, just burning it at a rate of knots with very little to show for it. You're always going to get people who say no, the government is spending money on projects... Sun, 23 Mar 2025 22:58:56 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/bruce-bernacchi-denton-tax-partner-on-new-zealands-tax-system-and-the-calls-from-the-un-to-ensure-tax-systems-are-fair/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/bruce-bernacchi-denton-tax-partner-on-new-zealands-tax-system-and-the-calls-from-the-un-to-ensure-tax-systems-are-fair/ A tax expert says achieving a fair tax system is hard, but not impossible.  A UN committee is calling on governments to check their tax policies are being applied proportionally to wealthier individuals.  It says regressive and ineffective policies could disproportionately affect low-income households, women, and disadvantaged groups.  Denton Tax Partner Bruce Bernacchi told Kerre Woodham tax can become disproportional when measuring how much tax is paid overall against incomes.  He says New Zealand sticks out because higher income-earners are earning capital gains but not paying tax on it.  LISTEN ABOVE  Sun, 23 Mar 2025 21:28:45 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/john-mccullum-western-springs-speedway-manager-on-the-final-race-at-the-stadium/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/john-mccullum-western-springs-speedway-manager-on-the-final-race-at-the-stadium/ After 96 years, Western Spring's Speedway's final race will take place tomorrow night.  The Legends Night will be headlined by Midgets, Sprintcars, and other open-wheel categories.  In October last year, Auckland councillors voted 11-8 to move all speedway events to Waikaraka Park, which will undergo an $11 million upgrade.  Western Springs Speedway Manager John McCullum told Kerre Woodham their focus is on having a good season and sending it out on the right note.  He says that under different conditions they could’ve have still operated out of Western Springs, but the stadium belongs to the city, and the city has made it abundantly clear they see a better use for the stadium.  LISTEN ABOVE  Thu, 20 Mar 2025 22:47:05 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/liam-dann-nz-herald-business-editor-on-the-gdp-growing-nz-leaving-the-technical-recession/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/liam-dann-nz-herald-business-editor-on-the-gdp-growing-nz-leaving-the-technical-recession/ A big bounce back for our economy, despite many sectors still doing it tough. New Zealand's officially out of technical recession, with new GDP figures showing our economy grew 0.7% between October and December. Economists had predicted a growth rate of just 0.3-to-0.5%. NZ Herald Business Editor Liam Dann told Kerre Woodham while some areas still look gloomy, the bounce back from tourism and agriculture has been strong.  He says it looks like farmers will go a long way to saving us in this current cycle as well.  “Strong export prices combined with a good production season – that really makes a big difference.”  LISTEN ABOVE  Wed, 19 Mar 2025 22:45:34 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-the-covid-loans-are-proof-high-trust-models-dont-work/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-the-covid-loans-are-proof-high-trust-models-dont-work/ Chris Small from ABC Business Sales summed up the business loan scheme beautifully on the Mike Hosking Breakfast this morning: it was a balls up that was going to, has indeed, and will continue to cost the country hundreds of millions of dollars.   Let me take you back to March 2020. Business loans were made available in May – the announcement was made in March for small businesses affected by Covid-19. Businesses were offered up to $20,000, plus $1800 per full time employee. More than 129,000 businesses took out loans worth $2.4 billion. Borrowers had five years to repay the loan, and many would reach that limit from June.   It was never going to work. And the worst thing was everybody could see that it was not going to be a boon for the businesses that they thought it was, that it was not going to be a temporary stopgap, that the audits that Grant Robertson said would be put in place to protect the scheme were not going to work. Everybody could see that, everybody that is, but the previous government.   “In hindsight if the previous regime could look back, I'm sure they would wind it back and put a few more bells and braces in there because what they're now finding is people basically took the money thinking it was unlikely they were going to pay it back. And sure enough, they haven't paid it back, with little consequences. No security was taken in the way of PG's (personal guarantees) or any GSAs over their businesses, so it was a real free hit for the business owner at the time.   “Because there was no security taken, so the houses aren't at risk, no personal guarantee, so they can't get personally bankrupted, all the IRD, from what I've seen or read, can do is put in this default interest rate. Yes, that will keep mounting up and capitalising, and certainly a sole traders position, may just walk away and set up new entity or just ignore it. But I don't think it's realistic for the IRD to go around and just from an administration perspective, there's 120-odd thousand people to chase. It's just not going to happen. So it's just it was a balls up that’s going to cost us hundreds of millions of dollars, unfortunately.”  Yep, another one. That was Chris Small from ABC Business Sales on the Mike Hosking Breakfast this morning. Utter madness. And at the risk of triggering those of us who did not have a good time under the previous administration, we do have to discuss it as the mistakes made then must never be made again. They have to be acknowledged – that it was a balls up. He put it beautifully. There were many of them and we mustn't do them again.   I think we can take it as read that high trust models don't work, we tried that experiment, didn’t work. Didn't work for the business loans, didn’t work for MIQ stays. BusinessDesk wrote back in 2023 that hotels that provided rooms for the government's controversial quarantine system received more than $1 billion. Just $187 million has been recovered by the government from people who had to pay for their MIQ stay, another $26 million is outstanding. So it didn't work there. High trust didn't work when it came to policing. It didn't work when it came to allowing troublesome tenants to stay on in Kainga Ora accommodation. I can't think of a single sector where it actually worked.   I remember my accountant saying to me, she had businesses who were taking the loan and saying, oh, we're not going to pay it back. Why should we? There is absolutely no need to – if they're stupid enough to give us the money, we're not going to pay it back. Surely there is a moral authority that if you can, you should. And if you can and you won't, then you must never, ever talk about beneficiaries bludging off the system ever again. Same with student loan defaulters, you have no moral high ground at all.   We can't move on. It'd be wonderful to be able to move on, but we can't move on when we are paying and paying and paying for stupid, ill-considered poor... Mon, 17 Mar 2025 23:49:12 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/mark-stevens-essity-general-manager-on-the-world-first-geothermal-steam-powered-tissue-machine/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/mark-stevens-essity-general-manager-on-the-world-first-geothermal-steam-powered-tissue-machine/ A Kawerau paper mill has found a new power source as New Zealand struggles with a looming winter power crunch.  A newly released briefing to the Minister shows electricity supply is tight, and gas supply needs to be maintained until suitable alternatives are found.  Essity’s Kawerau Paper Mill has become the first in the world to create a machine that runs entirely on geothermal steam.  Essity General Manager Mark Stevens told Kerre Woodham that the main area of benefit is sustainability – with the mill producing the same amount of paper with 66% less carbon output.  LISTEN ABOVE  Mon, 17 Mar 2025 23:34:02 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/alan-mcdonald-employers-and-manufacturers-association-head-of-advocacy-on-the-government-looking-to-increase-kiwisaver-rates/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/alan-mcdonald-employers-and-manufacturers-association-head-of-advocacy-on-the-government-looking-to-increase-kiwisaver-rates/ Finance Minister Nicola Willis is looking at upping the amount employees and employers contribute to their KiwiSaver accounts.  She's seeking advice and taking advice on where we take KiwiSaver in the future. Commentator Shane Te Pou is saying we should be paying the same as they do in Australia where employer contributions are around 11%. Employers and Manufacturers Association Head of Advocacy Alan McDonald talks to Kerre Woodham about the proposal.  LISTEN ABOVE.  Sun, 16 Mar 2025 22:44:10 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/blair-christiansen-eden-park-turf-manager-on-preparing-the-grounds-to-host-three-sports-in-four-days/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/blair-christiansen-eden-park-turf-manager-on-preparing-the-grounds-to-host-three-sports-in-four-days/ Next week will see three sporting codes play Eden Park in the span of four days.  A T20 international double header on Friday, a clash between the Blues and the Crusaders on Saturday, and then on Monday the stadium is hosting the FIFA Oceania Qualifier.  It’s a massive undertaking for the grounds staff, involving months of planning.  Eden Park Turf Manager Blair Christiansen told Kerre Woodham that 40 years ago, there was no chance of this tight of a turnaround being possible.  He says it’s an evolution from people, but also the technology grounds staff now utilise.   LISTEN ABOVE  Thu, 13 Mar 2025 23:46:27 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-the-investment-summit-is-filling-me-with-real-hope-and-optimism/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-the-investment-summit-is-filling-me-with-real-hope-and-optimism/ Speaking of the Investment Summit that's been convened by the government – or really the Prime Minister, because this Infrastructure Investment Summit is the PM's baby. What I really love is the positivity around it. It must be killing some media organisations, having to reluctantly spit out some good news. But there's optimism and there's hard bitten trillion-dollar asset fund managers saying yes, this all looks really promising. It's not just hearing about the very real possibility of getting essential works done, but it's the encouraging words from those fund managers with their trillions of dollars worth of assets.   And even more so, I love the talk of bipartisanship. That really warms the cockles of my hard, old heart. Investors are not going to commit their clients' funds if works are going to come to a grinding halt in 18 months or so and then three years later, we attempt to lurch them back into life. As Chris Bishop explained to Ryan Bridge last night, the investors needed to be reassured that there was bipartisan agreement when it comes to committing to big ticket projects.   “That's been a constant theme of today, hearing from the delegates, they like the fact that you've got National and Labour in the room being mature, grown-up adults, agreeing on, working on a pipeline, and also the funding model. Barbara Edmonds wrote a forward to the PPP document that we released as a government. That is really important and I'm working with her on the 30-year plan for infrastructure in New Zealand and I actively want to involve the opposition in that.   “And I think, the reality is, we need as a country to do that, right? Because these guys want long term certainty, they want to invest in New Zealand, they need to understand that their investments are safe and secure, and that there's also a pipeline so they can invest in human capital, and they can invest in the kit and the machinery. That is really important. Frankly, if we're honest about it, we haven't been very good at that as a country. Governments come and go, and the project’s come and go. Let's get mature about, let's be adults in the room and build for New Zealand.”  Amen to that. I don't know if you heard Chris Bishop with Ryan last night, but it was really positive, forward-looking – there was no negativity, no sniping. It was fantastic. It was wonderful to hear. Before the election, Christopher Luxon was talking about drawing up a bipartisan agreement with Labour on what infrastructure works were essential, works that whatever government came to power would support. And there'd be a bit of wriggle room for pet projects to appease ideologues within the various parties, who might not understand the importance of pragmatism. So Labour could come in and yes, they would still have to keep going with the expressway or the planned motorway or motorway extension, and the ideologues within their party would be unhappy about that, but there was a little bit of money in the kitty for a few cycleways that would appease them, or funded public transport fees, that sort of thing.   At the time I thought it was a bit pie in the sky, but seeing Labour's finance spokesperson there, having Barbara Edmonds actually being part of the process —a competent, capable woman who's untarnished by being part of the previous administration— fills me with real hope and optimism. And it's been a while since I've felt that.  Thu, 13 Mar 2025 23:23:53 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/john-macdonald-briscoes-boss-has-buyers-remorse-and-i-can-see-why/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/john-macdonald-briscoes-boss-has-buyers-remorse-and-i-can-see-why/ When the Prime Minister is doing all the shake and howdy at the investment summit in Auckland, I bet he’ll be feeling like a harassed parent who —despite all the chaos behind the scenes— somehow manages to arrive at a family wedding with the kids in tow looking cool, calm and very happy to be there.   Even though one of the kids had been refusing to leave the house and you all had a big bust-up in the car on the way to the church.   “But we’re here now guys - smile everyone”. I bet you that’s how Christopher Luxon is feeling.   And what will be making it worse is the fresh criticism coming from Briscoes Group managing director Rod Duke who’s telling Luxon and his government to “get their A into gear” and “actually do something” to help the economy. And I agree with him.    Because are you really doing any better than you were a year or 18 months ago?   This isn’t the first time Rod Duke has made these kinds of comments. I remember him saying a while back that he was prepared to give the Government until this month to deliver some results and, if he didn't see results, he’d be putting a rocket under them.   And that’s what he’s doing now.    He’s obviously had a gutsful of the Government blaming everything on the last government and he wants more action.   He says: “I think they’re of the view that up until now they’ve been able to blame the prior government, which is typical of a lot of governments I guess. But you know, the time has just about come where you’re going to have to make your own mark.   “You’ve had enough time to study, to tighten, to understand what the books look like, and now you’ve got to put some policies into place.”   He says everyone’s aware of the situation Luxon and Co. inherited from the previous government, but they’ve had enough time and should be able to show more for their efforts of the past 15 or so months.  Duke doesn’t seem to be doing what Luxon would probably ask him to do. You know, the line CEOs like to use about not going to them with problems but going to them with solutions.   But I think Rod Duke is right. The Government hasn’t delivered when it comes to the economy and it does need to get its “A into G”.    The problem is though, the Government has fallen into the trap that pretty much every government falls into – especially first-term governments. The trap of trying to do too much.   When you're in opposition, it’s very easy to sit there and have all these big ideas. Because when you’re in opposition, that’s all you have to do.   Different story when you get into government, though. For starters, you realise that the things you promised to do aren’t quite so easy to do in reality. So it takes way longer to achieve something.   And when you get into government, you have to deal with all the stuff that blows up in your face on a daily basis. You can lurch from one crisis to another and see your quarterly plan targets disappearing in front of your eyes.   So if Christopher Luxon said to me: “Don't come to me with problems, come to me with solutions” - here’s what I’d tell him.   I’d tell him to decide what his government is actually going to focus on and to stick with it. If it’s the economy, then make that your priority between now and the election.   And be honest about it, this laser-like focus that the Prime Minister talks about can't go in all directions.    I’d tell the PM to be upfront with us and say that if we want better health services and better education facilities and everything else that governments get lost in —as this government has— I’d tell the PM to be courageous and tell us that we’re going to have to wait for all those other things.   Because for now, it’s the economy and only the economy we’re going to worry about.   That might sound simplistic, but unless the Government ditches this idea that it’s going to fix everything ASAP,... Thu, 13 Mar 2025 00:50:39 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/john-macdonald-government-contract-changes-make-sense-to-me/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/john-macdonald-government-contract-changes-make-sense-to-me/ Patriotism or profit.   Essentially, that’s what these changes the Government is making to the way it hires companies to do work for it come down to.   It’s like “Buy NZ-Made”. The Government wants to make it easier for local companies to get on its books. But what’s more important? Getting the cheapest price from (potentially) an overseas company or paying a bit more to hire a local company?   Patriotism versus profit. For me, when it comes to things like government contracts, patriotism wins hands-down every day.  It’s like that argument people sometimes make about Kiwibank and why the Government doesn’t use it as its official bank. The answer to that is simple - the government can’t shop locally when it comes to its bank, because Kiwibank doesn’t provide the full-scale banking services that it needs.   But it wants to buy locally more, and that is a good thing – even if it means paying a bit more for it.     It is kind of weird though that —on the one hand— we’ve got the Government bringing all these foreign outfits to the big investment summit tomorrow and Friday. But today, it’s saying that it wants to give local businesses a leg-up or make it easier for local companies to get government contracts, by making changes to the hoops businesses have to jump through to get them.   Nicola Willis kind of explained-away the weirdness on 九一星空无限talk ZB this morning, saying that she wants overseas companies coming here to invest, hire locals, and grow the local economy.   So, what that would look like is we’d have a big foreign outfit coming over to build a motorway or some other piece of big infrastructure, and they’d have a whole lot of sub-contracts with local companies like Fulton Hogan and all the other usual suspects.   But what I’m hoping these changes will mean is that we’ll see less of the usual suspects getting government contracts and the others —that probably feel on the outer a bit— getting their share of the work too.    If you’ve ever put a bid in for work with the government —like I have, in a previous life— you’ll know that some of the hoops you need to jump through are ridiculous.   In fact, my impression has been that if you’re already in the system, you’re sweet – if not, then the hoops can be enough to make you pull the plug.  Which is why the Government plans to ditch 24 of those hoops.   Big picture, it wants to prioritise hiring local outfits. It also wants to ditch some of the requirements that companies have to agree to, to get government contracts. Which are worth more than $50 billion a year.   One of the proposed changes is doing away with the requirement that companies providing catering, cleaning, and security staff pay their workers the living wage.   That’s one of the changes that I’m a bit torn on – because governments bang-on all the time about wanting to create a high-wage economy. And while the living wage isn’t a high wage (it’s currently $27.80 an hour), it’s better than the minimum wage.   But a company that gets work with the Government probably does work for other people too and has staff working on other things other than the government work. So, the requirement to pay a living wage probably has quite a significant impact across the whole business and is probably enough to put some smaller businesses off going for government contracts.   You can tell that Nicola Willis is taking to her new-ish job as Minister for Economic Growth, because one factor she wants the government to consider when awarding contracts is what’s called “the economic benefit test”.   So government agencies will look at contract bids and base their decision on who to go with based on the economic benefit to New Zealand.   So it would sign a potentially more expensive contract with a local company because it would deliver more economic benefit to the country. More local workers getting work, more work for local s... Wed, 12 Mar 2025 00:11:25 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-the-governments-failing-to-sell-the-sizzle/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-the-governments-failing-to-sell-the-sizzle/ There's an old saying in advertising - to be successful you don't sell the sausage, you sell the sizzle. Christopher Luxon may have a great sausage, but he's not selling its sizzle. The Taxpayers’ Union-Curia poll released yesterday afternoon had National up 1.7 points to 33.6%, but Labour had moved past it, jumping nearly three points to 34.1%. The Greens fell to 10%, down 3.2 points. ACT went down 2.3 points and Te Pati Māori rose 2.1 points to 6.5%. NZ First went down 1.3 points to 5.1%. So when we translate this number soup into seats in the house, both Labour and National are up three each to 42. The Greens are down four to 12, ACT is down two to 10, NZ First down to to six, Te Pati Māori up two to eight. That would mean the centre left block of Labour, the Greens and Te Pati Māori would have 62 seats to the centre-right's 58 and thus could form a centre-left government.    Now, before anyone starts booking a one-way flight to Australia, the only poll that counts is the one on Election Day. And these opinion polls, midway through a government's term, generally show a disgruntlement with the current lot that's in, rather than an overwhelming desire to see the other lot take over. But this is the third poll, in a row, that puts the opposition ahead.   And you might know, and I might know that the government's doing a good job of trying to re-establish some semblance of fiscal propriety, that they're redrawing boundaries about what is and what isn't acceptable behaviour within a decent society, and they've taken the first steps towards restoring a world class education system. But you and I also know that we live in a democracy and every vote counts. The lady who called in and wanted taxpayers to buy everyone a house and a car because that would give them a sense of belonging  —she wasn't quite sure how to pay for it, but she thought it would be cheaper in the long run than jail terms— her vote counts the same as yours.   There is no denying that the three-headed coalition beast makes it difficult to govern. The Treaty Principles Bill has been a divisive distraction, the bloody school lunches are yet another Labour well-intentioned, misguided initiative that has become this government's problem. People still aren't feeling better off, and they're still waiting a long time for a hip replacement. Dissatisfaction, disgruntlement, disengagement, that's all part of the midterm blues. Speaking to the Herald, Christopher Luxon said New Zealanders are going to have an opportunity in 2026, which is not that far away, to make a decision around Chris Hipkins or myself, he said, and our respective governments. My job is to make sure New Zealanders see that they're better off under my Government, we've come through a very tough time, there are some green shoots that we're really encouraged about on the economy ultimately, he said, New Zealanders are going to judge me at the election in 2026 as to whether we've delivered for them on rebuilding the economy, restoring law and order, delivering better health and education.    So do you agree that this is the government not being able to sell its sizzle. The sausage is there, but without the sizzle there will be no successful selling story. I could understand why some within National could feel brassed off. We've got the policies, the building bricks, the foundations, to get New Zealand cracking again and that will better everybody. But if people don't believe that, if they don't believe the message, then they go to vote Labour and we're going to get a centre-left government. Mon, 10 Mar 2025 23:16:50 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-does-everyone-have-their-price/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-does-everyone-have-their-price/ The Government's not here to shag spiders, is it? It's planning to turbocharge its fast-track regime, speeding up the process to acquire private land for major infrastructure projects, and they intend to do that in part by offering cold, hard cash. Sweeteners or “premium payments” will be offered to private landowners, whose land is acquired under this new accelerated process. Changes to the Public Works Act, announced yesterday, would see owners paid a bonus 5 percent of the land's value —up to $92,000— for acquisitions. Those who chose to sell before a Notice of Intention would also get an extra 15 percent - up to $150,000 - on top of that, for a total of up to $242,000, as Chris Bishop told Mike Hosking this morning:   “Paying a bit more upfront will massively lower costs in the long term, so we're offering a 15% incentive payment. If the Government comes along and basically says, look, we're going to build a Road of Natural Significance here or another piece of infrastructure listed on the Fast-track Act, we're going to give you a 15% incentive payment and then a 5% recognition payment as well. That will massively lower the cost of doing that infrastructure because it means we've got the certainty that you can plan the construction out, you can sequence it properly.   “At the moment there are a number of examples around the country, it just causes huge delays because of the length of time it takes to acquire the land. And so it's just another step we're taking to fast-track infrastructure projects. Much of the projects we're talking about here are New Zealand Transport Agency projects, so this is central government coming along and saying, look, we're building a road of national significance here, here's the route, we need your land.  “And look, no one likes taking land, we don't do it with a great degree of passion, but the reality is if we want to build stuff in this country and get those roads going that we need, and public transport projects that we that we need, it will require taking land, that’s just the simple reality of it.”  So most of those who object to land acquisition for critical infrastructure projects won't be able to go to the Environment Court. Instead, they'll submit their objections directly to the relevant decision maker for faster resolution. Under the changes announced, the Crown will be able to acquire private land much faster for some public projects listed in the fast-track legislation, as well as Chris Bishop said. the government's Roads of National Significance. So the overhaul of the Public Works Act is already underway and expected to be completed by early next year.   Infrastructure New Zealand is welcoming the government's land acquisition incentive payments and a faster process for objection. It says it's going to really get things cracking. The government says this kind of turbocharging is needed to rebuild the economy. Do you support this? Would it make a difference? Does everybody have their price? Would an extra quarter of a million, there or thereabouts, make you realise that your house is not necessarily a castle, but a valuable asset? I mean, isn't that fabulous Australian film, ‘The Castle’, built around the whole concept that infrastructure has its place, but not when it's a man's home, it’s his castle? And there are stories of landowners who have held up major works for years and years and years because they don't want to leave their home. It's their home and no amount of money would make them change their minds.   But Governments weren't talking about extra payments of nearly a quarter of a million dollars, were they? Does everybody have their price? If you have land or property that's either been acquired or in the firing line, does this make a difference? If you're a developer, is this exactly the sort of change and turbocharging you wanted to see?  Mon, 10 Mar 2025 00:23:19 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-phil-goff-stuffed-up-royally-and-paid-the-price/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-phil-goff-stuffed-up-royally-and-paid-the-price/ Crikey, I barely stepped away from the microphone yesterday and we had a double whammy news-wise. Phil Goff sacked as High Commissioner to London for an intemperate comment and question, Greg Foran resigning as Air New Zealand CEO. I heard someone on The Huddle with Ryan Bridge last night saying Greg Foran can now become the High Commissioner, Adrian Orr would become Air New Zealand CEO, and Phil Goff will take over as Reserve Bank Governor - all change.   Boy, will Phil Goff be kicking himself all the way back to New Zealand, all the way back to the farm at Clevedon. You are on the pig's back when you get a gig like that – it is a sweet deal. And one intemperate comment ...  I think he was just trying to be a bit too clever, showing he's done his homework, showing that he was well read, making appointed remark about somebody the world regards as a graceless buffoon (well, members of Phil Goff's world regard as a graceless buffoon), and he loses his gig, and rightly so.    He was asking a question of the Finnish Foreign Affairs Minister at a Chatham House event in London. Goff said he'd been rereading a speech by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill after the Munich Agreement. “He turned to Chamberlain, he said ‘You had the choice between war and dishonour. You chose dishonour, yet you will have a war’,” Goff then said “President Trump has restored the bust of Churchill to the Oval Office. But do you think he really understands history?” So Phil Goff was making it well researched, clever-dick, pointed remark about the American president. What on Earth did he think was going to happen? He was stripped of his position immediately by Winston Peters. The Foreign Affairs Minister said Phil Goff’s comments were deeply disappointing. They did not represent the views of the New Zealand Government and made his position as High Commissioner to London untenable.    So a number of comments around that. Phil Goff was sacked by Winston Peters immediately. Winston Peters did not have to consult the Prime Minister before doing so – there was no need for him to consult. He was presented with a problem in his own department, and he dealt with it in the appropriate fashion. That's why you have managers, that’s why you have ministers. Everything doesn't filter up to the CEO. Imagine in your own organisation if every single decision in your department had to go to the CEO. Why have a dog and bark yourself? So there was no need to consult.    Was he sacked because the Government's sucking up, particularly to Donald Trump in the US? No. As Winston Peters pointed out yesterday, and as numerous foreign affairs experts have concurred, Phil Goff would have been sacked if he had made the comment of any foreign leader. When you're in a diplomatic role, you have to be diplomatic, and that wasn't.    And what about the Chatham House rules? Chatham House is an actual place where people congregate to debate, discuss ideas primarily around foreign policy, but also about other things. It's a meeting place for pointy heads where they can float and toss ideas around, and they don't have to worry about it being attributable back to them. The rules say when a meeting or part thereof is held under the Chatham House rules, participants are free to use the information received but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speakers, nor that of any other participant, may be revealed. So Chatham House rules guarantee people can speak freely within the walls.   But in this case, the Chatham House rules had not been invoked because it was being live streamed, so you're not going to be able to shield the identity of the speakers because it's being live streamed. So that's why the comments became public, despite the fact they were in Chatham House – oh irony of ironies. The rules have to be invoked. They weren’t, and apparently, according to Chatham House, it's not terribly often that they are.... Thu, 06 Mar 2025 23:57:43 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/don-mckinnon-former-foreign-affairs-minister-on-phil-goff-losing-his-job-as-high-commissioner-to-the-uk/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/don-mckinnon-former-foreign-affairs-minister-on-phil-goff-losing-his-job-as-high-commissioner-to-the-uk/ A former Foreign Minister says Winston Peters was right to fire Phil Goff.  Goff made comments at a public event questioning US President Donald Trump's understanding of history.  The remarks have cost him his job as High Commissioner to the UK.  Foreign Affairs was one of a number of portfolios held by Sir Don McKinnon under National.  He told Kerre Woodham it's unacceptable for a diplomat to say such things.  McKinnon says there's a line that ambassadors and High Commissioners should not cross.  LISTEN ABOVE  Thu, 06 Mar 2025 22:29:51 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-its-hard-to-find-anyone-sorry-adrian-orrs-gone/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-its-hard-to-find-anyone-sorry-adrian-orrs-gone/ Well, the announcement yesterday was on a par with John Key’s resignation. The Reserve Bank Governor, Adrian Orr, pulled the plug on his career yesterday with no real explanation as to why – although it's no secret that there is friction between the Governor and the Finance Minister. You know, I know and certainly Adrian Orr knows that if she could have sacked him, she would, rather than inherit him with his five-year term as given to him by the former Labour government.   Thomas Coughlan has written an excellent piece in the New Zealand Herald on the tension between Adrian Orr and Nicola Willis. He says while Willis observed the conventions of respecting the independence between the Beehive and the Bank, under questioning on Wednesday, she referred back to comments she made as the opposition finance spokeswoman when she was unmuzzled by ministerial warrant. When you're in opposition, you can say pretty much anything, you can criticise anybody you like. Once you become a minister, there are conventions to observe. So when she was asked questions about Adrian's resignation yesterday, she said, “I refer you back to earlier times when I could say what I liked”. And the comments she made back then were critical in the extreme of Adrian Orr’s handling of the economy.   Speaking of critical, if this is not the most withering, excoriating, damning assessment of a professional performance, I do not know what is. Former Reserve Bank senior staffer Geof Mortlock shared his thoughts on the Mike Hosking Breakfast this morning:  “I was thinking that going through all of the Governor’s since 1934, I would rank him as the worst in terms of competence – based really on the monetary policy results. You look at the inflation burst. Now some of that was external, but some of it was definitely a function of monetary policy actions. He's left taxpayers with over $10 billion of debt that could have gone into the public health system and other such things. He's nearly doubled the staff numbers of the Reserve Bank, and he's jacked up bank capital ratios to levels that I think are going to make it more difficult for the economy to actually start growing again.”  Yikes. I heard that on the way into work this morning and let out a little nervous giggle-squeak in the car. I felt like I was back at school listening to a tongue lashing from Sister Clare, thinking, I'm glad it's not me, glad it's not me. ‘I've gone to 1934 and without a doubt, he is the worst in terms of competence.’   There's been no explanation as to why Orr has resigned. It fits, I suppose, with his maverick nature that he'd just push off and stick two fingers to his colleagues and his staffers and indeed, the New Zealand public. The worst thing about the mess that's been left behind is that people are not criticising him with the benefit of hindsight. Even as he was making the decisions at the time, you might recall we had people ringing in saying this is going to cost us, it's too much, he's going too hard. There were people ringing in almost immediately saying we're going to pay for this and we're going to be paying for a very long time. There's going to be hell to pay along with $10 billion. And they were right. And they were calling it at the time.   As a result of decisions made by Adrian Orr, and let's not forget: Grant Robertson. They were yoked together in tandem making those decisions, and a lot of Kiwis suffered. Interest rate increases in response to post pandemic inflation pushed the country into a recession and unemployment increased sharply - the words of Paul Bloxham from the HSBC who talked about the rock star economy a million years ago, when New Zealand used to have a good economy. He said, across the developed world HSBC’s estimates suggest New Zealand's economy had the largest contraction in GDP in 2024 as a result of those decisions. And it's the real people, with families and jobs and bills to pay that suffered as a result of t... Wed, 05 Mar 2025 23:29:20 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/robert-macculloch-university-of-auckland-business-school-professor-on-adrian-orrs-resignation-as-reserve-bank-governor/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/robert-macculloch-university-of-auckland-business-school-professor-on-adrian-orrs-resignation-as-reserve-bank-governor/ There's confusion around the Reserve Bank Governor's resignation.  Adrian Orr's announced he's quitting, two years into his second five-year tenure.  Neither the Prime Minister nor Finance Minister are giving any details of why he's abruptly quit.  University of Auckland Business School Professor Robert MacCulloch told Kerre Woodham that while we don’t know for certain, the criticism Orr has received over the years likely played a factor.   He recommends not getting too political about it, saying that one shouldn’t take their eye off the ball that he was a bad governor, and the country stagnated due to significant mistakes made during his tenure.   LISTEN ABOVE  Wed, 05 Mar 2025 22:47:59 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-trump-has-power-and-hes-not-afraid-to-use-it/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-trump-has-power-and-hes-not-afraid-to-use-it/ As promised, Donald Trump has launched a trade war against America's largest trading partners, with huge tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China kicking in yesterday, sparking angry retaliation from all three. 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, a doubling of duties on Chinese goods to 20%.   Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau slammed the tariffs as “a very dumb thing to do” and said that it will be American families who will be harmed with price hikes across all household goods. Trudeau also said Trump was seeking to collapse Canada's economy to make it easier for the US to annex his country.   We live in extraordinary times. Trump is also eyeing the European Union. He's threatened to impose 25% tariffs on all goods out of the EU, and given his actions in recent days, there’s absolutely no reason to expect they won't be next. The EU’s responded with a “go ahead, make my day” promise of retaliatory action. We have an Anti-Coercion Instrument, and we will have to use it, promised the Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen.   It was designed following the first Trump administration from 2017 to 2021. They call it a “trade bazooka” that provides for broad retaliation in response to what they see as trade discrimination, such as quotas and tariffs or restrictions on foreign investment. It is a big, wieldy, economic tool by all accounts. I don't know if it's effective because it hasn't been used before.   It would need the backing of 15 of the EU’s 27 member countries and the first resort before they use that is to reinstate punitive duties. They were imposed in response to Trump's first term tariffs, so the first time round when he was using tariffs to control other countries. They put punitive duties on things like Harley Davidson’s, bourbon, Florida Orange Juice. These would likely be expanded to reflect the scale of Trump's new tariffs.   Now he hasn't put the tariffs on the EU yet, but it is very, very wise of them to come up with a plan should he do so. Italy’s Industry Minister Adolfo Urson suggested that Europe could avoid US tariffs by yielding to Trump's demands, while also calling for unity and warning against a trade war. One way to placate Trump, he hinted, would be to accommodate his demands to boost European defence spending. And that's it. Trump is doing what he's doing because he can.   “We run the world. This is America's world. He's our proxy. This ends when we say it ends.”  That's Fox commentator Jesse Watters. He was talking about Ukraine, but ultimately, it is America's world. Trade wars, wars in Ukraine, they end when America says it ends, and that's just a matter of fact. Trump might not have dignity, and he might not have grace, but he’s got power, and by God, he's not afraid to use it.  Tue, 04 Mar 2025 23:29:29 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/tim-groser-former-trade-minister-on-the-impact-of-the-us-trade-war/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/audio/tim-groser-former-trade-minister-on-the-impact-of-the-us-trade-war/ Divisions are deepening between the US and other western countries over Ukraine, and now trade.  The US President's slapped a 25% tariff on all Canadian and Mexican imports, and 20% on some from China.  Canada's responded by imposing the same amount back, which Donald Trump says he'll match again.  Former Trade Minister and Ambassador to the US Tim Groser told Kerre Woodham countries like Canada are fighting the US on trade, while trying to form closer security ties.  He says that the two strategies are inherently in conflict with each other – you can’t start a trade war with someone you want to curry favour with.  Groser told Woodham he argues that even if Trump was next to them right now, he also wouldn’t be able to say what the end game is.  He says it’s difficult to sift through and find the real logic of the situation, resulting in unprecedented uncertainty.   LISTEN ABOVE  Tue, 04 Mar 2025 22:27:36 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-there-are-no-new-headlines-in-health/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-there-are-no-new-headlines-in-health/ It is a truth, universally acknowledged, that a health system in possession of physically and mentally unwell people must be in want of billions (with apologies to Jane Austen). It is also a truth universally acknowledged that a health system can never have enough of those billions. Look at the $1.96 billion Labour invested into the mental health budget back in 2019. We now know some years later where exactly that money has gone, but whether it was a good investment or not, too soon to tell. It certainly hasn't fixed mental health or made it any easier for families to access mental health care for troubled teens and the like – and that was $1.96 billion chucked at the problem.   And these headlines: “New Zealand needs 450 more ICU nurses”. When was that? That headline was from March 2023, but it could have been any year. Tell me that New Zealand doesn't need more nurses than any particular sphere of nursing. In November 2022: “GPs need a funding increase of 231% to be viable”. Again, that was three years ago. That was the GPs calling for the Labour Government please, we needed a 231% increase in our funding. 5000 nurses from New Zealand —or about 8% of the country's entire force— have registered to come and work in Australia. That was in April 2023. And on and on it goes.   There is nothing new in health, no new headlines. No matter what government is in, they need more money, they need more staff, they need more frontline staff, they need more efficiency in the way things are done. And it's not just New Zealand, it is a worldwide problem. The health sector is a bottomless pit wanting more and more and more. I do remember a senior doctor many years ago, ringing me at nights on his way home from work and he said we in fact do have enough money, it's just where it gets spent. And I would probably believe that - you have to spend smarter, not just more.   So the government has announced it will help bring 100 overseas trained doctors into the primary care workforce. Previously, they've only been able to do their training at hospitals and now if you want to be a GP, the GPs will be able to train you and that will count, and that is a very, very good move. There's also a $285 million performance-based boost in funding for GPs that's been announced. The new Health Minister, Simeon Brown, also said the government would begin work on a new 24/7 digital healthcare service that would allow Kiwis to better access online video consultations.   The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners President Samantha Murton told Mike Hosking that utilising more telehealth makes sense:  “You cannot do everything online, but you can do a lot online and if I have patients, I talk to every week, I say to them, or every day, you know, let's do this consultation online because we’re just following up on results or they’ve got symptoms that are really easy to cover. But are you going to have a pharmacy open at 11 o’clock at night? Probably not.”   Well, no, but you can pick it up tomorrow because you've got your prescription and off you go. It makes sense, doesn't it? There are already digital healthcare providers that are 24/7, that fit around when their patients are available not when the doctors are available. But so much of our health system wouldn't be needed if we all showed good sense. You know, if we were fit, and we were healthy, and we took care of ourselves, and were aware of any kind of triggers for mental health, and that sort of thing. If more common sense was employed then we wouldn't need the services of doctors. Green prescriptions are still there, which is great.   It's all part of a continuum, so if GPs see more people, they don't present at ED, and the hospitals don't get clogged, and then you don’t need to concentrate on the aftercare as well, and then we have a system that works. Or will we ever? You look at any health system anywhere in the world: the problem is not the health syst... Mon, 03 Mar 2025 23:18:04 Z /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-our-desire-for-meth-wont-die-out/ /on-air/kerre-woodham-mornings/opinion/kerre-woodham-our-desire-for-meth-wont-die-out/ I headed up to Hokianga for the last official weekend of summer - take a load off, relax, a few swims, not even think about anything newsy - well, you can't be doing that now, can you? Not in Trump land. The meeting with Ukraine President Vladimir Zelensky was an unmitigated disaster for the Ukrainian president, who walked out of the meeting after being berated for not being grateful enough for the military aid and financial support the US has given Ukraine in its three-year war with Russia.  Zelensky went to the White House to sign a minerals for arms deal - he left with nothing and his political future looks uncertain. Major European leaders have promised their support for Zelinsky and Ukraine, but how that translates to cold, hard cash and missiles remains to be seen. However much you might find the bombastic posturing of Fox 九一星空无限's Jesse Watters, this is America's economy, this is America's world - like it or not, it's pretty much true. Whatever the European leaders decide as regards Ukraine, they know and they have stated publicly that the USA will be needed to act as security and however poorly the meeting went, Ukraine needs America, and America does not need Ukraine. And Donald Trump has said if you want gillions of dollars in military support and financial aid, we're not doing it for goodness and for freedom and democracy and because we will act as the world's policeman and police an invader that is wrong , we'll do it for money. We're done, we're done with doing it for ideals. You want our help, then you have to give us something back. I suppose this is all done nicely, nicely underneath the surface in the past. Countries always want something for their aid. The US wanted aid for coming to Britain's assistance during World War 2, and we're going to give it for nothing, but it's always done behind closed doors and nicely. Here it was played out in all its inglorious reality before a watching world. It’s the way the world has always been, but we've just never seen it. So not over yet, is it? So that happened. And and then the story about meth. There was the most heartbreaking interview with the survivor of a dreadful - I don't even want to say an accident. It wasn't an accident. When you've got a meth affected driver who has ploughed into a group of motorcyclists who are enjoying an early morning ride, having a great weekend, they're going into town for breakfast and a driver on the wrong side of the road plows into them. Meth affected, killing three. And changing life as he knows it for the survivor - it's not an accident. Meth doesn't just affect the person who's taking. We all know that. Kids are growing up in violence and poverty because every spare scent is being spent on meth. It's leaving people dead and injured, which you might say is God's little pruning fork, but really it has massive impacts on our health system and on our police. Families torn apart because bright young things become addicts who steal from their families, lie to them, manipulate them, do anything they possibly can to get their hands on the drug. And it's been around for years now. You can't say, oh, I didn't realise - I didn't understand that it would be that it would be so addictive, that it would cause so much harm. Everybody knows. And yet still they use it. People who have escaped its clutches know just how evil and insidious this drug. And yet still people are using, and they're using in greater numbers and in greater quantities than ever before. On the Mike Hosking Breakfast, Massey university drug researcher Chris Wilkins says the increase in meth use as a supply side effect. "So essentially, there's been a massive increase in industrial size production of methamphetamine traditionally from Southeast Asia, but now increasingly from other parts of the world like South America and Mexico. So you know the seizures have increased 10 times in the last three or five years. So this is really supply. Very cheap meth that can be... Sun, 02 Mar 2025 23:48:45 Z