Larry Williams Drive

The Health Minister has labelled Ashley Bloomfield an absolute hero.The Director-General of Health resigned earlier today, and will finish up in the role in late July - a year before his contract ends.Bloomfield says dealing with a pandemic is a 24/7 job and it's time for a break.Minister Andrew Little told Andrew Dickens Bloomfield has kept politicians and the Health Ministry focused on the fight.“I could not think of a person who has had to juggle as many issues and various other things that Ashley has done and done it with his low-key, very measured approach as well.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a forthcoming book, a pair of New York Times reporters and CNN political analysts report that President Joe Biden "assessed" Fox News "as one of the most destructive forces in the United States."The reporters, Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns, say that Biden was even more critical of Fox Corp patriarch Rupert Murdoch.According to the book, Biden told an unnamed associate in mid-2021 that Murdoch was "the most dangerous man in the world."The description comes many chapters into "This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden, and the Battle for America's Future," which comes out in May.The book describes Fox as a "torrent of anti-Biden programming, stoking skepticism about vaccines and disseminating wild conspiracy theories about the January 6 attack."Many Biden allies have denounced Fox for those reasons and have blamed Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan, the company's CEO, for enabling hosts like Tucker Carlson.But Biden has never spoken about either Murdoch in public, according to the Factba.se database of the pres

And so Ashley Bloomfield will leave the building in 4 months.A decision he made late last year. Even though he has another year and a bit on his contract.As he said he wanted to leave when the country was in a good place with the Covid pandemic.So there's some certainty for you. In 4 months we should be sweet.I've never envied Ashley's job. It's been 24/7. The decisions have been necessary but never palatable.But he's always been there. Dr Ashley Bloomfield is a smart but simple man. He reads the science and applies it.He's been honest and calm and unrattled. He shied away from overly emotive language.He has communicated the need for some drastic actions well and always with charm. It's that charm that has been his greatest ally.Sir Geoffrey Palmer noted that it's been a long time since any public servant became so well known.For that you must blame the Prime Minister who co-opted his charm and shared the podium.  It was unnecessary. But perhaps the joining of a politician with a technocrat was the reason our

If you're in Christchurch, you'll now need a resource consent to rent out accommodation through Airbnb or any other online booking platforms.The consent won't expire once you've got it, but to get it will cost at least $1000.Airbnb don't like it and are calling the move the most restrictive and outdated home sharing laws in Australasia.Christchurch City Councillor Mike Davidson joined Andrew Dickens.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rotorua locals want the government to commit to stop sending out-of-town homeless to stay in emergency housing. Is that a fair request? The Defence Minister wanted to send lethal aid to Ukraine – but Cabinet has said no. Should it reconsider? The bank of mum and dad – is the extent to which we're subsidising our kids a problem?  Wimbledon is looking to ban the world's Tennis No 2 Daniil Medvedev because he hasn't given tournament organisers a written declaration that he's not getting money from Putin, Russia or Belarus, nor will he be making supportive comments of them. Can we expect high profile Russians to speak out against Russia – and possibly put themselves at risk? Phil O’Reilly, Iron Duke Partners and former Chief Executive and Business NZ, and Ali Jones, Christchurch Community Board Member and PR Consultant at Red PR, joined Andrew Dickens for The Huddle. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Easter travel chaos looms as Covid surges. Two stolen Charles Darwin notebooks have been returned to the library. Hollywood A-lister walks into a pub and supermarket in rural England! UK correspondent Enda Brady joined Andrew Dickens. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Southland drought continues to break records.  A crucial GDT Auction tonight: Is the dairy market at a tipping point?  Meatworks in North Otago continue to battle staffing issues and one has started to give monetary incentives to keep people at work. Host of the Country, Jamie Mackay, joined Andrew Dickens. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The building industry says construction could come to a halt unless the energy efficiency building code deadline is pushed back.  MBIE says the new insulation requirements aim to reduce the energy needed to heat new homes by up to 40%. The deadline's the end of this year, but the sector says it's got far too much on its plate already to meet those requirements.  Director of Easy Build, Mike Fox, joined Andrew Dickens. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Air New Zealand capital raise... It's turned into a bit of a debacle. What's happened? Are retail investors really the ones being shafted here? Do they understand what's going on at all?  Clarifications had to be made for NZX investors. Is this stuff going to have an impact on the confidence in this raise? Pattrick Smellie from Businessdesk joined Andrew Dickens. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The former Defence Minister is working to provide humanitarian aid to the people of Ukraine. Ron Mark says he's talking almost every three hours with a network of Christian-based organisations operating in Ukraine, to try and assist them from here. He told Andrew Dickens families there need everything. Mark says he's hoping to meet with the Romanian ambassador when he arrives here this week. “From women’s sanitary items to tourniquets that used to cost, you know, cents and now are up to at some places $30 I’m told, to buy them, tactical first aid kits, blankets, sleeping bags.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rotorua residents want Kainga Ora to ensure new emergency housing developments go to locals.   The Ministry of Social Development denies it's actively moving homeless people to the region, although its policy allows for people from outside the area to be re-homed in Rotorua, when needed.  Restore Rotorua Chair, Trevor Newbrook, told Andrew Dickens it's not sustainable to house out-of-towners. “There are lots of people coming here from all over the place, you know, comments made by the mayor and local MP.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Australian Prime Minister has been called out by members of his own party ... with a federal election imminent. New South Wales senior Liberal MP, Catherine Cusack, says Scott Morrison has ‘trashed’ the party’s values over two decades as state director. Australian Correspondent Murray Olds told Andrew Dickens Cusack accused him of being a “self-serving ruthless bully” ... who knows nothing about women. “She says women in politics network, they talk across the aisle, and Cusack says what men do, men swagger around in their suits and all they can think about is how is my career going?” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trade Me Jobs had record vacancies in the first quarter and record-high salaries in four regions. But if you don't want to go all the way and change jobs you might still think it's time to ask for a pay rise.  So, how do you do it tactfully and most importantly, successfully? HR expert at EY Una Diver joined Andrew Dickens. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Climate Change Minister James Shaw says it's time the agriculture sector pays for the emissions it produces, just like everyone else.  This is in response to the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on climate change.  The government will make a decision this year as to whether agriculture will be bought into its own emission trading scheme.  Federated Farmers president Andrew Hoggard joined Andrew Dickens. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An expert's outlined how a head of state's actions could be considered war crimes. Photos and video have appeared showing bodies shot at close range in Ukraine's Bucha, left after Russian troops retreated.  US President Joe Biden wants Russian President Vladimir Putin put on trial. Otago University senior law lecturer Stephen Smith told Andrew Dickens direct orders could qualify as proof ... but other principles could also apply. “If the leader of the country should have been controlling his military more closely, I guess you could say, but sort of was neglecting that duty, that could qualify as well.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The controversial Fair Pay Agreement Legislation gets its first airing in Parliament. The Defence Minister wanted to send military hardware to the Ukraine but Cabinet refused. The Crown accounts, Robertson says show the resilience of the economy, but does it? Political editor Barry Soper joined Andrew Dickens. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tiger Woods' practice round at Augusta draws massive crowds. Crusaders hooker Shilo Klein is suspended for three weeks. Ross Taylor finishes his career with the last catch of the game. Sportstalk host D’Arcy Waldegrave joined Andrew Dickens. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Warnings hospitals will remain as overwhelmed as ever ... after the Omicron peak.  Australia's College of Emergency Medicine says overcrowded emergency departments have been a problem since well before the pandemic. The New Zealand Medical Association's deputy chair is calling for a comprehensive support plan for after this outbreak.  Vanessa Weenink told Andrew Dickens hospitals have had to keep people away to manage the overload of infectious disease. “We have to shut down elective surgeries, for example, which is happening in hospitals and that then just adds to the backload of things like cancer care and all sorts of other things.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So, the fight against Covid continues just when we thought that maybe we were getting closer to an end. Maybe it's a case of an abundance of caution or maybe they were just looking at what's happening across the Tasman, where hospitalisations doubled over the second half of March as a second wave came through. Or maybe that second wave is just the first wave given a chance to build up again as Victoria and New South Wales over-loosened. Maybe that's something we shouldn't do. And maybe there is another variant waiting just around the corner for us. I receive emails daily from people railing against the blindness of our commentators about the arrival of new variants around the world. They chastise me for daring to hope that the acute stage of this pandemic is coming to an end. But I'm not going to let the prospect of something that may or may not happen in the future get in the way of my thinking. If the unthinkable happens and another deadly variant emerges, I'm confident we can adapt and adapt well, because

Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban Thorn has won a fourth term in a landslide. A 60-year-old man allegedly had himself vaccinated against Covid-19 up to 90 times in Germany in order to sell vaccination cards to people who did not want to get the jab themselves. More than 50 people have been arrested as protests at a UK oil terminal enter a third day. UK correspondent Gavin Grey joined Andrew Dickens. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.