Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

A new trial to treat depression has been given the green light in New Zealand.  Ketamine has been used as a treatment around the world in recent years, the drug showing short-term benefits.  Otago University is running the trial, combining liquid, slower-release ketamine with psychotherapy in an effort to achieve long term results.   The trial is eight weeks long, half the group receiving both ketamine and psychotherapy and the other half only receiving the drug.  Senior Lecturer Dr Ben Beaglehole told Mike Hosking that this is a treatment, not a cure.  He said that depression is a long term problem with factors that they won't be able to reverse with medication or short-term psychotherapy, but they’re looking to see if the short-term benefits of the drug can be prolonged.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government will today unveil its economic plan for how its priorities will be delivered in the Budget Policy Statement.   Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give the speech at one this afternoon.  ASB’s Chief Economist Nick Tuffley told Mike Hosking that it’s a bit too early for them to have the hard and fast numbers, and today is more about setting our expectations.  We’re also likely to get a sense of how inflation is tracking in regard to the budget, though Treasury likely hasn’t finished their economic forecasts completely.   He said that it’s a pretty tough balancing act the Government has to walk with this budget.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A search and rescue effort continues after a bridge collapse in Baltimore.   A fully laden container ship rammed into one of the supports and the bridge crumpled into the water below.  Those on board the ship had time to raise the alarm and the bridge was closed.  At least six people remain unaccounted for.  Those missing are believed to be construction workers who were working on potholes on the bridge at the time.  US correspondent Mitch McCann told Mike Hosking that it could have a huge economic impact on the state.  He says it's one of the biggest ports in the US, specialising in shipping motor vehicles and farming equipment and bringing in over US $1 billion last year.  US President Joe Biden says around 850,000 ships go through the port a year and 15,000 jobs depend on it.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An expert says allegations of Chinese cyber-attacks in New Zealand have been at a lower level than our allies.   Spy agency the GCSB has tied targeting of our Parliamentary entities in August 2021 to Chinese state-sponsored group APT40.   China's ambassador to New Zealand has labelled the accusations groundless and irresponsible.  International Relations Expert Geoffrey Miller told Mike Hosking that the UK and US accusations are on a different level.   He says the UK alleged China had gotten the information of 14 million voters.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Millions of Australians are looking for a second job as the cost of living continues to bite.  A survey by comparison website Finder has found that 32% of respondents, totalling approximately 6.7 million people, felt financially pressured to work more than one job.  Australian Correspondent Lesley Yeomans told Mike Hosking that there are jobs available in cafes and retail stores, but it's unknown whether this will bring down the unemployment rate.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwi’s eating habits seem to be changing.  New research from Mondelez shows that almost half of Gen Z prefer snacking over dinner, and 40% skip breakfast in favour of a snack.  On average 27% of people skip breakfast, 13% lower than the results in the study.  Nutritionist Nikki Hart told Mike Hosking that we’re definitely seeing a change in behaviour, and it’s not necessarily a good one.  She thinks that Covid changed how younger generations approached eating, as staying up later and online classes allow more opportunities to snack.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Salvation Army is welcoming the Government's childcare policy but has some concerns.   The Family Boost policy will see parents and caregivers able to claim back up to 25% of childcare costs from July, with a $75 a week limit.    Salvation Army Social Policy Director Ian Hutson says there seems to be some bureaucracy, with parents having to show three months of invoices to get the rebate.   He told Mike Hosking he's also wondering if it will help the poorest of parents.   Hutson says while $75 seems a lot, it won't be enough to cover some people's growing costs.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Overwhelmed and under-resourced.  An independent review has found major failings in the emergency management response to Cyclone Gabrielle.  It finds the system not fit for purpose and "set up good people to fail", during the February 14 disaster.  Central Hawke's Bay District Mayor Alex Walker told Mike Hosking that local emergency management teams were under-resourced.  She says they needed big and fast mobilisation.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two people have been left dead and three injured after a 100-person brawl in Gisborne on Saturday night.  The victims were stabbed at a 21st birthday party. One person is due to appear in court as a homicide enquiry continues.  Gisborne Councilor Colin Alder tells Mike Hosking it was an tragic event fueled by alcohol and possible drugs. Alder says there continues to be a strong police presence in the community.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Princess of Wales and her husband, Prince William, have been “enormously touched” by the messages of support received since she announced her cancer diagnosis.   Europe correspondent Gavin Grey tells Mike Hosking that the video announcement was written and approved by Kate Middelton herself and sparked a wave of apologies from those who published conspiracy theories around Kate’s absence from the public eye.  Meanwhile, Irish politician and higher education minister, Simon Harris is poised to take on the role of Ireland’s youngest prime minister as the leadership contest concluded with him emerging as the sole candidate.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SailGP was brought to a halt on Saturday after dolphin sightings in Lyttleton Harbour. Chief Executive of SailGP, Sir Russell Coutts slammed officials for their “extreme” dolphin policy.  Andrew Alderson speaks to Mike Hosking about the policy and considers the future of the race in New Zealand.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Hipkins State of Nation speech and all tax policies being on the table again  In his first major speech as opposition leader, Chris Hipkins gave a State of Nation speech on Sunday.   Tax was a big focus, as the way we live and work continues to change with a smaller proportion of the workforce earning taxable salary and wages.   ZB Political Editor Jason Walls tells Mike Hosking that the speech lacked detail on actual tax policy, being so early in the opposition campaign.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's GDP per capita paints a worse picture than the headline figure.   Stats NZ data shows GDP dropped 0.1 percentage points in the final quarter of last year.   After negative growth in the previous quarter, it pushes New Zealand into a technical recession.   Per capita, there was a 0.7% drop in the quarter.   ANZ senior economist Miles Workman told Mike Hosking that taking immigration into account, it's almost as bad as during the Global Financial Crisis.   He says during the GFC per capita GDP growth fell 4.2% and as of yesterday, after five consecutive quarterly declines, it's down 3.9%.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s some good news regarding King Charles' health.  Queen Camilla has been carrying out public duties while the King undergoes treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer.  She told crowds in Northern Ireland that her husband is doing well in his recovery.  UK correspondent Vincent McAviney told Mike Hosking that a woman at a local business gave her a get well soon card for the King.  He says Camilla told her Charles was doing very well and he was disappointed he couldn't come.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New and effective anti-migraine drugs aren't publicly funded in New Zealand, costing those with chronic migraine nearly $300 a month.  An Otago University survey suggests almost half of those with the disease meet the criteria for severe disability.   Some report paralysis on one side of the body and loss of coherent speech.  Neurologist Rosamund Hill told Mike Hosking that the medicine's publicly funded in Australia.  She says it's feasible for Pharmac to identify those at the worst end of the spectrum, and how these drugs would significantly change their lives.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s a hefty price for taxpayers to keep the Chateau Tongariro Hotel empty and in disrepair.  The Department of Conservation, which owns the land, has confirmed through an Official Information Act request that it will cost $2.2 million this financial year.  The heritage-listed site has been shut since February last year.  Ruapehu mayor Weston Kirton told Mike Hosking that there are issues around resolving the seismic reports, which put the hotel at high risk.  He says there's a willingness from the Government to resolve them but a timeline is needed to do that.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Harsher penalties and restrictions are coming into force as the Government starts its crackdown on vaping.  The Coalition will ban single use vapes and increase fines for selling vapes to under-18s from $10,000 to $100,000.  It's aiming to have all changes in place by the end of the year.  Asthma and Respiratory Foundation CEO Letitia Harding told Mike Hosking that this should’ve been tackled by the previous government.  The reality is, she said, there are no FDA approved products for smoking cessation, and if it actually is for that purpose then it should be under some sort of medical regulatory control.  Harding said that when vaping was introduced in 2017, people were pushing it as the ‘Holy Grail’ to smoking cessation, but the evidence was never out there that it was.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Economists are anticipating GDP growth close to zero for the last quarter.   The Reserve Bank's forecasting a flat zero percent, ANZ is expecting a 0.1 percentage point growth, while ASB anticipates a 0.2-point drop.  If today's economic growth figures are negative New Zealand will enter a technical recession after the last quarter also saw negative growth.   NZ Initiative executive director Oliver Hartwich told Mike Hosking that if it goes slightly up or down it doesn't matter as GDP per capita is what's important.   He says it plays out against a background of record immigration with a net intake of 140-thousand people, which means we're going backwards on a per capita basis.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A re-opening of Northland's Marsden Point Oil Refinery could be on the cards.  The Government's investigating the feasibility of doing so as part of a study into New Zealand's fuel security requirements.  The privately-owned fuel refinery was decommissioned in 2022 to become an import-only fuel terminal.  Associate Energy Minister Shane Jones told Mike Hosking the Marsden Point investigation is a small part of the fuel resilience strategy he's drawing up.  He says in fairness to the last Government, they did put effort into resilience after the refinery closed.  Jones says it all's down to who will pay the $80 million a year to boost the amount of oil we have onshore.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another photo of the Royal Family has been revealed to be edited.  Getty Images has revealed that a photo of the late Queen was “digitally enhanced at source”, adding an editor's note to the image.  The Palace shared the picture on the 21st of April last year on what would have been the Queen’s 97th birthday, saying it was taken by the Princess of Wales at Balmoral in the summer of 2022.   UK Correspondent Gavin Grey told Mike Hosking that while many people may have suspected images were being edited, it’s now been confirmed.  While these images are relatively benign in their edits, the lack of disclosure does set a precedent.  Grey said it may lead to things like war images being doctored to make it look better or worse than it actually is.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.