Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

So the crime in Auckland is now reaching the point of ridiculous, and as I said yesterday, I don't know how it even gets reported without an all-out outcry at how barbaric we are becoming. So to recap the past couple of days - a 15 year old gets shot at on the motorway while innocently sitting in the back of the family car because some losers with guns decide they don’t like how her family's driving, so they just fire shots into the car. This on the day we covered what a flop the Government's firearms protection orders are, given they're designed to take guns off bad people and in six months how many times have they used it and done that? Twice, that's it. So bad people are out there with guns and we know it - they continue to have access to and operate firearms illegally and that's a major problem. The second major problem is the violence unfolding endlessly in our CBDs. Broad daylight 5.30pm on a busy Saturday downtown at the Auckland ferry terminal where by the way all the tourists are - I mean what a show

The 2023 Budget offered $11.5 billion over the next four years but left nothing for farmers. But it's farmers saying that more than money, they'd just like relief from the endless regulations. Federated Farmers Acting President Wayne Langford joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Multiple offers have been received in an attempt to buy the Mount Ruapehu skifields. However, locals have concerns surrounding how transparent the MBIE is being about these offers. Spokesperson for the Ruapehu Skifields Stakeholders Association, Peter Thomson, joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Budget 2023 is focused on the 'bread and butter' issues.. The Government has injected tens of billions of dollars, in the hope it battles the high cost of living. Questions remain as to what it means in terms of inflation, spending and debt. Associate Minister of Finance Michael Wood joined Kate Hawkesby to discuss. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we await Budget day announcements and an inkling as to where the Government’s interested in putting money, I hope we see some more investment in education. Our stats around education are now so woeful and so depressing that I’m not even sure more money would fix it – but it needs drilling down on as a priority for this Government given where we’re at. The latest global study shows the reading skills of Kiwi kids continues to go backwards. Backwards. Our reading score is the lowest now that it’s ever been; we are sliding backwards on every measure. So we have record numbers of kids not going to school, and the ones who do, clearly not learning anything. The International assessment of year 5 students reading abilities, PIRLS – which is the Progress in International Literacy Study, shows the lowest score for our kids in 20 years. That’s an international measure. We are out performed by Russia. Let that sink in for a minute. In our domestic measure, half of 15 years olds cannot pass a foundational numeracy an

Creepy crawlies are continuing to pop up in food items. The latest is insect larvae which was nestled in a boy's Whittakers bar, the second bug incident the chocolate company has dealt with in less than two weeks. So what's the reputation damage? Marketing expert Bodo Lang joined Kate Hawkesby to discuss. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There has been much discussion over whether or not changes to tax will be made in today's Budget announcement. The Government has ruled out any major changes to tax brackets, despite a wealth tax report showing a major gap between tax paid by the wealthy and poor. KPMG Tax Partner Rebecca Armour joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Don't expect any big surprises, when the Government releases its Budget at 2pm today. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen told Kate Hawkesby pre-Budget statements and announcements show the Government is taking a "back to basics" approach. He says there isn't nearly as much wriggle room in this Budget as there has been before. Olsen says it's good to see more restraint, following the Covid budgets of the past few years. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The vaping epidemic in this country really grinds my gears, because it was all so avoidable. We let the horse bolt, for years, and then sat on our hands until it well and truly took hold, until every school in the country, alongside thousands of parents, were all crying out for legislation and restrictions around it – until we took it seriously. And then we set up endless committees, reviews, and inquiries around it – only to tell us what we already knew – it was a major problem. I was reading yesterday about a kid who started vaping at 6. She’s now 12, she said she started vaping at 6 for goodness sake. Her older brother bought her vapes, easily done, the supply chain on the vape market is unencumbered by restrictions as far as kids are concerned, so it doesn’t surprise me that kids are supplying each other. The problem with it – well there are several problems with it – but one of them is they think it’s cool. How do they think it’s cool? Because they don’t understand the dangers attached to it, they’ve bee

Only two Firearm Prohibition Orders have been issued since coming into force six months ago. They were brought in to be used against people with a criminal history. Questions have therefore been raised as to why are police utilising them so sparingly. Hugh Deveraux-Mack is the spokesperson for the Council of Licensed Firearms Owners and he joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Wellington councillor says it's going to be a long road ahead for the community after the Newtown hostel blaze. A fire broke out in Loafers Lodge in the early hours of yesterday morning; six bodies have been found while 11 are unaccounted for. Councillor for Newtown Nureddin Abdurahman says residents are banding together and he joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mortgaged investors are choosing to buy fewer properties as interest rates soar. CoreLogic's latest monthly housing report shows a record 19.9 percent decline in purchases by multiple property owners. Chief Property Economist Kelvin Davidson joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With all this pre-Budget talk I’m just not sure how invested we are in it - how much attention we’re paying it. I mean we should be. We’ve never been fiscally in such dire straits, we are laden down with debt, inflation is rampant, outlooks and optimism levels do not look flash. So what the Government and the opposition want to do with our money should be something we’re laser focused on. Luxon said a couple of things yesterday at the Auckland Business Chamber which resonated with me – one that we tend to confuse activity with achievement in this country. That if people are busy, we think they’re being productive or doing something, when many times, particularly in the public sector, this isn’t true. They’re pushing paper, but productivity outcomes don’t match. There are more people doing more ‘stuff’ but what have we got to show for it? We have a government who has never spent more money, yet what have they got to show for it? What infrastructure project have they started - and finished? How many sectors hav

Five farm deaths in three months has horrified a Waikato businessman, who is launching a safety campaign in response. Ag Drive Managing Director Andre Syben is calling for a culture change and wants better buy-in from industry corporates. As well as the five deaths, there have been 30 WorkSafe notifiable injuries from January to March this year. Andre Syben joined Kate Hawkesby to discuss. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Mayor of Ruapehu wants the Commerce Commission to investigate why there are disparities between fuel prices within the region. He's written to the watchdog to help ensure pricing is equitable, and claims it can be almost 50 cents more expensive than Te Awamutu, which an hour and a half away. Mayor Weston Kirton says says Taumarunui locals are  frustrated over paying significantly higher retail fuel prices compared to neighbouring townships. He says they should investigate how retail prices compare to other rural areas. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand is taking in more international students than before the pandemic, but polytechs and schools are missing out. The number of study visas issued in the past eight months is up 10 percent on 2019 figures. Education New Zealand says visa approvals for universities have increased, but visa approvals for schools and polytechs have halved. Spokesperson Geoff Bilbrough told Kate Hawkesby there is not one clear reason for this, and students look at many international factors. He says New Zealand universities rank highly on the global stage, making it an attractive option for families. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are hopes that Gore's council can sort out a rift between councillors and the Mayor. 24-year-old Ben Bell and Chief Executive Stephen Parry have suffered a breakdown in communication. Seven councillors are calling on Bell to resign and he'll face them tomorrow at an emergency meeting. Local Government New Zealand President Stuart Crosby says that there's been trouble since the start of Bell's mayoralty. He says even Bell's attendance at a mayoral college caused issues for him back home. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Farmers are dismissing Government funding for mental health support as a drop in the bucket. Part of the billion dollar cyclone relief package announced yesterday includes 35 million for the safety and wellbeing of farmers and growers. Federated Farmers Hawke's Bay President Jim Galloway told Kate Hawkesby that it'll help a little. But he says it won't go anywhere near what's needed to put fences in the ground, dig trees out of silt, or to fix tracks on farms. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So despite more money being announced yesterday for cyclone recovery, there’s still money floating around that hasn’t even been allocated or spent yet. Months on from Cyclone Gabrielle, more than 30 million dollars in donations is still unspent. How’s that possible? What is it they’re waiting for? It was reported that, “So far, only 5 million of the 24 million donated to the Red Cross Disaster Fund has been allocated, while none of the 11.7 million raised in a March Lotto draw has been dispersed… as 79 cents of every donated dollar remains unspent, earning interest of 150 thousand dollars, the Red Cross is defending the time taken, saying it's allowed for crucial planning and trials.” The Red Cross has been worried about ‘distributing the money too quickly’ apparently. Well no danger of that. “So far the Red Cross has received 140 applications for grants of which it’s approved 32,” it was reported. 32. Out of 140. Why is it taking so long when these people are desperate and have been for months? When it would

So I’m not sure the Mother’s Day brunch this weekend will be including avocado on toast given the shortage of them – and therefore the cost of them. Although despite avocado being $9 and $10 each in some parts of the country at the moment, other places tell me they can still get them and get them cheap. So it might be a case of the old postcode lottery at the moment when it comes to fruit and veges. But yesterday we heard that we’ve had our largest food price increase since 1987. The cost of food in New Zealand is now up 12.5 percent. And of that, fruit and veges were the biggest driver – up 22.5 percent. Grocery food prices are up 14 percent on this time last year. “Increasing prices for barn or cage-raised eggs, potato chips, and 6-pack yoghurt were the largest drivers within grocery food,” it was reported. And don’t we know it. It‘s us the consumers who feel the pinch of this at the sharp end, as we empty our trolley onto the checkout conveyor belt and look on in horror as the prices get rung up. We feel l