Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

An opportunity for Chris Hipkins as PM to show real leadership -  and a divergent path to his predecessor by acting decisively and quickly on the Health NZ Chair, I reckon. I think that'd go well for him. If you've missed this story, former trade unionist Health NZ Chair Rob Campbell, criticised the National’s policy announcement on Three Waters on social media, stating that he thought it was a ‘thin disguise for the dog whistle on co-governance’. He made a bunch of comments including that, "Luxon might be able to rescue his party from stupidity on climate change but rescuing this from a well he has dug himself might be harder." Firstly, this is the guy overseeing the absolute shit-show that is our health system, so how he's even got time in the first place to be ranting on social media about opposition party policies is beyond me, but secondly, he's subject to the Public Service Commission code of conduct, requiring impartiality. He is not allowed to make political statements, or politicise his role, yet tha

More history for Kane Williamson in his illustrious Blackcaps career.   His second inning at Wellington's Basin Reserve saw him overtake Ross Taylor as New Zealand's leading Test run scorer. Newstalk ZB's cricket guru Andrew Alderson has been at the Basin Reserve and joined Kate Hawesby. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Retail sales were down 4 percent in the December quarter of 2022 compared to the previous year. Hardware, building and garden supplies were hit the hardest with a 15 per cent drop. Managing director of First Retail Group, Chris Wilkinson joined Kate Hawkesby to discuss. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rotorua's Mayor says she wants more local input in central government spending. Local Government New Zealand says 90 percent of public spending is allocated by Wellington. Tania Tapsell says local people need to be able to have their say on how and where the money is spent. She told Kate Hawkesby Cyclone Gabrielle has highlighted the importance of that. Tapsell says when it comes to important jobs like fixing infrastructure, locals know best. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cyclone-affected regions are bracing for yet another round of heavy rain. MetService has issued a heavy rain watch for the Gisborne District north of Tolaga Bay until 6am Tuesday. There's also a heavy rain watch for the Coromandel Peninsula until 3am Tuesday. Gisborne District Mayor Rehette Stoltz told Kate Hawkesby that every bout of rain makes the East Coast's issues even worse. The Government's providing 25-million dollars in grants to address the immediate cashflow needs of businesses in affected regions. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At least 58 migrants have died after their wooden boat sank in rough seas off the southern coast of Italy. It was carrying around 150 people when it hit rocks and broke apart near a seaside town in the Calabria region. One of the more than 80 people who survived has been arrested on migrant trafficking charges. Europe correspondent Gavin Grey told Kate Hawkesby that it's another unfortunate case of people losing their lives fleeing conflict zones to get to Europe. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I was very pleased to see that the second series of ‘’Clarkson’s Farm” has broken Amazon viewing records to become one of the most watched shows in the UK.  The very same UK that we heard was cancelling Clarkson due to his comments about Meghan Markle. So I regard this as, one, smart viewership by people drawn to quality programming, and two, a figurative flick of the bird to cancel culture.  The show is brilliant. It‘s beautifully shot, extremely well put together, cleverly scripted (by Jeremy Clarkson himself) and shows the bureaucratic bungling nightmare of local councils. It shines a light on the plight of farmers in general and is just wonderful family-friendly enjoyable content. My only complaint about it is there are not enough episodes for each season.  So how is it possible that off the back of a poorly worded column about Meghan Markle and calls for Clarkson’s sacking, that rumours abounded of his demise? Amazon would not be continuing with him, media told us, ITV would most likely dump him as well,

As my son marched off for a lung X-ray for a chest infection yesterday, I wondered just how dire the health system was going to get this winter.  As the weather starts to cool, many are picking up change-of-season coughs and colds and when I look at what happened in post-Covid winters overseas, I worry about how bad it might get here too.  Health NZ says it’s ‘bracing’ for a tough winter. But it’s not just sickness that may come our way which is worrying, but our ability to cope with it. There is the state of our hospitals, the workforce of frontline health workers, the shortage of nurses, the overworked doctors and the lack of GP’s in many regions. It was reported that Health NZ’s Chair Rob Campbell was warning that ‘the reformed health system was still grappling with ‘systemic problems’ that would affect the level of service it could give in the colder months.’ Systemic problems. Why are they not being identified immediately and the troubleshooting to fix it underway?  Remember the waiting time debacle last

More heavy rain is expected in the Gisborne District and Hawke's Bay today and further flooding, slips, power outages and evacuations are possible. Both regions remain under an Orange Heavy Rain warning until tomorrow morning. In Gisborne District, 64 households in the Tokomaru Bay township and Mangahauini River catchment have been evacuated to the local marae and whanau overnight. In Hawke's Bay, Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise told Kate Hawkesby police are continuing patrols and flyovers, around the clock. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The judge overseeing the Gloriavale employment trial is set to visit the reclusive Christian group today. Judge Christina Inglis will tour the community in person to better understand the testimonies being presented in court. Six former Gloriavale women claim they were effectively born into and kept in servitude - by being forced to work long days with no breaks and very little food or water. Herald senior reporter, Anna Leask told Kate Hawkesby Gloriavale's leaders actually invited Judge Inglis. She says they want the judge to see what changes have been made to everyday life in the community. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ukraine is ramping up security ahead of the first anniversary of Russia's invasion. It has been called the largest air, sea and ground conflict in Europe since World War Two. UN figures show at least eight thousand civilians have died so far. World Vision's Chris Palusk told Kate Hawkesby there's a tense feeling on the ground and Ukrainians are exhausted. The New Zealand Government has announced another round of sanctions against 87 prominent Russians, the second largest group yet. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of my fondest memories of living in London was how keen they were to hire Kiwis. My girlfriend and I rocked up to job interviews with minimal practical skills as university graduates, and not much ‘real world’ experience under our belts. They didn’t care.  New Zealanders ‘had a reputation’ they told us, for being hard workers, we got snapped up at every job we went for. And it wasn’t hard to figure out why, after a few weeks in.  The work culture there at the time was so laid back, so seemingly ‘pro-breaks’ and anti-too-much hard slog.  I’ll never forget arriving at work one morning worried about how late my train had been running, and racing in to find I was still the only person in the office by 9am. By 10.30am, coats were being donned and people were heading back out the door. “Where’s everyone going?” I naively asked.  “Morning tea,” they replied. I couldn’t believe it. Morning tea was a full half hour break, having only spent just under an hour and a half at work. Then they’d break again at lunch – a

Questions have been asked as to what the impact of the Official Cash Rate hike is going to be on mortgages. The Reserve Bank lifted it by 50 basis points to 4.75 percent on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the banks are supposedly discounting one and two-year fixed rates, but it's behind closed doors. Financial advisor Sue Tierney joined Kate Hawkesby to explain. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealanders could be hiding hundreds of dollars in their wardrobes. That's according to TradeMe's annual Circular Economy report, which shows Kiwis are selling old clothes for big bucks. These items reportedly add up to around $300 million nationwide. TradeMe's marketing director Sally Feinson joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pressure on the Government to get an upcoming probe into forestry slash wrapped up as early as possible. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins is expected to announce the inquiry during a visit to Hawke's Bay today. It's expected to take two months, but Federated Farmers wants it done sooner as weather events become more frequent. Spokesperson Toby Williams told Kate Hawkesby we've needed solutions for a long time. He says Tolaga Bay in 2018 should've been our wake up call, and with hail and Cyclone Gabrielle within a month - they need to move quickly. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s a big disconnect happening at the moment between government and locals in the Hawkes Bay area over what’s really going on.  The Police Commissioner and the PM were both on Mike’s show yesterday saying the reports of looting are just not true, that it’s all the stuff of rumour and gossip, and that it’s unsubstantiated. But then you have the locals. They’re irate, arguably more irate after hearing the denial of it from government, and saying it is very real, it is definitely happening and they’re traumatized by it.  One Esk Valley local said if the Police Commissioner doesn’t think it’s happening how about he come down and do a night patrol with him and see it for himself. Others have said they’re watching the looting, crimes and theft unfold right in front of them. We know of people so scared they’ve left town. So which is it? I’d argue you have to believe the people at the coal face surely? Those on the ground, living it, feeling it, surely they’re the ones we have to take seriously not government off

A petition is being launched today called Barbie's Bill, calling for living wills to be recognised in a patient's advanced care plan. Barbie Duffy died after 58 days of refusing food and water. She gave consent to die if she suffered an event causing irreversible mental or physical loss. It wasn't followed and there is currently not requirement for doctors to do so. Act Party leader David Seymour joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ravensdown is staying committed to Hawke's Bay and remaining a major employer in the region, despite flood damage to its plant. It's joining forestry company Pan Pac in committing to a rebuild rather than moving elsewhere. The two businesses employ around 600 people in the area. Ravensdown CEO Gary Diack joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The latest Official Cash Rate announcement is coming later today and it's expected to lift 50 basis points to 4.75 per cent. That's much lower than the original prediction of 5.5 per cent, but still a jump from the current 4.25 per cent. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cyclone-ravaged businesses are set to lean on the Government for cashflow support. Business NZ Chief Executive Kirk Hope says that the 50 million dollar package is great, but businesses need more help through things like a wage subsidy. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.