Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

Help is at hand for residents of Napier, Hastings and Central Hawke's Bay, where thousands of people have been forced from their homes. Power remains out and cellphopne coverage is patchy. Water is safe to drink, but people should conserve it if they can. State Highway 51 between Napier and Hastings has reopened overnight to allow food and fuel to get in, but people are being asked to avoid non-essential travel. Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise told Kate Hawkesby anyone with concerns about friends or family they're unable to reach should call 1-0-5. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This cyclone, much like the last storm that hit Auckland, has been a tale of two storms.  Some parts have been absolutely hammered; others completely unscathed. Some lost power, homes, cars, roofs or trees, others barely felt it.  The flooding was worse last time for Auckland; other parts of the country have been hit much harder with flooding with this one. Hawkes Bay, Gisborne and the West Coast of Auckland appear worst hit.  And there is room I think, as I said yesterday, for a more bespoke response to these events. Instead of blanket cancellations and shut downs of a whole city, to look at areas affected and who needs what most.  As I was out walking yesterday afternoon, I saw Auckland Grammar boys walking home from school, shops back open, cafes with big ‘we’re open!’ signs in the window, a little bit of action creeping back into the city.  If you were to read the headlines from overseas you’d think it was apocalyptic in New Zealand. And in some parts it is. But in many areas there’s barely any sign of a

Truckies say they're ready to start their engines to deliver supplies as soon as the roads begin to reopen. Certain areas have been cut off due to damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and are unable to be reached. The message from the National Road Carriers Association is for people not to panic as suppliers have stocked up in advance. CEO Justin Tighe-Umbers joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Real Estate Institute of New Zealand recorded a 48 percent drop in house sales between January and December. Auckland's median selling price was also down $80,000 dollars in January. REINZ CEO, Jen Baird, joined Kate Hawkesby to discuss the results. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Much of the Gisborne District doesn't have road access, power or internet and is running short of water, food and fuel. Mayor Rehette Stoltz told Kate Hawkesby officials are resorting to handing out free newspapers, to get out critical emergency messages. “We have hundreds of staff walking our neighbourhoods dropping Gisborne Heralds with information to 22,00 homes today.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So the rain is hitting Auckland city now, but yesterday between 8.30 and 3pm when there was hardly any rain or wind and I wondered why kids in all the unaffected areas couldn’t have been at school. Yesterday turned out to be an average rainy day. Yes I get it, precautions. It’s better to be safe than sorry, but seriously, if this is a pattern of weather we’re going to get more of, then we need to adjust our attitudes to it.  We need to dig deep on how we teach resilience and self-responsibility, over and above constantly looking to authorities to make the rules for us and dictate how we should live in a carte blanche fashion.  The coolest thing the Auckland Grammar principal did was do his own research on the weather, see that no heavy rain was starting before at least 3pm, and make up his own mind - and he was proven right to keep his school open. People who have lived in countries with monsoons, those who have lived in the States or the UK, anyone whose had to shovel snow from the driveway or the car before

There are hopes things could be looking up for the services sector after a difficult few years, that's according to the latest BNZ performance index. The figures showed that we may be seeing the end of the record labour demand, with vacancies filling up. BusinessNZ chief executive Kirk Hope joined Kate Hawkesby to discuss. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emergency services are being kept busy across the upper North Island as Cyclone Gabrielle continues to hit the country. North Shore ward councillor Richard Hills told Kate Hawkesby there's been a lot of trees and power lines down. "It is pretty windy still out here so we are asking people to stay off to the roads to assess the damage and stay away from the coast." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emergency services are being kept busy across the upper North Island as Cyclone Gabrielle continues to hit the country. Our newsroom understands a firefighter is unaccounted for at Muriwai on Auckland's West Coast, with residents of Motutara and Domain Roads being evacuated overnight. Flooding, slips and downed trees are affecting homes in several regions, and a person is trapped in a car in Whangārei. The entire Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Gisborne Regions are in a state of emergency, including the Coromandel Peninsula. Waikato District Mayor, Jacqui Church told Kate Hawkesby defence and roading crews have been out in full-force in northern Waikato, which has been hit hard. Severe weather warnings remain in effect for the entire North Island and upper South, and tens of thousands of people remain without power. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The upper North Island is bracing for the impact of Cyclone Gabrielle. Severe weather warnings and watches are in place for the entire North Island and upper South Island. Red warnings are in effect for Northland, Auckland, the Coromandel Peninsula, and the Gisborne District north of Tolaga Bay. At least 23-thousand homes across Auckland and Northland have spent the night without power. NIWA meteorologist Chris Brandolino says  that Northland and Gisborne have had lots of rain already, but the heaviest rain in Auckland is still to come. Auckland Harbour Bridge has partially reopened. However, State Highway One over the Brynderwyns remains closed due to large slips, and Whangarei Heads Road east of Whangarei is closed due to flooding. ALL rail services and MOST flights in the upper North Island have been cancelled. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's been a night of heavy rain in the Gisborne and Coromandel Districts. Coromandel MP Scott Simpson told Kate Hawkesby that the ground across the peninsula is already sodden, and more slips are expected. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I see Aucklanders coming in for a lot of criticism for rushing out to supermarkets and filling their trolleys over the weekend before Cyclone Gabrielle’s arrival, but in defence of Aucklanders: why wouldn’t they?  I mean that’s what Civil Defence, the Mayor, and all the media were telling them to do. Not only that, they were putting out those messages in a concentrated timeframe. We were being told to get enough supplies for 3 days, and to do that by the end of the weekend.  So you had a mad flurried 48-hour period where people went berserk in supermarkets.  You can’t tell everyone to stock up, all at the same time, and not expect that to get hectic. But here’s the thing – what to stock up on was detailed in advance; bottled water, batteries, torches, food.  And the supermarkets —and here’s where I think the blame really lies— supermarkets were busy telling us they had plenty! That stock would not run out, there was plenty for everyone, just take what you need, and don’t worry we’ve got masses. But what maybe

As the school year starts, I am reminded of the beauty of great teachers.  Having had five kids through four different schools, we’ve seen the full gamut of teachers – bad, sad, grumpy, useless, brilliant, engaged, interesting, and inspiring. If you’ve got kids in school, you’ll know what I mean.  Every year, your child desperately hopes for good teachers and every year you end up hoping for that too because it makes such a difference to your child’s year and their learning.  This year my daughter, who is in high school, had a lot of new teachers starting. Many of them young, one even younger than her older brother, fresh faces from Teachers College, ones who have switched from other careers, ones who have been away travelling and returned. But she’s lucked out. Every single one of her teachers is a winner, and it’s already making such a difference to the start of her year. She’s excited to get to school, excited when she gets home from school. Excited for the year ahead. Which makes the whole experience so m

A win for tourism as our local hotel industry thrives, with the sector the most optimistic since the pandemic began. The Tourism Export Council forecasts international visitor levels rebounding to around 2.1 million by the end of May and could approach pre-Covid levels mid 2025. Hospitality NZ Chief Executive Julie White told Kate Hawkesby 2023 is already shaping up to be a bumper year for the industry. She says all market segments are strong, with businesses back to travelling, and a range of events bringing in visitors and helping fill occupancies. LISTEN ABOVE    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Heat pumps the size of a five-storey building could be on the way from Fonterra. It's partnered with German company Man Energy Solutions to tackle its carbon production through greener steam generation. The giant heat pumps would reduce enough to be the equivalent to taking 25,000 thousand cars off the road. Fonterra chief operating officer Fraser Whineray joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Officials say they may need to do welfare checks on people in the worst hit areas, should Cyclone Gabrielle hit hard. Tairawhiti Civil Defence Controller Ben Green told Kate Hawkesby there could be further damage. “We know enough to guess the different forecast models and they certainly correlate around the fact you’re going to see landfall and impact and it just comes down to varying degrees of impact.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So the worst kept secret in politics yesterday was finally confirmed - the merger is a gone burger. Merging TVNZ and RNZ was never a good idea - right from the get go. Everyone thought it was crazy and so the Government now finally agree. Either that, or they just can’t handle the criticism and unpopularity of it.  Because I can’t help thinking if you believe in a policy and invest in it, throw money at it - not just any money either - don’t forget $9,000 a day on consultants, then you believe in it.  But as a sop to the failed project what are they doing? Handing out more money. More for RNZ and more for NZ on Air. The media slush fund for state broadcasting goes on and that’s before we get to the $23 million already spent on the merger, which now just gets flushed down the loo.  But the sting in the tail of yesterday’s policy walk backs was a little treat come April for businesses - the upping of the minimum wage.  And it's not just any increase either but a whopping $1.50 increase. So, businesses who have

Farmers can't catch a break in Bay of Plenty. It's the region's worst maize harvest in decades with around 60 percent of crops wiped out due to the weather. But is it all doom and gloom? Bay of Plenty Federated Farmers provincial president Brent Mountford joined Kate Hawkesby to discuss. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Water New Zealand's boss says we need to focus on what's at stake when it comes to Three Waters - and that's the need to invest in infrastructure. New Local Government Minister Kieran McAnulty has been asked to refine the policy, but Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says the need for reform is unquestionable. Water New Zealand Chief Executive Gillian Blythe says the commentary has focused too much on co-governance. She told Kate Hawkesby we need to remember the words of a Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment more than 20 years ago. Blythe says Morgan Williams said the model is not fit for purpose, and the longer we leave it to address, the harder it will get and the more complex it will be. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some of you will be about to get back in it, I was in it yesterday and it was hell on earth. I’m talking about rush hour, I’m talking about the school run and in Auckland in particular - it was as hellish as they predicted it would be.  It feels like a long time between drinks. A long time since we’ve been back in cars, kids have been back in uniforms, bags have been back on shoulders and kids trudging back off to school. February is never an easy month anyway given the humidity and heat, especially if your uniform fabric is nice and thick and scratchy.  But the traffic, honest to God, I don’t know how it’s possible but it seems even worse. I left home for an eight minute journey, I returned 40 minutes later. It was chaos. Bumper to bumper madness.  And I know the zealots say hey get a bus, or get a train, or get out on your feet and walk but that’s not always practical or possible depending on where you live. So for us it was the car and we joined the throngs of everyone else doing the same thing.  And here’