Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

About five years ago we started talking about how school pools where being closed. 165 school pools had closed in the previous five years and more were at risk of closing due of health and safety or maintenance costs. The big losers were, of course, the kids. We want our children to know how to be safe around water, especially with our drowning figures. But with schools struggling to build enough classrooms, let alone manage a pool only used for part of the year, it wasn’t a surprise to see schools find alternative ways to teach children water safety. Even more appallingly, a recent Listener article in the NZ Herald tells how schools are now sacrificing libraries too.   First pools, now libraries – where’s the fun in going to school?!   So here’s the thing, libraries are not mandated. It’s up to the school’s management and board of trustees to decide whether they have the space and resources for a library, maybe even a librarian, or whether they need that space or budget for something else.   It’s a fascinati

A Select Committee is wanting to see greater legislative change around defining sexual consent. It's asking the next government to lawfully outline what consent is in sexual offences - like many other countries have. Current New Zealand laws only state what is not. HELP executive director Kathryn Phillips joined Francesca Rudkin. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

OneRoof figures show the house price slump is over in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington. The quarterly rises show a 0.3 percent increase in the value of Auckland properties, a 2 percent increase for Christchurch properties and 0.1 percent decrease in Wellington properties - but One Roof believes that will rise again shortly too. Editor Owen Vaughan says it's not a large increase but it's still significant - he joined Francesca Rudkin. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Food and fibre export revenue has hit new heights. It's drawn $57.4 billion for the year to June 30, bringing $1.2 billion more into the economy than was originally forecast. Dairy, horticulture, seafood and processed food exports have driven the record increases. Business NZ chief executive Kirk Hope told Francesca Rudkin these are good headline numbers, but there are underlying factors. He says, for example, while dairy by value is up the milk price is down by what was forecast from $8.30 to between $7 and $7.75. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So our post-pandemic dining behaviours, according to this Herald article I read, talked about how much more expensive dining out is these days - $50 mains it quoted. The upshot is we appear to be getting less food for more money, restaurants are getting tougher on turning tables, and people are dining earlier. The reporter asked, ‘what’s happened to hospitality?’ and I take her point. It can feel like it’s not all that hospitable anymore. The last time we dined in Auckland’s CBD at a well-known well-regarded restaurant we felt something was amiss - a new kind of disinterest in diners, a slackening of service, an unapologetic approach to it all, and just not that much of a pleasant experience, for quite a lot of money. Like many diners, I don’t mind parting with hard-earned cash for an experience when it’s good, not so much when it’s below par.   We thought maybe we’d just struck this particular restaurant on a bad night, but have since been told by others their experience replicated ours. So how do they get a

The Opposition's blaming Labour's 'soft on crime' approach for an increase in gang members serving home detention. The number of gang-affiliated offenders sentenced to home detention has risen nearly 60 percent in six years. Corrections figures show 623 people with gang-links have been put on home detention in the past financial year. National's justice spokesperson Paul Goldsmith told Kate Hawkesby he wants to make sure there are 'real consequences' for crime. He says they want to make being a gang member an aggravating factor at sentencing. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A pause has come on using surgical mesh for a common birthing injury. Director-General of Health, Dr Diana Sarfati, maintains it's not a ban but will allow the rolling out of measures to reduce harm linked to surgical mesh used for stress urinary incontinence. These include tailored training for surgeons, and a patient registry. General Practice NZ chair Dr. Bryan Betty told Kate Hawkesby patients will also get clear pros and cons in an amplified consenting process. He says there'd be a team of experts talking about whether it's the right choice for the patient. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concerns that the Department of Conservation's planned changes after the deaths of 17 kiwi aren't going far enough. An independent review has found the birds' deaths between 2016 and 2017 at Hawke's Bay's Cape Sanctuary were due to staff turnover, a dry summer and predation. DOC has given itself two years to implement changes to documentation, monitoring and complaint management. But former Forest and Bird chief conservation advisor Kevin Hackwell told Kate Hawkesby it doesn't address the conflict between kiwis' welfare and tourism. He says when that conflict arises it's vital that welfare wins over tourism. Note: A claim was made in the interview that Cape Sanctuary staff were told by management not to inform DOC of the Kiwi deaths. Cape Sanctuary denies this and the independent review commissioned by DOC does not refer to this claim.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The same Labour Party that now wants to build roads all of a sudden, also now wants to clamp down on student achievement. It wants to mandate reading writing and maths ‘core teaching requirements’ across all schools. So, in essence, they want to get serious now on education. After six years of abandoning every fundamental core principle there was in regards to student achievement and learning. Two things immediately jump to mind here, one, since when did Labour abandon all its mad cap ideology on what curriculums should look like and decide that the fundamental basics are in fact important in education, and two, what’s with now copying National? The first answer is, after six years of failed experiments, ideological tweaking, and neglect of education, record truancy numbers, teacher shortages, uni drop outs and failed achievement standards - they’ve realised the jig is up. The thought bubbles on rewriting curriculums and forcing Te Reo into every facet of every subject as a priority has left the fundamentals

The wait could be soon over for new cancer drugs in New Zealand. The National Party's promising to ring fence $280 million over four years to fund 13 new cancer drugs which are used in Australia. It will be funded by restricting fee-free prescriptions to superannuitants and those on low incomes. The Cancer Society's medical director Kate Gregory told Kate Hawkesby this would fill the treatment gap between New Zealand and Australia. She says it can be distressing for someone living here to find out they could have access to different cancer drugs across the Tasman. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Failed promises by Labour may be contributing to their slip in the polls. The latest 1 News Verian poll sees the party drop to 29 percent -- and National rise to 37. The Greens are up two points to 12 percent while Act is up one, to 13. Political commentator Peter Dunne told Kate Hawkesby there's a series of big pledges made before the 2017 election that haven't been fulfilled, like KiwiBuild and Auckland light rail. He says now Labour is making some big aspirational promises and people must be wondering, why should we believe you this time? LISTEN ABOVE    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The secondary teachers' union is concerned about the Government legislating how some subjects are taught. The Government has announced it'll mandate core teaching requirements in maths, reading and writing. It's been working on a common practice model to ensure nationwide consistency. Post Primary Teachers Association acting president Chris Abercrombie told Kate Hawkesby it could make teachers' jobs harder. He says one size doesn't fit all - so they'll have to think of other ways to teach to support all students. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of Britain's most prolific serial child killers is about to be sentenced. Former nurse Lucy Letby has been convicted of murdering seven babies and found guilty of trying to kill another six. Police believe the 33-year-old may have harmed dozens more infants. UK correspondent Gavin Grey told Kate Hawkesby that it seems she'll refuse to appear for the sentencing, and many are saying she should be made to. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s some concern over Labour's promise to make teaching financial literacy compulsory. The party's vowing to make the change happen from 2025, if it's re-elected. Life Education Trust CEO John O'Connell says it's great it's finally being recognised. But, he told Kate Hawkesby, he's worried about it being taught mainly via the maths and social sciences curriculums. He says we have to shift the mindset of financial literacy being an academic achievement, because it's actually a life skill. O'Connell says until we do that we'll continue to fail. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m thinking the people we should be feeling most for this election campaign are the government’s security detail. Judging by the Prime Minister’s outing to Otara markets in South Auckland over the weekend, it could be a rough old time on the hustings. Bear in mind, this is South Auckland, Labour territory. The PM was not wandering through Fendalton or Remuera. He was in an area which should have his back, but not this time. Protestors from Freedoms NZ, which it’s reported is, “a new political party, joining together the Tamaki-led Vision NZ party and the Outdoors and Freedom Party..” reportedly, “chased him around the market, two on bicycles and others carrying big blue banners, until the prime minister eventually left.” So they caused such a ruckus, they ended Hipkins visit early. From the footage at the event, the person looking most surprised was the PM’s security. Chippy just kept smiling. Was he not aware of how bad it was? Did he just not care? Was he smiling to just keep up appearances? But this could

Wellingtonians are finally snapping up tickets to the city's craft beer festival. Two Beervana sessions are fully sold out, overturning concerns people weren't keen this year. Event Manager Ryan McArthur says there's a lot to get excited about this weekend. He says almost 60 breweries are represented, some from Australia, and about 340 brews to try. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So we spoke with Mark Mitchell earlier this morning on Ginny Andersen's claim that he's unfit to be Police Minister. This came about because he said the Government wasn't going after gangs properly, and more than half the charges they were laying for gangs were administrative like traffic offences or minor infringements. This is Operation Cobalt, the Government's so called 'gang crackdown' which the Police Minister is very defensive of. She fired back that the charges Police were laying were not minor, that many were for serious offences like burglary and theft. She went on to say it was ‘frankly appalling’ that Mitchell was ‘going after hard working police officers.’ Which is of course not what he was doing at all, but it’s election season, and a desperate government will latch onto anything as a means of a personal assassination of their opposition right now. What I don’t even need to point out to you here, because it’s so glaringly obvious, is that when you have achieved absolutely nothing in that space, i

We have another stoush between Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen - this time over Operation Cobalt. National's police spokesperson this week claimed more than half of charges from the gang crackdown were for minor offences. The Minister has fired back, saying that's simply not true and those "minor offences" include burglary, theft, fraud and others. She claims Mitchell is "unfit to be Police Minister." Mark Mitchell joined Early Edition. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some of the UK's biggest names are paying tribute to veteran broadcaster Sir Michael Parkinson. The talk show great has died at 88 after a short illness. He presented 'Parkinson' from 1971 to 2007 quizzing celebrities over more than 800 episodes. Europe Correspondent Vincent McAviney told Kate Hawkesby he's being remembered for his dedication to making his guests feel comfortable. He says he always made sure the interviewee was the person who shone. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everything that's wrong with our justice system at the moment was summed up this week by the judge who gave those two sex offenders home detention. They were described as two of this country's most notorious sexual predators, their offending so heinous one of the victim's called it depraved, one's had PTSD and flashbacks since, one had attempted suicide twice. The judge apparently choked back tears as he said, ‘The harm to the victims can only be described as profound.’ The judge 'described graphic details of some of the offending, which at times involved the use of beer bottles and a deodorant ball.' Yet given all that, what did the judge give them? Permanent name suppression - and a discounted sentence. One offender got 11 months home detention, the other got seven months. The victims urged the judge to lift name suppression, they said they felt like they had little value or worth and 'this victim blaming culture would never stop', but the judge upheld the suppression, based on the fact he felt the offender