Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

So today we get an announcement on truancy and how to combat it, given the woeful stats on the numbers of kids not attending school. The rumour is that attendance officers are coming back. If that’s the case, I hope it helps, but I wonder how much truancy is now an attitude that’s endemic, versus something we can just catch out with more surveillance. Because I don’t doubt that up until now schools have been trying their best to keep kids engaged. Many have come up with community based solutions or student led solutions, which have worked a treat. Some have tried to crack down on attendance and failed – it varies from school to school, but I don’t doubt many parents, teachers and fellow students aren’t all doing their best to address the issue. The problem is the data - the numbers show it’s just getting worse and you could argue the climate of the past few years hasn’t helped. Lockdowns, Covid, sickness, there are multiple factors at play. But tip into this also the fact that attitudes in some cases have cha

The Government's flagship climate change policy has passed into law almost unanimously. The Zero Carbon Bill was debated on for almost a year with the National Party asking for amendments, but not getting them. Still, National voted for it last night. Federated Farmers Climate Change spokesperson and vice president, Andrew Hoggard joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Warehouse is stepping up its battle against supermarkets, introducing fresh fruit and vegetables to some stores from today. The produce sections are being rolled out in Whangarei, Auckland's Westgate, Wellington's Lyall Bay, Christchurch's Riccarton, Timaru and Invercargill. Former Food and Grocery Council Chief Executive Ernie Newman told Kate Hawkesby it's a great move. He says current supermarket prices are untenable, and The Warehouse will provide supermarkets with more competition, which could lower prices for consumers. The Warehouse unsuccessfully trialled fresh food once before, in 2006. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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