Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

The Queen's funeral is now only hours away. It will all take place tonight New Zealand time, with attendees heading into Westminster Abbey around 7pm before the funeral officially begins at 10pm. Joining us now is royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The UK’s biggest ever security operation is underway for The Queen's funeral. With the funeral set to happen in a few hours (10 pm NZT), UK correspondent Gavin Grey is here to update us. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In sports news, New Zealand has secured medals at the world equestrian event championship for the first time in 12 years.  Our ZB sports reader, Andrew Alderson, joins us today to update us. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So the Government has taken steps to try and protect productive land from urban development. The national policy statement will mean local councils will need to identify productive land and block it off from housing developments. This is aimed to protect land that grows vegetables, fruit and other produce. Joining us now is Dr Trish Fraser who leads Climate Change Systems at Plant and Food Research. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As if our justice system wasn’t soft enough already, I see they’re now handing out further reductions in sentences if you had a tough childhood.  ‘Mongrel Mob members in lucrative drug ring get reduced prison time for horrific childhoods" read a headline yesterday. The story went on to say that, “Two Mongrel Mob members sitting near the top of a sophisticated drug ring were jailed after admitting their roles in the commercial-scale manufacture and supply of methamphetamine across the Waikato. The pair received hefty reductions in their prison sentences for admitting guilt and the "horrific" circumstances of their childhood, the trauma of which a judge said led to their gang affiliations and criminal offending later in life.”  So, let’s get this straight. These two Mongrel Mob gang members "oversaw the manufacture" and day to day dealing of meth, in "clandestine labs", were placed in the second-highest category of meth offending based on the quantity of drugs and yet, they got their sentences reduced, because

I've got family coming down from Europe at Christmas, and bringing people who've not seen New Zealand before. We were talking on the phone the other day and the subject of spending a few days at Rotorua came up. It pains me to say it, but I wasn't able in good conscience to recommend Rotorua. I explained about the emergency housing, but only in broad brush terms. I didn't go into big detail about people knocking on the door at night looking to score drugs. Or the police turning up at all hours, places not being safe for families, gang activity and all the rest of it. Thing is we need tourism and especially international tourism if we're going to start paying our way in the world again. Rotorua is already back up to the thousands of visitors a day, so far mostly New Zealanders who kinda know the score. But those overseas visitors are coming back, and some of them are having pretty bad experiences, which of course they go home and tell ten others about. So the idea of, well, it's almost a black list of places t

The All Blacks have managed to retain the Bledisloe Cup for the 20th straight year. But it was a close one 39-37, and it's fair to say it was a controversial finish, with Wallabies getting infringed for taking too long to kick the last penalty. ZB's rugby commentator Elliott Smith joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's under fire for spending millions on consultants for its Three Waters reform. Newstalk ZB can reveal more than $16 million has been paid to contractors in the past Financial Year. Deputy Political Editor Jason Walls says the Government's confirmed even more will be spent in the coming year. Spending's included $100,000 dollars for a virtual showcase of Aussie initiatives, and almost $2 million on policy services. National's Simon Watts says it shows the Government's over-reliant on consultants. The Government admits it's more than usually spent on policy work, but it says these reforms are complex. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new online tool will allow tourists to avoid staying at mixed-use motels in Rotorua. Tourism outfit Rotorua NZ is identifying emergency housing motels after visitors finding themselves in unsavoury accommodation. Rotorua District councillor Merepeka Raukawa-Tait joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Online shoppers are being misled through online sales. The Commerce Commission has issued a formal warning to online retailer, Occasion Box, for making false and unsubstantiated claims on its website last year. It comes after The Warehouse Group's 1-Day, has been fined $840,000 for misleading how long its daily deals would run for, and the quantity available.  Fair Trading General Manager Vanessa Horne told Kate Hawkesby this is a good reminder for other businesses. She says they need to be able to back up any claims. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I think if anything symbolized how stressful and exhausting this week has been for the new monarch, it was ‘Pengate’. We saw a very tense, irritated King Charles, flustered that his pen was leaking, and with it all captured on microphone, we got to hear just how annoyed he was. Some media labelled it ‘rude’ others  referred to him as ‘losing his Royal cool’. This new incident off the back of a previous pen mishap he’d days earlier when he wanted his desk cleared and motioned angrily at his aides to do it, is a reminder, as if we needed it, that he is under phenomenal pressure, in trying circumstances, and he is handling it 'differently' to how we might. But then again, how do we know how we'd handle anything like this? We're not royals, and as much as we like to think they're 'just human' or 'just like you and me'.. they're not, they're a different breed. As long time listeners will know, I travelled on a plane with King Charles once. Prince back then, obviously. We were on Singapore Airlines, in First Class

Our largest education union says the Government's attempt to fix workforce shortages has missed the mark. Labour has announced up to one thousand new teachers will be recruited, mostly from overseas and more scholarships will be funded for people wanting to become teachers mid-career. NZEI President Liam Rutherford told Kate Hawkesby things have changed since 30 years ago when funding systems were set up. He says there are some roles which aren't being filled. Rutherford says we don't have the right specialist roles like speech language therapists and education psychologists and in the current environment it's kids who are missing out. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The queue of people lining up to see the Queen lying in state is now more than four kilometres long. Her Majesty's coffin has been transported from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall on a gun carriage, with the new King and other Royals following behind. The procession itself was silent, except for the firing of guns at Hyde Park and the chiming of Big Ben. But Newstalk ZB's Anna Burns Francis told Kate Hawkesby the queue of people lining to see the Queen is growing by the minute. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Slight GDP growth is expected in the second quarter. It follows a 0.2 percent fall for the first three months of the year. ASB Chief Economist Nick Tuffley says while it's hard to predict at the moment, his best guess is a 1.2 percent rise. He told Kate Hawkesby while it's not a sure thing, there are some promising signs. Tuffley says air travel and construction looked like they performed well. The GDP figures will be revealed at 10:45 this morning. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So the Government’s looking at potential scope for a Covid review, and “taking advice”. That in and of itself should ring alarm bells given no government has ordered more reviews than this lot. They ordered reviews like a teenager ordering Uber Eats with their parents credit card. Reviews all round, bugger the expense. So now to pause, reflect, and take advice, seems out of character. It seems a stalling technique.  That aside, the taking advice bit is the other thing this Government’s record has been questionable on. They talked a big game – and often – about all the ‘advice’ they were taking – but then more times than not, didn’t take any of it. Case and point being anything Treasury ever said to them. It included advice from the business sector, real people, organisations, even their own review committees. But one sector they did seem to take a lot of advice from during Covid was the domain of the scientist and the epidemiologist. And fair enough, in the early days of confusion and uncertainty around a vir

An announcement is expected from the Government today regarding education. One thing being looked at is how to recruit more teachers. We know we need them, especially in rural schools. Tertiary education provider Te Rito Maioha is responding to the shortage. They're launching teaching courses that are specifically aimed to get more rural teachers. Academic leader of their primary programmes Anthony Fisher joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A win for residents who've been fighting for Christchurch City Council to reject housing density plans for the city, but it's not over yet. Ten councillors have voted no to the Government’s plans to allow up to three homes of three storeys each on most sections across the city without consent. Five councillors voted yes, one abstained and one was absent The council will now write to Environment Minister David Parker to ask that Christchurch be exempt from being a tier one city.  Riccarton Bush-Kilmarnock Residents’ Association chair Tony Simons told Kate Hawkesby one-size-fits-all isn't appropriate for housing He says the council is now asking for a bespoke plan for the city, instead of one that was designed for Auckland. The Government could decide to put a commissioner in place, or appoint a Crown manager, to push through the rules. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Severe weather is being blamed by some for soaring food prices. Annual food prices have shot up to the highest rate in 13 years. Stats New Zealand says it cost 8.3 percent more to buy food this August, compared with last year. Vegetables New Zealand Chair John Murphy told Kate Hawkesby the weather's been horrendous. He says severe weather isn't something that starts in 2050, businesses are facing the impacts of it now. Murphy says increases in diesel, fertiliser, power costs and staffing shortages are also impacting. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What a relief and not before time that we’re waving goodbye to the traffic light system. Big raps to the Government for getting their heads around that. We’ve moved on, and so should they. It was apparent yesterday when Grant Robertson said to Mike Hosking that they’ll ‘still take Covid seriously’ that they were laying the ground work for the naysayers, the panickers, those who’d freak out, that they were ‘still taking it seriously’, even though they were heaving the system out.  I don’t know if that reassured mask lovers or not. I do think it’s a crock they’ve kept the mask rule for pharmacies, that seems a waste of time, I was talking to a pharmacist yesterday whose sick to death of wearing a mask all day, seems unfair they’ve been captured by that rule. The greatest irony of the whole spiel from the PM though had to be when she said, “we take back control.” Ironic when this entire exercise has been about them having control. Then there’s the public holiday announcement. I really feel for small business her

South Canterbury will ask residents if its anniversary day should be moved to the same day as Canterbury. As things stand, South Canterbury anniversary day is September 26, the same day as the country's one-off public holiday to mark Queen Elizabeth II's death. Waimate District Mayor Craig Rowley told Kate Hawkesby they're looking to change the day to November 11, Canterbury Anniversary day. He says businesses are probably keen for the Queen's Memorial Day and Anniversary Day to be the same day - but the general consensus among most people is shifting it's a good idea. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.