Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

Due to global supply chain issues, some shipping companies are leaving New Zealand off their schedule entirely. This is of course causing massive headaches for companies who rely on export. Rockit Global are a Hawke’s Bay based apple company whose largest export market is China. They were concerned this year's apples wouldn't make it by sea and normal air freight was too pricey. So they've managed to convince Air New Zealand to stack some of their planes heading to China with the apples. CEO of Rockit Mark O'Donnell joined Kate Hawkesby on Early Edition. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Praise for an easing of restrictions from our retail sector. Covid-19 restrictions have been scrapped almost completely, with only aged care facilities and hospitals still requiring masks. Retail NZ Chief Executive Greg Harford says it takes away a lot of tension and confusion around exemptions that retail workers had to deal with. He told Kate Hawkesby he doesn't expect many retailers to ask their customers to mask up. Harford says many workers were on the receiving end of verbal abuse and even violence after asking people to mask up. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So today is D-day on the traffic light system and whether it continues for us or not. Let’s hope not. I’m optimistic – but the caveat is, this Government likes control. This system was all about control, and to ditch it is to lose that. Problem is, and part of the reason I think they’ll ditch it, is that we’ve all ditched it anyway. Sick of masks and controls and traffic lights and restrictions, coupled with seeing Covid in the community for what it really is these days, which is a non-event, we’ve voted with our feet, or our faces. I was out and about at the weekend both in town and in the country, and you can count on one hand whose still wearing masks. Those of us with school aged children who’ve been buying an endless supply of masks for our kids to wear to school are sick of buying them, the kids are sick of wearing them, and as summer approaches and the weather heats up, they’re actually finding it unbearable to wear them. Teachers too. So we know most of us won’t miss them. But will the Government miss

A New Zealand Defence Force contingent will join the Commonwealth Forces marching contingent at Queen Elizabeth's funeral. More than 30 personnel from the Navy, Army, Air Force and Defence civilians have started to leave for London. Deputy Contingent Commander Lieutenant Colonel Edward Craw says told Kate Hawkesby  they'll arrive at a barracks near London and start rehearsals for the funeral procession. He says a small group of Colonel Commandants, retired Army officers from this country, will be on a separate programme operating close to Defence staff in the UK. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UK correspondent Gavin Grey joined Early Edition as Queen Elizabeth II's coffin was carried into the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh after a crowd-lined final journey from Balmoral. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National says our Covid-19 traffic light system is no longer needed. Jacinda Ardern will announce Cabinet's decision on whether to do away with it at 4pm. National Party Covid-19 spokesperson Chris Bishop says compliance with mask wearing is waning. He told Kate Hawkesby he reckons the timing is right. Bishop says now that cases are falling and we're past the winter peak, it's time to move on. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland's city rail link is the project that appears to keep bleeding money with no end date in sight. The public has already been warned there has been a cost blowout of the originally budgeted $4.4b project. But now bosses have admitted they have no idea when the project will be completed. They even haven't ruled out works going beyond 2025. Chief executive of Auckland Business Chamber, Simon Bridges joined Early Edition. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I visited my parents on Waiheke yesterday and my Mum was telling me a story about an Uber driver she’d had in town who was taking her through Auckland’s CBD, which – as most Aucklanders know, is a bit of a dive these days and certainly not easy to navigate if you’re in a car. They’ve made it so impossible to drive through the city now – that like most cities these days - if you’re in a car you’re punished, they’d prefer you on a bus or a bike.  But that doesn’t work for everybody and this driver was telling Mum how he'd been transporting a passenger with a disability, who was unable to get on a bus or ride a bike, so he was driving her to her destination, and it became apparent there was nowhere for him to stop to let her out. He realised that with all the parking taken away and all the cycle lanes and enlarged pedestrian paths, he’d have to stop a fair way from where she needed to get to, and she would have to walk back.  Worried about his duty as an Uber driver to deliver her safely to her destination, he p

Small businesses are hoping to enact change in this year's local body elections. More than nine in 10 small to medium sized business owners are planning to vote next month, with one in three believing council support for them is worse than three years ago. Business NZ Chief Executive Kirk Hope told Kate Hawkesby he's not surprised by the numbers. He says if you think about the worsening of CBDs around the country it's no wonder businesses want to try to make a difference. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A call for an inquiry over mistakes made during our Covid-19 response. Northland was plunged into level three after two women travelled to the region and subsequently tested positive for Covid-19. Officials originally said they had provided false information to get travel permits, but it's been revealed they were issued in error instead. Former New Zealand First Northland MP Shane Jones told Kate Hawkesby their refusal to hold an inquiry is due to overconfidence. He thinks the Government thinks it will win the election without having to care about the north. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a legal victory for former President Donald Trump, a federal judge on Monday granted his request for a special master to review documents seized by the FBI from his Florida home and temporarily halted the Justice Department's use of the records for investigative purposes. The decision by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon authorizes an outside legal expert to review the records taken during the Aug. 8 search and to weed out from the rest of the investigation any that might be protected by claims of attorney-client privilege or executive privilege. Some of those records may ultimately be returned to Trump, but the judge put off a ruling on that question. The order came despite the strenuous objections of the Justice Department, which said a special master was not necessary in part because officials had already completed their review of potentially privileged documents. The department said Monday that it was reviewing the decision but did not indicate if and when it might appeal. The order almost certainly sl

It appears advocates of legalising cannabis in this country are still smarting over having lost that referendum. This was a referendum we shouldn’t have even been having in the first place when you look at all the other things needing sorting in this country. Decriminalizing weed shouldn’t be top of the priority list. The fact it ever was, and that millions were spent on a referendum on it, speaks volumes about this Government and where it sees value.  Kids in poverty, people sleeping cars, mental health, housing, health and education would be good starting points for a government who promised a lot on that and have delivered nothing. My bad, sorry, they have delivered something on that – worse stats in every single category. But back to weed. Not content with having lost that debate, they’re now looking at decriminalizing meth.  This insane idea comes from none other than the Helen Clark Foundation. They want a health based approach to everything, seemingly ignoring the fact our health system is in crisis, a

The Government is rejecting calls to review tax brackets amid rising inflation. New Zealand’s marginal tax rate system means higher rates of tax are applied as someone earns more income. Stats NZ data shows median weekly earnings increased 8.8 percent in the year to the June quarter, the biggest jump since records began. Tax expert Terry Baucher says told Kate Hawkesby tax brackets have not changed in more than a decade and action is needed urgently. He says people are being squeezed as their incomes rise rapidly, alongside their tax brackets. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Rotorua mayoral candidate says the city needs to urgently shift away from emergency housing motels. National and Te Pati Maori are calling for an inquiry into the system after a TVNZ report exposed tenants in poor conditions. Some residents housed under the charity Visions of a Helping Hand are accusing that group of intimidation and abuse of power by staff and security workers. Rotorua District Council member and mayoral candidate Tania Tapsell says told Kate Hawkesby we need to focus on long term solutions. She says we need to build social housing not rely on emergency housing. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Act says it's time the Government got serious with ram-raiders. Police Minister Chris Hipkins this morning unveiled a plan to refer any child under 14 caught ram-raiding to a cross-agency board, to prevent repeat offending. But Act Leader David Seymour says anyone aged 11-to-14 caught raiding should be forced to wear an ankle monitoring bracelet, so police know where they are at all times. He says it's tragic that New Zealand is in this state of affairs - and this is the consequence of having no consequences for crime.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Potential job losses at AUT are being seen as a tragedy for staff and students. Up to 230 staff could be cut. A drop in student numbers and growing economic pressures are being cited as the reason for the proposed restructure. The Tertiary Education Union says there seems to be too much focus on business outcomes rather than academic ones. President Tina Smith told Kate Hawkesby this isn't the right time to be doing it. She says with our skill shortage at the moment we need educated people. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fears for the impact inflation could have on those saving for retirement. Massey University research shows the savings needed for retirees to fund a basic household living, with few luxuries, sits at $191,000 dollars in the city, and $77,000 in the provinces. A more comfortable living standard in the city requires $755,000 dollars, while a provincial household needs $480,000. It shows many Kiwis in retirement will also need to supplement their super. Author, Associate Professor Claire Matthews says one reason inflation hits those in and nearing retirement harder, is due to their spending habits. She says transport costs are a big factor, as well as housing and utilities. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Liz Truss has been elected as the Conservative Party's new leader, the party announced Monday, and she will take office Tuesday as Britain's new prime minister to steer the country through an acute cost-of-living crisis. The 47-year-old Truss, who is currently foreign secretary, beat former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak after a leadership contest in which only about 170,000 dues-paying members of the Conservative Party were allowed to vote. Truss received 81,326 votes, compared with Sunak's 60,399. She faces immediate pressure to deliver on her promises to tackle the cost-of-living crisis walloping the U.K. and an economy heading into a potentially lengthy recession. Queen Elizabeth II is scheduled to formally appoint Truss as Britain's prime minister on Tuesday. The ceremony will take place at the queen's Balmoral estate in Scotland, where the monarch is spending her summer, rather than Buckingham Palace in London. The two-month leadership contest left Britain with a power vacuum at a time of growing discontent

I saw a story yesterday that caught my eye because it was positive and seemed to be offering up a solution by way of cleaning up truancy rates. It’s a campaign being run in Northland, and according to the story I saw, it’s having great success at stopping kids from wagging school. "Let's Get to School Tai Tokerau" is running in 150 schools across the region and at its heart are messages from children explaining why the classroom is a good place to be,” the story said.  So it’s student-driven which makes sense, and it’s putting fun back into learning, and viewing school as something you don’t want to miss, rather than a chore or a punishment.  The story said kids came up with slogans of stuff they like doing, like, playing with their friends, learning about new things, and on top of this the schools run fun competitions like MasterChef for example. There’s also an incentive scheme like earning points for days attended and.. “at the end of the term depending on their attendance they may get some grocery voucher

In a job market severely short of labour, it seems the winner in all this are temp workers. They’re making a killing as employers are wanting them to fill the holes left by the absent migrant workers. Add to that ongoing staff sicknesses. This means pay rates for temps have gone up considerably, with a temp executive assistant now able to charge as much as $60 an hour. Beyond Recruitment CEO Liza Viz joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.