Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

The NSW government has confirmed that speed camera operators will no longer be able to “hide” behind other vehicles or bushes to catch out unsuspecting motorists. It comes after infuriated drivers accused speed camera operators of deliberately hiding or not displaying their warning signs throughout the year, particularly on rural and regional roads across the state. The NSW government announced that from February this year every mobile speed camera vehicle would have a large double-sided sign on top, but there have been numerous reports of this not happening or the signs being obscured. These concerns were raised at last Wednesday’s budget estimates hearings, with Transport for NSW deputy secretary Tara McCarthy confirming they received complaints about these issues. “The government gave a commitment that from April 1 of this year all vehicles undertaking enforcement of mobile speed cameras would have signs installed. Those vehicles can only be in operation if the sign is in the upright position,” she said. “

I think the only feasible thing that can happen now with the mask mandate is that they get rid of it. When even the Government’s favourite boffin (Michael Baker) says masks aren’t that essential anymore, you’ve got to wonder whose left supporting them. Add to that the fact they’re even up for discussion – the fact they’re now being talked about by the PM herself as something we may be able to review – and you can kiss the mandate goodbye. Because what happens when people in high places start questioning stuff, is that the general public get a whiff of it, and just go ahead and ditch them anyway. Where we live rurally, masks have been a distant memory for a while now. Most of our local shops don’t bother, it’s rare to see people in them, I’m not sure if other rural parts of the country are the same but I think it’s largely a city thing these days. Wellington I hear, (unsurprisingly) is still hot on masks, Auckland is hit and miss, some parts of the city still do them, others don’t bother. You certainly don’t g

A claim tightening the Proceeds of Crime Act isn't the right way to deal with gangs. It's understood the Government will announce a law change which will make it easier for police to seize gang assets held under associate's names. The law will also make it harder for criminals to shelter money with KiwiSaver. National Party Police spokesperson Mark Mitchell told Kate Hawkesby while it's good to go after assets, it misses the bigger issue. “They are not going to make any tangible impact right now on the amount of gang violence and gun violence that we’re currently experiencing.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Local Government New Zealand is hoping voters will get to know the candidates in the upcoming local body elections. It's an unprecedented move and comes amid reports of conspiracy theorists and extremists looking to get elected. Grant Duncan is an associate professor at Massey University, he joined Kate Hawkesby on Early Edition. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Local body elections are upon us and there's concern at the number of so-called fringe candidates looking to get elected. Now the club for councils, Local Government New Zealand, is so worried about this, it's launched a campaign to get voters more engaged with the process. Which sounds a bit like they're saying ‘Hey, make sure you pick one of our approved people.’ And what is a fringe candidate anyway? Who is an extremist? Go back 25 years or so, and people were calling the ACT Party extreme right wingers; last election they got 10 seats, and these days they talk more sense than a lot of others. Go back 30 years and people were calling the Greens extreme lefties, some of them still are, but again, last election, they got 10 seats. Point is, everyone is entitled to have a shot at getting elected, pretty much anyone is entitled to stand. And when it comes to local bodies, if you stand, you have a fairly decent chance of getting elected. On average, across the country, the number of candidates per seat last tim

A Bill which would require public sector agencies to use clear and concise language is making progress in Parliament. Labour's Nelson MP Rachel Boyack's Plain Language Bill would require agencies to have a designated plain language officer. Rachel Boyack joined Kate Hawkesby on Early Edition. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So we've talked a bit about high absence rates among teachers and students at schools. This is due to Covid and other winter illnesses. We also know our literacy and numeracy rates are pretty appalling. So what are some solutions? Learncoach is a kiwi business that are launching its’ anti-cheating software, that allows students to do their assessments digitally and remotely. Founder and CEO David Cameron explains “There’s a surprising range of software, they need to have a camera and microphone on. But there’s also things measuring how they type compared to how they type beforehand.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A survey in the UK has found the majority of actors and voice talent feel that artificial intelligence is a threat to employment opportunities. This comes as more companies are using AI for voiceover work, instead of an actual person. More AI start-ups are developing tools for use in film and audio, including making AI voices that can be used for marketing campaigns. Toby Ricketts is an award winning voice artist and has recorded for some of the biggest businesses worldwide, such as Microsoft, Google, and even the United Nations. Toby knows the threat AI may pose going forward. “It’s kind of getting better every day. It’s not good at acting still and most of us can kind of tell an AI voice now, but it’s probably going to change soon.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s becoming more apparent every day that this Government is on its way out and I just wonder whether that’s why they’re spiralling now into the realm of the nutty. The KiwiSaver tax announcement certainly looked like it. And now the embarrassment of axing that within about 5 minutes of announcing it due to such widespread backlash. What a cluster. This is a government in real trouble, it's figured out opposition benches are calling them so they’re just going for broke on everything - until it gets enough backlash for them to pull a hard U-turn. It makes me wonder if any thought goes into any policy at all, ever.  I just don't know how they’re so tone deaf. Their ability to try to barrel through policy that negatively impacts us, instead of doing anything that’s actually useful, is worrying. The KiwiSaver debacle was just the latest in the line-up of madness and it’s a long line. I was pleased Luxon said they’d repeal it and it should never see the light of day. It seems National’s reading the room a hell of

Australia has announced an update to their Covid isolation requirements- people will now only be required to isolate for 5 days instead of 7. Australian correspondent shares the public reaction and mass confusion with Kate Hawkesby.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's still room for improvement when it comes to taxing investment fund fees... despite the Government pulling the pin on its GST on KiwiSaver fees proposal. The plan was axed less than 24 hours after it came to light following a wave of opposition. Deloitte tax partner Allan Bullot says there are two buckets here -- the KiwiSaver one, and the non-KiwiSaver one. He says the non-KiwiSaver side is messy - with swings and roundabouts on the tax front.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A theory the outpouring of grief would be much larger if Princess Diana died today. It's 25 years since the 36-year-old died in that Paris car crash. Her death highlights the relationship between the crowd and the Crown, and how that has evolved with the Royal Family today. Otago University anthropologist Dr Susan Wardell says social media might've enabled a more coordinated response en masse. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland mayoral candidate Wayne Brown is continuing to cast doubts on the value of the City Rail Link. He says the 4.4-billion dollar project was designed for a pre-Covid world, and won't deliver the benefits originally promised. “I think you’ll find when the city rail finishes, when the costs have gone up, the times have gone up, and the passengers will go down.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apparently a quarter of us intend to change jobs over the next 12 months. This would come as a shock to my dearly departed grandfather who worked at the Post Office his entire life and would never have dreamed of changing jobs. Back then when you had a job, it was for life. Not anymore.   A workplace wellbeing survey of 1200 workers showed a large chunk of us feel undervalued, under supported, and under staffed at work. I can believe it.  I don’t know anywhere that isn’t under staffed right now, we’re under staffed in here at the moment. It’s been a perfect storm for many employers- Covid, winter ills, long overdue trips overseas for people finally taking some annual leave and able to get out of the country. What it means for those left behind of course, is they have to pick up the slack, more work for them, fewer people to carry the load, and perhaps at a time where they're feeling fatigued with this post-Covid malaise we all seem to be suffering.  External circumstances right now like a cost of living crisi

An attempt to tidy up the GST charged on different investment products. The Government is planning to impose GST on Kiwisaver fees, which will give it an extra $225 million a year. Kiwisaver provider Pathfinder's Chief Executive John Berry told Kate Hawkesby unfortunately for investors, the tidy up is quite brutal. Modelling suggests it will raise fees and mean $103 billion fewer saved in accounts by 2070. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tweaks are being made to the cost of living payments. It comes after the Auditor-General wrote a scathing letter to Inland Revenue. The letter has essentially told IRD to get their act together, saying the process has been rushed, which resulted in compromised certainty and accuracy. With the next payments due on Thursday, questions have been asked as to whether enough has been done to solve the issues. National's spokesperson for finance Nicola Willis joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ram raids and joyrides are thought to be why car theft insurance claims are up. AA Insurance reveals car theft and attempted theft have increased by 36.5 percent nationally, and 43 percent in Auckland over the last 12 months. Head of motor claims Beau Paparoa says vehicles targeted tend to be of lower value, more than five years old and often parked on the street. He says it appears to be consistent with the increase in ramraids, but data also shows people are stealing cars simply to get from A to B. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Thomas Phillips first went missing into dense bush with his kids back in 2021, I wrote an editorial at the time saying police and welfare agencies weren’t taking it seriously enough in my view. There was a lot of talk at the time about leaving it to the community, leaving it to the family, trying to understand that rural New Zealand is different to what those of us in cities are used to.  I was criticized by people who said worrying about three kids in the bush with their Dad was over the top, it was middle class angst, that the kids were “probably fine” and that they’d be used to being in the bush with their Dad.  I argued that no matter how used to pig hunting or going bush with your Dad you are, being taken from your family against your will and without your Mum or anyone else’s knowledge was akin to kidnapping. That there should be more alarm around finding them, securing their safety, making sure they were well, and that was before we even got to the fact that these kids should be in school not slee

NASA's mission control will meet tomorrow to discuss their next moves, if they can get the engine problems under control. The next-generation rocket programme was meant to blast off last night from Florida's Cape Canaveral, but was delayed due to an engine bleed. US correspondent Anna Burns-Francis told Kate Hawkesby it doesn't look like this will be an easy fix. She says NASA has four days to make a decision, but there is no word yet on whether they'll go ahead with the save the date on Saturday. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Newstalk ZB sports reader Kate Wells joined Kate Hawkesby for a wrap of the weekend's sporting action. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.