Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

Could we see football players playing against robots? Well that's the aim of a group of robotic scientists. The Robot Soccer World Cup or Robo-Cup has been going for nearly twenty five years. It involves human shaped robots playing against each other in a game of football. But now they've set a goal, they want their robots to win a game against the winners of the real FIFA World Cup by 2050. Robo-Cup president Peter Stone joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 45 cases yesterday disrupted a gradual decline many of us were getting quite used to. Dr Ashley Bloomfield says many of the cases this week have been in large households, and those in emergency or transitional housing.  We also got confirmation the outbreak is within our gangs, and among the homeless.  Lieutenant Colonel Lynette Hudson, head of social services at the Salvation Army joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m trying not to write about lockdown every day. And Covid, and case numbers, and gang members, but can I just say to everyone outside of Auckland, please understand that we are living a wildly unpleasant emotional rollercoaster ride right now and it’s not easy. I’d like to know how anyone comes out of this not being 10 kilos heavier and not having aged about 100 years. That being said, I did notice the Police 10-7 review is out. See, I’m looking for things that take my mind off the seemingly never-ending lockdown we’re in. Remember how Police 10-7 was accused of being racist? Well, the review’s out and it basically says the previous host may've been a bit ‘blunt’ with his words, but that the show’s new approach these days, with a new host, is an improvement.  Apparently the old original version with Detective Inspector Graham Bell as host promoted a bit too much ‘old school’ policing. He also used phrases that these days would be regarded as, unsavoury, shall we say? Stuff like calling suspects ‘gutless goo

Demand to be part of the home isolation trial is expected to be high.  It will allow 150 people to travel overseas and self-isolate for a fortnight when returning.  Business travellers will be able to submit expressions of interest from 9am today - but they need to be within 50 kilometres of Auckland or Christchurch airports.  Enztec CEO Iain McMillan told Kate Hawkesby they're hopeful the trial will become a full rollout early next year.  "The demand is no different to the demand for MIQ spots, where there is 10s of thousands of people." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you noticed the announcement blitz the Government is on ever since John Key’s piece got massive coverage? Hit a nerve anyone? I found it amusing how on the one hand, they called it insulting and simplistic, while on the other hand saying they were implementing a lot of his ideas.  So, which is it? Simplistic and insulting, or good enough for you to go ahead with? Either way, they’ve been dragging the chain on the ideas for so long, that if anything, at least his piece elicited some action. Because this Government is reactive, it hates bad press. It'll be alarmed to have had a swing taken at it, given it's become used to a fawning compliant media. The fact commentators are turning will be new and startling territory.  Combine Key’s critique of them with a bad poll result, and whammo, they’re going to start announcing some stuff. Watch all the announcements roll out this week; we’ve already had RSE workers, private quarantine for business trials, vaccine passport ideas and boundary exemptions for Aucklande

The Ministry for Culture and Heritage has confirmed construction on the controversial Mt. Erebus memorial will start shortly. Protestors have delayed the memorial for over two hundred days by camping on the land, which is in Parnell's Dove-Myer Robinson Park. Those opposed insist it's on a former pā site, it will damage a giant pōhutukawa  and turn a place of joy into mourning.  Waitemata local board member Sarah Trotman who voted against memorial, joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National has a plan to reunite New Zealand families for Christmas It's set to unveil a new 50-page plan this morning to allow safe travel in and out of New Zealand by December Leader Judith Collins says the current MIQ system is a "dreadful lottery". She told Kate Hawkesby the new system is the first immediate step towards reopening New Zealand to the rest of the world "It covers all of the aspects that we need to make sure that we have in place for the next twelve months at least, it is absolutely something the Government could start right now.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I wonder whether Greta Thunberg has been burnt by her moment in the sun.  Small time young climate crusader makes huge splash onto international stage, gets lauded across the globe and becomes a big star and icon for young people. And then, well, what happens next? Swiping and sniping at world leaders is nothing new, she had a few goes at Trump. But then, who didn’t? But now, now, she’s had the audacity to come for our great leader. Our revered saviour and high priestess, our beloved Jacinda who claimed climate change was our nuclear moment.  She possibly did not imagine when she said that, that it would include Greta Thunberg going nuclear on her. Thunberg has said Ardern “knows nothing” about climate change. She says Ardern’s doing nothing, and that our greenhouse gas emissions have not fallen under Ardern’s watch. Whatever would Greta think if she knew of our recalcitrant high flying Green MP James Shaw?  What if she knew the co-leader of our Greenest party of them all, was zipping round the globe to talk

Low satisfaction levels for the new MIQ booking system. It had its first run at the start of last week, and will be in action again this evening In a Grounded Kiwis survey about 900 respondents gave the new system an overall rating of 3 point 6 out of 10.  A quarter of them say they had technical difficulties.  AUT computer scientist Ken Johnson told Kate Hawkesby the lobby system was developed in response to automated scripts and bots.  "In a way, the lobby system is much fairer, of course. But it does have its own problems." The next tranche of spots will be released this evening from 5pm. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's concern that  outcomes for New Zealanders living with dementia are going downhill, fast. Alzheimers NZ's Dementia Economic Impact Report shows dementia among Māori, Pasifika and Asian communities will more than double by 2050. It also estimates dementia will cost us nearly six-billion dollars a year by then too -- and one in four Kiwis will die with the condition. Chief executive Catherine Hall says our support services for those living with dementia are woefully inadequate.  "We need to be getting ready and starting to tackle this big and growing challenge now, because it isn't going anywhere and it is only going to get worse." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One-way quarantine free travel for seasonal workers from a handful of Pacific countries, starts next week.  Workers from Vanuatu will begin arriving on Monday, and Samoan and Tongan workers the following Tuesday.  They'll have to have a vaccine dose before they come, self-isolate and be tested on day zero and five.  Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor told Kate Hawkesby there'll be health measures in place.  "It won't be easy; it will require people to keep an eye on things. They'll be checked out by health to make sure it's suitable. We have to make sure there are people available that will be doing the testing." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sir John Key’s piece yesterday was so good it ran front-page across two rival news websites. If you haven’t read it, look it up. It’s refreshing. You can’t argue with common sense, and it was so fortifying to see someone being ambitious for our country, someone being sensible and forward-thinking and optimistic, someone not bogged down with fear and a hermit mentality.It laid bare what we’ve been missing all this time. Grown-ups. People with proper ideas and tangible solutions.When inexperience is at the helm, you get bogged down in the minutiae of laborious detail. The same way you get dragged into an argument with a toddler who refuses to put clothes on to go out into the cold. You find yourself pointlessly arguing at their level a thousand different ways. And I feel like that’s what’s been happening in the last few weeks with our Covid response. We’ve been getting bogged down in flawed ideology peddled by an inexperienced unambitious government, which has left us dissecting and debating stuff that isn’t ev

With Mental Health Awareness Week kicking off today businesses are being told to take note.The event aims to get more Kiwis talking about how they feel in the hopes to raise awareness and combat the mental health crisis.Randstad New Zealand Director Katherine Swan told Kate Hawkesby workplaces should make the most of it, especially with what research is indicating.“Work-life balance is ranked the number one driver for people when they're looking for a new role, and people are ranking that over salary benefits, so they're saying ‘this is actually very important to us’.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Support for the views of Sir John Key.Some have labelled the former Prime Minister's assessment of the Government's Covid-19 response as naive and out of touch.But an outspoken critic of the Government's Covid response is backing Key's views.Auckland University Emeritus Professor of Medicine Des Gorman told Kate Hawkesby the Government is relying too much on fear to get people vaccinated.“Fear’s not the way you get sustainable changes in human behaviour. Fear makes people unwell. We need to demonstrate to people what the rewards and privileges are of vaccination and complying with public health measures.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Germany's center-left Social Democrats were locked in a very close race Sunday with outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right bloc, which is heading toward its worst-ever result in the country's parliamentary election, projections showed.Top officials from both parties said they hope to lead Germany's next government and have their candidates succeed Merkel, who has been in power since 2005.Projections for ARD public television, based on exit polls and early counting, put voters' support at 24.9% for the Social Democrats — which is putting forth outgoing Vice Chancellor Olaf Scholz for chancellor — and 24.7% for Merkel’s Union bloc under would-be successor state governor Armin Laschet.Separate projections for ZDF public television put the Social Democrats ahead by 25.6% to 24.4%. Both put the environmentalist Greens in third place with about 15% support.Those results would be the worst for the Union bloc in post-World War II Germany.The electoral system typically produces coalition governments b

The All Blacks are playing arguably their fiercest rivals this weekend; the Springboks. This will be the first time the two teams have met since the 2019 World Cup, where the All Blacks won their pool game, but South Africa took home the trophy. The Boks come to the game after back-to-back losses to the Wallabies, can they bounce back?  South African sports correspondent Sias du Plessis joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Now we've accepted we're going to have to learn to live with Covid-19, can we please have a clear plan? Listening to the PM and Chris Hipkins and the good Doctor this week, I sense they realise this last lockdown needs to be just that, the last lockdown. We were scared at the beginning, and we've been cowed into compliance over the past couple of years. But I sense now that New Zealanders, Aucklanders for one set of reasons, South Islanders for another set of reasons, are over it. Another lockdown would be the death knell for a lot of businesses and a lot of jobs. And compliance won't come so easily; just look at Melbourne to see what happens when enough people get riled up by enough false information. Right now, we're getting the platitudes and the patronising talk on vaccinations. But there's no target and no plan for what happens once the rush to get jabbed becomes a trickle. We may already be near peak vaccine coverage. So, we need a plan, because we're going to have to live with this. Some people will ge

Retail chain Farmers has told Auckland office staff to go back to the office in Level Three, or be reduced to 80 percent pay.  At the same time, the Government line is that if people can work from home at Level Three, they should. First Union organiser Ben Peterson joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People are losing out on money paid for holiday accommodation they can't use in lockdown. Consumer New Zealand has been receiving up to 15 Covid-19 related accommodation complaints a week during Alert Levels Three and Four. Many are from people who can't get refunds for booked accommodation. Spokesperson Gemma Rasmussen told Tim Dower people should check the terms and conditions.  "When you look at policies, for example Airbnb, the cancellation policies are really variable, and ultimately you as a consumer are signing up to this." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m feeling for the events industry this morning, another industry left in a holding pattern by the Government, playing a waiting game of will we, won’t we. It’s a familiar game by now for South Islanders and everyone outside of Auckland, and for many hospitality outlets still. Level 2 is still not Level 1. There’s still a big difference. And if you’re looking down the barrel of summer festival season, it’s tough to call at this point. We‘ve been given some incentives of sorts; get vaccinated, and freedoms may come back. But no guarantees. And with the Government still refusing to admit it’s given up on elimination, it leaves room for a lot of doubt as to whether we will ever truly be free this year. If their version of elimination, which Bloomfield says no longer means zero cases, but still includes eradication and stamping it out. Don’t you love how they keep re-defining what elimination means? Anyway, if they keep that up, then is Level 1 really an option until we’re virtually all vaccinated? And look, no