Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

Chris Hipkins State of Nation speech and all tax policies being on the table again  In his first major speech as opposition leader, Chris Hipkins gave a State of Nation speech on Sunday.   Tax was a big focus, as the way we live and work continues to change with a smaller proportion of the workforce earning taxable salary and wages.   ZB Political Editor Jason Walls tells Mike Hosking that the speech lacked detail on actual tax policy, being so early in the opposition campaign.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's GDP per capita paints a worse picture than the headline figure.   Stats NZ data shows GDP dropped 0.1 percentage points in the final quarter of last year.   After negative growth in the previous quarter, it pushes New Zealand into a technical recession.   Per capita, there was a 0.7% drop in the quarter.   ANZ senior economist Miles Workman told Mike Hosking that taking immigration into account, it's almost as bad as during the Global Financial Crisis.   He says during the GFC per capita GDP growth fell 4.2% and as of yesterday, after five consecutive quarterly declines, it's down 3.9%.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s some good news regarding King Charles' health.  Queen Camilla has been carrying out public duties while the King undergoes treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer.  She told crowds in Northern Ireland that her husband is doing well in his recovery.  UK correspondent Vincent McAviney told Mike Hosking that a woman at a local business gave her a get well soon card for the King.  He says Camilla told her Charles was doing very well and he was disappointed he couldn't come.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New and effective anti-migraine drugs aren't publicly funded in New Zealand, costing those with chronic migraine nearly $300 a month.  An Otago University survey suggests almost half of those with the disease meet the criteria for severe disability.   Some report paralysis on one side of the body and loss of coherent speech.  Neurologist Rosamund Hill told Mike Hosking that the medicine's publicly funded in Australia.  She says it's feasible for Pharmac to identify those at the worst end of the spectrum, and how these drugs would significantly change their lives.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s a hefty price for taxpayers to keep the Chateau Tongariro Hotel empty and in disrepair.  The Department of Conservation, which owns the land, has confirmed through an Official Information Act request that it will cost $2.2 million this financial year.  The heritage-listed site has been shut since February last year.  Ruapehu mayor Weston Kirton told Mike Hosking that there are issues around resolving the seismic reports, which put the hotel at high risk.  He says there's a willingness from the Government to resolve them but a timeline is needed to do that.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Harsher penalties and restrictions are coming into force as the Government starts its crackdown on vaping.  The Coalition will ban single use vapes and increase fines for selling vapes to under-18s from $10,000 to $100,000.  It's aiming to have all changes in place by the end of the year.  Asthma and Respiratory Foundation CEO Letitia Harding told Mike Hosking that this should’ve been tackled by the previous government.  The reality is, she said, there are no FDA approved products for smoking cessation, and if it actually is for that purpose then it should be under some sort of medical regulatory control.  Harding said that when vaping was introduced in 2017, people were pushing it as the ‘Holy Grail’ to smoking cessation, but the evidence was never out there that it was.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Economists are anticipating GDP growth close to zero for the last quarter.   The Reserve Bank's forecasting a flat zero percent, ANZ is expecting a 0.1 percentage point growth, while ASB anticipates a 0.2-point drop.  If today's economic growth figures are negative New Zealand will enter a technical recession after the last quarter also saw negative growth.   NZ Initiative executive director Oliver Hartwich told Mike Hosking that if it goes slightly up or down it doesn't matter as GDP per capita is what's important.   He says it plays out against a background of record immigration with a net intake of 140-thousand people, which means we're going backwards on a per capita basis.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A re-opening of Northland's Marsden Point Oil Refinery could be on the cards.  The Government's investigating the feasibility of doing so as part of a study into New Zealand's fuel security requirements.  The privately-owned fuel refinery was decommissioned in 2022 to become an import-only fuel terminal.  Associate Energy Minister Shane Jones told Mike Hosking the Marsden Point investigation is a small part of the fuel resilience strategy he's drawing up.  He says in fairness to the last Government, they did put effort into resilience after the refinery closed.  Jones says it all's down to who will pay the $80 million a year to boost the amount of oil we have onshore.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another photo of the Royal Family has been revealed to be edited.  Getty Images has revealed that a photo of the late Queen was “digitally enhanced at source”, adding an editor's note to the image.  The Palace shared the picture on the 21st of April last year on what would have been the Queen’s 97th birthday, saying it was taken by the Princess of Wales at Balmoral in the summer of 2022.   UK Correspondent Gavin Grey told Mike Hosking that while many people may have suspected images were being edited, it’s now been confirmed.  While these images are relatively benign in their edits, the lack of disclosure does set a precedent.  Grey said it may lead to things like war images being doctored to make it look better or worse than it actually is.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Road user charges are in for a shake-up after an accidental Government U-turn.  Owners of plug-in hybrids will pay $38 per thousand kilometres, a reduction from the planned $53.  The Government accidentally supported a Labour amendment on the matter.  AA spokesperson Terry Collins told Mike Hosking that the clean car discount was working last year so we'll have to wait and see what happens when it gets shut down.  He suspects there'll be a pause in the market.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A local business owner says there needs to be more action on retail crime.   Police data shows more than 400 retail crimes were reported a day last year, with six staff a day complaining to police they'd been assaulted.  Sandringham Business Association Chair Jithin Chittibomma told Mike Hosking the Government has changed, but there's still the same people in the public service they dealt with under the last Government.   He says they're still putting the data in front of ministers but they haven't seen any change on the ground yet.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's about to become more expensive to complete the country's Great Walks.  The Department of Conservation is increasing prices in July for the first time in four years.  Hut and campsite prices will rise by 18% for all walks except Paparoa.  Backpacker Youth Adventure Tourism Association chair Haydn Marriner told Mike Hosking that there's a two-year waiting period for businesses to change their costs.  He says it will be built into the costs and while the increase is quite high, crews and businesses do a heap of work to maintain the walks.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A five-year legal battle against Uber has come to an end.  Uber has been ordered to pay $272 million to Australian taxi operators, covering the loss of income and license values since the rideshare app entered the market.  The class action settlement was reached yesterday and is the fifth largest settlement in Australian history.  Australian Correspondent Donna Demaio told Mike Hosking that it works out to be about $33,800 per taxi driver.  She said that lawyers called it a “gruelling battle”, Uber fighting “tooth and nail” every day for those five years.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's crackdown on antisocial Kainga Ora tenant behaviour is being labelled a "move back to the real world".  It's instructed Kainga Ora to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and strengthen its management of disruptive tenants.  Former Monte Cecelia Housing Trust chief executive Bernie Smith says the issues it's having are generations in the making.   He told Mike Hosking that the previous government's soft approach created a lot of mayhem for tenants and homeowners trying to live in peace.   Smith says they allowed tenants to remain in homes no matter the illegal activity or issues they were creating for their neighbours.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mouldy and flooding courtrooms, the district court backlog, and legal aid issues are among problems the country's courts are facing.   Chief Justice Dame Helen Winkelmann has released her latest briefing to Attorney-General Judith Collins.   It outlines the need to raise the cap on the number of senior court judges, and under-funding in courtroom maintenance.  Criminal Bar Association President Annabel Creswell told Mike Hosking the issue of the cap on judges has been raised for years.   She says everything the Chief Justice has outlined have been problems for a long time, but they're worse since Covid and since the population has increased.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealanders are drinking less alcohol than previously thought.  Auckland University has carried out the country's first large-scale trial of testing wastewater to monitor alcohol consumption.  It found the average alcohol consumption to be 1.2 standard drinks per day for people over 15 years, lower than the World Health Organisation's 2018 estimate.  Alcohol Beverage Council executive director Virginia Nicholls told Mike Hosking that the report didn't factor in responsible drinking.  She says 86% of Kiwis are drinking responsibly, but it's a concern that 16% are drinking in a hazardous way.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Winston Peters delivered a State of Nation speech yesterday to a crowd of around 600 people.  The speech came following the first 100 days of Government and included controversial statements comparing co-governance to the Nazi regime.   ZB Political Editor Jason Walls tells Mike Hosking the New Zealand First leader was firmly back on campaign mode with cracks at the media and opposition, but the speech was mostly focused on going forward.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UK Secretary of State for Defence Grant Shapps abandoned a Ukraine port visit in Odessa for security reasons.  UK & Europe correspondent Gavin Grey tells mike Hosking Shapps travelled with the intention to meet Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy and senior members of his wartime administration but Russian missile attacks on the city meant the trip was cancelled abruptly.  Meanwhile, friends of Princess Diana have reacted to an ad using her fatal crash to promote euthanasia in France. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the first inwards visit from a Chinese leader for some time, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi visits New Zealand today.  Executive Director of the NZ China Council Alistair Crozier describes the country’s relationship with China as positive but says NZ will be seeking re-assurances about China’s intentions in the Pacific.  Crozier tells Mike Hosking about what is on the agenda for the Foreign Minister’s visit.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Colossal rate hikes are looming for homeowners as councils contend with rising construction and insurance costs.   Local Government New Zealand says rates around the country will rise by an average of 15%. It says the main factor contributing to the rates escalation is the costs of civil construction.   Vice President Campbell Barry told Mike Hosking that these costs are 20% higher now than predicted, and that’s on top of inflation.   He says bridges have gone up around 36% over the last three years, and similar increases are seen with roads and water networks.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.