Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald

I’m 50/50 on this idea the Government’s got of letting people do citizens arrests.   For security guards? Yes. For every other member of the public? It’s a definite no for me.  Let’s start with security guards and why I think these powers would be good for them.   How long have we been saying that they need more teeth to do their job? Ages.  And what we’ve meant by that, is the...

Who would want to be Andrew Bayly today?  The disgraced, now former minister, resigned because he touched a staff member during what he’s describing as an “animated discussion”.    And now his political career is toast. As it should be, because in 2025, you just don’t touch people in the workplace.   You don't touch people in the workplace when you’re happy with them, and you c...

Spend up large. That’s my message to the Government. Go large, spend up big and drag our military into the 21st century. That’s not me having a go at the military, by the way. Anyone reading this at Burnham Camp, for example, might feel like I’m having a go at them. But I’m not. But, what I am saying, is that we need to be spending more on defence - and I’m not saying that just because of what’s g...

Do you know why the Government has failed to meet all of its child poverty targets?   The overarching reason I’m talking about here. Because this is really complex and there are all sorts of reasons why kids end-up living in poverty and why politicians, generally, fail to fix the problem.   So the main reason why nothing seems to be achieved in this area. Why do you think that is?  ...

Today on Politics Friday, John MacDonald was joined by Matt Doocey and Duncan Webb to delve into some of the topics listeners are most interested in.  They mark the anniversary of the Christchurch Earthquake, which occurred 14 years ago tomorrow.   Rangiora’s after-hours clinic is still not underway, but some certainty has been gained after the Waimakariri District Council has offered to...

Adrian Orr. Champion of the people.   Well, that might be going a bit too far. But the Reserve Bank Governor was speaking my language when he says that dropping the Official Cash Rate, like he did yesterday, is just the start and that the banks have to do their bit too. And I couldn’t agree more.   He was having a dig at their profit margins. But for me generally, I don't give two hoots...

I reckon most of us, when we fill out the census papers, assume that the information we’re providing won’t end up in the wrong hands.   I know there are some people who don't feel like that. People who just don't want to give personal information to anyone - especially the government. Or the state.   The Wizard of Christchurch was known over the years for refusing to take part in the cen...

Labour Leader Chris Hipkins joined John MacDonald this morning to give his thoughts on some of the biggest stories of the week.  The integrity of the public service is being called into question after Census data was allegedly misused – how will this impact trust in the future?  Hipkins believes the GP shortage is the biggest factor impacting demand at Christchurch Hospital ED, so what w...

Already, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is looking ahead to whenever a ceasefire might happen in Ukraine and has said that, if or when it does, he’d be happy to send troops in to keep the peace.   It was too early for PM Christopher Luxon to confirm the Government's interest in sending troops to Ukraine once there’s a ceasefire during his regular appearance on the Mike Hosking Breakfast...

When I saw Brian Tamaki on the news last night, he looked more pompous than ever. Pompous - not pious. Because he was the one who instructed his so-called followers to disrupt that drag artist’s kids show and protest at the Auckland Rainbow Parade at the weekend. From the pictures I’ve seen, both of those events looked pretty ugly. His idea. Under his instructions. And I’ve had a gutsful of this g...

I’m starting to wonder whether it was just a fluke that we managed to build things like the big hydro dams back in the day without them falling over. Without them falling apart. Cracking under the pressure.   Because, when you consider achievements like that, it makes it laughable that we don’t seem to be capable anymore of really simple stuff like fixing roads.   An example is Halswell...

Today on Politics Friday John MacDonald was joined in studio by National’s Matt Doocey and Labour’s Tracey McLellan.  They discussed yesterday’s supermarket announcement: does the Government really believe another player will enter the scene, or is it all just talk?  Why has some mental health funding been redistributed when New Zealand continues to suffer through a mental health crisis?...

John MacDonald was joined by Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger for a chat about the biggest issues concerning residents.  Christchurch City Councillors have adopted their Draft Annual Plan.  It now proposes a 7.58% overall rates increase, down from the originally-drafted 8.93%. They achieved this not by cost cutting, as well as paying off less debt, resulting in next year’s rates increasing...

Let me give a shout out to Christchurch City Councillor Melanie Coker, who has told her council colleagues that what they are doing by not paying-off debt to keep the rates rise this year lower and then stinging us with an even bigger increase next year, is misleading.   That’s how she’s describing this smoke and mirrors way councillors are trimming-back this year’s rates increase with one th...

If you thought Three Waters was a dog, how are you feeling now, with the news out today that the Christchurch City Council is looking at going all user pays on it when it comes to water?   And this isn’t strictly a conversation about Christchurch. It’s a conversation about your philosophical position when it comes to water – something essential to all of us. And I’d be dead against charging p...

A man of many stage names, Mark Lizotte, better known as Diesel, joined John MacDonald live from Australia for a chat.  He’ll be taking to the stage in a couple of week’s time as a part of the line up for Selwyn Sounds.  He and John talked about his career and it continuing to flourish with the release of new music and his pre-show habit of weather forecasting. Plus, John learned about h...

Whenever people used to bang on about Christopher Luxon being the next John Key —which, I think we all agree now, he isn’t— but whenever I used to hear that talk, I pooed-pooed it.   All because of what the two of them did before they got into politics.   And the fact that Luxon isn’t another John Key is why we’ve got two new political polls telling us that, if an election was held now,...

So the Government's doing all sorts of things to try and get rich migrants into the country - except one thing. Which it should be doing. Former immigration minister Stuart Nash was on Newstalk ZB this morning saying it's time to lift the ban on foreigners buying houses. And I agree with him. The so-called 'golden visa' the Government announced yesterday is going to mean an end to the English lang...

After all his talk about asset sales, David Seymour has obviously been scratching his head like the rest of us, wondering what we’ve actually got left to sell. And he’s got Christchurch Airport in his sights.   The Government —or the Crown— owns a 25% stake in the airport (which is the second largest in the country) and the ACT Party leader is saying today that he doesn’t think it should. And...

Today on Politics Friday, John MacDonald was joined in studio by Hamish Campbell and Reuben Davidson.   David Seymour thinks the Crown should sell its share in the Christchurch City Airport – is it wise to sell off a profit-making asset?   Eastgate Mall has made headlines for its crime this week, as MP for Christchurch East, will Rueben be asking for more police?  And should we be n...

Be very nervous.  That’s my advice regarding the Government’s big re-set for state housing provider Kāinga Ora.  Don’t get me wrong. Some of the stuff it’s doing makes perfect sense. But, overall, there’s potential for it to be a real cluster.  Let’s start with the positives, though. It seemed to me that, under Labour, Kāinga Ora had become some sort of urban development agency.&nbs...

I tell you what, I am almost torn on this talk today about New Zealand pulling out of the Paris climate agreement. The one we’re signed up to along with a truckload of other countries - and which US president Donald Trump has just exited.   In fact, here are the numbers: we are one of out of 193 countries that are signed up members. That’s 193 out of the 197 countries that there are in the wo...

“There are dropkicks everywhere”. That's what someone said to me when we were talking about this situation around Eastgate Mall. This person I was talking to goes to Eastgate all the time and they were saying that they feel more  nervous going to Riccarton Mall. And I agreed with them. Sometimes the atmosphere outside Riccarton Mall can be pretty threatening. Which is why I think there is a s...

A mate was telling me last night how surprised he was that he was breath-tested by the police yesterday afternoon.   If he’d been riding an e-scooter, though, he would have been waived straight through.   If he’d been riding an e-scooter he also wouldn’t have been drug-tested. He also wouldn’t have had to have the thing registered like any other vehicle.   Which the AA is saying tod...

In the first Politics Friday of 2025, John MacDonald was joined by Matt Doocey and Megan Woods to dig into some of the biggest political stories of the week.  New data reveals that ACC paid out almost $15 million for e-scooter injuries last year, a nearly 50% increase on the year before – is it time for the businesses operating them to pay levies?  What does Megan make of Shane Jones hon...