Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald

Labour Leader Chris Hipkins joined John MacDonald for their regular catchup on Canterbury Mornings.   The compulsory inclusion of tikanga Māori in law studies has ignited debate. Does Hipkins feel it has a place in our legal system? Should its study be compulsory?   He was quick to make an assessment of the Government’s plan for a 'mega-prison' out at Waikeria and voice his views on Mark Mitchell...

Don’t go thinking that I’m soft on crime or pro-criminal or anything like that. But I think this idea the Government’s got of having a mega prison as part of its investment in the Corrections Service, I think it’s an idea that sucks.   What it’s doing is it’s reviving a plan to build a mega-prison in Waikato with an 810-bed extension of Waikeria Prison. Which means, all up, there will be 1,865 bed...

It’s time to get nervous. Very nervous.   I’m talking here about the Government’s big water announcement. It’s starting with Auckland but, right around the country, changes are on the way.   Auckland is first cab off the rank because it already has an outfit separate from Auckland Council’s other operations running drinking water supply. That’s Watercare.   But, once it gets the laws it needs, the...

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The Come Together tribute series continues in Christchurch this week, with a group of superstar Kiwi musicians performing The Joshua Tree.    Milan Borich, lead singer of the band Pluto, joined John MacDonald on Newstalk ZB Canterbury Mornings to talk about the show, his favourite U2 song of all time, and the intimidation of paying tribute to a band like U2 and those 'hero notes'.   LISTEN ABOVE  ...

Today on Politics Friday John MacDonald was joined by National's Vanessa Weenink and Labour’s Duncan Webb.   They discussed the recent behaviour from MPs, will complaints be laid?   Education is getting a facelift, is it time for a combined plan for a long-term approach to education in New Zealand to prevent our young people becoming guinea pigs?   AUKUS: should New Zealand be seeking to join it o...

One of the cliches people often use when they’re talking about politicians and the way they behave in Parliament is that they behave like “a bunch of kids”.   I’ve been hearing people say that forever. And, of course, what they’re talking about is the way politicians sometimes lose their rag when they’re debating things in the House.   But Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter went next level last nigh...

Back again for his regular interview, Christchurch’s Mayor Phil Mauger joined John MacDonald in studio on Canterbury Mornings.   They dug into the funding issues plaguing Christchurch including updates on the Arts Centre and Cathedral and got the mayor’s thoughts on the Waimakariri and Selwyn Councils’ refusal to contribute to the new stadium.   Plus, are the new East Christchurch liaison staff go...

Remember it wasn’t that long ago that, if you saw someone doing some dodgy driving, you’d wonder whether they got their licence in a WeetBix box.   I haven’t heard anyone use that line for a while.   But what it meant, of course, was that someone’s driving was so bad it looked as if they didn’t have to do anything to get behind the wheel, to get their licence.   Just like a rugby card or whatever...

It feels to me like big brother is being put in his place. And I think it’s brilliant. Well, maybe not completely in his place. But we’re getting there, with this announcement by the Government that it’s going to make it easier for us to get loans and mortgages by giving banks and finance companies more flexibility to decide how they assess whether someone can afford a loan or not. And it’s going...

You know how you hear people talk about “the million dollar question”? Today, it’s a $13 million dollar question that needs answering. It’s all to do with the streets around the new stadium in the centre of Christchurch: Te Kaha. You might remember, a while back, how the council came up with this idea of spending $34 million getting the streets ready for the stadium opening in 2026. And how it wan...

Today on Politics Friday National’s Matt Doocey and Labour’s Tracey McLellan joined John MacDonald to dive into this week’s biggest political stories.   Christchurch City Council will soon be making decisions surrounding the funding of the new stadium: should the $13 million price tag be paid by ratepayers? Or should the project be put on hold until NZTA can come up with the funding?   The Reserve...

Savage and rushed. That’s how the Public Service Association is describing the Government’s crackdown on public sector spending, after another 1,000 job cuts were announced yesterday alone. Taking the total so far to more than 3,000.   I’m going to add “flying blind” to that description. Because I think these cuts are starting to look like cuts for the sake of cuts.   And I think everyone involved...

Funding issues have struck Christchurch, with the Cathedral, the Arts Centre, the A&P Show, and Orana Park all facing financial strife.   Mayor Phil Mauger joined John MacDonald to dig into the issues, touching as well on the issue of begging on the streets of Christchurch and the timeline of the Council’s new CEO.   LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every time something terrible or tragic happens you hear people trot out a line which, I think, is totally meaningless.   Maybe I’ve just become too cynical in my old age. But it was trotted out again on TV last night by a reporter talking about the appalling knife attacks at the mall in Sydney at the weekend.   He was talking about an investigation that’s being launched to look into what happened...

It seems to me that the rough sleepers are back on Colombo Street, outside Ballantynes.   I went past this morning on the way in and there were a few of them there in the doorway. They were there last week, too. After what seems like ages.   But, it doesn’t seem to be the central city where homeless people are causing the most problems at the moment. Or, more correctly, it doesn’t seem to be the c...

Today on Politics Friday John MacDonald was joined by National’s Matt Doocey and Labour’s Megan Woods to discuss this week’s biggest stories.   They discussed Puberty Blockers, and what the Government will do about us prescribing ten times the number they do in the UK? Will National’s tenancy laws make life worse for renters? Is it time to build more houses? And what does Matt, as the Mental Healt...

It happens all the time in New Zealand, doesn't it? Something goes pear-shaped and people start banging-on about the Government needing to step-in and do something.   And the banging-on is loud in relation to the job losses confirmed by Warner Brothers Discovery and TVNZ.   Newshub is closing, as proposed. And TVNZ is ditching the Sunday programme, as proposed. As well as other bulletins and the m...

Instead of banging-on about things like fining parents who don’t send their kids to school, the Government should be finding out what’s already working to sort out school truancy.   They won’t do that, though, because some of the things I’ve been reading about would go down like a cup of the proverbial with voters. And you’ve got to keep the voters sweet, don’t you?   The one truancy initiative th...

Chris Hipkins says it's important to look beyond school attendance headlines to what's behind the numbers.   The Government's unveiled plans to improve reporting of attendance data and bring in a traffic light system of interventions for truant students.   It will also release new public health guidance about when a student is well enough to go to school.   The Labour leader told John MacDonald th...

Do you reckon politicians stay in the job too long? Christopher Luxon thinks so. And I agree with him.   Some of them, anyway. They’re a bit like the milk that no one chucks out of the office fridge and one morning you turn-up, go to make yourself a cuppa and there are little floaty bits in your cup.   That’s kind of what the Prime Minister was getting at yesterday with a comment he made when he w...

I am calling time on my support for the reinstatement of the Anglican cathedral in Cathedral Square. Because we now know that what we suspected is, in fact, true and the whole project is in financial strife and may be about to come to a complete standstill.   The job is bigger than first thought and the project needs to find an extra $114 million - taking the overall cost to $248 million.   And he...

Some things should never be put to a vote. Because, if they were, nothing would happen. Nothing would change.   I’m not the only one who knows this. The Government knows it too. That’s why it’s telling local councils that, if they want to set-up a separate ward for Māori voters, they have to have a public referendum first.   The councils are telling the Government to butt out. And I agree with the...

Today on Politics Friday John MacDonald was joined by National's Hamish Campbell and Labour's Duncan Webb to dig into the biggest topics from the week. They discussed Māori wards and the need for a referendum, is the central Government interfering in locals' business? What chance does the Christchurch City Council have of changing the Marine Mammals Protection Act to keep the SailGP in Lyttelton? ...

When it comes to history lessons, our schools are focussing too much on local and Māori history, leaving out things like national and global history.   That’s what’s come through in a report out today from the Education Review Office. But, as someone who studied history at school and came away ignorant of a lot of New Zealand’s history, I don’t see what the problem is.   When I first went to live...