Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald

So we’ve found out who it really was who managed to get that bunch of teenagers off the roof of the Burnham youth justice facility at the weekend. It was Colonel Sanders. Ace negotiator Colonel Sanders. I know he just looks like a friendly old chap on the signs outside the KFC restaurants. But turns out the Colonel’s the guy to call-in if you’re trying to defuse a tense situation.   Which all star...

The line-up for Selwyn Sounds 2024 has been announced today, and as part of the line up Andrew Fagan from The Mockers joined John MacDonald. He’s going to be at Selwyn Sounds along with the Human League, Go West, Nik Kershaw and The Choirboys. John and  Andrew spoke about music and his other great love - sailing. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christchurch Mayor, Phil Mauger, joined John MacDonald on Canterbury Mornings. They discussed the annual plan and the rates increase of six percent, will this mean more of an increase next year? He's increase his Footpath Fix It Patrol funding, who will that operate? And as he nears his sister city trip to Seattle, what are the real benefits of these relationships? LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.co...

For a long time now, I’ve thought that we have way too many universities in New Zealand. And the current situation with the Government coming out with this $128 million dollar funding package only reinforces my view. The money is going to mean universities getting more subsidies for degree and post-graduate enrolments over the next two years. It’s another one of these one-size-fits-all band aids t...

We need to get a grip. Big time. I’m talking about all the huffing and puffing that’s going on about the Prime Minister going to China with two planes. Just in case one of them breaks down. America has Air Force 1. We have NZ 2. All the old-guard have been up-in-arms about it. The first thing they’ve been banging on about is Chris Hipkins taking two planes when the Government’s been telling us we’...

Imagine being the victim of a crime and you’re sitting in court for the sentencing of the person who offended against you. You listen to both sides of the argument putting their case for a stronger sentence or a lighter sentence. You might even read out a victim impact statement. Or it might be read out on your behalf. And then, after all that, the judge clears their throat and starts to read out...

Remember the Gliding On TV show about New Zealand’s tired old Public Service? It was a sit-com written by Roger Hall - adapted from a play he’d written called Glide Time and, if you remember it, you’ll know how it was about four staff working at a government supply office in the early 80s. I use the term “working” quite loosely. The show ran between 1981 and 1985 which meant it came to an end righ...

John MacDonald was joined by Megan Woods and Gerry Brownlee in studio for Politics Friday. How has the Labour Party reacted internally to the resignation of Michael Wood? Is the Prime Minister as annoyed as he portrayed? In the light of the review into Banking in New Zealand, does KiwiBank still have a place, and what do they think of offshore energy sourcing in New Zealand? LISTEN ABOVE   See omn...

If I owned a dairy, I might think very differently. But I don’t and, maybe, that’s why I can’t say that I agree with what the Dairy and Business Owners Group is calling for. They’ve had a gutsful of what they’re describing as “14-year-old ratbags” getting away with nicking stuff and ram raiding their shops. There’s all the violence involved too. And so they’re saying that, if the kids are getting...

You know how the number of sheep in New Zealand is down? That’s according to stats which came out a month or so ago which, of course, prompted a fresh round of sheep jokes - especially across the Tasman. Well, they are - and even though we might still have a fair number of sheep, I reckon there’s another breed that we’re being outnumbered by - and that’s local councillors. Maybe not as many as onc...

I think the people of Hornby are pushing it uphill with this campaign of theirs to get their local police station operating 24-hours-a-day again. They’re obviously more optimistic than me, though, because they’ve got a petition going and they're going to be presenting it to police metro commander Lane Todd when he fronts up to a public meeting tonight. There’s no denying the fact that crime in Hor...

I’m going to be totally honest and upfront with you about this policy in Auckland where surgeons have been told they need to give Maori and Pacific patients higher priority for treatment. I’m always honest but, on this one, I’m going to tell you how I feel about it - but also admit that I’d probably think differently if it was me or someone close to me affected by a policy like this. On paper, I t...

This could be seen as a slippery slope. Or just a pragmatic idea worth thinking about. I’m talking about the New Zealand Initiative think tank, which doesn't think it makes sense for New Zealand to keep banning people from being paid to donate blood plasma. It says we should be paying them. I think what they’re saying is very pragmatic and, in fact, I’d extend it. I think we should start paying pe...

Matt Doocey and Duncan Webb joined John MacDonald for Politics Friday this week on Canterbury Mornings. They discussed blood donations - do we need to pay people to make one? New Zealand is in a technical recession - what does this mean for us? And why is the state of our mental health system so bad? LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you see all those Mongrel Mob guys taking over the streets of Ōpōtiki on the TV news last night? Talk about riding roughshod. Hanging out on the decks of utes, the motorbikes and all that. Oh yes, and the Police standing on the sidelines filming them with their phones. I didn’t know I carried a policing device around with me everyday - but I do. Because that’s what I saw the cops on the news i...

When you think of a police officer, do you think of someone out on the beat or cruising the streets in a patrol car? Or do you think of someone who doesn’t have the power to arrest anyone and is pushing pens back in the office? Because we’ve found out today that 270 of our 1800 new police officers - which the Government has been making a lot of noise about - won’t actually have the power to arrest...

The Retirement Village Residents Association have spoken out about the extreme costs some residents have been facing when it comes to maintenance and repairs to their properties. Is it fair that one couple paid $100 for the installation of a $5.80 toilet washer? John MacDonald spoke to President, Brian Peat about their concerns.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I reckon I’m like most people. Quick to think something’s a good idea but, if it means me forking out some of my own money, then the old enthusiasm can wane a bit. And that’s exactly how I’m feeling about the Green Party’s tax policy. I’ll tell you why shortly. But first, you will have heard and seen that there’s already been the usual whingeing about their idea of a wealth tax. The wealth tax cri...

Labour is toast. Who’s saying that, do you think? And do I agree with them? I’ll tell you shortly. First, though, I want to tell you about a book I’ve been reading called Atomic Habits. The basic gist of some of the stuff I’ve read so far, is that if you want to make significant changes, you can do it by making a whole lot of small changes and, incrementally, they’ll add-up to big change. And it t...

When Christopher Luxon became leader of the National Party, he was touted by some as the new John Key. And, as we know, like Christopher Luxon - John Key grew up in Christchurch. Luxon was middle class. Key, though, was on the other side of the tracks. Growing up in a state house in Burnside. The place John Key grew up in was one of those classic state houses. “Good bones”. That’s what people say...

National Party Leader, Christopher Luxon, is in Christchurch and joined John MacDonald on the show in studio. They discussed Kāinga   Ora housing, should residents know when a development is planned? What will he do to avoid a Michael Wood situation in his party, and how will he fix the terrible state of infrastructure in our country should he become Prime Minister? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com...

So the Prime Minister is saying today that the Transport Minister forgetting to sell his Auckland Airport shares - despite being asked to do it six times - could be one of those life admin tasks that the Transport Minister just hasn’t got around to. And I can relate to that. You know, it’s like if you’ve got gas hot water at home and the boss is in the shower and you hear a scream and the water’s...

Some people will be thinking that we’re going to hell in a handbasket today. Yesterday, Jacinda became a Dame and today, we’ve got a panel of experts saying that the voting age should be lowered to 16. 16! They’re just babies. No idea what they're doing. That’s what some people will be thinking. Not me, though. This independent panel also thinks the MMP threshold for getting into Parliament should...

There are two types of politicians in this world. It’s not left-wing or right-wing. And it applies to all politicians - central government and local government. The first type, are the ones who think we’re all stupid and will believe everything they say. The second type, are the ones who are so deluded that they actually believe everything they say themselves. And I’m trying to work out which cate...

34 seconds. That’s all it took. 34 seconds. That’s all it took victims advocate Ruth Money to sum up beautifully the shambles we seem to be in when it comes to crime in New Zealand. It’s a 34 second summary that I hope every politician gets to hear at some point today - if they haven’t heard it already - because it just shows what a cock-up they’ve made and continue to make when it comes to crime....