Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald

Did you hear National Party leader Christopher Luxon talking to Mike Hosking on Newstalk ZB this morning? I saw a message someone sent Mike after the interview, begging him to make Luxon look good! When you start seeing that sort of thing, you know you’re looking at a party leader on the ropes. Or is it the whole National Party on the ropes? In the past few days, we’ve had two examples of National...

Late last year, I had a catch-up with the Canterbury Metro Police Commander, Superintendent Lane Todd. It was just after there’d been a lot of chat about crime in the central city and whether we should be getting a police helicopter in Christchurch - all of that stuff. So I turned up at Police HQ in the centre of town and spent about an hour with Lane. It was a really useful meeting - especially w...

Should we be taking vehicles off drunk drivers? I say yes. And I’ll tell you why. It's been revealed this morning that a man who appeared in court in Christchurch last month and pleaded guilty to drink-driving, got behind the wheel again that very same day and ended up killing himself and another innocent driver. He was just 24. His name is Zejayohn Keyli-West Hurinui. The guy he crashed into and...

Because it’s Friday - I’m going to be kind. I was going to say that the Christchurch City Council is a disaster. But, just because it’s Friday, I’m not going to say that. But I am going to say that it’s a shambles. And I’m not just plucking words out of nowhere or saying it for the sake of saying it. I’m saying it because of what’s come through in the council’s latest residents satisfaction survey...

I know it was pretty cold this morning, but, despite all that, I hope you didn’t spend too long in the shower. Otherwise, you would’ve had Megan Woods knocking on the door telling you it was time to get out. So what we had yesterday was the Government launching a new campaign to give us tips on how to save money and deal with the cost of living crisis. And what Energy Minister Megan Woods says we...

At any time in your life, have you ever been so disrespectful of authority that you’ve given a police officer a whack or a hiding? I’m not talking here about muttering something under your breath after getting a speeding ticket. I’m talking about lashing out at a police officer. Have you ever done that? I have never done it. It has never crossed my mind and I can’t imagine a time in the future whe...

Remember a few weeks back when the Christchurch City Council’s economic development and tourism agency, ChristchurchNZ, was in the gun for trying to re-brand the city? Instead of Christchurch being the Garden City it wanted it to be the “City of Play”. But then the head of ChristchurchNZ got in touch and said it wasn’t the City of Play they wanted - it was “City of Balance”. And then went on to sa...

If you find yourself needing $140 million today, don’t panic. Just get on the phone to the Government. No means testing. None of that carry-on. You want it, you’ve got it. And if they tell you where to go, ask them what NZ Steel did differently. Or, more to the point, what its international parent company Bluescope did differently. Because, despite making nearly $3 billion in profit last year, the...

I think I can safely say that every politician who’s been banging on about the Budget since yesterday afternoon is a complete hypocrite. And I reckon you will think the same. The story starts with something that happened before Budget Day yesterday. In fact, it was one of the first things Police Minister Ginny Anderson fronted after she got the job. And it was to do with an issue that was hot then...

John MacDonald was joined by Labour's Dan Rosewarne and National's Gerry Brownlee for today's Budget Special edition of Politics Friday.  Why is $14 million being spent on MP security, when just $15 million is going into retail crime prevention? Will free prescriptions make a huge difference for New Zealanders and every day living costs? And should we be investing so much into Te Matatini funding....

A daft idea that sounds brilliant, but isn't. Like so many ideas - especially when it comes to being eco-friendly - this idea is one of those ones that makes people feel good. And they get so overwhelmed by “feeling good” about the idea, that they don’t actually test it or challenge it to see if it really is a good idea. Just “sounding” like a good idea is enough for some people. And that is exact...

Christchurch City Mayor, Phil Mauger joined John MacDonald in studio to discuss the failed attempt to gain chlorine exemption for Christchurch water. Has he 'reined in' his staff yet following his comments about the Rolleston Ave cycle way on Monday? And will subsiding e-bikes really be a game changer for the environment? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I have no problem with chlorine in the water. And, while they’re at it, I reckon they should stick fluoride in the stuff as well. Maybe I’ve just become used to the chlorine. Although we do have one of those filter jugs on the bench. Either way, it doesn’t bother me. Christchurch City Council, though, thinks very differently. Last night, it put out a media release that - I have to say - would be o...

I don’t know how many people I’ve spoken to recently who have said they’ve got no idea which party they’re going to vote for in the election this year. Just yesterday, a died-in-the-wool Labour leftie said the same to me. No idea who to vote for. Certainly won’t be Labour, they said. And the National Party didn’t make things any easier yesterday with this idea to start sending receipts to taxpayer...

Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger has come out firing today. He’s accusing his council’s staff of “running amok” and says they need to be “reined in”. They're his actual words. “They're running amok and they need to be reined in”. But wait, there’s more. He’s also describing his transport staff as "the anti-car brigade". He’s not alone either. Some of the other usual suspects have weighed-in. Council...

Do you really think kids get a better education if they go to a private school? Parents at St Cuthbert’s, a private school in Auckland, think so because they’re backing the school’s decision to drop NCEA Level 1. A quick reminder how the NCEA system works. In Year 11 (which is the old Form 5) the kids can do NCEA Level 1 (which, if you need to think about it in the old ways - is the equivalent of...

John MacDonald spoke to Megan Woods and Gerry Brownlee for Politics Friday to discuss their views on our education system - is private better than our public system? Where the Grant Robertson find his $4 billion , and what should it be spent on? And will the National party rule out working with New Zealand First following the upcoming election should they be successful?  LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystu...

If you’re one of the idiots I saw ploughing through the surface flooding on Brougham Street this morning doing at least 50 kph - probably more - then that’s what you are. You’re an idiot. That’s what I said out loud when I saw you. In fact, there was another word that came before the idiot bit but I won’t repeat that. And you’re the type of idiot that motor racing legend and road safety campaigner...

I don’t know about you, but whenever I take a car in for a warrant I invariably decide to stick around and head straight to the waiting area. And if it’s at one of those places where you can see the workshop, I try to resist watching - but I can’t help it. So I see my car at the front of the queue, and I watch one of the inspectors grab the keys off the board and make their way up to it. I say “ma...

I reckon the best description of the King’s Coronation that I’ve seen was by a journalist in the UK who said it was “huge, hideous, exquisite and sacred”. Four words that sum it up brilliantly. Which is exactly how I felt when I watched it the other night. I thought it was a brilliant spectacle - but I felt absolutely no connection at all to the Monarchy. And I thought it was completely irrelevant...

One of the greatest albums of all time, Neil Young's Harvest will be recreated by a supergroup of New Zealand artists, track by track in its entirety plus a bonus set of classics and deep cuts. Featuring Jon Toogood, Sam Scott, James Milne, Adam Hattaway, Dianne Swann, Jol Mulholland, Bret Adams, Matthias Jordan and more. John MacDonald spoke to local artist Adam Hattaway about his involvement. Ti...

The Christchurch City Council better be hanging its head in shame today. Because after all the weasel words about being committed to finding a solution to the problem of car parking at Christchurch Hospital, we can say with certainty that that’s all they are - weasel words. Because, after however long it’s been, we still don’t have the level of parking available that you would expect in New Zealan...

I went and saw my GP not that long ago and, do you know, it never crossed my mind whether she was vaccinated against COVID or not. I didn’t think about it at all - about her, about the other doctors in the practise, the staff - no one. Just like when I went to visit someone the other week who had just had surgery. Whether all the doctors and nurses walking around the place were vaccinated or not -...

Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger joined John MacDonald to discuss the culture within Council, Chamber of Commerce confidence and what is happening with the roadworks on Moorhouse Ave? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m going to say it how I mean it right from the start. I despise vaping. I also despise all those shiny vape shops. And how dairies have cashed-in on this appalling poison that was supposed to be the great saviour for people addicted to cigarettes. What a crock that was, wasn't it? And we know it was a crock because now we have kids and teenagers - and probably some older people too - sucking on...