Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

It won't have been a surprise to see Auckland still locked down pretty tight, after yesterday's Cabinet meeting.  The PM talked about this so-called road map, and about going safely and carefully.  But reading between the lines, I don't think she's especially comfortable with even these tiny little changes.  As I said yesterday, we are stuck between a rock and a hard place; we can't go forward wit...

Disappointment from Auckland early childhood centres they weren't consulted about phase one of the region's road map out of Covid-19 restrictions.  They'll be able to open to all children from tomorrow, not just those of essential workers.  However, there'll still be bubbles of 10, and infection control processes.  Early Childhood Council acting CEO, Sue Kurtovich, told Tim Dower families are call...

Auckland University Covid modeller Dion O'Neale says being fully vaccinated, wearing a mask and staying outdoors reduces the risk at gatherings.  But he told Tim Dower even allowing ten-person two-household gatherings is risky at this stage in the outbreak.  "The concerning part about that if that's happening at a point that we still do have ongoing community spread, this change definitely increas...

It's ten years since the container ship Rena smashed into Astrolabe Reef off Tauranga, causing New Zealand's worst ever environmental disaster.  Hundreds of tonnes of oil and cargo were spilled and kilometres of coastline was polluted.  In the decade since, researchers have been monitoring the effects.  Marine ecologist at Waikato University Dr Phil Ross has done hundreds of dives onto the wreck. ...

Calls for the business community to lead the way on vaccination. The head of a travel company wants a logo which indicates when an staff's entire business is vaccinated.   Unvaccinated international travellers will be banned from flying with Air New Zealand, from February.  Southern Crossings Chief Executive Sarah Farag told Tim Dower vaccination needs to be incentivised.   "I think soon enough we...

We're stuck now, a Level 3 lockdown in Auckland that's starting to fragment, and frankly no chance of that being eased today.  And now cases in Waikato, no proven link yet to the Auckland outbreak, but if not there, where did it come from?  Weeks of restrictions, and yet still Delta is still spreading.  What does that tell you?  It tells me that not everyone has been playing the game and as time g...

Hamilton is waking up back in lockdown -- following the confirmation of two new cases in Waikato.  As well as the city, Tamahere, Raglan, Ngāruāwahia, Huntly and the rest of the Waikato District have moved to Alert Level Three.  Other towns, including Cambridge and Te Awamutu remain in Level Two.   Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate told Tim Dower everyone is being trusted to play their part.  "Hamilt...

I won’t be here next week because I’m off for a week of the school holidays; to my living room, like every other Aucklander, but before I go, I thought I’d make a prediction for Monday.  I still think, as I said the other day, that we’ll go to Level 2 in Auckland and Level 1 for the rest of the country. But it won’t be called Level 2, it’ll be a new bespoke arrangement, some version of a 2 with a...

The Phillips investigation will need to approach the kids in a way that works for them.   Tom Phillips and his three young children Jayda, Maverick and Ember turned up at the family farm at Marokopa yesterday.   They hadn't been seen for almost three weeks, and many feared they've been lost at sea.   Child psychologist Kathryn Berkett told Kate Hawkesby the way children are approached differs from...

Mayors up and down the country are still far from convinced over the Government's three waters reform programme.   The plan is for the sixty-seven local and regional councils' drinking, waste and storm water to be absorbed by four entities.   Consultation with the councils ends today after eight weeks, and now Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta will present advice to cabinet about the next st...

The school holidays start today, but it may not provide much relief to struggling businesses around the country.   The Prime Minister signalled that Auckland's border will probably stay closed, even if the city moves down to Alert Level Two.   It's not the news many businesses dependent on Aucklanders wanted to hear.  Blenheim's Phoenix Inn owner Marty Kennedy told Kate Hawkesby the situation is t...

Could we see football players playing against robots?  Well that's the aim of a group of robotic scientists.  The Robot Soccer World Cup or Robo-Cup has been going for nearly twenty five years.  It involves human shaped robots playing against each other in a game of football.  But now they've set a goal, they want their robots to win a game against the winners of the real FIFA World Cup by 2050. ...

The 45 cases yesterday disrupted a gradual decline many of us were getting quite used to.  Dr Ashley Bloomfield says many of the cases this week have been in large households, and those in emergency or transitional housing.   We also got confirmation the outbreak is within our gangs, and among the homeless.   Lieutenant Colonel Lynette Hudson, head of social services at the Salvation Army joined K...

I’m trying not to write about lockdown every day.  And Covid, and case numbers, and gang members, but can I just say to everyone outside of Auckland, please understand that we are living a wildly unpleasant emotional rollercoaster ride right now and it’s not easy.  I’d like to know how anyone comes out of this not being 10 kilos heavier and not having aged about 100 years. That being said, I did n...

Demand to be part of the home isolation trial is expected to be high.   It will allow 150 people to travel overseas and self-isolate for a fortnight when returning.   Business travellers will be able to submit expressions of interest from 9am today - but they need to be within 50 kilometres of Auckland or Christchurch airports.   Enztec CEO Iain McMillan told Kate Hawkesby they're hopeful the tria...

Have you noticed the announcement blitz the Government is on ever since John Key’s piece got massive coverage? Hit a nerve anyone? I found it amusing how on the one hand, they called it insulting and simplistic, while on the other hand saying they were implementing a lot of his ideas.   So, which is it? Simplistic and insulting, or good enough for you to go ahead with?  Either way, they’ve been dr...

The Ministry for Culture and Heritage has confirmed construction on the controversial Mt. Erebus memorial will start shortly.  Protestors have delayed the memorial for over two hundred days by camping on the land, which is in Parnell's Dove-Myer Robinson Park.  Those opposed insist it's on a former pā site, it will damage a giant pōhutukawa  and turn a place of joy into mourning.   Waitemata local...

National has a plan to reunite New Zealand families for Christmas  It's set to unveil a new 50-page plan this morning to allow safe travel in and out of New Zealand by December  Leader Judith Collins says the current MIQ system is a "dreadful lottery".  She told Kate Hawkesby the new system is the first immediate step towards reopening New Zealand to the rest of the world  "It covers all of the as...

I wonder whether Greta Thunberg has been burnt by her moment in the sun.   Small time young climate crusader makes huge splash onto international stage, gets lauded across the globe and becomes a big star and icon for young people.  And then, well, what happens next?  Swiping and sniping at world leaders is nothing new, she had a few goes at Trump. But then, who didn’t?  But now, now, she’s had th...

Low satisfaction levels for the new MIQ booking system.  It had its first run at the start of last week, and will be in action again this evening  In a Grounded Kiwis survey about 900 respondents gave the new system an overall rating of 3 point 6 out of 10.   A quarter of them say they had technical difficulties.   AUT computer scientist Ken Johnson told Kate Hawkesby the lobby system was develope...

There's concern that  outcomes for New Zealanders living with dementia are going downhill, fast.  Alzheimers NZ's Dementia Economic Impact Report shows dementia among Māori, Pasifika and Asian communities will more than double by 2050.  It also estimates dementia will cost us nearly six-billion dollars a year by then too -- and one in four Kiwis will die with the condition.  Chief executive Cather...

One-way quarantine free travel for seasonal workers from a handful of Pacific countries, starts next week.   Workers from Vanuatu will begin arriving on Monday, and Samoan and Tongan workers the following Tuesday.   They'll have to have a vaccine dose before they come, self-isolate and be tested on day zero and five.   Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor told Kate Hawkesby there'll be health meas...

Sir John Key’s piece yesterday was so good it ran front-page across two rival news websites. If you haven’t read it, look it up. It’s refreshing. You can’t argue with common sense, and it was so fortifying to see someone being ambitious for our country, someone being sensible and forward-thinking and optimistic, someone not bogged down with fear and a hermit mentality. It laid bare what we’ve been...

With Mental Health Awareness Week kicking off today businesses are being told to take note. The event aims to get more Kiwis talking about how they feel in the hopes to raise awareness and combat the mental health crisis. Randstad New Zealand Director Katherine Swan told Kate Hawkesby workplaces should make the most of it, especially with what research is indicating. “Work-life balance is ranked t...

Support for the views of Sir John Key. Some have labelled the former Prime Minister's assessment of the Government's Covid-19 response as naive and out of touch. But an outspoken critic of the Government's Covid response is backing Key's views. Auckland University Emeritus Professor of Medicine Des Gorman told Kate Hawkesby the Government is relying too much on fear to get people vaccinated. “Fear...