Holiday Breakfast

A royal commentator believes public perception of Camilla has changed.   Queen Elizabeth wants Camilla to be known as Queen Consort once Charles becomes king.  Richard Fitzwilliams told Tim Dower after 17-years of service, Camilla has earned the title.   But he says it wasn't always smooth sailing.  “It’s taken some years to persuade people that this was something that would be acceptable, because...

The next generation of speedboats are coming to New Zealand.   Swedish company Candela has developed hydrofoiling electric speedboats and are quickly gaining worldwide fame.   And considering we have one of the highest levels of recreational boating activity per capita in the world their natural expansion was to look at us.   Candela has partnered with local company Next Generation Boats to bring...

The price of fuel isn't likely to cool anytime soon.  Filling up at the pump is costing Kiwis up to nine dollars more than a month ago.   Even 95 unleaded is topping more than three dollars a litre in some parts of New Zealand.  Waitomo Group managing director, Jimmy Ormsby, told Tim Dower on top of supply issues, we're also picky when it comes to sourcing fuel.  “New Zealand does have a bit of a...

People in the North Island might be forgiven for thinking it’s the tropics the past couple of days.  Hot, sticky humidity making life pretty uncomfortable.  Eco Design Advisor, Nelson Lebo joined Tim Dower to talk us through how to keep our houses cool in this heat.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Zoi Sadowski-Synnott has written herself into the record books, as New Zealand's first ever gold medal winner at a Winter Olympics.  She put down a spectacular third run in the women's slopestyle final in Beijing. So, what does Zoi's gold mean for the future of our winter snow sports?  Luke Hetzel, High Performance Athlete Development Manager at Snow Sports MZ joined Tim Dower.  LISTEN ABOVE See o...

Ukraine's Foreign Minister is urging people to ignore "apocalyptic predictions" about a Russian invasion.  It comes as the White House says Russia could take military action any day now.  US correspondent Richard Arnold told Tim Dower Russian president Vladimir Putin has put together the biggest military build-up in Europe since World War Two.  “Those moves are said to amount to 70 percent of the...

International tourists could return to Australia in the coming weeks.  The country's Home Affairs Minister says the decision is imminent, pending final health advice.  Australian Correspondent Murray Olds told Tim Dower it's still unclear as to when that decision will be made public.  “Karen Andrews the Home Affairs Minister, she also, more importantly, wouldn’t guarantee that the borders, once th...

Christopher Luxon says the Government is being too slow in responding to the threat of Omicron.  Three cases of the more infectious strain have been identified in Auckland, and health officials have reported a possible case in Palmerston North.  The Prime Minister has confirmed the entire country will move to red within 48 hours, if there is an outbreak.  She says there are 4.6 million rapid antig...

What a year it was for our Black Ferns Sevens team in 2021.   It was a disjointed year with cancellations and postponements but they came through when it mattered - winning gold at the Tokyo Olympic Games after beating France in the final.   One of the players is almost remembered as much for her on field achievements as off.   Ruby Tui gave one of the great post-match interviews, that has even se...

Nicotine-free tobacco products could be the answer to helping us achieve our Smokefree 2025 goal.  New research, published in today's New Zealand Medical Journal, has found the removal of nicotine could reduce smoking rates to well under five-percent by 2025.   It projects one fifth of smokers would quit, if only nicotine-free cigarettes were allowed from next year.  Otago University researcher Ri...

President Joe Biden on Thursday sought to clarify his stance on a potential Russian incursion in Ukraine, cleaning up remarks from the prior day's news conference during which he suggested a "minor incursion" by Russia would elicit a lesser response than a full-scale invasion of the country.  "I've been absolutely clear with President Putin. He has no misunderstanding. If any -- any -- assembled R...

Northland businesses are hoping it's not too late to profit off the summer period.  The region moved out of the Red Traffic Light setting this morning - joining the rest of the country at Orange.  It means businesses can now operate at capacity if they use vaccine passes.   Hospitality New Zealand Northland President John Maurice told Tim Dower he hopes businesses will be able to recover sooner, r...

People are being reminded to think of their lonely pets stuck at home - as they return to the office.  Veterinarian Helen Beattie told Tim Dower bringing pets into the office could help, but only if all the humans and pets are OK with it.  “We do need to remember also, that there not are people who do not thrive in that environment, there are also animals who don’t.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.c...

Northland tourism operators remain hopeful the region will move from Red to Orange, as part of this afternoon's announcement.  Riki Kinnaird - the co-owner of the Duke of Marlborough Hotel in the Bay of Islands - told Tim Dower the current restrictions are hitting them hard.  “The Duke itself is about 35-40 percent down, and that’s partially down to the Red traffic light system and the optics of t...

It was a tough year for the entertainment industry in general but, as always, one of the shining lights for NZ was Six60.   Performing overseas when they could, continuing their shows in New Zealand, when they could, and the overwhelming success of a new song that rocketed to the top of the charts.   Tim Dower caught up with bass guitarist Chris Mac on their year in 2021 and the success of their b...

Some love, others not so much, Wellington's new waterfront sign which is purposely a little misspelt.  It's a 9 metre wide collection of letters spelling out the city's name, except it doesn't have a letter I.   The idea is for people to be the I - and post photos of themselves online.  Wellington NZ CEO, John Allen joined Tim Dower.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...

The Prime Minister is preparing to unveil a new Covid plan - as fears grow of a potential Omicron community outbreak.  Jacinda Ardern is due to reveal the plan at the Labour's caucus retreat in New Plymouth this afternoon.  It will include an outline of what will happen when we have community spread, and an update on traffic light settings for Northland and the rest of the country.  Chief Politica...

New Zealand Cricket remain cautious but optimistic that the postponement of their tour of Australia won't spoil the remaining summer fixtures.  There was no certainty the team could return home either through MIQ or home isolation.  Australia are due to return for three T20s in March.  NZC boss David White says MIQ arrangements have not been made for that series at this stage.  LISTEN ABOVE  See o...

Summer Breakfast caught up with one of our favourite Kiwi musicians living abroad.   Gin Wigmore is soon coming back to NZ for a five-date tour in March, as well as performing at various festivals such as Homegrown and Fortune Music Festival.   Nowadays, she lives with her family in LA which is where she joined Tim Dower from.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two thirds of New Zealanders don't have the financial reserves they'd need to get through three months without a pay cheque.  This has come from CTU research, saying the workforce is incredibly vulnerable to an economic shock, such as an Omicron Covid-19 outbreak.  CTU president, Richard Wagstaff joined Tim Dower.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Festival films are back on the big screen in Auckland.  In the Shade, Auckland's first international film festival since 2019, gets underway today.  Spokesperson Courtney Mayhew told Tim Dower it's a great chance to support the city's struggling independent cinemas.  “If you buy a ticket to the In the Shade film festival, you’re not only supporting that cinema that you’re going to, you’re supporti...

More help is on the way for Tonga - as more details emerge about the scale of death and destruction on the ground.  Three people have now been confirmed dead -- and many more are injured.  Two New Zealand naval ships are heading to the islands, carrying water, food, medical supplies, and a desalination plant.  Defence Minister Peeni Henare told Tim Dower they've requested PPE gear because stores w...

James Shaw is pushing back against claims the Greens' cooperation deal with Labour has been bad for the party.  Several activists have stepped back from high-profile roles in frustration.  Former leaders and MPs have also publicly criticised Shaw and the party for not taking a strong stance on core party issues like climate change.   Shaw told Tim Dower he, and the vast majority of Green supporter...

There are concerns a toll being proposed for Auckland's next highway could put people off using it.  Waka Kotahi is proposing introducing a toll for Penlink – between Whangaparaoa and State Highway 1 in Redvale – when it opens in 2026.  It's suggesting prices ranging from one-dollar to four dollars, with different costs for peak and off-peak times.  Penlink Now lobby group member Janet Fitzpatrick...

Ashley Bloomfield is defending the speed of the children's vaccine roll-out.  Parents around the country have been reporting difficulty in booking vaccines, or have faced long queues at vaccine sites.  Some pharmacies also claim they haven't received any information about the paediatric roll-out.  The Director General of Health told Tim Dower they're addressing the issues – but the 14-thousand chi...