Kerre Woodham Mornings Podcast

We've seen floods in Europe, fires in California and in the last couple of years, weather events here at home. As of the 1st of September 2023, insurers had paid out $2.053 billion on claims relating to the Auckland Anniversary flood and Cyclone Gabrielle. That's expected to increase to $3.5 billion once all claims are settled. Two weather events, one small country, $3.5 billion. And represents th...

The Government this morning laid out it's intentions to tackle New Zealand's two-horse supermarket race.  Economic Growth and Finance Minister Nicola Willis says the Government has the power to make the market more attractive and encourage a third player.  They’re planning to remove regulations discouraging other supermarkets competing.  Foodstuffs North Island CEO Chris Quin told K...

There’s growing potential for a new player to tackle New Zealand's two-horse supermarket race.  The Government's laying out intentions to encourage a third player to challenge the two incumbents of Foodstuffs and Woolworths.  It's planning to remove regulations discouraging other supermarkets competing.  Economic Growth and Finance Minister Nicola Willis told Kerre Woodham the Gover...

As you will have heard, the Salvation Army has released its 18th State of the Nation report and it paints a grim picture. New Zealanders are worse off than they were a year ago in terms of food security, employment, and housing, according to the data. Mike Hosking made the point this morning that the Sallies report seldom makes for good news. It's not often you're cracking the champagne going ‘wel...

A belief economic pain is driving a dip in the polls for the right, rather than Coalition dynamics.  Two polls out yesterday showed support dropping for Christopher Luxon as preferred Prime Minister, and the figures would let the left bloc form a Government.  Luxon told reporters his team is focused on the job at hand, prioritising economic growth.  He has rejected calls to act more...

Two new political polls out show Labour, the Greens and Te Pati Māori would have enough support to form the next government, should an election be held tomorrow, while also suggesting more people believe the country's headed in the wrong direction.   The latest 1News-Verian poll found support had dipped for the coalition government who could only muster 60 seats in Parliament, not enough to m...

Kerre Woodham speaks to NZ Herald Business Editor at Large, Liam Dann, to explain how the changes to foreign investor visas will grow our economy. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government, as you will have heard, is relaxing immigration settings to encourage migrants to invest in New Zealand businesses. While everyone was at the beach yesterday making the most of the golden weather the Prime Minister was suited and booted and spelling out the changes to the Active Investore Plus (AIP) visa category to the Auckland Business Chamber. The way it works is that there will...

Kerre Woodham speaks to NZ Herald Business Editor at Large, Liam Dann, to explain how the changes to foreign investor visas will grow our economy. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The news that Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown is heading to China today on the country's first state visit, where he's expected to sign a comprehensive strategic partnership with China, has come as news to our Foreign Minister, news to our government, and indeed news to some of the Cook Island people.   The excellent Barbara Dreaver on 1News broke the story on Wednesday night. As she r...

Gregor Paul's story in this morning's Herald confirms what many suspected at the time: that TJ Perenara’s political statement before the haka, a rallying cry against the Treaty Principles Bill, had not been sanctioned by rugby officials. That many All Blacks, that many coaching staff, that many management, felt blindsided by the statement and that he spoke without the universal approval of his tea...

The Government’s shaking up social housing, yesterday announcing a plan to get Kāinga Ora back on track.  They're set to sell off high-priced homes in an effort to bring its books down, the plan including the sale of around 900 homes a year.  The money will then go to more low-cost, denser places with greater demand, as well as more single person dwellings as opposed to larger homes...

We know times are tough. We know that we're in a period of rebuilding, we know that there are green shoots starting to come through. We're looking towards the end of 2025 as a time when things will turn around, when things will start to improve, and things will start to get better on a micro level in our own households, and on a macro level when it comes to the government.   But there are sti...

Possible corporate tax cuts could be on the way in this year's Budget.  Nicola Willis told Ryan Bridge yesterday that our corporate tax system isn't competitive enough with other countries, hinting at potential changes.  Christopher Luxon confirmed to Mike Hosking this morning that they're willing to make changes, and there's a lot of possible options.  Dentons Kensington Swan Tax P...

Any day now, counting down the seconds, the kids will be back at school if yours haven't gone already. And this year, maybe, hopefully, fingers crossed, will be the year that our education system gets back on track. Certainly, Erica Stanford’s bigging up the new focus on structured learning. A press release out from her office says, as schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus...

It is the end of the month. There's only 12 of them in a year. Into the first month of the year and still there are schools that are not back yet. Could someone please explain to me how it is reasonable in this day and age to have such disparate and wide-ranging start dates for the school year?   I don't know about your particular school, or your area, but of the ones I know about, Auckland G...

New Zealand’s “rockstar economy” seems to have become washed up.  HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham coined the term in 2014, and in an update last week confirmed that that’s far from the case at present.  He says that the economy had the largest decline in economic growth in the developed world last year, driven by interest rate increases in response to post-pandemic inflation.  Blo...

Some farmers are shearing back the costs with new sheep breeds.  Meant for meat production, ‘Nudies’ are a breed of sheep that don’t grow wool, allowing farmers to cut costs as there’s no need for shearing, dagging, or crutching.  Pierre Syben from Wairere Rams in Masterton told Kerre Woodham in his view, the industry will likely split between the people who stick with wool and those who...

You may have heard, the 80’s are making a comeback. Lookout for denim on denim, bubble skirts, and asset sales. David Seymour is stepping up his campaign to sell state assets and privatise public services.   In his State of the Nation speech last week, the ACT leader said we should be continually asking ourselves do we own the right stuff? NZ First, Labour and the Greens have all pinned their...

Well, I might have been swanning about on holiday for an unseemly amount of time but the Government was back at work. You have already discussed, I have no doubt the PM's reshuffle of the cabinet, specifically Dr Reti losing Health to Simeon Brown in a bid to see change happening, change happening better, and there has been much chat about getting the country moving again.   In the last coupl...

There’s nothing wrong with backing yourself but, as a country, we have some pretty high and mighty ideas sometimes.    A good example is the previous Labour government’s approach that, when it comes to tourism, we should only try to get the people with truckloads of money to come here for a holiday. What they called the “higher value tourists”.   And I’m delighted that the Governmen...

Do you know who’s to blame for the high school teacher shortage we’re hearing about today? You are. I am, as well. We’re both to blame. Because, whether you’re a parent or not, we have done an absolutely brilliant job of putting people off wanting to become a teacher. And it’s a weird mix of us doing too much of some stuff and too little of other stuff. And the outcome is 346 full-time vacancies u...

There’s a belief we're still yet to reap the benefits of having inflation under control.  Latest Stats NZ figures show the inflation rate for the year to December was 2.2%, unchanged from September.  Inflation is well down on the once-in-a-generation high of 7.3% of just two and a half years ago.  The Herald's Liam Dann told John McDonald we're still yet to see many prices come down...

"We will be the envy of every nation and we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer. I will, very simply, put America first."   And with that, Donald Trump —the 47th US president— probably sent a chill down the spines of truckloads of people around the world.   And a chill down the spines of some people within America too - because, some Americans, he won’t be puttin...

If you believed the Prime Minister when he said yesterday that he still has confidence in the now-former health minister Shane Reti, you will believe anything. Let’s face it, though, he couldn’t have said anything different. But whether you believe it or not - that’s another thing. And I don’t. Because he clearly doesn’t - or he clearly doesn’t have as much faith in Shane Reti as he used to. Other...