Kerre Woodham Mornings Podcast

There's been a lot of good news on the home building front, you know, just for your average homeowner.   The Government's plans to reform the building consent system to make it more affordable to build a new home – or a home. Jolly good news. The review of the building code to bring in a streamlined, risk-based consenting regime, as well as increasing the availability of construction material...

There is a common trope that if prisons worked, we wouldn't need them. And that if prison was a deterrent, people wouldn't commit crime. If prison was about rehabilitation then people would serve their term and then they would not reoffend.   There's something incredibly depressing about prisons and the waste of human potential they represent – even brand-spanking new prisons. I did a fundrai...

We’ve got roads, we’ve got mines, we’ve got housing developments, we’ve got 22 renewable energy projects, we’ve got aquaculture farms, we’ve got a roof for Eden Park, you name it, it’s there and it's happening in a town near you, because projects are spread right across the country. And these are the first 149 projects selected by the government to be included in its Fast-track Approvals legislati...

Real estate agents are among the businesses feeling more upbeat.  The Herald's latest Mood of the Boardroom survey shows that business owners are more optimistic than pessimistic about their industries, as well as the local and global economy.  Optimism varies across the different sectors, with the real estate industry topped the list with an average score of 4.33/5, a substantial jump f...

There was a headline in The Post: ‘Scathing survey results from teachers on NCEA level 1 roll out’. That was the headline. The story goes on: “A survey of teachers saw the vast majority indicate that the NCEA standards are poorly designed, changes have increased workloads, there's insufficient support from NZQA NCEA, and the provided exemplars often don't align with assessment specifications.” &nb...

Teachers say they are shocked with how new curriculum material is being rolled out.   Changes to NCEA Level One are being put in place before changes to Level Two and Three come into force in four years.   However, a scathing survey by the Post Primary Teachers Association shows the vast majority are dissatisfied with the new material.   Union President Chris Abercrombie told Kerre...

I am really not surprised to see more people signing up for health insurance, even though we're going through a cost of living crisis and the premiums are not cheap.   Southern Cross is the country's largest private health insurer and they've seen eight years of growth in their membership, with almost one in five Kiwis on their books. A Kantar survey for Southern Cross from last month showed...

I reckon the Government’s argument in favour of increasing speed limits is looking more and more wobbly. There’s no question that it’s going to happen, with Transport Minister Simeon Brown confirming at the weekend that faster speed limits will be all-go next year.  But it seems to me that his case as to why it’s needed and why it’s a good idea, is starting to look pretty weak. There’s an exp...

The Hastings youth council has made a successful bid to get voting rights. Hastings District Council has narrowly voted in support of giving unelected youth councillors the ability to vote on council issues alongside other councillors at a committee level. Their mayor thinks giving youth councillors voting rights will bolster their future opportunities. Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst told Kerre Woodham t...

For the love of all that is holy - can we just introduce a capital gains tax and be done with it?   I am so sick of it dominating the headlines. The issue is never ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever going to go away, despite two Labour Prime Ministers ruling it out, despite Christopher Luxon ruling it out - it comes up. It's like a nagging child, “I want a capital gains tax. I want a capital gains...

Whatever happened to a ‘morning driver’ and a ‘thank you driver’ as you hopped on and off the bus? The violence and racial abuse of bus drivers and indeed their commuters, their passengers using public transport, has got so bad in recent times that the Bus and Coach Association is calling for more security officers to ride along on bus routes, for safety screens to be installed on buses, and now t...

The big corporations have already started ordering their staff back into the office, now the Government’s had enough too. Nicola Willis made the announcement yesterday. While carefully defined, working from home arrangements can benefit workers and employers, she said, if the pendulum swings too far in favour of working from home, there are downsides. And that's even before we consider the effects...

Last week, Kerre was fortunate to MC the New Zealand Citrus Growers conference in Gisborne/Tai Rawhiti.   There were many fantastic stories about how the region and growers have bounced back after Cyclone Gabrielle.   However, there was also a warning on the horizon about a real danger to the industry – one that we can all help keep a watch on and prevent from taking hold here.   CEO of First Fres...

It looks like there's going to be a referendum after all.   Not the one that David Seymour wants, but a referendum on whether the four-year political term should be legislated. We've got three years at the moment.   For years, people have been saying it's too short and now in National's coalition agreement with both ACT and NZ First, there are provisions to introduce legislation extending the poli...

A decision around extending political terms from three years to four may be put to voters in the next election.   Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says the Government may put the matter to referendum in 2026.   Luxon expressed confidence there is support for a four-year term across the House.   University of Otago New Zealand Politics PhD candidate Michael Swanson tells Kerre Woodham a four-year t...

There's an old saying that justice delayed is justice denied.   It's a legal maxim that means if legal redress to an injured party is available, but it's not forthcoming in a timely fashion, that's effectively the same as having no remedy at all. I don't think it's entirely true - a conviction and a prison term would bring some relief for victims of serious crime, but the stress of waiting years t...

I am —and always have been— a huge believer in on-the-job training.   When I left school, I wanted to be a journalist. But I didn’t go to polytech or university, I went and did a newspaper cadetship at the Otago Daily Times, in Dunedin. 1986 this was.    And, even though day one was horrific, it was the best thing I could have done. Even though I turned up on day one thinking I was Christmas and w...

New Zealand's economy has barely escaped another technical recession.   New Stats NZ figures show our Gross Domestic Product contracted 0.2% in the three months to June.   Its revised figures downgrade the March quarter to show the economy grew just 0.1%, not the 0.2% initially estimated.   Herald Business Editor at Large Liam Dann told John McDonald that minimal growth kept us out of another tech...

Who'd be a teacher?  Not many of us, apparently - the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand says half as many Kiwis are signing up to become teachers than there were in 2010, and the number of students graduating as teachers has dropped by more than a third. The Deputy Chief Executive Clive Jones said if you look at the number of domestic students enrolling in teacher training programmes for th...

Let's talk politics, specifically the latest Taxpayers Union Curia poll. It showed a firming up of support for the Coalition Government and the parties that make that up, but Labour leader Chris Hipkins has lost support as preferred Prime Minister and the party is languishing. The party vote changes were all within the margin of error in this latest poll, but the preferred prime minister stakes sa...

Chris Hipkins’ falling popularity could spell trouble for his party.   The Labour leader's slumped more than six points to 12.6% in the preferred prime minister stakes of the latest Taxpayers' Union-Curia poll.   National leader and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has taken a hit of 1.8 points - but is still leaps and bounds ahead on 32.7%.   All up, the coalition parties have tightened their gri...

So the Government's 'Phones Away For The Day' regulations came into force in state schools and kura at the beginning of term two. Schools must ensure students do not use or access a phone while they're attending school, including during lunch time and breaks. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced the policy before the election last year and there were the typical naysayers saying that'll neve...

ACT's leader says Government departments will have to prove race-based policies have value. Cabinet is circulating a memo to agencies with the instruction to prioritise public services on the basis of need, rather than ethnic identity. David Seymour says a discussion needs to be had. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the emails that did come in for the Prime Minister caught my eye, and I thought, you know, this is not a silly idea. It might be. I think there's some merit and discussing it and I'd love to run it by you.   It was from the Elephant Beetle Think Tank and a quick Google found that no such thing exists, probably a couple of people enjoying a glass of wine and having chats, but none the less.....

The Prime Minister says he will bring the Opposition leader on board to hammer out a plan for infrastructure.   The Government is promoting a message of bipartisanship as it sets its sights on designing a 30-year pipeline for delivering major projects.   Christopher Luxon and his Transport, Infrastructure, and Housing Ministers visited New South Wales last month to learn from Australia's productiv...