Kerre Woodham Mornings Podcast

I am absolutely confident that there is no corruption within our Electoral Commission.     I do not believe for one wild second that they have been manipulating the voting system to get the result they want. Nor do I believe that they're being paid by Russia to produce the results Russia wants. And the reason I'm so confident is that they are so incompetent they wouldn't be able to deliver on the...

In December 2021 Brittany Kremers, a then 25-year-old woman who was denied desperately needed facial surgery at the eleventh hour by the Christchurch DHB.   The reason given was there was no funding available.   Brittany had had her jaw and skull base removed, along with a life-threatening tumour, in 2006.   A family friend set up a Give-a-little page which raised over $280 thousand dollars.   Fas...

A record surge of first-home buyers are in the market as prices come down.   CoreLogic data shows people looking to buy their first home accounted for 27% of all purchases in the past three months.   Despite stretched affordability, high interest rates, and cost of living pressures, first-home buyers still want a 'foot on the ladder'.   CoreLogic Chief Property Economist Kelvin Davidson told Kerre...

It’s being billed as the best thing to happen to NZ’s pothole-margeddon problem since the infamous Pothole Penis Painter.   For the first time in New Zealand, an all-in-one pothole repairing machine has arrived that is revolutionising pothole repairs worldwide. There is nothing else like it.   The Pothole Pro repairs potholes in a fraction of the time and cost of current manual labour methods. It...

Air New Zealand has announced Kiwi designer Emilia Wickstead will design the airline's next uniforms.  She was chosen from a shortlist of three, after having received hundreds of other pitches. It is one part of a re-design by the national carrier that will also include airplane interiors. The new uniforms will replace the current Dame Trelise Cooper designed uniforms by 2024.  Chief Customer and...

I wasn't expecting to come home to a fully formed functional government.  After all, the results of the specials were only announced on Friday and there are still a couple of electorates where it is absolutely worth going through and counting the votes again.    As expected, National lost two seats after the count of special votes, while Te Pāti Māori gained two, and the Green Party has gained ano...

I thought that one thing we’ve done over the past few days is put the Rugby World Cup Final disappointment behind us.    We've dealt with the result, we've welcomed the team home, we’ve said farewell to a bunch of players —quite nice scenes at the airport I thought, with people warmly welcoming the All Blacks and Ian Foster home— and I thought that’s it. We can move on now.     So, I admit it was...

I don’t mind telling you that I sort of avoided talking about this topic a couple of days ago because it’s simply grim. But the revelations are continuing following the death of baby Ru, with the latest including that the uncle of the slain toddler has criticized Oranga Tamariki saying that he asked the agency back in December to remove the child from the family home. And so, the Groundhog Day sty...

An expected quarterly rise in our unemployment rate.   Stats NZ data shows it's at 3.9% for the three months to September, up from 3.6% last quarter, and 3.2% a year ago.   NZ Herald Business Editor, Liam Dann, told Tim Beveridge that while unemployment going up isn’t generally considered a good thing, a bit of “slack” in the labour market is needed to help combat inflation.   He said that 3.9% is...

I’ve gotta be honest with you that I’m feeling a little punch drunk digesting the latest stories and statistics about our health system under pressure.     So, bear with me while I throw a few stats at you, just to package it all up.    Hospital admissions for babies and pre-schoolers is up 35%, and those are the admissions that could have been prevented with better primary care. Up 35% in the yea...

So, the new grocery commissioner says it's disappointing to see any potential supermarket competitor fail on the back of the news that Supie  —an online retailer that had hoped to challenge the supermarket duopoly— had failed.   It leaves us with the question as to what it is going to take to break open the supermarket duopoly.  I’ll have to be honest that beyond being vaguely familiar with its na...

Kerre Woodham is off in Paris, catching the last two All Blacks games in the Rugby World Cup. She called in to the show this morning to catch listeners up on the energy in the city ahead of this weekend's final, and what it's like to watch the games in person. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The real value of a more secure pipeline for our infrastructure could be billions.   An Infrastructure New Zealand-commissioned report shows committing to a longer-term plan for our country's infrastructure could give us up to $33-billion more to invest in roads through to 2031.   The Infometrics report says it could result in between 13 and 26.5% uptick in productivity and savings on future infra...

A very simple headline grabbed me this morning: ‘We Need to get Better at Building Stuff’.   Man, do we ever!   It was the headline of an opinion piece by Josie Pagani in The Post about getting infrastructure moving in New Zealand. At the heart of her piece was a new report by Infrastructure New Zealand that looked at the quantifiable costs associated with around the timing, scope, and funding for...

How proactive are you with your KiwiSaver?   Do you call your provider to have a conversation about whether you're in the right fund for you at that moment in time? Do you get independent advice as to whether you're in the right fund? Do you have a number, the amount you would like to have to live your life on in retirement? Do you keep your eye on your fund and how your savings are progressing?  ...

More than half of New Zealanders surveyed say the alcohol industry should not be involved in policy-making.   The Otago University-Cancer Society research shows of more than 1400 respondents, 16% disagree and 29% are neutral.   For banning alcohol sponsorship at sporting and community events, 58% are in favour and 19% are opposed.   Virginia Nicholls, the Alcohol Beverage Council CEO, joined Franc...

A new study suggests there's support among New Zealanders for banning alcohol sponsorship at sporting and community events.   The Otago University-Cancer Society’s survey of more than 1400 people finds that 58% support a ban, and 19% oppose it.   51% agree that the alcohol industry should not be involved in developing alcohol harm policies, while 16% disagree.   Study co-author Professor Louise Si...

World Rugby is expecting to launch a new biennial competition in 2026, as part of an overhaul of the men's international calendar. The 12 Nations League brings together the Six Nations teams, SANZAAR unions and two other sides- reportedly Japan and Fiji. ZB sports journalist Andrew Alderson explains further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The University of Otago has released a new study looking into public awareness of cancer risk factors, with a particular focus on alcohol and dietary factors, and support for evidence-based alcohol and food policies to reduce people's exposure to these risks in their environment.    So, they found that there is some awareness of modifiable risks and those risk factors for cancer, but more needs to...

Really interesting article in the New Zealand Herald today about the number of schools offering Reading Recovery.   This system was developed in New Zealand in the 70s in order to support 6-year-olds struggling with literacy. It's been used around the world but now due to new research into how the brain works and learns, it's no longer as popular as it used to be, with less than 40% of schools now...

Yesterday we learned that a young driver, jailed for killing five of his teenage mates in a horror car crash near Timaru, has been released from prison.   You will remember this story. Parent or not, this is this tragic story that hit a nerve with all of us. It was just such a sad waste of young lives, families destroyed, and a community torn apart. Just a horrible, horrible story.   The young dri...

Goodness me, the National government elect haven't hasn't even parked its buns around the cabinet table yet and some gang leaders are already having a wah about the proposed legislation around gangs and gang membership.   Waikato mongrel Mob Kingdom leader, often in the news, Sonny Fatupaito said the new National government will be devastating to gangs. Well, yes, Sonny, I think you'll find that o...

Apparently we've been doing ops in our hospital theatres on the weekends now for more than twenty years.   Who knew?   Probably the doctors, nurses, and technicians performing the operations did, and the people had their bits and pieces snipped and stitched probably did, but I didn't know until I heard the President of General Surgeons talking to Mike this morning.   In times of surge, apparently,...

Inflation has defied many expectations by falling in the third quarter.   Figures show it rose 5.6% in the year to September, a drop from 6.0% in the year to June.   The Reserve Bank had predicted it would be six%, and many economists picked between 6.1-and-6.2%.   Herald Business Editor at Large, Liam Dann, told Kerre Woodham that it shows the Reserve Bank is making the right moves.   He says mon...

The Council of Trade Unions is hoping the new Government will be more responsive to their needs.   The CTU want to see the new government's plans for infrastructure, solving child poverty, and post-cyclone recovery.   They believe the loss of fair pay agreements will impact many industries, such as those working in hospitality.   Council of Trade Unions President Richard Wagstaff told Kerre Woodha...