Kerre Woodham Mornings Podcast

I know people are complaining that last night's debate between the leaders of Labour and National was boring. But seriously, give me a ‘let's get on with business, steady as she goes’ Prime Minister any day.    I am sick and tired of 'rockstar razzle-dazzle' prime ministers who give up when the going gets tough, be they ‘ponytail pulling, catwalk modeling’ Prime ministers or ‘unicorn riding, fairy...

As you have heard in our news, a hikoi has begun from Northland to Parliament to oppose National and ACT’s gang policies and to highlight the negative impact those policies could have on the Whanau of gang members.   The hikoi is also stopping off at marae and gang houses along the way to encourage people to vote (presumably not for National or ACT). The policies the hikoi organisers are concerned...

As you have heard in our news, a hikoi has begun from Northland to Parliament to oppose National and ACT’s gang policies and to highlight the negative impact those policies could have on the Whanau of gang members.   The hikoi is also stopping off at marae and gang houses along the way to encourage people to vote (presumably not for National or ACT). The policies the hikoi organisers are concerned...

Demand for counselling services in schools continues to soar as mental health issues become more complex.   New research from OfficeMax and Barnardos highlights the growing need for counselling in school-aged children, and the importance of free services in plugging the access gap.   60% of school staff surveyed say they’ve seen an increase in students requesting counselling services in 2023, and...

According to Act, drug addicts will face the prospect of losing their benefit if they refuse treatment or don't make more effort to find work. Act also wants to reduce the current number of 4000 people who receive the supported living payment because of stress.   70 percent of them have been receiving that payment for more than five years. ACT argues stress is a condition that can be treated over ...

David Seymour claims his welfare policy will help people help themselves.   Under Act's proposal, drug addicts could lose their benefit if they refuse treatment or don't make efforts to find a job.   It would also apply to people with mental health issues like stress who don't seek help.    Seymour told Kerre Woodham we need to ask tough questions about our system.   “Should Government policy assu...

Remember the Christchurch business owner and the tradies who performed a citizens arrest back in June? They tackled a thief to the ground. I'm going to remove all the 'allegeds' and the 'supposedlys' and the 'before the courts.' They tackled a thief. He had motorbike parts in his pocket that he hadn't paid for. That's a thief. They tackled a thief to the ground after he stole motorcycle parts.   W...

Now the National Party announced some weeks ago that should it become Government, a new medical school will be established at Waikato University. They've also said they'd add another 50 placements in Otago and Auckland from 2025.   Now Labour, in the midst of an unprecedented senior specialist strike, has woken up to the fact that we're short of doctors. Who knew? And has announced an extra 95 doc...

Polls are coming in thick and fast as we head towards October 14th.   The latest is the New Zealand Herald's Poll of Polls, which combines results from a range of pollsters, specifically Curia, Kantar Public, Talbot Mills, and Reid Research.   According to the Poll of Polls, National and ACT’s chances continue to soar.   They have a 95.1% chance of forming a government if the election were held th...

Treasury's Pre-Election Economic and Fiscal Update forecasts no recession but shows the Government will be in deficit longer than predicted in May and take on billions more debt.   It’s predicted that the government won’t return to surplus until 2027, a year later than previously forecast.   Robert MacCulloch, Auckland University Professor of Macroeconomics, told Kerre Woodham that in his opinion,...

Well, good news last night for National.   Labour must be left wondering how many more election bribes they'll have to offer before voters begin to nibble. The latest Newshub Reid Research Poll that came out last night has seen National shoot up 4.3 points to 40.9%, and Labour suffered a 5.5% fall from the last Newshub poll, they're on just 26.8%.   But before gleeful right and centre right voters...

We've also got an election coming up in five weeks, haven't we? So it was another weekend and another presentation of party policies coming thick and fast, wasn't it?   Health targets from National, the scrapping of building consents from ACT, our ocean policy from the Greens, disagreements between National and ACT and Labour when it comes to the impending shake-up of our scientific research secto...

National's road user charges expansion won't be accomplished right away.   It's proposing adding them to every vehicle including electric ones.   Transport spokesperson Simeon Brown says they want it as a switch away from fuel excise taxes, so people don't have to pay both at once.   He told Kerre Woodham it will take a bit of time to get it exactly right.   “There’s obviously a lot of work that w...

Labour's self aggrandising press release on police came through late in the show yesterday, so we didn't really get a chance to get our teeth into it.   The press release came from Chris Hipkins, well his office. A Labour Government will deliver a further increase of 300 additional frontline police officers, new ways to crack down on gangs, and strengthen legal protections against stalking and har...

Now this is more like it team!     Leaders of Labour, National, and the Green Party all pledged last night to build at least another 1000 state houses a year in Auckland, if they win the election, in whatever configuration. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, National’s deputy leader Nicola Willis, the Greens Co-leader Marama Davidson were guests at the launch in Māngere of Te Ohu Whakawhanaunga Tāmaki...

The Government yesterday announced the launch of a new youth intervention programme, designed to deal with the small group of recidivist young offenders who are responsible for so much damage being done by ram-raiding.   The little oiks and their families will be assigned an intensive support social worker to develop a plan for the young person and to provide ongoing support to the wider family. S...

Well, with senior doctors and dentists within our public health system set to strike for a couple of hours this afternoon, you might be thinking this would be a very bad time indeed to have the need to whip up to A&E.   In actual fact, staffing should probably be better than it normally is on a wet weekend in winter, given how stringent the conditions are before public health staff can actuall...

ASB is hiking mortgage rates again.   The bank is lifting its one-year and 18-month rates by 20 basis points, increasing them to 7.45%  and 7.15% respectively.   It's also raising its two and three-year rates by 16 points, becoming 7.05% and 6.85%.   This comes at a time when many kiwis are struggling with the cost of living, and banks are reporting high profits.   In August ASB reported a net pro...

So Labour and National kicked off their respective campaigns over the weekend to Labour's big wizz-bang attention-getter was the promise of free dental care for under 30s, but not until 2026.   National, having already announced 37 different policies, decided to stick to a pledge card detailing the party's eight main commitments, if and when elected. Both took potshots at one another over the week...

I thought we would start perhaps with power companies who appear to me making rapacious profits. Are they charging too much for electricity? Now the profits would suggest they are.  The four big players —Contact, Genesis, Meridian, and Mercury—  made a combined 2.7 billion, with a 'B', billion dollars last year. Historically high profits. So surely that would suggest that they are rorting little o...

Questions remain over whether Air New Zealand will match its competitor and remove the expiration on Covid flight credits. Qantas is ditching the expiration dates for more than $500 million worth of travel credits that were due to run out at the end of the year.   Air New Zealand CEO Greg Foran joined Kerre Woodham Mornings in studio to answer questions around what the airline's next move is. LIST...

Yesterday the National Party announced its much-anticipated tax policy and now you’ve had a night to sleep on it – how does it stack up for you?     Over the last 24 hours, Nicola Willis has done a good job of selling this policy – but this was also a policy that was designed to sell itself.     The Party is promising tax cuts through a tax bracket adjustment, credits and rebates which will cost $...

On Thursday the Government announced a multi-agency approach in response to 111 mental distress calls.     It means paramedics will be able to attend mental health-related police callouts, and will be available nationally within five years.   Police Minister Ginny Anderson says they've piloted co-response teams in six police districts, with great success, and they've seen data showing how it helps...

National has unveiled their much-anticipated tax policy.   From July next year, it would shift income tax brackets for inflation and expand tax credits - giving an average family with kids a maximum $250 fortnightly bump.   To pay for it - National would slash back-office spending in the public service, roll out a 15 percent foreign buyer tax on multi-million dollar homes - and end the tax break o...

I’m channelling my inner John McEnroe today. If there is such a thing.   This $4 billion cut to public service spending over the next four years that the Government has announced six weeks out from the election.   There’s only one response to it, isn’t there? And this is where tennis legend John McEnroe comes into it.   You cannot be serious!   You cannot be serious Grant Robertson. You cannot be...