Kerre Woodham Mornings Podcast

Another job for an old mate has been announced by the Government. If as a child, you grew up and you were asked what do you want to be when you grow up and you said I want to be a Grocery Commissioner, the way is now clear for you to do so! Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister David Clark announced that a grocery commissioner is to be appointed during an update on progress being made to bring su...

Another farmer has appeared in court after being let down by police and authorities. This time it's a Taranaki farmer who fired a shotgun as he ran down his driveway towards a group of boy racers who had parked near his paddock and were allegedly throwing bottles at his bull. On first hearing, you might think that's a bit of an overreaction. I mean, you don't want a bunch of over-excited young peo...

The hospitality sector is screaming for the Government to do its job.  The shortage of workers which is affecting just about every sector in New Zealand has hit the hospo sector particularly hard. They say as New Zealand slowly gets its act together and opens up to the rest of the world, we could damage our reputation as a quality tourist destination.  It’s expensive to come here, it’s expensive t...

Claims emergency housing are a breeding ground for criminal activity, despite a big spend. Newstalk ZB has revealed the Government's spent one billion dollars on emergency housing since coming to power five years ago. A caller told Kerre Woodham he has been in nine different motels over the past 18 months. The man, who doesn't want to give his name, says the motels are rife with gangs, who use kid...

Allyson Gofton will be talking tips for cutting your food bill, cooking on a budget and also food waste off the back of much discussion around how much Kiwis waste food this week. Allyson has also shared a couple of recipes on her website. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Blogger at Large Megan Singleton has just returned from her first overseas trip in over two years.  She's been in Rarotonga and talks tips for overseas travel now our borders are back open. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I was looking forward to today, and then I read something. A report from RNZ into Waka Kotahi, the agency charged with leading the Road to Zero road deaths action plan. The opening par of their story reads, and I quote "Four years after Waka Kotahi was slammed for not doing its job of keeping roads safe, a core unit of it has been labeled so ineffective it's being pulled apart.” The unit's head in...

There has been much discussion around government bureaucracy recently. The catalyst for discussion was a report from RNZ into Waka Kotahi, the agency charged with leading the Road to Zero road deaths action plan. The opening paragraph to the report reads, "Four years after Waka Kotahi was slammed for not doing its job keeping roads safe, a core unit of it has been labelled so ineffective it is bei...

I was delighted to come back on a short week to ease myself back into it with Matariki and really looking forward to heading up to the Hokianga But as I do before every four-hour trip north, I will be preparing for the trip. I do not make this trip lightly. I check the car, I get an early night. I want to be as prepared as I possibly can be alive, alert, awake, and enthusiastic so I can take care...

The principal of Henderson Intermediate, Wendy Esera, has been in education for 44 years and says student poverty is the worst she's seen. Parents can't afford uniforms, transport to school or food for lunches. For some families, it's easier for the kids to stay home. With some families at breaking point, KidsCan has launched an urgent appeal. KidsCan CEO Julie Chapman joined Kerre Woodham. LISTEN...

I can’t help but think health is going to be a major election issue next year.  Just look at the headlines this week regarding our first responders. The Professional Fire Fighters union is pursuing industrial action against Fire and Emergency New Zealand, in an attempt to get better wages and safer working conditions. Through all this we discovered firefighters co-respond with St John’s Ambulance...

Stats NZ data shows GDP has slumped 0.2 percent in the March 2022 quarter. This comes in a quarter marked by the community spread of Omicron and reduced travel because of border restrictions. To discuss, NZ Herald Business Editor at Large, Liam Dann joined Francesca Rudkin. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paddy Gower shared a lot more than I think he intended too last night when he set out to make a documentary on alcohol.  In a very brave move, he’s produced a documentary called Patrick Gower: On Booze It is filled with facts and figures about alcohol, who drinks it, how we drink it and the damages it causes, but more than that, he’s come clean about his own drinking, and the realisation he is a h...

A minor shuffle eh? Not quite so much. There was more on offer at yesterday’s press conference than expected; actually, the announcement was pretty sensible. It’s a good time for the Prime Minister to be making sure the right person is in the right job, shift the Opposition’s focus by moving along a few folks, and attempting to arrest a slide in the polls. The shuffle was instigated by a couple of...

The Life Education Trust, an organisation that provides health education to young people, says young vapers are consuming as much nicotine as someone smoking a pack-and-a-half of cigarettes a day. They say schools are crying out for help because they are dealing with young people with full-on dependency issues and it's becoming an epidemic. In response to growing calls from concerned parents and e...

The New Zealand Professional Firefighters union members start industrial action today in their fight for reasonable wages and safer working conditions. Speaking to the Mike Hosking Breakfast, New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union National Secretary Wattie Watson says as well as looking for a pay increase, they need more paid firefighters on the job. So according to the Union, there is curren...

The Government has announced it is going to redesign the attendance service to help schools deal with truancy and have released some new student attendance targets. The new target is for 70 percent regular attendance in 2024 and 75 percent regular attendance in 2026. Across New Zealand, fewer than 60 percent of students currently attend regularly. ‘Chronic absence’ means a child might be missing a...

The Breast Cancer Foundation Pink Ribbon Breakfast registrations are down 32 percent, representing a drop in income of roughly $600,000. Usually held each May, the campaign has now been extended to June 17th to try and make up the shortfall, in order to ensure it's services aren't impacted. Services that are needed more than ever. There's a backlog of 50,000 women overdue for their mammograms due...

As we heard in the news this week, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will meet Australia's new Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese and we've been told to the controversial 501 deportation policy is near the top of her agenda. I said yesterday that I didn't believe the Australians would reverse their 501 policy. It's a sure vote winner for all political parties, it looks like they're taking strong action...

A surge in gang violence has Auckland on edge at the moment as a tit-for-tat gang war between two rival gangs plays out on the street. The Minister of Police, Poto Williams said she wants the Police to work faster to tackle this particular issue. The Police have responded by saying they're making arrests, mostly on firearms charges and working behind the scenes to de-escalate the situation. And ye...

As we've been discussing, an increase in gang violence in Auckland has opposition parties eyeing up Australia's strict anti-bikie laws. In some Australian jurisdictions, anti-consorting laws mean gang members gathering together can be prosecuted. In Western Australia, they face up to five years in prison. Is this a way for New Zealand to dismantle the gangs from the inside out? National Party poli...

According two new reports out this week, national house values have fallen in the latest quarter. One Roof's Velocity House Value Index and the latest Core Logic Data found residential property values in the quarter to the end of May down by precisely the same amount - 0.9 per cent. While dropping property values may be a concern for homeowners, questions have been asked as to whether it is a good...

Obesity and the state of children’s dental health is in our news regularly. New research out has once again prompted the call for the Government to introduce a levy on sugary drinks. An extensive review of policies from around the world where taxes are in place, and let’s remember over 45 countries have already taxed sugary drinks, shows the tax leads to 15% lower sales on average. The research, w...

Very early this morning, the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern met with US President Joe Biden. The meeting went longer than it should, it went over time and it was warm and friendly. Is that enough for you?  On the agenda, of course, was trade and the CPTPP, there was global security, the Indo-Pacific economic framework. They talked climate change, the Ukraine and various things and of course, the CP...

Yesterday, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister David Clark, alongside Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson, announced the Government response to the Commerce Commission's findings on the supermarket sector. The Government will match 12 of the Commission's 14 recommendations and it will go further with the other two recommendations. But the main message to the supermarket duopoly was that the G...