Kerre Woodham Mornings Podcast

New Zealand’s economic response to the Covid pandemic is under scrutiny.  The second phase of the Covid Inquiry found New Zealand’s overall pandemic response effective, but some restrictions went too far, and the Government moved too slowly in some areas.  It highlights our Covid increase on health spending was one of the OECD's largest.  ANZ Chief Economist Sharon Zollner told Kerr...

Comparisons are being drawn between New Zealand’s approach to Covid, and Sweden’s.   The findings of the second phase of the Covid Inquiry were released yesterday, and the response was found to be broadly effective, but slow to adapt and poorly communicated.  It also found some mandates to be overly restrictive, and the Auckland lockdown went on too long.   In Sweden, they had a les...

We all seem to be suffering from Long Covid. It's lingering as the findings of the second phase of the Covid-19 response inquiry were released yesterday. And what its findings were pretty much depends on what media you read. According to RNZ, it found the Government's response was effective but late and not communicated well enough to people. From Newsroom: ‘Lockdown, vaccine decisions considered...

The Government is doing its bit to protect children from themselves by banning the use of smartphones during the school day and by moving to bring in legislation restricting social media use for children under 16. The schools are doing their bit, although it's more mopping up than prevention, by bringing in counsellors to help children, some as young as eight, who've been exposed to extreme online...

Shipping prices could soon be rising for cheap online stores like Shein and Temu.  Changes from next month will add fees and levies to small parcels crossing the border, making them fairer and helping cover Customs costs.  It should save taxpayers $70 million in parcel subsidies.  Customs Minister Casey Costello told Kerre Woodham Mornings border control can't cope with the more tha...

It was a glorious weekend. Somewhat marred when I read this story from Anna Leask in yesterday's New Zealand Herald. I really had to I really had to reset myself after reading this. Anna writes, urgent calls for change are mounting after a third Christchurch woman was murdered by a violent repeat offender who was subject to monitoring and a raft of prison release conditions designed to keep the co...

Over the weekend, a third Christchurch woman was murdered by a violent repeat offender who was subject to monitoring and prison release conditions designed to keep the community safe. Nicole Tuxford, Juliana Herrera, and Shantelle McDonald, three Christchurch women murdered in the place they should have been safest, in their own homes. All killed by men with long, documented histories of violence...

An explosive poll shows National has reached its lowest result since forming a Government, as Labour climbs ahead. The Taxpayers' Union-Curia poll has Labour on 34.4% as National drops six points behind to 28.4%.  The Greens are on 10.5%, with NZ First trailing slightly on 9.7%, ACT on 7.5%, and Te Pati Māori on 3.2%.  Director of Sherson Willis, Trish Sherson told Kerre Woodham the poll...

The medicinal cannabis industry could be worth billions of dollars to the country in the not-so-distant future, if regulation's improved.   ACT leader David Seymour says he's looking at further improvements to speed up processing for exports of the plant.  He's open to improving regulation domestically as well.  Co-founder of NUBU Pharmaceuticals Mark Dye told Kerre Woodham New Zeal...

When I heard David Seymour talking up the potential of New Zealand's medicinal cannabis industry, I was immediately transported to a world where the Far North was once again a thriving powerhouse of the New Zealand economy, as it used to be. Where bright young people could get meaningful jobs without having to leave home, where once again New Zealand's brilliant scientists combined with primary pr...

I'd be getting seriously brassed off if I was a primary school teacher, especially if I was a non-union primary school teacher. The NZEI has been in protracted negotiations with the Public Service Commissioner and the Government over pay and conditions. Every other teaching union has negotiated its own deal for its teachers, its principals, and its support staff, but not the NZEI. The Treaty of Wa...

I just want to get your opinion. This follows a, shall we say, spirited discussion in the office around people who are trapped overseas and how they get home. I'd love to hear from people who might have been in this position before, trapped overseas because of acts of war or closed borders or forces of nature. What did you do and what was your expectation? Did you think it was the responsibility o...

I was listening to the podcast ‘The Rest is Politics’ last night. The speakers were saying that Trump's inclination to invade countries at will, will almost certainly result in nuclear proliferation and will drive countries to find protection in the shadow of Russia and China. The thinking being, what will stop the big orange guy from invading me? Nuclear warheads. Or a mate as big as he is. And t...

Golfer Daniel Hillier's won the New Zealand Open by two strokes at Millbrook, eight days after getting married. The 27-year-old finished at  22-under overall after a final round four-under par 67, marking the first time a Kiwi has won the tournament since 2017. Hillier told Kerre Woodham that the crowds were among the best he's played in front of. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for...

When it comes to telling stories about what I did in my weekend, I thought I had a pretty good one, but Donald Trump takes the cake. Bombing the hell out of Iran and taking out the Ayatollah Khamenei and other key members of the ruling theocracy surely trumps what most of us did. As you will know by now, the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran beginning Saturday. There were talk...

The 105th New Zealand Golf Open has teed off at Millbrook.  It’s a unique Pro-Am event, where 156 professionals compete alongside amateur partners, and is the only Open tournament in the world to be played in this format.  Australian Ryan Peake won the title in 2025, and has returned to defend it in 2026.  Chairman John Hart told Kerre Woodham the Pro-Am format is the reason the tou...

Another way of keeping older folks safer on the roads.  Aucklander Boyd Steel has started a business producing ‘S’ plates – a car sticker designed to let other drivers know there’s an older driver behind the wheel.  The blue sticker is similar to the yellow ‘L’ plate for learner drivers, signalling that the driver may be slower or less confident and asking for patience.   Steel told...

I can't even believe we're having to discuss this, but we are. It seems absolutely ludicrous that drunk drivers who say, kill their passengers, maim their passengers, smash their own selves up after crashing their vehicles —hopefully not into innocent victims, but sometimes it will be— are able to claim ACC, but the volunteer firefighters and the first responders who are volunteers who respond to...

There's been a second major medical platform hack, leaving live patients labelled as dead and people's names changed to Charlie Kirk, the American activist who was shot dead last year – assassinated really. MediMap is widely used across New Zealand. It's often used by the aged care, disability, hospice and community health sectors. It's the second major cyber-attack on medical files and records in...

Credit to those 120 business people who went along to hear Chris Hipkins' State of the Nation address yesterday, hosted by the Auckland Business Chamber. Credit to those few people who watched it live, like my colleague Mike Hosking. My word, it was dull. And that is not me being a lickspittle mouthpiece for the Tory overlords. Have a listen to this:  “I know we didn't get everything right wh...

I am torn on this one because I know somebody needs to do something. That classic old talkback quote, Somebody needs to do something." Well, somebody has. The government is giving police new powers to crack down on beggars, rough sleepers, and basically nasty oiks. Yesterday, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith, Police Minister Mark Mitchell announced the new move on orders and details around when the...

The Government is providing police with the power to issue move-on orders as a tool to deal with disorderly behaviour in public places. But, the Police Association says it can't always be the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff. President Steve Watt says these people on the streets have complex problems, include housing, mental health and financial issues - and Police aren't equipped to deal with...

We thought we'd start with the housing densification or de-densification that was announced yesterday. We didn't really get a chance to talk about it despite the fact that yesterday when the Prime Minister was in for an hour, he gave us a bit of an announcement of an announcement.  “Long story short is what Chris will announce is a significant reduction in the capacity, which means that then...

An unprecedented day continues for the UK, with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor released under investigation after his arrest overnight.  The former Prince has been pictured leaving a Norfolk police station following allegations he shared sensitive information with late sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein.   Searches have taken place at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk.  His brother King Char...

The Official Cash Rate has been left unchanged, 2.25%, expected by all the commentators, but perhaps less expected was a dovish view of the future. It was the new Reserve Bank Governor's, well she's not that new I suppose, the newish Reserve Bank Governor's first OCR review, having come on board at the end of '25. She is pretty optimistic about the economy. She said it will continue to recover, bu...