Kerre Woodham Mornings Podcast

The Government has been told by its own independent expert advisory group that there is a ‘strong case for adopting saliva testing as the main method for testing in New Zealand’, yet nothing is being done about it. Sir Brian Roche’s September 2020 report said ‘all efforts’ should be made to introduce saliva testing as soon as possible. Those involved are scratching their heads as to why there has...

Labour shortages across the country have led to fierce competition among employers looking for staff. Trade Me data shows there were more than 80,000 vacancies listed for the quarter ending June 30, 2021. Trade Me Jobs sales director Matt Tolich described it as a job hunter's market, with employers paying more to attract staff from their competitors. "With application numbers down and more listing...

This was an exceptional call - Hone and his 'English Rose' are in Kaitaia, and have started an initiative called One Whanau (family) At A Time. With methamphetamine use rife, families are struggling to find housing, food etc. They are helping one family at a time to get basic needs met. Hone is former gang member who has turned his life around and has a fascinating story. If you want to help Hone...

A purpose-built Covid-19 facility for just 11 million dollars maximum.  A purpose built facility that could then be repurposed into emergency housing perhaps or refugee resettlement. 11 million dollars represents just 11 days of housing people in motels around the country.  Surely it’s a no brainer to spend that sort of money.  Some people have been calling for a purpose built facility since we fi...

The sound of flapping you hear in the air is the sound of all our chickens coming home to roost.  Treasury's most recent analysis of the Government's long term finances sees the country facing an interminable cycle of debt and deficits, with debt levels rising to more than two trillion dollars in 40 years if it doesn't get the costs of an ageing population under control.  The cost increases will b...

Living in New Zealand can be akin to living in Paradise - or it can be sheer hell.  It's not about your ethnicity - although Māori are overrepresented in the worst stats - its about poverty and its about location.  Look at the stories that have been in the news in the past week - wastewater testing has shown struggling rural towns are bearing the brunt of New Zealand's methamphetamine crisis.  The...

Watercare is planning on spending 18.5 billion dollars to keep Auckland's water networks up to scratch. The organisation's unveiled its investment programme for the next 20 years, and it's the biggest to date. It includes expanding the region's two largest wastewater treatment plants and delivering new water sources. Watercare chief executive Jon Lamonte joined Kerre McIvor. LISTEN ABOVE See omnys...

One of the giant entities proposed to manage water includes both the Kaipara District Council and Auckland Council. Heather Du Plessis Allan asked Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta why Aucklanders should pay for the connection to reticulated water of a place like Kaipara. Nanaia Mahuta told her they benefit from water outside of their region via their beach houses. Kaipara District Mayor Jas...

Developers will be able to demolish homes and build apartment blocks of at least six storeys deep inside many of Auckland's traditional suburbs under a new Labour Government law aimed at addressing runaway house prices. Auckland Council has released a proposed approach for implementing the changes requiring more intensification across the city. In the biggest change to planning rules since the Uni...

Should you be able to swear or use inappropriate terms during a casual game of Scrabble? Kerre McIvor spoke with Howard Warner from the NZ Scrabble Association to find out. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matthew Hooton's column in this morning's Herald highlights why we need a strong opposition in a democracy, especially at a time of perceived crisis and when the government can rule alone, without the constraint of another party to keep them in check.  A quick check list from Hooton: The Health Minister Andrew Little forced to admit the centrepiece of the wellbeing Budget has failed, specifically...

Matthew Hooten joined Kerre McIvor to talk about his 'National goes from sickly to looking terminal' opinion piece in the NZ Herald. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is not our first rodeo.  We know what to do.  As we move up the alert levels, our behaviours change and certain things are expected of us. Wearing masks in public places and on public transport, no crowds larger than 100, staying away from others at the first sign of a sniffle, checking in religiously - yep, we've all got it.  So why haven’t the government and the Minist...

Restrictions on fishing and new marine protection areas are being introduced to protect Auckland's Hauraki Gulf. Gulf X is a major marine restoration project launched by The Sustainable Business Network in 2019. GulfX works with businesses to, among other things, reduce marine plastic pollution and cut transport pollution through promoting copper-free brake pads to cut down on heavy metals in stor...

Women’s Refuge has released a first-of-its-kind research report into what children need to feel safe after family violence. The Women's Refuge system was set up with women in mind and hasn't always looked at what safety looks like from a child's perspective. Most of the children who they talked to for the Kids in the Middle research wanted a place that was safe, they needed to know how they would...

A change has been proposed to encourage commercial fishers to only catch the fish they actually want. The Government's making it so fishing vessels has to bring everything they catch back to land, including bycatch. By limiting what can be returned to the sea, and installing onboard cameras on 300 vessels, there's hope companies will be forced to catch only what they want. The move will cost $68 m...

New Zealand has again avoided a recession. Broad-based growth in this year's first quarter has driven a 1.6 per cent rise in GDP. It follows a 1 per cent fall in the December quarter. The Herald's Liam Dann told Kerre McIvor the first quarter of the year had been expected to be tough. "It's the peak of the tourist season, the cruise ships are usually in, we're usually having the arrival of a whole...

It's a no from Team New Zealand to the Government's $99 million offer for hosting the next America's Cup. The board has informed Auckland Council and the Crown that's not enough. Minister-in-charge Stuart Nash says it's disappointing they couldn't reach agreement within the exclusive negotiation period. He says the talks are commercial-in-confidence - but the offer involved cash and support worth...

Surely there is no reasonable person who would object to the government apologising for the way Pacifica people were treated during the 1970s when they were subjected to the dawn raids.    It was a time when the New Zealand Police was instructed by the government to enter homes and/or stop people on the street and ask for permits, visas, passports – anything that proved a person’s right to be in t...

The Government has agreed to apologise for the Dawn Raids of the 1970s on Pasifika, Maori, and other people of colour. Police also randomly forced them to show proof of residency in public. Pacific Peoples Minister Aupito William Sio says the apology will be significant for Pasifika communities and those affected. Auckland councillor Efeso Collins, who is of Samoan and Tokelauan descent, welcomes...

A landmark report by the New Zealand Education Institution has found primary school teachers face increased demands, but staff numbers are mostly unchanged. The report recommends the current primary school staffing model be completely revamped That includes reducing student ratios, more teacher aides, and giving teachers a weekly release day. NZEI President Liam Rutherford joined Kerre McIvor. LIS...

The National Party is due to meet later this month to vote on proposed changes to its internal rules after a string of problems with MPs and candidates, and a disastrous election result in 2020. National Party leader Judith Collins says changes to the National Party's selection rules will include much stronger vetting of potential candidates' social media histories and more comprehensive reference...

The Ashburton District Council is facing a big repair bill to fix up gaping holes left in rutted roads and fix their bridge. Mayor Neil Brown says if Auckland can get a new $685 million bridge, his Canterbury town should get a new bridge at a fraction of the cost. The South Island mayor said Auckland has a need to bridge the Waitemata Harbour and "that's fine", but his town of 35,000 people has a...

UK research has found that children on a vegan diet are more likely to be shorter and have weaker bones than their meat-eating peers. The study by the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health in the UK and the Children's Memorial Health Institute in Poland compared infants on a vegan diet and those who were omnivores. It found that vegan kids might have slightly lower levels of cholestero...

Nurses Organisation members around the country are striking between 11am and 7pm tomorrow, after rejecting another pay offer. They say pay rates don't attract people into the profession or retain current staff, and staffing levels are stretching them to breaking point. Nurses Association Lead Advocate David Wait joined Kerre McIvor. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.