Kerre Woodham Mornings Podcast

A former National Finance Minister believes many of those who voted for Labour - will have been holding their noses as they did so. Steven Joyce told Kerre McIvor he believes a lot of people voted strategically. "With the discussions around the wealth taxes the past few weeks, I knew some people who are normally National voters saying they will vote for Labour, just to keep the Greens out." Joyce...

Chloe Swarbrick says it's phenomenal to have won Auckland Central. Special votes haven't been counted but she's leading by 500 votes. Swarbrick told Kerre McIvor she doesn't want to count her chickens before they hatch, but says it was a very good night. "When you give every fibre of your being to something, we built up a massive campaign and did things everyone ruled out." Swarbrick says everyone...

Act expects to have power in Parliament - even on the opposition benches. The party is set to go from one MP to ten, after winning Epsom and soaking up eight percent of the party vote. Leader David Seymour says the defeat of the right overall is disappointing. But he told Kerre McIvor Act have proven they can still influence government policy from the opposition. "Labour said they were going to in...

National's Gerry Brownlee has revealed he's considering his position in the party, after last night's devastating election result. It's ended up with just 26.8 percent of the party vote, meaning 19 MPs are out of a job. Brownlee told Kerre McIvor he'll be taking a couple of days to think about his future with the party. "I'll be speaking to colleagues before making a decision. The party will hold...

Judith Collins has admitted National never expected to win the election. She's spoken to Newstalk ZB's Kerre McIvor, in her first interview since last night's historic loss. She says she has no plans to step down. Collins says the loss is devastating, but it was almost inevitable. "Nobody expected the miracle that I was trying to work for. People have to be realistic, it was not our time." "Covid-...

Greens co-leader James Shaw remains hopeful of being part of the next Labour government. He told Kerre McIvor while Labour doesn't have to include them, there's a good chance they will. “I guess the question is, what sort of government do they want? “Jacinda is a consensus builder, she wants to build a broader coalition as possible.” At this stage, Labour has enough votes to govern alone. But Jame...

Labour's Grant Robertson is over the moon with last night's election result. The finance spokesman told Kerre McIvor you never take anything for granted, and he's humbled by the support the party's had. "I've spent a lot of time travelling around New Zealand the past few weeks. I really felt that on the ground, people were supporting us." Robertson is confident the party would have won the electio...

Seriously, why would you be a police officer?  You're damned if you do, damned if you don't.  An Independent Police Conduct Authority report has slammed police who pursued a car load of teenagers, a car that ultimately ended up crashing into and killing a Christchurch man who was driving to work.  The IPCA says the officers should not have started the pursuit and they should have abandoned the pur...

The leader of the National Party's making a last-ditch plea to undecided voters ... to tick twice for blue. Judith Collins told Kerre McIvor they should vote for her Party - because it understands the economy. She says the Reserve Bank is predicting the worst economic times in 160 years. Watch the video above. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Deborah was by far one of our most popular callers in the last while!   LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're fat - unhealthily overweight - is it a matter of personal responsibility or because you're a victim of a toxic food culture? Judith Collins was speaking to Chris Lynch in Christchurch yesterday and pooh poohed the idea of an obesity epidemic saying it was time for people to take personal responsibility if they were fat.  I tend to be of that school of thought myself - but speaking purely...

The Greens don't have a bottom line for forming a coalition in parliament. Co-leader James Shaw reveals instead the party has six top priorities it's taking into this election. He told Kerre McIvor those include income support, transport, housing, the marine environment, clean energy and the future of farming. Shaw says they're not going to get everything they've laid out - but they want to make p...

I have been banging on about this for years.  A new report from the New Zealand Initiative backs up everything I've ever thought of about our education system. What it says is that New Zealand’s education system is a mess, riddled with unscientific ideas and seduced by child-centred orthodoxy, according to the new research. Amen. I have said that before but not as eloquently. Falling from its heig...

New Zealand First is promising that introducing a "coward Punch" law will be a major priority in any post-election deals with other political parties. And, speaking to Newstalk ZB this morning, NZ First leader Winston Peters revealed that he thought it is much more likely that Labour will be able to form a Government after the election than National. "I can see the outcome of this election at the...

Jeremy called into Kerre McIvor to discuss the panic around Covid-19 and says there is no risk/benefit analysis that stacks up. If we are not prepared to take risks with a travel bubble, we'll never be prepared to take any risk. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Act Party leader David Seymour says being Deputy Prime Minister isn't out of the question - but it's unlikely. During last night's second leaders' debate, National's Judith Collins said he'd be excellent in the role if her party won the election. Seymour told Kerre McIvor it's not on his mind. "Act has always been more focused on policies and what we can leave behind to make this a better place, t...

Act Party leader David Seymour says being Deputy Prime Minister isn't out of the question - but it's unlikely. During last night's second leaders' debate, National's Judith Collins said he'd be excellent in the role if her party won the election. Seymour says [told Kerre McIvor] it's not on his mind. "Act has always been more focused on policies and what we can leave behind to make this a better p...

A rare indoor plant has been stolen from the Christchurch Botanic Gardens amid the current craze over house plants. The variegated monstera is hard to come by here due to our biosecurity laws, making it prized by houseplant lovers. It's estimated that a cutting of the plant could be worth $3000. The increasing interest in indoor plants has seen a rise in price - Trade Me recently hit a new record...

Former Prime Minister Sir John Key reckons the time is now to build a second harbour bridge in Auckland, amid the ongoing troubles with the current crossing. Motorists are being warned to stay way from the bridge, with heavy winds buffeting the super city and making for hazardous driving conditions. NZTA says it may close some lanes of the bridge if wind gusts exceed 80 kilometres per hour, and mo...

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson appealed Tuesday for resolve and a “spirit of togetherness” through the winter as he unveiled new restrictions on everyday life to suppress a dramatic spike in coronavirus cases. Warning that the measures could last for six months, Johnson voiced hope that “things will be far better by the spring” when a vaccine and mass testing could be in place. The most high...

Well, I don't know about you but last night it was appointment viewing for the first time in a long while with the first Leader's Debate. I know it's not a blood sport as the Prime Minister said, and that was a good thing. I thought there was a degree of civility. There was no shouting over each other. It was more a challenge of policies and plans and ideas But I was hoping for a bit of spark and...

Just when you thought it was safe to begin moving out of Lockdown 2.5, New Zealand's most populous city moves into Gridlock 1.0.  I have mercifully been spared the horrors of trying to move around Auckland, which is congested at the best of times.  With the Harbour Bridge out of action - at least, extremely limited in its function – travelling around the city is an absolute nightmare from the stor...

National says it's tax stimulus package will keep the economy ticking by giving Kiwis money to spend. Under National, the bottom tax threshold would be lifted from $14,000 to $20,000, the middle bracket would rise from $48,000 to $64,000 and the top tax threshold would be lifted from $70,000 to $90,000. The party has also scaled back its plan to reduce debt to 30 percent of GDP within 10 years. Fi...

New Zealand is officially in its first recession in 11 years, by virtue of a second successive quarter of negative growth. Country’s gross domestic product has shrunk a record 12.2 per cent in the June quarter showing impact of the Strict Level 4 lock down in March and April.  Herald Business Editor at large Liam Dann told Kerre McIvor it's a strange set of circumstances and it's the worst GDP we'...

The End of Life Choice Act will allow terminally ill patients to spend more time with their families, not less. Matt Vickers has advocated for euthanasia since his former wife Lecretia Seales died in 2015. After her brain cancer diagnosis, Seales battled the courts for the right to end her life. Vickers joined Kerre McIvor for an hour of talkback on the referendum, and says that many take their ow...