Kerre Woodham Mornings Podcast

Listen to Kerre McIvor's editorial above, as she shares her thoughts on the controversial speech given by NZ First MP Shane Jones outside parliament yesterday, where he labelled farmer protesters "rednecks" and responded to their booing with a waiata. LISTEN TO THE AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More people are seeking help for electricity and gas payments because incomes aren't keeping up with rising rents. The number of electricity and gas hardship grants has increased by almost 50 percent since this time last year. National says the coalition is to blame for a higher cost of living, but the Government has hit back, with Minister Carmel Sepuloni says that is a result of people being mor...

A family focused programme is having great success helping kids manage obesity. More than 70 per cent of Whanau Pakari participant significantly reduced their BMI. Auckland University researcher Dr Yvonne Anderson told Kerre McIvor obesity in children is complex. "We've got lots of factors at play such as food security and juggling childcare, finding time to even cook a healthcare as well." Dr And...

The National party leader says its vital for young people to be in work or education so they don't join gangs. New figures reveal the number of patched gang members has increased by 26 percent since 2017. Simon Bridges told Kerre McIvor there are plenty of opportunities for youth to get involved in all across the country. He says unemployed youth create problems in society. "More work needs to be...

Rachel Hunter talks to Kerre McIvor about her new book and travelling for the Tour of Beauty TV show.  Listen to the full interview above, or watch the video below! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Deputy Principal of Tolaga Bay Area School Sam Hughes joins Kerre McIvor to discuss one of the National Party's believed policies. The party are potentily looking to fine parents over young people who leave school early and do not go into other education or get  job. Hughes says for under-resourced schools like his own, it is a potentially stressful policy. "We have the highest rates of unemployme...

Supermodel turned businesswoman Elle Macpherson says wellness was her biggest passion and sharing her life journey is her biggest joy. The 55-year-old wellness entrepreneur spoke to NZME this morning and will be headlining the first NZ Fashion Week gala tonight. "Wellness is my passion and that's where I put my energy, it's also the area I know most about and it's the area that I can really share...

There is doubt Donald Trump's future in politics will be decided on his dealings with Ukraine. US Democrats have opened an impeachment inquiry into the US President. Trump has admitted withholding US aid to Ukraine and is accused of pressuring the country to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, and his son. NBC political analyst Howard Fineman told Kerre McIvor the events are m...

The demand for 'healing crystals' around the world is soaring. New York based Kiwi journalist Tess McClure got curious about healing crystals and the question of where they actually came from. Her attempt to answer the question took her to tunnels deep in the earth of Madagascar. McClure discovered many are mined in deadly conditions in Madagascar, one of the world’s poorest countries. And there i...

Farmers feel like they're being thrown under the tractor, saying new environmental regulations are turning the public against them. South Island dairy farmer Shaun Portegys told Kerre McIvor he is among those feeling the impact of changing attitudes. "I was really proud to be a dairy farmer and I was proud of what I did . "I still love farming, I just hate all the crap that now goes along with it....

A new study has found older people can train to prevent their brain to prevent decline,  allowing them to keep up mentally with those in their twenties. The research, a collaboration between the University of Newcastle’s Hunter Medical Research Institute and the University of California, Irvine, used a brain-training game called Luminosity to assess participants’ ability to switch between tasks. W...

The Cancer Society says the government's investment into cancer care is hugely significant. The government is setting up a national cancer agency and has pledged $60 million for Pharmac to fund new drugs. Cancer Society medical director Dr Chris Jackson told Kerre McIvor the high profile nature of it will ensure the government's held to account - by the opposition and the public. "I think the most...

The latest political security breach has convinced Kerre McIvor that this Government doesn't know what it's doing. It was revealed yesterday that passport and drivers’ licence details have been exposed on a Government website after a security breach. It affected dozens of young New Zealanders who had supplied their details to the Ministry as part of their application to sail on double-hulled canoe...

In an article for The Atlantic, science journalist Peter Brannen writes against the idea of the Anthropocene. In the simplest of terms, the Anthropocene is a new, present day epoch, in which scientists say we have significantly altered the Earth through human activity. Brannen says that geological time is deep beyond all comprehension and, using the analogy of running a marathon, he argues that ge...

In January 2017, James Hayman was killed in a farm machinery accident on his Canterbury farm. At just 27 years old, he left behind his parents, a brother, a sister and his much loved partner Harriet Bremner. Harriet, now 30 years old, is championing safety on farms and talking about the grief suffered by those left behind in the wake of such incidents. She has written two children’s books, establi...

New Zealand is becoming less religious, exhibiting a sharp fall in the number of people who identify as Christian. A new report, Faith and Belief in New Zealand, says a third of New Zealanders identify with Christianity, down from 43 per cent in the 2013 Census and 49 per cent in the 2006 Census. The results of the 2018 Census are yet to be released. 20 per cent have spiritual beliefs but don't id...

With current financial markets all over the place and the Reserve Bank cutting the official cash rate, you would be forgiven for being cautious investing large amounts of money. Sam Stubbs is the founder of non profit KiwiSaver fund Simplicity. He joined Kerre McIvor to share his advice on investing your hard earned money. LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor...

The man dubbed the Sheriff of Ngawi says rural New Zealand needs more police support. The idea of a volunteer rural constabulary is back before Parliament. Labour's obliged to investigate the idea, as part of its coalition agreements with New Zealand First. Garth Gadsby made headlines when he was charged with recklessly discharging a firearm in 2006, for shooting at a car burglars were trying to e...

There is doubt a message board linked to violent extremists will be stamped out completely. The site is struggling to get back online after its cyber-security provider has withdrawn support, after mass shootings in Texas and Ohio. Hate messages were allegedly posted there relating to the mosque shootings and to another at a California synagogue. Herald reporter Matt Nippert told Kerre McIvor that...

Tyler Nii died in a skydiving incident at Lake Wakatipu near Queenstown almost 19 months ago. His family are still waiting for answers. Those answers, according to officials, are still many months away and the family are raising concerns about the way investigations are handled. Chris Jordan is the father of British tourist  Emily Jordan, who died while river boarding in Queenstown in 2008.  The c...

A Kiwi organisation is taking a proactive approach to helping young people in crisis.  Online Crisis Intervention began three years ago, in response to the massive number of social media posts they saw that spoke about times of distress and crisis. Their aim to get help to every young person in crisis online. Using algorithms to search for certain hashtags, like #depressed or #suicidal, the help l...

Genealogy sites have long helped identify criminals, but now, they have helped convict one.  William Talbott the Second was sentenced to life in prison last week for killing a young Canadian couple more than three decades ago, in a case that relied on newly-emerged genealogical technology. It was the first time that a murder suspect captured using genetic genealogy was found guilty by a jury trial...

Author Kristy Shen and Bryce Leung join Kerre McIvor to talk about their growing initiative Fire, financial independence retire early. The movement, which encourages workers to save intensively to enable them to stop working for money far earlier than is commonly done. Shen grew up in poverty in rural China, where her family collectively lived on as little as $0.44 a day. She learned to make decis...

The release Sunday of an audio recording has shed new light on the seizure of a British-flagged tanker at the hands of Iran's Revolutionary Guard as tensions flare in the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The audio released by maritime security risk firm Dryad Global shows that a British frigate was too far away from the targeted tanker to keep it from being diverted into an Iranian port despite U.K. ef...

Funny As: The Story of New Zealand Comedy, premieres this Sunday at 8:30PM on TVNZ 1 and goes for five weeks. ‘Directors Cut’, which also includes longer interviews with comedians will be available at TVNZ OnDemand.  The book, Funny As, is published the same time as the TVNZ series, is also available at all good book stores. Ginette McDonald is a New Zealand actor, television producer and director...