Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills

Sir John Key says our country can't go on living like a hermit kingdom. The Former Prime Minister's slammed the Government's Covid response, accusing it of ruling by fear. He's also labelled the MIQ lottery system a national embarrassment. Sir John has put forward five ideas to re-open NZ to the world including giving young people $25 vouchers to get vaccinated before December 1st and telling the...

This Week on Friday Faceoff on Wellington Mornings: Business leader Rachel Taulelei and Broadcaster Mark Sainsbury talk the new police tactical response model, businesses giving cash bonuses to jabbed employees, should Wellington have more MIQ hotels, and was $129 thousand too much to spend on saving Toa the stranded Orca? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington is a step closer to getting more cycleways. City councillors have agreed to start consultation on a plan to build 147 kilometres new cycleways over the next decade. Councillor Iona Pannett says getting to this stage is exciting. Pannett says it's the first time they've made a real commitment to increasing cycleways. But Councillor Simon Woolf was one of just two who voted against it. He...

Police are scaling up firearms training and will create a new tactical response team in response to increasing violence against officers. More police will have armed offender squad training following a $45 million Government investment in frontline officers' safety. They will be rostered on to double-crew dog handler teams and bolster planned operations to arrest high-risk offenders and combat org...

Wellington Mornings Business Panel: Gazley Motors Managing Director Myles Gazley and Founder and CEO of Nisa, Elisha Watson join Nick Mills for a pulse check on business in the Capital post Level Three and Four. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Light fittings and chairs are among the items being saved from within Wellington's 30-year-old closed central library building because of their heritage value. The library is being packed up over eight weeks so it can be earthquake strengthened. All the books have already been removed and are being stored at a warehouse in Johnsonville. The library - opened in 1991 - has been listed as a Category...

Today on Tuesday Business with Wellington Business Editor Hamish Rutherford: James Shaw taking a delegation of 14 to COP26, indoor gathering limit under Level 2 increases to 100, and does it look like the America's Cup isn't heading overseas after all? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Wellingtonian in London is pleading with the Government to listen to those abroad. About 30-thousand people logged into the new MIQ lobby yesterday morning, vying for 3200 spots. More will open up up fortnightly. But Kiwis overseas have expressed frustration Paul Henderson told Nick Mills he's been criticised online for not coming home sooner. Henderson says people have different circumstances t...

Monday Political Panel with Wellington-based National Party MP Nicola Willis and Labour MP for Wairarapa Kieran McAnulty: Cabinet is set to announce alert level decision today, is it time we accept eliminating Delta is a dream, is lockdown tolerance waning, last week's poll results, New Zealand is left out of a major international security deal and the Black Caps game in Pakistan in canned over se...

The Black Caps' cricket tour of Pakistan was cancelled over the weekend due to a security threat. Players never made it to the ground after being told to stay inside their rooms at their hotel, situated roughly 15 minutes from the venue.  New Zealand Cricket then announced that the tour had been called off, and the players would be heading home, due to increased security concerns. The New Zealand...

Former Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast and current Upper Hutt Mayor Wayne Guppy discuss the 226-million dollar plan to install a 147-kilometre long cycle network through Wellington's streets. We looked into the latest issues around the National Party, whether it's OK to ask childcare centres if staff are vaccinated, and the panel's Te Reo was put to the test for Maori Language Week. LISTEN ABOV...

This week we celebrated Māori language week by paying respect to our musical  Kaumātua's of Aotearoa- Pixie Williams, Prince Tui Teka and Maui Dalvanius Prime, whilst also looking to the future with wāhine toa Taylor-Rose Terekia and her Korean pop bangers translated to Te Reo. Also find out how much that Pātea Māori Club record really is worth in Cash in the Attic! LISTEN ABOVE Check out the K Po...

Nick Mills invited Cycling Action Network Project Manager Patrick Morgan into the studio to address people's concerns around the Wellington City Council's $226m plan to build a 147km network of safer bike routes around the city. LISTEN ABOVE Listen back here to Nick's interview with Wellington City Councillor Iona Pannett who pushed for the project. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat...

A rural medical centre that pleaded with the Immigration Minister to help retain their young migrant GP is baffled to see residency reportedly granted to convicted criminals. Ōtaki GP Dr Harding Richards, originally from Wales, left New Zealand in June after a year waiting in limbo to lodge a residency application. Because of Covid's impact on the immigration office, the Government suspended Expre...

This week on Beehive Buzz with Newstalk ZB Chief Political Reporter Jason Walls: A Curia poll puts National on just 21.2 per cent - while Act is on 14.9 per cent, former National Party Press Secretary Janet Wilson criticises Judith Collins in a Spinoff interview, and the Māori has launched a petition to change the official name of New Zealand to Aotearoa. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...

The Wellington City Council has confirmed to Newstalk ZB that more detail on a 147km cycleway network for the Capital will be released this afternoon.  The network could see hundreds of carparks go in the next 10 years.  Wellington City Councillor Iona Pannett has defended the plan on Wellington Mornings.  She told Nick Mills 'cyclists are not safe at the moment so the plan means we can meet healt...

This week on Money Talks director of Mortgage Ability NZ Marcus Hull gives us tips on how to get you small business going after lockdown, along with advice on personal budgeting, getting on the housing ladder and managing your savings. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Capital Letter with Wellington Issues Reporter Georgina Campbell: Businesses are threatening legal action over the loss of 72 car parks on Thorndon Quay, the need for a pathway to Level One for regions outside of Auckland and the van that fell off a Wellington street yesterday. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Businesses on Wellington's Thorndon Quay are threatening the city council with legal action over the removal of car parks, which they say is "totally tone deaf". Angle parks are being replaced with parallel parking spaces to make it safer for cyclists along the busy gateway to the city. It means there will be 72 less car parks. Thorndon Quay Collective chairman Paul Robinson said businesses were s...

Doubts over name suppression for an Auckland couple who reportedly left lockdown for their Wanaka holiday home. The pair have temporary suppression, to allow their lawyer to apply to the High Court for longer suppression. Wellington lawyer Stephen Franks told Nick Mills in a case like this, shame should be the first penalty. He believes when name suppression's given, it's a judgement the embarassm...

Hamish Rutherford updates Nick on the week's top business stories, including what the lockdown's done to the latest stats on the capital's housing market. They also look at why some Wellington businesses may have difficulty in qualifying for the latest Government relief to deal with the latest Covid restrictions. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A review into the Wellington City Council's communication and engagement function has called for the Council's corporate identity and external branding to get a refresh. The 23-page-long review, released last week, pointed to issues with public perception of the council that includes dysfunction among Council staff and a feeling that Wellington City Council staff talk 'to and at community groups r...

Monday Political Panel: Labour MP for Hutt South Ginny Andersen and Wellington-based National MP Nicola Willis debate the backlash National leader Judith Collins is facing after calling microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles a 'big fat hypocrite' over a trip to the beach, how vaccine passports could be used domestically, support for business in lockdown and alert levels. See omnystudio.com/listener for pri...

Friday Faceoff: WWF NZ CEO Livia Esterhazy and Business Leader and Iron Duke Partners Manager Phil O'Reilly debate whether Green Party Co-Leader James Shaw is a hypocrite for flying to COP26 in Scotland later this year, how Delta Level Two is hampering Wellington businesses and if mask wearing should be mandatory in schools. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

High profile Wellington café Prefab is ceasing operations immediately and staff have been given notice of redundancy. Delta level 2 has proven too restrictive for Prefab to re-open. Under the rules there is a limit of 50 people at hospitality and event venues, while outdoor venues can have up to 100 people. Prefab Eatery, the 180 seater flagship café for the ACME brand, was founded in 2013 by Jeff...