Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

Our national health service is being accused of structural imbalance.   New documents reveal Te Whatu Ora's contractor workforce may not have earned their high wages.   The number of contractors has dropped from more than 1,000 to just over 600 - after the audit found significant deficiencies in the agency's recruitment processes.  The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists Executive Director Sarah Dalton told Kate Hawkesby bringing 20 DHBs together was always going to be challenging.   She says the agency has things the wrong way round and the focus needs to be on clinical services.  Dalton says health professionals should be allowed to drive the system.     LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour announced yesterday that ‘bottom trawling and Danish seining will be banned in most of the Hauraki Gulf as part of a plan to better protect the 1.2-million-hectare marine park.’   They have four options going for public consultation next week, one of them stipulating that ‘bottom-trawling would be banned from 89 per cent of the Gulf. Currently, 27 per cent of the Gulf is closed to bottom trawling and Danish seining fishing methods.’   Bottom trawling involves dragging weighted nets over the seafloor to catch fish.   Danish seining, I had to look up because I had no idea what that was, but it’s apparently ‘similar to a small trawl net, but the wire warps are much longer and there are no otter boards. The seine boat drags the warps and the net in a circle around the fish. The motion of the warps herds the fish into the central net,’ according to Wikipedia.   So is the Government’s announcement yesterday of looking to ban this in most of the Hauraki Gulf, too little too late though?   Because we have a ma

The Government is expected to announce a mental health co-response model between Police and health today.   Psychologist Sara Chatwin says it's a nice notion, but when it comes to mental health you need to tread lightly.  Chatwin joined Kate Hawkesby on Early Edition. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fears have come that new legalisation aimed at taxing multinational companies that provide digital services might not be as effective as hoped.   The Government has unveiled the Digital Services Tax, which will slap three percent on New Zealand revenue of companies like Amazon, Meta and Google.  It's expected to bring in $222 million over four years.  However, Tech Commentator Paul Spain told Kate Hawkesby some companies may simply put up their New Zealand prices to cover the difference.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National is expected to make tax bracket changes to keep up with inflation.  It'll unveil its policy in a few hours, with Finance Spokesperson Nicola Willis saying it'll be funded through a mix of spending cuts and "targeted" revenue tools.  She's long talked about the "squeezed middle", meaning as much relief for middle income earners as higher income earners.  Auckland University tax expert Craig Elliffe told Kate Hawkesby changing the brackets is a good idea for middle New Zealand.  He says the fiscal drag caused by inflation means there's more tax on them right now, so it's a sensible signal of a policy.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s a lot of sport going on at the moment – school sport I mean - and I’m always amazed at how dedicated and committed parents and volunteer coaches are to these school teams.  Having had kids as players, and later on as coaches, having seen how much work goes into it all, it’s very impressive.   Especially in terrible weather and especially in a cost of living crisis where things like sports gear, shoes and uniforms are not cheap.   Some families are paying a fortune for their kids to do sport – and I’m always amazed at how many prioritise it.   It takes up weekends and evenings too, so it’s very time and finance heavy.   But it’s those sports teams and club games which often spark real enthusiasm for kids, not to mention set them up with a lifetime of friendship or a good foundation for fitness. Both of which are crucial for mental health, so it’s got to be good for them, even if they’re pretty average at it.   I remember when my husband was the girls’ netball manager back in their primary school days,

New Zealand Fashion Week is being refreshed after three years away from the catwalk.  Starting today Kiwi designers will have their talent showcased across more than 50 runway shows, talks, and workshops.  Owner Feroz Ali told Kate Hawkesby this time round there's greater opportunity for the public to see work from a more diverse pool of designers.  Ali says there are a lot more indigenous and emerging designers coming through.   He says the new talent will be shepherded by stewards like Kate Sylvester, who is celebrating 30 years in the local industry.  The event is partnering with Ngāti Whātua.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are fears unemployment could rise as many businesses look to restructure.  Seek's latest report for July shows job ad volumes dropped four percent month-on-month and are 26 percent lower year-on-year.   They're now just one percent higher than in July 2019 - while applications per job have risen by 11 percent - the highest level on record.  Employers and Manufacturers Association Head of Strategy Alan McDonald told Kate Hawkesby many businesses are looking to cut costs rather than take on more people.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National says Grant Robertson can't deliver on the savings he's announced by slashing public contractors and consultants' spending.  The Finance Minister says the move will mean savings of almost $4 billion over the next four years.  He's also announced a trimming back of programmes and a limit on future budget allowances.    National Finance spokesperson Nicola Willis told Kate Hawkesby this won't make any difference. She says the Government has thrown billions at growing the bureaucracy and this kind of spending - so it's too little, too late.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former Cabinet Minister believes Chris Hipkins has snookered Luxon very cleverly.  The Labour leader has ruled out working with New Zealand First, saying Winston Peters no longer holds policies fit to run the country.  Hipkins has labelled Peters a force of instability and chaos.  Former MP Peter Dunne told Kate Hawkesby that he's reinforced in people's minds that a vote for New Zealand First is a vote for National.  He says National's hand has been forced to make clear whether he'll work with Peters, which could be risky.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new report reveals that the majority of New Zealand employers are contributing the minimum 3% towards their employees Kiwi Saver.   The latest Value for Money Report by KiwiSaver watchdog, National Capital, shows the average contribution rate for all New Zealanders is 4.3%.  Director and KiwiSaver expert Clive Fernandes told Kate Hawkesby that based on the average contribution rate, retirement expenses, and inflation the contribution rate average should be 6.3% .   He says the extra money saved now will take a lot more pressure off when it comes to retirement.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We went to Christchurch at the weekend, and we were waiting to board the plane and a woman comes up to us and says to Mike, “Just wanted to say I love your show, I listen all the time, but I have to say I think you’re wrong about Winston.”   First things first, this woman was under 70 years old. She looked about mid-40’s I guess, so not your average Winston supporter.   Mike replies, “What do you mean?”. She says, “You’re wrong about him not having enough support, I reckon he’ll be in government, he’s going to get at least 5 percent.” Mike replies, “Are you insane?” Which, personally, I’ve always thought is a weird way to address your listeners in public, by asking them if they’re insane, but hey, who am I to judge.   So she goes on to point out all the reasons why she thinks Winston’s in: ‘he’s getting lots of talk,’ ‘people are listening to him,’ ‘there’s buzz,’ etc. All the stuff that on a statistical graph ranks absolutely nowhere; it’s more a ‘feeling’ than anything logical or statistically based, but sh

The Prime Minister may not have been able to articulate whether he had or had not started campaigning for the election earlier this week -  but we all know he started campaigning the minute he was confirmed as the new Labour Party leader and Prime Minister on 22nd January.  What is clear is that campaigning has stepped up a gear. If the antics of this week are any indication of what’s to come then we should buckle up – I think we’re in for a messy and potentially nasty seven-week ride to the election.    This is largely a cost-of-living election. The major parties are doing their best to convince us they’re the most credible party to manage the economy. They’re both focused on ‘bread and butter’ issues and helping the “squeezed middle” and “hard-working New Zealanders”. The minor parties are offering more extreme versions of the same policies - and in the process look like they’re offering action and a real alternative.  But this week any hope the election would be focused on having constructive debates about

All eyes will be on the television tomorrow morning for the final All Blacks test before the World Cup.  They remain undefeated so far this year beating all they have come up against including an emphatic win against long-time opponents South Africa.  They're taking on the Springboks at Twickenham in front of a sell-out crowd of 82,000 - kicking off at 6.30am New Zealand time.  Former All Black captain and Sky Sports commentator Sean Fitzpatrick joined Francesca Rudkin out of the UK. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A West Auckland councillor sees hope for the community in a new flood recovery deal.  The Council will share the $2 billion cost of recovery and resilience works with central government.   It includes $774 million to purchase about 700 Category 3 residential properties and $820 million for resilience against future flooding.   Waitākere ward councillor Shane Henderson told Francesca Rudkin it includes engineering solutions like raising roads - so communities can continue living near streams.   He says that's important for a lot of communities - including those in West Auckland that were particularly slammed by rising floodwaters.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National leader Chris Luxon had little choice in the way he responded to an MP's conduct.   Tim Van de Molen has been stripped of all his portfolios after the Privileges Committee found him in contempt of the House for threatening behaviour against Labour's Shanan Halbert.   Former National Party advisor Brigette Morten told Francesca Rudkin people are unlikely to change their vote purely because of this.  She says people's view of Luxon won't change based entirely on yesterday's events - but multiple issues could have an effect as it has on Prime Minister Chris Hipkins.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

About five years ago we started talking about how school pools where being closed. 165 school pools had closed in the previous five years and more were at risk of closing due of health and safety or maintenance costs. The big losers were, of course, the kids. We want our children to know how to be safe around water, especially with our drowning figures. But with schools struggling to build enough classrooms, let alone manage a pool only used for part of the year, it wasn’t a surprise to see schools find alternative ways to teach children water safety. Even more appallingly, a recent Listener article in the NZ Herald tells how schools are now sacrificing libraries too.   First pools, now libraries – where’s the fun in going to school?!   So here’s the thing, libraries are not mandated. It’s up to the school’s management and board of trustees to decide whether they have the space and resources for a library, maybe even a librarian, or whether they need that space or budget for something else.   It’s a fascinati

A Select Committee is wanting to see greater legislative change around defining sexual consent. It's asking the next government to lawfully outline what consent is in sexual offences - like many other countries have. Current New Zealand laws only state what is not. HELP executive director Kathryn Phillips joined Francesca Rudkin. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

OneRoof figures show the house price slump is over in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington. The quarterly rises show a 0.3 percent increase in the value of Auckland properties, a 2 percent increase for Christchurch properties and 0.1 percent decrease in Wellington properties - but One Roof believes that will rise again shortly too. Editor Owen Vaughan says it's not a large increase but it's still significant - he joined Francesca Rudkin. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Food and fibre export revenue has hit new heights. It's drawn $57.4 billion for the year to June 30, bringing $1.2 billion more into the economy than was originally forecast. Dairy, horticulture, seafood and processed food exports have driven the record increases. Business NZ chief executive Kirk Hope told Francesca Rudkin these are good headline numbers, but there are underlying factors. He says, for example, while dairy by value is up the milk price is down by what was forecast from $8.30 to between $7 and $7.75. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.