Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

Sean Fitzpatrick: Former All Blacks captain on this weekend's decider between the All Blacks and IrelandSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aaron Martin: Immigration lawyer on some immigration application fees set to increase by more than 130 percentSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's a saying about having nothing to fear, as long as you have nothing to hide.It's been used to justify increasingly intrusive data gathering, especially by government departments, and various infringements on our personal privacy.Crustier listeners this morning will remember the fuss over digitised photos on our driving licences.in the day that was pretty controversial, your driving licence becoming a de facto identity card.It would prevent fraud and stop people stealing our identities, so, we went along with it.Four years ago the police got live access to that system, mmm, seems logical. They should be able to check you are who you say you are, so, OK.Now there's a further extension of that; bringing in the Department of Internal Affairs so it can access drivers' photos.But the Transport Agency says oh, this is just so the DIA can use the licence photo to verify a person's identity, and only if the person agrees to it.And it denies there's been any kind of data dump of images to Internal Affairs or any

British Conservative MPs have cast their votes in the first round of their leadership race.Candidates needed 30 votes to secure their place in the next round, with Nadhim Zahawi and Jeremy Hunt both dropping out of the race.Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak is the frontrunner, with 88 votes, followed by Penny Mordaunt on 67.King's College London politics expert Rod Dacombe told Tim Dower she's run an interesting campaign.He says Mordaunt is not pushing too much against Boris Johnson's legacy, but equally not tapping too much to the right with her policies.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Christchurch City Councillor says it would be a travesty if they don't push ahead with the stadium.The future of the controversial facility will be decided in a meeting starting at 10am.The lead contractor has agreed to a fixed price, $683 million, for Te Kaha, meaning the average Christchurch ratepayer will initially pay $144 a year for the stadium.Sam MacDonald told Tim Dower they're in this position now because of indecision.He says if it doesn't go ahead, Christchurch residents will be disappointed, and re-litigating it may not get them any further ahead  over the next ten years.LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A call for evidence-based policy to guide decisions aiming to tackle gangs.The Government's new measures have given police greater powers to search, seize weapons and cash, and impound vehicles.Firing a gun to intimidate will become an offence punishable by up to five years in jail.Lifetime Black Power member Denis O'Reilly agrees some gun laws needed adjusting.But told Tim Dower some of the decisions aren't specifically targeting gangs or getting to the root of the issue.He says it's frustrating to be tinkering around with peripheral issues, instead of focusing on creating proper social change.O'Reilly would've liked former police officers, pro-social gang members, and agencies involved in the decision making process.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As I got woken by the not so dulcet tones of the Police helicopter at 2 o'clock this morning, I wondered when the crime spree this country is experiencing might come to an end, or even if it can?Are we so far down the road now on lack of consequences that people feel entitled to behave any way they like with no fear of punishment?Has mob rule replaced any authority Police once had? Headlines these days make for sobering reading; 'Woman killed in West Auckland shooting ‘or ‘Woman dies after being assaulted’, that was in broad daylight by the way.Crimes are no longer for after dark, we seem to be a 24/7 business now in this country of vicious criminal behaviour. ‘Gang brawl – person hit by car in Whangarei’ or ‘Man seriously hurt after being shot in Rolleston’.You’ll note the crime is no longer just limited to Auckland by the way. I had a couple of people message me last week saying ‘you can keep your crime in Auckland, we don’t want knives and guns here thanks ‘and yet, time to get your head out of the sand, c

London's Heathrow Airport is capping daily passenger numbers for the summer and telling airlines to stop selling tickets as it steps up efforts to quell travel chaos caused by soaring travel demand and staff shortages.Britain's busiest airport said Tuesday that it's setting a limit of 100,000 passengers that it can handle each day through Sept. 11. The restriction is likely to result in more canceled flights even after airlines already slashed thousands of flights from their summer schedules.U.K. aviation authorities demanded that airlines ensure they can operate without disruption over the summer, with carriers not punished for not using their valuable takeoff and landing slots. They were responding to chaotic airport scenes as passengers complained about long lineups at security, lost luggage and lengthy flight delays.Even with that allowance, Heathrow, which had warned a day earlier that it may ask airlines to cut flights further, said it still expected more passengers than airport ground staff could handl

An aviation expert says changes are needed to Air New Zealand's customer service.The airline is facing significant challenges as it gears up for its busiest month since the start of the pandemic.Along with flights being delayed or cancelled, some customers have complained they're waiting for hours to get through to the call centre.Aviation commentator Irene King told Kate Hawkesby they need to be more responsive to their customers.She's concerned Air New Zealand never tells you how much credit you have, and how much of your money is sitting in its coffers.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Things don’t appear to be looking good for US President Joe Biden.A very damaging poll has come out from the New York Times.His overall approval rating is at 33 percent.But what's worse, 64 percent of democrats don't want Biden to be their candidate again in the next election.Consultant for the Democrats Tracy Sefl joined Kate HawkesbyLISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Expect another rise in interest rates.The Reserve Bank is expected to increase the OCR by 50 basis points this afternoon, to 2.5 percent.Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen told Kate Hawkesby while some parts of the economy are struggling, inflation remains high.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A different approach to filling nursing shortages.Health New Zealand is going to meet with nine nursing schools as they call for more funding.Perpetual Guardian Foundation is a charitable organisation which gives scholarships to nurses to advance their training via private donors.Foundation Philanthropy Manager Kirsten Killian-Taylor told Kate Hawkesby they want to help.She says the charity sector can do its bit as funding is tight in many government departments.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 51st Pacific Islands Forum is now underway in the Fijian capital Suva.Drama has already unfolded with the Kiribati Government pulling out, while China's role in the Pacific is expected to be a hot topic.Professor Steven Ratuva is the MacMillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies director at Canterbury University and joined Kate Hawkesby.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shares of Twitter slid more than 11% in the first day of trading after billionaire Elon Musk said that he was abandoning his $44 billion bid for the company and the social media platform vowed to challenge Musk in court to uphold the agreement.Twitter is now preparing to sue Musk in Delaware where the company is incorporated. While the outcome is uncertain, both sides are preparing for a long court battle.Musk alleged Friday that Twitter has failed to provide enough information about the number of fake accounts on its service. Twitter responded in a weekend letter disclosed Monday that his "purported termination is invalid and wrongful" and that the company has continued to provide the information he "reasonably requested."Twitter said last month that it was making available to Musk a " fire hose " of raw data on hundreds of millions of daily tweets.The company has said for years in regulatory filings that it believes about 5% of the accounts on the platform are fake. But on Monday Musk continued to taunt the

The health system crisis is the cost of living crisis all over again isn't it?Doesn't this have a familiar ring to it?A government in denial of something existing, which is laid bare for all to see, in broad daylight, in every part of our community, and yet politicians heads are firmly in the sand.Nothing to see here.Governments are always reluctant to use the word crisis, but our health system has been gradually falling apart for so long that it's now gotten to the point where those working in it are crying out for help at every level.Hospitals, GP's, nurses, doctors, midwives, health staff across the board are all saying it's an issue, they're over worked, under staffed, under resourced, under paid, exhausted, burning out and yet, somehow, the Government manages to have its fingers in its ears on this.The headlines have persisted nonetheless. The stories have gotten worse and yet, the Government can't or won’t see it.Well surely they must see it, they just won't acknowledge it.Health minister Andrew Little,

So if the rumours are true, I personally don’t think they are, today we go into a red light.I first heard this rumour last Friday. A worried retailer told my husband he’d heard from ‘someone very reliable’ (isn’t it always?) that Monday was going to see an announcement of a red light. I was immediately suspicious. It reminded me of all those times over the past couple of years when rumours ran rife that we’d be going into a lockdown, because they’d heard it from ‘a reputable source’. The source was always someone’s friend or partner who worked ‘deep inside the Beehive’, ‘so they knew’.This also reminds me of all the rumours we got fed on high rotate about Clarke Gayford for a while there. That rumour cycle went for months, and it was always from ‘a reliable source’ or someone who knew someone who worked in the Police, or the Prison, or the Court. In fact, those rumours got so out of control the unusual step was taken by Police to shut them down by denying them. This was unusual because 101 of rumours is ignor

Businesses are being pushed to the brink as staff sickness upsets workplace rosters.Flu season is in full swing, combining with a spike in Covid-19 case numbers and hospitalisations.Global modelling suggests up to 45 percent of new Covid cases could be re-infections, thanks to the virulent BA5 Omicron strain.Employers and Manufacturers' Association Chief Executive Brett O'Riley  told Kate Hawkesby 2022 is by far the most unpredictable year of the pandemic for businesses.He says the economy is seeing more disruption than ever, making it a tough time for employers and their workers.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Legal action against rodeos.Advocacy group SAFE is taking the Government to the High Court in Wellington today saying rodeos violate the Animal Welfare Act, and that there's been not enough action to stop them.Group chief Executive Debra Ashton told Kate Hawkesby there's a lot of support behind their case.She says there's been growing concern in the public arena since they and other groups took a petition to Parliament in 2016.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Potential successors to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson rushed to differentiate themselves from an increasingly crowded field on Sunday as the governing Conservative Party was expected to set a tight timetable for the election.Candidates released slick campaign videos on social media and appeared on Sunday morning political talk shows to make their cases to the public. Several promised tax cuts, appealing to rank-and-file Conservative party members for whom low taxes are a mantra.Johnson announced his resignation on Thursday after more than 50 members of his Cabinet and lower level officials resigned from his government, many citing concerns that his ethical lapses had undermined the government's credibility.That triggered the internal Conservative Party contest to pick a new party leader. Under Britain's parliamentary government, the next party leader will automatically become prime minister without the need for a general election.International Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt was the latest to announce he

All rounder Michael Bracewell has saved the Black Caps from their first defeat to Ireland with some remarkable late hitting, denying the hosts a famous win in Dublin.In one of the great match-saving innings for New Zealand, Bracewell pretty much singlehandedly won the game for the Black Caps with 127 not out including all of the required 20 off the final over to pull off a one-wicket victory.Ireland looked set to match their rugby counterparts and pull off a convincing win over the Black Caps in the first ODI.At 217 for eight chasing 301 for victory, it looked a formality only for Bracewell to smash his maiden ODI century and secure a famous win.Bracewell finished with 127 off 82 balls with seven sixes.Needing 20 off the final over, with New Zealand down to their last wicket, Bracewell went four, four, six, four, six to win it with a ball to spare.But there was also all the work that Bracewell did just to get New Zealand in that final over position.New Zealand looked out of the match at 120 for five and equal