Larry Williams Drive

So, congratulations New Zealand.   We're in Orange.   2 years and 1 month after the first lockdown we emerge into the autumn sun. I can go to my Midnight Oil gig I've been holding the tickets for forever. My better half has been looking at the cost of airfares to New York. Everyone in my immediate family has kept their jobs. The vaccine mandates have effectively gone for most. Only 1 person in my extended family has died. High five. Essentially though this will make no difference to the life I'm already living. I've been going to the gym every day. I've been coming to work, I've been using public transport. I've actually been to more restaurants and cafes than ever have as I look to support hospo. But I know that there are many people who haven't been that free and today will be a revolution. Enjoy it. So, to masks. Which remains an area of regulation. Explaining where and when fell to Chris Hipkins today, Despite knowing this would be a thing he managed to fluff it and confuse everyone. Nor did he have a pit

The man who pleaded guilty to Fau Vake's manslaughter has been sentenced to 2 years, 9 months... too short do you think?   Should we make travel insurance compulsory for incoming travellers to avoid having to pay for their hospital costs? Would you mind if your Airbnb had cameras at the door to check you're not throwing any parties? Is it problematic that National's Shane Reti is seen to be getting involved in the Australian election debate? Tim Wilson, Maxim Institute, and Jack Tame, Host of Saturday Mornings and Q&A, joined Andrew Dickens on the Huddle. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Greenpeace are making the case again that our dairy herds needs to be halved. Where has this come from? How much have emissions increased in the last 20 years according to this inventory?  Host of the Country, Jamie Mackay joined Andrew Dickens. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's no question inflation is going through the roof at the moment, but the question is how hard does the Reserve Bank want to go tomorrow to counter that? David McLeish from Fisher Funds joined Andrew Dickens. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're staring down the barrel of an impending exodus of Kiwis overseas.  Immigration officials expect between 50,000 and 125,000 New Zealanders to leave the country in the next year.  It's not clear how many migrants they expect to come into New Zealand during that time but you'll remember Kiwibank recently predicted a net outflow of 20,000 kiwis. Wendy Hewson, a recruiter with PERSOLKELLY, joined Andrew Dickens. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christchurch Holiday Homes have put cameras outside the entry and exit points of their rental homes. It's to catch those throwing parties, having more people stay over than the booking said, or anyone breaking curfews.  Christchurch Holiday Homes Business Director, Sue Harrison joined Andrew Dickens. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why should New Zealanders have to pay for the healthcare of tourists? The debate's re-emerged today that instead of tourists coming under ACC, why not make travel insurance compulsory for all tourists instead? The borders open up to Australians tomorrow, so it's all very timely.  Spokesperson for the Taxpayers Union, Louis Houlbrooke joined Andrew Dickens. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Senior National MP Shane Reti's forced a rule change within his party.  Reti took a shot at the Australian Labor Party on ABC News radio – over a proposed new policy.   Leader Chris Luxon says he didn't know the MP planned to make the critique... and Reti told Andrew Dickins he won't do it again. “I’ve been made aware that I shouldn’t be taking enquiries from Australian media during campaign time.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Daniel Havili has been sentenced to two years and nine months in prison for his role in MMA fighter Fau Vake's death. Havili was one of the four men who attacked Vake and his brother in Auckland CBD and he threw a coward punch that knocked Vake to the ground. Vake suffered a brain bleed, and he died in hospital days later. UFC fighter Dan Hooker is a friend and teammate of Fau Vake. He joined Andrew Dickens. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labor is trying to salvage what they can after Albanese's shocker of a start to the campaign. The incumbent Prime Minister has had a spot of trouble too after reports that more than half a million dollars of taxpayer's money is being used to pay off a staffer who had an affair with the education minister. The Commonwealth Games to be held in Victoria in 2026. Australian correspondent Murray Olds joined Andrew Dickens. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Commonwealth Games are to be held in Australia once again. The Warriors are embroiled in controversy over a homophobic slur. Newstalk ZB Christchurch sportsreader Nick Bewley joined Andrew Dickens. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A fatal Upper Hutt crash caused by two motorists not merging into a lane has been labelled entirely preventable  Open Justice reports David Armstrong was killed in 2020 when he and another driver, Lucilla Linda Brunt, failed to merge.  The collision seriously injured two others. Crash investigator Hamish Piercy told Andrew Dickens the crash didn't have to happen. “Neither one backed down and the outcome was tragic, whether one was in the right or the wrong, both of them had the choice to prevent it.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Walking in to hear the news today that Daniel Havili had been sentenced to 2 years and 9 months for the manslaughter of Fau Vake Was like being punched in the solar plexus myself. Fau and his brother ended up in a brief brawl against 4 strangers in May last year. The Vake brothers did not throw any punches themselves and were not the aggressors, prosecutors have repeatedly pointed out. Fau died. Hit by Daniel Havili. He fell and hit his head causing a brain bleed. As the judge noted he had no chance to defend himself. The blow is often described as a coward punch.   I prefer killer hit. The CCTV footage clearly shows Fau standing with his arms at his side. Not in fight mode. Havili moved his weight to one side and then lashed out with a well-timed and well-judged punch that felled a Mixed Martial Arts professional instantly. Dan Hooker, the UFC fighter and mate of Fau Vake's, is horrified. He felt there was as much murderous intent in that one punch as in a flurry of 200. But the horror is in the sentence. A

Did the PM really tell Louisa Wall she would never be in her cabinet? How has the PM handled the drama? NZ is set to send lethal aid (via financial help) to Ukraine after all. How does this sit with you? Are we crossing any problematic lines here? Debate over an incident at a Rugby league game from the weekend, where a security guard forcefully tackled a woman who was streaking. Did he go too hard?  Can we believe these latest numbers from the Roy Morgan poll? The fourth Roy Morgan in a row that predicts a change in government at the next election. Clare de Lore, journalist, and Hayden Munro, Capital PR and former Labour Party campaign chair, joined Andrew Dickens on the Huddle. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Emmanuel Macron has won the first round of the French election and far-right rival Marine Le Pen will fight him for the presidency for a second time. However, opinion polls put the race in the second round to be neck and neck. The British are battling the worst cost-of-living crisis in 50 years. UK energy firm Ineos says it wants to build a fracking test site to show how to become independent from Russian gas. UK correspondent Gavin Grey joined Andrew Dickens. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Construction booms have seen apprenticeships skyrocket.The Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation has seen a 77 percent increase in apprentices in the past two years.Director Jason Hungerford told Andrew Dickens the average age of apprentices has risen – as people change careers."But we're also seeing those that have been part of the construction sector for some time now, choosing to get involved in formal training and that's a really great outcome too in terms of upskilling our workforce."LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The prime minister is off on her first trade mission since the pandemic... what can we expect from this? The latest Roy Morgan poll has a change in government for the fourth poll in a row... how much do you trust this? NZME business commentator Fran O’Sullivan joined Andrew Dickens. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Grant Robertson's defending the Government's latest support for Ukraine. New Zealand is sending a Defence Force Hercules Aircraft to Europe, supported by 50 personnel.  They'll help transport and distribute donated military aid across Europe, but will not engage directly with the war in Ukraine.  The Deputy Prime Minister told Andrew Dickens the support is adequate. “We’ve honestly been working through this for some considerable time and it’s about the most meaningful contribution that New Zealand can make, you know, we are geographically very distant from this conflict.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Louisa Wall will leave parliament this week... But she wasn't going to go quietly.  Instead, she lobbed this bombshell on Q&A over the weekend. Forced to respond this morning, Jacinda Ardern did her best to shut the questions down. Political commentator Bryce Edwards from Victoria University of Wellington joined Andrew Dickens. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Play was stopped temporarily during the Gold Coast-Parramatta match after a streaker ran onto the field – but she was stopped quite definitively herself when a security guard tackled her. The incident has prompted a debate about whether the security guard's tackle was excessive, or fair play. Phil Rothfield, sports editor-at-large for the Daily Telegraph, joined Andrew Dickens. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.