Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

There’s no evidence a BBC presenter who allegedly paid a teenager for sexually explicit photos committed a crime, London police says as the broadcaster’s wife publicly identified him for the first time as veteran news anchor Huw Edwards. Metropolitan police said it made its decision after speaking with the alleged victim and that person’s parents. The parents had complained to The Sun newspaper last week that the BBC had allowed the presenter to remain on air after they told the broadcaster in May that he paid the youth more than $72,000 starting in 2020 when the person was 17. As the scandal remained atop the news all week, colleagues at the BBC had called for the unnamed presenter to come forward. Edwards is one of Britain’s best-known news broadcasters. Photo / BBC It was only early Thursday morning that his wife, Vicky Flind, issued a statement identifying Edwards. She said her husband was suffering from serious mental health issues and was hospitalised. Flind said after “five extremely difficult days fo

So more than a hundred million users have signed up for Meta's new Threads platform - making it the fastest growing online platform in history. Can you believe that? How do more than a hundred million people still have so much to say that they need to say it on a whole new platform? It was set up to rival Twitter; it's kind of a Twitter 2.0 but they’re trying to make it ‘kind’, they say. Clearly they don’t understand how the internet works. Anything that even for one moment purports to be ‘kind’ is corrupted eventually - the internet is just not a ‘kind’ place. Even Instagram, which started out as the least nasty of all the social media platforms, still has keyboard warriors coming for you, still has trolls lining up in your DM’s to ask if you were wearing a seatbelt in that last video, or if you really should let your children walk around without shoes on. But with the proliferation of platforms, there are just more outlets for more people to say more stuff - most of which is either irrelevant or of no impor

The court system backlog continues. Families are waiting on average nearly 500 days for answers to Coronial cases - and over 170 for District Court case resolutions. Family Court decision wait times have tripled in five years, forcing people to wait over 1000 days for answers. King's Counsel barrister Marie Dyhrberg joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We shouldn't see any surprises from the central bank on the Official Cash Rate today. Most economists are picking no change after Reserve Bank head Adrian Orr indicated they were done. It's expected to be confirmed around 2pm this afternoon. Christina Leung, Principal Economist at the New Zealand institute of Economic Research joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People are questioning the BBC's response to allegations of inappropriate behaviour against a high-profile presenter, with a second person coming out with complaints. The second lot of allegations are from a person in their 20s, who met the presenter on a dating app and allegedly received abusive messages and was pressured to meet with them. The BBC has confirmed it didn't speak to the presenter until last week, despite initial claims being made in May. UK Correspondent Gavin Grey told Kate Hawkesby the BBC took only two attempts to contact the complainant. He says the presenter's identity is still unknown but they are suspended. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I tell you what’s a good look - CEOs who walk the talk - and we’re seeing a bit more of it these days which is great. Because I think we’re at a time now where we expect more of our leadership, one of the things we expect most is that they’re the real deal. That they ‘walk among us’ and seem a little bit human. More and more you’ll see bosses or those in leadership roles sitting at desks in open plan offices rather than being squirreled away in a vault somewhere removed from the hoi polloi. When I started out my media career many moons ago as a naïve 21 year old intern at TVNZ, bosses were tucked away in upstairs offices. You got summoned to them by a PA who would brief you before you went in – so as to prepare you for ‘face time with the boss’. “He’s in a good mood today you’re lucky..”, or “hope you’re not going to be too long in there because he’s flat out today..” There was this constant middle man go between, between you and the manager. Even walking up to see the manager was a big deal. People would see

A new study has confirmed exercising before an operation will substantially improve your recovery. Researchers at Otago University collated data from their own and other existing studies and found high intensity interval training can reduce the risk of surgery complications by 56 percent. Lead researcher Dr Kari Clifford says even a brief four week programme makes a difference, while also giving patients agency at a time when they may not feel in control. Clifford says it's something meaningful they can do before their surgery that will actually improve their outcome. She adds getting people out of recovery sooner will alleviate pressure on the sector. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dwelling consents have fallen 10 percent this year - slowing down demand for residential building. Latest CoreLogic figures show construction costs still increased by 0.6 percent in the June quarter, in line with March figures. But it's a decrease on the average quarterly rise of two percent which we've seen in 2021 and 2022. Chief property economist Kelvin Davidson says the sector is slowing down, but that doesn't mean new-builds will get cheaper. He says wages are still a big component of the new-build price - and those aren't going to fall. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Pasifika representative says the community will hold the Government to account if changes aren't made to Dawn Raid practices. An independent review suggests the Government should make deep changes to the Immigration Act - and out-of-hours visits should be only the last resort. It also calls for the consideration of those, like children and the elderly. Auckland Councillor Alf Filipaina told Kate Hawkesby the recommendations are clear. He says the Government needs to be held accountable for the changes that need to be made to the practices. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the BBC's leading presenters has been suspended over allegations that he paid a teenager for sexually explicit photos. The broadcaster says it's working to establish facts around the unnamed male presenter, who's a regular presenter and a "household name". London's Met Police says while no formal referral or allegation has been made, it's received initial contact from the BBC. UK correspondent Gavin Grey told Kate Hawkesby that the broadcaster is taking the allegations very seriously. The allegations are that the presenter paid the equivalent of 70 to 80-thousand NZD for explicit photos of the teenager over a three year period. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A criminal lawyer is casting doubt on the benefits of throwing the book at troubled youth. The Act Party wants 17-year-olds to be charged as adults, and for youth justice facilities to be run by Corrections, not Oranga Tamariki. Steve Cullen told Kate Hawkesby that the policy would make problems worse. He says putting 17-year-olds in prison would create a fertile source for gang recruitment. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So while we were away the news from home was pretty much standard. Another MP facing conflict of interest questions (looking at you Peeni Henare), another MP in meltdown and on leave, another Dairy owner attacked, the (entirely predictable) revelation that government debt was way higher than forecast, the disturbing news of half a billion dollars on almost expired RAT tests being stored in a warehouse exemplifying the very worst of this government’s wastage of our money, more youths on roofs being handed KFC for their troubles, and some more gaslighting by Ministers regards how we’re all feeling. Fresh from her ‘we’re all feeling safer’ tone deaf blunder, Police minister Ginny Andersen was busy alleging that Labour hasn’t failed on crime.  She ‘does not accept,’ it was reported, that the Government's record on crime is a "social and moral failure". Not even ‘hammer wielding offenders storming a Dairy and injuring two people’ could sway her. Nope, nothing to see here. No issues with crime, it’s all hunky dory

Yesterday was a big milestone for the FIFA World Cup here in New Zealand. The first of the 15 teams, Norway and Vietnam, stepped off planes at Auckland Airport. They received a warm welcome in the arrivals area, which has been transformed into a football field, signed autographs, high fived the FIFA mascot and headed to their bases.   The FIFA World Cup kicks off in New Zealand on 20th July - and I’ve got to say: where’s the hype?   This tournament is huge for New Zealand - even if it’s shared with Australia. It's set to be the biggest event New Zealand has ever hosted. FIFA estimates the tournament will bring more than $200 million into the New Zealand economy.   30,000 spectators are expected to arrive in the county to watch the tournament, throwing extra income into local economies. Tourism New Zealand is working hard to promote New Zealand to the potential 1.5 billion international viewers expected to watch the games. It’s all good. The benefits for both the country and women’s football are massive.   But

The All Blacks squad has been named for the Rugby Championship opener against Los Pumas this weekend. We don't have to cast our minds too far back to the Pumas' historic win against the the All Blacks in Christchurch last year. Newstalk ZB rugby commentator Elliott Smith joined Francesca Rudkin from Argentina. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dairy owners aren't surprised there's been another horrific attack at an Auckland store.  Two men armed with hammers seriously injured the wife of a dairy owner and a customer in Mount Roskill, Central Auckland. A Givealittle page has been set up in support of the owners. It comes as the Police Minister's sitting down with dairy owners next week. Sunny Kaushal is the chair of the Dairy and Business Owners' Group and he joined Francesca Rudkin. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Questions over how the Government managed to spend $531 million on unused Covid tests. Our newsroom can reveal Te Whatu Ora has almost $60 million rapid antigen tests in stock around the country, with 30 percent of them either having already expired or due to by month's end. General Practitioners Interim Chair, Buzz Burrell, told Francesca Rudkin he's glad the figures weren't swept under the carpet. He says we need to be asking where they've gone wrong, as someone has given the Government some well-meaning but not very helpful advice. A Te Whatu Ora spokesperson says they're considering approaching the market - to seek recycling and disposal options or creative sustainable waste solutions. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When the first thing you read about the new science curriculum is a group of science teachers saying “Where’s the Science” it’s hard not to feel despondent - especially if your child is going through the school system.   It’s important to say before we begin this conversation that the information being commented on has come from a leaked draft document from the Ministry of Education - which was sent to just a few teachers for their feedback. They were so taken aback by what they saw they couldn’t help sharing it.   It is a draft document. Once selected feedback has been collected a full document will go out to the wider sector and public for feedback in August. So what’s been seen isn’t set in stone, but I’m grateful to those who have raised alarm bells because it’s in all parents’ interest to be engaged in this conversation. The main concern expressed by the science teachers is that the proposed school science curriculum makes no mention of physics or chemistry. I don’t know about you but I’m under the impre

It looks like National's plan for a third medical school is being well received. The Party is promising a new school at the University of Waikato to train more doctors and address the health worker shortage. The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists is backing the idea and Executive Director Sarah Dalton joined Francesca Rudkin. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All Members of Parliament are being urged to treat housing as a human right. The final report in the Human Rights Commission's housing inquiry says all available resources must be used to alleviate the housing crisis. It's found housing affordability has dropped, a shortfall in accessible homes and many houses, particularly rentals, are not healthy to live in. Housing inquiry manager Vee Blackwood says too many people are out in the cold. They say it's as hard as ever to find somewhere to live - particularly for vulnerable communities, Māori, Pasifika, elderly and disabled people. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National's police spokesperson says rising crime rates is coming at an enormous human cost. Ministerial briefings have revealed police response time targets have been extended due to rising pressure on staff and resources. This comes as two people were seriously injured in a broad daylight attack at a dairy in Auckland's Mt Roskill yesterday. National's Mark Mitchell told Francesca Rudkin there's a frustration over the lack of police response - and demand has overtaken any benefit of the additional police officers. He says shop keepers are building cages around themselves - and that's not the New Zealand they want to be living in. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.