Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

I thought it was ironic this week when Grant Robertson admitted the rollout of the ram raid support for businesses has been too slow. Slow would be an understatement. I just can’t work out what’s going on here. Because every time you ask the Government about it, they say they’re chasing it, they’re telling Police to speed up, they want it sorted. Yet when you speak to Sunny Kaushal from the Dairy and Business Owners Association, he says the Government is the hold up. He says he has to chase government Ministers for months on end and even then they don’t get back to him. Then there’s the Police – the meat in the middle of this particular sandwich, the people the Government says are charged with sorting this, and they’re allegedly not doing it fast enough. So, if true, whose fault it that? Is it the Police’s? And if it is on them, is it because they are too under resourced? If they are, is that because this soft on crime government just hasn’t backed them enough, hasn’t supported them and resourced them enough?

Ukraine is denying responsibility for the deadly missile explosion in Poland. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says it was not a Ukrainian missile. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltetnberg says the explosion appears to have been caused by a Ukrainian air defence missile, fired at a Russian cruise missile attack. But security analyst Paul Buchanan told Kate Hawkesby ultimately, the evidence points to this being Ukraine's fault. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Belief businesses aren't out of the woods yet, despite economic activity increasing in the September quarter Infometrics data shows a 2.6 percent year-on-year rise, driven by stronger tourism and household spending. Auckland and South Island areas have seen some of the strongest gains. Tourism Export Council Chief Executive Lynda Keene told Kate Hawkesby Australian visitors through the winter months have played a key role. She says the results are encouraging, but they won't be too excited until October's results are released, as that's when the season officially begins. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hopes a major international retailer moving to Lambton Quay will give a post-pandemic boost to Wellington's CBD. Clothing brand Calvin Klein has confirmed it will set up shop in part of the building that once housed Kirkcaldie and Stains, and more recently David Jones. It shut down in June. First Retail Group Managing Director Chris Wilkinson says it's great news for the capital. He says having the acknowledgement of an international brand is a great first step in enlivening the area again. Other tenants for the rest of the building's space haven't yet been announced. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So I note the Police commissioner was saying the other day re the surge in youth offending, that it’s up to us to do more about it, and look after our communities better. And then hospitality came out and said staffing issues in the sector may be on us as well. What they’re saying is that customers are getting ruder these days, that abuse and poor treatment of hospitality staff is getting more commonplace, and that they’re sick of it - and we need to do better. It’s apparently turning many off the industry now. An industry that used to be fun, is now not so fun. So it’s on us, the customers, to lift our game. Now this has of course been a globally contentious issue recently, thanks to late night TV host James Corden and his - now infamous – verbal altercation with staff at a New York restaurant. Furious they got his wife’s meal order wrong three times; he told staff he’d be better off going into the kitchen and cooking it himself. Cue the restaurant owner labelling Corden the rudest man he’d ever met. There i

Some are suggesting our great brain drain may slowing down. The net number of Kiwis that left the country for the year to September was more than 8,000. But for the month, people arriving outstripped the number leaving. Kiwibank senior economist Jeremy Couchman joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former US President Donald Trump is preparing to launch his third campaign for the White House, this afternoon NZ time, looking to move on from disappointing midterm defeats and defy history amid signs that his grip on the Republican Party is waning. Trump had hoped to use the GOP’s expected gains in last week’s elections as a springboard to vault himself to his party’s nomination by locking in early support to keep potential challengers at bay. Instead, he now finds himself being blamed for backing a series of losing candidates after disappointing results in which Democrats retained control of the Senate and House control remains too early to call. “Hopefully, tomorrow will turn out to be one of the most important days in the history of our Country!” Trump wrote on his social media network yesterday. An announcement is expected at 3pm today NZ time from his club in Palm Beach. Another campaign is a remarkable turn for any former president, much less one who made history as the first to be impeached twice and

A general view that the devil will be in the detail around RMA reforms. Three new laws will take its place, with two being announced so far. The Government says the changes aim to lower costs and will speed up the time it takes for new homes and infrastructure projects to be approved. Environmental lawyer Kate Storer told Kate Hawkesby until now, there's been questions as to what should be prioritised whether that's building houses, protecting rivers or air quality. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So I had quite the day yesterday. And here's the thing, I wish I was one of those people who knew how to react in the moment.  I always think of stuff I should have said or done, after that fact. Yesterday I had a very stark example of that. I got bitten by a dog. Now I adore dogs, I’ve never been bitten by one, I love them, I grew up with them, I’ve owned them myself, they’re the greatest companions in the world, I think they’re adorable. But not all of them are. Some are downright vicious, and dangerous, and I put that down to the owner and their lack of control, not the dog. So I was walking my dog yesterday morning, and we see a man with his dog walking towards us, and his dog is pulling on the lead looking excited to see another dog and as we get closer, the polite thing all dog walkers do, is stop and let the dogs have a little sniff of each other. But as we got closer to this dog, it suddenly very aggressively lunged forward of its owner, jumped up and bit me – hard – on my thigh. I felt its teeth pier

Belief dropping our speed will drive down our number of road fatalities. Waka Kotahi's proposed sweeping speed limit decreases on state highways across the country - with focus around schools and marae. AA Road Safety spokesperson Dylan Thompson told Kate Hawkesby it's a key part of the Road to Zero Strategy. He says there's clear evidence from both overseas and within New Zealand, that the changes result in fewer crashes. Consultation on these latest changes closes on December 12. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Health Star system is being changed to better reflect added sugar and salt in nutritional ratings. Nutritionists are welcoming changes to the programme, which rates nutritional content of packaged food up to five stars. Today's upgrade gives lower star ratings to foods with high levels of added sugar and salt. Deputy Director-General of New Zealand Food Safety Vincent Arbuckle told Kate Hawkesby uptake has been increasing. He says major producers see value in the scheme, and both major supermarket chains have heavily adopted it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An explosion on a busy shopping street in the Turkish capital Istanbul has left at least six people dead and 53 wounded. Europe correspondent Gavin Grey told Kate Hawkesby that authorities are treating it as an act of terror, and are promising to bring the perpetrators to justice. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A nursing professor says paying students for their placements is a good first step to retaining staff. Health Minister Andrew Little is considering the move, as the country faces severe shortages in the sector. Students currently have to complete 11-hundred hours, but not all of that is in hospitals specifically. Massey University Professor of Nursing Jenny Carryer told Kate Hawkesby that in the surveys that have been done, financial distress comes up as a significant problem. She says it's a difficult problem, but she's pleased there is some consideration for one thing that can be changed. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How good was that rugby Saturday night? I could not take my eyes off it. And I’m not a rugby person, I haven’t really followed the Black Ferns season too closely, I only switched the game on when it was 14 nil to England and I thought oh here we go, it’s going to be a walk in the park for the English. You know, good on us for getting this far, but we can’t win this with the way they just walk us backwards over the line. But then... then the game turned... it was riveting. It was edge of the seat screaming from the sofa material. The very best kind of rugby. You could tell, even from home, that the atmosphere at Eden Park was electric. The crowds, the noise, the chanting, it was the perfect night. I was so happy for the Black Ferns – because they looked so happy, because they were underdogs going in, because they never saw their rugby dream going this far, and because they were actually doing it. But I was also thrilled for coach Wayne Smith – I mean what a way to finish up a career. He said it was “the most p

The Government's tourism innovation fund is now open for bids. There's $54 million up for grabs, but a few hoops to jump through. CEO of Real New Zealand, Stephen England-Hall, joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Job fairs are popping up all over the place these days, with some suggesting this is a sign of how desperate things are for some employers. There's one at Mt Smart stadium in Auckland today, hosted jointly by Work and Income and the Warriors Community Foundation. MSD's Mark Goldsmith joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Black Ferns will square off against England at a packed out Eden Park on Saturday night, in the Rugby World Cup final. The Ferns head into the match as clear underdogs, with the Red Roses looking to extended their 30 game winning streak. Elliott Smith is Newstalk ZB's Rugby Editor and joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

James Corbett, Tom Batterbury and Phil Thomson, the founders of crime prevention and detection software Auror, have been named winners of the EY Entrepreneur of The Year award for 2022. The trio were chosen from a field of five category winners and will represent New Zealand at the World Entrepreneur of the Year awards in June next year against winners from more than fifty other countries. Vaughan Fergusson, head judge for the category, said Auror has the potential to be a massive Kiwi global success story. “Entrants are typically strong across two to three aspects of the judging criteria, but Auror’s entry was strong across them all, and that’s what made them stand out,” Fergusson said. “What impressed us was the work they are doing to make the world a better place, and because the tool has been in use across multiple countries for a number of years, they had some really amazing stats to demonstrate the impact they’re making. “By changing the way we prevent crime, they are making people feel safer in the wor

A downward spiral in New Zealand's school attendance is sparking alarm. A new report by the Education Review Office has found 41 per cent of parents are comfortable with their child missing a week or more of school a term. Attendance has been dropping, with a 12 per cent decrease between 2015 and 2019 to 58 percent attending regularly. Te Tai Tokerau Principals Association president Pat Newman told Kate Hawkesby it's not a blaming situation. He says it's not something that can be fixed by government legislation, as it needs to be dealt with by communities. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Democrats have done better than expected, with the results of the US midterm elections not going down well in Donald Trump's camp. Republicans had been expecting a red wave across Congress, but the Democrat performance has hampered their progress. The Republicans scored an important victory with Ron DeSantis retaining his position as Florida Governor, but Trump-picked Mehmet Oz, better known as Dr Oz, lost his Pennsylvania Senate race. US Correspondent Anna Burns-Francis told Kate Hawkesby Trump is reportedly considering delaying his big announcement planned for next week. LISTEN ABOVE    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.