Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

Cyclone-ravaged businesses are set to lean on the Government for cashflow support. Business NZ Chief Executive Kirk Hope says that the 50 million dollar package is great, but businesses need more help through things like a wage subsidy. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A lukewarm response to the Government's crackdown on truancy. 82 new attendance officer roles are being created to help address dwindling school attendance in a 74-million dollar package. Their job will be to work with students with high absenteeism, and around three-thousand kids are expected to benefit. Secondary Principals' Association President, Vaughan Couillault told Kate Hawkesby that anything is better than nothing, but with two thousand-seven-hundred schools, the numbers aren't huge. He says he acknowledges the financial times we're in, and even two officers are better than none. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Hipkins is getting credit for his handling of the cyclone and I think that’s fair enough. Newly into the role of PM and he’s had to hit the ground running —literally— with a crisis. To be fair though, in the immediate aftermath of a disaster an elected leader does get a free kick. All you have to do is be present and visible, have a ton of empathy and own the communication around the media updates. Labour did this during Covid, and now they’re doing it again.  But —and here’s the rub— that halo effect can fade as failings in the response from public and private entities start to surface. The longer there’s no power or access, the worse the looting and the gangs get, then the worse this whole thing gets for the government.  People have an enormous amount of scope, patience and understanding in the direct aftermath – but the longer it goes on, the more that patience fades. Add to that, contributory negligence like bureaucrats squabbling over whose responsible – Council arguing with Waka Kotahi, local gove

Someone wrote to me over the weekend and made a really good point after I talked about the resilience of people last Friday.  They said it was true, that often times a disaster can bring out the best in people or —as we're seeing with the looters— the worst, in some cases. But they made the point that a part of that optimistic and resilient nature also prevents us from complaining because we don’t want to appear as whingers when there’s always someone worse off.  But as a result of that, they pointed out, the focus can shift away from questions that need to be asked. And as a resident of Hawkes Bay, these were his questions: what are the three things you need to be working in a disaster? Communications, power and roads, he said. What failed in Hawkes Bay, and continues to fail in many parts: communications, power and roads.  His point was that in a disaster area when a civil emergency is invoked, why is it that one phone network could run and the other could not? He asked why phone companies were not forced t

Parts of the Wairoa District look to have been hit harder by Cyclone Gabrielle than others. Mayor Craig Little says that residents are currently living in a town of two halves. He says some people are living as normal, while others have homes that are still underwater. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thefts of generators are being blamed for delays in restoring communications to Gisborne and Hawke's Bay. Telecommunications Forum Chief Executive Paul Brislen told Kate Hawkesby that at least half a dozen have been stolen over the past couple of days. He says Police have been able to track and retrieve some of the generators, but not all of them. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With earthquakes, floods and cyclones causing mayhem this week, many Kiwis have found themselves on the phone, and therefore on hold, with insurance, power and phone companies a bit more than usual. Kate Hawkesby and Simon Wilson joined Mike Hosking to wrap the week's news and discuss whether they prefer Kiwi classics or some ambient tunes when they're on hold. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The scenes this week have been utterly heartbreaking, but one of the most heartwarming things to come out of this week I reckon is the way Kiwis have come together to help each other. It is a very Kiwi thing to do of course, but we’ve seen such incredible community spirit this week in such trying and difficult times. From neighbours helping neighbours, to strangers putting people up, to farmers helping other farmers, to people from all around the country digging deep to support charities and front line workers. People have responded with generosity and thoughtfulness, they’ve rallied round each other, and come together to do whatever they can to pitch in. Volunteers have gone above and beyond, local councillors and mayors have passionately advocated for their communities, emergency services have worked tirelessly.  Supermarkets, fast food joints and restaurants have been offering up food to evacuees, cafes who’re able to open have been offering up power to charge phones or give people some free Wi-Fi.  We’ve

The Government is looking to change its approach to roading, particularly in the Gisborne District. Most of the district's population remains cut off, with State Highway Five closed between Ōpōtiki to Napier, and State Highway 35 closed between Te Puia Springs to Tolaga Bay. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says roads may have to be moved or made more resilient. Infrastructure New Zealand Policy Director Michelle McCormick told Kate Hawkesby it's definitely time to look at where roads are located. McCormick says while road access needs to be seriously looked at, it's not as straightforward as just picking bad roads and replacing them. Mobile and internet coverage is being restored to much of the Gisborne District, but Gisborne City residents are being asked to conserve water. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So today we get an announcement on truancy and how to combat it, given the woeful stats on the numbers of kids not attending school. The rumour is that attendance officers are coming back. If that’s the case, I hope it helps, but I wonder how much truancy is now an attitude that’s endemic, versus something we can just catch out with more surveillance. Because I don’t doubt that up until now schools have been trying their best to keep kids engaged. Many have come up with community based solutions or student led solutions, which have worked a treat. Some have tried to crack down on attendance and failed – it varies from school to school, but I don’t doubt many parents, teachers and fellow students aren’t all doing their best to address the issue. The problem is the data - the numbers show it’s just getting worse and you could argue the climate of the past few years hasn’t helped. Lockdowns, Covid, sickness, there are multiple factors at play. But tip into this also the fact that attitudes in some cases have cha

The Government's flagship climate change policy has passed into law almost unanimously. The Zero Carbon Bill was debated on for almost a year with the National Party asking for amendments, but not getting them. Still, National voted for it last night. Federated Farmers Climate Change spokesperson and vice president, Andrew Hoggard joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Warehouse is stepping up its battle against supermarkets, introducing fresh fruit and vegetables to some stores from today. The produce sections are being rolled out in Whangarei, Auckland's Westgate, Wellington's Lyall Bay, Christchurch's Riccarton, Timaru and Invercargill. Former Food and Grocery Council Chief Executive Ernie Newman told Kate Hawkesby it's a great move. He says current supermarket prices are untenable, and The Warehouse will provide supermarkets with more competition, which could lower prices for consumers. The Warehouse unsuccessfully trialled fresh food once before, in 2006. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Help is at hand for residents of Napier, Hastings and Central Hawke's Bay, where thousands of people have been forced from their homes. Power remains out and cellphopne coverage is patchy. Water is safe to drink, but people should conserve it if they can. State Highway 51 between Napier and Hastings has reopened overnight to allow food and fuel to get in, but people are being asked to avoid non-essential travel. Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise told Kate Hawkesby anyone with concerns about friends or family they're unable to reach should call 1-0-5. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This cyclone, much like the last storm that hit Auckland, has been a tale of two storms.  Some parts have been absolutely hammered; others completely unscathed. Some lost power, homes, cars, roofs or trees, others barely felt it.  The flooding was worse last time for Auckland; other parts of the country have been hit much harder with flooding with this one. Hawkes Bay, Gisborne and the West Coast of Auckland appear worst hit.  And there is room I think, as I said yesterday, for a more bespoke response to these events. Instead of blanket cancellations and shut downs of a whole city, to look at areas affected and who needs what most.  As I was out walking yesterday afternoon, I saw Auckland Grammar boys walking home from school, shops back open, cafes with big ‘we’re open!’ signs in the window, a little bit of action creeping back into the city.  If you were to read the headlines from overseas you’d think it was apocalyptic in New Zealand. And in some parts it is. But in many areas there’s barely any sign of a

Truckies say they're ready to start their engines to deliver supplies as soon as the roads begin to reopen. Certain areas have been cut off due to damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and are unable to be reached. The message from the National Road Carriers Association is for people not to panic as suppliers have stocked up in advance. CEO Justin Tighe-Umbers joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Real Estate Institute of New Zealand recorded a 48 percent drop in house sales between January and December. Auckland's median selling price was also down $80,000 dollars in January. REINZ CEO, Jen Baird, joined Kate Hawkesby to discuss the results. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Much of the Gisborne District doesn't have road access, power or internet and is running short of water, food and fuel. Mayor Rehette Stoltz told Kate Hawkesby officials are resorting to handing out free newspapers, to get out critical emergency messages. “We have hundreds of staff walking our neighbourhoods dropping Gisborne Heralds with information to 22,00 homes today.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So the rain is hitting Auckland city now, but yesterday between 8.30 and 3pm when there was hardly any rain or wind and I wondered why kids in all the unaffected areas couldn’t have been at school. Yesterday turned out to be an average rainy day. Yes I get it, precautions. It’s better to be safe than sorry, but seriously, if this is a pattern of weather we’re going to get more of, then we need to adjust our attitudes to it.  We need to dig deep on how we teach resilience and self-responsibility, over and above constantly looking to authorities to make the rules for us and dictate how we should live in a carte blanche fashion.  The coolest thing the Auckland Grammar principal did was do his own research on the weather, see that no heavy rain was starting before at least 3pm, and make up his own mind - and he was proven right to keep his school open. People who have lived in countries with monsoons, those who have lived in the States or the UK, anyone whose had to shovel snow from the driveway or the car before

There are hopes things could be looking up for the services sector after a difficult few years, that's according to the latest BNZ performance index. The figures showed that we may be seeing the end of the record labour demand, with vacancies filling up. BusinessNZ chief executive Kirk Hope joined Kate Hawkesby to discuss. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emergency services are being kept busy across the upper North Island as Cyclone Gabrielle continues to hit the country. North Shore ward councillor Richard Hills told Kate Hawkesby there's been a lot of trees and power lines down. "It is pretty windy still out here so we are asking people to stay off to the roads to assess the damage and stay away from the coast." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.