Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

Concerns from National about the prospect of driving fines being linked to a person's income. The Ministry of Transport is giving the Government advice on potential changes to the system of fines, which have been largely unchanged for the past two decades. Possible options include a move towards income-based fines, and greater use of demerit points. National Party Transport spokesperson Simeon Brown told Kate Hawkesby he'd be concerned if ministry officials are recommending income-based fines. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The relationship between gun owners and the Government is continuing to sour. A new law passed by Parliament overnight will mean anyone with a serious conviction may be banned from having a gun or being in places where guns are likely to be for ten years.Council of Licensed Firearms Owners Chairman Michael Dowling says he's concerned about how those places will be defined. He told Kate Hawkesby gun owners feel they're being ignored during each change to gun law. Dowling says they've lost trust and confidence in Police and the Government. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Small businesses are still finding it hard to fill vacancies. A snapshot from MYOB shows 59 percent of SMEs have increased their wages, but a third are still struggling to find workers. Questions are being asked as to who fills the gaps. Doug Jarvis owns two butchers stores in Tauranga, and is having to work seven days a week, just to keep things operating. Doug joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Qantas has asked corporate executives to work as baggage handlers after getting itself in a pickle during the pandemic. The airline asked senior executives and managers to join a new contingency programme working as handlers up to five days a week for three months, overseas media reported. The Australian newspaper said Qantas bosses had previously worked at airports in peak times, but the new programme showed how severe worker shortages now were. The newspaper said the airline's head of operations wanted at least 100 volunteers to work at Sydney and Melbourne airports. Jobs would reportedly include loading and unloading bags as well as driving vehicles to move luggage around airports. Late last month, Qantas domestic and international chief executive Andrew David admitted the airline was struggling in some areas. "Much has been said about Qantas in the last few months. Some of it's fair, as we're absolutely not delivering the service that our customers expect, but some of it fails to take into consideration w

The Government says National is oversimplifying complex issues, with its new plan to tackle youth unemployment. National has unveiled a policy to get under 25s off the Jobseeker benefit and into employment.It includes incentives for people to take up jobs -- and sanctions such as money management or benefit reductions for those who don't take part. Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni told Kate Hawkesby the Government's policies are working, and National's policy won't. She says National is trying to demonise young people as if they don't want to work, when the vast majority do and just need some support. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Imagine being Ian Foster right now. Worse than being the most hated politician, is being an under fire AB’s coach surely. We seem to be more aggressively passionate about rugby in this country than anything else. Not even the way the country is run, apparently compares to how the AB’s perform, in our eyes. So why are we so harsh? Why are we so invested in how a sports team performs? Is it because for so long our identity as a nation was wrapped up in having a strong rugby team? Did we idolise them and put them on a platform so early on that they became too high on the pedestal. You know how the saying goes – the higher up you are, the further you have to fall. It’s who gets the bulk of the blame I’m interested in though. Everything seems to be falling squarely on the coach’s shoulders. NZRU management and culture took a bit of heat for a while there with a spotlight on how things are being run top down. Players always take a bit of heat if they’ve committed some egregious sin like not kicking or passing the b

Your weekly grocery shop isn't likely to get cheaper any time soon. New analysis from Infometrics and Foodstuffs shows the prices supplies charge supermarkets has increased nearly eight-percent in the past year. The increases are being passed on to consumers. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen told Kate Hawkesby the increase follows minimal rises over previous years. He says throughout 2019 and 2020 supplier cost changes were minimal, but they've now been accelerating since April 2021, and it shows the pressure on suppliers. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The All Blacks play their first test in South Africa since 2018 this weekend. It means a wake up time of 3am Sunday morning, you could just roll over in bed and flick the radio on, there will be live commentary on ZB. The stakes are very high; Ian Foster is facing big pressure to make up for the series loss against Ireland. South Africa sports correspondent Sias du Plessis joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVE    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another wave of supply chain disruptions is predicted this coming summer, just as exports are due to peak. Massey University’s mid-year risk outlook highlights a bunch of factors converging. Ant Boyles chairs the New Zealand Council of Cargo Owners and joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Regulatory changes may be needed to bring more competition to the building supplies sector. A Commerce Commission draft report into the building product sector has found competition in the market isn't working as well as it should be. The watchdog has found it's too difficult to get innovative products to market, and established players are blocking land use by their competitors. Building Industry Federation Chief Executive Julian Leys told Tim Dower a national products register with information about each product could be one piece of the puzzle. He says access to information improves decision making, will make it easier for new products to enter the market, and will increase competition. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sighs of relief in some quarters after the Commerce Commission report on building supplies came out. ComCom says competition isn't working as well as it could in the sector and a lot of people in the industry said…er...tell us something we didn't know. ComCom also raised the issue of rebates; big volume buyers get a better discount, but is there anything too surprising about that? If you were a big buyer, you'd expect a better price too wouldn't you? There are some comments about restrictive land covenants and exclusive leases, these sound a lot like what we heard in the supermarket report. But overall, the message from this lengthy probe seems to be, you know what, there's nothing much to see here. So has the ComCom missed the glaringly obvious, or are there reasons we pay so much more for building stuff than the Aussies do? People often take pot shots at the bigger companies, with the supermarkets it seems justified as some of their conduct has been appalling. But is it the same in construction? If so, this

With the price of food the way it is, lest we forget we are in a ‘cost of living crisis’, I have become hyper-alert at the supermarket these days in terms of what I’m paying. And it seems I’m not the only one. Headlines these days say shoppers are fed up and looking to go elsewhere than a supermarket. It used to be, back in the good old days, that the supermarket was the best deal for food. You’d be mad to buy cereal or butter at the local dairy because it was smaller scale so sold at a premium, you could guarantee back then it would always be the more expensive option.  You’d also be less likely to get the freshest products in terms of use by dates. But these days I think that may have changed. Not on everything, but on some things. When a block of butter the other day turned out to be four dollars cheaper at The Warehouse than it was at Countdown, it was apparent the gap’s now enormous. But here’s the thing, who has got time to drive round all these places comparing prices? For all the people who say it’s u

Some coastal communities are now facing the very real prospect of having to desert their homes due to climate change. The Government has released its first national strategy for adaptation. It includes plans for the likely retreat of entire communities or towns affected by sea level rise. GNS Science Environment and Climate Research Lead Richard Levy told Kate Hawkesby some people will simply have to pack up and move on. He says insurance companies are going to have to do what's called "insurance retreat", where some places may become uninsurable, forcing people to leave. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Council of Trade Unions says more needs to be done to protect low income workers. The latest wage figures show inflation has increased, but the union says pay isn't being matched. Meanwhile, despite forecasts, unemployment has slightly risen. Union economist Craig Renney joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nancy Pelosi's controversial trip to Taiwan could have ramifications for the whole world, for a long time to come. The US House Speaker has wrapped up her visit to Taipei, where she expressed solidarity with the Taiwanese government. China has condemned the trip, calling it a violation of China's sovereignty under the guise of democracy. SAIS China Global Research Centre director Andrew Mertha told Kate Hawkesby it could have flow-on effects for international relations around the world. He says the US and China are the only two world powers that can come together to solve certain bilateral and multilateral international issues. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Families who were split up by the borders being closed, may now be inflating a surge visa numbers. Immigration stats show a 73 percent increase in visitors on pre-Covid figures. Most are either students or tourists. But, Into NZ Immigration Advisor Katy Armstrong told Kate Hawkesby many will be family members who've recently been able to apply to come into the country. She says they had to wait till July 31, to apply for their spouses to come via the visitor visa category. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m pleased midwives are asking for justification of the ongoing Covid vaccine mandate, surely we need to let it go by now. Surely it’s not even relevant anymore, in a world where we are learning to live with Covid, where we are gaining herd immunity anyway, and where the evolution of the virus is such that keeping up with never ending variants and relevant vaccines is going to become impossible to patrol. Let’s be honest, how many of us are going to keep up with all the new vaccines that may be available over time against all the new evolving variants? How many of us are boosted and going to get re boosted and re boosted and how do you keep tabs on that and enforce that without becoming an all-controlling, micro managing, nanny state? Surely we are at a point now with such desperation in our health workforce that we have to be more realistic? And when it comes down to it, would you rather have babies delivered safely and new mothers cared for? Or, stressed and alone because there just isn’t a midwife availab

There has been overseas news with the US killing the leader of al Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri. It comes ten years following the killing of the group's founder Osama bin Laden. Zawahiri helped coordinate the 9/11 attacks and was known as bin Laden’s right hand man. But now questions are being raised about whether the Taliban gave sanctuary to the al Qaeda leader. Jason Campbell is the former country director for Afghanistan in the office of Secretary of Defence for Policy and he joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I mentioned yesterday, with the return of cruise ships to our now fully open border, who’d be game enough to get on a cruise? The horror of those ships stuck like floating prisons when in the early days of Covid people got stuck on them unable to move. I thought that might put people off for life.  But, apparently not. I was inundated with messages from people already back out cruising, not only that, they’re loving it. And so far so good, touch wood. It’s been drama free. I mean there was that cruise ship Coral Princess, last month in Brisbane, which got hit with a Covid outbreak. They had to offer up refunds to passengers after the ship was held in Sydney while the two thousand odd passengers had to choose whether to disembark, while positive cases had to isolate on board. Cruise aborted. And surely after two years of a pandemic and no cruising, that’s just the worst luck ever. I’m not sure any of those passengers would be back. But the people that are into it, love it, they’re devout about it. I thought it

A nursing union says it would have liked to have been consulted in new Government efforts to plug gaps in the health system. The raft of efforts includes payments to entice former nurses back to work, and doubling the number of nurse practitioners being trained. Registration fees for incoming foreign nurses will also be covered, along with the induction period for overseas doctors. Nurses' Organisation President Anne Daniels told Kate Hawkesby they weren't party to the package. She says there's a few other things they would have liked to have added, but they can't do that unless they actually talk to the Minister. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.