Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

Hopes changes to chef recruitment rules will help alleviate a 30,000 hospitality worker shortage. Following industry concerns, the Government's removing the qualification requirement for chefs being hired through the Accredited Employer Work Visa. The tourism and hospitality median wage exception has also been extended for another year. Hospitality New Zealand Chief Executive, Julie White told Kate Hawkesby she's optimistic the changes will be felt in time for this summer. She said they really need Immigration to double down and process the visas of incoming chefs quickly.  "We are in desperate need. We have a critical staff shortage."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m pleased that the woeful turnout for the local body elections still at least saw change. There is a mood for change – a strong one it would seem, and the results should be a wake-up call to anyone left in the Beehive still not believing that people are sick to the back teeth of the establishment. We are sick of the status quo, we are sick of where we’re at. It was, as one political commentator pointed out, “a bloodbath” for the left. It’s an early shot across the bow for what we might see come election year next year. The country basically threw out incumbents, the whole country pretty much, bar Wellington, swung to the right. Auckland for the first time in a decade voted in a right-wing Mayor. What I like about that is he pulls no punches. When the head of Auckland Transport immediately resigned on the back of his win, Wayne Brown's response was "the whole board should follow suit." This is refreshing. There'll be few Aucklanders who disagree with the chaotic shambles that is Auckland Transport, so he’s o

A host of new mayors and councillors now make up the new local body politics scene - not that the majority of you might have known that. Or care. All the main cities, bar Hamilton, have a new mayor - Wayne Brown in Auckland, Tory Whanau in Wellington, Phil Mauger in Christchurch and Jules Radich in Dunedin. But despite more than a 40% mayoral turnover rate we didn't get out there and vote - the final turnout is expected to be 38-39%. We've got to do something - Local Government NZ President Stuart Crosby joined Kate Hawkesby to talk about the turnout and the disconnect. He said they need an independent review.  "The system is broken and we need to do something about it."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tomorrow is your absolute last chance to have your say in who will represent you in your town or city for the next three years. I’m not surprised that the vast majority of us have still yet to vote. Perhaps it’s more a case that the vast majority of us have decided not to bother voting as is the New Zealand tradition.  There’s a great deal to be concerned about and invested in when it comes to what happens with your local council. So why not have your say? Sometimes the quantity of key issues can be completely overwhelming, so perhaps the easiest thing to do is to simply focus on the one or two issues that really grind your gears and go from there. Whether it’s cycle paths or the Three Waters proposal or the issue of co-governance that heightens your enthusiasm, there’s no point in having a strong opinion or feeling about something if you’re not prepared to put that into action with your vote. Have a quick look through the booklet that came with your voting form and perhaps initially focus on those standing f

Mycoplasma bovis testing will be ramped up after a new strain has been detected in Mid Canterbury. The property is one of four that is currently infected with the cattle disease across the region Federated Farmers Mid-Canterbury President David Acland told Roman Travers the next step is work out the transmission line to determine how the disease entered the country. He says MPI has genome tested the property multiple times and the disease has been contained. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today at the Seaweed Summit 2022 the seaweed sector framework is being launched. It's all about encouraging a sector that could help us out both economically and environmentally while you can also use seaweed for seemingly anything - food, fertiliser, sunscreen and nutraceuticals. Today's event is jointly organised with a couple of groups, one of those being the Sustainable Seas Challenge Project - Rob Major leads that project and he joined Roman Travers. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National is warning people are in for a pummelling as the Reserve Bank continues to hike the Official Cash Rate. Five 50 basis point rises in a row has the OCR at 3.5 percent. National Finance spokesperson Nicola Willis says every signal is interest rates will need to go higher to get inflation under control. She told Roman Travers government spending is having an influence. Willis says the more spending that goes on, the more fuel goes on the inflation fire. She says the cost of living crisis is raging on, so the Reserve Bank is having to pull ever-harder on the interest rate handbrake. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wasn’t it sad yesterday to hear the news about Sir Dave Dobbyn and his recent diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease? I admire his honesty and the way he let people know through a Facebook post, saying he’d been feeling shaky for a while, and was diagnosed with the disease back in July. He now has a tremor in his right hand, and it’s giving his guitar playing "a new kind of twang". Sir Dave also says that the diagnosis has given him a wider appreciation of life, and he will still be performing. Generally speaking, we are all living longer with conditions that once upon a time ended lives. Now with modern medical intervention, we’re able to keep living well and truly beyond the expectations of years ago. It would almost be without exception that everybody seems to know somebody afflicted by a life changing diagnosis: Parkinson’s, dementia or some other form of neurological disease. Although we seem to have made such advances in many other disease states, the demise in the neurological aspects of life largely remain

The tide is high for the aquaculture industry as it gets a $210,000 government boost. The funding will be used for a strategy to boost the sector's workforce which is currently struggling, like every industry, to fill vacancies. Sanford CEO Peter Reidie joined Roman Travers. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A suggestion from the Cancer Society that regulating ads children are exposed to could help prevent cancer. It's funded an Otago University study that's found children see ads relating to gambling seven times, alcohol 4.5 times and junk food 27 times every day. Cancer Society medical director, Kate Gregory, says children are vulnerable to messages, which increases consumption of these products. She told Roman Travers around 50 percent of cancers are caused by things like being overweight and high alcohol consumption. She says cancer can be prevented if we're able to reduce the amount of advertising for these kind of products children are exposed to. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National is warning people are in for a pummelling as the Reserve Bank continues to hike the Official Cash Rate. Five 50 basis point rises in a row has the OCR at 3.5 percent. National Finance spokesperson Nicola Willis says every signal is interest rates will need to go higher to get inflation under control. She told Roman Travers government spending is having an influence. Willis says the more spending that goes on, the more fuel goes on the inflation fire. She says the cost of living crisis is raging on, so the Reserve Bank is having to pull ever-harder on the interest rate handbrake. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Canstar have released a survey of 700 small business owners, which shows many small business owners feel positive about their futures, having survived the struggles of recent years. Along with feeling optimistic, more than a third of small businesses say their revenue has also increased in the past twelve months. Jose George is the general manager of Canstar New Zealand, and he joined Roman Travers. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Reserve Bank is widely expected to deliver another 50 basis point hike to the Official Cash Rate today, as it moves to try to head off inflation in the economy. That would be the fifth 50 basis point hike in a row, an unprecedented run, and would take the OCR from 3 per cent to 3.5 per cent. To discuss further, Westpac acting Chief Economist Michael Gordon joined Roman Travers. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Post Primary Teachers' Association wants to ban streaming in schools by 2030. Streaming is grouping students together based on their perceived ability. Auckland's Sacred Heart College principal Patrick Walsh told Roman Travers international evidence proves it doesn't work, even for top academic students. He says it does have a detrimental effect on Māori and Pasifika students in terms of self-esteem and life opportunities. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here’s something I’ve learnt over the years; never ask anyone how they are unless we truly have time to hear the truth.  Good health is often something we take for granted until we don’t have it - and good mental health precedes everything else in life.  Covid-19 and the ensuing fallout has manifested in so many ways for so many different people.   The initial inability to work followed by inability to justify retaining some jobs was closely followed by the train crash in mental health seen in adults and adolescents.  Those with expertise in treating mental health saw fewer children and teenagers last year largely due to the ongoing disruptions caused by the pandemic.  This wasn’t only due to the inability to get into a critical first scheduled appointment; it was also the inability for our healthcare professionals to recruit into mental health services.  Our mental health professionals have told the Government that the pandemic has disproportionately affected our young people and that the effects will be ong

A breakthrough for those with inoperable lung cancer. Pharmac is funding a new immunotherapy medicine, called infensey for those with New Zealand's deadliest cancer. It's the first medicine of its kind funded for lung cancer and will be available for anyone to access. Lung Foundation CEO Philip Hope says this is a massive step forward in the fight against cancer. He says the drug gives patients diagnosed with stage 3 non-small cell lung cancer a good option when undergoing treatment. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwisaver funds seem to be doing well, despite increasingly nervous times. According to the Financial Markets Authority, managed Kiwisaver funds have grown by 10 percent in the year to March. Simplicity Managing Director Sam Stubbs told Roman Travers it shows the industry is still growing and people are still saving. He says, if the product does well in tough times like this, it gives people confidence. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UK Prime Minister Liz Truss has instructed King Charles to not attend the climate change conference, COP27, set to take place next month in Egypt.  UK Correspondent Gavin Grey told Roman Travers that before the King's ascension to the throne, he had said he'd go to the annual conference.  "It is reported that Liz Truss, the Prime Minister, has ordered him not to attend." He says that has been denied by plenty of people in the know.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nurses are being begged to take extra shifts on their days off - but with no corresponding double pay. The Nurses Organisation has suggested its members refuse to pick up extra shifts this week. It comes after their winter bonus of 100 dollars a shift, ended on Friday. Whangarei emergency nurse Rachel Thorn told Roman Travers scrapping DHBs for the new Te Whatu Ora, has made it difficult for executive leadership teams to make decisions to support nurses. She says because Te Whatu Ora has ultimate decision making - their leadership teams have less say than they used to. Thorn says they need Te Whatu Ora to take action on things like safety, short staffing, immigration and pushing the Government on policy. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand’s brand value shot up 13% from 2021, according to global rankings released overnight. Brand Finance Nation brands valued New Zealand’s national brand at US$248 billion in 2022, an increase of US$29 billion on the prior year. The annual Nation Brands Report is a study into the world’s top 100 nation brands ranked by their value and strength. It has been providing key benchmarks for diplomats, tourism boards, trade agencies, geographical indication brands, nation brand managers and consultants for nearly two decades. This rise is one of the largest of any country, with brand New Zealand’s ranking moving up three places to become the 39th most valuable. While the covid-19 pandemic hit many other countries’ national brands hard, New Zealand’s brand value rose 11% from a pre-pandemic valuation. The rankings also place New Zealand at number 13 (of 100 countries) on the nation brand strength leader-board, which combines statistics and perceptions research. Brand strength is calculated based on investment