Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

The wellness industry is very much a booming sector overseas, with studies showing more people have experienced unwanted weight changes and are wanting to move on from the stress of the pandemic.But it's an industry that's still building here in New Zealand.Australia's largest body shaping and wellness company Body Catalyst has this week opened its first clinic in New Zealand.Founder and CEO Samantha Barakat-Light joined Kate Hawkesby.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are concerns that despite the resignation of two senior leaders at Gloriavale, there's been no real change at the top.Fervent Stedfast and Faithful Pilgrim have both left their leadership roles.It follows an unprecedented public apology last Friday.Gloriavale Leavers Support Trust's Liz Gregory says it's a good start, but the two senior leaders were clearly asked to do it.She told Kate Hawkesby Overseeing Shepherd Howard Temple hasn't gone anywhere.Gregory says he's still in authority and everyone submits to him - so there's no change.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gun control is very much on the agenda, both locally and globally.The Police Commissioner says the spree of drive-by shootings in Auckland is partly due to our relaxed gun laws.He said Police's long-term goal is to tighten up gun control.We also had the school shooting in Texas, and now Canada’s Prime Minister wants to ban the sales of guns altogether.Spokesperson for the Council of Licensed Firearms Owners Hugh Devereux-Mack joined Kate Hawkesby.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Santamaria scandal at TVNZ and the information that keeps seeping out over this is increasingly disturbing.Last night two more women came forward with allegations of inappropriate online conduct. It's also emerged from a woman who worked with him at Al Jazeera that there were lewd emails, kissing attempts, objectification, inappropriate texts and a power imbalance. She was not the only woman there to experience this apparently. But she said she was so ‘mortified and terrified’, that she took to hiding in the work bathroom to avoid him.That’s how bad it got.This information was all passed on to Al Jazeera newsroom management, she says, to the executive producer, by way of complaint.How then, we must all ask ourselves, was fellow Al Jazeera colleague and now Head of News and Current Affairs at TVNZ, Paul Yurisich, able to hire Santamaria and bring his allegedly creepy behaviour here?It’s a question so glaring even the Government woke up to ask it. Where was the correct protocol around Santamaria’s recruitme

China's offering reassurances about its step-by-step move into the Pacific.Foreign Minister Wang Yi has failed to convince Pacific countries to sign up to a new wide-ranging trade and security pact, but has struck an agreement on areas of cooperation.He's also urging us not to be too "anxious" or "nervous" about China's plans to play a greater role in our region.Democracy Project international analyst Geoffrey Miller told Kate Hawkesby China is starting a long-term push for influence in the Pacific.He says there's a growing polarisation between the east and west that will only continue to grow.China has reached some wins, signing new economic development agreements with Fiji.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Banks are starting to lift mortgage and deposit rates following last week's OCR hike.Kiwibank has lifted its headline rate for a two-year fixed mortgage to 5.19 per cent and ANZ has signalled changes to its interest rates.Mortgage broker Marcus Hull told Kate Hawkesby people are feeling the pinch.People look to tighten the belt and find ways to do a better budget, so brokers are seeing an increase in demand for their services.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is confidence the Government's moves to tackle the supermarket duopoly will increase competition.It's matched 12 of the 14 Commerce Commission recommendations,  and gone further on two of them.It's going to do annual competition checks on supermarkets instead of the report's suggested checks every three years.Night 'n Day is our third biggest grocery retailer, and General Manager Matthew Lane told Kate Hawkesby the yearly check-ups make sense.He says it will keep the supermarkets on notice, and ensure they're following the rules.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It seems all those Kiwis wanting to bail and go live and work overseas are having trouble even getting on flights.A travel agency was reported yesterday saying flights are just so hard to get. “We have so many people wanting to leave the country to work abroad but there just aren't any seats on direct flights to the USA or to Australia until the end of July," the agent was reported saying. And we know this first hand, one of our kids is headed to the US but securing a flight is proving tricky - and expensive. There are barely any seats, and what is there will cost you an arm and a leg. Not great for young people who’re already going to almost halve their savings when they convert their currency anyway. Leaving New Zealand is proving very costly.Part of it is air capacity – we still don’t have enough. Many of the carriers who were here back in the good old pre-Covid days have not come back yet, and despite all Air New Zealand’s promises of putting on extra flights, there’s still a woeful lack of them.So, young

We want to bring your attention to the idea of 3D printed schools.Thinking Huts, a non-profit dedicated to making education more accessible, has just opened a 3D printed school in Madagascar.The most amazing bit? Founder and CEO Maggie Grout is just 22-years-old.Maggie Grout joined Kate Hawkesby.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For those of you who don’t live in Auckland, I’ll just paint a picture of my weekend so you get the gist.Saturday we go to lunch at a suburban café, sitting outside, minding our own business, eating lunch, and this extremely large woman – I’m telling you about her size because it’s significant in terms of what she said. She’s extremely large, and she walks slowly and unevenly - seemingly struggling to carry her own weight. And she comes right up to our table, leans in close to us, interrupts and says: “Can you help me?” We are sitting there thinking what are we helping her with? Directions? Is she lost? She says, “I need money… I need money for food, I haven’t eaten in a week or two, my family hasn’t eaten either, we need money.”So my first thought is that she doesn’t look like she hasn’t eaten in a week or two, but also, is it one week or two? Like there’s a big difference there if you’re starving for one week versus two. You’d probably know exactly, so for a couple of reasons her story doesn’t add up. I tel

Red Bull driver Sergio Perez held on to win today's rain-marred and chaotic Monaco Grand Prix.The race was red flagged after Mick Schumacher slammed into the barriers at the swimming pool area in a scary incident.Schumacher lost control of his car and his Haas car split in half, such was the impact of the crash.Thankfully he walked away from the incident unharmed.

Tear gas fired indiscriminately around children and the elderly. Pepper spray unleashed at close-range on frustrated fans. Ticket holders blamed for delaying kickoff when they’d spent hours trying to enter the stadium in bottlenecks in tight spaces.Liverpool supporters have been defending themselves against accusations by French authorities they were responsible for the unrest at the Champions League final amid overcrowding outside the Stade de France caused by operational failings on Saturday.The British government called the treatment of the fans "deeply concerning."UEFA officials spent the hours after Liverpool lost 1-0 to Real Madrid in talks about the chaotic scenes that delayed the start of the final for 37 minutes in the biggest club match of the year.Even as the final started, riot police were firing rounds of tear gas immediately outside the stadium doors into wide open spaces to disperse any lingering people around Gate U.The French ministers for the interior and sports blamed ticketless Liverpool f

Kiwis who came home at the beginning of the Covid outbreak are now taking a one-way ticket back overseas.Some reasons are believed to be employers being closed off to the idea of global experience and recruiters not being able to translate people's specific skills to roles here.Tribe Recruitment's Sarah White told Kate Hawkesby many people who came home when the pandemic struck weren't in a position to properly settle back into New Zealand.“They can’t put their roots down like a lot of people have here, so it’s best to go back overseas, do a couple of years and come back with a bit more in the bank.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's hard not to feel helpless, and a whole lot more, watching the news stories out of Ukraine.There is something you can do to show solidarity that won't break the bank and there's something in it for you.You have the opportunity to see a film, or a couple of films, even a Ukrainian film in Auckland.The Ukrainian Film Festival starts this weekend in Devonport.Filmmaker Dasha Volga joined Tim Dower.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Disagreement between National and the construction industry, over the pressures facing the industry.The recent liquidation of Tauranga's Oceanside Homes and Wellington's Armstrong Downes has exposed the pressures the multi-billion dollar industry is under.But Construction Industry Council Chair Graham Burke told Tim Dower talking about a recession, is the right way to go about making one happen.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jacinda Ardern has taken a swipe at keyboard warriors.The Prime Minister gave the commencement speech at Harvard this morning, speaking to roughly 8,000 graduates and their families.A key theme of her speech was rallying against misinformation and calling out social media to do its part to shut it down.She also took a swipe at those who deliberately peddle misinformation, the 'keyboard warriors'.Jacinda Ardern says when she sees abusive comments online she imagines it's written by a lone person unacquainted with personal hygiene practices, dressed in a poorly fitting super hero costume.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I really feel for these guys throwing in the towel on their construction businesses, there's been a spate in the past couple of weeks.Most recently, not a big one, a firm in Tauranga but bad enough if you're one of the creditors, who won't be seeing any of that half million shortfall.Since the start of the year, nearly 100 construction companies have gone unde, .nearly 1 in five of all business failures.When your company folds with a half a million shortfall that's pretty devastating.It has a ripple effect; the suppliers and the taxman and workers and all the others who don't get paid.But the likelihood is that's gonna be a Mum and Pop sized operation, so what you don't see is the impact on them, their money is the first to go.The house might well be on the line, other assets too. The wheels, the tools and any cash the business owes them, all gone.The half-point hike in the OCR comes as no surprise, but it'll be a death knell for some.These businesses are the canaries in the coal mine, just think back a year

New guidelines for school uniforms are being praised as a step in the right direction .The Human Rights Commission has released non-binding standards, to help schools align their policies with the Bill of Rights.It includes consistency with the Treaty of Waitangi and consideration of non-gendered uniforms.Otago University public health researcher Johanna Reidy told Kate Hawkesby treating everyone the same, isn’t treating everyone fairly.She says these guidelines help create uniforms that are inclusive and flexible.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A differing of opinions from Auckland's mayoral candidates, on the latest spate of gang activity in Auckland.Police have been called to about a dozen gang incidents in recent days.It includes seven gang shootings on Tuesday night, and two firearms incidents in Mellons Bay and Massey last night.Viv Beck says told Kate Hawkesby she wants a tough, urgent response from law enforcement.“We’ve got to have much stronger Police presence, we’ve got to have the resource focused on the right things.”Leo Molloy says the shootings need to be considered in context.“This latest little spate is a one-off between two gangs with a deeply entrenched hatred for eachother.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Police say they’re disgusted by the shootings happening in Auckland. They can join the club, we all are.And although it’s believed to be gangs feuding in some kind of reignited turf war, two of the houses shot at had no gang links whatsoever, Police revealed.How disturbing, and as Police say, disgusting. Police also say they’ll be increasing their presence in the area, they’re worried it’s only a matter of time before someone gets seriously injured or killed. The community is worried too and rightly so. The question is – how did it even get this far? And the answer to that, sadly, is it got this far because it was able to.Gangs have not been stood up to for the bullies, criminals and reprobates they are. They have been pandered to and curried favour with, and time and time again been given the benefit of the doubt by a naïve government soft on crime. I’m not interested in these gang members back stories and how tough their childhoods’ may have been, or whatever other excuses are being offered up, they’re not