Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

People in the wine industry now have a chance to learn some tricks of the trade. New Zealand Winegrowers has launched its 2021 mentoring programme to help members increase their confidence, focus on their self-development and reach their goals.   The organisation's leadership and communities manager Nicky Grandorge told Tim Dower the wine industry in this country is an extremely collaborative one. She says people signing up for the programme are winemakers, viticulturists and sales and marketing people. “There are some people that are fairly new to the industry, looking to take the next step. And then there are people midway through their career, at a bit of a crossroads.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's concern Auckland has to wait longer at the red light. Tamaki Makaurau will move to orange under the Covid-19 Protection Framework at midnight on December 30.  So will every other region in red, except Northland.  Heart of the City CEO, Viv Beck, told Tim Dower going into orange at New Year's Eve will make a difference. “It certainly will give more confidence to visitors, so that’s a positive thing. But I’m still really concerned about another two and a half weeks at red and the impact of that.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Sunday that Britain faces a “tidal wave” of infections from the omicron coronavirus variant, and he has announced a huge increase in booster vaccinations to strengthen defenses against it.Johnson said in a televised statement that everyone age 18 and older will be offered a third shot of vaccine by the end of this month. The previous target was the end of January.He said cases of the highly transmissible variant are doubling every two to three days and “there is a tidal wave of omicron coming.”To combat it, he announced a “national mission” to deliver booster vaccines at with pop-up vaccination centers and 7-day-a-week clinics.U.K. scientists believe existing vaccines appear less effective in preventing symptomatic infections in people exposed to omicron, though preliminary data show that effectiveness appears to rise to between 70% and 75% after a third vaccine dose.The British government raised the country’s official coronavirus threat level on Sunday, warning the rapid spr

Less than two weeks to Christmas and the summer holidays can't come soon enough.New Zealand is tired, exhausted even, of Covid and frustrated at the huge ongoing sacrifices.We are sick of doom, gloom and fear, so much so John Campbell fronted a show about this last night.I only saw the beginning because it was past bedtime, but it featured front line workers talking about some of the things they've had to put up with.The ambulance officer bitten and spat at, nurses copping abuse in emergency rooms, police attacked on the job, supermarket staff enduring racial slurs.Now that show coincides with a new piece of research today, which comes out of an Auckland University offshoot called the Centre for Informed Futures.Just for background, that's headed up by Sir Peter Gluckman, one of our most distinguished scientists and formerly chief science advisor to the Prime Minister.Cutting to the chase, this report looks at relationships in the community, and trust in the State.Sir Peter says we're starting to see exhausti

Cabinet is meeting today to review Aotearoa's traffic light settings.Auckland, Northland and lower vaccinated areas in the central and east coast of the North Island are at the red level.The rest of the North Island and South Island is at Orange.Otago University's Lesley Gray told Tim Dower while Auckland has a high vaccination rate, there's already change coming with the region's borders opening on Wednesday.“Whether the Government feel that they want to bring Auckland to Orange as well as the boundary change, that might be a step too far given the numbers that we’re still seeing.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen has won the F1 world championship in the most insane circumstances, being handed a miracle finish to claim his maiden title.But Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes has lodged a protest after the final-lap drama in which Verstappen overtook Hamilton following a controversial safety car ruling.Verstappen was on pole but beaten off the start by championship rival Lewis Hamilton as the Mercedes driver dominated the race. That extraordinary final lap of the 2021 title race in full

Over 100 people are feared dead after a series of tornadoes ripped through several states in the Midwest and South and violently transformed homes and businesses into piles of rubble late Friday into Saturday.In Kentucky alone, the death toll is at least 80 people and is going to exceed 100, Gov. Andy Beshear told CNN on Sunday morning -- making it the deadliest tornado event in the state's history."I know people can see the visuals, but that goes on for 12 blocks or more in some of these places. And it's going to take us time," he said. "You think you would go door-to-door to check on people and see if they're OK. There are no doors."The question is, is somebody in the rubble of thousands upon thousands of structures? I mean, it is devastating," he added.Speaking on CBS' "Face the Nation," Beshear confirmed a 3-year-old in Graves County and a 5-year-old in Muhlenberg County were among the dead.Arkansas officials have reported two weather-related deaths; Tennessee has confirmed four; Illinois has reported six

Smoking. I'd have been about 14 or 15 when I first started smoking, even back then we knew it wasn't good for us and maybe that's part of why we did it. It was about breaking the rules, being a bit of a rebel. In hindsight, it was the dumbest thing I ever did. It's become an extremely expensive bad habit too and the year on year increases in excise duty have obviously helped more of us become ex-smokers. It is incredibly hard to stop, you get an almost instant chemical addiction and then very quickly an addiction to rituals and habits. So it stands to reason that the fewer of us who take it up to begin with, the better off we all are as a society. When I first heard it,  I was a bit stunned at the brutally drastic steps the Government's taking. Anyone born after 2009 will be banned from buying tobacco products for life. Prohibited. And for those already hooked, a drastic reduction in the number of outlets and the types of products they can get. On the one hand, phasing out tobacco completely, making it an ill

The National Party's on the fence about the Beijing Winter Olympics, because it isn't privy to the same information as the Government. Canada has joined the United States and Australia in imposing a diplomatic boycott of the event, citing China’s human rights record. In this country, Sports Minister Grant Robertson says we're not sending ministers or diplomats because of Covid-19 but Trade Minister Damien O'Connor says it's a boycott. National's trade and export growth spokesperson, Todd McClay, told Tim Dower the party doesn't get the same advice as the Government. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwi film lovers and fans of Middle-Earth will know today is an important anniversary. It's been 20 years since the first Lord of the Rings movie premiered. The Fellowship of the Ring started a global film franchise, but helped put New Zealand on the map in the film industry. As well as this, Hobbiton has become an international tourist attraction. Hobbiton movie set deputy CEO Shayne Forrest joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Talking about travel insurance this morning got me thinking about going overseas again, and it's been a while. It's crept up on us, but from the middle of next month we can start to look at Australia again. Then, if it all goes to plan, we're into a staged opening of the borders, fully vaccinated people from overseas will be allowed in. 2022 is going to look very different to 2021. But are you ready to get on a long-haul flight again to go see those rellies in Europe? Look at the fares now, could you afford to get on a long-haul flight? And those twelve hour burns really take it out of you, plus the likelihood of having to have a mask on from arriving at the airport. Mmm... it's all getting less appealing the more I think about it. And if you did go up to Europe say, or the States, or Asia, as we know, the rules can change in a heartbeat. You could set off from New Zealand under one regime and find yourself locked out or quarantining on the way back, or refused entry to this country or that. Personally, I'm n

Business New Zealand is officially walking away from the Government's fair pay agreements.  The business lobby group sees them as unfair and unlawful, and believes they'll do more harm than good for workers. Small Business Voice chief operating officer, Max Whitehead, told Tim Dower the agreements mean employers would be forced to engage with unions and workers would have to pay union fees. “So it’ll be negotiated, for example, in Wellington, government officials and unions will sit down and then have a chat and go ‘let’s increase the wages, should we go 30 percent this year? Or maybe 40 percent?’” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There may now be more of a rat race for employers, than workers. Seek job listings are up 35 percent year-on-year, with applications down 36 percent over the past two years. Vacancies in retail have skyrocketed by 65 percent, healthcare 56 percent and 54 percent in manufacturing, transport and logistics.  Seek New Zealand Manager Rob Clark told Tim Dower for employers it's becoming a game of who has the best offer. “Salaries and wages, but more importantly, all the other benefits that come with that, flexibility of working et cetera are really top of mind for candidates at the moment.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Covid-19 has irreparably changed travel. Government website SafeTravel says visiting every country except the Cook Islands will be risky and advises to avoid them.  Dunedin-based Vincent George Travel believes leisure travel will be a while off yet, while repatriation flights dominate.   Travel agent Rosann Connolly George told Tim Dower while there are Covid-19 provisions available in travel insurance, people need to read the small print. “Nothing will cover a border restriction or a sudden lockdown, or if you are in a country and all of a sudden you are unable to leave.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some interesting stuff has come out of Police Commissioner's session with the Justice Select Committee. Andrew Coster said we need to be careful about fixating on the gangs. When it comes to drugs and especially the big importers, he says discreet operators with global connections are the real problem. Coster says "90 per cent of people charged with importing, manufacturing, or dealing methamphetamine are not patched gang members.” He went on to say that in reality a gang member's lifestyle can be quite pitiful. They mostly deal drugs to support their own habits he says, and maybe have a bit left over to pay for petrol. Is he trying to make us feel sorry for them? I wonder if he's missed the point about the public's feelings over gangs. National's Mark Mitchell seems to have a better handle on that. He's appalled at the open warfare between gangs on his patch. And he says the public is sick of gang members taking over roads and public spaces, behaving as though they have licence to do what they want, quote un

The only people who could cause Sandra Goudie to lose her job would be her constituents. The Thames-Coromandel Mayor doesn't want Pfizer's Covid-19 jab and has recently spoken to an Australian anti-vaccination group.  A no-confidence motion in Goudie was considered yesterday, but decided against, given it would be meaningless. Local Government New Zealand President, Stuart Crosby, told Tim Dower mayors are elected by the whole region, and it's up to the community to decide on their performance. He says they're there to represent the community's position and have the best insight into local issues. “Look many councils have tried to do things like symbolic acts and votes of no confidence, but at the end of the day the mayors are there.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A war of words between Northland's best-known politicians, over the checkpoints being kept in place over summer. Police have confirmed they'll work with local iwi to keep checkpoints in place on State Highway 1 at Uretiti near Waipu,  and on State Highway 12 near Maungaturoto. Commissioner Andrew Coster says 74 staff will work at the checkpoints each day, equating to about 300 officers over a weekly roster. Cabinet Minster Kelvin Davis says criticising the iwi organisations involved is racist. But New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters told Tim Dower, they should be open to criticism. “People are making demands, and they’ve been making them for quite a long time without any authority in the Māori world, or the European world, or according to our law.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The America's Cup may not return to Auckland, but a new sailing event could replace it. Under a new deal, Auckland and Lyttleton will host alternate events in the Sail GP sailing competition for four years from 2023. Christchurch was due to host a one-off Sail GP event next month, but organisers had to cancel it after failing to secure 160 MIQ spots. Sailing expert Chris Steele told Tim Dower both cities are now set to benefit. “It’s basically alongside the America’s Cup now at the pinnacle of the sport and obviously the America’s Cup is once every three years, Sail GP runs year-round so it’s definitely up there.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I think we're overdue a bit of honesty and openness on what's going on with the Auckland border. A bit of transparency. At the moment, we still have a hard border and if you've been through it, you'll have seen it's obviously a police operation. The actual checking as you go into and out of the contaminated zone could be done by a civilian with a little wand, I've also encountered uniformed soldiers. But it's clear the police are running things, and taking the opportunity to pull a few cars and trucks over for regular road safety checks. All very much in the interests of anyone on the roads. Now, come December 15th, those hard checkpoints on the northern and southern boundaries were meant to be going. A system based on trust we were told, with random police checks, like those you can expect anytime you're out on the roads. Now it turns out the police are building up a roster of 300 staff to run checkpoints in Northland. Grant Robertson trotted out the 'operational decision' line yesterday, but is that true? I

A fresh war of words has erupted over the fate of former New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian, who is reportedly being urged to run for federal politics despite the cloud hanging over her from an anti-corruption investigation. New South Wales’ Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has yet to deliver the findings of its inquiry into whether Ms Berejiklian breached the public’s trust or had a conflict of interest during her secret relationship with former Wagga Wagga MP Daryl Maguire. It is also considering whether she failed in her duty to report suspected corruption, and whether she encouraged that sort of behaviour by turning a blind eye. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has, in recent weeks, been attacking ICAC for its investigation into Ms Berejiklian. Most notably, in one session of Question Time in late November, he denounced the treatment of her as “shameful”. “What was done to Gladys Berejiklian, the people of NSW know, was an absolute disgrace,” he said in parliament. “The Australian peo