Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

The Government's being told to consider making KiwiSaver compulsory. Consumer Affairs Minister David Clark is looking at more changes to the nearly 15-year-old system. Financial Services Council chief executive Richard Klipin told Tim Dower people can opt out of the scheme, but it could be made mandatory. He says most people are paying three percent but should be given a target of about 10 percent. “The more active your investment options, the better the outcome and some of the default changes have already addressed some of those things.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A big boost for New Zealand's reputation in the video gaming industry. Developers Rocketwerkz new game 'Icarus: The First Cohort' is the top seller on a global platform called 'Steam' In Layman's terms, it's like being number one the Billboard chart. Duane Mutu is director of Let’s Play Live, an e-Sports and gaming company and he joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National says continuing to have Police officers on Auckland's northern border is a waste of resources. It's understood about 300 cops from around the country will be used to monitor border checkpoints after Auckland's border lifts on Wednesday next week. The Police Association says it's disappointing news. National Police Spokesman Mark Mitchell told Tim Dower it's a waste of valuable policing resource that is also needed in other places. “There are highly trained police officers, it takes a lot of money to train them. That’s just placing additional stress and workload on those officers that are there to fill the gap.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I want to give Chris Luxon a solid 8 for his first week as National Party leader. Much better than I'd expected to be honest, and to be further honest I wasn't even sure the caucus would actually pick him. And so far, MPs are making a decent fist of showing a united front. Maybe they've finally cottoned on to the fact that they can't afford another leadership crisis before the election. It's all or nothing now, and Luxon's put himself forward for what's always described as the worst job in politics. The next big job for Luxon is to announce the shadow Cabinet, and we'll get that today. Giving Simon Bridges Finance was a good move I think, and he must make good use of Judith Collins' knowledge and cunning, if she's willing. But if you look across the rest of the National Party caucus, it's pretty slim pickings. Shane Reti...Chris Bishop...Barbara Kuriger...Mark Mitchell...mmm...running out of potential Cabinet Ministers already. Labour is highly vulnerable on some major issues; housing, Three Waters, crime, th

Auckland businesses are still missing out on a chunk of revenue - they're open, but stuck on the red. The traffic light system has seen bars, cafes and restaurants open across the city for the first time in months. People are required to use their vaccine passes for these places. Hospitality New Zealand Auckland President Jamie Freeman told Tim Dower bars have to wrap things up around 11pm rather than three or four AM. “We really need get back to orange or green. As I said before, that late night piece is such a large part of our revenue, being at orange we’re trading at low 40 percent.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new OneRoof report this morning paints a gloomy picture on housing affordability. People believe it will get even worse over the next two years, with most of them blaming property investors and overseas buyers. Infometrics' principal economist Brad Olsen joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another historic day for Ajaz Patel was not enough to prevent India from edging closer to a crushing second-test victory in Mumbai. Patel picked up four more wickets to go with the perfect 10 he took in the first innings as India declared on 276-7 midway through the third day. That gave the hosts a commanding 539-run lead and, in the half hour before tea, Tom Latham was dismissed by Ravichandran Ashwin for six. Will Young (20) and Ross Taylor (six) departed quickly after tea, but Daryl Mitchell (60) and Henry Nicholls (36 not out) added 73 for the fourth wicket to wrestle back some respectability and send the test to the fourth day. Mitchell fell in the final hour though, as did Tom Blundell, run out for a duck in a shocking mix-up, leaving the Black Caps at 140-5, a whopping 400 runs away from victory and staring down the barrel of one of their largest defeats. India have left the Black Caps in a tangle after three days of the second test. Photo / AP The series will almost certainly belong to India but, in a

The new traffic light system puts more responsibilities on businesses to enforce vaccine mandates and rules around proof of vaccine passes. Employsure Employment Relations Specialist Maddie McKenzie told Kate Hawkesby the feedback is mixed.  "Employers are concerned they're losing some of their best employees because of the vaccine mandates."She said, even where vaccine mandates stand for certain industries, employers must still follow a fair and reasonable consultation process for those not wanting to get vaccinated.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How have we survived 107 days of lockdown Auckland? 188 if you add in last year's locked down days too... amazing. So, as we finish the alert level system and head into the traffic lights today, I'm actually putting a stop light on the old alarm now for a few weeks. This is my last show for the year. We worked through the lockdowns again this year so we gathered a lot of leave. Well, some more than others, my husband still has another week of work to go, but I'm off. Which is bittersweet actually, because I love my little show, my listeners, and our team. And the news cycle just keeps going this year, just when you think it might wind down, it's hello Omicron, hello new National party leadership and that’s the beauty of news I guess, new every day and constantly evolving. It has us hooked. So, we love it - but we’ve also experienced a lot of love back from you guys this year, for which we're tremendously grateful. If you know the radio biz, you know we live or die by our ratings and these are surveyed through

On the dawn on the new Traffic Light System, comes new freedoms, especially for Aucklanders, who have been in lockdown for 107 days. Waiheke island has been off-limits for visitors during lockdown, with non-residents banned. But this morning, they're welcoming people back with open arms. Waiheke local board chairperson Cath Handley told Kate Hawkesby they're ready for it. "To have the island nice and quiet has been absolutely lovely but, the businesses definitely need it."She said they're expecting a lot of people this weekend.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Signs business leaders are becoming more aware of social issues outside the workplace.   The Institute of Directors have released their sentiment report, looking into the mood of board directors.  50-percent believe CEOs should be speaking out on social issues such as climate change and mental health. Chief Executive Kirsten Patterson said it shows times are changing. She said boards do need to be more awake to social issues like diversity. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A British court has dismissed an appeal by a newspaper publisher seeking to overturn an earlier ruling that it breached the privacy of the Duchess of Sussex by publishing portions of a letter she wrote to her estranged father. The Court of Appeal in London upheld a High Court ruling in February that publication of the letter that the former Meghan Markle wrote to her father Thomas Markle after she married Prince Harry in 2018 was "manifestly excessive and hence unlawful". The publisher of the Mail on Sunday and the MailOnline website challenged that decision at the Court of Appeal, which held a hearing last month. In a statement, Meghan said the ruling was "a victory not just for me, but for anyone who has ever felt scared to stand up for what's right". "While this win is precedent-setting, what matters most is that we are now collectively brave enough to reshape a tabloid industry that conditions people to be cruel, and profits from the lies and pain that they create." Associated Newspapers disputed Meghan's

Aucklanders, do you want the following things, and if so, how much are you prepared to pay for them? Because if the mayor has his way, you will be paying for them. A more frequent bus route, decarbonization of the ferry fleet, 122 million bucks), $228 million for walking and cycling, $13.3 million for ‘urban food gardens’, 66 new low emissions buses, 14 thousand 800 native trees for south Auckland. Are you into this? Because you’ll be paying for it. Every household will be charged a ‘climate levy’ .. in council's proposed billion-dollar climate action package over the next two years. Let’s not forget the Auckland council declared a climate emergency in 2019, but the mayor says it's still not enough. So, a levy on top of the rates we already pay, and if you’re wondering why, Phil Goff reckons we asked for it. He said he’s “clearly heard from Aucklanders” that they want council to “do more on climate change and to improve our public transport system.” Show me the people who said this, and tell me how much they

Ghislaine Maxwell's defense attorneys sought Wednesday to undermine a key accuser's allegation that the British socialite helped financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse the woman for years, starting when she was 14. The trial witness, who has said she's using the pseudonym "Jane" to protect her 22-year acting career, had testified in graphic detail on Tuesday about the alleged encounters in the 1990s, portraying Maxwell as an active participant. During a methodical cross examination, defense attorney Laura Menninger confronted the woman with FBI documents from 2019 and 2020, saying she had told the government her memory was foggy on whether Maxwell was present when Epstein molested her and on whether she ever touched her. Other documents claimed she said that no abuse occurred during a visit to Epstein's ranch in New Mexico. That contradicted her testimony about alleged encounters with him there that she said made "my heart sink into my stomach." The witness denied ever changing her story. She challenged the

A Government support package which aims to revitalise Auckland by issuing families vouchers for local attractions and events has been panned by the hospitality sector, which says it's been "left to die". Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced yesterday that Aucklanders will be offered 100,000 vouchers this summer for a range of activities in a bid to "reactivate" the city as it shakes off the shackles of nearly four months in lockdown. But restaurant, bars and businesses in the hospitality industry will not be included in the scheme. MP for Auckand Central Chlöe Swarbrick joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Security experts are warning kiwis to be extra cautious when buying toys online this Christmas.  Cyber criminals are banking on global supply issues and people's frustrations, in order to offer dodgy deals online. ‘If it's too good to be true... Then it probably is.’ Dean Williams is a systems engineer for NortonLifeLock and joined Kate Hawkesby from Australia. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A warning to not put schools in the middle of the Covid-19 vaccine debate. The Government's hoping to start rolling out the inoculation programme for five to 11-year-olds by the end of next month. Principals' Federation president Perry Rush says most of the 14 principals on his executive support it, but some people in communities are concerned. He says told Kate Hawkesby we shouldn't create conflict in schools. “That’s really important, it certainly makes sense to use them as a venue, but there needs to be some careful discussion in local communities so that boards can take the temperature of their community and then make decisions accordingly.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I wrote an editorial on Luxon getting the leadership yesterday once we got wind of it in the afternoon, about an hour before their caucus met and before Luxon spoke.But I had to throw that out and start again once he spoke, because when he did, he changed my mind.I was pleasantly surprised, actually, I was impressed.He came out swinging, got straight into all the issues, he talked up achievements over announcements, he gave farmers a long-overdue high five, had a solid answer for the faith question, (he hasn’t been to a Church in five years, FYI) he confidently addressed a Three Waters question, while balancing the underdog card — admitting he might make mistakes because he’s new to politics. And on that, do we overplay that new to politics thing? I mean don’t we just want the best person for the job? And isn’t a wide range of skills from being strong in management, to having sound economical nous, critical for us as a country going forward? You want the smarts right? Not necessarily the longest term of being

A world-first automated beef boning system made in Dunedin hopes to solve worker shortages.The high-speed technology, combining X-ray vision with robotic and mechanical automation, can process 200 carcasses an hour.Scott Technology Chief Executive John Kippenberger told Kate Hawkesby rural companies in New Zealand, Australia and the US have been struggling with labour supply.“Automation was important pre the pandemic, but also even more important following the impact of the virus.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Global stocks and oil prices fell again Tuesday after a brief respite from the heavy sell-off triggered by the emergence of the Omicron coronavirus variant.Stocks in Asia Pacific and Europe slid, while Wall Street opened weaker. Oil prices fell about 3% as more countries reported cases of the variant and imposed new travel restrictions. The mood was also dampened by a warning from Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel that current vaccines will struggle with Omicron."There is no world, I think, where [the effectiveness] is the same level . . . we had with [the] Delta [variant]," Bancel said in an interview with the Financial Times published on Tuesday. "I think it's going to be a material drop. I just don't know how much because we need to wait for the data. But all the scientists I've talked to ... are like, 'This is not going to be good'."South Korea's Kospi led losses in Asia, falling 2.4%, while Japan's Nikkei 225 dropped 1.6%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 1.6%. The Shanghai Composite was flat. China's economy