Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

We're expecting to find out today what cabinet has decided on the quarantine-free travel bubble.Ministers have been considering their options, with clusters in Australia still out of control.The tourism sector can only sit, and wait.Cardrona and Treble Cone Ski Area general manager, Bridget Legnavsky told Tim Dower she is preparing to have no Australian tourists this season and will have to rely on domestic business.“The domestic market is actually really strong, right now were in the middle of the New Zealand school holidays so we’re actually really busy.”LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The comments made by the Police Minister in her interview with Mike Yardley have to an extent obscured the important discussion.Poto Williams told Mike she does not support general arming of police; and I don't like it much myself.But the Minister shot herself in the foot with her reasoning, and the comments she went on to make about what she said were the communities she represents.Now National's accusing Williams of not backing her own officers, and saying she should be sacked.And she probably should go. She obviously doesn't have a clue.I personally like the fact that our police don't routinely carry weapons, or at least that they don't routinely carry a handgun on their hip that we can all see.There are lots of studies that show when police are routinely armed criminals are more likely to carry weapons.And once you've got used to carrying a weapon it's not so much of a leap to use it.When you go to a country where police carry handguns you notice it right away it changes the dynamic between the police and

What is it about true crime documentaries that draws so many people in?TV, film makers; and according to ABC Australia nearly half of all podcast users have a taste for it.Research also shows that more women are listening to true crime podcasts than men.Tim Dower asked Associate Psychology Professor and crime psychology expert Amanda Vicary if a fascination with true crime is healthy.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Extreme heat and dry conditions are fueling raging wildfires in the western US, charring more than a million acres, requiring evacuations and creating smoky conditions visible from space.Smoke stretched early Wednesday all the way to the East Coast, including New York City, because high-level winds carried them thousands of miles from the West.The smoke mixed down to the surface in New York City, creating an eerie scene Wednesday morning -- though a cold front is expected to usher the smoke out of the area later in the day.In the West, the fires have caused power outages, destroyed structures and prompted the deployment of the Oregon National Guard.As extreme drought still grips most of the West and the fires have become so intense they've created their own weather systems, the threat of more fires remains.In Oregon -- where eight fires have burned nearly 475,000 acres -- officials said the current fire season is unlike any they've seen before."I would categorize this fire season thus far as historic in terms

It is hard to imagine a time when the real estate sector has had it so good.With the huge price increases we've seen, agents' percentages are steady, so they too are banking big pay increases.On a sale of $900,000, around $30,000 will go to the agent.The question therefore remains, in a sellers' market; does it make sense to cut out the middle man?Graham Squires is with Massey University's school of Economics and Finance and he told Tim Dower he can see a future where more New Zealanders take a DIY approach to selling property.“There’s going to be a few sellers, I would imagine, who want to, as you say, cut out the middle man and start to  take more of a DIY ethos when they see such a high proportion of the house price being ripe for the pickin.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Makers of the film about the Christchurch mosque attacks are expecting taxpayers to subsidise the venture.The director Andrew Nicoll has been looking to cover 40 percent of production costs by way of the film subsidy.Nothing is confirmed yet, but if the movie does go ahead, it would likely qualify for that.A question to come out of this is whether taxpayers should fund a movie depicting current politicians?Eric Crampton, chief economist at the NZ Initiative told Tim Dower more often than not, it’s the filmmakers that end up winning.“It’s kind of a losing game for taxpayers, internationally; filmmakers come out of it pretty well. Countries bid against each other to try provide the largest subsidies to attract international film productions and when countries do that, the winners wind up being the film companies.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The America's Cup post-mortem report has revealed a lot of juicy gossipy stuff about what went on during the event.And to me it raises questions about who was calling the shots, and who ought to have been calling them, given that it was the sorry old taxpayer that funded the whole thing.But the headline take-out from it all is of course, the spectacular financial failure.All up NZ Inc is almost $300 million worse off as a result of it.Auckland Council has also quietly admitted it put in 92 million more than it had previously said. That's a scandal in its own right.You can partly blame it on the pandemic, and a lack of challengers, plus the lack of international visitors. But when you get below the lid, there's a string of dysfunctional stuff-ups and of course the usual pettiness and one-up-manship we've all come to associate with this event.Bottom line: we put far too much public money in, so Auckland alone has a deficit of $146 million dollars.On the upside, lots of people in lockdowns in other part of the w

The 7.5 billion dollar trip to the edge of space by Jeff Bezos [ bay zoss]  is being seen as bad timing.The world's richest man has soared more than 100 kilometres above the Texas desert, with three others, and returned safely.Fellow billionaire Sir Richard Branson took a similar flight earlier this month.Oxfam New Zealand's Jo Spratt told Tim Dower the coronavirus is sweeping the world, with second and third waves, and our close neighbour Fiji has some of the highest rates of the disease in the world.“It’s just not the time to spending massive amounts of resources going to space, when we could be helping our fellow human beings.”Jeff Bezos has a multi-billion dollar Earth Fund for battling climate change.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Disney is widely regarded as the very symbol of childhood innocence.Disney and Disneyland have apparently fallen victim to cancel culture.The Jungle Cruise ride has needed a facelift, after being criticised for its depiction of indigenous Africans.But it's not the only part of the organisation under scrutiny.Architectural historian and author of "Walt Disney's Disneyland" Chris Nichols told Tim Dower attitudes and perceptions have changed since Disneyland was originally built.“Disneyland is changing constantly, things come and go and we can see bits of 1950s Disneyland still peeking through and to some people some of things can be out of place in the 21st Century.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Covid-19 has left its mark on the balance sheet of New Zealand's hosting of this year's America's Cup.Analysis found that financially, New Zealand was almost $293 million worse, but when net benefits are considered, the loss shrinks to $156 million.The impacts of the pandemic, having fewer challengers and high public investment contributed to significant deficits.AUT sailing professor Mark Orams told Tim Dower even within our closed borders, the event was held - at various times - under Covid levels two and three.“And that really constrained all of the hospitality sector, the movement of people, the ability of even New Zealanders to engage in the event in the way that was originally planned.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Act Party, as part of their Law and Order Policy, want gang members to receive their benefits on a card, which would restrict spending on alcohol, gambling and tobacco.However, it doesn't address why young people are still being drawn into gang life.Patched member of the Mongrel Mob Aotearoa Wairoa chapter and youth worker Bronson Tither, is trying to redefine what it means to be in a gang.Bronson Tither told Kerre McIvor he knows many gang members who don't use drugs, alcohol or gamble and singling them out isn't the solution."The solution needs to be more focused around doing the type of mahi with the gang members to change their mindset, so that they want to not be on the unemployment benefit and they can be supported into another pathway, another way of thinking."LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wouldn't New Zealand be the perfect place if it weren't for the gangs?Over the years you've probably heard dozens of politicians promise gang crackdowns, tough policies to curb them, rein them in, or just lock 'em up.Electronic Income Management is new terminology to me, but the idea itself has been around a fair while.The Act Party says it wants to impose it on gang members when they're receiving benefits.The idea is to make sure children being raised in the homes of gang members have their basic needs met.So, money coming in from a benefit would be controlled electronically so it couldn't be spent on, well, you know where it goes.Instead, Act wants it used on the children, making sure they're properly fed and clothed.In principle, I have no objection to that at all.Not so long ago, Simon Bridges was talking refusing benefits altogether if a gang member couldn't prove where their assets had come from, and that they'd been paid for legitimately.What about the kids caught up in that? They didn't get to choose

A man who was brought up in a gang, says education will benefit gang members' children more, rather than controlling benefit spending.The Act Party wants gang members to receive their dole on an electronic card that would restrict spending on alcohol, gambling and tobacco.Dave Letele, who also runs the Manukau food bank, told Tim Dower you're much better off educating and empowering people, rather than trying to do this.“It’s limiting and monitoring spending, it’s not dealing with the issue of why people are joining gangs and that’s the real issue here.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The pause on quarantine-free travel with Victoria's been extended until at least tomorrow.The Health Ministry says it needs a better understanding of the developing situation in the Australian state - including the number and pattern of Covid-19 cases.Correspondent Lesley Yeomans says Victoria was supposed to come out of lockdown tonight, but that's been delayed."The Premier Daniel Andrews indicated they still neds some more time and we're waiting to see what the numbers are today."Our Health Ministry will review the quarantine-free travel pause with Victoria and New South Wales tomorrow.Ministry staff are keeping in contact with Australian authorities about each state - including keeping a close eye on South Australia, which has a new community case.Meanwhile, Fiji has announced another 784 new cases and 15 new deaths overnight.LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Biden administration and Western allies formally blamed China on Monday for a massive hack of Microsoft Exchange email server software and asserted that criminal hackers associated with the Chinese government have carried out ransomware and other illicit cyber operations.The announcements, though not accompanied by sanctions against the Chinese government, were intended as a forceful condemnation of activities a senior Biden administration official described as part of a "pattern of irresponsible behavior in cyberspace." They highlighted the ongoing threat from Chinese hackers even as the administration remains consumed with trying to curb ransomware attacks from Russia-based syndicates that have targeted critical infrastructure.The broad range of cyberthreats from Beijing disclosed on Monday included a ransomware attack from government-affiliated hackers that has targeted victims — including in the U.S. — with demands for millions of dollars. U.S officials also alleged that criminal contract hackers asso

You may be surprised to learn Year 13 girls still think being pretty and popular on social media is more important than intelligence and academic achievements.This is our 16-18 year-olds, and perhaps most surprisingly, the information comes from interviews with the top achievers at four high schools.Dr. Eunice Price at Auckland University's faculty of Education and Social Work told Tim Dower parents need to be supportive and let their kids know it isn’t the be all and end all.“Some of the pressures they feel are really real, they almost feel as if some of their failures are a life or death experience… if I have one small failure that’s my future ripped away from me.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak will self-isolate for 10 days, after initially saying they would not despite coming in contact with someone who contracted Covid-19.Johnson and Sunak came in contact with Health Secretary Sajid Javid who tested positive.The two initially claimed they didn't need to isolate as they were taking part in a pilot scheme that involves daily testing. However, backlash ensued from opposition parties claiming there's one rule for them and one for the rest of the public.Meanwhile, almost all legal restrictions in England will be lifted today, including limits on gatherings and nightclubs reopening.UK correspondent Gavin Grey told Tim Dower that means virtually everything will go back to normal."No limits on how many people can meet, the one metre-plus social distancing guidance has been removed except in places like hospitals or passport control, or entering the country. You no longer require face coverings and that's the one that's been controversial."See

Two athletes living in the Olympic Village have tested positive for Covid-19, the first to do so with the Tokyo Games opening on Friday.Organisers confirmed the positive tests on Sunday and both were listed as "non-Japanese". No names or other details were provided.Organisers on Sunday also said another athlete had tested positive but this person was not residing in the Olympic Village. This athlete was also identified as "non-Japanese".Organisers say since July 1, 55 people linked to the Olympics have reported positive tests. This accounting does include athletes or others who may have arrived for training camps but are not yet under the "jurisdiction" of the organising committee.The Olympic Village on Tokyo Bay will house 11,000 Olympic athletes and thousands of other support staff.Tokyo recorded 1,410 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, the highest in six months. It was the 28th straight day that cases were higher than seven days previous.The Olympics will open on Friday under a state of emergency in Tokyo and

Even before the Olympics are officially open, things are looking decidedly dicey in Tokyo.As of this morning, there are now 55 covid cases among people linked to the Games.This includes various contractors and suppliers, as well as the smattering of cases among the athletes themselves.Most recently, members of the South African football team have been told to isolate, after cases in their contingent.So far, the New Zealand team have not been directly affected.Let's hope it stays that way.But teams are flying in from all over the world...some from countries where the virus is totally out of control.Even with all our requirements about pre-departure tests and travellers supposedly being covid free...we get new cases arriving in managed isolation every day.To think the Olympics won't end up being a super-spreader event is living in dreamland.The first day of competition includes football and softball, as well as opening ceremony itself.Neither of those is a contact sport per se...but you can't have a game of eit

The more I see of this Three Waters legislation, the more it smacks of a dictatorship bent on centralisation, and the less I like it.This is a massive change in the way we live our lives, everyone needs water.But it's being hammered through with indecent haste, and the strategy seems to be to swamp us with very dodgy data and immensely complex legislation.The Prime Minister tried to win over local mayors yesterday with a sweetener, two and a half billion dollars to encourage them to go along with it.At the same time, the Government claims we need to spend anything from 120 billion to 185 billion, over the next 30 years.Now, I'm not denying that in some parts of the country there is a major infrastructure challenge.It can't be right that some councils have let their systems run down so much we see sewage in the streets when it rains, and beaches you can't swim at because they've gone code brown.It can't be right to have flood waters running through people's homes, when storm water systems can't handle the weat