Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

A suite of reforms are on the way to hold local councils to account. The Local Government Act's being stripped of requirements to consider social, economic, environmental, and cultural well-being as part of Cabinet's efforts to prioritise the basics.  It will also benchmark performance with a yearly report on financial and delivery outcomes.  Local Government Minister Simeon Brown says it will compare different councils rates, debt, spending, budgets and the state of their roads.  Queenstown Lakes District Mayor Glyn Lewers says the move was well signalled. "The information is there they're just going to publish it in a different format".See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government is going to hold councils accountable for the basics like pipes and rubbish, but screw any mention of well being.  I don’t know about you, but the care of maintenance of pipes and sewage and trash is fundamental to my well being.  Minister Simeon Brown wants a report issued each year on the financial health of each council, their spending and their results. They also want to look at the changes in rates for each dwelling.  In other words they’re going to read the publicly listed council reports and produce their own because apparently many ratepayers don’t or can't be bothered. That's also the job the media used to do until they got so skint they don't have the staff to do it. I couldn’t help thinking the whole thing was a dramatic production and part of a culture war to paint local bodies as a villain for committing exactly the same crimes central government are guilty of. There’s criticism of council red tape in building consents and yet the irony is that it’s central governmen

Five people have been killed in several shootings in northern France. BBC reports around 2pm local time, a man was shot outside his house in village Wormhout near Dunkirk. About 45 minutes later, two security guards were killed at a nearby port. Minutes later, two other men staying in the nearby migrant camp were also shot dead. Europe Correspondent Gavin Grey told Andrew Dickens a 22-year-old man has handed himself in. “Police absolutely covering the area and looking at finding motives for this, but it does appear to be this young man had already expressed some pretty severe anti-migrant attitudes.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Supplier costs increases to supermarkets have continued to rise. Infometrics-Foodstuffs New Zealand Grocery Supplier Cost Index shows a 2.1 percent increase in supplier costs to supermarkets in November, compared to the year prior. Some of the largest rises were for chocolate and cooking oils. Vegetables NZ Chair John Murphy told Andrew Dickens there's still some general inflationary pressure – but the trend is below overall inflation. “So you see the likes of diesel and things like that starting to creep in, which affects those freight costs.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Early Edition with Andrew Dickens Full Show Podcast for Monday the 16th of December. The next five-year plan for family and sexual violence has been released by the government, and it includes a review of $1.3 billion in prevention spending. Women's Refuge Chief Executive Dr Ang Jury is on the show. Infometrics latest food supplier cost index has seen a 2.1 percent rise in the year ending November, is it in line with inflation, and what does it mean for your last minute pre-Christmas dash to the supermarket? Vegetables NZ Chair John Murphy speaks to Andrew. Auckland FC have drawn 2 all against Melbourne, and the Black Caps are holding a solid lead against England, can they make it all the way? Elliott Smith has your weekend sport wrap. Get the Early Edition with Andrew Dickens Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new Government action plan for preventing family and sexual violence pushes for deeper collaboration across government agencies.  It's the second action plan as part of a 25-year national strategy.  Focus areas include improvements to protect children and young people, strengthening the workforce, taking action on sexual violence, and expanding prevention.  Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence Karen Chhour says the first plan was the beginning of the conversation, and tried to cover a wide area.  Reaction to the plan has been positive, Women's Refuge chief executive Dr Ang Jury says it's good to see a commitment to addressing harm - but we also need to focus on changing attitudes.  "That's where the prevention focus needs to be, so that we can actually look at bringing up a generation of kids who don't see any benefit in behaving in this way". LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anyone who thought the ferry debate was over for summer was very wrong.  The weekend papers were full of reckons and I reckon it’s because it’s a bigger piece of infrastructure than many realise. Sure a lot of tourists and locals travel on it, heading on adventures or heading home, but $30 billion dollars worth of freight between the North and South Island depends on it too. So the reckons were about who screwed it up more. Nicola Willis, Grant Robertson or KiwiRail itself.  Then there was debate over Winston’s hijacking of the job and whether this will play out well or badly for him.  The conversation about rail enabled or rail capable rumbled on and whether just letting Bluebridge have the whole job was a good idea, since their boats don't seem to break down or run aground. Steven Joyce commented on the nostalgic choice of Kaiwharawhara for the ferry port, a very earthquake prone reclamation. But if not there then where Steven? Relocating the port to a seismically more stable location could b

An employment expert says the Government's new directive against public servants working from home makes sense.  The Public Service Commission has issued new guidance confirming all flexible work arrangements should be monitored and workers are not entitled to work from home.  It's sparked legal action from a major public sector union.  Employment expert Jennifer Mills told Andrew Dickens workers on flexible arrangements are likely not the main target of this move.  She says studies show there's no productivity issues with hybrid workers, but there is with people working solely from home.  Mills says hybrid models are still well within the current rules, but there does need to be express agreement and transparency to ensure it’s suitable.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Health New Zealand is meeting its targets, but a doctors' union says that doesn't mean Kiwis are getting better care.  New figures show cancer treatment is getting faster and child immunisation rates are improving.  People are also spending less time, on average, in emergency departments.  Resident Doctors' Association National Secretary Deborah Powell told Andrew Dickens that despite what these figures show, our healthcare system's under real stress.  She says they don't have enough beds or staff to look after people in hospitals, and there's problems with radiology and the large volumes of patients they're being asked to see.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast for Friday 13 December. Get the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Don’t you hate it when the kids fight.  The quiet war between David Seymour and Winston Peters has kicked up a little lately with both the boys playing games in court to win the hearts of the public.  That's the problem when you’re a minor party, you need to make noise to be noticed.  The big noise for a while has been David Seymour who has taken conversations by the throat with his Treaty Principles Act. Love it or hate it, you're all talking about it which is all a politician wants.  Last week I warned that Winston has been a good boy while he’s held the Deputy Prime Minister job but that’s coming to an end in a few months and he does a swapsie with David Seymour. That will free his hand and you’ll hear much more from him.  That's started, which explains why he’s taken over the railways. He wants to be seen as a saviour and solver.  Seymour and Peters have very differing views of the railways - Winston blames past privatisation's. David wants to privatise 49 per cent of it.&nbs

The ACC Minister has announced a independent review into ACC because of concerns about its performance.  Matt Doocey says rehabilitation rates are down and weekly compensation costs and average costs per claim were up. “This review will have a particular focus on claims management. It will look at whether ACC has the right interventions and settings in place to support accident claimants to return to independence as quickly as possible". It comes as ACC announces levies will be on the rise from next year with those on the median wage of $70,000 set to pay $140 extra in 3 years time. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The potential buyers of Whakapapa skifield are optimistic it'll be open for business come next ski season.   Cabinet's agreed to give a $5 million loan to Whakapapa Holdings to support its bid to buy the ski field, but only if it gets a concession from the Conservation Minister.  If granted, the sale's expected to be completed next April so it can open by July for the 2025 season.  Whakapapa Holdings Chief Executive Dave Mazey told Andrew Dickens they're not worried about the turnaround.   He says the receivers will be trading the company up until that settlement date and preparing it for winter.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An employment expert says there's a balance between free speech and unprofessionalism when dismissing staff for making inappropriate comments.  16 Immigration NZ staff have been disciplined for derogatory messages about visa applicants on Teams.  10 workers have been either dismissed or issued a formal warning already.  Max Whitehead told Andrew Dickens employers need to be careful of free speech.  He says people are entitled to say what they want to some extent, but an employer is likely to be reactive to comments.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s a match on fingerprints found at the assassination scene of a major US health insurance boss in Manhattan.   New York prosecutors have charged 26-year-old Luigi Mangione with murdering Brian Thompson.   Police have told CNN that fingerprints found at the crime scene match Mangione's.  Correspondent Kate Fisher told Andrew Dickens that development followed his extradition hearing yesterday.   She says he refused extradition to New York and was then denied bail, so he'll remain in a Pennsylvania jail while the legal ramifications are sorted out.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Early Edition with Andrew Dickens Full Show Podcast for Thursday the 12th of December. The government has a new plan for the Cook Strait ferries - but there was a noticeable lack of detail. Labour's Tangi Utikere reacts.  A new multi million dollar loan to purchase Mount Ruapehu's liquidated Whakapapa ski field. Dave Mazey is heading the new venture and joins the show to talk about his plans. Staff at Immigration New Zealand have been sacked or given formal warnings for sending inappropriate messages about migrants to each other - should we be more careful about what we send on work platforms? Get the Early Edition with Andrew Dickens Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The long awaited ferry announcement from the government came yesterday, however there's still plenty unanswered questions. We'll get two new ferries, but the government hasn't said how much they will cost, or whether they will be rail-enabled. It comes more than a year after the Finance Minister cancelled the previous governments plan to purchase two new ships for $550 million. Labour's transport spokesperson Tangi Utikere says the announcement was underwhelming. "What we've learned is that kiwis will have to wait longer for the ferries when they do arrive, it was meant to be 2026 under the former government, now we'll have to wait until at least 2029". LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well that was confusing. When Nicola Willis blew up Kiwirail’s plan for new ferries she promised a better plan, and yesterday we got that plan.  They're going to form a new company to buy some ferries. No news about which ferries and what format they’re in.  Nothing about what’s happening portside. There was also an invitation to private industry to come up with a better solution.  So no new ferries, no new ports, no ships ordered, and no idea that private industry already provides a service, that is Bluebridge.  It was an announcement of an announcement, which we already lampooned the last government with.  It was ideological. It was government spending and this government doesn’t like that so they cancelled it without thinking about the long term consequences.  It was not based on business practice, or financial logic.  It was not on brand and it’s harming reputationally.  Put this in business terms, they broke a contract for ships that was a good deal. Okay, maybe yo

Germany is tightening its laws to make it harder to help smuggle migrants to the UK.  Facilitating people-smuggling is not technically illegal in Germany if it’s to another country outside of the EU – which now includes the UK.  A plan has been made between the two countries that sees Germany tighten their laws and make it easier to prosecute those involved.  Europe Correspondent Gavin Grey told Andrew Dickens that Germany had inadvertently become a central hub for the people-smuggling networks.  He’s uncertain what effect this will have, as when one tentacle is cut in these networks, another seems to grow.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's emissions plan's being described as sensible and practical.   Climate Change Minister Simon Watts has released the second Emissions Reduction Plan.  Key policies include more renewable energy projects and introducing both a network of 10,000 EV charging points and agricultural emissions pricing by 2030.  Victoria University Climate Change Adjunct Professor Adrian Macey told Andrew Dickens they've gone through with a sector-by-sector focus.   He says they're giving a message to business, forestry, and agriculture that they see them being prosperous as part of this journey.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.