Kerre Woodham Mornings Podcast

The Queen has finally been laid to rest in a private burial service inside Windsor Castle surrounded by her loved ones. It looked very, very personal, despite the pomp and circumstance, it was a funeral for the country, for the people and a very impressive and historic moment. Newstalk ZB's Mike Yardley was in London, Kerre Woodham spoke to Mike and asked him what his motivation was for layering jetlag upon jetlag to be there.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have all seen the stories of the broken abused babies and children from this country - the Nia Glassies, the Kahui twins, Hale Sage McClutchie, Saliel Aplin, Olympia Jetson – there's way too many of them. More than 60 children in the past several years who have been horribly abused and killed by the people who should have been protecting them. The roll call of dead children in this country is a long one, and it makes for harrowing reading. The abuse that these babies, these children, these preteens, suffered is utterly appalling. But whenever these stories are told in the media, I always wonder what happens to the siblings.They have brothers and sisters under the same roof. What happens to the survivors of this horrific abuse?What happens next to them? It would appear that for many of them, they go on to perpetuate the cycle of abuse. Probably won't surprise you to learn they don't need full and rich lives full of potential and promise that is fulfilled. It's not a given, but it takes a monumental effort to move away from the environment you've grown up in and that is something that's acknowledged by our courts. Two key players in a Mongrel Mob meth ring have had significant reductions in their sentences for, in part, the horrific circumstances of their childhood, the trauma of which a judge said led to their gang affiliations and criminal offending later in life. Many of them have no family structure at all, hence the attraction of the gangs where there is at least somebody who purports to care about you, although that would only be for as long as it was convenient. Surely a child who has been horribly abused, who is functionally illiterate, who has no family - surely they have fewer options than most of us who were raised in loving families, given the basic necessities of life, food, shelter, protection, love. Surely we have sympathy for the child who isn't given the basics? It's a fact of developmental growth, if you don't get what you need, you won't grow up as you should. So all the dead babies have siblings, and those siblings have grown up into adults. We had sympathy for the child. Where does that sympathy go when the child becomes an adult?  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

James Smith and Richard Heller have been sentenced for their roles in a sophisticated meth ring in Waikato. However, they've received hefty reductions in their prison sentences for admitting guilt, and the circumstances of their childhoods. Criminal Bar Association President Fiona Guy Kidd KC told Mike Hosking this morning, adverse childhood experiences have an impact - and they can contribute to who a person becomes and the offence they commit. To discuss this I'm joined by Neuroscience Educator Nathan Wallis. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Incredibly, despite the fact that this is the Government that seems hell bent on not prosecuting anybody or not putting people into prison, the number of monthly crimes recorded in Auckland has increased by 19.1 percent. If you look at 2021 to 22 and compare it to 2017 to 2019, 2020 being taken out of the mix because of lockdowns, Waikato and Nelson crime increased by more. The frequency of crime in Waikato increased by 20.5 percent, Nelson 19.9 percent. There were some parts of the country that saw a decrease. The West Coast dropped off 22 percent, but overall the number of crimes recorded in New Zealand has increased by more than 15 percent. I don't think this will come as any surprise to you, will it? If you don't know someone who has been a victim of crime, if you haven't been a victim of crime, I'm surprised. You'd be you're very lucky. You will know from the headlines in the papers that crime is on the increase but the prison population is down and the Government will tell you that's a good thing. But is it? It's only down, really, because people who should be in prison aren't being sent there. You might have heard police officers and former police officers on this show telling us how dispiriting it is to bring a prosecution against an individual, only to see the offender convicted and then walk from court. It happens with minor offenses.  And all of that work, and all of that preparation, and all of that paperwork that takes you away from being out on the street counts for nought once you get inside the courtroom. It happens with minor offenses, and it happens with the biggies as well. How have we come to a place where the wants and desires of the offenders count for more than their victims? Why are their lives worth more than the lives of the innocent people that they injure and destroy. I totally understand the reasons for keeping low level offenders out of prison. I absolutely get that and I support that. And I totally understand that rehabilitation is a vital tool to try to generate long term changes of behaviour that ultimately will benefit us all, rather than just locking people up and throwing away the key. But we're talking about rapists and killers. Somebody who drives a vehicle drunk, having been convicted five previous times, knows exactly what they're doing, the risks they are taking. So when you've got rapist and killers having home detention to allow for the rehabilitation, where the hell does that leave their victims and where the hell does that leave us as a community?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand has dodged recession after the economy 1.7 grew per cent in the June quarter. To discuss, NZ Herald Business Editor at Large, Liam Dann, joined Kerre Woodham. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rotorua's is confident progress is being made towards addressing the current emergency housing situation in Rotorua. Mayor Chadwick says she met with Housing Minister Megan Woods and MSD Minister Carmel Sepuloni on Tuesday, and assures the Rotorua community that they do have the attention of the Government. Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick joined Kerre Woodham. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good news, people. Good news! A much needed boost for education. The Government has allocated $44 million to recruit 1000 new teachers and to give extra support for students whose learning has been disrupted by Covid. I'm so excited by this.  I don't even care where the money comes from. Don't care, just print it as they say. According to Jan Tinetti, the Associate Education Minister and a passionate advocate for education, the long-term goal is to improve the supply of domestic teachers, but in the meantime, they're looking to recruit 700 international teachers and 300 from within our own borders. This is all well and good. We know that Chris Hipkins, the Minister, and Jan Tinetti, the Associate Minister, believe fervently in education as a way of giving marginalised young people more options, more choices in life. And no one is doubting their commitment.  But saying they're going to recruit 1000 more teachers, 700 from overseas as a bit like me saying I intend to be 65 kilos by summer. I mean, it's doable. But will it be done?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is moving to boost teacher supply and give extra support to young people whose learning has been disrupted by Covid. They're investing another $24 million in recruitment initiatives here and overseas. $20 million will also go into extra teaching and tutoring services including exam prep, workshops, and one-on-one mentoring. Associate Education Minister Jan Tinetti joined Kerre Woodham. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sophie Gray, author of Destitute Gourmet, called in to Kerre Woodham with ways to manage the grocery spend through tough financial times. Gray has lots of free resources on her Destitute Gourmet Facebook page and website. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well, it was as expected. Yesterday we heard that 927 days since the Covid pandemic triggered extraordinary defensive measures here and around the world, the Government has decided, as the Prime Minister put it, to turn the page. No more mandates, no more requirements for masks, except in health care facilities and aged care environments, no more traffic light settings. I think I'm happiest about the traffic light settings. They just seemed absurd.   No more household contacts, having to isolate if a family member contracts Covid, although anyone who does test positive with Covid, will still have to isolate for seven days. It makes sense for the majority of restrictions to be lifted. And it makes sense for those few that remain to stay. I think what we've seen is a restoration of common sense and long may it prevail.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.