Kerre Woodham Mornings Podcast

Kiwi motorsport legend and road safety advocate joined Kerre Woodham to discuss New Zealand's road safety and the Government's Road to Zero campaign following 11 deaths on our roads over the Anzac Day weekend.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m beginning to wonder whether the Government may have made a rod for its own back over the fuel tax cuts. If you’ll remember, they amounted to almost 30 cents a litre including the GST bit – making a huge difference to what people were paying at the pump.So, yesterday’s big news – the news everyone had been waiting for was the much-anticipated announcement of where inflation was going to be. And while it was tantalisingly close to 7 percent, it came in slightly under, at 6.9 percent, which was half a point better than the more pessimistic predictions of some economists.Still, it’s the highest inflation has been for over 30 years.Sometimes I’m not so sure whether the public pay a lot of attention to details such as whether inflation is 6.9 percent or 7 percent.What we notice is the price we pay for goods and services, whether it be at the supermarket or in our shopping malls or at the petrol pump.  When it comes to the price at the petrol pump, Grant Robertson has suggested it was the Government’s cut to fuel taxes (which took effect in back in mid-March) that made the difference. “I think it has potentially kept it under 7 percent”, he said.It’s kind of ironic as most of the language around inflation coming from the government is that inflation is the result of global and supply chain issues and nothing whatsoever to do with them.Yet in the next breath Grant Robertson is saying - effectively - ‘well if it hadn’t been for us, it would have been higher!’So, it begs the question - what is the future of the fuel tax?I filled up my car yesterday. Then, as with almost every other time, I looked at the price and thought ‘thank goodness the government made that cut or it wouldn't be looking too pretty’.One of the most regular reminders the public have of the cost of living, is the price of petrol as we drive past those petrol station signs, whether or not we’re pulling in that day to fill’er up. (It’s worth noting we’re still way more expensive than the price people in other markets such as the USA.)But getting back to the point, apparently there is something the government can do! Grant Robertson has told us so, and has given us a perfect example with the fuel tax cut having reduced inflation.So - how on earth are they ever going to raise it again?Is this something that they’re simply going to have to keep on because it’s the one demonstration of where the government is sacrificing its own coffers for the sake of ordinary New Zealanders who are feeling under pressure in almost every aspect of their spending?That then leads to the question around public transport with prices being chopped in half to accompany the fuel tax cut.There remains the competing issue of climate change because as we know petrol driven cars are the devil.But as long as we rely on them the government is caught between a rock and a hard place.So, if you consider the future of this tax alongside the future of a government whose fortunes have been on the slide in recent polling, I think it’s going to be a pretty tough sell any time before the election for them to reintroduce those petrol taxes.Megan Woods says ”we are continuing to monitor the situation given the volatility and global oil markets”.I would say the situation that they’ll be monitoring will be the polls, and that those alone will determine the future of the price of fuel and the fuel tax.So, I reckon, that this side of the election, those fuel tax cuts – they're here to stay.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The move to Orange setting means we can now mingle at bars, nightclubs and restaurants mask free - with no capacity or distancing requirements. It's welcome news for the hospitality industry. Chand Sahrawat and her husband Sid run The French Cafe and Cassia restaurants in Auckland and Chand Sahrawat joined Kerre McIvor. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was worth a try, I suppose. I understand the concept of policing by consent, but surely that only works when you're trying to police people who understand the rules of living together in a community who want a peaceful life who choose not to commit crime, who understand consequences?  For those who make their living out of crime, whose lifestyles and very raison d'etre revolves around crime and committing it, I imagine policing by consent would be a yeah nah from them.  Poto Williams, the Minister of Police and Police Commissioner Andrew Coster were appointed to their roles by this government because they are, or appear to me, to be passionate about wanting to help create a better, fairer, more humane New Zealand. And that's worthy. Worthy aspirations. And thank heavens, there are people like them in the world. But not on the roles they inhabit currently. Poto Williams comes from a background of community health and welfare, and she's very heavily involved in tackling the issue of family violence, which is incredibly good work. Very creditable. When she became part of the Labour Government, she had to be persuaded to take on the role of police minister, possibly the clincher for her was that this Government was looking for a cultural change in the police.  Poto Williams made it very clear from the start that the decisions she would make around policing are informed by the people she represents. So, is this new style of policing working for those very communities that Poto Williams is concerned about and says she represents? I would love to know. We need a Police Minister really who understands that while they can try to change the culture of the police, the culture of the criminal underclass is what really needs to be changed. Changing the police to be a social service is all very well and good, but unless you can change the mentality of the crims, the stats are going to go in the wrong direction. We are not going to see the problem of increasingly violent gangs, increasingly wealthy gangs who are attracting huge numbers of recruits - that's not going to be changed while we've got Andrew Coster and Poto Williams in charge.  Poto Williams did not aspire to be Police Minister. It was not her every desire to be a Police Minister. Relieve her of her duties and put her into an area where her passion and her experience can be a help and not a hindrance.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new policing unit is finally ready to tackle retail crime. Everything from ram raids to robberies to shoplifting. The intention to form such a unit was first announced back in November, now it's ready to launch. It will be known as the Police National Retail Investigation Support Unit. Not quite your Strike Force Raptor, but nonetheless, hopefully it will do the trick. The unit will primarily be made up of police, with specialist staff, seconded from within the retail sector and other crime prevention organisations. Five years ago, an Otago University study found retail theft meant more than one billion dollars in lost income, while retailers spent half a billion dollars annually on security.  It is not a victimless crime. Shoplifting hits everyone in the pocket as prices are raised in an attempt to cover losses, and indeed, pay for the half a billion dollars on security. Apparently, the total hidden cost of retail crime is $800 per household, per year and it's growing. Retail crime is organised, it is violent, it's brazen and repeat offenders are stealing to order.  These are not 7-year-olds who steal a packet of lollies from the local store and then get marched back by a parent, told to apologise, and work in the store for a week to make up for it. They are young kids who are stealing cars and smashing them into shops, to take what they want, because they feel like it. It's really concerning and they don't care because there are no consequences.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Police National Retail Investigation Support Unit will come into force this month, tackling everything from ram raids to robberies to shoplifting. Young people are, in the main, responsible for the current spate of ramraids, and questions are being raised as to how you turn a young child's life around if they've had the worst possible start to life. Neuroscience educator Nathan Wallace joined Kerre Woodham. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You would have to wonder if Plunket's days are numbered. The iconic parenting organisation that is as Kiwi as Buzzy Bees, as the All Blacks, as Edmund Hillary, has announced that its parenting programmes will finish at the end of June because they cannot afford to keep them running. Other of Plunket's programmes will continue including the Well-Child Tamariki Ora service - that's the early checks that many, many newborn babies have. 85 per cent of Pakeha babies, 50 per cent of Maori babies have those Whanau Ora checks. But the parenting program that's been running for five years will finish at the end of June because it can't afford to keep running. Chief Executive of Plunket Amanda Malu says, as with any charity that relies on donations and grants, Plunket has limited resources.Amanda Malu says they have to make tough decisions now to ensure the organisation is financially resilient for the years ahead. Whanau Awhina Plunket turns 115 next month.  Amanda Malu says she wants to make sure they're around for another 100 years.The first 1000 days are the most vital of a child's life. It is absolutely imperative that parents and their children get the best possible start. And no matter how well prepared you think you are for parenthood, when it happens it can be an absolute roller coaster of emotions.You need care. You need guidance. When you're a new family starting off Plunkett has provided that for many, many families for many, many years. Is it fit for purpose now?I'd love to know where you got your support from. Whether you think Plunket is fit for purpose in this day and age. The parenting programs have been cut, which is a jolly shame. Is this the beginning of the end?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Plunket has announced it will no longer run its parenting education programme.It comes after a month-long staff consultation, and means the loss of five permanent and 17 casual roles while a further 16 people will have their hours reduced.Chief executive Amanda Malu says the charity can no longer afford to run the programme at its current deficit of $400,000 a year.She says the courses will stop at the end of June – but she's reassuring the community it's just one type of parent support they offer, with others still available.Whānau Āwhina Plunket Chief Executive Amanda Malu joined Kerre Woodham.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Now you might have heard this on Drive yesterday. The Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling for a temporary wind freeze and she says, well, if that encourages some landlords to sell up, all well and good. The Greens say the situation is dire and that the Government can freeze rents it as.The will does not seem to be there, despite the fact the number of New Zealanders renting has risen exponentially as the cost of housing in this country has gone through the roof.Rents have risen in 2019. Nearly 1/3 of Kiwi households spent 30 percent of their income on housing costs. A quarter of renters spent 40 percent or more. There have been numerous reports into this. One of those is the spotlight on housing produced last year, which found the proportion of people renting is increasing, that homeownership is at its lowest in years and years and years.A third of Kiwis are half of the adult population are now renting. It also notes that 32 percent of rental properties are poorly maintained, compared with 14 percent of houses occupied by their owners. The rents have risen in the past year, just in the last year by 5.8 percent and so on and so forth. I'm not going to check.There will always be a place for renting, always. It's not everybody bag to own their own home, but if you are sitting there paying rent which is more than the mortgage you could be paying if you could get that deposit together, it must be galling. And it must be really tough seeing those rents go up and up and up.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last Thursday we had a two-hour discussion on planning for your retirement.When you're in your 20s and 30s retirement seems a million years away, but it was interesting to hear from some of our younger callers that they are thinking about and putting plans in place to be comfortable in retirement.According to figures released by Massey University, a two-person retiree household, living in the city where they had choices by which Massy means some luxuries, would need to have saved $809,000.In the provinces, it's around $500,000, but that is contingent on having paid off the mortgage.Martin Hawes is a financial author with his new book out about how to make your retirement savings go the distance and joined Kerre Woodham for an hour.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.