Kerre Woodham Mornings Podcast

There has been much discussion around government bureaucracy recently.The catalyst for discussion was a report from RNZ into Waka Kotahi, the agency charged with leading the Road to Zero road deaths action plan.The opening paragraph to the report reads, "Four years after Waka Kotahi was slammed for not doing its job keeping roads safe, a core unit of it has been labelled so ineffective it is being pulled apart. The unit's head in an internal report a month ago, said 'We have lost clarity of how we add value, why we are here, what we exist for.'"Questions have been asked as to just how can things change, and how government departments can justify the billions of taxpayer dollars coming their way.Former Finance Minister and 'Minister of Everything' Steven Joyce joined Kerre Woodham to discuss.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I was delighted to come back on a short week to ease myself back into it with Matariki and really looking forward to heading up to the HokiangaBut as I do before every four-hour trip north, I will be preparing for the trip.I do not make this trip lightly. I check the car, I get an early night. I want to be as prepared as I possibly can be alive, alert, awake, and enthusiastic so I can take care of myself and my family and to try to protect other people and their families.Mistakes made when you are traveling towards another vehicle at 100km/h can be deadly, and we saw that over the weekend with the deaths of seven people.The impact of this crash will be long-lasting and not just for the family who have been devastated by the loss of seven family members. All of those who came upon the scene will be affected for life.The Government says it understands the impact of fatalities on our roads, hence the Road to Zero, the action plan to cut road deaths significantly by 2050.Ultimately, we need to be kept apart from one another.Look at the cheese cutter barrier on the Kapiti Coast Centennial Highway is about 3.5 kms of road and it used to be absolutely notorious for the crashes. There were 16 people killed, 14 seriously injured between 1995 and 2005. And a coroner who was reporting into the death of one of those motorists said it was a matter of public safety and a matter of urgency, that a barrier be installed there. There was just no room for any kind of mistakes.Once that wire rope barrier was installed, there were no deaths or serious injuries on that part of the highway. The barrier was struck 122 times between 2005 and 2015, and surely at least some of those are fatalities that were averted because of a simple barrier that kept us away from one another.So sure, police speeding drivers, introduce driver education, improve vehicle safety standards, but ultimately the best thing the Government can do is not spend millions and millions and millions of taxpayer dollars on advertising programs that ultimately will be largely ignored.It needs to spend those millions on keeping us away from one another as we head out on the roads.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The principal of Henderson Intermediate, Wendy Esera, has been in education for 44 years and says student poverty is the worst she's seen.Parents can't afford uniforms, transport to school or food for lunches.For some families, it's easier for the kids to stay home.With some families at breaking point, KidsCan has launched an urgent appeal.KidsCan CEO Julie Chapman joined Kerre Woodham.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I can’t help but think health is going to be a major election issue next year. Just look at the headlines this week regarding our first responders. The Professional Fire Fighters union is pursuing industrial action against Fire and Emergency New Zealand, in an attempt to get better wages and safer working conditions.Through all this we discovered firefighters co-respond with St John’s Ambulance to 96 percent of all of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. Career firefighters have been co-responding to life-threatening medical events since 2013. Yesterday, we learned police are struggling to deal with a massive increase in calls related to attempted suicide and mental health issues – with the issue only expected to get worse.In the past 6 years there has been an 87 percent jump in the number of calls to police for threatened or attempted suicides. There was a 66 percent rise in the number of mental health related calls, but police were only able to respond to less than half of these.We have a mental health crisis in New Zealand, it is a health issue not a police issue and please excuse me for mixing up my first responders, but the police are the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff here. And then there’s the chronic shortage of GPs.General practitioners are at the front line of our health system and we’ve known for a while now that many family doctors will be hitting retirement age over the coming decade, and we’re not training enough people to replace them.  South Auckland GPs have vocalised the shortages they face in their region, along with the pressures and burnout many doctors are facing. The Medical Council of New Zealand’s workforce survey in 2021 showed Counties Manukau had just 6.7 percent of the country's GPs, despite having 11.7 percent of the country’s population, the biggest shortfall in the country.A report to the Counties Manukau District Health Board in April last year highlighted the impact a lack of GP’s was having on primary healthcare access. It said it had “reached the limit of primary care capacity” in the face of a growing population and increased demand for services.According to Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners medical director Dr Bryan Betty this isn’t just a south Auckland issue. There are GP shortages in rural areas, and in other urban areas, and as a result hospitals are really starting to get back up.We see this most winters as winter ills push up patient demand, and now there’s the extra demands placed on healthcare providers by Covid-19, but surely we should all be able to access a GP.If we can’t access a GP, the first port of call when it comes to our health, then what does that say about our health system?  Not much.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stats NZ data shows GDP has slumped 0.2 percent in the March 2022 quarter.This comes in a quarter marked by the community spread of Omicron and reduced travel because of border restrictions.To discuss, NZ Herald Business Editor at Large, Liam Dann joined Francesca Rudkin.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paddy Gower shared a lot more than I think he intended too last night when he set out to make a documentary on alcohol. In a very brave move, he’s produced a documentary called Patrick Gower: On BoozeIt is filled with facts and figures about alcohol, who drinks it, how we drink it and the damages it causes, but more than that, he’s come clean about his own drinking, and the realisation he is a high-functioning alcoholic. I applaud him for his honesty, it wasn’t pretty at times as we watched Gower strip down to his undies in front of a body scanner to assess his body fat, or watch him attend a crate day with a bunch of 21 year olds, or crash a party at a student flat in Wellington.In putting himself out there, he’s hoping that we in turn stop and think about our own drinking, or the drinking of a loved one, and question how we have normalised alcohol use in New Zealand. I think there will have been a variety of reactions to this documentary. For some this documentary is filled with a few home truths – watching it might have been confronting or even triggering.  One in five of us are hazardous drinkers like Gower – unable to see the damage alcohol does to ourselves or to those around us. Gower’s inability to moderate might have hit home, or the high functioning nature of his alcoholism.Maybe you can relate to the feeling that everything is starting to unravel, but you haven’t necessarily hit rock bottom. Some people might have been taken back at Gower’s drinking.As he states at one point in the documentary “Hard drinking is part of my life ... the only thing that will stop me drinking is a bad hangover”.  Maybe there was a sense of relief watching this documentary in that you don’t drink to the same extent. But whatever your own situation, 80 percent of us drink alcohol in NZ, and Gower makes it difficult not to think about how we’re drinking. As the old saying goes, "it’s not what we’re drinking; it’s how we’re drinking". One thing that struck me watching this documentary is how our drinking might weigh on our own minds, but we don’t necessarily talk about it to those around us. I feel like there is a shift when it comes to drinking culture in NZ – a gentle shift.We are seeing less young people drinking due to a decreasing acceptability, and I’ve noticed more people turning down a drink socially saying they’re off the booze for a bit, or not drinking so much.However, if there is someone in your life who you are worried about, how do you strike up a conversation about their drinking without offending or judging them? Have you staged an intervention of sorts, and did it work, was it well received?Or maybe someone sat you down for a chat, and just as Gower did when talking openly, have a moment that changes your attitude to your drinking.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A minor shuffle eh? Not quite so much.There was more on offer at yesterday’s press conference than expected; actually, the announcement was pretty sensible. It’s a good time for the Prime Minister to be making sure the right person is in the right job, shift the Opposition’s focus by moving along a few folks, and attempting to arrest a slide in the polls.The shuffle was instigated by a couple of resignations, and the timing couldn’t have been better for the Prime Minister.Minster for Immigration and Broadcasting Kris Faafoi announced he was leaving to spend time with his young family. He’d had wanted to resign at the last election but Ardern had convinced him to stay on, taking on portfolios undergoing major reform in broadcasting and immigration.I don’t think it was a secret that he was keen to move on, especially when the man who was once regarded as the Minister of Everything went AWOL during Covid, and moved slowly to deal with immigration issues. Michael Wood picks up immigration, and let’s hope he hits the ground running, and brings some relief for the many sectors crying out for migrant labour.Speaker of the House Trevor Mallard has also resigned, ending a 35-year parliamentary career in August to take up a diplomatic post in Europe, a nice reward for some average behaviour of late. This is good timing for the Prime Minister, in a recent poll only 17 percent of New Zealanders thought he was doing a good job, and after the headlines about false sexual assault claims and unhelpful antics over dealing with the Covid protest, this is nice neat solution for the Government.Chris Hipkins, who is fast becoming Labour’s fix it man, takes over Police and passes Covid-19 Response to Ayesha Verrall. We now have a person with a criminology degree in charge of the police – not a bad idea, but Hipkins’ ability to manage complex portfolios, deal with opposition, and communicate well with media might be more behind this move rather than a degree he did in the late 90’s.Basically, he’s competent.The Prime Minister said that she felt the focus for the police portfolio had changed since 2020, and the focus on what was needed for police now had been lost, but added that Poto Williams is a capable minister and retains her confidence, and stays in Cabinet as Conservation and Disabilities Minister.Hipkins is very fond of his education portfolio, but to free him up a large part of his education portfolio will go to Associate Minister Jan Tinetti – who as a former principal and teacher seems to have a good handle on the job.It’s also worth noting Poto Williams lost the Building and Construction portfolio which has been handed to Megan Woods, who is the Minister of Housing. Things are not settling down in the construction sector, and this could be an issue leading into the election next year. Best to move the portfolio into more capable hands now.This reshuffle is a sign of things to come. A chance to give talent an opportunity to step up and shine before the Prime Minister undertakes a major reshuffle at the beginning of next year. It is unlikely Labour will have a caucus of 65 MPs next election, so it’s also important for the party to make sure their best talent will be retained.Those given the nod are Kiri Allen, who picks up Faafoi’s Justice portfolio and Adrian Rurawhe who has been nominated as Speaker. Kieran McAnulty becomes a Minister outside of Cabinet with a focus on regional issues - picking up Emergency Management, Racing, and associate minister for Local Government assisting Nanaia Mahuta with Three Waters. He’s a good choice, and no doubt will be out and about around the country selling this infrastructure policy in an attempt to get it back on track.As I said, these seem like very sensible appointments, but whether any of these politicians are up to the job, depends on results so it’s a 'wait and see' situation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Life Education Trust, an organisation that provides health education to young people, says young vapers are consuming as much nicotine as someone smoking a pack-and-a-half of cigarettes a day.They say schools are crying out for help because they are dealing with young people with full-on dependency issues and it's becoming an epidemic.In response to growing calls from concerned parents and educators, the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation New Zealand yesterday launched "Spotlight on Vaping" - a series of videos designed to be conversation starters about vaping.Foundation chief executive Letitia Harding joined Francesca Rudkin.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The New Zealand Professional Firefighters union members start industrial action today in their fight for reasonable wages and safer working conditions.Speaking to the Mike Hosking Breakfast, New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union National Secretary Wattie Watson says as well as looking for a pay increase, they need more paid firefighters on the job.So according to the Union, there is currently a crisis with Fire and Emergency NZ failing to employ sufficient career firefighters and 111 emergency call centre dispatchers to meet minimum staffing.We've been hearing about this, haven't we? We've been hearing about career stations that have been closed. Fire trucks that have been taken offline or firefighters are riding in unsafe short crews to keep the fire trucks responding. If a fire truck is offline, a truck from further afield responds costing valuable time. At the end of the day, wanting better pay, more firefighters and mental health support all this sounds pretty reasonable to me.Why don't we look after our emergency services better in New Zealand? We're very much relying on our volunteers to keep this service up and running. We have the highest number of unpaid firefighters per capita in the world.We've got 11,500 New Zealanders giving their time to serve in voluntary brigades and we've got about 1800 professional firefighters.So you ask the question, we've got all these people who are really happy to volunteer to do the same training as a professional firefighter, so why aren't they stepping up to be firefighter? And it's pretty clear they're not getting fair wages. Not to mention the concerns about working conditions.The fire service is a necessity; it's not a nice to have. It's time for the Government to step up and at least look after the firefighters that we have. We can't afford to lose anymore. And then work out how they're going to attract more firefighters into the sector.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government has announced it is going to redesign the attendance service to help schools deal with truancy and have released some new student attendance targets.The new target is for 70 percent regular attendance in 2024 and 75 percent regular attendance in 2026.Across New Zealand, fewer than 60 percent of students currently attend regularly.‘Chronic absence’ means a child might be missing at least three days per fortnight. This has also been rising with almost 8 percent of students now chronically absent and the strategy aims to cut that number to 5 percent by 2024 and 3 percent by 2026.I am very pleased to see that the Government is finally doing something about it. I don't know about you, but to me it seems one of the most important things for our kids, is to be in school.Schools sometimes can be a one size fits all environment. It doesn't suit every kid, but essentially we do want our kids to be at school in learning, it is the best start in life, isn't it?Only 60 percent of students currently attending regularly, I think you'd agree with me is not good enough. It's about time this took place.I absolutely think this needs to be localised.We need to have more truancy officers on the ground working in communities. Schools need to have more resources to have these people if they want.If you want absenteeism to be reported and for schools to be able to work on it, they need the funding and they need the people to actually make this happen.Of course, parents are responsible for getting their kids to school, but once again, sometimes those complex issues make it a bit tricky, don’t they?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.