Kerre Woodham Mornings Podcast

There's an old saying in advertising - to be successful you don't sell the sausage, you sell the sizzle. Christopher Luxon may have a great sausage, but he's not selling its sizzle. The Taxpayers’ Union-Curia poll released yesterday afternoon had National up 1.7 points to 33.6%, but Labour had moved past it, jumping nearly three points to 34.1%. The Greens fell to 10%, down 3.2 points. ACT went down 2.3 points and Te Pati Māori rose 2.1 points to 6.5%. NZ First went down 1.3 points to 5.1%. So when we translate this number soup into seats in the house, both Labour and National are up three each to 42. The Greens are down four to 12, ACT is down two to 10, NZ First down to to six, Te Pati Māori up two to eight. That would mean the centre left block of Labour, the Greens and Te Pati Māori would have 62 seats to the centre-right's 58 and thus could form a centre-left government.    Now, before anyone starts booking a one-way flight to Australia, the only poll that counts is the one on Election Day. And these opinion polls, midway through a government's term, generally show a disgruntlement with the current lot that's in, rather than an overwhelming desire to see the other lot take over. But this is the third poll, in a row, that puts the opposition ahead.   And you might know, and I might know that the government's doing a good job of trying to re-establish some semblance of fiscal propriety, that they're redrawing boundaries about what is and what isn't acceptable behaviour within a decent society, and they've taken the first steps towards restoring a world class education system. But you and I also know that we live in a democracy and every vote counts. The lady who called in and wanted taxpayers to buy everyone a house and a car because that would give them a sense of belonging  —she wasn't quite sure how to pay for it, but she thought it would be cheaper in the long run than jail terms— her vote counts the same as yours.   There is no denying that the three-headed coalition beast makes it difficult to govern. The Treaty Principles Bill has been a divisive distraction, the bloody school lunches are yet another Labour well-intentioned, misguided initiative that has become this government's problem. People still aren't feeling better off, and they're still waiting a long time for a hip replacement. Dissatisfaction, disgruntlement, disengagement, that's all part of the midterm blues. Speaking to the Herald, Christopher Luxon said New Zealanders are going to have an opportunity in 2026, which is not that far away, to make a decision around Chris Hipkins or myself, he said, and our respective governments. My job is to make sure New Zealanders see that they're better off under my Government, we've come through a very tough time, there are some green shoots that we're really encouraged about on the economy ultimately, he said, New Zealanders are going to judge me at the election in 2026 as to whether we've delivered for them on rebuilding the economy, restoring law and order, delivering better health and education.    So do you agree that this is the government not being able to sell its sizzle. The sausage is there, but without the sizzle there will be no successful selling story. I could understand why some within National could feel brassed off. We've got the policies, the building bricks, the foundations, to get New Zealand cracking again and that will better everybody. But if people don't believe that, if they don't believe the message, then they go to vote Labour and we're going to get a centre-left government.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's not here to shag spiders, is it? It's planning to turbocharge its fast-track regime, speeding up the process to acquire private land for major infrastructure projects, and they intend to do that in part by offering cold, hard cash. Sweeteners or “premium payments” will be offered to private landowners, whose land is acquired under this new accelerated process. Changes to the Public Works Act, announced yesterday, would see owners paid a bonus 5 percent of the land's value —up to $92,000— for acquisitions. Those who chose to sell before a Notice of Intention would also get an extra 15 percent - up to $150,000 - on top of that, for a total of up to $242,000, as Chris Bishop told Mike Hosking this morning:   “Paying a bit more upfront will massively lower costs in the long term, so we're offering a 15% incentive payment. If the Government comes along and basically says, look, we're going to build a Road of Natural Significance here or another piece of infrastructure listed on the Fast-track Act, we're going to give you a 15% incentive payment and then a 5% recognition payment as well. That will massively lower the cost of doing that infrastructure because it means we've got the certainty that you can plan the construction out, you can sequence it properly.   “At the moment there are a number of examples around the country, it just causes huge delays because of the length of time it takes to acquire the land. And so it's just another step we're taking to fast-track infrastructure projects. Much of the projects we're talking about here are New Zealand Transport Agency projects, so this is central government coming along and saying, look, we're building a road of national significance here, here's the route, we need your land.  “And look, no one likes taking land, we don't do it with a great degree of passion, but the reality is if we want to build stuff in this country and get those roads going that we need, and public transport projects that we that we need, it will require taking land, that’s just the simple reality of it.”  So most of those who object to land acquisition for critical infrastructure projects won't be able to go to the Environment Court. Instead, they'll submit their objections directly to the relevant decision maker for faster resolution. Under the changes announced, the Crown will be able to acquire private land much faster for some public projects listed in the fast-track legislation, as well as Chris Bishop said. the government's Roads of National Significance. So the overhaul of the Public Works Act is already underway and expected to be completed by early next year.   Infrastructure New Zealand is welcoming the government's land acquisition incentive payments and a faster process for objection. It says it's going to really get things cracking. The government says this kind of turbocharging is needed to rebuild the economy. Do you support this? Would it make a difference? Does everybody have their price? Would an extra quarter of a million, there or thereabouts, make you realise that your house is not necessarily a castle, but a valuable asset? I mean, isn't that fabulous Australian film, ‘The Castle’, built around the whole concept that infrastructure has its place, but not when it's a man's home, it’s his castle? And there are stories of landowners who have held up major works for years and years and years because they don't want to leave their home. It's their home and no amount of money would make them change their minds.   But Governments weren't talking about extra payments of nearly a quarter of a million dollars, were they? Does everybody have their price? If you have land or property that's either been acquired or in the firing line, does this make a difference? If you're a developer, is this exactly the sort of change and turbocharging you wanted to see? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Crikey, I barely stepped away from the microphone yesterday and we had a double whammy news-wise. Phil Goff sacked as High Commissioner to London for an intemperate comment and question, Greg Foran resigning as Air New Zealand CEO. I heard someone on The Huddle with Ryan Bridge last night saying Greg Foran can now become the High Commissioner, Adrian Orr would become Air New Zealand CEO, and Phil Goff will take over as Reserve Bank Governor - all change.   Boy, will Phil Goff be kicking himself all the way back to New Zealand, all the way back to the farm at Clevedon. You are on the pig's back when you get a gig like that – it is a sweet deal. And one intemperate comment ...  I think he was just trying to be a bit too clever, showing he's done his homework, showing that he was well read, making appointed remark about somebody the world regards as a graceless buffoon (well, members of Phil Goff's world regard as a graceless buffoon), and he loses his gig, and rightly so.    He was asking a question of the Finnish Foreign Affairs Minister at a Chatham House event in London. Goff said he'd been rereading a speech by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill after the Munich Agreement. “He turned to Chamberlain, he said ‘You had the choice between war and dishonour. You chose dishonour, yet you will have a war’,” Goff then said “President Trump has restored the bust of Churchill to the Oval Office. But do you think he really understands history?” So Phil Goff was making it well researched, clever-dick, pointed remark about the American president. What on Earth did he think was going to happen? He was stripped of his position immediately by Winston Peters. The Foreign Affairs Minister said Phil Goff’s comments were deeply disappointing. They did not represent the views of the New Zealand Government and made his position as High Commissioner to London untenable.    So a number of comments around that. Phil Goff was sacked by Winston Peters immediately. Winston Peters did not have to consult the Prime Minister before doing so – there was no need for him to consult. He was presented with a problem in his own department, and he dealt with it in the appropriate fashion. That's why you have managers, that’s why you have ministers. Everything doesn't filter up to the CEO. Imagine in your own organisation if every single decision in your department had to go to the CEO. Why have a dog and bark yourself? So there was no need to consult.    Was he sacked because the Government's sucking up, particularly to Donald Trump in the US? No. As Winston Peters pointed out yesterday, and as numerous foreign affairs experts have concurred, Phil Goff would have been sacked if he had made the comment of any foreign leader. When you're in a diplomatic role, you have to be diplomatic, and that wasn't.    And what about the Chatham House rules? Chatham House is an actual place where people congregate to debate, discuss ideas primarily around foreign policy, but also about other things. It's a meeting place for pointy heads where they can float and toss ideas around, and they don't have to worry about it being attributable back to them. The rules say when a meeting or part thereof is held under the Chatham House rules, participants are free to use the information received but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speakers, nor that of any other participant, may be revealed. So Chatham House rules guarantee people can speak freely within the walls.   But in this case, the Chatham House rules had not been invoked because it was being live streamed, so you're not going to be able to shield the identity of the speakers because it's being live streamed. So that's why the comments became public, despite the fact they were in Chatham House – oh irony of ironies. The rules have to be invoked. They weren’t, and apparently, according to Chatham House, it's not terribly often that they are. So there we go. That's what happened.   He stuffed up royally and he’s paid the price. And nobody will be more disappointed, I imagine, than Phil Goff except Mrs Goff because that would have been a lovely reward for a long period of time being an uxorious, fabulous support. Being a politician's partner or spouse would not be an easy gig. So you get the cushy number in London, feet up, gorgeous little holidays popping off around Europe. Now back to the farm in Clevedon, tail between the legs. Back on the ride on mower, no gardener for you anymore. He's had his punishment. He's heading home and Winston Peters did exactly the right thing. Ten out of ten for the Foreign Affairs Minister. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former Foreign Minister says Winston Peters was right to fire Phil Goff.  Goff made comments at a public event questioning US President Donald Trump's understanding of history.  The remarks have cost him his job as High Commissioner to the UK.  Foreign Affairs was one of a number of portfolios held by Sir Don McKinnon under National.  He told Kerre Woodham it's unacceptable for a diplomat to say such things.  McKinnon says there's a line that ambassadors and High Commissioners should not cross.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well, the announcement yesterday was on a par with John Key’s resignation. The Reserve Bank Governor, Adrian Orr, pulled the plug on his career yesterday with no real explanation as to why – although it's no secret that there is friction between the Governor and the Finance Minister. You know, I know and certainly Adrian Orr knows that if she could have sacked him, she would, rather than inherit him with his five-year term as given to him by the former Labour government.   Thomas Coughlan has written an excellent piece in the New Zealand Herald on the tension between Adrian Orr and Nicola Willis. He says while Willis observed the conventions of respecting the independence between the Beehive and the Bank, under questioning on Wednesday, she referred back to comments she made as the opposition finance spokeswoman when she was unmuzzled by ministerial warrant. When you're in opposition, you can say pretty much anything, you can criticise anybody you like. Once you become a minister, there are conventions to observe. So when she was asked questions about Adrian's resignation yesterday, she said, “I refer you back to earlier times when I could say what I liked”. And the comments she made back then were critical in the extreme of Adrian Orr’s handling of the economy.   Speaking of critical, if this is not the most withering, excoriating, damning assessment of a professional performance, I do not know what is. Former Reserve Bank senior staffer Geof Mortlock shared his thoughts on the Mike Hosking Breakfast this morning:  “I was thinking that going through all of the Governor’s since 1934, I would rank him as the worst in terms of competence – based really on the monetary policy results. You look at the inflation burst. Now some of that was external, but some of it was definitely a function of monetary policy actions. He's left taxpayers with over $10 billion of debt that could have gone into the public health system and other such things. He's nearly doubled the staff numbers of the Reserve Bank, and he's jacked up bank capital ratios to levels that I think are going to make it more difficult for the economy to actually start growing again.”  Yikes. I heard that on the way into work this morning and let out a little nervous giggle-squeak in the car. I felt like I was back at school listening to a tongue lashing from Sister Clare, thinking, I'm glad it's not me, glad it's not me. ‘I've gone to 1934 and without a doubt, he is the worst in terms of competence.’   There's been no explanation as to why Orr has resigned. It fits, I suppose, with his maverick nature that he'd just push off and stick two fingers to his colleagues and his staffers and indeed, the New Zealand public. The worst thing about the mess that's been left behind is that people are not criticising him with the benefit of hindsight. Even as he was making the decisions at the time, you might recall we had people ringing in saying this is going to cost us, it's too much, he's going too hard. There were people ringing in almost immediately saying we're going to pay for this and we're going to be paying for a very long time. There's going to be hell to pay along with $10 billion. And they were right. And they were calling it at the time.   As a result of decisions made by Adrian Orr, and let's not forget: Grant Robertson. They were yoked together in tandem making those decisions, and a lot of Kiwis suffered. Interest rate increases in response to post pandemic inflation pushed the country into a recession and unemployment increased sharply - the words of Paul Bloxham from the HSBC who talked about the rock star economy a million years ago, when New Zealand used to have a good economy. He said, across the developed world HSBC’s estimates suggest New Zealand's economy had the largest contraction in GDP in 2024 as a result of those decisions. And it's the real people, with families and jobs and bills to pay that suffered as a result of the poor decision making from the Reserve Bank Governor. It's hard to find anyone who's sorry that Adrian Orr is gone. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's confusion around the Reserve Bank Governor's resignation.  Adrian Orr's announced he's quitting, two years into his second five-year tenure.  Neither the Prime Minister nor Finance Minister are giving any details of why he's abruptly quit.  University of Auckland Business School Professor Robert MacCulloch told Kerre Woodham that while we don’t know for certain, the criticism Orr has received over the years likely played a factor.   He recommends not getting too political about it, saying that one shouldn’t take their eye off the ball that he was a bad governor, and the country stagnated due to significant mistakes made during his tenure.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As promised, Donald Trump has launched a trade war against America's largest trading partners, with huge tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China kicking in yesterday, sparking angry retaliation from all three. 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, a doubling of duties on Chinese goods to 20%.   Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau slammed the tariffs as “a very dumb thing to do” and said that it will be American families who will be harmed with price hikes across all household goods. Trudeau also said Trump was seeking to collapse Canada's economy to make it easier for the US to annex his country.   We live in extraordinary times. Trump is also eyeing the European Union. He's threatened to impose 25% tariffs on all goods out of the EU, and given his actions in recent days, there’s absolutely no reason to expect they won't be next. The EU’s responded with a “go ahead, make my day” promise of retaliatory action. We have an Anti-Coercion Instrument, and we will have to use it, promised the Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen.   It was designed following the first Trump administration from 2017 to 2021. They call it a “trade bazooka” that provides for broad retaliation in response to what they see as trade discrimination, such as quotas and tariffs or restrictions on foreign investment. It is a big, wieldy, economic tool by all accounts. I don't know if it's effective because it hasn't been used before.   It would need the backing of 15 of the EU’s 27 member countries and the first resort before they use that is to reinstate punitive duties. They were imposed in response to Trump's first term tariffs, so the first time round when he was using tariffs to control other countries. They put punitive duties on things like Harley Davidson’s, bourbon, Florida Orange Juice. These would likely be expanded to reflect the scale of Trump's new tariffs.   Now he hasn't put the tariffs on the EU yet, but it is very, very wise of them to come up with a plan should he do so. Italy’s Industry Minister Adolfo Urson suggested that Europe could avoid US tariffs by yielding to Trump's demands, while also calling for unity and warning against a trade war. One way to placate Trump, he hinted, would be to accommodate his demands to boost European defence spending. And that's it. Trump is doing what he's doing because he can.   “We run the world. This is America's world. He's our proxy. This ends when we say it ends.”  That's Fox commentator Jesse Watters. He was talking about Ukraine, but ultimately, it is America's world. Trade wars, wars in Ukraine, they end when America says it ends, and that's just a matter of fact. Trump might not have dignity, and he might not have grace, but he’s got power, and by God, he's not afraid to use it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Divisions are deepening between the US and other western countries over Ukraine, and now trade.  The US President's slapped a 25% tariff on all Canadian and Mexican imports, and 20% on some from China.  Canada's responded by imposing the same amount back, which Donald Trump says he'll match again.  Former Trade Minister and Ambassador to the US Tim Groser told Kerre Woodham countries like Canada are fighting the US on trade, while trying to form closer security ties.  He says that the two strategies are inherently in conflict with each other – you can’t start a trade war with someone you want to curry favour with.  Groser told Woodham he argues that even if Trump was next to them right now, he also wouldn’t be able to say what the end game is.  He says it’s difficult to sift through and find the real logic of the situation, resulting in unprecedented uncertainty.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It is a truth, universally acknowledged, that a health system in possession of physically and mentally unwell people must be in want of billions (with apologies to Jane Austen). It is also a truth universally acknowledged that a health system can never have enough of those billions. Look at the $1.96 billion Labour invested into the mental health budget back in 2019. We now know some years later where exactly that money has gone, but whether it was a good investment or not, too soon to tell. It certainly hasn't fixed mental health or made it any easier for families to access mental health care for troubled teens and the like – and that was $1.96 billion chucked at the problem.   And these headlines: “New Zealand needs 450 more ICU nurses”. When was that? That headline was from March 2023, but it could have been any year. Tell me that New Zealand doesn't need more nurses than any particular sphere of nursing. In November 2022: “GPs need a funding increase of 231% to be viable”. Again, that was three years ago. That was the GPs calling for the Labour Government please, we needed a 231% increase in our funding. 5000 nurses from New Zealand —or about 8% of the country's entire force— have registered to come and work in Australia. That was in April 2023. And on and on it goes.   There is nothing new in health, no new headlines. No matter what government is in, they need more money, they need more staff, they need more frontline staff, they need more efficiency in the way things are done. And it's not just New Zealand, it is a worldwide problem. The health sector is a bottomless pit wanting more and more and more. I do remember a senior doctor many years ago, ringing me at nights on his way home from work and he said we in fact do have enough money, it's just where it gets spent. And I would probably believe that - you have to spend smarter, not just more.   So the government has announced it will help bring 100 overseas trained doctors into the primary care workforce. Previously, they've only been able to do their training at hospitals and now if you want to be a GP, the GPs will be able to train you and that will count, and that is a very, very good move. There's also a $285 million performance-based boost in funding for GPs that's been announced. The new Health Minister, Simeon Brown, also said the government would begin work on a new 24/7 digital healthcare service that would allow Kiwis to better access online video consultations.   The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners President Samantha Murton told Mike Hosking that utilising more telehealth makes sense:  “You cannot do everything online, but you can do a lot online and if I have patients, I talk to every week, I say to them, or every day, you know, let's do this consultation online because we’re just following up on results or they’ve got symptoms that are really easy to cover. But are you going to have a pharmacy open at 11 o’clock at night? Probably not.”   Well, no, but you can pick it up tomorrow because you've got your prescription and off you go. It makes sense, doesn't it? There are already digital healthcare providers that are 24/7, that fit around when their patients are available not when the doctors are available. But so much of our health system wouldn't be needed if we all showed good sense. You know, if we were fit, and we were healthy, and we took care of ourselves, and were aware of any kind of triggers for mental health, and that sort of thing. If more common sense was employed then we wouldn't need the services of doctors. Green prescriptions are still there, which is great.   It's all part of a continuum, so if GPs see more people, they don't present at ED, and the hospitals don't get clogged, and then you don’t need to concentrate on the aftercare as well, and then we have a system that works. Or will we ever? You look at any health system anywhere in the world: the problem is not the health system, the problem is sick people. That's what the problem is. And people who want the health system to fix them rather than take any kind of responsibility. There are people who get terrible diseases, and they want to be cured because to a certain extent the health system is a victim of its own good marketing - get sick, we can fix you.   Where do we even begin? So much of it comes back to responsibility, doesn't it? Own individual responsibility for your own health. You can't spend a lifetime abusing your body and then going to a doctor or a health system and saying fix me. One 15-minute appointment after an adult lifetime of abuse, fix me. I've suddenly decided I want to live. Well. Well, you know it's on you. There are things beyond our control, accidents happen. Horrible, pernicious diseases appear out of nowhere and that's what the health system should be for. Not for people who could prevent a lot of what is putting them into hospital pr what a lot of people are presenting to the GP with. I'd love to know from GPs how many people who turn up could actually fix themselves or could have fixed themselves before they presented. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I headed up to Hokianga for the last official weekend of summer - take a load off, relax, a few swims, not even think about anything newsy - well, you can't be doing that now, can you? Not in Trump land. The meeting with Ukraine President Vladimir Zelensky was an unmitigated disaster for the Ukrainian president, who walked out of the meeting after being berated for not being grateful enough for the military aid and financial support the US has given Ukraine in its three-year war with Russia.  Zelensky went to the White House to sign a minerals for arms deal - he left with nothing and his political future looks uncertain. Major European leaders have promised their support for Zelinsky and Ukraine, but how that translates to cold, hard cash and missiles remains to be seen. However much you might find the bombastic posturing of Fox News's Jesse Watters, this is America's economy, this is America's world - like it or not, it's pretty much true. Whatever the European leaders decide as regards Ukraine, they know and they have stated publicly that the USA will be needed to act as security and however poorly the meeting went, Ukraine needs America, and America does not need Ukraine. And Donald Trump has said if you want gillions of dollars in military support and financial aid, we're not doing it for goodness and for freedom and democracy and because we will act as the world's policeman and police an invader that is wrong , we'll do it for money. We're done, we're done with doing it for ideals. You want our help, then you have to give us something back. I suppose this is all done nicely, nicely underneath the surface in the past. Countries always want something for their aid. The US wanted aid for coming to Britain's assistance during World War 2, and we're going to give it for nothing, but it's always done behind closed doors and nicely. Here it was played out in all its inglorious reality before a watching world. It’s the way the world has always been, but we've just never seen it. So not over yet, is it? So that happened. And and then the story about meth. There was the most heartbreaking interview with the survivor of a dreadful - I don't even want to say an accident. It wasn't an accident. When you've got a meth affected driver who has ploughed into a group of motorcyclists who are enjoying an early morning ride, having a great weekend, they're going into town for breakfast and a driver on the wrong side of the road plows into them. Meth affected, killing three. And changing life as he knows it for the survivor - it's not an accident. Meth doesn't just affect the person who's taking. We all know that. Kids are growing up in violence and poverty because every spare scent is being spent on meth. It's leaving people dead and injured, which you might say is God's little pruning fork, but really it has massive impacts on our health system and on our police. Families torn apart because bright young things become addicts who steal from their families, lie to them, manipulate them, do anything they possibly can to get their hands on the drug. And it's been around for years now. You can't say, oh, I didn't realise - I didn't understand that it would be that it would be so addictive, that it would cause so much harm. Everybody knows. And yet still they use it. People who have escaped its clutches know just how evil and insidious this drug. And yet still people are using, and they're using in greater numbers and in greater quantities than ever before. On the Mike Hosking Breakfast, Massey university drug researcher Chris Wilkins says the increase in meth use as a supply side effect. "So essentially, there's been a massive increase in industrial size production of methamphetamine traditionally from Southeast Asia, but now increasingly from other parts of the world like South America and Mexico. So you know the seizures have increased 10 times in the last three or five years. So this is really supply. Very cheap meth that can be easily manufactured at low price, and we're just getting swamped in meth, essentially, I think this is a real wake up call because and it's partly a technological driven thing that we've now got synthetic drugs like meth that can be produced on large scale at a very low price. But also there's other changes in the market, like a digital market, you know, encrypted messaging apps, darknet and social media are being used now in a drug market that’s very different from what we might remember as a teenager. So you know, these are all things to keep her aware of." That was Chris Wilkins talking to Mike Hosking this morning. So the only real way to reduce the harm of this drug is to reduce demand, because they will keep flooding it. I've interviewed people before about the supply chain and how easy it is to get drugs into this country coming down through the Pacific. Easy peasy. If they lose a bit on the way through, that's factored in by the drug manufacturers and the drug suppliers accountants - you bring in 100,000 kilos, you lose 20,000, you're still going to make a massive profit. So the only real way is to reduce demand, rehabilitate addicts and stop people taking it in the first place. There are schemes, there are programmes that are working, they haven't been rolled out throughout the country. Labour promised to. Shock me. National promised too - don't know where they're at with that and I would really, really like to find out. Where you do have proven drug programmes that engage with the community, where it's treated as a as a health issue, that gets people off this insidious drug once and for all, we need to roll them out as a matter of urgency. I think there was a 34% success rate for a programme in the Far North we've talked about before. This is an actual anonymised data from police and health.  Because the only way to stop the harm that drugs are causing to innocent people is to reduce the desire for it, and I don't see that happening anytime soon.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.