Kerre Woodham Mornings Podcast

An alarming rise in the time Police take to respond to serious crime. New figures show average response times increasing in most parts of the country – doubling in Northland, and tripling in Auckland and Waikato over the past five years. In Auckland City, the response time has increased from 25 minutes to an hour and 50 minutes. National's Mark Mitchell told Kerre Woodham Government needs to look at how to reinforce the front line. “That might be reassigning staff off day duties back onto the front-line to actually support them because the anecdotal information that I get is that they are under enormous strain and they just don’t have the numbers and they just can’t get to the jobs.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pedigree have got behind a new kid-to-canine reading programme called "Dogphonics". The aim of the Dogphonics books is to boost the confidence and literacy of children by encouraging them to read to a dog. For young kids, one of the biggest challenges when learning to read is the anxiety that comes from stumbling over words or making mistakes in front of people. Studies show that reading to your dog can help overcome this. Dr Emma Woodward, a child psychologist and mum to four boys, joined Kerre Woodham. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ashley Bloomfield's resignation hasn't come as a thunderbolt.The Director-General of Health has announced he'll step down from the role in July, well ahead of his term's official end in June next year.An acting Director-General of Health will be appointed before he leaves.Political editor Barry Soper told Kerre Woodham it's been a hell of a job.“It’s virtually 24/7. He’s had to front the pulpit of truth with the Prime Minister ever since this broke out two years ago.”Soper says there are more than a dozen deputies who could fill the role and the most likely contender is the DHB support and Infrastructure Deputy Chief Executive Officer Robyn Shearer.“But in this, who knows? Because it may be that Peter Hughes, who’s the don of the public service if you like, may look for total new leadership.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As you have heard in our news, the Defence Minister Peeni Henare says he's asked his colleagues in Cabinet to send some anti-tank missiles to Ukraine as part of different options to help the embattled country in its war against Russia. But so far, he says, Cabinet has put the kibosh on any aid initiative that would involve actually hurting somebody. Blankets yes, uniforms yes, anti-tank missiles, no. Megan Woods was on with Mike Hosking this morning as part of a regular Wednesday morning panel. She says that's not as she remembered the conversation and that everything is still on the table. That there hasn't been a firm no, but so far she says, the aid that they've sent Ukraine is very happy with. New Zealand imposed more sanctions on Russia yesterday after reports of Ukrainian civilians being abused, murdered and buried in mass graves, you will have seen those images and the images of children with their names and addresses and next of kin being written on their bodies was also particularly heart-breaking.  ACT leader David Seymour says send the missiles already. New Zealand might need anti-tank missiles in the next three years but Ukraine needed them and then next needs them in the next three days, well really, they needed them yesterday. I do have some sympathy for the for the Prime Minister. It is a tricky one as a civilian. Right now, being me, I say send the bloody missiles, send everything we can right now. As a Prime Minister, however, if you're sitting there, there were wider geopolitical considerations. You haven't got the luxury of wading in and condemning somebody a war criminal without there being international implications and ramifications. You know our Prime Minister, she would wait in there if she could. If she thought she could. She would be in their boots and all decrying Putin. But she's not, and there has to be a reason for that.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When I checked the ZB website yesterday afternoon to check where we were with the level changes, I didn't feel anything at all when I saw we were going to be staying at red.I think I'm just desensitized to it all now, but then I'm not somebody whose livelihood depends on indoor audiences or customers being inside. I can't even begin to imagine how you're feeling.I did suggest yesterday that the Prime Minister's characteristic abundance of caution might mean we would stay exactly where we are and that's what happened. According to the Director General of Health, it's because our health system is under stress.Listening to Dr Ashley Bloomfield on the Mike Hosking Breakfast, Omicron isn't causing particular stress on the hospital system. The health system has always been under strain, and presumably will be under strain in perpetuity, forever more. As winter arrives, some flus and viruses, and sundry illnesses hit the population, the health system is going to be under stress. So what Dr Ashely's saying is that we have a pretty much a substandard health system that cannot cope with the strain on it, with or without Omicron. So does that mean Red forever?I found that really interesting that Dr Ashley Bloomfield said it's not Omicron in particular, that's causing stress, so even without it, if we have to stay in red because the hospital system in the health system is under stress, we should have been locked up back in 1973 when the health system was first to fail. It's bizarre.Can you ever seeing us getting out of it? Unless we can build brand spanking new state of the art hospitals right across the country, when's it going to end?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concert promoters are crossing their fingers for a change in traffic light setting.Cabinet meets this afternoon to decide if all, or regions, of New Zealand should ease Covid-19 restrictions.A move to Orange would see an end to indoor gathering limits and the chance for larger concerts.Live Nation New Zealand Managing Director Mark Kneebone joined Kerre Woodham.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the rising cost of petrol and diesel fuelling inflation, companies are looking at new technologies to lower costs, as well as carbon emissions. In a comment piece in Newsroom, the CEO of Hyundai New Zealand said hydrogen-powered trucks are set to have a major impact on our transport industry as a clean transport alternative. Hyundai NZ CEO Andy Sinclair joined Kerre McIvor. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're one of our listeners in your 20s or 30s, you might like to prick up your ears at this first segment for the morning. The subject is retirement and I know if you're in your 20s and 30s, it seems like a million years away. When I was in my late 20s, I never thought I'd make it to retirement, it just seemed so far away, but now all of a sudden, I can count the years to 65 in single figures. The concept of retirement has changed over time. Retirement, when I was growing up, seemed a magical thing. A time when, after years of delayed gratification in a lifetime of hard work, husbands and wives would sell off the farm or the business - husbands in the main would retire, collect a healthy pension, and then it was hoots wahey off, quite often for the first big overseas trip that many had taken in their lives. By 2053, almost half of over 65s will be renting, so Kiwisaver won't be that much help for that mix of boomers and Generation X who are approaching retirement. Financial Markets Authority Kiwisaver reports showed the average balance of Kiwisaver at only 26,500.  Looking ahead to retirement, how confident are you that you will have a comfortable old age? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's all about the money, honey. And we would be fools to think otherwise. INEOS Team UK's budget for the last American Cup challenge was $210 million and the cost of mounting an America's Cup campaign gets higher and higher with every passing year. If you've got chump change, if you've got mates looking for coins down the back of the couch, sure you can mount a challenge. You are extremely unlikely to come close, far less win it. And so, as expected, Grant Dalton and Team New Zealand have followed the money and have elected to defend the America's Cup in Barcelona. It is and it always has been about the money. It's not 1995 any more people. When buying a pack of red socks made you a shareholder in Team New Zealand and you could bellow Sailing Away with gusto and pride.  I take Grant Dalton's point, that if you can't attract the backers and you can't get the money, you can't get what you need to take the boat itself to the next level.  I think we're fine with the talent we've got and the sailors we've got, and the associated people involved in a challenge. But if you can't get that technology next level, then we're going to be downwind all the way. The writing's been on the wall for some time. Grant Dalton is a winner. That's what he likes doing. He needs big money for Team NZ to win. He wasn't getting it here. Have we missed a trick? I don't think so. I think we've funded these guys into their waterfront properties long enough. It would have been great. It was fantastic last time even in the midst of all the nonsense.  Grant Dalton made it very clear they need money to win. They will follow that money. They found a pot of gold in Barcelona. Will he parley that win should they do so and bring it home as a consolation prize for Kiwis? I wouldn't bet my red socks on it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government has taken another step towards fulfilling its pre-election promise to lift incomes and improve working conditions of everyday Kiwis. The Fair Pay Agreements Bill was introduced to Parliament yesterday and is expected to pass into law later this year. Under the bill, employees will be able to force their employers to negotiate working conditions and pay if at least 10% of their workforce or 1000 staff agree to it. Objectors believe the legislation will only drive up costs for businesses and it's the type of legislation we would've expected to see in the 70s and 80s. In favour of Fair Pay Agreements is the early childhood sector - they believe FPAs will help retain more teachers. The Council of Trade Unions' say Fair Pay Agreements would put New Zealand on par with the rest of the world. CTU President Richard Wagstaff says Australia's modern awards system has been in operation for years - and its wages outstrip New Zealand's. Richard Wagstaff and Business New Zealand Chief Executive Kirk Hope joined Kerre McIvor. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.