Kerre Woodham Mornings Podcast

It may be time to start Christmas shopping now.While most of us aren't even thinking about our Christmas plans yet, retail supplies are encouraging people to think about starting their Christmas shopping early, due to supply chain delays.Public Affairs Manager for Retail New Zealand Aimie Hines told Kerre McIvor that click and collect and shopping early are the best options amid the stock shortages, especially with children."We've seen that across most products which may mean that the specific colour or product that you’re looking for may not be available, but there will still be products there, and retailers are definitely trying their best, but obviously there's an issue impacting all of that."LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour and National have joined forces behind a radical new housing policy, the Housing Supply Bill, which they say will help address the housing crisis by allowing as many as 105,500 new homes to be built in less than a decade. The Government says the law will result in at least 48,200 and as many as 105,500 new homes built in the next five to eight years. It would achieve this by allowing up to three homes of up to three storeys can be built on most sites without the need for a costly and frustrating resource consent. Housing Minister Megan Woods and Environment Minister David Parker announced the changes - along with National leader Judith Collins in a rare show of unity. Woods said that a PwC analysis said the Government's existing densification policy would mean 72,000 additional dwellings could be expected by 2043 as a result of implementing the intensification policies. That estimate was now being considered "conservative" and said the 48,200 to 105,500 number of homes expected to be built as a result of the bill would be in addition to the 72,000 homes already expected under the Government's current density policy. Collins claimed a victory for National. "In January, I wrote to the Prime Minister proposing that National and Labour work on a bipartisan and urgent solution to the housing crisis," the National leader said. "As I said then, our resource consent process makes it too difficult to build more housing in New Zealand." Collins said that in April, she "presented a draft Bill that would have required local authorities to zone more space for new housing, drastically cutting consent requirements for those wishing to build new dwellings whether through intensification or greenfields development". And by June, Parker and Woods wrote to National confirming "they saw merit in my proposal to increase the supply of residential housing". "They welcomed National's contribution to further development of policy to allow a serious uplift in new housing in urban areas," she said. National's housing spokeswoman Nicola Willis said the bill would enhance property owners' "Right to Build", making it easier for people who currently own land to build more houses on existing sections. "This legislation takes power away from town planners and gives it back to the people they serve. It will allow our cities to develop and grow, with a range of housing types to suit people at different stages of life," she said. Parker said that new "medium density residential standards (MDRS) will enable landowners to build up to three homes of up to three storeys on most sites up to 50% maximum coverage of the site without the need for a resource consent. "Before this change, district plans would typically only allow for one home of up to two storeys," he said. The bill will bring forward parts of the National Policy Statement on Urban Development - a 2019 measure to increase housing supply in cities. While widely applauded, the NPS-UD as it is known, was criticised for being too slow to take effect, with most measures coming into force in 2024. That will now be brought forward by at least one year - something National had been urging the Government to do since December last year Parker said that by speeding up the implementation of the NPS-UD, "councils in greater Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington and Christchurch have their intensification policies and rules in place by August 2023, at least a year earlier than under current timelines". There would be some exemptions to the medium density rules, "in areas where intensification is inappropriate, such as where there is a high risk of natural hazards, or a site has heritage value". Today 's announcement is significant as it ends decades of standoff on the housing crisis.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well, we can't really moan about the government needing to do something about housing supply then grizzle when they come up with a solution, can we? Especially when it comes in the form of a rare bipartisan agreement with National.   The deal will look to allow far more homes to be built in urban areas; houses like apartments and townhouses, in suburbs where only standard houses are allowed now.  They want to do that by forcing councils to have the default option of letting houses be built, rather than having a ‘you can't park here’ kind of an attitude.   In effect, doing away with the nimbyism that is stopping so many homes from being built or forcing developers into costly and time-consuming battles.   There's no doubt that intensifying housing stock in a suburb can change the way it looks and feels but, there's also no doubt that we need to add more homes to our housing stock and we need to do so quickly.   The announcement yesterday was met with cautious approval. Although, as Wellington mayor Andy Foster told Mike Hosking this morning, he wishes councils had been consulted rather than given a fait accomplis. So, here's how it will go...   Every council in a Tier 1 city - like Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington and Christchurch - places where housing stock is expensive, will be required to allow medium-density housing on all residential land without resource consent.   It can be up to three storeys high and feature up to three units. If councils want to, they can allow developers be more permissive. They can allow higher buildings but, they are not allowed to make them less permissive.   In addition, the government is also bringing forward it’s National Policy Statement on Urban Development by a year.  This is a separate plan that forces councils to allow more higher-density housing in areas like the central city or that are in walking distance from major bus and train stations.   It makes sense doesn't it?   For those who have seen their suburbs developed, has it worked for you?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Disappointment for small and medium businesses in Auckland saddled with debt.The region is staying under its current Alert Level 3 settings for a further two weeks with settings to be reviewed November 1.National leader Judith Collins says small business owners are on their knees in Auckland and around the country.Heart of the City Chief Executive Liv Beck told Kerre McIvor they need to see a substantial package that will stimulate recovery."We need to see something that is going to actually support the businesses that are really struggling right now and that is going to stimulate the economy and get us moving again."LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

OK, so this morning.  I have a plan for the way the next three hours will go, and what I'll do is tell you a bit about how the first hour will go on Wednesday morning and then if you stay listening, I'll let you know what the show will look like on Friday.  K....?  Seriously.  I wasn't expecting much from the press conference yesterday but the government plumbed new lows.  Announcing that there'll be an announcement on Friday - that is plain cruel.  Two more weeks for Auckland living under lockdown restrictions, at least one more week for Waikato, Northland, you're free to leave detention, and the South Island - well, it would appear this government doesn't know it exists.  And I know Grant Robertson sounds all lovely and reasonable and rational, but it's just not on to have 15 per cent of the population — well, it's even less than that — because there are some people who want the vaccination but can't take it — let's say 12 per cent of the population to hold everybody else to ransom.  There need to be more carrots for those who ARE doing the right thing and have been doing the right thing for the last 18 months.  I'm sick and tired of the time and money being spent on those who for whatever reason don't want to and aren't going to.  1000 operations cancelled every week at Middlemore because 28 people are in hospital with Covid.  And because 28 people have died of covid since the pandemic reached these shores.  It doesn't make any sort of sense.  And it's all well and good the Finance Minister banging on about support for businesses — a) they're not getting the support they need to stay in business, they are simply getting some money to pay part of their employees wages and b) they would rather be working.  They didn't go into business to get a benefit.  They didn't work every hour god sends and put their house on the line to stay at home and receive a pittance from the government.  I despair for the well-being of those good people.  For the lovely elderly couples who only have so much time left and want to be able to spend it with each other but they can't because of these cruel rules.  For the school kids who have missed a big chunk of their youth, having fun, hanging out, travelling to sports events, going to concerts, getting all gorgeous for the school balls, getting the help they need to be the best they can be come exam time.  And those poor poor children for whom school is the only safe place they know.  So many people are hurting. Because the government has set an arbitrary vaccination target — finally — that is unrealistic and simply won't be reached among the people they want to target.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The September inflation movement is the highest it's been in a generation.The Consumer Price Index rose 2.2 per cent in the September quarter — bringing annual inflation to 4.9 per cent.NZ Herald Business Editor Liam Dann told Kerre McIvor excluding quarters impacted by GST increases, it's the highest since June 1987.“That is a bit of a shock, surging past what economists had dared to forecast.”The main drivers were housing-related costs such as construction and local authority rates.Prices for new house construction were up 12 per cent in the year.Local authority rates and payments rose 7.1 per cent in the quarter.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thames-Coromandel Mayor Sandra Goudie has doubled down on her anti-Pfizer jab stance - adding she believes it is "absolutely wrong" that some people should be mandated to have the vaccine.Goudie went public this week saying she won't be being vaccinated until the Novovax vaccine is used, potentially, in New Zealand.At present, the Pfizer vaccine is used in the nationwide roll-out.That stance has been criticised, including by Green Party co-leader James Shaw who says people in public, leadership roles should be vaccinated now to ensure the health and safety of people around them.Goudie said her vaccine decisions were a matter of personal choice, and people should respect each other's opinions.Novovax is yet to be approved for use in New Zealand and when questioned about why she wouldn't get the Pfizer vaccine, she declined to elaborate.Goudie told Tim Beveridge on Newstalk ZB this morning she wouldn't be taking part in Saturday's vaxathon and that she had made her stance clear."I'm not taking the Pfizer vaccine, that I will wait for the Novovax because I have that personal choice and everybody has that personal choice."She said it shouldn't be mandated and people shouldn't have to lose their jobs."I think that's absolutely wrong."As for why Novovax, she said it was "her personal choice, I've got the right to make that personal choice".She said she "reads a lot of information"."I'm only going to make comment around that I have a personal choice ... I'm not going to vilify people for their choices."Asked if she felt a responsibility to explain her reasons to wait for Novovax, Goudie said she wasn't an anti vaxxer, she had vaccinations in the past."I'm waiting for the Novovax to come into New Zealand."Asked if she was encouraging people to get vaxxed, she said she had been buoyed by the numbers of vaccinations in her district, despite then being told by Beveridge the district's numbers were quite low compared to others."My understanding was that [district] was [doing well]. They may have changed," she said.Asked about having an obligation, as a public official, to encourage people to get vaccinated, she said people should be able to "have the freedom of choice for themselves"."There comes a time when everybody is confronted with these sorts of decisions ... if they are in strong positions of leadership. But whose to say that people in positions in leadership can't also have the right to express their personal choice and freedom."Should I be denied that right?"When told she was being criticised for not explaining her reasons around her decisions, she said she had "that's my personal choice as well. I have the right to make these choices and decisions.. I'm making these decisions for myself and my decisions should be respected. They're mine."Asked about trusting scientists, she said she wouldn't "make any comment about that whatsoever".Asked about whether she respected the scientific advice in New Zealand, - "I haven't contemplated a view on it."Straight off the bat you're expecting me to respond to that question? Get real."Earlier, she told the Herald yesterday she disagreed with those who argued she was putting herself or others at risk by not getting vaccinated"Obviously I'm not agreeing with them. And I'm exercising my personal choice. And my rights, in terms of the Bill of Rights."She said Covid-19 legislation should be consistent with the Bill of Rights.The High Court at Wellington last month considered if the Covid-19 Public Health Response (Vaccinations) Order infringed on the right to be free from discrimination under the Bill of Rights Act.After a judicial review, the High Court decided that it did not. The case emerged after a sacked Customs worked challenged the lawfulness of the vaccinations order.When asked by Mike Hosking on Newstalk ZB...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is confident there'll be a good bounce-back when the country emerges from Covid-19 restrictions, because its books are in good shape.Treasury figures show a deficit of $4.6 billion, about ten billion less than expected, due to a higher tax take and lower expenses.The Crown's net worth has also jumped by $40 billion in the year to June 30.Finance Minister Grant Minister says the post-lockdown rebound will cut across two quarters, there'll be a hit, but the resilience and strength of the economy will help us rebound.Former Finance Minister Steven Joyce joined Kerre McIvor.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are many, many tragic stories that have come out of this pandemic - not so much from the deaths themselves, although they are undeniably sad for the families concerned. But it's the people desperate to get into NZ who can't because of our MIQ system. It's those who haven't been able to be at the births of their children, or to be at the bedsides of family members who are sick or who might be dying, and its being denied the opportunity to grieve together as a community when a loved one does die. Unless you're a gang member and that seems to be OK. But the stories that have broken my heart and keep breaking my heart are the stories of couples who being kept apart because of restrictions at aged care facilities. You may have heard some of the callers on my show or some of the emails I've read out from men and women who have been married for fifty and sixty years - who are each other's soul mates - one is in an aged care facility, one is not. And despite the fact both parties are double vaccinated, despite the fact that the pain of being apart is causing physical decline, Health Department rules mean they are denied access to one another. And now the boss of a retirement village operator is calling on the Government to allow aged care residents to reconnect with the people they love.  Oceania Healthcare boss Brent Pattison says the current restrictions are playing havoc with the mental health of residents, especially when they know outside of the homes, restrictions have eased.Anyone who has an elderly parent or older friend know that isolation and loneliness is as much a killer as Covid.If the healthcare operators believe they can allow visits safely, for goodness’ sake, let them.They know what they're doing. They know one slip up and it’s their residents at worst and their reputation at best that suffers. Please, show some humanity, and let these poor people who have been isolated and cut off from their family and friends get the opportunity to be with those they love before it's too late.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good morning — and a special good morning to the South Island.  I see you. I know you're there.  Even if other people seem to have forgotten about you — I know it's important for those regions in stricter lockdowns to hear the news regarding their alert levels first but surely a — and that means the South Island must stay in Level 2 for the meantime — wouldn't have hurt.  Anyway, the news was pretty much what I expected to hear when I listened to ZB at 5.  Although I heard the collective groans of parents when the announcement was made that school-aged children would not be returning to school on the 18th.  Parents who've been hanging on, glancing up at the calendar on the wall when things get tough and counting down the days to the 18th, circled in red, must have despaired when they heard the kids would be staying home for the foreseeable.  And the children themselves — many of them must be yearning to get back to some sort of structure and routine, to be with their mates.  And that's just the kids who are safe and well, who are loved and have a warm home and food on the table.  What about those poor little tykes living in less than ideal homes?  Whose best meal of the day came with the school lunch provided for them?  There are about 158,000 children living in hardship in this country.  There'll be plenty more living in misery and I wonder how they are being protected and cared for — Oranga Tamariki is still working but that's only for the most extreme cases. So how is the welfare of children living in poverty being monitored?  I hope they're not forgotten.  And businesses — Michael Barnett says there should be a wider vaccine mandate to support businesses who are otherwise being left to police this on their own.  Heart of the City's Viv Beck says there needs to be a deadline for mandatory vaccine passports, to create urgency and focus.  Even epidemiologist Rod Jackson has said that businesses should have been given the mandate yesterday to introduce compulsory vaccinations for staff without fear of being prosecuted.  Job ads in Wellington increased by four per cent month on month and Canterbury by nine per cent — in Auckland, they dropped eight per cent. As Liam Dann wrote in the Herald the ongoing lockdown isn’t sending NZ's economy off a cliff — but that doesn't mean long term damage isn't being done.  There were signs of hope that the government is finally listening to different sectors — the mandating of vaccinations in the education and health sector, permission for Sir Ian Taylor to trial his private MIQ system for international travel.  Common sense coming through. Let's hope we see more of that.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.