Kerre Woodham Mornings Podcast

Questions whether changes are needed in shipping as the Delta Covid variant rages.Container ship Rio De La Plata has 11 crew with the virus.No crew went onshore but 94 Port of Tauranga workers who'd spent time on the vessel are being stood down while getting Covid tests.The cases are linked to an Australian pilot who was onboard in Queensland last month and later tested positive for the Delta variant.Maritime Union national secretary Craig Harrison told Kerre McIvor shipping companies should take responsibility for testing and vaccinating workers."I'm sure a lot of countries in the Pacific would welcome the know that the vessels coming in have had the crew vaccinated or carrying regular tests onboard the vessel or at each port call."Harrison hopes that staff stood down will get paid.Public health staff took the test swabs in Tauranga, as part of the requirements for entry for the vessel to its next stop in Napier.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The community of Timaru is reeling – most of New Zealand is reeling from the news yesterday of another senseless car crash that has claimed five young lives. Just one survivor – the driver – and five families utterly devastated. My thoughts are with the families and the poor first responders – what an absolute nightmare for police and emergency services. You could see the despair on the face of the Aoraki Area Commander Inspector Dave Gaskin – he knows the family of one of the boys and he said it's a tragedy that will reverberate around the community for a long time. As he said, it’s one of the worst jobs we do. The driver has yet to speak to police but he has already posted on social media to let his friends no he's alive, and that he is very, very sorry for the stupid mistakes he has made that has cost five lives. He will have his own battles in the weeks and months ahead – how on earth do you live with yourself when you've caused so much carnage – and again we come back to how we protect young people from themselves and their poor decision making. Nathan Wallis is a neuroscience educator and child development expert was on the MHB this morning and he says scaring kids straight doesn't work – they have to be given the tools to make the right decisions early.We've all done stupid things and most of us have walked away from them. If you have children you will know the absolute terror involved in letting them go out, go away for the weekend – putting the white light around them until they're home safely. I gave up alcohol while Kate was at school so that Kezza's Cut Throat Kabs was available at any hour of the day or night to go and collect my daughter and her friends. The rule was no questions asked at the time, although there may be some questions in the morning. But ultimately you just have to hope and pray they get through the very worst of those teenage years – until their frontal cortexes have sufficiently developed. It must bring back awful memories for those who have already lost children in senseless accidents. Can we help protect kids from themselves and their immature decision making? Or is getting a teenager safely into their adult years simply by guess or by god?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Disarray in the National Party after the re-election of Peter Goodfellow as President.After the vote at National's annual conference over the weekend, former MP David Carter resigned, saying he had zero confidence in his leadership.Carter says he has zero confidence in Goodfellow as President.A Newshub poll also shows half of National voters want Collins out and rural New Zealanders are saying National is no longer the party for them.Political commentator and former National staffer Monique Poirier told Kerre McIvor the membership isn't happy with Goodfellow."He is a good fundraiser and I think that has to be acknowledged, but it is probably fair to say membership is disappointed with his re-election."LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An Auckland school has had to apologise to a student expelled for swearing at a teacher in 2019.Macleans College has been told to say sorry to the teenager, after his family lodged a formal complaint to the Ombudsman.The student was expelled after telling a teacher to "F*** off" in an argument over an iPad, which the Year 13 boy was allowed to use due to writing difficulties.The college has strict rules about where and when devices can be used, but the Chief Ombudsman ruled the student's behaviour was not gross misconduct.Kerre McIvor spoke to Kerry White, Principal of Holy Family Catholic School in Adelaide who in his 38 years as a Principal has never expelled or suspended one of his students.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Unemployment has plunged to 4 per cent - the biggest quarterly fall in 35 yearsThat's down from 4.7 percent in the three months to March, and also down from the recent peak of 5.3 percent in the three months to September last year.To provide some context, New Zealand Herald Wellington Business Editor Hamish Rutherford joined Kerre McIvor.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government was warned it's efforts to tackle New Zealand's housing affordability issues could be hampered by wood shortages.The issue has become so significant, Building and Construction Minister Poto Williams is considering limiting timber exports to ensure there is enough in the country.  This comes as the cost of building materials continues to rise, pushing up house prices.Phil Taylor, President of the Forest Owners Association joined Kerre McIvor to discuss.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwis are being urged to keep an eye on tightening mortgage rules.  The Reserve Bank wants to halve the number of people borrowing more than 80 percent of the property's value - cutting the number to ten percent.Rules restricting risky lending could be in place from October.To discuss the implications, One Roof commentator Ashley Church joined Kerre McIvor.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to the latest Newshub Reid Research poll, if an election was held tomorrow Labour could no longer govern alone. They could get there with the Greens, but their absolute majority would be over.  The big winners are ACT, jumping 4.2 per cent to 11.1; National is stagnant, up just 1.7 per cent to 28.7 percent. That must be a worry for Judith Collins although she told NewsHub they were just being silly when they pushed her on Seymour popularity over hers. And to a certain extent she's right. It would still be a centre-left government, Jacinda Arden would still be the prime minister if an election was held tomorrow. If, would be, could be - we're a long way to an election but according to David Seymour, there are promising signs for centre right and right leaning parties in the poll. A glimmer of hope that voters are becoming dissatisfied with Labour's management on a number of issues.Labour strategists would be concerned by the drop in the polls but surely not unduly so. Yes, support for Labour is falling but support for a centre left government has not. Jacinda Ardern is still the preferred prime minister and in the absence of a viable alternative for the swinging centre voters, they'll still stick with the devil they know. But David Seymour is right to be upbeat and optimistic about his party's chances to capitalise on Labour's urgency to push through reforms while they can.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Watercare is about to press the “go button” for their giant tunnel boring machine, Hiwa-i-te-Rangi.Hiwa-i-te-Rangi is about to dig her way under Auckland city to create Watercare’s $1.2 billion Central Interceptor wastewater tunnel.It's an almost 15km underground tunnel that will stretch from Grey Lynn to the Mangere Wastewater Treatment Plant and will clean up 80% of Auckland’s waterways by preventing wet-weather sewage overflows.Watercare Central Interceptor Executive Programme Director Shayne Cunis joined Kerre McIvor.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Commerce Commission's draft report on grocery store competition has found New Zealanders are getting a raw deal at the checkout.Chair Anna Rawlings says New Zealand groceries are the sixth most expensive in the OECD, but would be cheaper if supermarkets competed more.She says there needs to be an increase in the number of retailers who can compete effectively.Food & Grocery Council chief executive Katherine Rich told Kerre McIvor prices will come down if there is healthy competition in the market, but they also want to make sure suppliers are better protected"We do believe that prices for consumers should come down, if there was growing competition, but equally we've been focusing on better treatment for suppliers."LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.