Kerre Woodham Mornings Podcast

Calls for a rethink of the school system before it drains curiosity out of our children.A University of Auckland study has found opportunities for kids to explore new ideas in schools are shrinking.Scientist Sir Ray Avery told Kerre McIvor we're dumbing our kids down, and weakening their ability to use applied knowledge.“We need to put creativity on the curriculum.”He says an apple drops to the floor at about 33 feet per second - but you don't need to know that, you just need to know there's an energy source there you can use.Sir Avery says we have to rethink for tomorrow’s world because our children are getting educated with a system that’s totally inadequate.He says arts is a good way to introduce creativity and agrees that the addition of more arts curriculum could help.Sir Arnold says purpose within the community is essential.“Why not teach kids how to be good social citizens… and there’s none of that in the curriculum.”He says a whole change to the system is not needed just a few areas.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Ministry of Social Development has started charging people in motels and other emergency accommodation by 25 per cent of their income.The policy came into effect on Monday and is part of a broader plan to address homelessness.ME Family Services CEO Peter Sykes says charging for emergency housing was "taking from the poor and giving to the rich".Mr Sykes told Kerre McIvor the problem they are having in Mangere is there is not enough investment going into providing a stable housing plan."The lack of that long term strategy misses the point that people are not choosing to be homeless, people are not choosing to be in transition, but we don't have any long term strategies in place."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pharmac is struggling to cater to the demand of Kiwis.Chief executive Sarah Fitt says the drug buying agency works for the best health outcomes for New Zealanders, within its budget.Ms Fitt told Kerre McIvor they want to fund new medicines, but cannot afford everything."Our job is to look at the evidence and make robust evidence-based clinical decision for the best of the whole country."She adds the demand for a bigger bite of the health budget is a global issue, not just in New Zealand.A New Zealander with advanced breast cancer has a 40 per cent greater chance of dying compared to someone in Australia, due to access to drugs.Ms Fitt says the model in Australia is different to New Zealand's. She adds over the years they have developed their model and are continuing to do so going forward."The model we've got is the model we've had for the last 27 years, and we're always keen to keep looking at the model and ensure that it's fit for purpose."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Housing was a big talking point in this year's election, just as it was in the 2017 election and deservedly so.There were 19,438 on the State House waiting list, up from 5,844 applicants on the Housing Register at the end of the month before the change of Government. And more than four thousand people are in emergency accommodation in motels. The situation is dire and not helped by the fact that a number of private landlords have left the property market, leaving charity providers and the state to pick up the slack.Again, the unintended consequences of good intentions. The Ministry of Social Development has started charging people in motels and other emergency accommodation a fee for the roof over their respective heads - 25 per cent of their income.  And predictably, this has brought howls of outrage from charity groups.They say it’s taking from the poor and giving to the rich and that most people in emergency accommodation were on benefit payments which were already low and those payments will now be cut by a quarter. However, the policy change brings emergency housing into live with other state funded housing like transitional homes and state houses.In part to its designed to recoup some of the costs associated with emergency housing - which has cost the country 83 million dollars for the last three months alone - up from 8 million per quarter in 2017. It's an eye watering amount of money which I'm sure few of us would begrudge if it was being spent to house humans in their own, sustainable, long term healthy home.But it's not. It's being spent keeping them, basically in holding cells, until the government comes up with a plan for housing that actually works. And I'm sure it’s going to be tough seeing your income go down by a quarter - but surely if you are one of those in the motels, who's been paying nothing for months, you're going to have to learn how to budget for rent sooner rather than later.Otherwise you're only going to come to grief when you are finally put into a home of your own. There needs to be a plan to immediately find permanent, or semi-permanent solutions for these people. We simply cannot keep spending 83 million dollars every three months for what is, in effect, nothing. No change. No benefit. No improvement. Dear me. A year of those payments would buy 4000 houses at market rates around the country. Problem solved.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The incoming Health Minister is being urged to overhaul the system, in the wake of Covid 19.Auckland University Emeritus Professor Peter Davis says Jacinda Ardern's appointee to the role has a raft of issues to address.He says there's an operational gap between ministry bureaucrats in Wellington and healthcare providers.Davis told Kerre McIvor the pandemic has exposed weaknesses in our digital health infrastructure, and shows a need to reduce DHBs."When the focus moved from small-scale measles and rheumatic fever events, to a wide-scale outbreak, it was hard to bring the various manual, regional systems together."Davis is recommending having four regional health agencies in main centres.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well, that's the election done and dusted, and the polls did in fact translate into votes on the day. Jacinda Ardern has led Labour to an historic victory and has been given a mandate to deliver the policies she promised three years ago. There was a failure to deliver on those three years ago. Excuses can be found and made and accepted for reasons why that was so, but there can simply be no excuses. There will be no handbrake in the form of New Zealand First. National and ACT will barely be able to scrape together a decent opposition. So this is the opportunity for Labour to deliver policies that will shape the way they believe New Zealand should be - as previous Labour administrations have done. Jacinda Ardern has promised that she will be a leader for all New Zealanders:In her victory speech, she thanked New Zealanders for giving them their vote and their trust in the Covid recovery.“For those amongst you who may not have supported Labour before, and the results tell me there was a few of you – to you, I say thank you. We will not take your support for granted.”It's not going to be easy though.  Yes, Labour has a mandate to govern alone but these are extraordinary times and things are going to get tougher before they get better. National Party leader - for the moment, at least - Judith Collins warned of the dire economic situation looming.She told her supporters that the country will need to see better fiscal policy.So whether your team won or not, are you relieved the election is over and we have some certainty for the next three years?  What do you want to see this government prioritise? And if you were a former National voter, what is going to bring you back to the fold if you're a disillusioned centre right voter?I was talking to Chloe Swarbrick yesterday, and she said that if the day comes that she takes the job for granted, where she feels blasé about it, she will want to get out.I think some of the National Party people need to do that to themselves – have a long, hard rule at the reasons why they are there.That born to rule mandate that many of them feel they have just doesn’t exist anymore. If they haven't got the passion and they haven't got the fire and they have forgotten why they are there, then this is probably a good time to stay out or get out, and really rejuvenate the National Party.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The pressure is on Jacinda Ardern to make use of her new mandate to affect real change.Labour has secured 49.1 percent of the vote in last night's election - with National on 26.8 percent, Act on eight percent and the Greens on 7.6 percent.Political commentator Shane te Pou told Kerre McIvor there will be huge expectations on Ardern, now that she isn't reliant on New Zealand First."If a party is given a mandate like this, it needs to use it, otherwise there is no point to it."Political commentator Clare de Lore told Kerre McIvor Judith Collins will need to step down, and National will need to reshuffle from the top down.She says Collins has been handed an almost inevitable defeat, and the party needs to start again.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NZ First leader Winston Peters has thanked voters, volunteers and NZ First staff around New Zealand at the Duke of Marlborough in Russell."Ladies and Gentleman elections are bout democracy and what the people wish and we should never stop trusting the people," he said."We committed ourselves three year ago to be a constructive partner with government."To provide certainty and stability in a fast-changing world."To those who have been successful tonight - our congratulations," he said."For 27 years, there has been one party which has been prepared to challenge the establishment."As for the next challenge, we'll all have to wait and see," he said.NZ First MP Shane Jones said the results of tonight would be the "fruits of democracy" however the night ended for the party.But he added that it should be said he and NZ First has stuck to its promise to the regions of the country, pumping investment into areas long neglected."No one will ever say of the last three years that NZ First and Shane Jones, for the North and the provinces, did not deliver."Northland, sadly, had been neglected for a long period of time."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The country's "unapologetic Māori voice" is returning to Parliament with Rawiri Waititi wresting the Waiariki seat off Labour's Tāmati Coffey."The people have spoken and I am absolutely overwhelmed that they have put their trust in me to represent them for the next parliamentary term," Waititi said."I cannot thank them enough for having the belief in us as te iwi Māori to champion our own mana motuhake and to return our authentically and proud Māori voice to Parliament, ka nui te mihi aroha e te Waiariki."Speaking at his election night party in Tāmaki Makaurau co-leader John Tamihere called the return of the party, eliminated at the 2017 election, an "incredible outcome"."This is rewriting the political history of our country," Tamihere said, as the roughly 200 supporters gathered at Et Tu Bistro in Te Atatu erupted into chants of "Māori Party".But it was a bittersweet moment for Tamihere, losing Tāmaki Makaurau to incumbent Peeni Henare of Labour."I want to mihi Peeni and his whānau, for the way he conducted his campaign," Tamihere said.He thanked Māori Party supporters in the Waiariki electorate, and for voters listening to their calls to split the Māori vote, giving the Māori Party the electorate vote and their party vote to Labour, whose Māori MPs, including Coffey, would all get in on the list anyway.There was also a chance of the party getting another MP with their party vote hovering around 1 per cent and potentially rising, meaning number one on the list Debbie Ngarewa-Packer could enter Parliament for the first time."I think there is a very strong possibility Debbie will get in too," Tamihere said.Asked how he felt about the fact, sitting at seven on the list, he wouldn't be joining them, Tamihere said he wasn't disappointed, and it was his duty as a co-leader to stand behind them.It wasn't over though for Tamihere, signalling another run in 2023."Next time around it will be all seven [seats]," he said, again to a huge reception.The fate of the Māori Party sat on a knife's edge all election night.The closest seats, as predicted, were in Tāmaki Makaurau, Waiariki and Te Tai Hauāuru, with Labour's leads over Māori Party in the mere hundreds in each for much of the night.In Te Tai Hauāuru co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer lost to Labour's Adrian Rurawhe.Labour won the four other Māori electorates.The 2020 election saw the Māori Party launch a fighting campaign.The 2017 election resulted in a tumultuous shift in Māori politics, with all seven Māori seats going to Labour candidates.It eliminated the Māori Party after nine years in Government alongside National, ending the careers of stalwarts Marama Fox and Te Ururoa Flavell, defeated by the very party they were established in protest against, following the Foreshore and Seabed debacle.But despite being outside the Beehive, the party remained active and vocal in its criticism of Government actions and outcomes for Māori.Jacinda Ardern's Labour-led Government ushered in a record number of Māori MPs, making up about 23 per cent of representatives, despite making up only 16 per cent of the population.Yet despite this, Māori remained at the bottom rung for most outcomes, including health, education, and housing, much of it fuelled by persistent inequality and racism, and leaving the door open for an independent Māori voice.The party had a refresh, appointing new leaders in former Labour MP and Cabinet member Tamihere, and Ngarewa-Packer, a Ngāti Ruanui iwi leader.The pair brought their own unique flair to their roles, with Manurewa Marae chairman and party member Rangi McLean once referring to Ngarewa-Packer as providing "balance" to Tamihere, whom he called a "taniwha", who is infamously not shy of political controversy and/or outright offence.Its wider membership were also proactive over the past few years in raising issues...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sir Cullen Michael says Labour's historic victory is a green light for much needed changes in climate action and transport infrastructure.But it is not a mandate for a lurch to the left in terms of tax or welfare reform, and any attempt to do so quickly could risk "middle-ground voters jumping off a cliff", the former Finance Minister told the Herald.Last night Labour secured a parliamentary majority with 64 seats, the party's best result under MMP and its strongest showing since 1946, when Labour won 51 per cent of the party vote.National plunged to 26.8 per cent, its second-worst result ever, with 2002 being its only worse result.He said Labour played a "very safe" campaign, including its tax policy that would only affect 2 per cent of income earners."I can understand their nervousness ... but without additional revenue, and given the Covid-19 flow-on, they are somewhat restricted."We're locked into programme for three years in terms of tax generally. Its more immediate problem is that any feasible tax programme is going to have a very minor bearing on the size of deficits in the next three years."I do have to admit that one or two points I was worried they were being too safe. But in the end, that paid off and allowed Jacinda to project that image of competence, combined with kindness, and an occasional spark of severity when dealing with Judith Collins."He said Labour had a strong mandate on climate change action, transport infrastructure and tackling poverty, though on the latter he agreed with Ardern that lasting change came in increments rather than in leaps and bounds."Jacinda has a mandate for some quite significant change, but in areas like the welfare system and poverty, it is a matter of progressive change over a period of years."Cullen said National voters had shifted to Labour over the Government's successful Covid response and, to a much lesser degree, to strengthen Labour's hand against Green influence."And there were definitely Labour people who were worried the Greens might not make the 5 per cent threshold and who switched their party vote to ensure that happened."He noted National's issues with leadership changes and campaign bungles including caucus leaks and signs of disunity."People were disillusioned with National. It was a bit like 2002, when National got a lot less than in the polls as people gave up on them. Clearly a lot of National people voted Act this time."NZ First leader Winston Peters also played the wrong hand in criticising "wokeness" and "pixie dust", he said."Winston spent two or three weeks attacking Labour, and attacking Jacinda in code-language."He should have been making more of what NZ First had done positively, sort of hugging Jacinda close to him in the same way James Shaw did. Shaw seemed to be getting as close to Jacinda under the umbrella as he could."His advice to Peters?"Retire. Imagine him coming back at 78 next time around. What as? The grumpy old vote is almost by definition declining, despite the fact the population is getting older, and his time has passed."He said the Greens should be careful about getting into a coalition arrangement, nothing how poorly minor parties have fared in the past, including the fate of NZ First in 2008 and in 2020."Think very carefully before getting too closely locked in to the web of government. The history of minor parties who do that, if and when the Government starts to get a little unpopular, is not encouraging."The minor parties have a real struggle coping with the stresses and responsibility for decisions that aren't popular with everybody. We've had a variety of loose arrangements under MMP, and the looser the better."They can still have an influence, but that will be limited anyway because ultimately they don't have the votes to stop Labour from doing anything."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.