Kerre Woodham Mornings Podcast

What a weekend of sport.  It's been exhausting — and that's just watching it. The All Blacks, the Warriors, a new Wimbledon champion who looks to be beginning a new era in men's tennis, and we have the FIFA Women's world cup kicking off this Thursday.  So, a lovely weekend of escapist exhilaration — and now it's back to reality. Back to an election campaign, and a busy weekend for our politicians. ACT released its list, Chris Hipkins announced Labour's campaign slogan ‘In it for you,’ and Christopher Luxon announced that National would be fixing potholes.  Not terribly sexy as far as policy goes but that's exactly what I want to any new Government to be: a bit boring, nothing too sexy, and fixing stuff up.  I drove to the Hokianga for the weekend, and there'd be half a billion dollars worth of potholes just on State Highway 12. He says he'll divert the money required to fix the potholes from reprioritising spending within the National Land Transport Programme, including a reduction in expenditure on blanket speed limit reductions, and excessive speed bump installations. And, the failed Road to Zero advertising campaign, which has cost us a pretty penny and has not delivered in terms of reducing road deaths. I had no idea speed bumps were so expensive to install, but speaking to the MHB this morning, National Party leader Chris Luxon pointed out a few speed bumps would definitely fill in a few potholes. I find it interesting that Transport Minister David Parker is saying that National is proposing to fix a problem they themselves created. He says that National chose to freeze road maintenance funding during its time in office in order to fund high profile new highways.  Oh, come on.  For one thing, you just can't blame the government that came before you when you've had two terms. You've had six years to do something about the roads, but what have you done? Lowering speed limits, the light rail project, plans for a boomers bike bridge to Birkenhead that never came about, the Road to Zero campaign — lot of money there for a lot of potholes.  You had the opportunity to do something about road maintenance Mr Parker, you just chose to spend that money on pet projects that have ultimately failed in every single respect.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Watching Chris Hipkins igniting the bonfire of Labour's vanity projects when he took office earlier this year reminded me of the old Groucho Marx quote: “These are my principles, and if you don't like them, well, I have others.” I was reminded of this again when I heard Chris Hipkins rule out a wealth tax and capital gains tax as long as he is leader of the Labour Party. This had been something that dyed in the wool Labourites had prepared to die in a ditch for, until it looks like it's going to cost them votes. Labour had a plan to introduce a wealth tax in the May budget to pay for a tax free threshold for New Zealanders, and in the discussions they some were very strong about wanting this wealth tax but Hipkins pulled the pin at the last minute. And why did he do that? Not because he'd had a road to Damascus conversion and decided that a wealth tax was not the right tool to bring about a fairer, more equitable society. Not because he had something up his sleeve that was better than a wealth tax, and would bring about that fairer, more equitable society. But because Labour has taken a deep dive on the polls and he knew a wealth tax would cost them votes.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister is putting on a brave face after news his work on a wealth tax won't come to fruition. Although proposals were considered by Cabinet, Chris Hipkins ruled out introducing a wealth tax or a capital gains tax while Prime Minister. To discuss, Dentons Kensington Swan Partner and tax expert, Bruce Bernacchi joined Kerre Woodham. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finally, finally, it appears that the motley, bedraggled, half plucked chickens that are Labour policies are coming home to roost. For me, my belief has been beggared that there is still people who will say, when asked by pollsters, ’why yes, I do believe Labour is the party for me when it comes to managing the economy and the country.’ When, surely, they have shown beyond a shadow of a doubt that the job of running the country is simply beyond them. If the inability to deliver on the vast majority of their election promises wasn't proof enough for you. Surely the sight of the little rodent scuttling off the leaking ship or being made to walk the plank or going AWOL when they're supposed to be on duty because it’s all a bit hard, is an indication that all is not well on the SS Labour. The Herald Poll of Polls shows a National ACT mash-up as the most likely government, after the Talbot Mills poll results were leaked yesterday. That poll showed Labour returning its lowest result since 2019, its support slumped five points to 31 per cent of voters, but still 31 per cent. Chris Hipkins says he's received the message that New Zealanders don't feel the government has been focused on the issues that matter to them. And he's promised the Government will do that, will focus on issues that matter to voters over the next 90 something days till the election. Too little, too late, one would think. Christopher Luxon, the National Party leader, has echoed that old war horse Winston Peters in saying the only poll that matters is the one on October 14, and he is quite right.   I was talking to a mate last night who has worked around Parliament for years and we were both saying that all we want to see from the next government, whoever it may be, is a boring capable government. Make ordinary great again!   We want to see basics done well. Money put into programs that will improve the economy, the nation's health, children's education, social housing, crime reduction. And oh, I don't know, here's a novel idea Labour, have targets to show if those programs are working. If they are, carry on, if they're not, stop spending money on them, stop spending money on vanity or legacy programs, especially when you have no idea how to implement them - and you're not entirely sure that they're going to work anyway. We'd love to see a government that will be clear and transparent, not obstructive and masters in the out of gas lighting, and hiding behind the OIA at every single request for information.  We would love, and who would ever have thought it, to see a Government that is beige and unremarkable in every way, but that knows how to deliver and respects every dollar they take off the people that work in this country. A government that understands those tax dollars are not theirs to squander but to spend wisely -  with the objective of meeting the greatest need. Is that too much to ask?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A high-level meeting between New Zealand and the UN nuclear watchdog took place on Monday, after a controversial go-ahead for dumping treated nuclear radioactive water into the Pacific. After a two-year review, the International Atomic Energy Agency have given it the green light - stating the release - over 30 to 40 years - will have a negligible impact on the environment. The water was tainted during the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta sat down with International Atomic Agency Director General, Rafael Grossi, but the meeting was closed to the media. Senior lecturer at Auckland University, Dr David Krofcheck, joined Kerre Woodham to discuss. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new poll shows the gap between Parliament's left and the right wing blocs is the biggest it's been since 2017. Talbot Mills numbers show National and Act have a commanding lead over Labour and the Greens. Labour is down five points to 31 per cent support, with National and Act on 36 and 12 respectively. Newstalk ZB Political Editor Jason Walls joined Kerre Woodham to discuss. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The election is just a matter of months away, and although nothing is certain, one thing we can be fairly sure of is that no one party will win a majority the size Labour did last time round, and that the next New Zealand Government will be cobbled together with minor parties. We'll either see a National/ACT, maybe another minor party coalition government or a Labour/Greens/Te Pati Maori kind of government. So when the minor parties come out with their manifestos and public pledges, it's worth listening to what they have to say, as these policies may well become part of the makeup of the next government. The ACT party came out all guns blazing when David Seymour launched ACT’s election campaign in Auckland over the weekend. They want all 17 year old defendants to face trial in the District Court, not the youth court and believe corrections should take over management of youth justice residences. At the moment, young people appear in the youth court until 17, and that had been a policy borne out of the theory that if young offenders were treated more kindly, there would be less crime. Since coming into force, one of two things has happened since the 1st of July 2019, either 17 year olds have halved their offending rate, or they kept on offending and are only prosecuted by police half as often. David Seymour told Mike Hosking on the Mike Hosking breakfast this morning ACT’s policy would focus on victims rather than the offenders. The Greens too were busy. They released their election manifesto over the weekend and it was the usual stuff. An extra week of annual leave for all! Yay! Free lunches in every school. Extend citizenship to all Maori born overseas, and allow councils to introduce new taxes, and funding, music and community venues so organisations didn't have to rely on dirty pub charity grants to function. All good. Couldn't argue with much of it.   How would they fund it? Taxing the Super rich of course. ‘A tax on the richest few will raise money we can use to build a climate-friendly, wiser and more prepared Aotearoa that we can all be proud of’ said Marama Davidson, co-leader of the Greens. So looking at ACT, looking at the Greens, are you paying attention to the policies that they are putting out? Or are you still going to vote for who you always voted for because really, it doesn't really matter. I cannot tell you how much it does matter. Just listening to people over the past couple of weeks going uh, whatever. It's not “uh, whatever.” We have an obligation to vote in a way that we believe is going to make a great New Zealand for our children and grandchildren. It's not all about us. And whichever side you go for, you've got to go in with the mindset that it's not about you, and it's not about the next three years.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's an election year, so of course the law and order drum is being beaten. It's beaten every time there's an election, with one side saying the other isn't doing a good job - but it's not just because it's an election. The law and order drum is being beaten because innocent New Zealanders are being beaten in their homes and their places of work, in the street. The hammer attack on a woman behind the counter of her dairy in broad daylight this week is yet another example, as if we needed any more of the brutality and lack of humanity we've seen so much of in the past few years. We've got dairy owners now serving from within cages in their own shops, security guards outside so many stores, security camera footage of children, some in their pyjamas being driven round homes by adults, by their caregivers, to steal whatever they can find from their neighbours’ homes and backyards.   This is not a New Zealand to be proud of.   New Zealand doesn't feel as safe as it used to, and the Police Minister confirmed that on Newshub this morning. Crime has risen exponentially and violent crime is up. She is right that family harm incidents have pushed up the violent crime stats, but the retail crime is real. Finally, the one good take out from that interview is that finally, at last, you've got a government minister who is not gaslighting us, who is not saying no, no, no, it's all in your heads. No, it's the hammer that's in my head. Not some kind of fearful fantasy of my own imagination. Somebody from the government is finally telling the truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At least 20% of New Zealanders are believed to be neurodivergent, but there is very little awareness, understanding and support for people with conditions such as ADHD, Autism and Dyslexia. Sonia Gray has a neurodivergent daughter and is an ADHDer herself. In a 10-part series she talks to dozens of experts and people with a lived-experience of neurodiversity to better understand how we can support and celebrate those whose brains are wired differently.  No Such Thing as Normal is brought to you by NZ Herald and Team Uniform, with support from NZ on Air and launched June 10th. New episodes are available every Saturday. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are fears students won't be taught relevant science knowledge after a leaked copy of the proposed new science curriculum was released. The new draft focuses on contexts - the Earth system, biodiversity, food-energy-water, and infectious diseases. The writers argue they are going for a holistic approach, and that basic physics, chemistry and biology haven't gone ignored. Crimson Global Academy Principal Mark Phillips is concerned that this curriculum discourages Kiwi students from aspiring and achieving.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.