Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

Auckland hairdressers can open up from Thursday, for the purpose of trialling vaccine passes.  Aside from that, the Government says step three isn't necessary, given we're going into the traffic light system next Friday.   That's pleased a Manurewa-Papakura Ward Councillor, who worries vaccination rates among Māori and Pacifika in South Auckland are still desperately low.  Councillor Daniel Newman told Kate Hawkesby they’re still seeing lots of people who are very hesitant coming to get vaccinated because of the mandates and vaccine certificates.  “We’re moving in the right direction but, it has been slow.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everybody loves hearing stories of Kiwi start-ups using kiwi ingenuity to take on the global business market. A local footwear company based in Wellington says they have developed the world's lowest carbon footprint sneakers. YY Nation are launching their environmentally friendly sneakers both here and in the U.S this morning. Founding Director Jeremy Bank told Kate Hawkesby algae and sugar cane are being used as a substitute to harmful chemicals in the outer soles.  “There’s been all sorts of challenges but it’s great to be at this point where we’re launching...It’s about doing things in a new way.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The criteria for blood donations is being expanded, to help keep up with demand.  The upper age limit for first time blood or plasma donors has risen to 71 - and existing donors are now eligible until 81. New Zealand Blood Service spokeswoman Asuka Burge told Kate Hawkesby having donors give blood for longer is a big help. Three hundred donors, who currently donate, will be able to keep donating as the upper age limit has extended but there may be many more hundreds of people who previously used to donate or considering donating that will now be able eligible.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia's reopening its borders to vaccinated international students, business visa holders and refugees from Wednesday next week. In this country, the Government's approved visas for a thousand international tertiary students, but they won't start arriving until March. Australian correspondent Donna Demaio told Kate Hawkesby Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the move's a major milestone in Australia's pathway back. “He says allowing foreign visa holders to enter the country is that further stepping of international travel, of course, but also supporting the economy.” Donna Demaio said the international education sector's worth about 36-billion dollars to Australia. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I run the risk of making a massive dick of myself today – well to be honest, that’s a risk everyday, but today in particular, because of what I said last Friday.Friday morning I was on the Mike Hosking Breakfast which has just a teeny tiny smidge of a larger audience than we do, just a smidge, and I said to that rather large audience, that today Cabinet would announce they’re going to open hairdressers and the beauty industry this week.I said they’ll open them up earlier than expected, so to my mind the salon doors will swing open as of Wednesday morning, that was my prediction.I was so confident in my prediction that I rang around various places like the desperate cooped up Aucklander I am, and started asking for appointment bookings.Most of them responded with “what are you talking about, we have no expectation we’ll be open until December 1st,” at which point I would regale them with my prediction of early opening doors and how they should start taking bookings.I’m not sure how much of this is me wishful t

The good news for the Black Caps is the test series starts on Thursday. The bad news? Well, there was a bit of that. New Zealand slumped to their fourth-heaviest loss by runs in T20 international history, being swept 3-0 by India at Eden Gardens this morning. The hosts triumphed by 73 runs in Kolkata, a margin of defeat for the Black Caps that marked an ignominious end to a forgettable series. After being competitive in the first match - which came three days removed from their World Cup final heartbreak - New Zealand were taken apart in the next two. There is hardly need for much recrimination, not after such a successful World Cup campaign, but this series will have certainly stung the pride. India even set themselves a challenge today, as if to make life more interesting. Boasting a perfect record when chasing and a losing record when batting first this year, they opted for the latter approach after again winning the toss. But no mercy was shown to an already-vanquished opponent as India proceeded to outpl

NCEA and scholarship exams start today after a disrupted school year.  Students who have been affected by the ongoing level three lockdown are eligible for an Unexpected Event Grade.  If students don't sit the exam, they'll get that grade and if they do sit - they'll receive whichever grade is higher.  National Party education spokesperson Paul Goldsmith told Kate Hawkesby there'll be low numbers sitting exams in Auckland.   “The bit that worries me, is that is reveals a culture of achieving basic standards, then cruising, rather than striving for excellence.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland businesses are pleading for the right to reopen this week. Cabinet will decide today whether to move the region to Step Three restrictions on Wednesday -- allowing bars, restaurants and hairdressers to reopen with public health measures in place. A spokesperson for the Prime Minister has suggested such a move is unlikely. But Hospitality New Zealand Auckland President Jamie Freeman told Kate Hawkesby he's trying to stay hopeful. “We go to 3.3 and hit the traffic light system next week, we need to move as quickly as we can to orange and that’s when hospitality starts to make money and patron numbers are back.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So, Northland's lagging behind in the vaccination stakes - second to last on the national league table. But to be fair, it's not for a lack of effort. Right now, there are campervans touring around offering vaccines, pop-up vaccination tents left right and centre. At the weekend, the DHB staged an all-day event in Whangarei with music, dancers, free kai and vaccinations - must have cost thousands. The result: 350 jabs. Now, after 4 months of miserable lockdown, Aucklanders are itching to go north for a couple of weeks in the sun, spending up on accommodation and hospitality. And Northland needs it. We've been blocked from the rest of the country, blocking us from that tourist money. But the worry is, that Covid will depart from Auckland and arrive in Northland before Northland is ready to deal with it. In theory, people can't leave Auckland without being double-vaxxed or having a negative test but the Government wants to run this on a trust model. Like the drink-drive laws the Prime Minister said the other da

Former Chef and Restaurateur Adam Dickson is unimpressed with the Government's treatment of the hospitality sector. He's behind 'Hands up for Hospo'. An initiative designed to help those struggling, stay afloat, by way of an online fundraising auction. Dickson told Tim Dower this is designed to help business owners who are having to shell out for lots of hidden costs. “A little from a lot of people will hopefully see us straight.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some hard data has confirmed the devastating effects lockdown has been having on people's mental health. Police have been too busy to attend half the mental health callouts in the past year – 140,000 of them overall.   Newstalk ZB can report a 55% increase in events in August and September, compared to the same months in 2019. Dr. Angela Lim, Chief of Clearhead, an online mental health platform, told Tim Dower they’ve noticed a dramatic increase in distress that they can connect directly to lockdown. She said people need to have some hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's not just businesses trying to navigate the new traffic light system. Catholic churches are planning to hold mass for people with vaccination passes, and a separate service with limited numbers for unvaccinated worshippers. A date on when the country will move into the new framework will be decided on November 29. The Anglican Bishop of Auckland Ross Bay told Tim Dower he's consulting with his community on what to do moving forward. “We are committed to doing our best to continue ministering to all people.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It feels weird to stop and think what’s become of our lives these days and how basic things like leaving your city or walking into a café, now require passes, proof and a QR code. It’s like a futuristic movie, but sadly without the hovercraft. Hovercraft would come in handy right now come to think of it, if it meant getting across borders without checkpoints.  But here we are. Regimented, archived, coded, scannable. Yesterday I spent the endless time refreshing the My Covid Record site to log on to request my vaccine pass, to then download it to my phone to then upload it to my Apple wallet and then print off a hard copy just in case.  That will only of course get us into venues domestically and will only be valid for 6 months, whereby we’ll need a booster shot and a new pass. If we want to travel internationally, we need to apply for a separate vaccine certificate. Why they can’t be simpler and the same thing is beyond me. We also of course have our vaccine cards, which you would’ve got when you got jabbed,

The move from a hard border to a soft border around Auckland is being welcomed by trucking operators. Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand Chief Executive Nick Leggett told Kate Hawkesby it would have made a chaotic summer period even worse. “Kiwirail is going to have its network out, it’s peak season. You’ve got to get food, gifts, everything else on the back of the truck. Added to that, we’ve got a shortage of drivers because the borders aren’t open internationally.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many of us are aware now of how brutal the MIQ system has been in restricting people coming home, and separating families and friends from each other. But this story is particularly tragic. Shelley Grierson is currently stuck in MIQ and is desperately trying to get a compassionate exemption to self-isolate at home. Her sister has terminal leukaemia and has been given days to live. Despite her sister's health, a doctor’s letter to support this, and multiple negative tests, she keeps being declined. Shelley joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I spoke yesterday to a construction consultant about the housing building boom going on right now and how it’s hampered by supply chain interruptions and inflationary pressures.  Basically, the cost of building is doubling. And as inflation creeps, its tentacles are hitting everywhere and everyone. Auckland City Mission says it's seen the highest demand for its services over the past three months, in all of its 100-year history. Tens of thousands of families are needing food, it’s handing out 16,000 food parcels a week, which is double pre-Covid amounts. The trouble is not just Covid and lockdowns creating more need, but the cost of living. Food, power, water, rent. And here’s the rub, we’ve never had more money pumped into the economy, yet thousands upon thousands are struggling. Former Finance Minister Steven Joyce pointed out at the weekend that “pumping more money into a country than it has capacity for,” means “that money ends up chasing too few goods and services and that means inflation.” It’s not just

Retirees say they've had a gutsful. This is on the back of the Retirement Commissioner saying back in June, that there needs to be an urgent review into the retirement villages act. Research showed low satisfaction around village contracts. Associate Minister for housing Poto Williams says a review was warranted, but may take time. And now it's taking too much time, and the Retirement Village Residents Association has had enough. President Peter Carr joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are safeguards in place in My Vaccine Pass to prevent fraud. People can log in or call My Covid Record to request their pass, which will be in the form of a QR code, from later this morning. Once the traffic light system's in place, the pass will give double-jabbed people access to all sorts of things such as gyms, bars and sporting events. AUT computer science expert Ken Johnson told Kate Hawkesby it will have the person's name, date of birth, and the expiry date of the pass. “Venues can ask to cross-reference that information with an official ID like your license and passport, so that’s an important message to reduce the pass forgery.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland's Mayor says there's no way the Government is keeping a hard border around the region this summer. The Government will make an announcement today about the plan for Covid borders. Our newsroom understands Aucklanders will be locked in by the borders for the next month, before travel restrictions are eased in time for Christmas. Mayor Phil Goff told Kate Hawkesby a hard border, with checks on every traveller, simply wouldn't work. “I can’t see that they can have a hard border, you imagine Boxing Day, 60,000 people travelling south from Auckland, you just couldn’t do it.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So, as I said last week with the other two polls, what you look for is a trend. And multiple polls showing the same thing is a trend. And the trend’s not good.  Not surprisingly, with the shambolic vaccine rollout, the cluster that is MIQ, divisive policies and controversial mandates. Three waters, He Pua Pua, a never-ending lockdown for Auckland, businesses going belly up, a token insulting ultra-curated stopover in Auckland and inauthentically calling that “a visit”.  And zooming in and out by way of private jet when climate change was going to be her ‘nuclear moment’. Hard to fathom that one from the inside of the Airforce jet whizzing back and forward, that’s a lot of carbon miles. I said last week this was a ‘let them eat cake’ approach and the clanger here is how disingenuous that is, when this is the Government that promised to govern for everybody.  Poverty, gang problems, gun violence, inadequate leadership, lack of accountability, flip flopping, protests, these things are all becoming part of this r