Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

Thousands of people who visited locations of interest will need to get tested for Covid-19 over the coming days. Otago University Professor of Biochemistry Kurt Krause told Kate Hawkesby it's crucial that people get tested, as soon as they can. "It's so important not to let this wait, because the Delta variant is much more rapidly transmissible, and if we wait too long then we could get behind." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Frustration is growing around frontline police not being made a vaccination priority. Police Association President Chris Cahill believes this is a breach of work safe legislation, and they’re looking at legal action. Lawyer Chris Patterson told Kate Hawkesby the union definitely has a leg to stand on, in the eyes of the law. "All employers, which includes the New Zealand Police because they are an employer, have to take all reasonable, practical steps to ensure that every employee is protected from harm." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you, like me, feel your heart skip a beat when the news flashed across your phone yesterday afternoon that officials were investigating a positive community Covid case? Especially for those of us in Auckland, given it was in the Auckland community, of course it was. It was always going to be. My sister and I have discussed this a lot in recent days, she lives in Christchurch and we were debating when Delta would hit us and how fast we’d go into lockdown, and she pointed out (rightly so) that it would be Auckland first. But even knowing in the back of your mind that it’s a possibility, doesn’t make it any less awful to see the news does it? Even though we have form on lockdowns and we know the drill, it’s still an awful pit of the stomach gut punch. I had a bet with my brother that we’d be in lockdown by the end of September. He bet me it’d be by the end of August. He wins. But even though we were kind of mentally prepared for it, it’s still an UGH moment. Added to that is the fact we've been watching our

Results of genome sequencing are due back this morning. Auckland University Covid modelling expert Shaun Hendy told Kate Hawkesby it could tell us whether Auckland is in lockdown for seven days, or several weeks. "If the whole genome sequencing points us back to a known case, then there's a good chance we will be out of this in that time. Otherwise, the situation is very uncertain." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concerns Coromandel peninsula GP's will be inundated with people seeking a Covid-19 test.There are eight locations of interest in and around the western side.Coromandel District Councillor John Morrissey told Kate Hawkesby there are no testing stations on the Coromandel."I'm hoping the Ministry of Health will step up and we might get some testing stations. As for GPS, we haven'tthat many of them in town for a start and we don't want to overrun them with just testing."LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s never feels good to read about crime stats, especially when they’re getting as bad as they are in our CBDs, but even more so when it’s entirely preventable.“More than 1000 people have been assaulted in Auckland's CBD this year, many of whom have been randomly punched by strangers while enjoying a night out on the town,” according to the Herald.It reported new Police stats showing a sharp rise in violent crime in Auckland’s city centre.“A 63 per cent increase in assaults for the first five months of this year, compared with the same period in 2019."Basically a night in town these days could mean a night in hospital.We shouldn’t blithely accept this kind of thing as – oh well, times have changed.We should be safe in our cities, people should be able to go out at night and not end up at A&E.Of course, one of the factors is the scale up of inner city emergency housing and with that, an increase in anti-social behaviour.What worries me though is that it’s not just our CBDs; smaller, more localised shoppin

There's confidence our Government's working hard to get New Zealanders, and people who helped our Army, out of Afghanistan.Forty Defence Force staff are being sent to help with evacuations - possibly due to leave tomorrow.Former Labour MP Chris Carter, who worked for the UN in Afghanistan, told Kate Hawkesby Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's promised to send a Hercules to Kabul Airport as quickly as possible.He says the Government's identified who can come, and may include other at-risk people, like young female journalists.“If we can fill these up with people who face the real prospect of death in Afghanistan, and particularly people who have helped the New Zealand troops there, then I think we should get them out.”But things are becoming increasingly complicated - with all flights suspended in and out of Kabul at the moment.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Farmers are getting ready to make more noise over government regulations.Thousands of tractor-riding farmers brought their dogs to towns across New Zealand last month for the Howl of a Protest - against changes on freshwater and climate change mitigation.Groundswell New Zealand Co-organiser Laurie Paterson told Kate Hawkesby the Government has remained silent.“Perhaps James Shaw and David Parker that effectively said ‘we’re not going to change anything’, that’s it. We certainly haven’t heard from the Prime Minister.”Farmers will be out honking horns for two minutes around lunchtime for the next three Fridays.Another big protest is planned for November.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Warning: Distressing contentThousands of Afghans rushed into Kabul's main airport Monday, some so desperate to escape the Taliban that they held onto a military jet as it took off and plunged to their deaths. At least seven people died in the chaos, US officials said, as America's longest war ended with its enemy the victor.The crowds came while the Taliban enforced their rule over the capital of five million people after a lightning advance across the country that took just over a week to dethrone the country's Western-backed government. There were no major reports of abuses or fighting, but many residents stayed home and remained fearful after the insurgents' advance saw prisons emptied and armouries looted. Can’t believe my eyes. Men holding lower part of the US aircraft moments before it took off from #Kabul airport. pic.twitter.com/bT97WrNa12— Sudhir Chaudhary (@sudhirchaudhary) August 16, 2021 Across the nation, the International Committee of the Red Cross warned that thousands had been wounded in fi

Got my jab yesterday.And here’s the rub on that.It was easy as.No queues, no faffing around, very efficient, very slick, very well organised.The jab itself is a non-event – and no one is more needle phobic than me, so if I didn’t feel it, you certainly won’t.I was, to be perfectly honest with you, vaccine hesitant.I felt like I was in no rush to get it, I didn’t need it, I thought it was too rushed of a vaccine, and I didn’t need that in my body.I’m into holistic healthcare and alternative medicine.My husband joked with me that what was I expecting to do when and if Covid hit me, was I just going to rub myself in orange peel, he asked.I’m not sure why he’d think that given I’ve never rubbed myself in orange peel, but I took his point.  I wasn’t anti-vax, I just wasn’t in any hurry.But then a few things dawned on me.Well firstly Delta hit Australia and I thought, wait a minute.This is not good.This is a bit close to home, this is a bit out of control.But also, I realised, getting vaccinated was not actually ex

Another country, another top 10 finish for Lydia Ko. Whether it's the United States, France, Singapore, Japan or Scotland - it doesn't seem to matter when it comes to the form of the New Zealander.Ko blitzed her final round to finish tied for second at the Scottish Open at Dumbarnie Links in Fife, nine days after taking bronze at the Tokyo Olympics.Ko shot a nine-under par 63 which included seven birdies - and an eagle on the par four 17th. The world number nine finished at 14-under for the tournament, three strokes behind winner Ryann O'Toole from the United States.O'Toole became the sixth first-time winner of the 2021 season after shooting an eight-under 68.It is Ko's third second place of the year and her ninth top 10 finish. Five of those top 10 finishes have come in different countries.Ko went straight into the Scottish Open on the back of her bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics as she prepares for the British Open next week less than an hour away in Carnoustie.Her best finish at the British Open was tied

Afghanistan will be on the Government's agenda today.Taliban fighters have swept into the capital Kabul forcing thousands to flee the city, including Afghan's president.This morning's Cabinet meeting will discuss how New Zealand could potentially help evacuate civilians who helped this country in the past.Meanwhile, an international security expert doubts the United States or the UN, will ask us to send troops to Afghanistan.Massey University's Dr Negar Partow told Kate Hawkesby the circumstances are different for New Zealand's last deployment.“There needs to be a coalition of willing, there needs to be some kind of discussion for the UN level for any form of invasion or military engagement with Taliban, and I can't see any determination or will, even from Americans.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concerns our first responders are coming under attack more frequently.$13 million has already been paid out by ACC this year for assault-related injuries.More than 3000 ambulance staff reported being verbally or physically attacked last year.Ambulance Association Chairman Mark Quin told Kate Hawkesby it's not just ambulance staff.“There's the same sort of level of violence that's been experienced by emergency departments and nurses and doctors and even firemen attending incidents, particularly car accidents.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Afghan officials say embattled President Ashraf Ghani has fled the country as the Taliban moved further into Kabul.Two officials speaking on condition of anonymity as they weren't authorized to brief journalists told The Associated Press that Ghani flew out of the country. Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council, later confirmed Ghani had left in an online video."He left Afghanistan in a hard time, God hold him accountable," Abdullah said.Ghani's whereabouts and destination are currently unknown.Several news outlets are reporting the Taliban have taken over the Presidential Palace and Maulana Abdul Ghani has been declared as Afghanistan's new President.A Taliban official earlier said the group will declare the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan from the presidential palace in Kabul.That was the name of the country under the Taliban government ousted by US-led forces after the September 11, 2001, attacks. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised t

The Government's decision to start opening the border in the New Year is either a complete flip-flop or a deliberate tactic to scare us into getting vaccinated.For the past 18 months, the strategy has been to keep Covid out, whatever the cost.We've endured a total national lockdown, regional restrictions, worker shortages, family unable to come home and so on.And at the beginning, most of us were freaked out enough by what was happening overseas to go along with it.As time has gone on, people's willingness to go along with it has worn thin.We're over it.A lot of us will be very happy to see the borders opening, but the way it's come about seems bizarre.In one breath, you've got Chris Hipkins saying he hopes our Aussie mates - to quote him - get on top of their outbreak soon.But Hipkins doesn't expect to see the Aussie bubble operating again before the end of the year.Then you've got the PM saying we're opening to the world, people who've been vaccinated will be able to come and go pretty much as they please.A

Travel agents are feeling encouraged by the Government's roadmap to reopening our borders.It's introducing three-tiered risk pathways to get into New Zealand, from early next year.They will range from vaccinated travellers from low risk countries getting to skip isolation, to the unvaccinated or visitors from high risk countries having a 14-day stint in MIQ.Travel Agents Association president Brent Thomas told Tim Dower they're gearing up for lots of pent up demand, from people wanting to go to the United States and Europe to visit family.“And then also we’ll see the travel starting to pick up from next year, particularly as we start bookings for the winter season of 2022.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While New Zealand is looking to close its door to Fiji -- Fiji is looking to open its door to the world.All travel from Fiji and Indonesia to New Zealand will be banned from Monday morning, with an exception for New Zealand citizens and their parents, children and siblings.Fiji remains in the midst of a major outbreak -- with almost 40,000 cases and almost 350 deaths.But Tourism Fiji Chief Executive Brent Hill told Tim Dower case numbers are dropping, vaccinations are increasing, and Fiji could open to vaccinated travellers before the end of the year.“That won’t be for everybody, but certainly there are people that are up for coming and from Fiji’s perspective we do want to get back open again.”Indonesia's total case number has doubled in a month, to almost four million cases.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A mismatch in the workload, structure and staffing numbers of the country's Emergency Departments.They're revealed in a study published in today's New Zealand Medical Journal.The problems differ between bigger and smaller hospitals.Staffing is the main issue at larger urban hospitals - having enough doctors on at any one time; while at regional ones - space and ED beds are the biggest problem - then staffing if there's an ED surgeMedian wait times range from 13 minutes to more than an hour and a half.College of Emergency Nurses chair Sandy Richardson told Tim Dower we need to recognise EDs are under incredible pressure.“And there is variability in terms of waiting times, and it’s not just the geographical location, it’s also the fluctuations in work load across those EDs.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So yesterday we got a bit of blah blah basic arm waving around a potential roadmap out of Covid, but no hard and fast plan, no detail, no specifics.And that’s what business needs desperately, some surety, some certainty, some specifics.But details are not this Government’s forte, and they won't want to set a vaccination target they can't reach and then get politically punished for.So is the business sector in for a giant disappointment today?I mean, if yesterday is anything to go by, probably.It looks like we’ll keep the elimination strategy, which as David Seymour has said may well turn out to be the thing that started as our biggest strength and ends up our biggest weakness.I mean is it totally naïve and idealistic to think we can pull that off long term? Or are we just prolonging the inevitable? Do we really believe we could be one of the few countries in the world to keep Delta out, and stay virus free during a global pandemic?Or is that arrogant?I mean sure, we have some advantages, our whopping great mo

The ball is truly in the job seekers court.Job ads are up 88 per cent compared to this time last year.And it looks like job seekers are starting to make the most of this, with nearly two-thirds of job seekers wanting flexible hours, and half wanting flexibility over location.Jarrod Haar, professor of management at AUT, told Kate Hawkesby while job seekers are definitely in a strong position, they should not be overconfident.“I’ve heard from recruiters of candidates coming in and slapping a $10,000 raise on the table and if an organisation has two candidates to choose from, you may price yourself out of the market.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.