Episodios

  • Tania Tapsell: Rotorua Mayor on the turnaround of the city and reduction in emergency housing

    Tania Tapsell: Rotorua Mayor on the turnaround of the city and reduction in emergency housing
    Jul 26 2024

    Rotorua's Mayor says the city is turning around its problems with emergency housing motels.

    Resource consent applications are being sent to the Rotorua Lakes Council for seven motels for up to 549 people in 186 units.

    The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development says it intends to stop referring people to emergency housing by July next year.

    Mayor Tania Tapsell told Kerre Woodham there's been a definite change during her time in office.

    She says there's been a 60% reduction in emergency housing motels .

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    8 m
  • Kerre Woodham: Thank heavens for the bravery of those who spoke at the Abuse in Care inquiry

    Kerre Woodham: Thank heavens for the bravery of those who spoke at the Abuse in Care inquiry
    Jul 25 2024
    For those older survivors of abuse in state and church care, I wonder if you ever, ever thought this day would come? When you could tell your story without fear of being further beaten and abused and called a liar. When you would be listened to and believed and told that the fault for what has happened to you, the grievous hurt that you have suffered, is not your fault. It's the fault of sadistic, depraved adults who should never have been put in the position of looking after vulnerable children. It's the fault of organisations that were so hell bent on protecting their holy reputations, that rather than punishing the abuser, they just sent him away, giving them new opportunities to hurt and destroy the lives of more young children. When you look at your own children or grandchildren, 7-year-old boys and girls – look at them - they are beautiful humans. Half baby, half child but you can see the full adult they're starting to become. So full of potential, so full of promise and they love life and they love you, and they trust you, and you wonder how on Earth any adult could betray that trust and brutally hurt the bodies and souls of those children? Well wonder no more. 2944 pages of evidence will tell you exactly how adults did that. It's the largest and most complex inquiry ever held in New Zealand, and thank you to all of those who took part. The Commission members, which must have been a grueling job and the witnesses. The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care was six years in the making. And every page is a page of families. Families in the first instance, who either neglected their children, couldn't be bothered with their children, abused their children sufficiently, that the state intervened, and then in came the institutions and the churches. And they all failed these beautiful, vulnerable young people they were supposed to be protecting. The report was released to the public yesterday afternoon. It contains 138 recommendations and Parliament acknowledged receipt of the report, with speakers from across the House: “We like to think that abuse like this doesn't happen here in Aotearoa, New Zealand but it did, and it is a shameful chapter of our history that we must confront. And Mr. Speaker, this is a dark and sorrowful day in New Zealand's history. And it's important that as a country, we bring to the surface and we understand the hard truths of what happened so we can try and move forward together. And I say to the survivors, the burden is no longer yours to carry alone. The state is now standing here beside you, accountable and ready to take action.” That was Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. This is leader of the opposition Chris Hipkins: “Mr. Speaker, I want to address the Prime Minister and thank him for his words. Our government set up this inquiry and we made some changes. We changed the redress rules on an interim basis and we did set up the Survivor Experiences Board, but Prime Minister, we didn't do enough. And the ball now falls to you and your Government. This must be bigger than politics. Mr. Speaker, we owe it to the survivors and to future generations to finally deliver justice, and to finally end the ongoing abuse that happens in state care. This work will extend beyond the life of any one government, so we should work together to make sure that happens.” Which is quite true. And finally, Minister in Charge of the Crown Response to the Abuse in Care Inquiry, Erica Stanford: “These are our most vulnerable and damaged tamariki, and this report tells us today that we must do better. And as a government, we are committed to delivering our response to the report with the respect and dignity it deserves. But today is about the survivors. Today we hear your stories. Today we acknowledge your bravery. And your bravery will not only correct the historic record, but it will determine our future. You are brave, we acknowledge you and we thank you.” The report is really, really important and it has to be a lesson of what not to do in the future. In the first instance, it is families who are failing these children. If families were doing a good job, if families could protect their own children, they wouldn't need to be taken away from them. And as we have seen, there are woeful families committing grievous harm on their children every single day. Oranga Tamariki is worked off its feet and failing miserably as an organisation, despite the best will of the social welfare workers, so the lessons from the past must be taken into the future because we haven't fixed anything. The only good thing that's happened in the past 50 or 60 years is that people can speak up now. When I was growing up it was just starting to change, but when I was growing up the doctor, the policeman, the principal, the priest, they were believed. They were respected members of the community and if you had said that ...
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    10 m
  • Kerre Woodham: Exactly what kind of work will Darleen Tana do now?

    Kerre Woodham: Exactly what kind of work will Darleen Tana do now?
    Jul 24 2024

    So there she was yesterday, 2pm House of Parliament, one Darleen Tana.

    Bold as brass as Sister Mary Claire would have said, sitting up the back in the naughty girl's seat lonely as Herb Alpert’s bull.

    Well, until the leader of Te Pati Maori came by and dropped a hongi on her, or them sorry, she's now a they/them, because she never walks alone.

    So the leader of Te Pati Maori came by, dropped the hongi on the lonely bull, but after that they were on their own. Alone. Powerless. Party-less. And as useless as the tits on the aforementioned Herb Alpert's lonely bull.

    To recap, Darleen Tana was elected as a list MP for the Greens, she was stood down while an investigation was conducted and to what they knew of migrant exploitation in their husband's business and what she had divulged to the Green Party.

    They spent longer on leave than they did on the job, and when the review was finally completed, they resigned before they could be sacked by the Green Party.

    Their party urged them to shove off out of Parliament completely, as did Labour leader Chris Hipkins, but no. Darleen Tana played fast and loose, refused to say whether they would resign from Parliament, and the will they/won’t they question was finally settled, it appears, when they plonked themselves in the back row of the parliamentary chamber as an independent MP.

    “They have work to do,” they said. “I'm here now and doing the mahi as long as this place allows me,” were the exact words. “It's been a long time out and I've been very keen to do the mahi. I'm pleased to be back and I'm determined to continue serving the people,” which is all very noble.

    But exactly what kind of work will they do? Sam, Mike Hosking’s producer, said they replied by text to that question with “I'm honestly just keen to knuckle down and get on with the work. I'm determined to do oceans' protection justice. Thx again for reaching out.”

    So, oceans' protection justice. Well, heavens knows the oceans need protecting. There also might be a wee bit of self-interest at play here.

    Now that Tana’s husband, Christian Hoff Nielsen can no longer bring home the Danish pastries given his business has gone into liquidation, someone has to be earning a crust.

    I would have thought, given Ms Tana’s impressive resume, and despite the hoo-hah over their ignominious, albeit brief time in Parliament, she'd be able to find a good paying job somewhere, but it appears not. Might be hard work finding a job when you've already got one.

    Possession is nine-tenths of the law, and if you've planted your buttocks to the back of a leather seat in the parliamentary chamber, good as gold, you’ve got the job. They are staying put. And do you know what for the next 2 1/2 years, we will get the benefit of Ms Tana’s mahi on oceans' protection justice. Lucky, lucky oceans, lucky, lucky Kiwis.

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    5 m
  • John MacDonald: Is it time for a zero-alcohol limit?

    John MacDonald: Is it time for a zero-alcohol limit?
    Jul 23 2024

    I heard a shocking story about someone who went out on Saturday night and, over the course of about five hours, polished off a bottle of wine.

    They didn’t share it with someone else or with other people. A bottle of wine is what this person, themselves, drunk over about five hours while they were at some do, some party.

    Then guess what this person did? They got in their car to drive home. And this is one reason why I think we need to stop messing around when it comes to drink-driving, and why I think we need to have a zero-alcohol limit.

    Because talk about a lottery. Taking a chance. This person obviously thought ‘oh, I’m fine. Yeah, I’ve drunk a bit but, you know, it was over the space of five hours, all good’, and away they went.

    So, what happened on their way home? Yep - they got pulled over by the cops and breath tested, which came back with a zero-alcohol reading and this person said ‘thank you officer, good night’, and drove the rest of the way home.

    The same weekend, another driver thought they could do exactly the same, except they weren’t quite so “lucky”.

    This other person got behind the wheel, was stopped by the cops, they did a breath test on him, and he had a breath-alcohol reading that was nearly 10-times the legal limit.

    He was in Cromwell and blew more than 2,000 milligrams of alcohol per litre of breath. The legal limit in New Zealand is 250. If you’re under 20, it’s zero. And I’m in no doubt it should be zero for everybody.

    As the police are saying today, it is “absurd and dangerous” what these people are doing —driving after drinking so much alcohol— and who could argue with that?

    I remember when John Key’s government reduced the alcohol limit for driving and how, pretty much overnight, everyone I knew was so much more cautious. In fact, I remember people deciding then that they just wouldn’t drive even if they’d had just one drink. They didn’t think it was worth the risk of getting caught.

    But I don’t think that level of vigilance has stuck.

    The other thing too is when you have a legal alcohol limit —whatever it is— it’s still pretty hard for people to decide whether they should be stepping-in and stopping someone from driving.

    Sure, if someone’s slurring their words or staggering around the place, it’s pretty obvious. A lot of the time, though, who would know whether or not someone’s ok to drive? Unless you or they have kept a written record of the intake, again - it’s just a guessing game.

    But if we had a zero-alcohol limit, it would be easy. “You’ve had at least one drink mate, you’re not driving”. No arguments. Easy.

    Now I love a beer or a glass of wine. I also like to think that I know when I should or shouldn’t be driving after I’ve had a drink. Even so, it’s still a bit of a guessing game, isn’t it? Because no one ever really knows.

    And it is possible to go out and not drink. A mate of mine was having a party out of town and I had to drive out there myself.

    So I didn’t drink. I had some no alcohol beers —which were pretty sweet and nowhere near as enjoyable as what I might normally drink— but I made a plan and stuck to it.

    Which is what we would do if it was illegal for anyone to drive with any alcohol at all in their system. And what harm would there be in that?

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    5 m
  • Dan Mitchinson: US correspondent says many donors were unconvinced at Biden, now we'll see if they'll back Harris

    Dan Mitchinson: US correspondent says many donors were unconvinced at Biden, now we'll see if they'll back Harris
    Jul 21 2024

    Kamala Harris could make history if the Democratic Party follows through in giving her the reigns.

    Joe Biden's publicly endorsed his Vice President for the presidential nomination after deciding to end his campaign.

    She could be the first Black woman and Asian-American to lead the ticket of a major political party.

    Uncertainty had been circling since last month's debate about whether Biden would stay in the race.

    US correspondent Dan Mitchinson told John MacDonald many donors had taken a step back - unconvinced Biden would be able to beat Donald Trump.

    “They don’t want to back a losing horse, so I think they were waiting to get their chequebooks out to see what he’s going to do, and now we’ll see if they’re willing to back Kamala Harris.”

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    6 m
  • Kerre Woodham: It's all about timing when it comes to sanctions

    Kerre Woodham: It's all about timing when it comes to sanctions
    Jul 19 2024
    It's no surprise really, given that National campaigned on getting tough on work-shy beneficiaries, that benefit sanctions have increased more than 50% since the same time last year. Last year Louise Upston said should National become the government, they would make it crystal clear to those who were receiving the job seeker benefit, what their obligations were and what the consequences would be if they refuse to do their bit. So there were 10,389 sanctions issued in the June quarter, up 3,630 or 53.7% compared to June last year, mainly for not attending appointments and failing to prepare for work. The National Party has a traffic light system for those on Jobseeker Benefit to make clear the consequences of not fulfilling their obligations. Green light - you're good to go. You're compliant with finding and preparing for work. You receive your benefit as normal. The government doesn't interfere in your life. Anyone on an orange light is at some risk. These are clients who have received one or two warnings, that they aren't fulfilling their obligations, so they might have to do more frequent check-ins with WINZ, not necessarily in person - you can have phone check ins, or computer check ins, or do mandatory training. If you're high risk, you've had three chances and a number of sanctions can be applied to these people, including either cutting or suspending the benefit, subjecting them to money management, or making them do community work. Money management is a new sanction. WINZ would pay the person's rent, bills and debt directly, puts some of the benefit into the bank account and then add the rest to a special card that could only be used for food and groceries at approved stores. People might not like that level of interference, but that will only happen after you have had three or more warnings. Green Party spokesperson for Social Development and Employment Ricardo Menendez March spoke to Jack Tame last night and said the benefits sanctions will hurt people already struggling to make ends meet and it will limit their chances of getting out of poverty. “Benefit sanctions have not been shown to work, so I think just peddling with the same failed approach won't actually help anyone, and it's also quite rich for the government to be kicking people off work, cutting jobs, and pushing people onto a benefit, while at the same time doubling down on punishment and yet not being able to substantiate the millions of dollars that go into these works seminars that have not shown to help people into good work. We've got plenty of reports that show that people get just pushed into casual jobs that end up costing more in childcare, that are insecure as well.” That was the Greens Ricardo Menendez March talking to Jack Tame on the drive show last night. I would like to know if he's right? Are the work seminars a complete and utter waste of time? Because if they are, then let's not keep doing that. We've learned that that if something doesn't work, if something isn't getting the desired result and you can measure that, then we stop it. We don't go throwing good money after bad. So, if the work seminars are not worthwhile and they're not meaningful, what is the point? And perhaps you have been on a work seminar in the immediate aftermath of Covid, when people suddenly found themselves without a job, you might have had to go to a work seminar or have some counselling over the phone. Does it help you find another job, look at another career? Also, in politics it's all about timing and I totally support getting tough on people who choose not to work, who are able to work and choose not to, when employers are screaming for staff. People like BBQ man and Nature Boy who think we're the idiots for getting up and going to work and paying our taxes while they refuse to take work because they are better than the jobs being offered them, they are superior humans, they're worth more than the money being offered and the job being offered. I mean, nobody else thinks that apart from them, but they will continue to take their BBQ to the beach and have a lovely time on a glorious day while we're at work, or whistle through the wheat fields in and the forests, communing with nature and hugging trees and listening to the birds and pitying us for going to work and providing the taxes that pay for their benefits. They grind my gears and I'd love to see them go under the oak and go to a bloody, pointless seminar. But like I say, it's all about timing to come out swinging about sanctions, when people are suffering through job losses and a recession when there are people who would love to be working and paying the mortgage and putting the food on the table but they can't because they've lost their jobs through an engineered recession... seems a bit cruel. You lose a bit of the impact with your talk of sanctions and your talk of getting people back into work when people at the moment can't, precisely because ...
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    7 m
  • Ashley Church: Property Commentator on falling inflation and banks cutting their home loan rates

    Ashley Church: Property Commentator on falling inflation and banks cutting their home loan rates
    Jul 18 2024

    The tide could be turning for those looking to buy a home.

    High interest rates are dropping, ANZ dropping its home loan rates amid falling inflation and a softened tone from the Reserve Bank.

    Westpac dropped their rates a week prior, cutting its 6, 12, and 18-month home loan rates.

    Property Commentator Ashley Church told Kerre Woodham it’s good news for the housing market.

    He said he didn’t expect much would happen prior to November, since banks have been following the rhetoric from the Reserve Bank, keeping rates high.

    Church said Banks have clearly decided that enough is enough, and are taking a step out.

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    8 m
  • Kerre Woodham: Give me pragmatism over idealism any day

    Kerre Woodham: Give me pragmatism over idealism any day
    Jul 17 2024
    The Government is no longer on track to meet its third emissions budget according to projections, and unless we meet those Paris commitments, billions of dollars could be sent offshore to pay for international climate mitigation. We failed to meet our budget. We failed to complete the plan and therefore we will be punished. Very bad news. But guess what? As of December 2023, not a single G20 country had policies in place that are consistent with their own commitments to the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global heating to 1.5% and meeting their fair share of emissions reductions. Eight G20 countries would be rated as critically insufficient, which is just woeful and pathetic, and we can't expect anything of them - that would be Argentina, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Turkey, Canada, Mexico and Indonesia. Some of those are very wealthy countries. Some of those have resources that they could put towards addressing the climate emergency. Have they done so? Nope, haven't even looked like it. Critically insufficient. It means their climate policies and commitments reflect minimal to no action. You know, you could understand it if we're talking about a country in the developing world that has been unable to meet its climate change commitments. You know, it's a lot to put in infrastructure to change the way you heat communities or the way you get energy to a community. So you could imagine countries in developing parts of the world. But no. Canada, quite wealthy South Korea, pretty wealthy too. Mexico and Indonesia, no, they don't care. It's the only thing you can draw from that really. Then we've got China, Brazil, Australia, the EU and the UK - they're highly insufficient. So they haven't done enough either. Way off target. So when we hear that we're really bad and we've failed to meet our budget and what a dreadful country of polluters we are, we're not alone on the naughty step. And it doesn't mean, of course, that we shouldn't be doing all we reasonably can to reduce harmful emissions. It doesn't mean that we just stick two fingers and go you know what, we're not going to follow the best science and we're not going to follow the best practice we're just going to pollute away. It doesn't mean that at all, and certainly the Government doesn't have its head in the sand. “We've tried to do as much as we can to simplify this plan. Our plan this time is shorter. It's more concise. It's focused on the big dots that are going to move us in the right direction, and that's around doubling renewables. It's about the work that we're doing around giving farmers a tool to reduce emissions in the ag space. And you know, we're confident that our plan is going to allow us to get to the targets that we're seeing. It's going to be challenging, but we're being pragmatic around the process to get there.” Beautiful word, pragmatic. There it is. Pragmatism. Fabulous. It really gets my goat that you've got children who are hysterical because they believe the world will be in flames as a result of what heartless, thoughtless, crass generations have done. And yet, actually, the planet itself will be fine. We might pollute our own selves out of existence a few turns of the earth ahead. But seriously when they are shouting in the streets about what we need to do and how this is the nuclear moment and let's all get out there ... seriously, the key word in what Simon Watts was saying was pragmatic. Let's do all we reasonably can. The sentence in the story that resonated with me too is that the government is keen to ensure reducing emissions does not come at the expense of growth. We just have to do it smarter. We can do it. We don't have to do it in the old ways, children, but we don't hobble ourselves. Because if we want to pay the police more, we need to be wealthier. We want better hospitals, as a country, we have to earn more, and handicapping ourselves right now to look virtuous in the eyes of the world, who do not care, it will not serve us well. You could have the young people looking at Scandinavia. They've got women on the boards and they've got equality within society and they're highly taxed. Yeah, because they're really, really highly waged. Everybody lauds the Scandinavian countries as being the gold standard on almost every indicator worth measuring, from public health to educational attainment, to social well-being, the Scandinavians have got it on. And that's because they've grown wealthy on extractive industries. They used to be primitive. They used to be subsistence-type economies. Until they realised hang on a minute, we've got stuff that people want. And their economic success is basically based on extractive industries. Norway's oil, Sweden's iron ore, Finland's forests, huge carbon footprints but what the hey? They're wealthy. They're generous. Their people, have a great time. They enjoy high educational wellbeing, they enjoy superior health outcomes cause they're rich. And ...
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    7 m