Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

Cyclone-affected regions are bracing for yet another round of heavy rain. MetService has issued a heavy rain watch for the Gisborne District north of Tolaga Bay until 6am Tuesday. There's also a heavy rain watch for the Coromandel Peninsula until 3am Tuesday. Gisborne District Mayor Rehette Stoltz told Kate Hawkesby that every bout of rain makes the East Coast's issues even worse. The Government's providing 25-million dollars in grants to address the immediate cashflow needs of businesses in affected regions. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At least 58 migrants have died after their wooden boat sank in rough seas off the southern coast of Italy. It was carrying around 150 people when it hit rocks and broke apart near a seaside town in the Calabria region. One of the more than 80 people who survived has been arrested on migrant trafficking charges. Europe correspondent Gavin Grey told Kate Hawkesby that it's another unfortunate case of people losing their lives fleeing conflict zones to get to Europe. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I was very pleased to see that the second series of ‘’Clarkson’s Farm” has broken Amazon viewing records to become one of the most watched shows in the UK.  The very same UK that we heard was cancelling Clarkson due to his comments about Meghan Markle. So I regard this as, one, smart viewership by people drawn to quality programming, and two, a figurative flick of the bird to cancel culture.  The show is brilliant. It‘s beautifully shot, extremely well put together, cleverly scripted (by Jeremy Clarkson himself) and shows the bureaucratic bungling nightmare of local councils. It shines a light on the plight of farmers in general and is just wonderful family-friendly enjoyable content. My only complaint about it is there are not enough episodes for each season.  So how is it possible that off the back of a poorly worded column about Meghan Markle and calls for Clarkson’s sacking, that rumours abounded of his demise? Amazon would not be continuing with him, media told us, ITV would most likely dump him as well,

As my son marched off for a lung X-ray for a chest infection yesterday, I wondered just how dire the health system was going to get this winter.  As the weather starts to cool, many are picking up change-of-season coughs and colds and when I look at what happened in post-Covid winters overseas, I worry about how bad it might get here too.  Health NZ says it’s ‘bracing’ for a tough winter. But it’s not just sickness that may come our way which is worrying, but our ability to cope with it. There is the state of our hospitals, the workforce of frontline health workers, the shortage of nurses, the overworked doctors and the lack of GP’s in many regions. It was reported that Health NZ’s Chair Rob Campbell was warning that ‘the reformed health system was still grappling with ‘systemic problems’ that would affect the level of service it could give in the colder months.’ Systemic problems. Why are they not being identified immediately and the troubleshooting to fix it underway?  Remember the waiting time debacle last

More heavy rain is expected in the Gisborne District and Hawke's Bay today and further flooding, slips, power outages and evacuations are possible. Both regions remain under an Orange Heavy Rain warning until tomorrow morning. In Gisborne District, 64 households in the Tokomaru Bay township and Mangahauini River catchment have been evacuated to the local marae and whanau overnight. In Hawke's Bay, Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise told Kate Hawkesby police are continuing patrols and flyovers, around the clock. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The judge overseeing the Gloriavale employment trial is set to visit the reclusive Christian group today. Judge Christina Inglis will tour the community in person to better understand the testimonies being presented in court. Six former Gloriavale women claim they were effectively born into and kept in servitude - by being forced to work long days with no breaks and very little food or water. Herald senior reporter, Anna Leask told Kate Hawkesby Gloriavale's leaders actually invited Judge Inglis. She says they want the judge to see what changes have been made to everyday life in the community. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ukraine is ramping up security ahead of the first anniversary of Russia's invasion. It has been called the largest air, sea and ground conflict in Europe since World War Two. UN figures show at least eight thousand civilians have died so far. World Vision's Chris Palusk told Kate Hawkesby there's a tense feeling on the ground and Ukrainians are exhausted. The New Zealand Government has announced another round of sanctions against 87 prominent Russians, the second largest group yet. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of my fondest memories of living in London was how keen they were to hire Kiwis. My girlfriend and I rocked up to job interviews with minimal practical skills as university graduates, and not much ‘real world’ experience under our belts. They didn’t care.  New Zealanders ‘had a reputation’ they told us, for being hard workers, we got snapped up at every job we went for. And it wasn’t hard to figure out why, after a few weeks in.  The work culture there at the time was so laid back, so seemingly ‘pro-breaks’ and anti-too-much hard slog.  I’ll never forget arriving at work one morning worried about how late my train had been running, and racing in to find I was still the only person in the office by 9am. By 10.30am, coats were being donned and people were heading back out the door. “Where’s everyone going?” I naively asked.  “Morning tea,” they replied. I couldn’t believe it. Morning tea was a full half hour break, having only spent just under an hour and a half at work. Then they’d break again at lunch – a

Questions have been asked as to what the impact of the Official Cash Rate hike is going to be on mortgages. The Reserve Bank lifted it by 50 basis points to 4.75 percent on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the banks are supposedly discounting one and two-year fixed rates, but it's behind closed doors. Financial advisor Sue Tierney joined Kate Hawkesby to explain. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealanders could be hiding hundreds of dollars in their wardrobes. That's according to TradeMe's annual Circular Economy report, which shows Kiwis are selling old clothes for big bucks. These items reportedly add up to around $300 million nationwide. TradeMe's marketing director Sally Feinson joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pressure on the Government to get an upcoming probe into forestry slash wrapped up as early as possible. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins is expected to announce the inquiry during a visit to Hawke's Bay today. It's expected to take two months, but Federated Farmers wants it done sooner as weather events become more frequent. Spokesperson Toby Williams told Kate Hawkesby we've needed solutions for a long time. He says Tolaga Bay in 2018 should've been our wake up call, and with hail and Cyclone Gabrielle within a month - they need to move quickly. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s a big disconnect happening at the moment between government and locals in the Hawkes Bay area over what’s really going on.  The Police Commissioner and the PM were both on Mike’s show yesterday saying the reports of looting are just not true, that it’s all the stuff of rumour and gossip, and that it’s unsubstantiated. But then you have the locals. They’re irate, arguably more irate after hearing the denial of it from government, and saying it is very real, it is definitely happening and they’re traumatized by it.  One Esk Valley local said if the Police Commissioner doesn’t think it’s happening how about he come down and do a night patrol with him and see it for himself. Others have said they’re watching the looting, crimes and theft unfold right in front of them. We know of people so scared they’ve left town. So which is it? I’d argue you have to believe the people at the coal face surely? Those on the ground, living it, feeling it, surely they’re the ones we have to take seriously not government off

A petition is being launched today called Barbie's Bill, calling for living wills to be recognised in a patient's advanced care plan. Barbie Duffy died after 58 days of refusing food and water. She gave consent to die if she suffered an event causing irreversible mental or physical loss. It wasn't followed and there is currently not requirement for doctors to do so. Act Party leader David Seymour joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ravensdown is staying committed to Hawke's Bay and remaining a major employer in the region, despite flood damage to its plant. It's joining forestry company Pan Pac in committing to a rebuild rather than moving elsewhere. The two businesses employ around 600 people in the area. Ravensdown CEO Gary Diack joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The latest Official Cash Rate announcement is coming later today and it's expected to lift 50 basis points to 4.75 per cent. That's much lower than the original prediction of 5.5 per cent, but still a jump from the current 4.25 per cent. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen joined Kate Hawkesby. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cyclone-ravaged businesses are set to lean on the Government for cashflow support. Business NZ Chief Executive Kirk Hope says that the 50 million dollar package is great, but businesses need more help through things like a wage subsidy. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A lukewarm response to the Government's crackdown on truancy. 82 new attendance officer roles are being created to help address dwindling school attendance in a 74-million dollar package. Their job will be to work with students with high absenteeism, and around three-thousand kids are expected to benefit. Secondary Principals' Association President, Vaughan Couillault told Kate Hawkesby that anything is better than nothing, but with two thousand-seven-hundred schools, the numbers aren't huge. He says he acknowledges the financial times we're in, and even two officers are better than none. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Hipkins is getting credit for his handling of the cyclone and I think that’s fair enough. Newly into the role of PM and he’s had to hit the ground running —literally— with a crisis. To be fair though, in the immediate aftermath of a disaster an elected leader does get a free kick. All you have to do is be present and visible, have a ton of empathy and own the communication around the media updates. Labour did this during Covid, and now they’re doing it again.  But —and here’s the rub— that halo effect can fade as failings in the response from public and private entities start to surface. The longer there’s no power or access, the worse the looting and the gangs get, then the worse this whole thing gets for the government.  People have an enormous amount of scope, patience and understanding in the direct aftermath – but the longer it goes on, the more that patience fades. Add to that, contributory negligence like bureaucrats squabbling over whose responsible – Council arguing with Waka Kotahi, local gove

Someone wrote to me over the weekend and made a really good point after I talked about the resilience of people last Friday.  They said it was true, that often times a disaster can bring out the best in people or —as we're seeing with the looters— the worst, in some cases. But they made the point that a part of that optimistic and resilient nature also prevents us from complaining because we don’t want to appear as whingers when there’s always someone worse off.  But as a result of that, they pointed out, the focus can shift away from questions that need to be asked. And as a resident of Hawkes Bay, these were his questions: what are the three things you need to be working in a disaster? Communications, power and roads, he said. What failed in Hawkes Bay, and continues to fail in many parts: communications, power and roads.  His point was that in a disaster area when a civil emergency is invoked, why is it that one phone network could run and the other could not? He asked why phone companies were not forced t

Parts of the Wairoa District look to have been hit harder by Cyclone Gabrielle than others. Mayor Craig Little says that residents are currently living in a town of two halves. He says some people are living as normal, while others have homes that are still underwater. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.