Kerre Woodham Mornings Podcast

I thought I'd start with the fact that Consumer NZ has come out and said that stranded Cook Strait ferry passengers have a strong case for payout. And the thing that astonished me when I heard that story, that passengers may have a case for claiming reimbursement after having their ferry trips cancelled, is that there's any question at all of there being compensation.   Interislander and Blubridge both operate ferries between the North and South Islands, but they have been beset with breakdowns and engine problems over the past few weeks. Some ferry sailings have had to be cancelled, and given that ferries are already booked to full capacity, that's meant huge expenses for many passengers. Some have had to abandon their cars, find somewhere, anywhere to park them -not necessarily a safe place, just anywhere, and then fly back a month later to pick them up. Others have had to find medium term accommodation while they wait for a place on the ferry. The small town of Picton has been overwhelmed trying to find rooms at the inn for stranded passengers and it's not the fault of the customers. I could maybe accept that if bad weather prevents the ferry sailing, well, that's just the way the cookie crumbles and you accept that as part of travel, safety first, you know you don't operate in bad weather, so that's fine. You suck it up and accept it. But if a ferry doesn't sail because of a mechanical breakdown because they've got an engine that's pakaru, that's on the company, surely to goodness.   Airlines have to compensate passengers for unplanned costs brought about by flight cancellations, they accept that. People have plans and if you disrupt those plans then there's going to be expense involved. But no, all ferry companies have to do is refund the price of the ticket, which simply does not seem fair; so many people have been affected by this. And again, if the ferries aren't sailing because they've got crusty old ferries that are breaking down, that’s on the company. They're selling a service. They're promising to provide a means of conveyance, and if they can't do it because of failings on their part then the costs of the passengers should be compensated.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listening to Adrian Orr, the Reserve Bank Governor this morning, you realise New Zealand is between a rock and a hard place. As a country, we need to rebuild and rebuild a more resistant, resilient infrastructure in the wake of Cyclone Gabriel, and indeed all the other cyclones that have hit this summer. And we're going to need to be looking at reinforcing existing infrastructure around the country. Gisborne, parts of Hawkes Bay, Coromandel, the far north and parts of Auckland have been devastated this time around. Next time, it could just as easily be another part of the country that's in the line of fire of the next weather event. It's going to cost and it's going to cost billions. We've already spent billions insulating the country against the effects of Covid, or more aptly, Covid lockdowns. Now we have a huge task ahead to try to help devastated communities recover from the effects of the numerous cyclones, but more specifically, Gabrielle and to future proof the rest of the country. So how are we going to pay for it? There are two choices. We either borrow, or we tax. The Reserve Bank is trying to get inflation under control after the boom of the Covid recovery spending. Yesterday, it raised the OCR the wholesale rate at which banks can borrow money from 4.25 percent to 4.75 percent. There were also predictions that, along with the rest of the world, inflation would begin to get under control by mid-2024 as unemployment rises. However, if the Government opts to borrow to spend up big on the cyclone recovery, it will pump cash into the economy. And as we saw with the Covid spending that will make it harder to keep inflation under control. Alternatively, if taxes were hiked up to pay for the recovery, that wouldn't be very popular. If the Government cuts back on its spending, that’s not particularly appealing to the Government. That's a reprioritisation of money and won't be inflationary. Now, neither option really is appealing to any political party. Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr says it's not up to him to make a recommendation; it's purely a political decision. Like everyone else, he's waiting to see which way the Government jumps So what is the more fiscally sensible thing to do? What option would you prefer? I don't particularly want to see a hike in taxes, I'd much prefer to see the Government cut back on much of its spending A) because it's leading by example B) because I believe there's a lot of fat in the system. We will all have to pay at some point. I'd really rather not borrow given the billions that were spent on Covid. I'd rather we find it within our own budget if we can, but it's going to be expensive and it is not just the areas that have been hard hit by successive Cyclones, culminating this time around in Gabriel. We are going to have to make all of New Zealand more resistant to weather events in the years ahead. All of us, and we're all going to have to pay for that. How do we do it?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the past week, there has been much discussion around how the Government should fund our Cyclone Gabrielle recovery, and whether we should be shoring up existing infrastructure in anticipation of more weather events occurring. Do we borrow? Do we tax? Do we reprioritise spending? In light of the Cyclone disaster, Finance Minister Grant Robertson yesterday left the door open to a review of the Government's no new taxes policy. To discuss, Robert Macculloch, the Matthew S. Abel Professor of Macroeconomics at University of Auckland joined Kerre Woodham. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yesterday, in light of the many phone calls, texts and emails I had, we put in a call with Police Comms asking whether they had someone willing to address the concerns that many people in Hawkes Bay have, regarding looting and general lawlessness. They're trying to get someone, obviously they're very, very busy, and at least emailed back to say they would do their best to get someone on this morning.   As I said yesterday, where there is a vacuum, where there's a lack of communication with the outside world, stories can spread and in that spreading misinformation can grow. We’ve heard the stories of hundreds of bodies piled up around the district, but there is no evidence yet of that. It's in nobody's best interest to deny the fact that people have died, because we know that men, women and children have been killed in this devastating flood after the river burst its banks. We know there may well be more as the clean-up and recovery continues. Who benefits from keeping secret the fact that people have died in the flood? Nobody.  There is no political gain. There's no conspiracy, there's no cover up, there's nothing to see here, just the tragedy of people losing their lives in a flash flood. So there are some egregious tall tales doing the rounds.   But yesterday, we had people ringing up, incensed by the Police Commissioner's comments that crime was pretty much on a par with crime that's normally committed in the community. Andrew Coster said family harm incidents were the most prevalent and that if anybody had any information regarding thefts and looting, they should contact the police. He pointed out that many of the stories Police do investigate are found to be just that, stories. Like the Gun City one; that it had been looted, that is not true. But explain the callers and texters and emailers to me then? They can't all be hysterical. And what would the motivation be? People are tense. People are stressed. People are worried. But I'm not entirely sure all of them are wrong when they say that they are getting car loads of people coming out to scope damaged property in remote areas. I'm getting flashbacks to the Covid response, when the Ministry of Health and the Prime Minister assured every one there was plenty of PPE to go around.   There are mongrels out there, complete and utter mongrels. Is this business as usual? Is this, oh well, you just kind of expect this level of crime at any given time, right? All I know is that when the Police Commissioner says we have a strong police presence in the Hawke’s Bay region, that there's no extreme lawlessness and it's basically just the same level of crime as you'd expect, that's not what the people are feeling. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Somebody who is on the ground in Hawke's Bay is Superintendent Jeanette Park, the Eastern District commander. Superintendent Park joined Kerre Woodham Mornings and was asked whether she could understand the disconnect between what people are hearing from the Police Commissioner and and what they're experiencing. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The New Zealand Red Cross fundraiser for Cyclone Gabrielle relief, backed by NZ Herald and NZME, has reached $5 million thanks to the donations of generous Kiwis. As there have been enquires as to how to donate and what the money goes to, Kerre decided to get the details straight from the horse’s mouth. Secretary General of the New Zealand Red Cross Sarah Stuart-Black, also known as Norm, joined Kerre to give listeners the information they’re after. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Focus is shifting on to how to rebuild infrastructure after the cyclone. The Government announced yesterday an initial 300 million dollar emergency package, 250 million for roads and 50 for businesses. Rebuilding costs have been estimated to reach as high as eight billion dollars. Infrastructure Commission Chief Executive, Ross Copeland, told Kerre Woodham this first package is pragmatic. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are so many stories of courage and community spirit in the wake of crises here and around the world, unfortunately, chaos brings out the worst in people too. Various chapters of the Mongrel Mob have made much over recent years of the fact that they are community leaders. That they have formed brotherhoods because there is nothing for them in normal society. They say they aren't necessarily criminals, many of them have jobs and pay their taxes, they look after their families, they deserve a seat at the table. The Government took some of the Mongrel Mob bosses at their word. Many of them have turned up at hui that have been put on at different marae around the country. The Government gave Harry Tam nearly $3 million for a meth rehab program, the results of which are equivocal. Now when the chips are down, we can see what sort of men make up the Mongrel Mob. Committing everyday crime is bad enough. Committing crime when a community is at its most vulnerable is utterly despicable. That's why looters are shot overseas. So many people have banded together to help each other out, but so many people have also taken advantage of the natural disaster in Hawkes Bay to loot people of their possessions. And it's not just one or 2, 59 people have already been arrested.  So really, the gangs simply cannot claim to have any legitimacy whatsoever. Anybody who bought the line that they have a right to be part of society, hearing Stuart Nash say some people bought into that … you did as Police Minister, as a member of the Government, you bought into that. Let's work with them so we can reach the people during Covid. Let's work with them so they can reach the hard-to-get people who are addicts. You bought into it, Stuart. I don't think many other people did. Anybody, who has bought the line that they have a right to be part of society, that they actually represent a legitimate constituency will have to accept that it's simply not true. They might argue, oh, look, we can't be responsible for all our members, we're trying. Sure, fine. But where are the voices of the gang leaders saying that they condemn this behaviour? That they will stop it among their own ranks? Not one of them has come forward to condemn the actions of their members. Not one of them deserves to be treated as a legitimate member of this community, of this society. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Parts of Auckland remain without power, despite Vector's website and app showing there was no fault. Newstalk ZB Mornings host Kerre Woodham found this out when investigating for caller John yesterday. He has been without phone or power for days in Kaukapakapa and was struggling for information.   To update the situation, Vector Chief Executive Simon Mackenzie  "We'd just like to reiterate, the crews are out there, they've been doing an amazing amount of work, we have to watch fatigue with them. We also want to reinforce that everyone at Vector and out there in the field are doing everything they can to get customers back on." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With floods, a cyclone and earthquakes, people are naturally more distressed than usual. So how do we cope with extra anxiety? Dr Kirsty Ross, a senior Clinical Psychologist at Massey University, joined Kerre Woodham. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.