Kerre Woodham Mornings Podcast

We've been talking about this for what seems like months now, young people involved in brazen daylight and midnight robberies and getting away scot free.According to the Herald's Jane Phare, young people have turned away from robbing dairies because dairy owners are now locking up vapes and cigarettes, so the only takings to be had are lollies, biscuits and drinks. That’s a lot of effort for very little reward.They realize they can target high end goods at shopping malls like clothing, electrical goods and stuff they can flog off easily at the back of a truck. I thought the appeal was getting brownie points with their gang of choice. Look at what I can do. Patch me up mate.According to Phare, there's a social media element to it as well, although they only leave the footage up for a very short time on platforms like Snapchat and Tiktok. They absolutely love the notoriety they get from the postings because they're kids and this is all they can do. Thus, ram raids have become a bit of a craze.So what do we do? According to a journalist, many of these young people who drift into crime often don't know that what they do is wrong. They're destitute of all the things that children should have as a right - food, clothing, shelter, security, and care. They have an ingrained conviction that it is you who are wrong, not them. That you are wrong in the first place and appropriating all the good things that the world affords, leaving none for them, but what they steal.So, the recurring theme, according to this journalist, is that crime and homelessness are indelibly linked. Time and time again, people are saying that if only destitute children could be rescued from the streets, a large part of the problem of juvenile crime would be solved.And when was that written? That was written by a journalist in 1869 reporting on the street kids in London. Has anything changed? Well, I was tempted to say nothing has changed, but it has.In 19th century Britain there wasn't a welfare system. There wasn't money given to people to look after their children. They were forced to live on the streets. The women were forced to put the children into some kind of ghastly Victorian orphanage because there were no other options in that day and age.The difference between Victorian England and modern-day New Zealand is that there is a welfare system that is supposed to help and support families who are doing it tough with children.The state isn't failing these children, their parents are. Go hunt out the parents of these children. Make them responsible, make them culpable, see if that works.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I have to say it was an absolute horror show on the roads again.In a way, I don't know why I'm why I was surprised because every holiday weekend you tend to see the road toll, people focus on the road toll over a specific time frame, so you become aware of how many deaths there have been.Maybe because there's been so much chat about the Road to Zero and we're going to make sure that nobody dies on the roads which could be considered a laudable aim but really seems absolutely absurd given human nature and given the state of our roads.Four young men dead in a dreadful crash in Invercargill.  Ten dead over the Anzac holiday period. Four over the Easter period. That's just the deaths. Then you've got the trauma both physical and mental for the survivors and all the families involved, and on the same day we have coroner Marcus Elliott recommending that councils and roading authorities improve the overall visibility of signs at intersections, particularly rural intersections.Instead of introducing the lower speed limits and saying there you go, that's the answer. Instead of putting more police on the roads to discipline drivers, we actually have to make the investment.In the case of this Government, reluctantly, they don't want to invest in roads.They really don't. They'd rather we're all on buses or hydrofoils or whatever it is. So instead of reluctantly investing in shoddy bits of metal that masquerade as roads, if we really want to see a Road to Zero it's the engineering and the roads themselves we need to look at, not the driversSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwi motorsport legend and road safety advocate joined Kerre Woodham to discuss New Zealand's road safety and the Government's Road to Zero campaign following 11 deaths on our roads over the Anzac Day weekend.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m beginning to wonder whether the Government may have made a rod for its own back over the fuel tax cuts. If you’ll remember, they amounted to almost 30 cents a litre including the GST bit – making a huge difference to what people were paying at the pump.So, yesterday’s big news – the news everyone had been waiting for was the much-anticipated announcement of where inflation was going to be. And while it was tantalisingly close to 7 percent, it came in slightly under, at 6.9 percent, which was half a point better than the more pessimistic predictions of some economists.Still, it’s the highest inflation has been for over 30 years.Sometimes I’m not so sure whether the public pay a lot of attention to details such as whether inflation is 6.9 percent or 7 percent.What we notice is the price we pay for goods and services, whether it be at the supermarket or in our shopping malls or at the petrol pump.  When it comes to the price at the petrol pump, Grant Robertson has suggested it was the Government’s cut to fuel taxes (which took effect in back in mid-March) that made the difference. “I think it has potentially kept it under 7 percent”, he said.It’s kind of ironic as most of the language around inflation coming from the government is that inflation is the result of global and supply chain issues and nothing whatsoever to do with them.Yet in the next breath Grant Robertson is saying - effectively - ‘well if it hadn’t been for us, it would have been higher!’So, it begs the question - what is the future of the fuel tax?I filled up my car yesterday. Then, as with almost every other time, I looked at the price and thought ‘thank goodness the government made that cut or it wouldn't be looking too pretty’.One of the most regular reminders the public have of the cost of living, is the price of petrol as we drive past those petrol station signs, whether or not we’re pulling in that day to fill’er up. (It’s worth noting we’re still way more expensive than the price people in other markets such as the USA.)But getting back to the point, apparently there is something the government can do! Grant Robertson has told us so, and has given us a perfect example with the fuel tax cut having reduced inflation.So - how on earth are they ever going to raise it again?Is this something that they’re simply going to have to keep on because it’s the one demonstration of where the government is sacrificing its own coffers for the sake of ordinary New Zealanders who are feeling under pressure in almost every aspect of their spending?That then leads to the question around public transport with prices being chopped in half to accompany the fuel tax cut.There remains the competing issue of climate change because as we know petrol driven cars are the devil.But as long as we rely on them the government is caught between a rock and a hard place.So, if you consider the future of this tax alongside the future of a government whose fortunes have been on the slide in recent polling, I think it’s going to be a pretty tough sell any time before the election for them to reintroduce those petrol taxes.Megan Woods says ”we are continuing to monitor the situation given the volatility and global oil markets”.I would say the situation that they’ll be monitoring will be the polls, and that those alone will determine the future of the price of fuel and the fuel tax.So, I reckon, that this side of the election, those fuel tax cuts – they're here to stay.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The move to Orange setting means we can now mingle at bars, nightclubs and restaurants mask free - with no capacity or distancing requirements. It's welcome news for the hospitality industry. Chand Sahrawat and her husband Sid run The French Cafe and Cassia restaurants in Auckland and Chand Sahrawat joined Kerre McIvor. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was worth a try, I suppose. I understand the concept of policing by consent, but surely that only works when you're trying to police people who understand the rules of living together in a community who want a peaceful life who choose not to commit crime, who understand consequences?  For those who make their living out of crime, whose lifestyles and very raison d'etre revolves around crime and committing it, I imagine policing by consent would be a yeah nah from them.  Poto Williams, the Minister of Police and Police Commissioner Andrew Coster were appointed to their roles by this government because they are, or appear to me, to be passionate about wanting to help create a better, fairer, more humane New Zealand. And that's worthy. Worthy aspirations. And thank heavens, there are people like them in the world. But not on the roles they inhabit currently. Poto Williams comes from a background of community health and welfare, and she's very heavily involved in tackling the issue of family violence, which is incredibly good work. Very creditable. When she became part of the Labour Government, she had to be persuaded to take on the role of police minister, possibly the clincher for her was that this Government was looking for a cultural change in the police.  Poto Williams made it very clear from the start that the decisions she would make around policing are informed by the people she represents. So, is this new style of policing working for those very communities that Poto Williams is concerned about and says she represents? I would love to know. We need a Police Minister really who understands that while they can try to change the culture of the police, the culture of the criminal underclass is what really needs to be changed. Changing the police to be a social service is all very well and good, but unless you can change the mentality of the crims, the stats are going to go in the wrong direction. We are not going to see the problem of increasingly violent gangs, increasingly wealthy gangs who are attracting huge numbers of recruits - that's not going to be changed while we've got Andrew Coster and Poto Williams in charge.  Poto Williams did not aspire to be Police Minister. It was not her every desire to be a Police Minister. Relieve her of her duties and put her into an area where her passion and her experience can be a help and not a hindrance.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new policing unit is finally ready to tackle retail crime. Everything from ram raids to robberies to shoplifting. The intention to form such a unit was first announced back in November, now it's ready to launch. It will be known as the Police National Retail Investigation Support Unit. Not quite your Strike Force Raptor, but nonetheless, hopefully it will do the trick. The unit will primarily be made up of police, with specialist staff, seconded from within the retail sector and other crime prevention organisations. Five years ago, an Otago University study found retail theft meant more than one billion dollars in lost income, while retailers spent half a billion dollars annually on security.  It is not a victimless crime. Shoplifting hits everyone in the pocket as prices are raised in an attempt to cover losses, and indeed, pay for the half a billion dollars on security. Apparently, the total hidden cost of retail crime is $800 per household, per year and it's growing. Retail crime is organised, it is violent, it's brazen and repeat offenders are stealing to order.  These are not 7-year-olds who steal a packet of lollies from the local store and then get marched back by a parent, told to apologise, and work in the store for a week to make up for it. They are young kids who are stealing cars and smashing them into shops, to take what they want, because they feel like it. It's really concerning and they don't care because there are no consequences.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Police National Retail Investigation Support Unit will come into force this month, tackling everything from ram raids to robberies to shoplifting. Young people are, in the main, responsible for the current spate of ramraids, and questions are being raised as to how you turn a young child's life around if they've had the worst possible start to life. Neuroscience educator Nathan Wallace joined Kerre Woodham. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You would have to wonder if Plunket's days are numbered. The iconic parenting organisation that is as Kiwi as Buzzy Bees, as the All Blacks, as Edmund Hillary, has announced that its parenting programmes will finish at the end of June because they cannot afford to keep them running. Other of Plunket's programmes will continue including the Well-Child Tamariki Ora service - that's the early checks that many, many newborn babies have. 85 per cent of Pakeha babies, 50 per cent of Maori babies have those Whanau Ora checks. But the parenting program that's been running for five years will finish at the end of June because it can't afford to keep running. Chief Executive of Plunket Amanda Malu says, as with any charity that relies on donations and grants, Plunket has limited resources.Amanda Malu says they have to make tough decisions now to ensure the organisation is financially resilient for the years ahead. Whanau Awhina Plunket turns 115 next month.  Amanda Malu says she wants to make sure they're around for another 100 years.The first 1000 days are the most vital of a child's life. It is absolutely imperative that parents and their children get the best possible start. And no matter how well prepared you think you are for parenthood, when it happens it can be an absolute roller coaster of emotions.You need care. You need guidance. When you're a new family starting off Plunkett has provided that for many, many families for many, many years. Is it fit for purpose now?I'd love to know where you got your support from. Whether you think Plunket is fit for purpose in this day and age. The parenting programs have been cut, which is a jolly shame. Is this the beginning of the end?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Plunket has announced it will no longer run its parenting education programme.It comes after a month-long staff consultation, and means the loss of five permanent and 17 casual roles while a further 16 people will have their hours reduced.Chief executive Amanda Malu says the charity can no longer afford to run the programme at its current deficit of $400,000 a year.She says the courses will stop at the end of June – but she's reassuring the community it's just one type of parent support they offer, with others still available.Whānau Āwhina Plunket Chief Executive Amanda Malu joined Kerre Woodham.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.