Kerre Woodham Mornings Podcast

The new mask mandates, the increased use of RATs and the continuing saga of MIQ . People who are essential workers in vaccine-mandated jobs must wear medical-grade masks.  This is where the Government is going to have to come to the party and pay for them as many of these workers are essential but low paid. They haven't got the money to be forking out on medical-grade masks, even if they could find them. And when it comes to MIQ, surely to goodness we're going to have to give up on MIQ and as a means of keeping New Zealanders out of their own country. If you've got Omicron circulating in the community, where is the advantage of denying New Zealanders access to their home?  I know there is still a significant group of people that think that we need to pull up the drawbridge and stay there for the next 10 years. There are legal challenges underway against the Government saying you simply cannot keep shutting New Zealanders out of their home for whatever reason. Double vaxxed, boosted and negative tests. And you've got Omicron in the community. How on earth can you deny New Zealand does the right to come home?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's been extraordinary times absolutely, but especially for those who are trying to stay productive while looking after the children.Young people are set to return to school next week. While some schools are going back January 31, latest February the 8th for others.Chris Hipkins says he is painfully aware that Covid has meant children have missed out on months of face-to-face learning, and that the priority this year is getting children back into the classroom and an interview over the weekend. He said that a single case will not force a school closure and that we are going to have to get used to the idea that it's a virus.We want less wholesale disruption this year. My message for families is to be prepared if someone in your household is sick and you'll need to isolate. He wants children back in the classroom. How are you feeling about heading back to school?Is there a sense of unease or a sense of excitement, especially given that children as young as eight will have to wear masks at school if the red traffic light setting is still in place and it's highly likely it will be?If people are nervous about their children going back to school, I can kind of understand it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Te Puea Marae in South Auckland has been preparing for an Omicron outbreak.They've been stocking up on supplies for whanau who need to isolate at home and creating a dedicated isolation facility on the marae grounds.Te Puea Marae chair Hurimoana Dennis joined Kerre McIvor.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's interesting to see what the Ministry of Health deems to be essentials to stock up on in your home care kit. Most of us will have it on hand. The nasal sprays, the lozenges, the paracetamol, the ibuprofen, the cough mixtures, the masks even sacked the tissues hand sanitisers.All the usual symptom relievers you would have in your medicine cabinet for the times we've had colds and flus in the past.Our family went through and topped up the medicine cabinet but by the time you add in the optional extras like the energy drinks a few precooked meals for the freezer, emergency ice blocks and Pamol for the kids. By the time you fill up the car in case of supply disruptions, it was quite the spend up for a Sunday.And there are so many people doing it tough. I find it hard to believe they're going to be able to drop an extra $200 for a just in case kit and another $100 to fill up the car.So have you got there?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Remember the call earlier this week with Janine? If you were with me, you won't have forgotten it just yet. Janine was the one who said the hospitals were being overwhelmed with unvaccinated Covid patients who were denying other people the opportunity to receive treatment.  And then we had the febrile Jan yesterday, who was terrified of latte-drinking Aucklanders, coming to the South Island because everybody in the little retirement communities that she lived in would end up dead. And I remonstrated with both women. One in strident terms. Yesterday, I was far more restrained.   I said the hospitals were not being overrun with Covid patients. They might be overrun, but it wasn't with Covid patients. And I have also said time and time and time again, that if you get Covid all the stats, the chances are, the risk analysis is that you will be fine. Some people won't, and they are unfortunate. But the vast majority of people who get Covid will be fine.  Well, that got the luvvies completely up in arms. And when Janine said I should be grateful to the Government for looking after us, that is when I lost my cool, but that was another day.  Today, we're going to look at the announcement from Health Minister Andrew Little about extra funding for hospitals and thank heavens for that.  You know it was a boost and funding across the country for all of our beleaguered hospitals. 36 hospitals to be upgraded. And a 644 million health funding boost. I'm not going to quibble. I mean, I think there could have been more money put into health given the years, and it's not this Government, it’s successive governments of underfunding, but you know, yay, good for the funding.  So, the announcement was made. Within the body of the press release was this quote from the Health Minister. Andrew Little said, “Throughout the pandemic there had never been more than 11 Covid patients in ICU at any one time.” That's across the country. Never more than 11. Andrew Little said the vast majority of people who get Covid won't need to go to hospital, let alone need an ICU bed. Increasing ICU and high dependency unit capacity, said Andrew Little, is part of the wider plan to rebuild our health system.  Now I'll just repeat that for the Janine’s and the Jan’s. It's what I've been saying all along. The vast majority of people who get Covid won't need to go to hospital, let alone need an ICU bed. Are we all going to take a chill pill now? Janine's and Jans around the country?  Those people who are terrified of vaccinated Aucklanders traveling to their part of the world?   Of course, the vaccinations and the circuit Breakers of lockdowns were part of protecting the health system, but please can we just get a little bit of sense, common sense into the conversation.  If you heard some of these callers.  Honestly, I had an email last night from a man who felt that Jan was a set up. The one from the South Island. He said you're just making up these callers. I swear to you, I'm not. There are people who are genuinely that fearful they're not looking at the numbers. They're not looking at common sense. They're not looking at anything, other than the “stay home, save lives” which was last year message, which was very effective at putting the fear of God into all of us and making us stay home, we don't need that message now. And the Prime Minister tried to turn that around and she's tried to give different messages to say that, yes, Delta is in the country, but with vaccinations, we should be fine. She was a victim of our own success. That fear mongering and the modelling, for God sake, that had bodies stacked on the side of the road like so many double burgers. You know it didn't, it didn't happen for a number of reasons.  Andrew Little told Mike Yardley this morning that the announcement of 23 new intensive care and HDU beds was just part of the wider plan to rebuild the health system.  So, yay for our...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gross domestic product has fallen 3.7 percent in the September quarter. Stats NZ says it's the second largest fall since the current series began in 1986. It says this reflects a widespread drop in economic activity due to the Covid-19 restrictions and lockdowns, in the second half of the quarter. The fall follows a 2.4 percent rise in the June quarter. Stats NZ says some industries were more affected than others by restrictions. To discuss, NZ Herald Business Editor at Large, Liam Dann joined Kerre McIvor. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You'll remember at the start of November Linda called in, she was trying to cross the border, desperate to see her daughter who had two major surgeries with major complications. She and her husband were fully vaccinated, both had negative covid tests and they had twice been denied travel exemptions. MP Simeon Brown was trying to help them to no avail. I advised her to take her negative tests and head to the border, bugger them!  Tell the police you're going through. Linda was worried about the legal repercussions, but I offered to pay any fines or legal bills she might incur! Linda joined me for an update. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A damning report from the Auditor-General has found significant deficiencies in how the Ministry of Social Development paid for private rental properties to be used as emergency housing. The report found MSD didn't monitor the quality of accommodation and couldn't show it was receiving value for money, that is, if the rentals were worth the money paid for them or how warm, safe and dry they were. Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni says her agency needs to take a rebuke on the chin. She says the findings are fair and reasonable and she's glad MSD stopped the practice. National's housing spokesperson Nicola Willis says the report shows a shocking waste of taxpayer money. She says it shows there was really sloppy management of how emergency was being procured and proves there was not value for money and likely distorted the rental market.   Nicola Willis joined Kerre McIvor. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

17 more days in Red for Auckland and the other Red regions. Just doesn't seem to make any sense, and I think that must be my most oft quoted phrase of the year. I get why Northland is in red and has to stay in red. But I don't really understand why Auckland is staying in red.  Red Aucklanders can join Orange New Zealanders as of tomorrow. And indeed, they will be doing so when you look at the flight bookings from here in New Zealand and the travel plans of many Aucklanders. So Red Aucklanders can join Orange New Zealanders, and then they can come back to Red if they're coming back to Auckland before New Year's Eve.  The reason for being in the Red traffic light system is to protect vulnerable communities and our health system from Covid-19. That's the reason for being in Rred, and that applies in Northland and Tairawhiti as well.  Auckland, well, let's have a look at Auckland.   The population is more than 90% vaxed. Since the Delta outbreak began on August 18, the vaccination rate has risen from just 24.9% of Aucklanders over the age of 12 being fully vaccinated, to 92%. So, it's pretty good. If you had just 24.9% of Aucklanders vaccinated, you’d say ooh a bit of trouble there. But no, we’re now 92%, 95% of Aucklanders have had at least one dose. I think it's fair to say anyone who has wanted to be vaccinated is. There are no vulnerable communities to protect.  As for the health system, as of yesterday there were 61 people in hospital, 4 in intensive care. Auckland City Hospital has 1165 beds, 39 resourced ICU beds. Middlemore has 900 beds, 24 ICU beds. Waitemata DHB has 660 odd beds, 14 ICU beds. So that's more than 2600 beds. Roughly 77 ICU beds. And how many people again with Covid? 61 in hospital with Covid. Which leaves you 2540 beds. And we've got four in ICU! Which leaves 73 ICU beds, so how is the public health system under stress?  The reason for being in Red is to protect vulnerable communities - all good done that. And not put the health system under stress. Yep, all good there too.  So why are we still in Red? We have Aucklanders able to travel out of the Red region. We have a public health system coping with the Covid load. We have more than 92% of the Auckland region double dosed, and we're in Red. How? How? Somebody, please, a Jacinda fan boy or girl? Somebody who says oh look this all makes perfect sense Kerre, you're just being difficult and you don't like the Government. No wrong. I would love to know. I would really love to hear an explanation of how this can be.  17 days will make all the difference to many businesses and yet this Government seems in the thrall of their modelers who haven't got a single solitary prediction right since this whole pandemic started. Slaughter a chicken, throw its end trails over an operating table, which is lying spare because people aren't dying in their droves because of the galloping Covids, and draw the patterns from there.  When will Auckland go to Red oh mighty one? I don't know slaughter a chicken and see what pattern it falls in to.  It makes absolutely no sense, which is said time and time and time again.  According to Jacinda Ardern the country has only been under the new traffic light system for 10 days, which is shorter than a full transmission cycle of 14 days. Therefore, Cabinet had come to the view that with an additional transmission cycle, there will be enough comfort for Auckland to move.Why not just four days then of a transmission cycle is 4 days, why not just 4 days in Red.   Chris Bishop, who is National’s Covid spokesman says hospitalisations are low, you betcha. e've got very few people in ICU - check. The R rate is below one - that's the transmissibility rate. Daily case numbers are dropping on a weekly basis. The vaccination rate is now high. And the reality is, Auckland hospo businesses will go to the wall over the next two to three weeks.   Please, fangirl/fanboy ring...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Papa Honez first called into the show at the start of May.  He and his English Rose, Rachel, had started an organisation called One Whanau at a Time that was collecting food and household goods to give away to those in need in the Far North.They had started a Give-a-little to buy goods for struggling families and were overwhelmed by the generosity of our listeners who donated after hearing his story.Papa Honez joined Kerre McIvor.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.