Kerre Woodham Mornings Podcast

Well, crikey.   I hope those of you outside Auckland had a lovely Labour Weekend because it was a bit grim here to be honest.  The weather was absolutely atrocious and I really felt for those of you with small children.  And those who are living alone.   I find the weather really makes a difference to the way I feel and grey skies and lashing rain just reinforced the gloominess I felt after Friday's announcement.  But it seems a lot of people are feeling the same way. Thank you to all of you who took the time to message me about my Herald on Sunday column.  I thought it was possibly a bit moany - I really do feel I've been moaning constantly for nearly two years.   And I'm not by nature a moany person - honestly.   If you've just started listening to me you probably won't believe but, pre Covid I used to be a positive glass half full kind of a gal.  A jolly Tigger, if you will.  Now, it's just endless echoes of Eeyore - but clearly there are plenty more people who are struggling to keep their Tigger bounce. A veritable drove of donkeys exists out there right now if my messages and emails were anything to go by.   And surely, we've reached peak madness when the luvvies of the Twitter verse turn on Sir Dave Dobbyn.  You couldn't get a gentler, more humane man - he embodies that much maligned word 'kindness' - Hamish Keith said the unvaccinated will feel isolated and picked on - so they bloody well should.   Sir Dave replied I thought we're fighting Covid not humanity.  The exchange continued and social media went wild.  I would be so embarrassed to have a Twitter account.  There's a group on there that are just contemptible.   Sure, the platform itself thrives on dividing people but there are some who thrive on that.  They don't bother doing the most basic research and simply shriek their outrage like over indulged four-year-olds.   For the record, Sir Dave is double vaxxed.  But he's concerned that the fight against Covid is turning into a fight against the unvaccinated and he's probably right.  He clarified his views on Facebook and has deleted his Twitter account which is the best thing anyone can do.   A social scientist says that the large groups of people in the middle with moderate views did not involve themselves in social media confrontations - so if you knew nothing about this, consider yourself a well-balanced human.  But the divisions being created or being reinforced are worrying.   It's Covid, it's the situation we're in, it's social media and yes, I'm sorry but, it's the government as well.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An enhanced business support package has been unveiled as the country transitions to the new Covid-19 protection framework. It was announced alongside that New Zealand will move to a new "traffic light" system when District Health Boards have 90 per cent of its eligible population vaccinated. When each DHB hit this target, the new framework would come into effect. The traffic light system makes use of vaccine certificates. Businesses will be able to continue to operate at each of the risk levels, and each setting can be used in a highly targeted and localised way, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says. In a suite of announcements that establish a pathway out of restrictions, the Government is also providing up to $940 million per fortnight to support businesses through the challenging period, particularly those in Auckland. A new $120m fund has also been established to help lift Māori vaccination rates. Finance Miniter Grant Robertson said the resurgence support payment will be doubled, up to $43,000. The first applications will open on November 12 and be paid fortnightly rather than every three weeks. He said the decision was made to use this payment because it was flexible and could be implemented quickly. The wage subsidy was still available using the current criteria. The cost of both schemes is estimated to be $940 million per fortnight. There will also be a $60m package for the Regional Business Partner Programme and mental health support. Businesses will be able to apply for up to $3000 worth of advice and planning support, and then receive up to $4000 to implement that advice through the established Regional Business Partners programme. As part of the package, $10m is available for mental health and wellbeing support through a programme to be designed with the Employers and Manufacturers' Association and Auckland Business Chamber of Commerce. Robertson said more support will also be available for low income workers from November 1. Cabinet will also discuss more support for those most vulnerable. There would also be a transition grant for Auckland businesses when they move into the new traffic light framework. It will target the most affected businesses, but Robertson warned that businesses that chose not to use vaccine certificates might not be eligible. Other support might be available for businesses in the event of local lockdowns. "Please get vaccinated," Robertson said.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Now, this morning's announcement from the Prime Minister.  We had a bit of a debate yesterday afternoon about whether to take this live or not — the last thing we all want to listen to is a party political broadcast and a whole lot of flannel about how well the Government's done in rolling out vaccinations and kia kaha Auckland — great mahi coming off the motu.  We thought we might just edit it so you got the actual news rather than the self-congratulation and self-justifications.  But so many people's livelihoods — hell, their lives — depend on what kind of plan this government has come up with that we'll take the PM and Grant Robertson live from Parliament once they get there — and cut it off when they get to Jessica, then Tova.  I'm already getting a lot of emails and texts from people who are desperate — who are seeing this announcement as their last hope and by crikey, I hope she delivers.  She simply has to in terms of an end date and in terms of support for businesses that have been brought to their knees by this extended lockdown.  I don't have much hope honestly — I've been locked down into a kind of insensate torpor.  But I would love to be pleasantly surprised.  We won't do the reckons beforehand — let's just wait and see what if anything the government comes up with and react to that — so for the first hour, I'd love to talk about the decision made by Radius Care a retirement village chain.  They have made the most excellent decision to allow visitors back for the mental health of their residents, despite Ministry of Health guidelines recommending against visitors in Level 3.  It's funny — on Tuesday, I asked Helen to ring around a few retirement villages to see if they would be willing to go against the advice of the Ministry given the level of hurt so many people were feeling.  She tried a couple and then went to the Retirement Village Association and they said they would not go against guidelines and blow me down — the next day founder and Chairman of Radius Brien Cree announced the decision.  As long as people are double vaccinated and can show they've had a negative test people will be allowed in. Brien Cree says Covid is here and we're just going to have to learn to live with it.I cannot applaud this man more.  He knows his business, he knows his people, he knows he can take a calculated risk and he knows the cure can't be worse than the disease.  Double-vaxxed residents are getting shingles from the stress of being kept apart from their double-vaxxed loved ones.  They can manage visitors and they perhaps more than any other sector understand quality of life trumps existing.  I fervently hope more people follow suit.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So yesterday’s special announcement sees senior school students being told to go back to school after Labour Weekend.  Education Minister Chris Hipkins says this will allow them to sit exams and finish NCEA assessments, something that has been worrying the many thousands of teenagers in Auckland and Waikato who've been locked out of their classrooms and attempting to study online.  All senior students will have to wear masks at school and teachers and staff must get a negative test before returning.  But the Post Primary Teachers Association says it has been blindsided by the decision — PPTA president Melanie Weber says the government seems to have gone from acting out of an abundance of caution to a reckless disregard for consequences in the blink of any eye.  She told Mike Hosking on the Mike Hosking Breakfast that there are myriad issues to work through to get kids back to school safely.But these are issues that could have and should have been worked on by Education Ministry officials and teaching organisations.  They must have known the schools would open again ONE day — I don't know why I expected there to be a plan given nobody else in any government department seems to have a plan — but I really did think that the issues of how to actually teach in a Covid environment would have been worked out before the announcement was made to go back to school.  Not in a mad rush in the days after the announcement.  Schools have reopened around the world — were there not learnings that could have been taken from other countries?  Has being locked down robbed us all of any kind of impetus and initiative?  Or just the government department and government officials?  I can understand some teachers and students being reluctant to return — when the messaging has been to stay home and save lives, when NZ's largest city has been shut down to save lives, when people's emotions have been used cynically to make them obey draconian rules, then of course there is going to be hesitation from some people about skipping back into the classroom.  How are you feeling about going back if you are one of the young people affected?  If you're in front of the class, are you ready to go back?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Judith Collins is calling on the Government to adopt her party’s Covid policy.  National's plan includes cutting taxes for small businesses and workers and giving every vaccinated Kiwi a $100 hospitality or tourism voucher.  Collins told Kerre McIvor the Government needs to outline a plan, as its do-nothing approach is hurting hundreds of thousands of people.  She says National's plan provides immediate support to businesses which have had to suffer through more than 21 weeks of lockdown. “Spending to support these businesses today will pay off for the economy tomorrow but, beyond that, the best thing we can do is to help businesses survive the next 12 months.” Collins also outlined a policy that would introduce a two-year small-business tax rate of 17.5 per cent.  Most are currently taxed at 28 per cent.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It may be time to start Christmas shopping now.While most of us aren't even thinking about our Christmas plans yet, retail supplies are encouraging people to think about starting their Christmas shopping early, due to supply chain delays.Public Affairs Manager for Retail New Zealand Aimie Hines told Kerre McIvor that click and collect and shopping early are the best options amid the stock shortages, especially with children."We've seen that across most products which may mean that the specific colour or product that you’re looking for may not be available, but there will still be products there, and retailers are definitely trying their best, but obviously there's an issue impacting all of that."LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour and National have joined forces behind a radical new housing policy, the Housing Supply Bill, which they say will help address the housing crisis by allowing as many as 105,500 new homes to be built in less than a decade. The Government says the law will result in at least 48,200 and as many as 105,500 new homes built in the next five to eight years. It would achieve this by allowing up to three homes of up to three storeys can be built on most sites without the need for a costly and frustrating resource consent. Housing Minister Megan Woods and Environment Minister David Parker announced the changes - along with National leader Judith Collins in a rare show of unity. Woods said that a PwC analysis said the Government's existing densification policy would mean 72,000 additional dwellings could be expected by 2043 as a result of implementing the intensification policies. That estimate was now being considered "conservative" and said the 48,200 to 105,500 number of homes expected to be built as a result of the bill would be in addition to the 72,000 homes already expected under the Government's current density policy. Collins claimed a victory for National. "In January, I wrote to the Prime Minister proposing that National and Labour work on a bipartisan and urgent solution to the housing crisis," the National leader said. "As I said then, our resource consent process makes it too difficult to build more housing in New Zealand." Collins said that in April, she "presented a draft Bill that would have required local authorities to zone more space for new housing, drastically cutting consent requirements for those wishing to build new dwellings whether through intensification or greenfields development". And by June, Parker and Woods wrote to National confirming "they saw merit in my proposal to increase the supply of residential housing". "They welcomed National's contribution to further development of policy to allow a serious uplift in new housing in urban areas," she said. National's housing spokeswoman Nicola Willis said the bill would enhance property owners' "Right to Build", making it easier for people who currently own land to build more houses on existing sections. "This legislation takes power away from town planners and gives it back to the people they serve. It will allow our cities to develop and grow, with a range of housing types to suit people at different stages of life," she said. Parker said that new "medium density residential standards (MDRS) will enable landowners to build up to three homes of up to three storeys on most sites up to 50% maximum coverage of the site without the need for a resource consent. "Before this change, district plans would typically only allow for one home of up to two storeys," he said. The bill will bring forward parts of the National Policy Statement on Urban Development - a 2019 measure to increase housing supply in cities. While widely applauded, the NPS-UD as it is known, was criticised for being too slow to take effect, with most measures coming into force in 2024. That will now be brought forward by at least one year - something National had been urging the Government to do since December last year Parker said that by speeding up the implementation of the NPS-UD, "councils in greater Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington and Christchurch have their intensification policies and rules in place by August 2023, at least a year earlier than under current timelines". There would be some exemptions to the medium density rules, "in areas where intensification is inappropriate, such as where there is a high risk of natural hazards, or a site has heritage value". Today 's announcement is significant as it ends decades of standoff on the housing crisis.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well, we can't really moan about the government needing to do something about housing supply then grizzle when they come up with a solution, can we? Especially when it comes in the form of a rare bipartisan agreement with National.   The deal will look to allow far more homes to be built in urban areas; houses like apartments and townhouses, in suburbs where only standard houses are allowed now.  They want to do that by forcing councils to have the default option of letting houses be built, rather than having a ‘you can't park here’ kind of an attitude.   In effect, doing away with the nimbyism that is stopping so many homes from being built or forcing developers into costly and time-consuming battles.   There's no doubt that intensifying housing stock in a suburb can change the way it looks and feels but, there's also no doubt that we need to add more homes to our housing stock and we need to do so quickly.   The announcement yesterday was met with cautious approval. Although, as Wellington mayor Andy Foster told Mike Hosking this morning, he wishes councils had been consulted rather than given a fait accomplis. So, here's how it will go...   Every council in a Tier 1 city - like Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington and Christchurch - places where housing stock is expensive, will be required to allow medium-density housing on all residential land without resource consent.   It can be up to three storeys high and feature up to three units. If councils want to, they can allow developers be more permissive. They can allow higher buildings but, they are not allowed to make them less permissive.   In addition, the government is also bringing forward it’s National Policy Statement on Urban Development by a year.  This is a separate plan that forces councils to allow more higher-density housing in areas like the central city or that are in walking distance from major bus and train stations.   It makes sense doesn't it?   For those who have seen their suburbs developed, has it worked for you?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Disappointment for small and medium businesses in Auckland saddled with debt.The region is staying under its current Alert Level 3 settings for a further two weeks with settings to be reviewed November 1.National leader Judith Collins says small business owners are on their knees in Auckland and around the country.Heart of the City Chief Executive Liv Beck told Kerre McIvor they need to see a substantial package that will stimulate recovery."We need to see something that is going to actually support the businesses that are really struggling right now and that is going to stimulate the economy and get us moving again."LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

OK, so this morning.  I have a plan for the way the next three hours will go, and what I'll do is tell you a bit about how the first hour will go on Wednesday morning and then if you stay listening, I'll let you know what the show will look like on Friday.  K....?  Seriously.  I wasn't expecting much from the press conference yesterday but the government plumbed new lows.  Announcing that there'll be an announcement on Friday - that is plain cruel.  Two more weeks for Auckland living under lockdown restrictions, at least one more week for Waikato, Northland, you're free to leave detention, and the South Island - well, it would appear this government doesn't know it exists.  And I know Grant Robertson sounds all lovely and reasonable and rational, but it's just not on to have 15 per cent of the population — well, it's even less than that — because there are some people who want the vaccination but can't take it — let's say 12 per cent of the population to hold everybody else to ransom.  There need to be more carrots for those who ARE doing the right thing and have been doing the right thing for the last 18 months.  I'm sick and tired of the time and money being spent on those who for whatever reason don't want to and aren't going to.  1000 operations cancelled every week at Middlemore because 28 people are in hospital with Covid.  And because 28 people have died of covid since the pandemic reached these shores.  It doesn't make any sort of sense.  And it's all well and good the Finance Minister banging on about support for businesses — a) they're not getting the support they need to stay in business, they are simply getting some money to pay part of their employees wages and b) they would rather be working.  They didn't go into business to get a benefit.  They didn't work every hour god sends and put their house on the line to stay at home and receive a pittance from the government.  I despair for the well-being of those good people.  For the lovely elderly couples who only have so much time left and want to be able to spend it with each other but they can't because of these cruel rules.  For the school kids who have missed a big chunk of their youth, having fun, hanging out, travelling to sports events, going to concerts, getting all gorgeous for the school balls, getting the help they need to be the best they can be come exam time.  And those poor poor children for whom school is the only safe place they know.  So many people are hurting. Because the government has set an arbitrary vaccination target — finally — that is unrealistic and simply won't be reached among the people they want to target.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.