July 20, 2024 • 9 mins
This week on the Sunday Panel, broadcaster and journalist Wilhelmina Shrimpton and economist Ed McKnight joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the week - and more!
The CrowdStrike IT outage - what do we make of this? It doesn’t happen very often, but when you see the impact on flights, hospitals, banks – the consequences are huge. Do we need less of a monopoly on software protection?
There's renewed calls to bring Ozempic to New Zealand after a Wellington business owner lost 30 kgs, thanks to the medication. Do we need to bring Ozempic over? How would we fund it?
We're less than a week away from the 2024 Paris Olympics - how excited are we?
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News Talks EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
And it's time now for the panel and I am
joined today by broadcaster and journalist Wilhelmina Shrimpton.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Hi, Wilhelmina, Good morning.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
And resident economist at Opie's Partner's Ed McKnight. How are you, ed?
Speaker 4 (00:25):
Francesca good to speak to here, Wilhelmina.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Did the crowd strike it saga stop you getting your
fish and chips on Friday night?
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Not quite my vision chips, but I was in a restaurant,
went up to pay about six forty five seven pm,
so not too late in the evening, and my card
just wasn't working. My friend's car didn't work and we
thought that it might be in a suit with her account,
and then I tried and then the bar staff said, actually,
you know this massive issue and just had to write
(00:53):
down kick it, real old skull and write down my
details and bank transfer them the next day. So initially
really embarrassing when you see the words declined come up
on the terminal, but then realizing that it's actually widespread
made me feel slightly better. Apart from the fact that
I couldn't then order anything or cab home afterwards, which
was a little bit niggly.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
You see, I'm quite familiar with the decline popping up. ED.
I'm making light of this, but actually this is really
concerning and just massive the impact it's had. Like, you know,
it really annoying for restaurants and uber drivers and things.
But we're looking at you know, airports and hospitals and banks.
You're the kind of places that we don't want to
(01:33):
go offline for twenty four to forty eight hours.
Speaker 4 (01:35):
ED. Oh, definitely not. And I think one of the
things that sometimes people get wrong about technology is we
expect it to work one hundred percent of the time,
and that zero points zero one percent of the time.
When it doesn't work, that's when we start to have
really really large issues, the kinds of ones that you
kind of identified. One of the things I did want
to mention though, is that when technology doesn't work and
(01:57):
you're trying to get your fish and chips, it can
be really, really annoying. And one of the things that
was a bit concerning is I heard instances where people
were a bit aggressive with retail staff. And I understand
why people get annoyed, but you know, it wasn't the
retail workers that come up with the IT systems.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
I completely agree with Amina. I think, look, we never
know what is going on in a person's life and
what kind of day they've had, and you never know
what it might be that pushes them over the edge.
But there is no excuse for being abusive when you're
in a situation like that. On either side.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
Hundreds one hundred percent, you just have to be really,
really understanding. And I remember the bar staff and the
restaurant stuff that I was at were really really sweet
and understanding as well. They didn't really know what was
going on. We didn't know what was going on, and
I think it was just a matter of kind of
putting all frustrations aside. And obviously it was frustrating people
couldn't get cabs, people couldn't order things, to the point
where people were stranded at airports. I think when it's
(02:52):
widespread like this, and obviously early in the early days,
you didn't really know how widespread it was. But it's
a matter of just kind of stepping back, taking a
bit of a breath, and going, actually, ye, this is
not these people's fault. They are the messenger, and unfortunately
we so reliant, and I think it really exposed the
fragility of the Internet and technology and obviously we place
(03:13):
such a massive reliance on it, and it is actually concerning
that the entire world can come to a screeching, grinding
halt with the press of a button or the upgrade
of a system, or the you know, an error in
the upgrade of a system. I think I was reading
something on Friday night about how someone was saying, this
is what we expected when it clicked over to the
millennium in two thousand, when everyone was really worried about
(03:36):
Y two K and what was going to happen, and
that we were actually living out the Y two K. Now,
it is concerning how much reliance we put on everything,
and how it can all just kind of come crashing
down in a couple of seconds.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
I can remember why. Okay, I was standing in San
Francisco waiting for a little all over and nothing happened,
and we just carried on, were going that is the
biggest let down ever.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
You know.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
It raises the question, of course, what we're hoping is
that because this was just this globe, you know, this
this had such an impact globally that we're not going
to see it again because there's going to be a
bit of testing put in place and the end of
the software companies are going to make sure that this
doesn't necessarily happen again. But how should we take responsibility?
You'll be prepared for this, I mean, is there you know?
Obviously once again, if you're traveling, you want to make
(04:18):
sure you've got your insurance. Everyone's saying, oh, it's good
to have a little bit of cash tucked away, but
will you actually go and get that cash and tuck
it away and then not use it all of a
sudden for something.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (04:28):
One of the things that I picked up with this
is while it does expose some of that fragility, it
also shows some of that resilience in the system as well,
because we don't have these IT outages all of the time,
and it came up relatively quickly. But to answer your question,
Francesca about cash, it certainly made me think about it.
A number of my friends based in Hawke's Bay and
christ Church, because they've had earthquakes in the past, quite
(04:52):
a number of them have cash at home. Just a
couple of one hundred dollars just in case something happens,
because although it doesn't happen all of the time, it's
that zero point zero one percent of the time when
something does happen that you think, oh, gosh, I really
needed that insurance. I really needed that.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Cash nineteen to a great I mean, Willhelmina, would you
will you be you know, tuk a bit of cashway
in your handbag.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
I was going to say, watch me stuff hundreds underneath
my mattress. I feel like, you know, you have your
disaster git and I sit here saying this as if
I have a disaster kit when I actually don't. I
actually need to get my a ent g and put
one together. You know, water can food a couple of hundies.
(05:38):
Whether it's in my mattress or not get to be decided.
But I think definitely, I think it's worth it.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
I think you're making. My point is that we all
know that we should, but actually getting around to it
as something we don't do. Hey, look, there was an
article today in the newspaper about a gentleman who had
had a huge amount of success on the drag at
Ozimpic and lost an awful lot of weight and the
health benefits that they are, you know, experiencing now from
losing thirty kilograms, and the call is being made that
(06:05):
it should be funded here in New Zealand for weight loss.
Of course, it's a diabetes drug. I believe there is another,
a very similar drug that in New Zealand for weight loss.
But is there where we should be going with a
drug like that? I mean, I could see Wilhelmina in
situations where somebody is very obesie it is very difficult
(06:26):
for them to lose weight for genetic reasons in their
own makeup and things. But where do we'd have to
make a decision though, as to what is obese and
where we would feel it would be appropriate to use it.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
Yeah, look, that's a really delicate dance I think you'd have. Yeah,
I think you'd have to assess it case by case.
And look, obviously there are it's a non surgical option,
which is a way less invasive option than a lot
of people have right now. And I feel like giving
them that option because I know I've got friends who
have undergone weight loss surgery and obviously that's a really
risky invasive surgery. To be able to give someone a
(06:59):
non surgical option, I think is a really great thing.
I just think you'd have to be really careful assessing
a case by case. Obviously there are side effects that
can that are there are lots of things to consider.
We'en making that decision. But I think for so many
people it's life changing, and I think being able to
give them that option is a really powerful thing.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
I mean, it's not the kind of thing that you're
going to go yep, no, we're going to fund it
and people go in and convince their doctor to give
it to them when really they don't need it, especially
you don't know how long you might potentially need to
be on it.
Speaker 4 (07:26):
One of the things I'd say is the issue we
have with this drug is that it's not currently available
for weight loss. So I think we should legalize it
for weight loss, but not funded by the government. We've
got way more important priorities than spending money on a
specific weight loss drug. I think, make it available, but
(07:46):
don't government fund it.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Okay, interesting, right, guys. The Olympic start this week Friday.
I am very excited. I love a distraction in winter,
and even if it is in the middle of the night.
Are you excited with I mean, have you got your
eye on any particular sports or athletes.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
I'm really excited. I remember the last time the Olympics
were on, I was down in Queenstown and I remember
they were playing kind of round the clock in the
lobby where I was staying, and I loved going down
there and waiting and just watching and seeing what was on.
And I love that you actually get to see a
lot of sports that never really get any airtime. My
favorite is watching the diving and the gymnastics. I just
(08:23):
think it's such a visual spectacle and I'm really really
excited to tune in and just see some of the
insane skills that I could never even fathom actually having
kind of play out on Telly. I think it's such
an exciting thing.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
That's interesting because I think you're either drawn to stuff
that either you used to do as a kid or
you just cannot imagine doing at all.
Speaker 4 (08:44):
What about you, Ed, I think I'll give the badminton
a crackle. Maybe the table tennis. There's a lot of
great racket sports out there, and you talk about visual spectacle.
Some of these guys playing table tennis, it's just outrageous
what they can do. But a squash, not this year.
I think we've got to wait until the twenty twenty
eight Olympic Games before we get squashed in there.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
So the racket and ball interesting listin takes you to
thank you so much for your time today. Wilhelmina Shrimpton,
Shrimpton and Ed McKnight there on the panel.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to News Talks A B from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News Talks EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
And it's time now for the panel and I am
joined today by broadcaster and journalist Wilhelmina Shrimpton.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Hi, Wilhelmina, Good morning.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
And resident economist at Opie's Partner's Ed McKnight. How are you, ed?
Speaker 4 (00:25):
Francesca good to speak to here, Wilhelmina.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Did the crowd strike it saga stop you getting your
fish and chips on Friday night?
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Not quite my vision chips, but I was in a restaurant,
went up to pay about six forty five seven pm,
so not too late in the evening, and my card
just wasn't working. My friend's car didn't work and we
thought that it might be in a suit with her account,
and then I tried and then the bar staff said, actually,
you know this massive issue and just had to write
(00:53):
down kick it, real old skull and write down my
details and bank transfer them the next day. So initially
really embarrassing when you see the words declined come up
on the terminal, but then realizing that it's actually widespread
made me feel slightly better. Apart from the fact that
I couldn't then order anything or cab home afterwards, which
was a little bit niggly.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
You see, I'm quite familiar with the decline popping up. ED.
I'm making light of this, but actually this is really
concerning and just massive the impact it's had. Like, you know,
it really annoying for restaurants and uber drivers and things.
But we're looking at you know, airports and hospitals and banks.
You're the kind of places that we don't want to
(01:33):
go offline for twenty four to forty eight hours.
Speaker 4 (01:35):
ED. Oh, definitely not. And I think one of the
things that sometimes people get wrong about technology is we
expect it to work one hundred percent of the time,
and that zero points zero one percent of the time.
When it doesn't work, that's when we start to have
really really large issues, the kinds of ones that you
kind of identified. One of the things I did want
to mention though, is that when technology doesn't work and
(01:57):
you're trying to get your fish and chips, it can
be really, really annoying. And one of the things that
was a bit concerning is I heard instances where people
were a bit aggressive with retail staff. And I understand
why people get annoyed, but you know, it wasn't the
retail workers that come up with the IT systems.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
I completely agree with Amina. I think, look, we never
know what is going on in a person's life and
what kind of day they've had, and you never know
what it might be that pushes them over the edge.
But there is no excuse for being abusive when you're
in a situation like that. On either side.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
Hundreds one hundred percent, you just have to be really,
really understanding. And I remember the bar staff and the
restaurant stuff that I was at were really really sweet
and understanding as well. They didn't really know what was
going on. We didn't know what was going on, and
I think it was just a matter of kind of
putting all frustrations aside. And obviously it was frustrating people
couldn't get cabs, people couldn't order things, to the point
where people were stranded at airports. I think when it's
(02:52):
widespread like this, and obviously early in the early days,
you didn't really know how widespread it was. But it's
a matter of just kind of stepping back, taking a
bit of a breath, and going, actually, ye, this is
not these people's fault. They are the messenger, and unfortunately
we so reliant, and I think it really exposed the
fragility of the Internet and technology and obviously we place
(03:13):
such a massive reliance on it, and it is actually concerning
that the entire world can come to a screeching, grinding
halt with the press of a button or the upgrade
of a system, or the you know, an error in
the upgrade of a system. I think I was reading
something on Friday night about how someone was saying, this
is what we expected when it clicked over to the
millennium in two thousand, when everyone was really worried about
(03:36):
Y two K and what was going to happen, and
that we were actually living out the Y two K. Now,
it is concerning how much reliance we put on everything,
and how it can all just kind of come crashing
down in a couple of seconds.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
I can remember why. Okay, I was standing in San
Francisco waiting for a little all over and nothing happened,
and we just carried on, were going that is the
biggest let down ever.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
You know.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
It raises the question, of course, what we're hoping is
that because this was just this globe, you know, this
this had such an impact globally that we're not going
to see it again because there's going to be a
bit of testing put in place and the end of
the software companies are going to make sure that this
doesn't necessarily happen again. But how should we take responsibility?
You'll be prepared for this, I mean, is there you know?
Obviously once again, if you're traveling, you want to make
(04:18):
sure you've got your insurance. Everyone's saying, oh, it's good
to have a little bit of cash tucked away, but
will you actually go and get that cash and tuck
it away and then not use it all of a
sudden for something.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (04:28):
One of the things that I picked up with this
is while it does expose some of that fragility, it
also shows some of that resilience in the system as well,
because we don't have these IT outages all of the time,
and it came up relatively quickly. But to answer your question,
Francesca about cash, it certainly made me think about it.
A number of my friends based in Hawke's Bay and
christ Church, because they've had earthquakes in the past, quite
(04:52):
a number of them have cash at home. Just a
couple of one hundred dollars just in case something happens,
because although it doesn't happen all of the time, it's
that zero point zero one percent of the time when
something does happen that you think, oh, gosh, I really
needed that insurance. I really needed that.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Cash nineteen to a great I mean, Willhelmina, would you
will you be you know, tuk a bit of cashway
in your handbag.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
I was going to say, watch me stuff hundreds underneath
my mattress. I feel like, you know, you have your
disaster git and I sit here saying this as if
I have a disaster kit when I actually don't. I
actually need to get my a ent g and put
one together. You know, water can food a couple of hundies.
(05:38):
Whether it's in my mattress or not get to be decided.
But I think definitely, I think it's worth it.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
I think you're making. My point is that we all
know that we should, but actually getting around to it
as something we don't do. Hey, look, there was an
article today in the newspaper about a gentleman who had
had a huge amount of success on the drag at
Ozimpic and lost an awful lot of weight and the
health benefits that they are, you know, experiencing now from
losing thirty kilograms, and the call is being made that
(06:05):
it should be funded here in New Zealand for weight loss.
Of course, it's a diabetes drug. I believe there is another,
a very similar drug that in New Zealand for weight loss.
But is there where we should be going with a
drug like that? I mean, I could see Wilhelmina in
situations where somebody is very obesie it is very difficult
(06:26):
for them to lose weight for genetic reasons in their
own makeup and things. But where do we'd have to
make a decision though, as to what is obese and
where we would feel it would be appropriate to use it.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
Yeah, look, that's a really delicate dance I think you'd have. Yeah,
I think you'd have to assess it case by case.
And look, obviously there are it's a non surgical option,
which is a way less invasive option than a lot
of people have right now. And I feel like giving
them that option because I know I've got friends who
have undergone weight loss surgery and obviously that's a really
risky invasive surgery. To be able to give someone a
(06:59):
non surgical option, I think is a really great thing.
I just think you'd have to be really careful assessing
a case by case. Obviously there are side effects that
can that are there are lots of things to consider.
We'en making that decision. But I think for so many
people it's life changing, and I think being able to
give them that option is a really powerful thing.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
I mean, it's not the kind of thing that you're
going to go yep, no, we're going to fund it
and people go in and convince their doctor to give
it to them when really they don't need it, especially
you don't know how long you might potentially need to
be on it.
Speaker 4 (07:26):
One of the things I'd say is the issue we
have with this drug is that it's not currently available
for weight loss. So I think we should legalize it
for weight loss, but not funded by the government. We've
got way more important priorities than spending money on a
specific weight loss drug. I think, make it available, but
(07:46):
don't government fund it.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Okay, interesting, right, guys. The Olympic start this week Friday.
I am very excited. I love a distraction in winter,
and even if it is in the middle of the night.
Are you excited with I mean, have you got your
eye on any particular sports or athletes.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
I'm really excited. I remember the last time the Olympics
were on, I was down in Queenstown and I remember
they were playing kind of round the clock in the
lobby where I was staying, and I loved going down
there and waiting and just watching and seeing what was on.
And I love that you actually get to see a
lot of sports that never really get any airtime. My
favorite is watching the diving and the gymnastics. I just
(08:23):
think it's such a visual spectacle and I'm really really
excited to tune in and just see some of the
insane skills that I could never even fathom actually having
kind of play out on Telly. I think it's such
an exciting thing.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
That's interesting because I think you're either drawn to stuff
that either you used to do as a kid or
you just cannot imagine doing at all.
Speaker 4 (08:44):
What about you, Ed, I think I'll give the badminton
a crackle. Maybe the table tennis. There's a lot of
great racket sports out there, and you talk about visual spectacle.
Some of these guys playing table tennis, it's just outrageous
what they can do. But a squash, not this year.
I think we've got to wait until the twenty twenty
eight Olympic Games before we get squashed in there.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
So the racket and ball interesting listin takes you to
thank you so much for your time today. Wilhelmina Shrimpton,
Shrimpton and Ed McKnight there on the panel.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to News Talks A B from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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