July 15, 2025 • 34 mins
On the Early Edition with Andrew Dickens Full Show Podcast Wednesday 16th of July 2025, The Government’s cracking down on councils - forcing them stick to their core business, Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell shares her thoughts.
There's calls for fringe benefit tax breaks to help kiwis pay for the rising cost of health insurance, Enrich Retirement founder Liz Koh tells Andrew Dickens the difference it would make.
Shane Jones is pushing ahead with his desire to implement special economic zones to boost electricity generation and fuel security.
Plus, UK/Europe Correspondent Gavin Grey has the latest on MasterChef TV presenter John Torode sacked by the BBC.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
The issues, the interviews and the insight. Andrew Dickens on
early edition with ex pole insulation, keeping Kiwi Holmes warm
and try this winter news talk. Sa'd be good.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Morning to you. Welcome to your Wednesday. I'm Andrew Dickins.
Coming up in the next sixty minutes. Shane Jones has
had a brain wave to create special economic zones to
make it easier to build power generation facilities. So is
this idea pie in the sky. Will have that story
for you in ten minutes. Should employers pay your health
insurance like they do in America? We'll have that story
(00:33):
for you in fifteen. Why are we so obsessed with
the UN and what they think? Mastership UK has a
new controversy after the Greg Wallace six pest incidents, So
Gavin Greig will have all those details. And then the
government is cracking down on councilors forcing them to stick
to their core business. So what is core business and
what will council stop doing? Telling your taps just before
(00:54):
the news at six you can text me anytime you like.
Thirty two ninety two small charge applies. You can email
Dickens at Newstalks Co dot and said it's seven after five.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
The agenda.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
It's Wednesday, the sixteenth of July. So to America, and
Trump says he's not done with Putin, but he is disappointed.
He's done an interview with the BBC and he says
he thought a Ukraine deal was on the cards with
Russia four different times.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
I'm disappointed in him, but I'm not done with him,
but I'm.
Speaker 4 (01:24):
Disappointed in him. So we have a deal done four
times and then you go home and you see just
attacked a nursing home.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Yeah, at some point and Kiev, and so what the
hell was that about?
Speaker 5 (01:35):
Do you trust him?
Speaker 1 (01:36):
I trust almost nobody.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
Meanwhile, Russia's responded to the threats from the United States.
Those threats are sending weapons to Ukraine and tariff threats
if a dealer isn't done in fifty days. But Foreign
Minister Sirgui is not worried.
Speaker 6 (01:51):
You want to understand what is behind this statement on
fifty days. We really want to know what motivates the
President of the United States. It is clear that he
is under enormous I would say, in destined pressure from
the European Union and the current leadership of NATO, who
impudently supports the Lensi's demand to continue pumping him with
(02:11):
modern weaponry, including offensive weapons, at the expense of the
more and more damage to taxpayers in Western countries.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
And the UK government says has had to launch a
secret scheme to relocate thousands of people from Afghanistan after
their personal details were mistakenly leaked. Back in twenty twenty two,
the personal details of nearly nineteen thousand people who had
applied to move to the UK after the Taliban seize
power were leaked, and the breach wasn't found until August
twenty twenty three, when names surfaced on Facebook.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
Nine hundred our principles are in Britain or in transit.
Together we three thy six hundred family members at a
cost of around four hundred million pounds. From today there
will be no u A our office of re looking
to Britain from today. The route is now closed.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
And finally, flash floods are back in this time in
New York City. The City Subway was particularly hit. Passengers
and it were left stranded inside carriages after torrential rain
gushed all the way down into the subway caused flood
waters to go onto the platforms.
Speaker 7 (03:22):
The flash flood threat is not over. This is the
time of year or or where we get it, because
July is the hottest time of year in the northern
hemisphere and he can hold more water and boom if
you get one of these thunderstorms over you, they're very
slow moving. This is what can happen.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Charming. It's ten out to five the.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
News you need this morning and the in depth analysis
earlier this year with Andrew Dickens and ex fol Insulation
keeping Kiwi homes warm and dry. This winter news talks
in me.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
So the country is a goog about Panganui Mayor Andrew
tripes efforts at keeping Panganui's rate rises to just two
point two percent, you know the national average eight point
seven percent. And the question we're all asking is how
did he do it? So there was an article on
rang Z yesterday that gave only one concrete example, and
it was getting rid of the food recycling program. You
(04:12):
know that little bucket you put the organics in instead
of dumping them in general trash or using them for
your own compost heat. But a lot of people don't
like them. I don't mind them. But that's saved huangan
Nui one point one million dollars. So we heard that,
but that was just the tip of the Iceberg tripe.
And his team stopped the renewal of the city's car
fleet because you know why, if the cars you got worked,
(04:32):
then why upgrade, just because now that doesn't go down
well with the car trade, but it does save costs
for the ratepayers and difficult times. He called ty hoe
on a eight million dollar renovation of the historic Opera House,
which is a great little hall. He's waiting for an
appropriate business case. He also temporarily stopped grants to the
local surf Life Saving Club. That alone saved one million dollars.
(04:55):
He stopped the review of the district plan because the
government is reviewing the resource management. That saved seven hundred thousand.
He stopped the development of a quarry, and then he
raised the price of car parking of Panganui and swimming
pool entry to raise more non tax revenue or non
rates revenue. All this and more makes life in Wanganui
(05:16):
a little bit less comfy and a little less future proof.
It but it reduces rates, but it increases user pays
so in one way or another, residents still pay for it.
But on the plus side, capital expenditure on infrastructures up
more than eighty percent. Of that capital is going to
be spent on footpaths and roading in stormwater core infrastructure
(05:37):
spending up eleven percent. So yeah, the pools cost more
in Fuanganui, but hopefully the pipes won't leak. And have
I told you rates are lower than the rest of
the country. But this is the thing about austerity. Yes,
it can save millions today, but it often defers to
cost to later. So one day huangan Nui will have
to repair the opera house and it's no good having
(05:58):
public pools if the pub that can't of form forward it.
But did I mention this saves rates? And with the
local elections bearing down on you, you have the choice, and
it depends on people getting out of the house and voting.
And the choice you have these days when you're choosing
your civic leaders is a choice between civic ambition and
grand schemes or civic fiscal prudence. It's twelve after five
(06:23):
news talk ZIDB saying Jones has been worried about our
fuel security, so he's increasing their supplies of diesel that
we've got in store and stuff like that. But he
also wants to create special economic zones. This is to
put fuel depots in but also so he can build
some electricity generation. So is this a good idea or not?
We'll talk to the Major Electricity Users Group next. It
(06:45):
is thirteen after five.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
Get ahead of the headlines on a early edition with
Andrew Dickins and x fole installation keeping Kiwi homes warm
and dry this winter news talk, said b five fifteen.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
So Shane Jones, pushing ahead with has desire to implement
a thing called special Economic zones to boost electricity generation
and to secure fuel. Now the zones will create tailored
regulation policy and special access to financial support for those
in areas deemed desirable for generation. So John Harvard is
(07:19):
the chair of the Major Electricity Users Group, Band joins
who Now good morning here.
Speaker 8 (07:23):
John, good morning.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
So is Shane Jones' idea a good one? Will it
get more dams and wind farms built?
Speaker 8 (07:30):
Look? It certainly would help. One of the big problems
we have in New Zealand is it's very hard to
build things and there's no question that we need a
lot more generation built. It doesn't remove issues around sort
of access to finance potentially, and it doesn't change sort
of the fundamental dynamic we have in New Zealand that
our large generators tend to only build new generation when
(07:51):
the demand is already there for the new build, so
we always sort of lag behind a little bit in
terms of very electricity generation, and that's one of the
reasons why I pray to stay high.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Do you think this might encourage more independent generators to
set up shop because we've got the big four gen tailors,
you know, and it's a bit like the supermarkets as well.
Would this actually create more competition.
Speaker 8 (08:11):
Well, it'd be really interesting to see what the Minister
is thinking about in terms of access to finance. So
the big problem for independent generators is raising the capital
they need to actually build the generation, so they look
for a long term, large contract to underpin that investment.
The problem is most of the generation is wind and solar,
(08:35):
so it's intermittent generation because the wind doesn't blow all
the time and the sun doesn't shine all the time.
But our large users like as steel makers and our
your minium makers, they need a really constant supply of
electricity all the time. So what tends to happen is
the only sort of big players that the independent generators
can sell to are the big four gentators, so you
(08:56):
don't fundamentally change the dynamic. And if you're a gentator,
you're a lot of building it yourself than buying it
off someone else. So there's a real challenge there for
the independence to actually enter the market. So if the
Minister's got some good ideas around access to capital and
making that easier, that could make a difference.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Yes, and when those people come into the market, and
this is advice for the gentailors as well, I mean,
what would you like them to be doing.
Speaker 8 (09:22):
Obviously we'd like them to be building a lot more generation.
They are building more at the moment, but we need
a step change in a large order of magnitude. To
put it in sort of perspective, is you know some
of the wind farms and the solar farms that are
being built, you know they might be twenty or thirty
megawatts of electricity a year. Well, we use about forty
(09:45):
five million megawats of electricity a year, so it gives
you an idea of how much we need to increase generation.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
All right, we're round about eighty two percent, and thank you,
John Harvard. That is shame Jones' idea. More on this
with Heather after six this morning. Interestingly enough, there's another
story about alternative pound generation that's just broken, showing how
difficult it is to design the future. And I'll have
details for that later on in the program. And if
you're in the milk shed right now, would you like
(10:12):
to know the global dairy trade results? The latest auction
showed a one point one percent increase in prices, and
digging down into the details, skim milk powder up two
point five percent, whole milk powder up one point seven percent,
and unfortunately, butter unchanged. And I think we'd all like
(10:32):
that to go down right now, wouldn't we? It is
at nineteen after five. You know what, if you apply
for a job in the United States of America, they go,
you know, what's your health benefits?
Speaker 4 (10:40):
Like?
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Does that happen here? Not so much? Should it? We'll
talk about this Next'spire.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Twenty one on your radio and online on iHeartRadio Early
edition with Andrew Dickens and x full installation Keeping Kiwi
Holmes Warm and dry this winter News Talk SAT be.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
So should your employer give you health insurance? We've got
calls for a fringe benefit tax break to help New
Zealanders pay for the rising cost of health insurance. And
this came from a study from the Financial Services Council
which found we are twice as likely to ensure our
cars than we are ourselves and our health They reckon
Only one in four key weis get their health insurance
paid for by their employer, with seventy eight percent of
(11:20):
insurance people paying for it out of their own pocket.
And I know it hurts. Let us go as the
founder of Enriched Retirement and joins you. Now, Hello, Liz,
good morning. So should employers be paying your health insurance?
Or is the whole point of a public health system
to be our health insurance?
Speaker 9 (11:40):
Look, I think our public health system is under extreme pressure,
as we all know, you know, with staff shortages, long
waiting lists, you know, the days of relying on that
public health system.
Speaker 4 (11:53):
Are gone.
Speaker 9 (11:53):
I think, so we have to take care of ourselves.
And look, I think one of the problems here is
that New Zealanders think that a bullet proof, you know,
they think, oh, she'll be right, nothing's going to go
wrong with me, And they don't tend to put health
insurance at the top of their priority list. But it's
getting that way because your health is really important. You know,
(12:15):
if you don't have good health, then you can't enjoy life.
But it may also impact on your ability to work.
And that's where I think employers have a vested interest
in making sure that their employees are healthy, and part
of that is encouraging them to take out health insurance.
So I think, yes, you know, having fringe benefit tax
(12:37):
apply to those health work related health insurance schemes is
a disincentive. It's not heaving us in the right direction
if we continue along those lines. So by all means,
I think a tax break on that would be extremely
helpful to you know, to to encourage us to take
(12:58):
the right steps.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
I think we don't invest in health insurance because we
think we bulletproof. We don't invest in health insurance because
it's so damn expensive.
Speaker 9 (13:09):
Well, yes, look, but then how do you measure expensive?
To me, it's about what's the benefit that you're getting
in relation to that expense. So and I think particularly
for people who have got, you know, some known health issues,
or who have some genetics or family history or even
(13:29):
history in terms of you know, being heavily involved in
sports and that kind of thing which might impact their health.
You know, those people are at high risk, and I
think in that situation where you're facing a high risk,
then it makes a lot of good sense to have
health insurance because you know there's there's something going to
(13:52):
happen to you potentially down the track which is going
to cost you a lot of money or a lot
of discomforts because you can't get into the public health.
So in that sense, it's not expensive.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Liz, I thank you so much for getting up early today.
This co is from a rich retirement. And on the
subject of health insurance, I think you may or may
not know that I had cancer six years ago and
all my treatment was paid for by health insurance and
that totaled over one hundred thousand dollars, which did not
come out of my own pocket. And also my partner
has had cancer and her treatment costs again well over
(14:27):
one hundred thousand dollars, and that didn't come out of
our pocket. And so that is because we invested in
health insurance and that has been a lifesaver for both
of us. We're both completely one hundred percent clear now
and that's a good thing. But it is very expensive,
and I can tell you as you get older, it
only gets worse. It is our five twenty five. What's
a big deal about the UN in this country? That
next here on News Talks.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
At B the early edition full show podcast on iHeartRadio.
Now it by News Talks at B.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
New Shorks B. It is five to twenty seven. I'm
always amazed and how much credence the United Nations has
given in domestic New Zealand politics. So look, the left
loves the UN's pronouncements on where New Zealand stands because
it reinforces the of you that we've got a lot
to feel guilty about. We should do something about it.
(15:16):
The right, meanwhile, believes that the UN can supersede our
sovereignty and is an enemy to be repelled at all costs.
But that's not the truth. Here's the truth. The UN
is an ineffectual bureaucracy. It's a giant global virtue signaler,
judging its signatories to an idealistic standard that is often
unachievable in the modern world. But it makes us all
(15:38):
feel good. There's nothing wrong with the UN writing these
sorts of reports because it might be nice to live
in a world full of unicorns. But they're still just
words and they have no deep context and no significance.
So David Seymour, David Seymour obviously took offense at one
such report and in a fit of peak late one night,
(15:58):
drunk on the power of being Deputy Private so fired
off an angry letter signed Grumpy of EPSOM to the UN.
That's obviously not his job, and it's right that he's
been told off about it. But that is about that
in the story. It's caused a minutif amongst the coalition
partners because of process and pecking order, but it's not
the major crack in the coalition that some claim. And
(16:19):
don't worry about the so called international embarrassment because the
world has a lot more to be embarrassed and worried about,
rather than some that will report by an arm of
the UN that criticizes one piece of legislation in a
very small country globally. So chill out about the UN
other than how much it costs us. But chill out
about them. They're not the boss of us. They're not
(16:40):
the boss of anyone, and that is their biggest problem
in getting anything tangible done.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
Ryan news Talk said, b Ah, there.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Is a Ryan Bridge in the I'm Andrew Dickens. Ryan
will be back next week. Ryan's doing the drive right
now now. On the health insurance, A Texas says health
insurance should operate in reverse, paying forward high premiums when
you are young and can afford it. When you're older.
Of course you're likely to be earning much lesser you can't,
so you know, step him down, and Scott writes he
recently stopped the health insurance because it was so expensive
(17:12):
and the A equivalent amounts into a savings account which
is now to five figures and growing. So well done
to you, Scott, but your health is very very important
and you should look out for it. Bad news for
the solar energy. I've got that story on the way.
We're going to talk about the christ Huge Hospital car
park again and what a mess at mastercf UK they've
(17:33):
got another controversy. Gavin Gray from the UK is on
the way. News is Nexus his news talks at B.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
Views and Views You Trust to start your day, It's
early edition with Andrew Dickins at expol Insulation, keeping Kiwi
Holmes ward and Dry. This winter news talks at B.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
Welcome. What is your and Andrew Differenson for Ryan Bridge.
He's back on Jack on this show from next week
where Mike Hoskin comes back. Listening to the boys in
the afternoon yesterday, they were talking about that lotto and
with the naked skier and how many people forty eight
people have complained about the buttocks scene on their TV screen,
So that was funny old talkback. I have to say.
But if you think we're prude's here in this country,
(18:35):
what about in India where they cut out thirty a
thirty three second kissing scene between Lois Lane and Superman.
They decided that India was not allowed to see Superman
and Lowis Lane having a kiss, so thirty three seconds
just went and there's a bit of controversy about that.
Now here's a story that will break Green's hearts. And
we were talking about special economic zones and electric electricity
(18:55):
generation because we all know the price of electricity at
the moment is insane, so we'd will want to do
something about it. But here we go. A second solar
power company has gone to the wall and they've owed
three million dollars and they're called Solar Group and they
join another company called Solar Zero, who collapsed last year,
and ironically at a time when electricity prices have never
(19:16):
been higher. It's because of a low adoption of solar
and the industry's reliance on financial incentives and subsidies. So
the New Zealand market is speaking people and they do
not like solar. In fact, the number of connections in
New Zealand that is solar is about three percent. In Australia,
the United States between thirty and forty percent. We are
way behind the ball. We do not like solar. Why
(19:39):
the biggest issue was cost. A solar system for the
average New Zealand home comes with a price tag of
twenty five thousand dollars. But it's another lesson to us
all that you can't force the future.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
International.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
It is twenty two to six. Let's go around the country.
We'll do international with Gavin Gray in a few moments time.
But in first Toned and AICs. Good morning to Michael Segel.
Speaker 5 (20:02):
Good morning.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
So what's happening too tir No's birds sanctuary.
Speaker 5 (20:06):
Yeah, it's up in the air. The community has three
weeks to provide feedback on how to retain or enhance
the to Punanga Manu facility. Doc has confirmed the Sanctuary's
price to tucka hay will likely stay. How we even
no decisions have been made about the other birds. Great
South is telling us they've already received twenty six high
quality submissions, be with some really cool ideas. Nothing out there,
(20:28):
but doing what's currently at the site better and differently.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
I love a good taka. Hey, how's the weather in Otago?
Speaker 5 (20:33):
A chance when early shower? Otherwise fine a hive ten
degrees adice.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
Good morning to Claire Sherwin from Christis Good morning to Claire,
good morning, Hey, I know what's fun. Let's talk about
christ Church Hospitals car park again again.
Speaker 10 (20:45):
I heard you saying that, Andrew.
Speaker 4 (20:46):
That's right.
Speaker 10 (20:47):
Well, this is going to be at the council meeting today.
Methyl Major is seeking some support from colleagues with this
idea to open the Pardakiode Recreation in Sports Center car
park to be used for night shift workers at Christchurch Hospital.
It's only around the corner from the hospital, so it's
nice and handy to it, and we know the saga
that it's Christyurch Hospital car parking. The notice of motion
(21:08):
comes three months after counselor and rival meyoral candidate Sarah
Templeton requested an investigation of the same thing. She says
she was told a notice of motion wasn't needed to
get the work done. When she put forward the idea,
Templeton Stairs staff will let her know that work was
already underway on this and a wider safety audit on
the area is planned as well.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
All right, how's your weather today, Samolo.
Speaker 10 (21:31):
Claude and fog about today? Otherwise should be fine. Southwesterly
is easing and the high is eleven.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
And I thank you. And now to Wellington Maxtol, Good
morning to you.
Speaker 11 (21:40):
Good morning.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
So there's debate about how to invigorate Wellington.
Speaker 11 (21:44):
Yeah, it feels like there's a lot of bad feeling
in the capitol at the moment. The Ray Chung email
leak is dragging on now, a bit of to and
fro between the Prime Minister and the mayor. Again really,
I should say we talked on Monday about Wellington missing
out on the Lord Lewis Capaldi Concert's homegrown. Christopher Luxon
again critical of council spending on the wrong things. Mentioned
(22:04):
the Convention Center in particular that has been losing a
bit of money. It has been partly propped up by
the Council as well, while christ Church's equivalent does well
also critical of our glow in the dark public toilets.
Interesting that the Prime Minister mentioned how Wellington used to
have the V eights here the Nissan mobile five hundred
Waterfront Street Race in Wellington until about thirty years ago.
(22:27):
Amir Torrifano, quick to respond one fit out the door,
turning it around and criticizing the public service cuts by
the government, says Luxon is living in the past. It
all feels a bit tired. We're going around in circles
and it's dark, and it's cold, and everyone's sick, and
everyone's shouting at each other. At Rayla Chung's latest campaign
event last night, there's video of that online. You could
be forgiven for forgetting we just had a successful all
(22:49):
Blacks test weekend.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
Gee, I feel the need to come to Wellington immediately
just to look the spirits. How is the weather there?
Speaker 11 (22:56):
It is partly cloudy with southerly's thirteen the high.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
Okay thirteen the high. It's pretty cold around the place.
Good storemaking weather too awkome? We go nev rittimanu, good morning,
so wyuku. I'm a franken County boy, And I know
Masters Road and a head south out of Wayuku and
it's a big old up and the downy sort of thing.
It's a lot of kids go down that during the
school rush. Three people died on that road. That town
must be in shock. Oh.
Speaker 12 (23:20):
Absolutely, this is just a tragic story. So you're quite right, Andrew.
The vehicle went off Masters Road. Now, this happened about
three point thirty yesterday afternoon, ending up in a nearby
body of water, killing all three people inside. So Gary Holmes,
he's the Franklin local board member. He says, you know,
this is a tight knit community. They'll be affected by this.
(23:41):
He's also saying, like, as you know this road, it
runs through the Auckland White Cuttle jurisdiction. At speed limit
it fluctuates between eighty and about one hundred kilometers an hour.
So Holmes is saying the two different speeds on roads
adjacent to each other can be confusing for motorists and
possibly something that the councils need to look into.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
Look, I'm going to go out on a limb here
and say I would I put eighty on it the
whole way because it is quite it's not a great road.
It's a little week all the roller coasters, the roller
coaster and it's a little wee rural road. And what's
the rush man? You're in Wyuku? How's Awkin's weather? Cloudy?
Speaker 12 (24:15):
Isolated chows clearing though this afternoon sixteen is a high
here in Aukland.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
It is seventeen to six. More controversy from masterch f
UK so Gavin Gray from the UK is going to
fill us in on that text about the insurance should
we have should we have more employers paying our health insurance.
Kathy talks that she's had one hundred percent for surgery
and specialist health insurance. She's had god bladder surgery, seven
sinus surgeries, averaging twenty k each. I see a I
(24:43):
specialist every year. I've had twenty one Mriyes, half public,
half private. I've been checking up in a benign tumor
on an optic nerve causing loss of sight in one eye.
There is no way I would have been able to
afford all these operations and all these procedures if I
didn't have health insurance. So spending five to six k
on insurance a year, it's a no brainer for Kathy. Meanwhile,
(25:04):
I'm the Superman kiss that has been taken out of
the film. In India, a person writes, ge if a
guy needs to kiss a girl for thirty three seconds
to break down her resistance, he's hardly super.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
Sixteen to six International correspondence with insin Eye Insurance Peace
of Mind for New Zealand Business.
Speaker 2 (25:23):
Well, it's fourteen minutes to six and we saved you.
Wanting to Kevin Gray from the UK. Good wanting to
you Kevin either Andrew Well fresh from the Greg Wallace
to take a look at my junk controversy Master c
if UK has a new scandal.
Speaker 4 (25:37):
Yep, I'm afraid it does, plunging the show into absolute
chaos because the series has already been filmed with both
Greg Wallace but also John Torode. Because today You're on
Droad has been sacked as the Master Chef presenter. It
was an allegation against him in what it was said
that he had used an extremely offensive racist term. Now
(25:57):
this allegation was upheld, although John Road, the TV cheffer,
said he had no recollection of the incident and he
said I do not believe that it happened. However, the
show's production company says it and the BBC agreed that
his contract on the show will not be renewed. So yeah,
after these allegations, dozens of allegations against Greg Wallace him
(26:20):
being sacked. Now John to Road apparently being offered to
told by bosses to resign he refused, has now been
sacked as well. This is the latest in a long
line of controversies at the BBC, including the Bob Villains
set at Glastonbury where they were leading Chance of Death
Death to the IDF and the BBC didn't pull the plug,
(26:41):
and also Garza documentary that they didn't realize was actually
hosted by the son of somebody in hammers So I'm
afraid dark days at the BBC. They've got a lot
of patching up to do.
Speaker 2 (26:52):
What are they going to do with the Master cif
UK TV series. It's all in the cairn. They've filmed
it with the Road and Wallace. Are they just not
going to show it as a glorious waste of money?
Speaker 4 (27:02):
Well that's what some people are demanding. But on the
other hand, of course, you know a lot of those
amateur chefs that really worked hard to get there. Imagine
if you won it and then found actually that it
wasn't going to be aired, or there wasn't even going
to be mentioned that you'd won it. There's talk about
perhaps replacing them with voiceovers or but it's going to
be almost impossible to do that. If they show it,
people are going to be up in arms. If they
(27:23):
don't show, people are going to be up in arms.
Either way, I advise them to make a decision and
make it quickly.
Speaker 2 (27:30):
Now you remember the story of that tree, the sycamore
get tree. This is a tree that was in between
two hillocks and you could take a photograph and it
looked beautiful in northeast England, and a couple of monters
we didn't cut it down. What's happened to them?
Speaker 12 (27:42):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (27:42):
I mean they were described in court as taking moronic action.
And I think most people would agree. A tree that
was really a symbol of romance for so many was
famous in Hollywood. If you've ever seen it, you'll realize that.
Of course, it just looked stunning, and two men set
out one night and set timber and cut it down.
Why we still don't know, but morons, I think most
(28:05):
people would agree as a good adjective. One was age
thirty nine and the other thirty two, both from Cumbria
in the northwest of England, convicted of criminal damage after
filming themselves using a chainsaw to illegally fell the landmark
tree right on Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland, causing immense damage.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
Now today they.
Speaker 4 (28:23):
Have been jailed for four years and three months in
what the judge thought was probably just sheer bravado, the
judge rejecting a claim of drunken stupidity and saying it
was done for some sort of a thrill.
Speaker 2 (28:38):
What a thrill exactly? And I guess when they go
to prison they can be put on the garden detail
for four years. Oh very good, Yeah, and I thank
you Gavin Great from the UK it is ten to.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
Six news talks, it'd be.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
So the government is cracking down on councils, forcing them
to stick to their core business. It's scrapping the four
well being provisions brought in by the last MOB, Social, economic,
environmental and cultural. The last MOB added these in twenty nineteen.
The law change also means councils must report regularly on
their finances and reveal how much they're spending on consultants
(29:12):
and contractors, wrote rotor Tania Tapsule is Jodd. I mean, now,
good morning to you, Tania.
Speaker 13 (29:20):
Good morning.
Speaker 2 (29:20):
What does core business mean for you?
Speaker 13 (29:23):
Look, this is quite interesting actually because it's mostly focused
on infrastructure, but overall it's about making sure that our
districts are certainly running well, but also that our community
is able to access services and feel happy about excellence
in customer service. I suppose when they do contact council.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
And who's responsible for the culture of a city, because
if they're scrapping their cultural provision, are they saying it's
not the council's job to actually promote the culture of
a city and every city has a culture.
Speaker 13 (29:56):
Well, actually, I've got to give it to this government though,
because when the previous one introduced the four Wellbeings, a
lot of the councils said, well, okay, then are we
going to get more funding to do that police, And
of course the answer was no, and so all of
a sudden, councils were tasked to worth also having to
look after the social wellbeings. Now, that was quite difficult
(30:18):
for us because when we're trying to run a city
keep the ranks as low as possible, but we also
have to drive not only culture but also social wellbeing.
We kind of said, hm, hang on, I'm in a government,
isn't it your job? So we are very much looking
forward to the removal of the four wellbeings. But there
is a little bit of hesitancy, I must admit of
councils across the country where we say, hmm, okay, so
(30:41):
you're going to tell us to focus on core business,
But does that mean that you will pick up the
bill and also the work if we do have gaps
that are left for our communities.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
Yeah. How do you feel about the government telling you
what to do? I mean, you are elected based on
your platforms. You go in there telling the people that
have elected you what you're going to do. But here's
the government saying this is what you're going to do.
How do you feel about that?
Speaker 13 (31:04):
This has always been a tricky one for us, of course,
and we saw that when we had the three Waters
debate now called Local Waters Done Well, where our community said, actually, hey,
we want to make sure that we maintain local decision making.
We also saw it when the polytechs the two stories
got moged across the country and the local DHB has
got scrapped, and of course we went to an amalgamated system.
(31:27):
So this will be quite interesting because we've seen that
when government does tell councils what to do, it doesn't
really work very well. So we're hoping at least, and
I'll tell you what we're hoping, at least when they
talk about rates capping, they also look at how much
cost the government is actually putting on local councils. Because
(31:48):
I tell you what, half of our rates increases across
the country, certainly in my region it's about eight point
seven percent on average. Half of that rates increases actually
from government reforms and how much money we have to
spend to meet those targets.
Speaker 2 (32:03):
So you're going to have to spend a bit more
as well, because you've got to report regularly on your
finances and you've got to reveal everything that you're spending.
So there's a whole lot of man hours and person
hours and that as well. Tell you, Tapsle, you spoke
so fantastically you always do, and I thank you for
your time today. It is seven to six.
Speaker 1 (32:19):
Andrew Dickens on early edition with ex bowl insulation, keeping
Kiwi homes warm and try this winter news talks.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
It'd be so yeah. The BBC has a whole series
of Master Chef in the cam with a couple of
miscreants in it, and are they going to run it
or not? Which was I was just talking with Gavin
Gray about this sign and says Andrew, the BBC, which
lacks intelligence, could just run the entire Master Chef season
through AI and replace the miscreants with made up characters. Easy,
thank you, Simon. I quite like to watch real humans.
Speaker 14 (32:47):
Would you watch it if they played it? It's Heather here, Hello, Heather.
Speaker 2 (32:51):
Hello, Hello. No, because I think Master Chef uk Is
is a pale shadow of Master Chef Australia. I've got
enough master Chief in my life.
Speaker 14 (32:59):
If you did like watching didn't you stop watching it?
Because Greg's are PERV and.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
The other racist?
Speaker 12 (33:04):
No?
Speaker 2 (33:05):
Remember, if anything you're going to watch, I'm going to
tell you something controversial. I was against the Spring Book
two back in nineteen eighty one, and he went to
the games anyway. I watched the games all the time.
I watched the Flower Bloom game. Did they have a
good game? There were good games of football. But you know,
but at the same time.
Speaker 14 (33:22):
See this is where the BEB is just I mean
the beeB the Beebe is just an example of having
no spine, right when you just try to please everybody
and you please nobody at all, they' she just bloody
will play the thing and they will get so.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
Much ad ribon. So I was in the news room
the other day and I said, Gallan's going to smash
Sonny Bill, isn't he? And you know what the guy
beside me, Sam said, I hope.
Speaker 14 (33:44):
So oh yeah, Actually did hear that?
Speaker 2 (33:46):
Sonny bll is not ugerly popular with the with Sam
and I still think Gallan's going to smash it. When
you're talking to Sonny Bills too, they're going to talk.
Speaker 14 (33:52):
To Soney Bill after seven thirty. He is a very
polarizing character, right, A lot of people want to see
him get his head knocked in.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
So he's going to spy. I mean, would you would.
Speaker 8 (34:01):
You go in a boxing room?
Speaker 4 (34:02):
No?
Speaker 7 (34:03):
No?
Speaker 2 (34:03):
No, Hello good Man? Ought to be a say tomorrow Well.
Speaker 1 (34:13):
For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live
to News Talks. It'd be from five am weekdays, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
The issues, the interviews and the insight. Andrew Dickens on
early edition with ex pole insulation, keeping Kiwi Holmes warm
and try this winter news talk. Sa'd be good.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Morning to you. Welcome to your Wednesday. I'm Andrew Dickins.
Coming up in the next sixty minutes. Shane Jones has
had a brain wave to create special economic zones to
make it easier to build power generation facilities. So is
this idea pie in the sky. Will have that story
for you in ten minutes. Should employers pay your health
insurance like they do in America? We'll have that story
(00:33):
for you in fifteen. Why are we so obsessed with
the UN and what they think? Mastership UK has a
new controversy after the Greg Wallace six pest incidents, So
Gavin Greig will have all those details. And then the
government is cracking down on councilors forcing them to stick
to their core business. So what is core business and
what will council stop doing? Telling your taps just before
(00:54):
the news at six you can text me anytime you like.
Thirty two ninety two small charge applies. You can email
Dickens at Newstalks Co dot and said it's seven after five.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
The agenda.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
It's Wednesday, the sixteenth of July. So to America, and
Trump says he's not done with Putin, but he is disappointed.
He's done an interview with the BBC and he says
he thought a Ukraine deal was on the cards with
Russia four different times.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
I'm disappointed in him, but I'm not done with him,
but I'm.
Speaker 4 (01:24):
Disappointed in him. So we have a deal done four
times and then you go home and you see just
attacked a nursing home.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Yeah, at some point and Kiev, and so what the
hell was that about?
Speaker 5 (01:35):
Do you trust him?
Speaker 1 (01:36):
I trust almost nobody.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
Meanwhile, Russia's responded to the threats from the United States.
Those threats are sending weapons to Ukraine and tariff threats
if a dealer isn't done in fifty days. But Foreign
Minister Sirgui is not worried.
Speaker 6 (01:51):
You want to understand what is behind this statement on
fifty days. We really want to know what motivates the
President of the United States. It is clear that he
is under enormous I would say, in destined pressure from
the European Union and the current leadership of NATO, who
impudently supports the Lensi's demand to continue pumping him with
(02:11):
modern weaponry, including offensive weapons, at the expense of the
more and more damage to taxpayers in Western countries.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
And the UK government says has had to launch a
secret scheme to relocate thousands of people from Afghanistan after
their personal details were mistakenly leaked. Back in twenty twenty two,
the personal details of nearly nineteen thousand people who had
applied to move to the UK after the Taliban seize
power were leaked, and the breach wasn't found until August
twenty twenty three, when names surfaced on Facebook.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
Nine hundred our principles are in Britain or in transit.
Together we three thy six hundred family members at a
cost of around four hundred million pounds. From today there
will be no u A our office of re looking
to Britain from today. The route is now closed.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
And finally, flash floods are back in this time in
New York City. The City Subway was particularly hit. Passengers
and it were left stranded inside carriages after torrential rain
gushed all the way down into the subway caused flood
waters to go onto the platforms.
Speaker 7 (03:22):
The flash flood threat is not over. This is the
time of year or or where we get it, because
July is the hottest time of year in the northern
hemisphere and he can hold more water and boom if
you get one of these thunderstorms over you, they're very
slow moving. This is what can happen.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Charming. It's ten out to five the.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
News you need this morning and the in depth analysis
earlier this year with Andrew Dickens and ex fol Insulation
keeping Kiwi homes warm and dry. This winter news talks
in me.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
So the country is a goog about Panganui Mayor Andrew
tripes efforts at keeping Panganui's rate rises to just two
point two percent, you know the national average eight point
seven percent. And the question we're all asking is how
did he do it? So there was an article on
rang Z yesterday that gave only one concrete example, and
it was getting rid of the food recycling program. You
(04:12):
know that little bucket you put the organics in instead
of dumping them in general trash or using them for
your own compost heat. But a lot of people don't
like them. I don't mind them. But that's saved huangan
Nui one point one million dollars. So we heard that,
but that was just the tip of the Iceberg tripe.
And his team stopped the renewal of the city's car
fleet because you know why, if the cars you got worked,
(04:32):
then why upgrade, just because now that doesn't go down
well with the car trade, but it does save costs
for the ratepayers and difficult times. He called ty hoe
on a eight million dollar renovation of the historic Opera House,
which is a great little hall. He's waiting for an
appropriate business case. He also temporarily stopped grants to the
local surf Life Saving Club. That alone saved one million dollars.
(04:55):
He stopped the review of the district plan because the
government is reviewing the resource management. That saved seven hundred thousand.
He stopped the development of a quarry, and then he
raised the price of car parking of Panganui and swimming
pool entry to raise more non tax revenue or non
rates revenue. All this and more makes life in Wanganui
(05:16):
a little bit less comfy and a little less future proof.
It but it reduces rates, but it increases user pays
so in one way or another, residents still pay for it.
But on the plus side, capital expenditure on infrastructures up
more than eighty percent. Of that capital is going to
be spent on footpaths and roading in stormwater core infrastructure
(05:37):
spending up eleven percent. So yeah, the pools cost more
in Fuanganui, but hopefully the pipes won't leak. And have
I told you rates are lower than the rest of
the country. But this is the thing about austerity. Yes,
it can save millions today, but it often defers to
cost to later. So one day huangan Nui will have
to repair the opera house and it's no good having
(05:58):
public pools if the pub that can't of form forward it.
But did I mention this saves rates? And with the
local elections bearing down on you, you have the choice, and
it depends on people getting out of the house and voting.
And the choice you have these days when you're choosing
your civic leaders is a choice between civic ambition and
grand schemes or civic fiscal prudence. It's twelve after five
(06:23):
news talk ZIDB saying Jones has been worried about our
fuel security, so he's increasing their supplies of diesel that
we've got in store and stuff like that. But he
also wants to create special economic zones. This is to
put fuel depots in but also so he can build
some electricity generation. So is this a good idea or not?
We'll talk to the Major Electricity Users Group next. It
(06:45):
is thirteen after five.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
Get ahead of the headlines on a early edition with
Andrew Dickins and x fole installation keeping Kiwi homes warm
and dry this winter news talk, said b five fifteen.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
So Shane Jones, pushing ahead with has desire to implement
a thing called special Economic zones to boost electricity generation
and to secure fuel. Now the zones will create tailored
regulation policy and special access to financial support for those
in areas deemed desirable for generation. So John Harvard is
(07:19):
the chair of the Major Electricity Users Group, Band joins
who Now good morning here.
Speaker 8 (07:23):
John, good morning.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
So is Shane Jones' idea a good one? Will it
get more dams and wind farms built?
Speaker 8 (07:30):
Look? It certainly would help. One of the big problems
we have in New Zealand is it's very hard to
build things and there's no question that we need a
lot more generation built. It doesn't remove issues around sort
of access to finance potentially, and it doesn't change sort
of the fundamental dynamic we have in New Zealand that
our large generators tend to only build new generation when
(07:51):
the demand is already there for the new build, so
we always sort of lag behind a little bit in
terms of very electricity generation, and that's one of the
reasons why I pray to stay high.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Do you think this might encourage more independent generators to
set up shop because we've got the big four gen tailors,
you know, and it's a bit like the supermarkets as well.
Would this actually create more competition.
Speaker 8 (08:11):
Well, it'd be really interesting to see what the Minister
is thinking about in terms of access to finance. So
the big problem for independent generators is raising the capital
they need to actually build the generation, so they look
for a long term, large contract to underpin that investment.
The problem is most of the generation is wind and solar,
(08:35):
so it's intermittent generation because the wind doesn't blow all
the time and the sun doesn't shine all the time.
But our large users like as steel makers and our
your minium makers, they need a really constant supply of
electricity all the time. So what tends to happen is
the only sort of big players that the independent generators
can sell to are the big four gentators, so you
(08:56):
don't fundamentally change the dynamic. And if you're a gentator,
you're a lot of building it yourself than buying it
off someone else. So there's a real challenge there for
the independence to actually enter the market. So if the
Minister's got some good ideas around access to capital and
making that easier, that could make a difference.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Yes, and when those people come into the market, and
this is advice for the gentailors as well, I mean,
what would you like them to be doing.
Speaker 8 (09:22):
Obviously we'd like them to be building a lot more generation.
They are building more at the moment, but we need
a step change in a large order of magnitude. To
put it in sort of perspective, is you know some
of the wind farms and the solar farms that are
being built, you know they might be twenty or thirty
megawatts of electricity a year. Well, we use about forty
(09:45):
five million megawats of electricity a year, so it gives
you an idea of how much we need to increase generation.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
All right, we're round about eighty two percent, and thank you,
John Harvard. That is shame Jones' idea. More on this
with Heather after six this morning. Interestingly enough, there's another
story about alternative pound generation that's just broken, showing how
difficult it is to design the future. And I'll have
details for that later on in the program. And if
you're in the milk shed right now, would you like
(10:12):
to know the global dairy trade results? The latest auction
showed a one point one percent increase in prices, and
digging down into the details, skim milk powder up two
point five percent, whole milk powder up one point seven percent,
and unfortunately, butter unchanged. And I think we'd all like
(10:32):
that to go down right now, wouldn't we? It is
at nineteen after five. You know what, if you apply
for a job in the United States of America, they go,
you know, what's your health benefits?
Speaker 4 (10:40):
Like?
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Does that happen here? Not so much? Should it? We'll
talk about this Next'spire.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Twenty one on your radio and online on iHeartRadio Early
edition with Andrew Dickens and x full installation Keeping Kiwi
Holmes Warm and dry this winter News Talk SAT be.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
So should your employer give you health insurance? We've got
calls for a fringe benefit tax break to help New
Zealanders pay for the rising cost of health insurance. And
this came from a study from the Financial Services Council
which found we are twice as likely to ensure our
cars than we are ourselves and our health They reckon
Only one in four key weis get their health insurance
paid for by their employer, with seventy eight percent of
(11:20):
insurance people paying for it out of their own pocket.
And I know it hurts. Let us go as the
founder of Enriched Retirement and joins you. Now, Hello, Liz,
good morning. So should employers be paying your health insurance?
Or is the whole point of a public health system
to be our health insurance?
Speaker 9 (11:40):
Look, I think our public health system is under extreme pressure,
as we all know, you know, with staff shortages, long
waiting lists, you know, the days of relying on that
public health system.
Speaker 4 (11:53):
Are gone.
Speaker 9 (11:53):
I think, so we have to take care of ourselves.
And look, I think one of the problems here is
that New Zealanders think that a bullet proof, you know,
they think, oh, she'll be right, nothing's going to go
wrong with me, And they don't tend to put health
insurance at the top of their priority list. But it's
getting that way because your health is really important. You know,
(12:15):
if you don't have good health, then you can't enjoy life.
But it may also impact on your ability to work.
And that's where I think employers have a vested interest
in making sure that their employees are healthy, and part
of that is encouraging them to take out health insurance.
So I think, yes, you know, having fringe benefit tax
(12:37):
apply to those health work related health insurance schemes is
a disincentive. It's not heaving us in the right direction
if we continue along those lines. So by all means,
I think a tax break on that would be extremely
helpful to you know, to to encourage us to take
(12:58):
the right steps.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
I think we don't invest in health insurance because we
think we bulletproof. We don't invest in health insurance because
it's so damn expensive.
Speaker 9 (13:09):
Well, yes, look, but then how do you measure expensive?
To me, it's about what's the benefit that you're getting
in relation to that expense. So and I think particularly
for people who have got, you know, some known health issues,
or who have some genetics or family history or even
(13:29):
history in terms of you know, being heavily involved in
sports and that kind of thing which might impact their health.
You know, those people are at high risk, and I
think in that situation where you're facing a high risk,
then it makes a lot of good sense to have
health insurance because you know there's there's something going to
(13:52):
happen to you potentially down the track which is going
to cost you a lot of money or a lot
of discomforts because you can't get into the public health.
So in that sense, it's not expensive.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Liz, I thank you so much for getting up early today.
This co is from a rich retirement. And on the
subject of health insurance, I think you may or may
not know that I had cancer six years ago and
all my treatment was paid for by health insurance and
that totaled over one hundred thousand dollars, which did not
come out of my own pocket. And also my partner
has had cancer and her treatment costs again well over
(14:27):
one hundred thousand dollars, and that didn't come out of
our pocket. And so that is because we invested in
health insurance and that has been a lifesaver for both
of us. We're both completely one hundred percent clear now
and that's a good thing. But it is very expensive,
and I can tell you as you get older, it
only gets worse. It is our five twenty five. What's
a big deal about the UN in this country? That
next here on News Talks.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
At B the early edition full show podcast on iHeartRadio.
Now it by News Talks at B.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
New Shorks B. It is five to twenty seven. I'm
always amazed and how much credence the United Nations has
given in domestic New Zealand politics. So look, the left
loves the UN's pronouncements on where New Zealand stands because
it reinforces the of you that we've got a lot
to feel guilty about. We should do something about it.
(15:16):
The right, meanwhile, believes that the UN can supersede our
sovereignty and is an enemy to be repelled at all costs.
But that's not the truth. Here's the truth. The UN
is an ineffectual bureaucracy. It's a giant global virtue signaler,
judging its signatories to an idealistic standard that is often
unachievable in the modern world. But it makes us all
(15:38):
feel good. There's nothing wrong with the UN writing these
sorts of reports because it might be nice to live
in a world full of unicorns. But they're still just
words and they have no deep context and no significance.
So David Seymour, David Seymour obviously took offense at one
such report and in a fit of peak late one night,
(15:58):
drunk on the power of being Deputy Private so fired
off an angry letter signed Grumpy of EPSOM to the UN.
That's obviously not his job, and it's right that he's
been told off about it. But that is about that
in the story. It's caused a minutif amongst the coalition
partners because of process and pecking order, but it's not
the major crack in the coalition that some claim. And
(16:19):
don't worry about the so called international embarrassment because the
world has a lot more to be embarrassed and worried about,
rather than some that will report by an arm of
the UN that criticizes one piece of legislation in a
very small country globally. So chill out about the UN
other than how much it costs us. But chill out
about them. They're not the boss of us. They're not
(16:40):
the boss of anyone, and that is their biggest problem
in getting anything tangible done.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
Ryan news Talk said, b Ah, there.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Is a Ryan Bridge in the I'm Andrew Dickens. Ryan
will be back next week. Ryan's doing the drive right
now now. On the health insurance, A Texas says health
insurance should operate in reverse, paying forward high premiums when
you are young and can afford it. When you're older.
Of course you're likely to be earning much lesser you can't,
so you know, step him down, and Scott writes he
recently stopped the health insurance because it was so expensive
(17:12):
and the A equivalent amounts into a savings account which
is now to five figures and growing. So well done
to you, Scott, but your health is very very important
and you should look out for it. Bad news for
the solar energy. I've got that story on the way.
We're going to talk about the christ Huge Hospital car
park again and what a mess at mastercf UK they've
(17:33):
got another controversy. Gavin Gray from the UK is on
the way. News is Nexus his news talks at B.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
Views and Views You Trust to start your day, It's
early edition with Andrew Dickins at expol Insulation, keeping Kiwi
Holmes ward and Dry. This winter news talks at B.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
Welcome. What is your and Andrew Differenson for Ryan Bridge.
He's back on Jack on this show from next week
where Mike Hoskin comes back. Listening to the boys in
the afternoon yesterday, they were talking about that lotto and
with the naked skier and how many people forty eight
people have complained about the buttocks scene on their TV screen,
So that was funny old talkback. I have to say.
But if you think we're prude's here in this country,
(18:35):
what about in India where they cut out thirty a
thirty three second kissing scene between Lois Lane and Superman.
They decided that India was not allowed to see Superman
and Lowis Lane having a kiss, so thirty three seconds
just went and there's a bit of controversy about that.
Now here's a story that will break Green's hearts. And
we were talking about special economic zones and electric electricity
(18:55):
generation because we all know the price of electricity at
the moment is insane, so we'd will want to do
something about it. But here we go. A second solar
power company has gone to the wall and they've owed
three million dollars and they're called Solar Group and they
join another company called Solar Zero, who collapsed last year,
and ironically at a time when electricity prices have never
(19:16):
been higher. It's because of a low adoption of solar
and the industry's reliance on financial incentives and subsidies. So
the New Zealand market is speaking people and they do
not like solar. In fact, the number of connections in
New Zealand that is solar is about three percent. In Australia,
the United States between thirty and forty percent. We are
way behind the ball. We do not like solar. Why
(19:39):
the biggest issue was cost. A solar system for the
average New Zealand home comes with a price tag of
twenty five thousand dollars. But it's another lesson to us
all that you can't force the future.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
International.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
It is twenty two to six. Let's go around the country.
We'll do international with Gavin Gray in a few moments time.
But in first Toned and AICs. Good morning to Michael Segel.
Speaker 5 (20:02):
Good morning.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
So what's happening too tir No's birds sanctuary.
Speaker 5 (20:06):
Yeah, it's up in the air. The community has three
weeks to provide feedback on how to retain or enhance
the to Punanga Manu facility. Doc has confirmed the Sanctuary's
price to tucka hay will likely stay. How we even
no decisions have been made about the other birds. Great
South is telling us they've already received twenty six high
quality submissions, be with some really cool ideas. Nothing out there,
(20:28):
but doing what's currently at the site better and differently.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
I love a good taka. Hey, how's the weather in Otago?
Speaker 5 (20:33):
A chance when early shower? Otherwise fine a hive ten
degrees adice.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
Good morning to Claire Sherwin from Christis Good morning to Claire,
good morning, Hey, I know what's fun. Let's talk about
christ Church Hospitals car park again again.
Speaker 10 (20:45):
I heard you saying that, Andrew.
Speaker 4 (20:46):
That's right.
Speaker 10 (20:47):
Well, this is going to be at the council meeting today.
Methyl Major is seeking some support from colleagues with this
idea to open the Pardakiode Recreation in Sports Center car
park to be used for night shift workers at Christchurch Hospital.
It's only around the corner from the hospital, so it's
nice and handy to it, and we know the saga
that it's Christyurch Hospital car parking. The notice of motion
(21:08):
comes three months after counselor and rival meyoral candidate Sarah
Templeton requested an investigation of the same thing. She says
she was told a notice of motion wasn't needed to
get the work done. When she put forward the idea,
Templeton Stairs staff will let her know that work was
already underway on this and a wider safety audit on
the area is planned as well.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
All right, how's your weather today, Samolo.
Speaker 10 (21:31):
Claude and fog about today? Otherwise should be fine. Southwesterly
is easing and the high is eleven.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
And I thank you. And now to Wellington Maxtol, Good
morning to you.
Speaker 11 (21:40):
Good morning.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
So there's debate about how to invigorate Wellington.
Speaker 11 (21:44):
Yeah, it feels like there's a lot of bad feeling
in the capitol at the moment. The Ray Chung email
leak is dragging on now, a bit of to and
fro between the Prime Minister and the mayor. Again really,
I should say we talked on Monday about Wellington missing
out on the Lord Lewis Capaldi Concert's homegrown. Christopher Luxon
again critical of council spending on the wrong things. Mentioned
(22:04):
the Convention Center in particular that has been losing a
bit of money. It has been partly propped up by
the Council as well, while christ Church's equivalent does well
also critical of our glow in the dark public toilets.
Interesting that the Prime Minister mentioned how Wellington used to
have the V eights here the Nissan mobile five hundred
Waterfront Street Race in Wellington until about thirty years ago.
(22:27):
Amir Torrifano, quick to respond one fit out the door,
turning it around and criticizing the public service cuts by
the government, says Luxon is living in the past. It
all feels a bit tired. We're going around in circles
and it's dark, and it's cold, and everyone's sick, and
everyone's shouting at each other. At Rayla Chung's latest campaign
event last night, there's video of that online. You could
be forgiven for forgetting we just had a successful all
(22:49):
Blacks test weekend.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
Gee, I feel the need to come to Wellington immediately
just to look the spirits. How is the weather there?
Speaker 11 (22:56):
It is partly cloudy with southerly's thirteen the high.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
Okay thirteen the high. It's pretty cold around the place.
Good storemaking weather too awkome? We go nev rittimanu, good morning,
so wyuku. I'm a franken County boy, And I know
Masters Road and a head south out of Wayuku and
it's a big old up and the downy sort of thing.
It's a lot of kids go down that during the
school rush. Three people died on that road. That town
must be in shock. Oh.
Speaker 12 (23:20):
Absolutely, this is just a tragic story. So you're quite right, Andrew.
The vehicle went off Masters Road. Now, this happened about
three point thirty yesterday afternoon, ending up in a nearby
body of water, killing all three people inside. So Gary Holmes,
he's the Franklin local board member. He says, you know,
this is a tight knit community. They'll be affected by this.
(23:41):
He's also saying, like, as you know this road, it
runs through the Auckland White Cuttle jurisdiction. At speed limit
it fluctuates between eighty and about one hundred kilometers an hour.
So Holmes is saying the two different speeds on roads
adjacent to each other can be confusing for motorists and
possibly something that the councils need to look into.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
Look, I'm going to go out on a limb here
and say I would I put eighty on it the
whole way because it is quite it's not a great road.
It's a little week all the roller coasters, the roller
coaster and it's a little wee rural road. And what's
the rush man? You're in Wyuku? How's Awkin's weather? Cloudy?
Speaker 12 (24:15):
Isolated chows clearing though this afternoon sixteen is a high
here in Aukland.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
It is seventeen to six. More controversy from masterch f
UK so Gavin Gray from the UK is going to
fill us in on that text about the insurance should
we have should we have more employers paying our health insurance.
Kathy talks that she's had one hundred percent for surgery
and specialist health insurance. She's had god bladder surgery, seven
sinus surgeries, averaging twenty k each. I see a I
(24:43):
specialist every year. I've had twenty one Mriyes, half public,
half private. I've been checking up in a benign tumor
on an optic nerve causing loss of sight in one eye.
There is no way I would have been able to
afford all these operations and all these procedures if I
didn't have health insurance. So spending five to six k
on insurance a year, it's a no brainer for Kathy. Meanwhile,
(25:04):
I'm the Superman kiss that has been taken out of
the film. In India, a person writes, ge if a
guy needs to kiss a girl for thirty three seconds
to break down her resistance, he's hardly super.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
Sixteen to six International correspondence with insin Eye Insurance Peace
of Mind for New Zealand Business.
Speaker 2 (25:23):
Well, it's fourteen minutes to six and we saved you.
Wanting to Kevin Gray from the UK. Good wanting to
you Kevin either Andrew Well fresh from the Greg Wallace
to take a look at my junk controversy Master c
if UK has a new scandal.
Speaker 4 (25:37):
Yep, I'm afraid it does, plunging the show into absolute
chaos because the series has already been filmed with both
Greg Wallace but also John Torode. Because today You're on
Droad has been sacked as the Master Chef presenter. It
was an allegation against him in what it was said
that he had used an extremely offensive racist term. Now
(25:57):
this allegation was upheld, although John Road, the TV cheffer,
said he had no recollection of the incident and he
said I do not believe that it happened. However, the
show's production company says it and the BBC agreed that
his contract on the show will not be renewed. So yeah,
after these allegations, dozens of allegations against Greg Wallace him
(26:20):
being sacked. Now John to Road apparently being offered to
told by bosses to resign he refused, has now been
sacked as well. This is the latest in a long
line of controversies at the BBC, including the Bob Villains
set at Glastonbury where they were leading Chance of Death
Death to the IDF and the BBC didn't pull the plug,
(26:41):
and also Garza documentary that they didn't realize was actually
hosted by the son of somebody in hammers So I'm
afraid dark days at the BBC. They've got a lot
of patching up to do.
Speaker 2 (26:52):
What are they going to do with the Master cif
UK TV series. It's all in the cairn. They've filmed
it with the Road and Wallace. Are they just not
going to show it as a glorious waste of money?
Speaker 4 (27:02):
Well that's what some people are demanding. But on the
other hand, of course, you know a lot of those
amateur chefs that really worked hard to get there. Imagine
if you won it and then found actually that it
wasn't going to be aired, or there wasn't even going
to be mentioned that you'd won it. There's talk about
perhaps replacing them with voiceovers or but it's going to
be almost impossible to do that. If they show it,
people are going to be up in arms. If they
(27:23):
don't show, people are going to be up in arms.
Either way, I advise them to make a decision and
make it quickly.
Speaker 2 (27:30):
Now you remember the story of that tree, the sycamore
get tree. This is a tree that was in between
two hillocks and you could take a photograph and it
looked beautiful in northeast England, and a couple of monters
we didn't cut it down. What's happened to them?
Speaker 12 (27:42):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (27:42):
I mean they were described in court as taking moronic action.
And I think most people would agree. A tree that
was really a symbol of romance for so many was
famous in Hollywood. If you've ever seen it, you'll realize that.
Of course, it just looked stunning, and two men set
out one night and set timber and cut it down.
Why we still don't know, but morons, I think most
(28:05):
people would agree as a good adjective. One was age
thirty nine and the other thirty two, both from Cumbria
in the northwest of England, convicted of criminal damage after
filming themselves using a chainsaw to illegally fell the landmark
tree right on Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland, causing immense damage.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
Now today they.
Speaker 4 (28:23):
Have been jailed for four years and three months in
what the judge thought was probably just sheer bravado, the
judge rejecting a claim of drunken stupidity and saying it
was done for some sort of a thrill.
Speaker 2 (28:38):
What a thrill exactly? And I guess when they go
to prison they can be put on the garden detail
for four years. Oh very good, Yeah, and I thank
you Gavin Great from the UK it is ten to.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
Six news talks, it'd be.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
So the government is cracking down on councils, forcing them
to stick to their core business. It's scrapping the four
well being provisions brought in by the last MOB, Social, economic,
environmental and cultural. The last MOB added these in twenty nineteen.
The law change also means councils must report regularly on
their finances and reveal how much they're spending on consultants
(29:12):
and contractors, wrote rotor Tania Tapsule is Jodd. I mean, now,
good morning to you, Tania.
Speaker 13 (29:20):
Good morning.
Speaker 2 (29:20):
What does core business mean for you?
Speaker 13 (29:23):
Look, this is quite interesting actually because it's mostly focused
on infrastructure, but overall it's about making sure that our
districts are certainly running well, but also that our community
is able to access services and feel happy about excellence
in customer service. I suppose when they do contact council.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
And who's responsible for the culture of a city, because
if they're scrapping their cultural provision, are they saying it's
not the council's job to actually promote the culture of
a city and every city has a culture.
Speaker 13 (29:56):
Well, actually, I've got to give it to this government though,
because when the previous one introduced the four Wellbeings, a
lot of the councils said, well, okay, then are we
going to get more funding to do that police, And
of course the answer was no, and so all of
a sudden, councils were tasked to worth also having to
look after the social wellbeings. Now, that was quite difficult
(30:18):
for us because when we're trying to run a city
keep the ranks as low as possible, but we also
have to drive not only culture but also social wellbeing.
We kind of said, hm, hang on, I'm in a government,
isn't it your job? So we are very much looking
forward to the removal of the four wellbeings. But there
is a little bit of hesitancy, I must admit of
councils across the country where we say, hmm, okay, so
(30:41):
you're going to tell us to focus on core business,
But does that mean that you will pick up the
bill and also the work if we do have gaps
that are left for our communities.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
Yeah. How do you feel about the government telling you
what to do? I mean, you are elected based on
your platforms. You go in there telling the people that
have elected you what you're going to do. But here's
the government saying this is what you're going to do.
How do you feel about that?
Speaker 13 (31:04):
This has always been a tricky one for us, of course,
and we saw that when we had the three Waters
debate now called Local Waters Done Well, where our community said, actually, hey,
we want to make sure that we maintain local decision making.
We also saw it when the polytechs the two stories
got moged across the country and the local DHB has
got scrapped, and of course we went to an amalgamated system.
(31:27):
So this will be quite interesting because we've seen that
when government does tell councils what to do, it doesn't
really work very well. So we're hoping at least, and
I'll tell you what we're hoping, at least when they
talk about rates capping, they also look at how much
cost the government is actually putting on local councils. Because
(31:48):
I tell you what, half of our rates increases across
the country, certainly in my region it's about eight point
seven percent on average. Half of that rates increases actually
from government reforms and how much money we have to
spend to meet those targets.
Speaker 2 (32:03):
So you're going to have to spend a bit more
as well, because you've got to report regularly on your
finances and you've got to reveal everything that you're spending.
So there's a whole lot of man hours and person
hours and that as well. Tell you, Tapsle, you spoke
so fantastically you always do, and I thank you for
your time today. It is seven to six.
Speaker 1 (32:19):
Andrew Dickens on early edition with ex bowl insulation, keeping
Kiwi homes warm and try this winter news talks.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
It'd be so yeah. The BBC has a whole series
of Master Chef in the cam with a couple of
miscreants in it, and are they going to run it
or not? Which was I was just talking with Gavin
Gray about this sign and says Andrew, the BBC, which
lacks intelligence, could just run the entire Master Chef season
through AI and replace the miscreants with made up characters. Easy,
thank you, Simon. I quite like to watch real humans.
Speaker 14 (32:47):
Would you watch it if they played it? It's Heather here, Hello, Heather.
Speaker 2 (32:51):
Hello, Hello. No, because I think Master Chef uk Is
is a pale shadow of Master Chef Australia. I've got
enough master Chief in my life.
Speaker 14 (32:59):
If you did like watching didn't you stop watching it?
Because Greg's are PERV and.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
The other racist?
Speaker 12 (33:04):
No?
Speaker 2 (33:05):
Remember, if anything you're going to watch, I'm going to
tell you something controversial. I was against the Spring Book
two back in nineteen eighty one, and he went to
the games anyway. I watched the games all the time.
I watched the Flower Bloom game. Did they have a
good game? There were good games of football. But you know,
but at the same time.
Speaker 14 (33:22):
See this is where the BEB is just I mean
the beeB the Beebe is just an example of having
no spine, right when you just try to please everybody
and you please nobody at all, they' she just bloody
will play the thing and they will get so.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
Much ad ribon. So I was in the news room
the other day and I said, Gallan's going to smash
Sonny Bill, isn't he? And you know what the guy
beside me, Sam said, I hope.
Speaker 14 (33:44):
So oh yeah, Actually did hear that?
Speaker 2 (33:46):
Sonny bll is not ugerly popular with the with Sam
and I still think Gallan's going to smash it. When
you're talking to Sonny Bills too, they're going to talk.
Speaker 14 (33:52):
To Soney Bill after seven thirty. He is a very
polarizing character, right, A lot of people want to see
him get his head knocked in.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
So he's going to spy. I mean, would you would.
Speaker 8 (34:01):
You go in a boxing room?
Speaker 4 (34:02):
No?
Speaker 7 (34:03):
No?
Speaker 2 (34:03):
No, Hello good Man? Ought to be a say tomorrow Well.
Speaker 1 (34:13):
For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live
to News Talks. It'd be from five am weekdays, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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