Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald

The news today that half of the departments at Christchurch Hospital are operating below full staffing levels doesn’t surprise me.

In some departments, they are less than 80 percent of what they should be.

So, if I’m not surprised, does that mean my expectations of the hospital system are pretty low? The answer to that is “yes”.

I expect that the basics are covered and that’s about it. That our hospitals are full of brilliant peopl...

There will be no shortage of people today thinking that it's a brilliant move by the Government to ditch official guidelines for including transgender people in community sport and leaving it to the sporting organisations themselves to handle it.  

But I think it’s just going to open a can of worms, and these people who think it’s great might think differently if they were on the committee of one of their local sporting clubs....

The former frontman of English new-wave band Spandau Ballet, now a solo act, Tony Hadley is popping over to our shores early next year. 

He’s part of the line up for the 2026 Selwyn Sounds, performing alongside the likes of Ronan Keating, When The Cats Away, and Opshop.  

Hadley joined John MacDonald for a chat about his career, influences, and gave an insight into why Spandau Ballet won’t be reuniting any time soon. ...

Phil Mauger is back on board the climate change bandwagon today – just like he was before the last election.  

I remember asking him three years ago what he thought the most pressing issue facing Christchurch was and he said climate change.  

And he’s at it again today. So is current city councillor Sara Templeton, who also wants to be the city's next mayor. 

It won’t be any surprise to anyone that Sara rates climate...

The Labour Leader has responded to Luxon’s heated comments in response to their jabs about the cost of living. 

The Opposition has criticised the Government’s flagship cost of living policy, raising a red flag over only 153 families getting the maximum credit across all four quarters. 

Luxon says Labour's crying crocodile tears, and that he’s not taking any lectures from "frickin Chris Hipkins" about not supporting workin...

Let's start with the positives in the news that the Government is pressing ahead with a new medical school at Waikato University.  

120 new med students every year. You can’t argue with that.  

But that’s about it for me.   

I’m not going to criticise the Government for doing something to get more doctors, because we need them. Especially in rural and regional areas, which look to be the main focus of this new s...

I’m going to start by quoting someone I’ve quoted before - Dr Nicola Day, who is a plant ecologist at Victoria University in Wellington.

Knowing a thing or two about plants means she knows a thing or two about pine trees. And here’s how she describes them: “Pines are one of the most flammable plants on the planet."

I referred to the same quote last year when the Government turned down a request to change the forestry rules, so that...

Education Minister Erica Stanford is my politician of the day for announcing that the Government isn't going to be building any more of those terrible open-plan classrooms.  

But she’ll be my politician of the year if she goes further than that and finds money to put some walls and doors in the modern learning environment monstrosities that already exist.  

In fact, I think the Government is morally obliged to help any st...

Associate Energy Minister Shane Jones says we live in uncertain times and, because of that, we need to crank up the Marsden Point oil refinery again.  

I agree that we live in uncertain times, but I certainly don’t agree that we should pour time and money into something which has had its day.  

Shane Jones isn’t the only person talking about it though. The Prime Minister has said too that the Government is considering reo...

How about this for an idea?  

Instead of the tax people pay on the first $60,000 of their income going to the government, what if it went into a savings account to pay for healthcare and put food on the table when they retire?  

It’s an idea being pushed by former finance minister Sir Roger Douglas and University of Auckland economics professor Robert MacCulloch which, they say, is needed because of the ageing population....

We can safely say that someone who rides their motorbike at 110 kph in a 50 kph area is a threat. 

We can also safely say that someone who  rides their motorbike at 110 kph in a 50 kph area and runs a red light is a danger.

We can also safely say that someone who  rides their motorbike at 110 kph in a 50 kph area, runs a red light and kills two pedestrians is a menace.

This is a real-life story. And, upfront, I’m goi...

Not as straightforward as it sounds. 

That’s pretty much the message coming through loud and clear in this new report which says importing liquified natural gas to make up for our dwindling local supplies is do-able. But.  

You’ll remember how, last year, when we had factories closing and people paying through the nose for their electricity, talk turned to what could be done, especially given we are at-risk of not having ...

Do you think the Government and councils would be “morally bankrupt” if they stopped paying people out when their properties are so flood-damaged that they can’t live there anymore?  

And would you feel the same about people living in areas at risk of flooding being forced to pay more for flood schemes and sea walls because they’re the ones who benefit most?  

That’s what a panel of experts is recommending to the Governme...

Labour leader and former Covid-19 Minister Chris Hipkins thinks phase two of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Covid-19 response is a platform for conspiracy theorists, and he is non-committal about turning-up to give evidence.  

The most committed I’ve heard him so far is saying that he’s working on some written responses. But if that turns out to be the extent of his involvement, then he can forget about being prime m...

Chris Hipkins is doubling down on saying the Covid Response Inquiry's terms seems to provide a platform for conspiracy views. 

The Labour leader also said the second phase —that began this week— excludes looking at any decisions made when NZ First was in Government. 

Hipkins told John MacDonald opinions from the likes of Brian Tamaki and Liz Gunn deserve to be heard but shouldn't overshadow submission on other experiences...

Isn’t it funny how the Government likes to talk about government support needing to be based on need, but seems to forget about all that when it comes to those nice middle-class people.  

Of which I am one. I’m not claiming to be nice, but I am what you would call middle-class.  

Which makes me fully qualified to ask why a family bringing in $229,000 a year should get taxpayer support to pay for their kids’ early childhoo...

The Government wants to free-up the laws relating to citizens' arrests. But should this include letting retail staff detain children and young people caught shoplifting?  

The Chief Children’s Commissioner, Dr Claire Achmad, is saying today that it shouldn’t. And I agree with her. But not for the same reason.   

She says allowing shop owners and shop staff to detain young people would contravene the right of children...

I didn’t do any study after I left school —no university, no polytech— so I’ve never had a student loan. I know about debt though, thanks to the mortgage.  

And I reckon it would be very easy for me, as someone who has never had to pay off a student loan but who knows what it’s like to have the responsibilities of a mortgage, to dismiss what a former IRD prosecutor is saying today.  

A former IRD prosecutor who says we ne...

Today on Politics Friday, John MacDonald was joined by National’s Vanessa Weenink and Labour’s Reuben Davidson to break down the biggest issues of the week. 

They discussed student loan repayments – is there something that can be done to bring overseas loan holders back to New Zealand? 

Global companies like Uber are paying minimal tax over here – are we being ripped off? 

And ACC is planning to be more scrupulous wh...