Kerre Woodham Mornings Podcast

The Police Commissioner says he feels for his staff as a top cop faces the courts.  

Former Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming is facing eight charges of possessing child exploitation and bestiality material. 

He resigned after a period of suspension on full pay since December, during a separate investigation. 

Richard Chambers told Kerre Woodham he is angry, disappointed, and let-down – and knows staff feel...

Commentators are telling us that the tide is turning, that we've reached the bottom of the cycle. ANZ has lowered its mortgage interest rates, so other banks will surely follow suit, bringing relief to many households. Spring is almost here. And then the rates bill arrives in the mail. Any financial gains are immediately lost, any lift of the spirits plummets.  

The Government is well aware that rising rates are adding to the ...

The speed of decline of our gas supply could be hampering the transition to alternative energy.  

A Business NZ survey of commercial and industrial users shows average price rises have topped 100% in the past five years. 

Nearly half made various cuts to their business. 

Energy innovation centre Ara Ake's Jonathan Young told Kerre Woodham supply's fallen a lot quicker than anyone expected. 

He says it's hurting ...

The economic doom and gloom continues with rising property rates. 

Some rural areas are even facing increases substantially higher than the average council rate. 

One Orewa family is facing a 72% rates rise on their rural property, as it was zoned for new development – development that can’t be done for several years. 

Taxpayers' Union Local Government Campaigns Manager Sam Warren told Kerre Woodham they’re strongly ...

I asked on Friday how anyone could vote for Labour given the latest Treasury report into their irresponsible spending of taxpayer money that came out last week. That irresponsible spending that contributed greatly to the recession, the high mortgage interest rates to unemployment - when so many of the same people, those people who made so many stupid decisions are still there, how could anyone, I asked, think that Labour should get...

A hit for the Taranaki region, with dwindling gas supply forcing a potential short-term shutdown of a local fertiliser plant.  

Ballance Agri-Nutrients may have to cease operations at Kapuni for up to four months if it can't secure more gas before its contract expires next month.  

The company manufactures about a third of the country's urea fertiliser each year. 

Federated Farmers Arable Chairperson David Birkett to...

I get texts on the daily from people saying “you're so negative about Labour”.  “You never have anything good to say about the last government. You're so critical of Labour.” And I say to them, how can anyone with a brain not be critical of Labour?! The gut feeling I had at the time that the previous administration was out of their depth and hopelessly incompetent has been proved with hard data, time and time and time again. T...

On the face of it, the announcement from Transport Minister Chris Bishop yesterday makes good sense. It's been signalled; it was National Party election policy to move away from a fuel excise duty to road user charges (RUC). Simeon Brown, who was the transport spokesman at the time, said it would be a fairer way to charge for the distance people drive rather than the amount of fuel they use, given the different nature of the way we...

The Prime Minister's blaming New Zealand's rising unemployment on the last Government's economic management.  

The rate's hit a five-year high of 5.2%, just shy of Treasury’s predicted 5.4%.   

Christopher Luxon told Kerre Woodham when inflation rises, interest rates go up, the economy shrinks, and people lose their jobs. 

He says Labour had a lovely big spend-up party, but it's left a significant hangover. ...

An artificial intelligence expert says the tech will always need human input for marking school exams.  

Education Minister Erica Stanford says AI's already partly used to grade assessments, and it could do most of them by 2028.  

It's alongside Government plans to replace NCEA with entirely new qualifications.  

New Zealand AI Founder, Justin Flitter, told Kerre Woodham the tool should supplement a teacher's process...

You might remember a month or so ago we had Justin Flitter, an AI expert, in the studio for an hour talking about the fact that AI is here, it's already being used by numerous early adopters, it's not going away, and you'll have to get on board or you'll be left behind. And as you can imagine, the calls were a mix of oh no, it's a disaster, stop it now and King Canute trying to turn back the tide, and others who were saying it's br...

Economic recovery is taking longer than many hoped. 

Unemployment's risen to a five-year high of 5.2%, up from 5.1% in the March quarter. 

New Zealand officially moved out of recession last year. 

The Herald's Liam Dann told Kerre Woodham the job market is taking longer to catch up, so many people may not be feeling better off. 

He says economists can tell us numbers are improving, but it takes longer for life t...

In the wake of the changes to NCEA, you would have to ask whether the Knowledge Economy is the biggest political bust of recent times?  

Back in 2001, then Prime Minister Helen Clark launched the Knowledge Wave project. Like many ideas, it came from a good place. Helen Clark had a vision for a nation which was confident, progressive, more prosperous, tolerant and which cared for its people. She said New Zealanders would ride t...

Big players in the energy space are putting forward a new 10-year deal they say will secure supply at Huntly Power Station.  

Genesis, Mercury, Meridian and Contact have agreed to co-invest in a strategic energy reserve – pending Commerce Commission approval.  

It includes adding up to 600-thousand tonnes of coal to current stocks. 

Meridian Energy CEO Mike Roan told Kerre Woodham that although some may find it surpr...

The Government's proposing to entirely phase out NCEA within five years, saying New Zealand needs a schooling system that sets students up for success. 

Within the overhauled system would be improved vocational pathways for students planning on entering the workforce as opposed to further education. 

In 2001, then Prime Minister Helen Clark launched the Knowledge Wave Project – a vision of a society with well-educated, in...

I was struck by a story from Radio New Zealand.  

North Shore Hospital, it has revealed, has an entire ward of people who are stuck in hospital, but they have no medical reason to be there. The 20-bed ward was created in May for patients who were effectively medically discharged but didn't have anywhere to go, such as an aged care facility.  

This shouldn't be happening. The chain of healthcare should include post hospita...

The Government's intends to entirely phase out NCEA within five years.

The proposal would require students take English and Maths in Year 11 and sit a test in numeracy and literacy.

NCEA levels 2 and 3 would be replaced with two new qualifications in year 12 and 13 - a Certificate of Education and Advanced Certificate of Education respectively.

It's the most significant update to secondary school assessments since NCEA was introduc...