Canterbury Mornings with Chris Lynch

Over nine-thousand punters turned up for the Crusaders open training session at One New Zealand Stadium on Thursday evening. John MacDonald also went along and spoke with a few fans at the final test event before next week's Super Round. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After hearing Chris Bishop on Newstalk ZB this morning, there are two things about the National Party and its leader that I am in no doubt about. I am in absolutely no doubt that Christopher Luxon has to stand down before he's pushed. I'm also in no doubt that, if that happens, National will be toast in this year's election. But, when you weigh it up, there's no way this speculation and doubt about the prime minister of our country can continue. And that's the key point here. We're not just talking about a party leader. We're talking about the prime minister.And how can we take a government seriously when its own MPs don't take their leader seriously? NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan is reporting today that Christopher Luxon is expected to face the most difficult two weeks of his leadership when Parliament returns next week. He's reporting that Luxon is up to his old trick of covering his ears and not listening to what people are saying.With National's Kaikoura MP Stuart Smith, who is also National's party whip, unable to reach Luxon in the week before Easter to tell him about ructions in the National Party caucus. Being the party whip, Stuart Smith is obliged to tell the party leader if drums are beating and MPs aren't happy with their leader. But he couldn't reach Luxon. Or, more to the point, Luxon didn't want to hear from him. Because, as Thomas Coughlan is reporting, if the two had spoken, it would have likely led to a caucus meeting, which could have led to a change in leader. So Christopher Luxon was avoiding Stuart Smith to stop a certain chain of events from happening.Which Chris Bishop kind-of denied when he spoke to Mike Hosking, but he was a million miles away from being anything close to convincing. Bishop is due to front again with Jack Tame on TV this weekend. His boss will be hoping for a more ringing endorsement than this morning's failed attempt. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National's Matt Doocey and Labour's Tracey McLellan joined John MacDonald for Politics Friday this week. They covered some of the biggest topics from the week from Christopher Luxon's leadership, the new warrant of fitness changes coming this year, and their thoughts on The Crusaders losing the pre-match horses at One NZ Stadium. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I've never had a problem with the chlorine that's been in Christchurch's water. Which is why I'm not at all upset at the news that it's going to be in the water forever. What's happened, is city councillors have been told that - even if they spent $1.5 billion on infrastructure upgrades over the next 20 years - the chlorine would most likely still be needed. That's because of all the hoops that have to be jumped through to get a chlorine exemption. On top of that, rates would have to go up to pay for ongoing maintenance. Nevertheless, i think the council needs to bite the bullet and spend the money. Because, for me, this isn't just about chlorine. But what i see potentially happening, is councillors using the chlorine bit as an out. As an excuse for not spending money on infrastructure upgrades. When that is the last thing, they should be doing. City Councillor Yani Johanson seems to be on the same page as me. He reckons that, despite the $1.5 billion price tag, it's still worth looking into and he wants the public to have a say. But Mayor Phil Mauger says it would be nothing other than a waste of money. He says: “it's all very well saying you can throw a shedload of money at every contractor in the country, digging up every road that we've got. But it's not worth it.” Phil's got some alternative ideas, which I'll get to. But what he's advocating for is a continuation of what pretty much every local body politician in this country has done and continues to do. Kicking cans down the road. They're experts at it. Whereas, what Christchurch should be doing is seeing this as a critical piece of infrastructure spending that is needed in New Zealand's second-largest city. Especially when you consider the alternatives ideas floating around. Instead of the big spend-up on new pipes, Phil Mauger reckons it would be better for the council to do things like buying filtration systems for people to have at home and setting-up chlorine-free water stations around town. Picture that. The council sending out filtration kits in the mail - the way it sent out those portable toilets after the earthquakes. And the council running water station around town where people could go to get chlorine-free water. Really? People bang on about the city needing to look less like a disaster zone. What do you think the council distributing filtering systems and running water pick-up points would look like? And, all the while, crossing its finger and hoping that the underground infrastructure doesn't pack a sad. It makes no sense. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do we need more taxes? There are two ways we can look at it. Does The Government need more tax revenue? Yes, I think it does. Which is why those tax cuts after the last election have backfired so badly. And do we want to pay more tax? When push comes to shove, probably not. But that's human nature, isn't it? But, if we look beyond human nature - beyond gut reactions to the tax question - maybe, one day, enough people will accept that we're just going to have to pay more tax. Like it or not. Which is exactly what a tax lobby group is saying today. Tax Justice Aotearoa is saying New Zealand needs a capital gains tax, an inheritance tax and a wealth tax. For several reasons. First of all, the fuel crisis and climate change. They say the government needs more revenue to cope with these kinds of things. The other reason it wants a capital gains tax, an inheritance tax and a wealth tax is to shift the tax burden. To get high income earners paying more tax and to get low-income earners paying less. Tax Justice Aotearoa also says our deficits are the problem. And the problem isn't going to be fixed until we all start paying more tax. It says deficits limit what we can do about the fuel crisis. As The Government has said, the $50-a-week tax credits for low-to-middle income earners are as much as it can afford. And deficits mean The Government is limited in what it can do in response to climate change. Example: no payouts for people who have to pack up and move because of things like sea level rise. Former Council of Trade Unions Economist Bill Rosenberg is a member of this lobby group and he says: “It's becoming obvious governments cannot continue to function properly and do the things that people expect of them without more revenue, so it is inevitable we have to debate these things.” And I agree with him. But, of course, show me a politician brave enough to stand up and advocate for you and I paying more tax, and they'll be someone with the shortest political career in history. Because who is going to vote for that? Maybe we will, when we realise the inevitability of it. Yes, it's easy to bang on about not wanting to pay more taxes because governments waste money, anyway. But do we want the “smell of an oily rag” set-up we have at the moment? Or, do we want a country that can afford to deal with things like oil shocks and the climate crisis? Tax Justice Aotearoa says if that's what we want, then the government is going to need more revenue. And i agree. Even though I don't like the idea of paying more tax. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins says ministers did not receive key advice about myocarditis risks for 12 to 17-year‑olds during the COVID response. Speaking on Canterbury Mornings, Hipkins was questioned by John MacDonald about the findings from the Royal Commission into COVID‑19, which said expert advice on vaccine mandates for teenagers was delayed in being provided to ministers. Hipkins said the advice, produced by a technical advisory group, was never passed on to responsible ministers at all. “The particular report that came from the technical advisory group was never shared with ministers." They also covered Labours concerns regarding the India free trade agreement, and what he thinks about National MP Rima Nakhle's bill to stop the public funding going to gangs. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two questions: what does “woke” mean to you? And are states of emergency “woke”? The reason I'm asking is that the Mayor of Wairoa thinks they are. Which I think is a load of old nonsense. Unlike other mayors in other North Island areas - who declared states of emergency in anticipation of Cyclone Vaianu at the weekend - Craig Little didn't. Because he thought it was all a bit over the top and not necessary. He went further yesterday, saying that he thinks they've become “woke”. He says: “we're becoming woke as a country when it comes to states of emergency”. That's what he says. And I say: nonsense. The Prime Minister thinks the same. Hitting back, saying he's happy to be labelled woke if it means keeping people safe. Christopher Luxon says: “I'll happily wear a woke label this time if it means we didn't lose anyone's lives.” He says: “This was a significant event with 10 local states of emergency actioned, and in a number of regions there were road closures, power outages and flooding." And Christopher Luxon is right. States of emergency aren't woke and this mayor is just another one of these people who has no idea what woke actually means. Put simply - and this is my definition - woke means being aware of how things impact people. The more official definition - courtesy of the Oxford English Dictionary - says woke means "alert to racial or social discrimination and injustice". What that has to do with states of emergency, I'll never know. Well, I do know actually. It's got nothing to do with states of emergency. And the Mayor of Wairoa is just another one of these people who think calling someone or something “woke” is a way of having a go at them. But, whether we like it or not, it's a word that's been hijacked to the point where some people have no idea what it means, but are happy to bandy it around left, right and centre. Nevertheless, are states of emergency “woke”? Last October, when we had those huge winds in canterbury and a state of emergency was declared, one Christchurch business owner got in touch with me, very unhappy about it. Saying they thought it was overkill. Their takings were down 50 percent, and they were criticising the decision to include Christchurch city in the state of emergency. Because the city wasn't as badly affected as other parts of the region. I disagreed with them. Because we had no idea how bad it was going to get, so it made sense to be cautious. Because - and this is what i say to anyone who thinks we go a bit O.T.T with states of emergency these days - what would you rather have? Be prepared just in case? Or find out too late and deal with the consequences. Which is why i think this mayor up north not only has no idea what woke means - he's also wrong thinking states of emergency have become a woke over-reaction. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After what happened at the weekend, I think Christopher Luxon needs to take a leaf out of Anthony Albanese's book, jump on a plane and head over to South Korea to make sure we don't run out of fuel. With negotiations between the U.S. and Iran falling over, President Donald Trump has announced that he's now in charge of the Strait of Hormuz, with the U.S. Navy blockading the vital trade route. He's also talking about stopping any ships that have paid any sort of toll to Iran to sneak through. Which says to me one thing: this fuel crisis isn't going to be over anytime soon, and we now need to start doing a little bit more than calming the farm. Which is where Anthony Albanese comes into it. He's going to make his second trip in a week to Asia to shore up fuel supplies. This week he's off to Brunei and Malaysia. Last week he was in Singapore, where he signed a new agreement - which means Singapore has promised to keep sending fuel to Australia. The other part of that agreement is that Australia has promised to keep sending gas to Singapore. Which is where Anthony Albanese has more to put on the bargaining table than Christopher Luxon does. Albanese has been telling countries he'll give them gas if they give him petrol and diesel. Christopher Luxon might be thinking he doesn't need to rush. Because he's due to travel to Singapore next month, where he's going to be signing the agreement with Singapore to keep fuel supplies flowing. Which is fine. But what about South Korea, where we get about half of our fuel from? That's why, at the very least, Christopher Luxon should be on a flight to Seoul as soon as he can. Because one of the things he is extremely good at is getting on with world leaders. He loves nothing more than working a room. So let's get him doing what he does best. Because this fuel crisis isn't going to be over any time soon. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finally, someone has come up with an idea for the Anglican Cathedral in Christchurch that makes a load of sense. It doesn't involve running to the Government cap-in-hand. And it doesn't involve asking ratepayers to fork out more money. Sound too good to be true? I know - if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. But I think this is an exception. And a brilliant exception, at that. So, what's happened, is business leader Humphry Rolleston has told the Christchurch City Council that what it should do, is sell its Enable broadband company to pay for the cathedral and get the square back to life again. Not only that - it could also pay for other heritage projects around town that are in desperate need of money. Before you go thinking that I've done some sort of U-turn and become a cheerleader for the cathedral, I haven't. But I think we just have to accept that about $100 million has been poured into it, and so we're stuck with it. It would be criminal to pull the thing down. Even though I think that the cathedral doesn't have the same level of community support that it used to have. Even though I don't buy into this notion that the cathedral was and, could again be, a tourist attraction. I still feel the same. But, despite all that, we have to decide if we want to be stuck with it in its current state forever or whether we want to look for a practical way forward. And this is a practical way forward. So the back-of-an-envelope numbers say that the council could sell the broadband company for somewhere around $1 billion. Which, Humphry Rolleston says, could be used to set up a trust, and the interest earned on that money could be used to pay for the cathedral and other heritage projects. These are the other three, as well as The Cathedral, that are short of cash. The Arts Centre, Canterbury Museum and the old Provincial Chambers. A few more numbers for you. Humphry Rolleston says the fund could be operating by Christmas - that's assuming that the council could sell its broadband company that soon - and could generate about $42 million a year. Which is around about the amount the Cathedral project needs. Humphry Rolleston says: “I think this is an elegant and simple financial solution that will enable us to restore the buildings without calling on direct rate-paying support.” Amen to that. Pun intended. And the reason why I think this is such a good idea, again, comes down to numbers. In the last financial year, the Enable broadband company paid out a $25 million dividend to the council. And that is expected to increase to $35 million a year in 2028. That's a 3.5 percent return on our money. Which is chickenfeed. Now, you consider what the return might be to the city if the cathedral, especially, was fixed up and the square able to be returned to its former glory? More than $25-to-$35 million. And you imagine all of that happening without more ratepayer money going into it. It is an absolute no-brainer, as far as I'm concerned. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National's Hamish Campbell and Labour's Reuben Davidson joined John MacDonald for Politics Friday this week. They covered some of the biggest topics from the week from Iran, the idea from Humphry Rolleston to sell off Enable to fund the rebuild of the Cathedral, and how to solve the wastewater problem in Bromley. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anyone who thinks the ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran is going to last the full two weeks is dreaming. How many reasons can I give you? Because there are plenty. First up, there are these conflicting reports coming through this regarding the Strait of Hormuz. The stretch of water that is the reason why diesel users in this country are paying more for fuel than petrol users. Why Air New Zealand and Jetstar are cancelling the flights. The reason for all sorts of economic carnage. The stretch of water that's pretty much been closed since the US and Israel started bombing Iran. We've got Iran saying that this crucial shipping route is closed because of Israel's large-scale attacks on Lebanon overnight. But we've also got the white house saying that's fake news. Iran is also warning that any ships going through the strait without permission will be destroyed. So that's enough on its own to tell you that this isn't going to last five minutes. Israel is another reason why this ceasefire isn't going to last. Without warning, Israel dropped 160 bombs on 100 targets within 10 minutes. The heaviest bombardment on Lebanon since the war began. That's because it sees its campaign to destroy Hezbollah - the Shiite militia backed by Iran - as some sort of side issue. Which Iran thinks is a load of nonsense and there are concerns that this could be enough for it to pull out of the ceasefire. Which I think is looking increasingly likely now that U.S President Donald Trump appears to have sided with Israel on this one. Trump initially didn't comment one way or the other on Israel's claim - but he is now saying that Israel's attacks on Lebanon are “a separate skirmish” and not part of the ceasefire deal. What's more, with Iran apparently holding on tight to the Strait of Hormuz - how kindly do you think trump is going to take to that? This is the guy who said on social media a few days ago: “open the f-in' strait, you crazy bastards, or you'll be living in hell”. And let's remember why Trump did what he did yesterday, agreeing to this very precarious ceasefire. He gave in, not because it would mean victory for the United States - which he is claiming of course - Trump gave in yesterday because of the Strait of Hormuz. This ceasefire is nothing to do with regime change and nothing to do with keeping the world safe from any nuclear ambitions Iran might have. This ceasefire is about oil and trade and money and the markets. And the heat Donald Trump was feeling about the impact his war is having on the global economy. And, if that oil doesn't start flowing through the Strait of Hormuz again anytime soon then, you can bet your bottom dollar that trump will be ripping up that ceasefire agreement. That's if Iran doesn't rip it up first. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Mayor of Christchurch thinks the site of soon to be retired Apollo Projects Stadium should be sold on when it's returned to the council's ownership. Phil Mauger told Canterbury Mornings he believes the land is best suited for housing, stressing that any redevelopment should respect the site's past. "The common-sense use is for housing. Not massive intensive housing, just normal intensification. It'll need a bit of a green area in the middle, it needs to be done properly." They also discussed the departure of outgoing CEO Mary Richardson, the New Brighton Mall redevelopment, and if Christchurch roads need more cheaper cycleways. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After pretty much telling us to calm the farm over the fuel situation, I can't believe the government is getting all antsy about its fuel tax increase - due to kick-in at the start of next year. Yesterday, when Finance Minister Nicola Willis gave her regular fuel update, she said it is “very unlikely” that the Government will go ahead with the 12 percent-per-litre increase in January. Why's that? Because the Government doesn't think people can afford it. Due to the increased costs caused by the war in Iran. But I don't think the country can afford not to increase the taxes. Because, as the finance minister said herself yesterday, no increase in the fuel tax is going to mean less money for road maintenance and road construction. Anyone who thinks this would be a good idea obviously has a very short memory. Because it was only two months when the automobile association released the findings of its most recent research survey of motorists, which found that more than half of us think our roads are rubbish. Fifty-four percent of people surveyed by the AA said they were frustrated by the state of our roads. South Canterbury was one of the areas where people were most unhappy. More than 60 percent of people there said they thought the roads were in cruddy condition. And, at the time, aa spokesperson Dylan Thomsen said his organisation had been pushing for better maintenance of roads for years. Two months ago, he said: “We are very pleased that there has been a big increase in funding and focus on maintenance with initiatives like the government's pothole fund. Hopefully we've turned a corner and we'll see aa members happier with their roads in future surveys.” That's not going to happen if the government does do what Nicola Willis was talking about yesterday and does press pause on fuel tax increases. As Chris Bishop has said previously about fuel taxes. He says they “go into the roads, maintenance, public transport, the new projects we want to build, the new public transport projects we want to build, all of those things have to be paid for.” Adding that the Government “doesn't have an unlimited credit card”. So the Government, if it's totally honest, obviously thinks that increasing fuel taxes is a no-brainer. Which it is. So why is it saying now that it's probably not going to? Because it doesn't think it would be fair and reasonable to make us pay more for fuel when we are already, because of what's going on in the Middle East. I get that. But it's just politics. Because, if you think beyond the here and now and think about the state of our roads, then you too will, hopefully, see that this move - over time - would be a major step backwards. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I bumped into a mate at the supermarket yesterday and one of the first things he said to me was, “Where's Christopher Luxon?”. And I knew straight away what he was getting at. He was echoing the sentiment of political commentators over the weekend who were asking why the Prime Minister isn't front and centre of the government's response to the fuel situation. Not that Nicola Willis seems to be complaining. She appears to be relishing the opportunity to be the government's mouthpiece. Which is rather unusual given what we've become used to in recent years. Particularly since Covid - but we saw it before then too. Jacinda Ardern is the most obvious comparison. But John Key, as well. On the day of the big quake, he called an urgent cabinet meeting, then he was straight on a plane to Christchurch. Jacinda Ardern was the same after the mosque attacks. She was front and centre when the White Island tragedy happened, and, as we know, she was the face of her government's Covid response. These commentators who were talking about Christopher Luxon over the weekend were making the inevitable comparison to Jacinda Ardern. And it's something I've been thinking about too. This fuel situation is Christopher Luxon's opportunity to shine. But, apart from photos on social media of him on the blower to other world leaders talking fuel, that's about it. The rest of the time it's either Nicola Willis on her own or Nicola Willis with the Prime Minister at her side. And I don't think it's doing him any favours at all. Take Friday, for example. The Prime Minister was in Christchurch for the official opening of the new One New Zealand Stadium - while he let Nicola Willis front the government's fuel update. As one commentator put it: “It is difficult to imagine his predecessors - Ardern, Key or Helen Clark - surrendering such a platform at such a time.” Nicola Willis is doing a very good job in front of the fuel response. But, in my mind, she's doing a job the Prime Minister should be doing. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I think Chris Hipkins' time could be up. He said to me last week that he'd had better weeks, after his ex-wife made those claims about him on social media. But, if he thought things were on the improve this week, that's probably all come crashing down again this morning with the Herald reporting that he knew more about the Covid vaccine risks than he has let on. And I think this could be the end of his push to be the next prime minister. You‘ll remember when the second covid inquiry report came out recently, one of the more startling things it revealed was that Chris Hipkins and Jacinda Ardern's Government hadn't been told about the risks of a second covid vaccine for teenagers. The report said health officials hadn't told ministers that 12-to-17-year-olds shouldn't really have been getting two doses of the vaccine. Because of the risk of myocarditis - which is inflammation of the heart muscle. That was an absolute shocker of a revelation. And that was the version of the story Chris Hipkins stuck to when he was asked about it. Which deflected attention to the likes of former health boss Sir Ashley Bloomfield and whether he should be taken to task for not sharing that vital information with the Government. Now, though, we're finding out in a report by the Herald this morning, that a 2022 cabinet paper in Hipkins' name does include the advice. Hipkins has declined requests for interviews but has said in a statement that the then-government “had to make tough decisions under extraordinary pressure and a rapidly changing environment”. As the Herald reports, Hipkins has declined a request for an interview and, in that statement I mentioned, did not directly address the issue of that advice re: teenagers not being made public. Instead, as well as going on about the government having to make decisions when it was under the pump, he says: “the royal commission found that the government made numerous efforts to communicate safety issues, including the risk of myocarditis.” I mean, do me a favour Chris. If you've ever wondered what covering your backside sounds like, that's it right there. Correction. If you've ever wondered what someone failing miserably at covering their backside sounds like, that's it right there. What's more, tell that Chris to the parents and caregivers of the 30,000 young people who had to have the second dose as part of the vaccine mandates. Tell that to the young people themselves, Chris. Now, unless Hipkins can prove otherwise, I think this revelation today blows any chance of voters trusting him again out of the water. It's not like he's Jacinda Ardern or Grant Robertson who have moved on to other things. Chris Hipkins hasn't moved on and wants to be Prime Minister. He wants to be Prime Minister and he's been caught out. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's Reuben Davidson and National's Stuart Smith joined John MacDonald for Politics Friday this week. The covered the biggest news of the week, including the revelation that Chris Hipkins had been advised on Covid vaccines for teens, the Governments fuel relief package, and the Parliamentary warning around importing liquid natural gas. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The head of the construction company who built the new One New Zealand Stadium is pleased the stadium has been delivered to the city ahead of time and on budget. Mark Baker, CEO of Australian firm BESIX Watpac, is in Christchurch for the ribbon cutting ceremony at the new stadium and joined John MacDonald for a chat during his short visit in Christchurch. "it's been a while in the post COVID era where we're able to say that we've delivered ahead of time, and pleasingly we have." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MPs are debating whether New Zealand should get involved in securing and opening up the Strait of Hormuz to shipping again. Labour is arguing that the Government was too quick off the mark signing an international statement which expressed New Zealand's readiness to do its bit. Labour says New Zealand needs to be weary of getting involved because of the way the U.S. might go about things. But I think New Zealand has no choice but to get involved in securing and opening up the Strait of Hormuz to shipping again. For two reasons. Back in 2024, we sent six defence personnel to help out behind the scenes with U.S. and British airstrikes on bases used by Houthi Militia. The Government decided to support America and Britain with their strikes on the Houthi Militia - which is supported by Iran- because they'd been attacking ships in the red sea in retaliation for Israel's attacks on Gaza. Our government said at the time that it wanted to do its bit to ensure maritime security for trade purposes, because the Houthi's attacks were having an impact on world trade. 10 percent of New Zealand's exports and about 20 percent of the stuff we import travels through the red sea between here, the UK, Europe and North Africa. At the time, prime minister Christopher Luxon said: “Houthi attacks against commercial and naval shipping are illegal, unacceptable and profoundly destabilising. “This deployment, as part of an international coalition, is a continuation of New Zealand's long history of defending freedom of navigation both in the Middle East and closer to home.” And foreign affairs minister Winston Peters said: “these efforts support international security and the free flow of trade on which New Zealanders rely.” At the time, I was weary of New Zealand getting involved in the red sea. For two reasons. One reason was that we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into and how long we might be involved and what else might be expected of us. The other reason I was weary ofit;was what sort of precedent it might set. And now, the chickens are coming home to roost on that part of it - with the precedent bit. Because, whether we like it or not, there is no wayNewZealandcan‘thelpget theStrait ofHormuzup and running again. We have to take part. Because, if it was good enough for us to defend trade routes back in 2024, the case is just as strong now. If anything, the argument for getting involved in defending the oil shipping route is stronger than defending the red sea. The other reason why I think there's no way we can't do our bit, is that we are so dependent on the Strait of Hormuz that it would be lame-as for us to just sit on the sidelines and watch other countries do the heavy lifting LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Mayor of Christchurch isn't too worried about the impact of fuel prices on the council at the moment but is keeping a close eye on things. Phil Mauger told Canterbury Mornings that costs will be affected by the Middle East conflict, but a lot of the council's infrastructure runs on electricity. "A lot of our fleet is electric, the boilers in the building are changed over to electric, we've got solar on our galleries" "It's not critical yet, but we're certainly looking at it and keeping a very good eye on it." They also discussed the Crusaders Express train taking fans to rugby games to the new stadium from Rangiora and Rolleston, the councils satisfaction survey, and if there are any updates from his 3am idea to fix Cathedral Square. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are two ways you could look at the Government's fuel relief package. On one hand, you could say it shouldn't have bothered at all. On the other, you could say it should have bothered, but not the way it's doing it. Either way, it's got it wrong in my book. But, despite what I might think, about 150,000 families with kids on low to middle incomes are going to be getting $50 a week in tax credits to help them deal with increased fuel costs due to the Iran war. But these 150,000 families are families that the Government has no idea whether they actually need this support or not. It's just assuming they do. For example, what about those families that bike everywhere? What about the families who homeschool the kids? They don't need to drive far in the mornings and afternoons, do they? What about families who can't even afford to run a car? Why should they get another $50 a week to pay for fuel that they don't even buy? And then we get to those who aren't getting anything. Nothing in the package announced yesterday for beneficiaries, no relief for retired people, nothing for students. And most importantly, there is no help for the sectors and the industries that rely on diesel to supply us with food and other essentials. Which, if the Government was going to do anything, that's where it should be focused on. The Government should be thinking about the wider consequences of higher fuel prices, however long they continue. And, instead of paying a few bucks to people on the lower pay grades, what it should be doing is providing support or interventions for the likes of food manufacturers, the transport industry, the logistics people, all of those. Because all of those groups are paying higher fuel prices, paying way more for the diesel, but they don't suck them up like your average motorist does. They pass them on. And all it's going to mean is your low and middle income families will be compensated for, apparently, spending more on fuel - but they'll be paying more for the bread and the fruit and the veggies. Which is why I've come to the conclusion that, if this is the best approach the Government can come up with, it shouldn't be bothering at all. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Even though the New Zealand government is making the fuel situation sound a bit more urgent than it had been up until now, sounding slightly a bit more antsy than it was, I bet it still isn't enough to satisfy the head of the International Energy Agency. Fatih Birol is blasting governments around the world, not just ours, for not being as upfront as they should be about the economic carnage from the Iran war. The International Energy Agency essentially works with countries around the world in the energy sector and, when there are supply disruptions like we have at the moment, gives advice on solutions. It's also in charge of deciding whether to dip into energy reserves to keep supplies going. Fatih Birol is saying today that the fuel crisis is worse than the combined impacts of the three biggest energy shocks in modern history. And he says that we would be better prepared if we fully understood the magnitude of the economic impacts. He doesn't think we are because he says our politicians are sugarcoating the situation and says he's had to come out and say what he's saying today because he doesn't think people fully understand the economic consequences of Iran shutting down the Strait of Hormuz. And he's laying the blame at the feet of politicians who he says should be making people aware that this isn't going to end when the war ends. Politicians should be making people aware that there are going to be consequences for some time to come. He says households need to be better informed about the magnitude of the challenge we are facing. “I think they'd be better prepared if they understood what we are facing and what we are dealing with.” Tell that to politicians though, eh? Especially politicians like the ones here who want to get elected later on this year. I get it that the last thing government politicians, especially, want in an election year is to say that things are going to be pear-shaped for some time yet. Because voters don't want to hear that. But I think in the medium to long term, I reckon the Government would have far more credibility if it did do what the head of the International Energy Agency wants it to do and be as upfront as humanly possible. Because you think about it, all we're hearing from the Government is how much fuel supplies we've got. We're not hearing anything from the Government about what this is going to mean beyond that. If our politicians had the guts, they'd be telling us right now. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This fuel situation is starting to feel like herding cats. You've got the government, on one hand, going on about seven weeks supply. Don't panic, keep calm and carry on. The government is also talking about this rescue package for low-to-middle income earners. Then you've got the hoarders filling up drums and jerry cans with petrol and diesel. I met one on the weekend. He was doing the drums and the cans but he was also using the fuel tank in his boat for storage. He was a tradie and said all the farming mates he was out with are doing the same. And now we've got businesses deciding to take their own course of action, and some are either putting their prices up or adding fuel surcharges. One in Christchurch has just announced that, unless customers go to them, they're going to have to pay an extra $5 while the fuel prices remain high because of the situation in the middle east. It's even offering free finance options for people with a community services card. Didi, the rideshare outfit similar to Uber which operates in Auckland and Wellington, is also introducing a fuel surcharge from Wednesday. Charging passengers 5 cents per kilometre. Which raises the question: is this reasonable, given we're all in this boat together? My view is that a specific surcharge is much more reasonable than a random increase in prices. There's a pie shop in the nelson area that has just announced that the prices of its pies are going up 50 cents. The owner of the shop says the increase is happening immediately, and she's doing it because the fuel prices have increased her costs by 20 percent. She says she has no option. The thing is, though, how do customers know her costs have gone up 20 percent? How does the bakery owner know that charging 50 cents more for a pie is what's needed to cover that increase? And more to the point, when this is all over and the fuel prices are down again, are the pies going to be 50 cents cheaper? I bet they won't be. Which is why I think a temporary surcharge is a fairer way of doing it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I reckon the Government is going about this fuel price rescue package the wrong way. It seems to think it's doing the right thing picking low-to-middle income earners who, it assumes, are struggling to pay the higher fuel prices. Of course, someone on the minimum wage, for example, is going to be harder hit by $3.30, $3.40, $3.50 a litre than someone earning $100K. Finance Minister Nicola Willis says the people the Government wants to help are the working New Zealanders who have little option each day but to get in the car and drive to work. It wants to avoid a blanket cut to the fuel tax and it doesn't want to invent a new scheme of income assistance from scratch. As the Minister puts it, she wants something that doesn't involve any paperwork. Which sounds like tax credits to me. But I think the Government needs to lift its sights and think a little bit more strategically about this. It should be thinking about the wider consequences of higher fuel prices, however long they continue. And, instead of paying a few bucks to people on the lower pay grades, what it should be doing is providing support or providing interventions for the likes of food growers, food manufacturers, the transport and logistics sectors. Because all of those groups, they're paying higher fuel prices. But they don't just suck them up like your average motorist does. They pass them on, don't they? Which means the low-to-middle income people being compensated for spending more on diesel and petrol for their vehicles will still be paying more for their bread and their fruit and their veggies. Any savings will just be cancelled-out by costs passed on to them from the food processors or producers, the manufacturers, the transport sector and the farmers at the supermarket checkout. Maybe the Government's trying to avoid the type of criticism that would inevitably come its way if it did what I think it should be doing. Because there would be no shortage of people saying it was just looking after its people and the fat cat farmers and the corporate food manufacturers. Can't you hear it? But all the Government would have to say to quieten-down those people is that, if it didn‘t, they'd be paying more anyway. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's economy wasn't doing as well as we thought, even before war broke out in the Middle East. Latest Stats NZ data shows GDP rose just 0.2% in the December quarter – well under the Reserve Bank forecast of 0.5%. Inflation hit 3.1% in the quarter, above the central Bank's forecast of 2.7%. The Herald's Liam Dann told John MacDonald if the Iran conflict continues, we could be at risk of "stagflation" – a combination of high inflation and low growth seen in the 1970s. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While I don't like the idea of us being dragged into the AUKUS military alliance with Australia, the UK, and the US, I think what the government's doing creating something along the lines of an ANZAC defence force - I think it makes a truckload of sense. The plan is that by 2035 there'll be an integrated, combat capable Australia New Zealand defence force. Combat capable is the particularly interesting bit. I don't know about you, but I was a little bit surprised when I heard about this plan. Although it does seem that it's been on the cards for a while now, especially when you consider some of the new kit that the Government's buying for the New Zealand Defence Force and how it matches what Australia's got. As for AUKUS, Defence Minister Judith Collins was asked whether this will align us with it. And she said it won't. But the proof of course will be in the pudding. And it's probably easy in some ways for Judith to say that given that her political career is finishing up. Nevertheless, in principle, I think it's a no brainer. As Judith said this morning, we're a very small country in terms of population, but our defence force has got to spread itself very thinly over a very wide area. Here, throughout the Pacific and the Antarctic region. She says effectively joining forces with Australia is a much more clever way of making the most of our defence resources and making the most of Australia's defence resources. So no argument from me. But I'm not convinced about us being able to do this without being dragged into the AUKUS alliance in some way, shape, or form. And I'm picking that former Prime Minister Helen Clark will be thinking along the same lines. Because last year, when there was speculation or discussion that the Government might be thinking about signing New Zealand up as some sort of second tier member of AUKUS, she said we shouldn't be touching it with a barge pole. According to Helen Clark, if you're an ally, you can get dragged into all sorts of things that you shouldn't be dragged into or don't want to be dragged into. Although I think we're seeing that allies are learning to say no to each other a bit more often. Which is why Donald Trump's nose is out of joint. But if we go on what Judith Collins is saying, and I'm prepared to, the New Zealand Defence Force will still think for itself and will still be in charge of its own people. She says, "We'll make our own sovereign decisions. These are our people in our uniforms." And here's what I think is the most reassuring part. Judith Collins says "If the Australians were doing something we weren't happy with, we'll pull our people out," noting that Australia would be free to do the same. So the way I see it, this is nothing more than a common-sense approach for a tiny country which has let its defence force run on the smell of an oily rag for far too long. We're playing catch up now, sure, but we are dreaming if we think we can do it all on our own. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's no doubt the Government has failed us on food prices. But then, it was always going to. In fact, any politician who says they're going to bring food prices down is dreaming. This election year, if you hear any of them saying they're going to get on top of the costs of living and you'll be paying less at the supermarket if you vote for them, just block your ears. Tell them to go and talk to some other mug because you know it's impossible and they'll never do it. And this is not me having a go at any particular political party or any particular political ideology. Remember last election, we had Labour trying to push the idea of no GSTon fruit and veggies? Grant Robertson had always been against it but, obviously, realised Labour was pushing it uphill, and he just went along with it because he thought there might be enough clowns who would fall for it. I didn't. I saw it for what it was. Because prices for things still go up whether or not there are taxes. That was Labour‘s big idea last election and we're yet to see anything meaningful from them this time around. That's because politicians can do very little when it comes to food prices. If you've been at the supermarket and thought the price of mince is a bit steep, you'd be right. In the past year, mince has gone up 23.2 percent. The largest increase on record. Fruit and vegetable prices are up too, by nearly 10 percent. Now, granted, there have been some decreases month-on-month, but that doesn't change the fact that, compared to this time last year, we are paying way more for food. Nicola Willis talked a big game on food prices. She was going to crack down on the supermarkets. She was going to bring prices down. She hauled the Fonterra boss into her office to talk about the price of butter. It was all grand gestures with very little to show for it. But that's not Nicola Willis' fault. Just like she wouldn't be able to take the credit if prices went down. And it's not Nicola Willis' fault or the fault of anyone in the current government because, when it comes down to it, politicians don't and can't bring food prices down. If you want to point the finger at anyone, point it at the people who believe politicians when they say they can. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour Leader Chris Hipkins doesn't want people to read too much into him considering his political future as ripples spread from personal allegations made by his ex-wife. Jade Paul posted claims on a private Facebook page on Sunday that are now deleted, none of which related to unlawful conduct. Hipkins says it wasn't a long deliberation, saying that he recognises the political spotlight can mean loved ones pay a significant price. "I still love my job and I am absolutely committed to it." Speaking about the since-deleted post, the Leader of the Opposition said he denies the allegations and is not commenting further on them at this stage. "I'm putting my children first, and I'm not going to get into a public debate with my ex-wife about the breakup of our marriage." He also spoke to John MacDonald about the Governments position on potentially aiding the United States in the Strait of Hormuz, and the rise of fuel and food prices in New Zealand. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Maybe my head is in the sand, but all this excitement about fuel prices isn't making me any more inclined to buy an electric vehicle. Tell that to the people who are getting all excited and buying them. In big numbers too, it seems. So we've got the government warning that petrol prices could hit $4 a litre and EV dealers saying they're being run off their feet because of the ongoing situation in the middle east. BYD sold 80 on Saturday across the country. Normally they'd sell 25 on an average Saturday. So that's a major increase. Here in Christchurch, EV dealerships are reporting a major leap in sales too, with one of them selling out entirely in just two days. People are coming from as far away as nelson to get their hands on electric vehicles too, apparently. How things can change. In November, the EV dealers were ripping-in to the government for the changes it was making to the clean car standards for imported vehicles and we were all talking about the EV bubble busting. Fast-forward four months and throw in a bit of good old fashioned kiwi over-reaction, and the picture is very different. This war has only been going two-and-a-bit weeks but that's enough, it seems, for some people to want to go all EV on it. I drive petrol cars. And, at this point, i have no intention of switching to an EV. One of my vehicles, especially, is a real gas guzzler. But despite that, I have never had any interest in owning an EV. I can‘t tell you exactly why. It's not a protest of any sort. It's not climate change denial. It's none of that. I'm just not interested. And I am no more interested now, despite the war and the fuel prices. And i reckon that, once the oil tankers start sailing again through the strait of Hormuz, most people will still be happy with petrol and diesel vehicles. The other thing too is, that if i was buying an EV, I'd spend quite a bit of time looking into it. You wouldn't get me seeing a few days of petrol price increases and going all knee-jerk on it. But the ev people are loving it that some people are. DTR motors in Hornby had six cars on the lot on Friday night. By Sunday, they were all gone. Alex Wu is the sales manager. He says: “people just showed up, even from nelson, paid and drove off.” He says the weekend was the most “explosive” sales period in the nearly two years that DTR motors has been operating in Christchurch. And that's without any rebate assistance from the government. Which Finance Minister Nicola Willis said yesterday wouldn't be making a comeback. Saying: "i simply don't accept the idea that giving subsidies to millionaires in Remuera would help those afflicted by high petrol prices." Nevertheless, EV's are in demand again. So how tempted are you? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I've got a story which has Covid-19 toilet paper mania written all over it. I was blown away talking to someone in Christchurch at the weekend who said they'd been out and bought a whole lot of extra food because of the fuel situation with everything going on in the Middle East. This is not something I endorse and it certainly isn't something I'll be doing. But maybe the fact that they are British has something to do with it. Because they were saying that they remembered the time when Britain invaded Iraq and the government telling people then to stockpile. They said they were told they should have a month's worth of non-perishable food in the cupboards. And that's what they did. So, as soon as they started hearing about fuel tanks in New Zealand running dry over the weekend, they shot out to the supermarket and stocked up. They told me they'd been thinking about the potential consequences if we get to the point where the 50-days' supply the government keeps talking about starts to get a bit low on it. What if the farmers start getting rationed? What about food production lines that need fuel? Not to mention fuel for the trucks that deliver food supplies around the country. For a very brief second, I started thinking that they might have a point. But it was a very brief second. They also said they thought we should be rationing fuel now, instead of waiting until there's a problem on the horizon. That, if a fuel shortage does happen, it's going to be all the other things that we rely on fuel for that are going to be affected. But you're not going to see me at Pak n Save filling the trolley up - just in case. Because if everyone did that then we really would have shortages on our hands. Just like there was no need for the rush on toilet paper during covid, there is no reason for us to be stockpiling food now. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aside from trying to make sure we don't run out of fuel because of what's going on in the middle east, the other challenge the Government has on its hands is that we're not the country we were six years. Six years ago, when COVID first hit, we were much more compliant. Way more than we are now. Six years ago - by and large - we all went along with all the restrictions and the initial lockdowns without too much resistance. These days, it's a different story. Which is why i think the government would be pushing it uphill with some of the fuel conservation ideas being thrown around. I think it's brilliant that the Government is thinking about this now and not waiting until the tanks are starting to go dry. Which is about 50 days away from happening, according to Finance Minister Nicola Willis She says if new orders started being disrupted, then the Government would have to think about prioritising fuel for the likes of emergency services and the transport industry and other measures, such as car-less days, fuel rationing and working from home. Let's start with car-less days. The only way I could see them working was if insurance companies came out and said they wouldn't cover a vehicle if it was driven on the nominated car-less day. I don't think more working from home would make much difference, either. Because people would still use their vehicles. If anything, fuel rationing would be the only practical way of reducing fuel consumption. Because, if you can't buy it, you can't use it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National's Hamish Campbell and Labour's Tracey McLellan joined John MacDonald for Politics Friday this week. They covered some of the biggest topics from the week, including the release of the second phase of the Covid Inquiry, if more public money is required for the Christ Church Cathedral, and what is the landmark you think of when you think of Christchurch? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Three hundred and fifty jobs at Heinz Wattie's are on the line and we've only got ourselves to blame. I'm including myself here. Because all of us have pretty much fallen into the trap of thinking cheapest is best. And, more often than not, if we think cheapest is best then we end up buying stuff from overseas and turning our backs on local products. Before now, I've never really signed up to that whole buy New Zealand made thing. There have been various campaigns over recent years, haven't there? With the little buy New Zealand made tags and things. But hearing the news about Wattie's and thinking about the cheap fruit being dumped in New Zealand from China and the impact that alone has had on the company, I had a bit of an aha moment. That we really need to think seriously about the stuff we buy and where it comes from. I think buying New Zealand made probably matters more now than ever. The jobs at Heinz Wattie's are set to go because the company has plans to shut down three New Zealand factories. Frozen vegetables are one of Wattie's products that will disappear if the closures go ahead, with the company saying that it just can't compete with cheaper products being imported from overseas. So, it's the fruit thing all over again. Which raises the question: does New Zealand-made matter anymore? If I'm honest, I don't think it does matter to most people. But i think it should. Because, as well as the 350 workers affected, there are also around 220 growers in the canterbury region alone who supply the Christchurch site. So they'll be very worried too. And it's not just Wattie's we're talking about, either. As the union that represents the Wattie's workers is saying today, manufacturing closures are becoming more and more common. Other companies that have wound back their manufacturing here in New Zealand recently include carter Holt Harvey, Sealord in Nelson and Kinleith pulp and paper. And the people affected by these proposed closures have Wattie's in their blood. The average length of service is around 30 years. So it's probably fairly safe to assume that there will be generations of families who have worked at Wattie's. Union delegate Kathy Perrin has worked at Heinz Wattie's for 46 years in different roles and is saying today that the impact on workers will be devastating. We might say we care about buying products made here but, when it comes down to it, I don't think we actually do. But how important is New Zealand made to you? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is another plan in the works to revive Cathedral Square with the Council asking for the public's ideas later this year The Christchurch City Council has announced they have a budget of $28.5 million set aside to put a revitalisation plan in action. Mayor Phil Mauger told Canterbury Mornings that he would like to put some of the money into the Christ Church Cathedral to fix it instead of only funding the redevelopment of Cathedral Square. "Some of it could go to the Cathedral, they're crying out for it, let's not spend or waste 28 million dollars in the square when some of it could go towards the Cathedral." They also discussed his idea to fix East Christchurch's wastewater issues, Whether or not he backs the Dux de Lux rebuild to be paid with council rates, and his thoughts on potentially bringing the Santa Parade to central Christchurch. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I don't think there'll be too many complaints about the report from phase two of the COVID inquiry. Because, for $14 million, we've all got something out of it. That's $14 million for this phase. Phase one cost us about $17 million. If you're anti-vax or vaccine-weary, you've got the bit in the report about officials not telling ministers that 12 to 17-year-olds shouldn't really have been getting two doses of the vaccine. Because of the risk of myocarditis. That was an absolute shocker that one. If you think Jacinda was a saint and saved us all, you're probably having a bit of a “told you so” moment. Irrespective of how patronising she and her ministers got the longer the pandemic went on, you'll be having your “told you so” moment because the report says, overall, New Zealand's approach was good. If you think the Government got it wrong thinking that the team of five million would stick together no matter what, you'll be happy with the report too. Because it says some of the mandates went on too long, and the Government failed to communicate well enough with us. In fact, i can't think of anyone who won't feel they've got at least something out of it. Except NZ First Leader Winston peters, perhaps. He says many people think the inquiry has been one-sided and the damage is done. The damage he's talking about there is the damage from the mandates. He says: “The employment and wage-scarring impacts of the mandates were significant. The Labour Government made no attempt to monitor these impacts and the devastating results that would come to our country. “These mandates and lockdowns cost thousands of jobs and had a devastating effect on our economy and people's health and livelihoods - all of which were avoidable.” And I agree with him that not enough thought was given about the long-term consequences of the mandates. Which, at the time, I supported. Winston Peters says: “the report brings questions that need to be answered by Hipkins and Verrall and all those other former ministers. They cannot brush this off.” One of those former ministers, Chris Hipkins, said on Newstalk ZB this morning that he doesn‘t think his involvement in the COVID response and the findings of the inquiry will put people off voting for him. And I agree with him. Anyone who holds a grudge now will always hold a grudge. And there's nothing Chris Hipkins can do to change that. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The rubber is hitting the road for us here in New Zealand with fuel prices on the up because of the situation in the Middle East. The Taxpayers' Union hasn't been slow in coming forward, saying the government should be cutting its fuel taxes. Temporarily, anyway. It says households shouldn't be forced to shoulder the full cost of global instability. It's spokesman Jordan Williams is saying that people are already struggling with the cost of living and the government needs to wear some of the burden rather than lumping it all on motorists. I get his argument and, more to the point, it's not just motorists who are impacted. Everyone is impacted because the price of fuel pretty much impacts the price of everything. Nevertheless, thank goodness the government hasn't jumped on the kneejerk reaction bandwagon with this one. With finance minister Nicola Willis saying that won't be happening. Which makes perfect sense. For several reasons. The main one being timing. We're only a week or so into this war and who knows what's going to be happening this time next week or two weeks from now. And that's the job of a government in times like these. Don't panic and see where things go. Especially, when there's the potential for the G7 countries - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States - to release some of the fuel they keep up their sleeve for times like these. They decided overnight that that doesn't need to happen right now. But they're due to have another think about later this week. The Automobile Association's principal policy adviser terry Collins has been warning that petrol prices could get close to $4 a litre. I think the likelihood of that has diminished and good on the government for holding its nerve. Tell that to Labour leader Chris Hipkins, though. He says back in 2022, after Russia invaded Ukraine, his government heard about people not being able to afford the petrol they needed to get to work. At that point, a litre of petrol cost $3. Chris Hipkins says: “Once fuel inflation reached that point where people couldn't afford to go to work, because they couldn't afford to fill up the car, we made the decision at that point that the immediate priority was providing support to New Zealand households.” And he wants to see the same thing happen again. I don't - and I think the government's made the right move. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christopher Luxon is at risk of sounding a bit like Joe Biden. You'll remember the former US president bungled that election debate with Donald Trump and then people started calling for him to go and he said he wasn't standing down. Christopher Luxon sounded a bit like that when he was on Newstalk ZB on Friday afternoon and this morning. He said he was “absolutely not” considering standing down. That the only thing he was thinking about was the future of our kids and grandkids. I think he's absolutely right not to be thinking about standing down. Not that I think his colleagues won't try to roll him. That could happen. And, when I heard him on Friday, I wondered whether his denial of having any thoughts about standing down was a message for us or a message for his caucus. I'm in no doubt he was talking to his colleagues. Telling them very publicly that he's not going anywhere. He said he has no idea where the talk about him considering his future came from. He also said “hand on heart” he will still be Prime Minister and leader of the National Party when this year's election comes around. So not considering his future in the slightest. Nor should he. While I don't think he's anywhere near the best prime minister we've ever had nor the best leader National has ever had, he's not the worst of a pretty average bunch. Over the weekend, a poll came out saying that 51 percent of people want to see a new leader of the National party. But that same poll showed that the likes of Erica Stanford's star has faded a bit with voters. The other thing too with her and other names mentioned, such as Mark Mitchell is that, while they have impressed people with their portfolio work, do you reckon they'd be any good at being across everything? Could you imagine Mark Mitchell or Erica Stanford talking about inflation with any great authority? Chris Bishop would probably be the most credible on that front. Another reason why I think Luxon should stay, is that this is his moment to show that he can hold a steady course when things hit the fan. It's his chance to show that he can keep a team together when things are going a bit pear-shaped. Reason number three: the last thing this country needs right now is more turbulence. There's enough going on. Changing prime minister is way different than Labour changing leader back in 2017 when it was in Opposition. If Chrisopher Luxon is the leader he seems to think he is, then he'll ignore all that noise. Not for his sake. But for the sake of the country. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You know what the Government should do with this recommendation from a parliamentary select committee to ban under-16s from using social media? Ignore it. With the Government thinking about copying Australia's ban, a select committee has looked into it and it's come back with a whole lot of recommendations relating to the online world - including a recommendation that we go ahead with a ban. The committee says: “Harm to young New Zealanders from online platforms is severe and requires urgent responses.” The key word there is “harm” and, as the ACT Party is saying today, banning under-16s from social media won't fix that. The Greens are opposed to the idea too - with both parties saying it could just lead to kids using what they're calling “fringe websites”, instead. So the harm will still be there and the kids will keep finding it, whether-or-not there's a social media ban. As to why I'm against this idea. Number One: the horse has already bolted. Number Two: the horse is going to keep on bolting. Because that's what happens in the online world and the technology world. If politicians think banning kids under-16 from Tik Tok and Insta and YouTube is the answer, they're dreaming. What's more, if we're totally honest with ourselves, a social media ban would just let parents off the hook. Those parents at the supermarket, pushing their kids around in the trolley, and the kids all staring at screens - should the government be coming to their rescue because they either can't be bothered or are too weak to say no? Of course not. Experts from Queensland University think banning under-16s from social media is a pipedream. They say there is insufficient evidence to show social media is responsible for the increase in youth mental health problems. They say some marginalised young people actually benefit from social media. Example: I remember hearing someone who works with young members of the rainbow community saying that social media can be really valuable for the kids he works with. These researchers in Australia also say there is a lack of clarity as to what social media actually is. Nevertheless, a bunch of politicians who are already way behind the 8 ball on this think a social media ban for under-16s is the way to go. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nationals Vanessa Weenink and Labours Tracey McLellan joined John MacDonald for Politics Friday this week. They covered some of the biggest topics from the week from the Governments response to the strikes in Iran, a U-16 social media ban being backed by a Parliamentary select committee, and if Christchurch ratepayers should be footing a 10-million-dollar bill to reopen the Dux de Lux building. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are we still living in the same country that told America what to do with its nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed ships? Are we still living in the same country that declared itself a nuclear-free zone? Which had Washington throwing its toys and telling us that it wouldn't be sharing intelligence with us if its ships weren't welcome. But that didn't put us off and the no nukes policy has been in place ever since. That was back in 1984. Fast-forward to 2026 and it is a completely different story. Which is why we've got former foreign affairs minister Phil Goff saying today that Christopher Luxon and Winston Peters are scared of US president Donald Trump. He says the Government's response to US and Israel attacking Iran has been “weak and uncertain”. Which it has. Not only that. Phil Goff is also saying today that New Zealand no longer has the courage to speak freely on international matters. He says the Government knows full well that Donald Trump's claim he was just responding to an imminent threat from Iran is nonsense. Fake news. Phil Goff says the Government also knows full well that the attacks on Iran are illegal. But it's too scared to say so because it's worried about what reaction it might get from, as Goff puts it, a president who is “volatile, unpredictable and vindictive”. He's not getting any argument on the volatile and unpredictable bit from former defence minister Wayne Mapp, who says that's exactly why the Government should be careful what it says. Because Trump is contrary and you never know what he's going to do. Wayne Mapp says: “You do something that really upsets President Trump, you're likely to be slapped with a 10 percent, 20 percent, 30 percent tariff.” And he says the way the Government is handling things protects New Zealand's interests. I disagree. Because, if we want to be an independent, confident country, we have to take a stand on things - just like we did back in the 1980s with the nuclear thing. Christopher Luxon's background as a CEO is his undoing in situations like this. Because chief executives are terrified of chaos. They like to have all their ducks lined-up before they make a decision or before they take a position on something. They are the people who run everything past HR and the legal team because uncertainty is no friend of your chief executive. So, of course, Christopher Luxon is going to say wishy-washy things like New Zealand “acknowledges” the attacks on Iran. Of course, he's going to say it's up to the US and Israel to determine whether the attacks are legal or not, because they're the ones with all the information in front of them. Anyone expecting anything different is dreaming. And, because of that, Phil Goff is right. We are running scared and we have lost the courage to speak freely on international matters. Courage we used to have in spades. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour Leader Chris Hipkins believes that the strikes on Iran from the US and Israel were illegal, and the Government needs to be clearer on its position. Speaking to John MacDonald, The Leader of the Opposition said he thinks a regime change is required in Iran, but legal avenues should've been considered. "It needs to be in adherence with international law, which this is not." If you're talking about a regime change, you need to have a plan to affect that" On the news that the Governments bootcamps for young offenders are restarting, Hipkins says he does not support them. "The first one was an abject failure, all of the evidence suggests they don't work." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Can you believe the Christchurch City Council is even entertaining the idea of pouring partially-treated wastewater into the sea to try and reduce the stench from the burnt-out wastewater treatment plant at Bromley? Don't get me wrong, I think it's shameful that the council has dropped the ball on this one in such a spectacular fashion. And don't for a minute think that my empathy for the people living with that smell night and day is anything less than what it has been. But this is a ridiculous idea cooked-up by mayor Phil Mauger. As Christchurch East MP Reuben Davidson is saying, there's a fair amount of hope but not a lot of evidence that this plan would work and not cause harm to the environment. He's right. The council is in panic mode and Phil Mauger is clutching at straws. A bit of background. Last week, Environment Canterbury told the city council it hadn't done enough to sort out the awful smell coming from the plant and said it had to come up with a plan within two weeks. Hence, this idea of sending partially-treated wastewater out to sea to take the strain off the treatment plant. The council also wants to add chlorine to ensure bacteria levels are what it thinks will be safe before it reaches the ocean. Since the big fire in November 2021, the ponds at the plant have been overloaded and aren't in great shape. And, when we had all that rain the other week, things went next level and the smell was probably as bad as it's ever been. Phil Mauger is saying today: “We can't sit back and expect conditions to improve on their own. Anyone who lives nearby knows the odour issues have become more intense, and we've been looking at all ways to help alleviate the stench.” Yeah, but this isn't how you should be doing it Phil. E-Can says it's surprised and concerned. My hope is that it will tell the city council to go back to the drawing board. Because why would we do something that could add to the water pollution problems we've already got? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Prime Minister Helen Clark hasn't been slow in criticising our government's response to the attacks on Iran. She's not just criticising it - she's slamming it. Saying that it's “a disgrace” for not condemning Israel and the United States and, instead, criticising Iran's “indiscriminate” retaliatory attacks. Helen Clark says the Government knows full well that Israel and the US are breaking international law with these strikes and the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister should be saying so. She says the Government knows that negotiations regarding Iran's nuclear capability were underway and we should be ripping into Israel and the US for what they started on Saturday. But here's where I'm at. When I hear about people in Iran cheering and celebrating the demise of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who am I to criticise what's happened? Who am I to tell these people: “Oh no no, stop celebrating, it's not right what's happened. Israel and the US aren't playing by the rules.” Who am I to say that to those people? And who is Helen Clark to say that? This is the problem you get with people on the left side of the political spectrum, who seem to be incapable of seeing the bigger picture. Has Helen Clark and the opposition MPs lining up to criticise the Government forgotten about the death sentences handed out to some of the people involved in the recent mass protests? They want things done to the letter every time. But what if this brings a better life for the people of Iran? It's a big if. Because who knows whether this will be the end of the current regime running Iran or not? Regime change is easy to talk about but very difficult to do. Because it's not just the regime, it's who fills the vacuum afterwards. As we saw in Iraq. Yes, they got rid of Saddam Hussein, but then they got rid of the Iraqi army as well and that's when it really hit the fan with other extremists and terror groups all wanting a piece of the action. So, who knows how this is going to end up in the long term? But, when all is said and done, for me this is about the people of Iran. Which is why you're not going to hear me piling into our government the way Helen Clark is. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.