Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills

The government has announced amalgamation talks have paused until after the election. Mayor Laban says the quality of the Wellington headstart proposal submitted by Hutt City, Wellington City, Porirua and South Waiarapa is "outstanding, it's comprehensive". Laban says the region will continue preparing for amalgamation. He believes regardless of a change in government the councils will still amalgamate by 2028, with a potential extension to 2029. Mills asked why other Mayors are complaining about wasted money from the delay, Laban said "you'll have to ask him about that". LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Chairperson of Wellington Water Nick Leggett answers Nick Mills and listener's questions about the Moa Point catastrophe after the AECOM review release. Leggett discusses his resignation, which came just over a week after the Moa Point event. He talks about the breakdowns in the system and reflects on his tenure. Amongst the systematic errors were communication difficulties, according to Leggett. Leggett said he felt Wellington Water was "othered" by Wellington City Council. When asked what he wishes he had done different Leggett told Mills he wishes he would have "shaken the cage a bit harder" to be taken more seriously by the council. He shared his experience with the Crown review saying "wild horses would not have kept me away from talking to them". LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For Friday Faceoff this week Nick Mills is joined in the studio by legendary broadcaster Mark Sainsbury and political commentator Esther Robinson to debate the hottest issues of the week. From amalgamation to health, it's all on Friday Faceoff. Was the rark up of amalgamation now pointless RMA Minister Bishop has put the proposals on ice? Robinson and Sainsbury debate if this was the smart move and theorise the cause of the halt. Then the revelation sufficient staffing in our surgical wards could save 182 lives a year. Would you pay more tax if you knew it was going straight to health? Is Bustasrophe 2 on the way? Our panel debate decisions made by the regional council, which could potentially cut routes and times, while simultaneously funding $11 million new bus lanes to future-proof the network. Plus is there anything worthwhile in Nicky Hager's new book 'Dirty Work', a quick round up of the end to New Zealand's 54th Parliament and as always, the panel give their hots and nots of the week. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jason Pine and Adam Cooper join Nick Mills on Friday Sport's Kick-Off to analyse the week in sport. NZ's Rugby Summit in Wellington this week set out to try establish a solution to the haemorrhage of money in the national competition. Nick shares his idea to make NZ rugby more profitable - get rid of the Super 15 competition and boost the number of All Blacks games. The panel aren't too keen, so share their remedies. Plus the Tokomanawa Queens - huge signings of Charlisse Leger-Walker and Hayley van Lith from the W-NBA, and dog day at Hnry Stadium when the Lions play Waikato! LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week's Politics Thursday panel was live when news came through that the Government's local amalgamation plans are now on hold until after the election. National's Otaki MP Tim Costley and Labour's Mana MP Barbara Edmonds reacted to the news. They also discussed the ongoing issues with FENZ, and Labour's latest interest deductibility proposals. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Porirua's Mayor says she's fuming at the Government temporarily shelving its council reform plans. Councils across the country last month submitted amalgamation proposals, meeting a strict and speedy deadline. Cabinet's now saying it won't decide on Head Start proposals until next year, after more analysis and development. Anita Baker says the Government told councils to be brave - then lost its nerve when they did just that. She joined Nick Mills on Wellington Mornings. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You may have noticed bee sculptures pop around the city. To get to the bottom of the mystery Nick Mills speaks to Head of Fundraising at Life Flight, Sebastian Grodd this morning. The Bee in The City Art Trail for Life Flight is a free, family friendly activity where you can spot fifty decorated bees all through the city. The initiative is hoping to bring more people into the city, while celebrating Life Flights birthday. As many Wellingtonians will know, Life Flight has delivered vital support to our community for fifty years. They will be auctioned for the charity on the 26th November on the bees in the city site. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EDITORIAL: We haven't had a proper discussion about the Warriors' capitulation at the end of the season, have we? And yes, I'm disappointed. Another season, another opportunity gone. But let's be fair. Newcastle beat us 12–10. They were the better team on the day, in my opinion. End of story. Except it isn't really the end of the story, is it? Because now we've got referee Ashley Klein reportedly dropped from this weekend's preliminary finals after missing a crucial penalty that could have given the Warriors a chance to level the game. The NRL has reportedly acknowledged the mistake. But here's my question. What on earth are we doing publicly hanging a referee out to dry? Why are we doing this in this way? We've already seen the disgraceful scenes at Eden Park. Bottles, cups and rubbish thrown at Klein as he left the field. Absolutely disgusting. And now the NRL effectively puts him in the town square, ties him to a post, gives everyone a tomato and invites everyone to have another crack. Why couldn't this have been dealt with internally? Yes, referees make mistakes. Yes, they need to be accountable. Yes, they need to be tough enough to handle the criticism. And accountability is key, but put it out there so publicly to appease the Warriors, I don't agree with. But there's a massive difference between accountability and humiliation. And this goes well beyond rugby league. I've been watching the opening round of Australia's NBL basketball. Coaches constantly challenging referees. Players getting in their faces. Arguing, complaining, carrying on. It's becoming a hobby across sport. And what's happening at the grassroots? We've had situations in Wellington club rugby where games have been affected because there simply weren't enough referees available. We're crying out for officials, yet we seem determined to make their lives miserable. Who in their right mind would volunteer to referee an under-nines game if they're going to be screamed at by parents on the sideline? Who wants to referee a senior game if they're going to be abused, threatened or have rubbish thrown at them? We've got to stamp this out. By all means, review refereeing decisions. Hold officials accountable. Improve standards. But do it professionally. The Warriors lost. A refereeing mistake may have changed the result. We'll never know. What we do know is that without referees, we don't have sport. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pikpok has become one of the great success stories of Wellington. The game developers have hundreds of staff in the city, have expanded to Colombia and craft games played by hundreds of millions all over the world. CEO and co-founder Mario Wynands tells Nick Mills how the company started from "three mates in a flat" working overtime on their passions to an international sensation. Wynands says NZ's gaming industry exports are worth $1 billion NZD. The company started from Wynands and his fellow founders flat, who worked their day jobs from 9am to 6pm then continued past 1am creating their business. "At the end of the day I'm just kind of the shy, nerdy kid who grew up in the Hutt." Wynands shares the hard work to make Pikpok into what it is today, what is ahead for the future and why he chooses to continue the business in Wellington. He describes the changes to the perception of working and living in New Zealand, "we don't have the same magical allure as a country anymore". LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For Friday Faceoff this week Nick Mills is joined in the studio by Porirua Mayor Anita Baker and Editor of The Local Jane O'Loughlin. Starting with the question of the week: Has there been enough accountability for the Wellington City Council's mistakes? This comes after the latest review showcasing the blunder of the costly library website. Mayor Baker criticised WCC giving the $600k job to an Auckland company, "keep local jobs local". Then onto the controversial passing of the Harbour Quays bus lanes. Neither O'Loughlin or Baker were fans. Is it necessary? Both panellists then called National's announcement to pursue splitting food stuffs "desperation". Then onto the decision to scrap routine cognitive tests for older drivers, was it the right one? Plus, our panellists share their thoughts on the Tom Phillips case findings and could they ever split with Wellington later in life? And as always, hear our panellists' hots and nots from the week. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For Friday Sports Kick-off Nick Mills is joined by ZB sports experts Jason Pine and Adam Cooper to wrap the week in sports. The pressure is on the Warriors for their home semifinal against Newcastle, will they be able to pull through at Eden Park this weekend? Is this finally the week for the Wellington Lions after a rough season? The team plays Northland at Hnry Stadium tomorrow. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

World of WearableArt model/performer and VIP host Shikhia "Shak" Ngatai joins Nick in the studio the morning after WOW's opening night. After 18 WOW seasons, Shak is well versed in the creative world in the heart of Wellington every year. Nick finds out how it has changed over time - and what keeps her coming back. The 400+ crew have been working hard, and after weeks of rehearsals, Shak says finally walking out to the full audience is "electric". LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's Politics Thursday and Nick Mills is joined on the show by Minister Paul Goldsmith and Labour MP Ayesha Verrall to debate the biggest political topics of the week. Including the pursuit to split Foodstuffs. Is this the way to lower grocery prices for Kiwis or weakening a successful New Zealand business? The move on orders, with new alterations, will go through the House under urgency before the end of the week. Nick asks if the bill is still powerful enough, and will Labour vote it through? Then the Tom Phillips case review findings, both major parties polling under thirty percent, ACT's idea to freeze minimum wage and should you have to live in New Zealand to be a candidate in the election? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington City Council Chief Executive Matt Prosser joins Nick Mills in the studio to discuss accountability of different council issues from the last few months. With multiple reviews, reports and problems appearing in the council, Prosser offers an explanation to Nick and ratepayers. And in some cases, an apology. Beginning with the Moa Point report, Prosser addresses concerns over lack of accountability from individuals and the council as a whole. Prosser debated Minister Nicola Willis' claim CIO Jenny Chetwynd's comments were written by lawyers, saying while lawyers were involved, Chetwynd "contributed to the report". He did not want to discuss whether Chetwynd, head of infrastructure at the council, lives in the city. After calls from the Council and the Mayor wanting a refund or discount on the Deloitte Report, Prosser confirmed the report is "doing what I needed it to do", and they have not asked for a refund. Then they discuss the website review, showing the council spent more than needed on the $600,000 Te Matapihi Central Library promotional site. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An admission Wellington Central Library's costly new website could have been done in-house A new report has found a lack of oversight and a rushed procurement process were to blame for the Wellington City Council spending up to half a million dollars more than it needed to on a website for the Central Library. Chief Operating Officer James Roberts says the council has up to 90 people in its IT team, and the website could have been developed internally. He told Newstalk ZB's Nick Mills officials got it wrong, and he takes the blame. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington's Hnry Stadium will be converted into a motorsport track in January, playing host to some world-leading drivers. The international Race of Champions showcase event will make its New Zealand debut in the capital on January 9 and 10. Formula One's Sebastian Vettel and Valtteri Bottas, Supercars' Chaz Mostert and rally driver Hayden Paddon are confirmed on the starting grid. Organisers say more competitors are set to join the cast, and Race of Champions president Fredrik Johnsson confirmed to Newstalk ZB an invitation has been sent to Formula One's Liam Lawson. They'll link up in identical cars to go head-to-head on a purpose-built tarmac race track inside the venue. Nick crossed live to sports host Adam Cooper who was at the announcement. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nick Mills is joined by music guru James Irwin for music time - and to celebrate Kiwi star Tami Neilson's Country Music Award nomination. Nick and James reminisce on throwbacks and one hit wonders and then hear the latest gig guide for the capital. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EDITORIAL: I saw this story on TV about a week ago, last week, a Kiwi bloke called Simon McCartney. He's 65 years old, he moved to London to be closer to his grandkids, struggled to find work. 65, moved to London, struggled to find work. Oh, I wonder how, why? And eventually he thought, right, I'm going to try something completely different. Now he drives a big red double-decker bus. What a job. He drives across London Bridge, looks across to the Tower Bridge, sees St. Paul's Cathedral, and on diversions he goes past Picadilly Circus, Parliament, the London Eye and Leicester Square. How about that for an office at 65 years old? Then, yesterday I had coffee with a business acquaintance. He's from Auckland, but he's in Wellingtonian. Went to TawaCollege, not with me, a lot younger than me. Mid 50s, has a successful business doing well. He sits there telling me, I'm moving, selling up and moving. I said, selling the business? "No, I'm keeping the business, but selling my home.” “I live in Auckland on the North Shore and I'm going to the Gold Coast.” He said he'll keep his business going here. He can fly back four or five times a year, can do everything by Zoom or everything by phone. That's the modern world. But he's had enough of New Zealand. He reckons the Gold Coast will give him a better lifestyle. And that got me thinking about Wellington because I hear it consistently now. Rates, water bills, insurance, cost of doing business, cost of our council, cost of owning a home, the cost of absolutely everything. Wellington is becoming a very expensive city to live in. And then you look around and ask, is Wellington actually heading in the right direction? I love Wellington. I've invested my whole life in the city. My family's here, my business is here, my work is here. But actually, when I got into bed, because when you get into bed, and I was reading about someone the other day that was saying that thought when you hop into bed is kind of like the end of your day, it should be really your happy place and your happy thoughts. And I thought to myself last night, could I get to an age where, right, enough is enough, I'm off. Melbourne, absolutely. I'd love to live in the outskirts of Melbourne. Not in the expensive part, but in the outskirts where I could afford. Gold Coast, you know, the weather is so damn good there. It feels so exciting there. London, maybe, you know, a bit more expensive. You'd have to have a little bit more money, but a place in London? France, a little village way out in the ultimate of nowhere. Good wine, good food. Now we're getting somewhere. And I know people that have done it. And it scares me because 20 years ago, you never heard of people doing that in their 50s, 60s or 70s. That's it, I'm going, taking off. And maybe the new OE isn't at 21, but maybe it's at 61. If money wasn't the issue, where would you go? Would you leave Wellington or would you stay right here? And despite everything that Wellington throws at us, would you, could you ever simply pack up, sell up and move out? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EDITORIAL: I want to start this morning with something that I genuinely cannot understand, the more I think about it the more it frustrates me, and the more I look at it the more I don't understand it. The Harbour Quays bus corridor. Think about that. An eleven million dollar price tag. History will tell us that everything we've seen done in this part of the world, when you start with a price of eleven million dollars, you know it's not going to end anything under that – and could be double that. We're talking about bus lanes down Customhouse Quay, Jervois Quay, Cable Street and Wakefield Street — taking road space away from general traffic to create a public transport corridor through the outskirts of the CBD in Wellington. And I think it is nuts. We do not need it. This thing was conceived when Wellington was planning for substantial population growth, more commuters pouring into the CBD and enormous growth in public transport. But circumstances have changed. The Golden Mile project that it was supposed to complement has stopped. The wider transport plan isn't settled. The SH1 changes aren't settled. And serious questions are now being asked - whether the population and passenger growth originally anticipated is actually going happen. Yet we're still marching ahead with the solution. Why? Because we've already spent money planning it? That's not a good enough excuse. That is possibly the worst reason imaginable to spend another dollar. And anyone who actually drives along Jervois Quay, Wakefield St, Customhouse Quay and Cable Street at busy times knows exactly what happens when you start removing general traffic capacity. Remember when we put those drainage systems down Wakefield St and what happened then. Where do the cars go? They don't magically disappear. You create a thing called congestion. And here's another thing. We have tried for decades to convince Wellingtonians that the waterfront side of the city is somehow an extension of the Golden Mile. Now a lot of us will remember the old Harbour City Centre. Remember when that was conceived and built, at great fanfare? It was going to be the massive city shopping centre. It was supposed to be fantastic. It even had a McDonalds in it! Well it closed very quickly. Getting people across several lanes of traffic, particularly on a cold, wet, windy Wellington day, was never particularly attractive. Now we're apparently going to do it with bus passengers and tell them somehow: Don't worry — you can walk across to the Golden Mile. Seriously? With horizontal Wellington rain? The wind? The cold weather? And we're spending $11 million to do it, when we don't need it! Greater Wellington has endorsed it. Wellington City Council gets its turn on Thursday. I desperately hope councillors have the courage to say: No don't do it, we don't need it right now. Forget what was predicted two years ago. Look at Wellington today. Do we need it? Does it stack up? And is removing road capacity from one of the busiest routes through our CBD really going to make Wellington better, quicker? I think you know my answer to that. Because from where I'm sitting, this has all the ingredients of another Wellington transport cock-up. A massive cock-up Eleven million dollars. Remember I said it first here - they say eleven million dollars. We don't want to pay eleven million dollars to create another problem that's not really there and could possibly make it a hell of a lot worse. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Greater Wellington Regional Councillor Simon Woolf joined Nick on the show this morning and shared his concerns for the Harbour Quays bus lane proposal. The proposal, which entails moving certain routes away from Lambton Quay and Willis Street to the waterfront Quays passed the Regional Council vote, and moves to a Wellington City Council vote this week. Councillor Woolf said this is the next in line of many failures from our council, "we need amalgamation". He said there are other possibilities that haven't been considered, like moving the bus lanes to Featherston St. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For Friday Faceoff this week Nick Mills is joined in the studio by former Wellington City Councillor Tim Brown and entrepreneur JD Trask. Our panel get heated from the start as Nick heard a senior official at the Wellington City Council commutes to Wellington from Auckland. Is this acceptable for a high paid, infrastructure position? Does it matter what city they live in? Then an issue raised in our Business Panel earlier this week brought up Wellington's lack of international flights. What effects are our panel seeing themselves and what paths do they want? Brown, who was on the board of Wellington Airport said he'd be surprised if there weren't new airlines coming here "before the end of next year". The panel then faceoff over confidence in Tiaki Wai. They question Tiaki Wai's plans, costing, and if anything has changed since Wellington Water? Trask and Brown go hard on the Zoo asking council for $13 million for lion enclosure upgrades, and pose the question - should Wellington even have a zoo? Plus was the PSA strike strictly political, and the panel share their hots and nots. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For Friday Sport's Kick-off Jason Pine and Adam Cooper join Nick Mills to dissect the sports of the week, what's ahead this weekend. The All Blacks play their fourth match against the Springboks in Baltimore on Sunday morning with some swaps to Rennie's team. What do our panel make of the team naming, and are we weaker without playing South Africa in Super Rugby? And Piney's biggest match of the weekend - Warriors vs Dolphins. Piney, Coops and Nick give their predictions and debate what will be the better game Warriors or All Blacks? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

OPINION: I want to come back to Jenny Chetwynd today, because frankly, I think Wellington ratepayers deserve some answers. Chetwynd was appointed Wellington City Council's Chief Infrastructure Officer in 2024. This was a big appointment. The council talked up her experience, her leadership and the enormous job ahead of her — water, transport, waste, emergency management and major infrastructure projects. She was the infrastructure fixer. And she is being paid accordingly — around $440,000 a year. Then Moa Point happens. Fourteen billion litres or thereabouts of untreated sewage ends up being discharged into the marine environment, and we get a Crown Review trying to establish how the hell Wellington allowed this to happen. And what does our Chief Infrastructure Officer do? She doesn't sit down for an interview with the Crown Review. She provides written information. Review author Raveen Jaduram couldn't have been much clearer. He said her not being available made the investigation more challenging and increased the chances of the reviewers getting something wrong. His point was incredibly simple: if you can interview somebody, you can ask them directly what happened and where the evidence is. Finance Minister Nicola Willis came on our programme on Thursday, and went even further. "I think she should be made to front up," Willis said. "And if I was the Mayor, I'd be saying 'Actually, we are publicly accountable," "You are paid well to take on significant responsibilities, your responsibility was to build a stronger relationship with Wellington Water. This Crown Inquiry waned to ask questions about that, and she didn't front.". Now, here's where this gets even more extraordinary. I am now being told Jenny Chetwynd doesn't actually live permanently in Wellington, and that she commutes from Auckland. Now, I want to be absolutely fair here, I have not been able to independently verify the details of that arrangement, and I want Wellington City Council to tell us exactly what the situation is, but several sources have told me it's true. It raises a number of questions for me: Does Wellington City Counicl's $440,000-a-year Chief Infrastructure Officer live in Auckland? How many days a week is she physically working in Wellington? Who pays for the travel? And where was she for last night's Tiaki Wai public meeting? Because this is about accountability. You were hired into one of the most senior positions at Wellington City Council to help sort out our infrastructure. Our infrastructure fails catastrophically. A Crown Review wants to interview you — you don't front. The media wants to interview you — you don't front. There's a public meeting about our water infrastructure — you're not there. And now there are questions about whether you even live in the city you're being paid nearly half a million dollars a year to help fix. Enough. Wellington ratepayers aren't asking for anything unreasonable. Front up, Jenny Chetwynd, and answer the questions. After several days of requesting answers to some of these questions from the Wellington City Council media team, they responded minutes before the start of our show on Friday. "That is a highly unacceptable line of questioning that we will not dignify with an answer." A Council spokesperson said. I'm bewildered.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's Politics Thursday, and this week Nick Mills is joined by Labour's Ginny Andersen and National's Tim Costley to debate the top political issues of the week. The PSA strikes called for better pay, but Nick wonders if they got too political after Nicola Willis said union workers were told to wear red. Our panel debate the necessity of the strike, with Costley pointing out the national average salary for public servants is $100k compared to $85k in the private sector. Plus, does Wellington need a zoo, and should ratepayers have to pay nearly $14 million for a new lion enclosure? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the election only two months out, Finance Minister Nicola Willis joins Nick Mills in the studio this morning to talk the economy and Wellington issues. When will ordinary people feel the economy begin to recover? With the latest OCR hike, Willis shares her predictions for the financial future. On the local front, pressure is building on WCC Chief Infrastructure Officer Jenny Chetwynd who did not interview for the Moa Point review. Willis called on Chetwynd to "front up" and take accountability. “Apparently they provided written information, but you and I both know the lawyers would have written that.” She said while the failures are spread across departments, it is clear the Wellington City Council did not do enough. Mills and Willis discussed the public servants strike yesterday, and according to the Minister PSA union members were encouraged to wear red yesterday in support. Plus, Willis shares her thoughts on the Green's "KiwiMart", and the MSD admin error. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tiaki Wai Board Chair Will Peet joins Nick Mills in the studio for an update after a hectic month with the Moa Point Review, first bills due and Commerce Commission oversight. Mills questions Peet over the review and accountability. What has Tiaki Wai learnt so this will never happen again? Peet gives more detail on the new oversight from the Commerce Commission and refutes Mill's concern Tiaki Wai have no competition to regulate prices. They debate the price water meters, and Peet clarifies the councils calculate the bills - "we don't have billing system, we are completely reliant on the council's billing systems". LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are just over a week out from one of Wellington's favourite events, World of WearableArt, GLO! at TSB Arena. To celebrate, WOW CEO Meg Williams joins Nick Mills in the studio to share how the team are gearing up for another hit year, and she brings along a special treat. This year there's a new addition to the WOW calendar - Taste of WOW. Two new experiences will be held at the Intercontinental to share edible art inspired by WOW's collection of garments. Check out the details on the WOW website, to see and taste a new side to Wellington's beloved event. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EDITORIAL: I'd love to have this conversation this morning because I genuinely don't know where the line is anymore. The Government's advice is that kids don't necessarily need to stay home just because they've got a cough, a headache, a runny nose or a blocked nose. Holy hell, I think one of the four you stay home. Not go to school with cough, a headache, a runny nose or a blocked nose. Come on, that's pretty tough. If they haven't had a fever for 24 hours, they're eating and drinking normally, they're alert and capable of learning, then mild symptoms alone don't necessarily mean a day off school. Now, I get that. We've got a terrible school attendance problem. But haven't we learnt something from COVID? I'm certainly more conscious now about sneezing, coughing, washing my hands and potentially giving something to somebody else an ailment. And here's my confession: I don't feel 100 percent today. I had a terrible night's sleep. I went to bed feeling a bit average. Woke up in the middle of the night, been awake since about 1 or 2am feeling blocked up, headachy, generally a bit crap. But here I am. And you know what, after my coffee this morning I feel great. Maybe that's generational. I'm probably old school about it. Unless I'm really sick, I come to work. You push through it. But is that actually the right thing to do? Because I work with people who, at the slightest sniffle, they say Sorry, can't come in. The slightest headache, oh no they can't come in. And sometimes I think: Really? That's enough for a sick day? Well, you've got 10 you may as well use them. Then you've got the complete opposite. Someone arrives looking absolutely dreadful. Coughing, spluttering, clearly sick, and you think: Mate, I admire your commitment, but please go home because I don't want to get whatever you've got! And that's the other side of this. Going to work sick isn't necessarily heroic, you can infect five other people. We've just come through an extraordinary flu season. It's been pretty horrible. Hospitals have been under enormous pressure and schools have had huge numbers of kids away. Now I was at my dentist the other day and I said to her, I've got a pretty open, friendly relationship with her, I said, how's it been? And she said “it's been terrible”, I looked at her and I said, it takes me a month to get in to see you, how can it be terrible? Everyone's always sick, cancellations, bang, bang, bang. Now that affects a lot of people. So I want to get into the middle ground here. I don't want to sit on the fence, but I want you to determine, I want you to determine how sick you have to be to have a sick day. Is it a temperature? Vomiting? A terrible cough? Not being able to get out of bed? Tick, tick, tick, tick should be days off work or school. Or is simply feeling lousy enough? And parents — where's the line with your kids? Now I was a pretty lenient parent, must admit. “I don't feel like going to school today, dad, I'm not feeling great.” Stay home, I'm okay with that. Because surely we don't want a generation believing every sniffle means a day on the couch, day in front of Netflix, a day on the machines. But equally, we don't want genuinely sick kids being sent into classrooms because we're obsessed with attendance figures. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For this week's Business Panel, Nick was joined by Chamber of Commerce CEO Hayley Horan, and WellingtonNZ Chief Executive Mark Oldershaw. They discussed how the region is tracking approaching summer time, and tackled issues such as attracting events, business investment, and the safety of city streets. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An independent supermarket owner says state-owned stores are feasible, with some work. The Green Party's pledging to tackle grocery prices by breaking up our duopoly with KiwiMart - costing 2.8 billion dollars. It'd force Woolworths and Foodstuffs to divest 120 branches into public ownership, and two distribution centres. Upper Hutt's Plenty Foods owner, Henry Hutcheon told Nick Mills it's a realistic idea, that'll need fine tuning. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's Friday Faceoff and this week Nick Mills is joined by Regional Councillor Yadana Saw and political commentator and academic Dr Bryce Edwards to debate the biggest stories of the week. Our panel get heated over the Moa Point review, who's to blame and who's avoiding accountability? After Nick's disagreement with Mayor Andrew Little over "exceptional circumstances" for the opportunity to stall Tiaki Wai, we hear what the panel think about the debate and the speed of setting up the entity. And would water metres be worth it? Also, this week Mayor Little called out Deloitte, accusing them of using AI on the council report. Saw and Dr Edwards discuss the reliance on "the big four" consultants in the public sector. Plus, move on orders have been dulled down, should reckless driving resulting in death end with stricter punishment, and should Nick publish the footage of thieves from his restaurant. Then our guests give two hots of the week to end on a high. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's time for the third test between the All Blacks and the Springboks, and on Friday Sports Kick-off this week Nick, Coops and Piney talk the most importance test of the on the Greatest Rivalry tour. The crew analyse Rennie's team "rotation", his performance as a coach so far, and give their score predictions for this "game of chess". And is there still hope for the Wellington Lions for their upcoming game against Tasman? Have our panel been too harsh on the team? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For Politics Thursday this week Nick Mills is joined by Labour's Ayesha Verrall and National's Tim Costley to debate the top political issues of the week. The highly anticipated Moa Point review is out, showing multiple organisations were at fault over many years. Nick asks our politicians - how can we trust the plant will improve in the future when no group wants to take accountability? They also discuss a review into changing careless/dangerous driving legislation. This comes as the parents of Jade Evans call for action after the preventable death of the 18-year-old. Plus, the panel debate Labour's new policy which would guarantee all nursing graduates a job, and should e-scooter/bikes require a license? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour MP for Ōhāriu Greg O'Connor delivered his valedictory speech to Parliament last night and joined Nick Mills this morning to reflect on his time as an MP and what comes next. Mills attempted to get the reason O'Connor will not return to parliament with Labour, with O'Connor suggesting it was relevant to his age. When asked if a run for Council was in his future, O'Connor responded, "the answer does not yet exist". O'Connor reflected on his proudest moments in his parliamentary career, including his time as Deputy Speaker of the House. O'Connor would not say whether he regretted standing for Labour. "Some might say they became the right party when I stood for them Nick." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jade Evans was driving home for her family dinner when she was killed by a truck who did not stop at a stop sign. Jade was only 18 years old and carrying her unborn child Lily when she died, now her mother Kathryn Stothers is calling for stronger accountability from careless drivers. The driver's sentence was two months' community detention, losing his licence for 12 months and reparations of $8000 to the family. Stothers has launched a petition 'Jade's Law' calling for changes to legislation for stronger accountability for failing to follow road rules, matching other countries like UK where a similar crime results in 5 years imprisonment. Stothers joins Nick Mills on the show this morning to share her story, and to make sure this doesn't happen again. You can sign the family's petition on the Parliament petition website. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

OPINION: On Tuesday's programme, Wellington Mayor Andrew Little and I had a pretty animated discussion about Tiaki Wai — and one question in particular: Could Wellington have sought another year before Tiaki Wai had to be established? I said I had been told that a Council officer had explained to councillors that, legally, there was a mechanism to seek an extension under exceptional circumstances. Andrew Little strongly pushed back. He challenged me to produce the evidence. "I don't believe that happened, and you said you can get an affidavit to say it did happen ... so let's have the affidavit" Little said. He challenged me to produce the evidence, in an affidavit. Well, I'm going to go one better, and produce the actual proof. In the City Council's City Strategy and Delivery Committee Meeting on May 28 this year, at 9:52am, the City Council's Chief Advisor Customer and Community, Margo Ray, told the Mayor and Councillors "So the legislation does allow for an amendment to the Water Services Plan to be made." "An amended plan needs to be provided to the Minister, and that can only be done in 'exceptional circumstances'" Ray said. Little was in the meeting, but he told me on Tuesday he never heard a Council representative say that. I produced the evidence after the show to the Mayor's office, which has since sent me a statement. “At no point was the threshold met for ‘exceptional circumstances' under the Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Act 2024. Anyone suggesting it was a possibility is clutching at straws.” Little said in a statement. Okay. But hang on. That's not quite the same argument we were having yesterday. The question wasn't whether Andrew Little personally believed the 'exceptional circumstances' threshold had been met. The question was: was there a legal avenue available to seek more time? And the council's own officer appeared to say there was. Now we get to the really important question: should Wellington have tried? Because if ever there was an argument for exceptional circumstances, surely Wellington had one worth putting forward. We had the Moa Point disaster. We were still waiting for important information about exactly what had gone wrong. Amalgamation looms. And the price. We were setting up an entirely new water organisation involving billions of dollars of infrastructure and enormous consequences for ratepayers. Maybe the Government would have said no. Maybe the legal threshold ultimately wouldn't have been met. But that's different from saying the possibility didn't exist. So today I'm putting the evidence out there. You can listen to the council officer yourself. And then you can decide: was I clutching at straws — or was this an option Wellington should at least have explored?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington City Mayor Andrew Little joined Nick Mills in the studio this morning to address the latest news around the Council and debunk rumours swirling around the city. This week the mayor called for a refund from Deloitte for their $435,000 review. He dismissed the report to Mills, saying the accountancy firm used out of date information and AI. Then the Mayor debunked claims the Tiaki Wai transition timeline could've been delayed, and rebutted concerns the Labour/Green councillors were pre-determining votes. Little and Mills also discuss the interim Moa Point report - which is not publicly available, and safety around e-scooters. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners President Dr Luke Bradford joined Nick Mills on the show this morning, to share what GPs need for a sustainable future to support the overall health system. Bradford told Mills while our government is contributing, policies are only piecemeal to the total help needed. He discussed the staffing and recruitment issues but also the lack of stability between changing governments for GPs. Bradford also highlighted General Practice receives 6% of the total health budget, compared to the average 14% in OECD. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Star chefs Manu Feildel and Colin Fassnidge touch down in Wellington for The Food Show and on the way join Nick Mills in the studio. Manu and Colin compete against each other for Pitch to Plate at Hnry Stadium tonight, what can diners expect from these expert chefs? And who is the king of the kitchen? Both have fostered a strong relationship with New Zealand over their years of travelling and experiencing our food and culture. "Beautiful country, beautiful people" said Manu. Colin said they have been "knocked back" by the friendly welcome of Kiwis, and both share their emotional experience receiving their pounamu. Then Nick gets behind-the-scenes stories from their hit show Off The Grid with Colin and Manu and uncover out which country has the best cuisine. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's time for Friday Faceoff, Nick is joined in the studio by former minister and political commentator Peter Dunne and National Secretary of Public Service Association to debate the top stories of the week. Kicking off the faceoff is the claim we need $5 billion more invested into health. Our panel debate the issues within our public health system. Dunne, a former Minister of Health, says what he learnt during his tenure was "we don't lack the resources in New Zealand to provide for a comprehensive health care system, we are very bad at our organisation of it". Councillor Karl Tiefenbacher says the Labour aligned councillors are meeting before votes to determine which way they will go. Nick and our panel butt heads over whether this should be common practice. Plus, what is happening with violence towards our politicians? Is this the norm for New Zealand now? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For Friday Sports Kick-off Nick is joined in the studio by Jason Pine and Adam Cooper to wrap the week in sports. The crew recap the All Blacks success last weekend and look forward to the next round - can the All Blacks maintain their energy against South Africa this weekend? Our panel give their predictions for this next game and talk the changes Rennie has made to his side. Should Lions fans become Northland fans at this point in the Ranfurly Shield? And to round out the week, our team chat Warriors who are up against the Knights this Sunday afternoon. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EDITORIAL: Yesterday morning, Chris Hipkins walked into this studio — and I knew immediately something wasn't right. Now I've interviewed Chris plenty of times, and I think I know him reasonably well. Whatever you think of his politics, he's normally extremely composed, extremely confident, and extremely hard to rattle. Yesterday he looked rattled. He looked pale and a bit shocked. So before we went on air I said, “Are you okay?” And then he looked me in the eye and it all came out. He'd decided to walk down from Parliament to our studio to get some exercise. On the way, a bloke in an SUV started yelling abuse at him. Okay, shrugged his shoulders as he told me The Herald actually witnessed part of this — the vehicle did a U-turn, followed Hipkins and a staff member, and the driver was yelling expletives and racial slurs. Then Chris got a bit more concerned. Now, hang on a minute. This is Wellington. This is our harbour. This is New Zealand. We're talking about the Leader of the Opposition. A former Prime Minister. A man who led this country through part of the Covid period — one of the most divisive and angry periods we've experienced in modern New Zealand, probably New Zealand history. And he can just walk around Wellington with no personal police protection? Hipkins himself doesn't want a security detail. I respect that. He said yesterday he wants to live in a country where politicians can walk down the street. So do I, so do you. But maybe we don't live in that country anymore. And I'll throw another question at you. What if this had been a female politician? If a prominent female politician was followed in a vehicle, confronted on the waterfront, threatened with being thrown into the harbour and then threatened with death, would we be treating this quite so casually? I don't think we would. And yes, Hipkins says encounters like this are a small minority. Parliament has increasingly had security threats against politicians that have risen since the pandemic. They admit it's changed. But really yesterday should be a warning. You know what's happened overseas. You don't want to wait until somebody gets assaulted — or worse — before deciding the risk was real. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.