Podcasts about ayesha verrall

On Politics Thursday, Nick was joined by Labour's Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall and National's Otaki MP Tim Costley. They discussed the new Government proposal for a new infringement offence for shoplifting, the annual net migration continuing to fall, and some harrowing statistics around care in Wellington Hospital's Emergency Department. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Opposition leader Chris Hipkins denies that the Labour Party will lose support over his refusal to give evidence in a public session for the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Covid-19. Dame Jacinda Ardern, Chris Hipkins, Grant Robertson and Dr Ayesha Verrall had refused to front up publicly. But, Hipkins told Nick Mills on Wellington Mornings that he doubts it will affect his party's reputation. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on Politics Wednesday, the Covid Inquiry is still at the top of mind for many. Chris Hipkins, Dame Jacinda Ardern, Grant Robertson, and Ayesha Verrall have declined to publicly answer questions for the Royal Commission's second Covid Inquiry. Labour's Ginny Andersen and National's Mark Mitchell delved into the situation, as well as touching on Trevor Mallard's ousting from the role of Ambassador to Ireland. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Hipkins, Ayesha Verrall, Dame Jacinda Ardern and Grant Robertson have refused to front at public hearings for the second phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Covid-19 response. Are they dodging accountability, or have they answered enough questions? Also, Kiwirail have paid nearly $150 million to Hyundai over the cancelled iRex ferry deal. Is this better than expected? To answer those questions, Infrastructure NZ chief executive and former Porirua mayor Nick Leggett and PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons joined Nick Mills for Friday Faceoff. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A constitutional lawyer says the Royal Commission of Inquiry has the power to summons ex-ministers to front for its Covid enquiry. It's called off its second week of hearings after Chris Hipkins, Dame Jacinda Ardern, Grant Robertson, and Ayesha Verrall declined to appear. It says it shouldn't diminish the inquiry - as all have privately given evidence. Lawyer Graeme Edgeler says the Commission just needs to consider if it'll miss out on key information without a summons. "If the answer to that was yes, then they should exercise it. They seem to think at the moment that they don't need need to have the summons, but it's something they have in their back pocket." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I can recall a conversation I had about a month ago with Labour leader and former Covid-19 Minister Chris Hipkins about Part 2 of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into his government's pandemic response. And he was saying that he was waiting to be invited to appear, and wouldn't be asking for an invite, and wouldn't be gate-crashing. That was around the time that he was also saying the Inquiry was a platform for conspiracy theorists. And I said at the time that, if Chris Hipkins was eventually invited and he declined, then he could forget about being Prime Minister again. Since then, it turns out he has been asked to front-up to the inquiry in person - and he has declined. Dame Jacinda Ardern, former finance minister Grant Robertson and former health minister Ayesha Verrall have also been asked to appear. And they've all declined as well. All of them, on the basis of advice from lawyers who are being paid by the taxpayer, that appearing at the Inquiry could attract abuse towards family members and that images and recordings from the Inquiry hearings could be “tampered with and misused”. All of that's probably true. But, even then, this is nonsense. Maybe Hipkins, Dame Jacinda, Robertson, and Verrall need to be reminded that former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson fronted up in person to the Covid Inquiry in Britain. He didn't hide behind written responses. Which, as we know, are always full of weasel words that go unchallenged. It wasn't a holiday for Boris, but he fronted. And because Chris Hipkins, especially, isn't fronting, he is political toast. Imagine if he had said to the others, “Okay, you guys aren't going, but I'm still the leader of the Opposition, so I am going to front”. If he'd taken that approach, he would've had a few days where it might have been uncomfortable for him, but it would be over and done with. Because if you have a very low opinion of the way Labour handled the pandemic, your low opinion isn't going to get any worse if Hipkins is grilled in-person at the Inquiry, is it? In fact, you might even admire him for fronting up. You might even give him credit for it. But he's not. And in doing so, he's written-off whatever he chance he had of leading Labour to victory next year. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins says he's already answered the Covid Inquiry Commissioner's questions, negating any need for him to appear publicly. Hipkins and former Ministers Dame Jacinda Ardern, Grant Robertson, and Ayesha Verrall declined open hearings, leading the second part of the inquiry to be called off. Hipkins says lawyers raised several issues around them appearing, including setting a precedent and possible abuse. He told Mike Hosking he doesn't see the point in repeating the process. Hipkins says the Commissioners themselves have said former ministers have answered every single question put to them and they are seeking no further information. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Current and former Labour leaders and ministers deciding not to appear at the Royal Commission's Covid inquiry is being described as 'disgraceful'. Jacinda Ardern, Chris Hipkins, Grant Robertson and Ayesha Verrall, who were all involved in Covid decisions - have declined invitations to appear. They say it would have been performative - not informative - and there's a risk livestream recordings could be manipulated and misused. National MP Chris Bishop says they should front up because New Zealanders deserve answers over the scale of Covid spending, which is still having impacts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former ministers Chris Hipkins, Jacinda Ardern, Grant Roberston and Ayesha Verrall have refused to front up for public hearings at the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Covid-19. Are they ducking for cover, or is there a good reason not to show up? Also, yesterday Green's co-leader Chloe Swarbrick was 'named' and booted from the house for a week for saying some government MPs needed to “grow a spine” and support her bill. Was this punishment justified? To answer those questions, Labour's health and Wellington issues spokeswoman Ayesha Verrall and National's Otaki MP Tim Costley joined Nick Mills for Politics Thursday. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The ACT Party's laying into the former Ministers who lead our Covid-19 response for refusing to front public hearings. Labour leader Chris Hipkins, and former Ministers Jacinda Ardern, Grant Robertson, and Ayesha Verrall have declined to appear as part of the Royal Commission's Inquiry. Commissioners are confident it won't hamper efforts. Act's Brooke van Velden, who's in charge of the inquiry, told Ryan Bridge these Ministers stood publicly and made huge decisions about people's lives. She says it's confusing for many members of the public who are still feeling the effects of the Covid lockdown. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government has directed Sport NZ to scrap their guidelines around transgender participation in sports - with individual sporting bodies able to make their own decisions on how to include transgender players. But is this really a serious issue, or a manufactured culture-war type debate? Also, the price of butter has risen 60% in the last twelve months. Should Kiwis be paying export prices for butter? To answer those questions, Labour's health and Wellington issues spokeswoman Ayesha Verrall and National's Wairarapa MP Mike Butterick joined Nick Mills for Politics Thursday. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour is calling the approval for a third medical school an unclear investment and wants costings for the project released immediately. Labour's spokesperson for health Ayesha Verrall spoke to Corin Dann.

On Politics Thursday, National's Otaki MP and Labour Wellington Issues spokesperson Ayesha Verrall debate the revelation the Retail Crime Advisory Group cost 500-thousand dollars in just 102 days. They also discussed the continuing controversy around the Wellington Mayoral race, and whether Christopher Luxon's comments this week about Wellington were fair. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister's deputy press secretary Michael Forbes has resigned after allegations he recorded audio of sessions with sex workers, and captured photos of women in compromising positions. But despite complaints being investigated by police in July last year, Luxon was never informed. Should he have been told? Also, there have been 63 Kainga Ora tenancies terminated in the last ten months after complaints of unruly behaviour. But those properties were the homes of 52 children - has enough consideration been given to the welfare of these kids? To answer those questions, Labour's health and Wellington issues spokeswoman Ayesha Verrall and National's Otaki MP Tim Costley joined Nick Mills for Politics Thursday. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There seems to be increasing reportage, based around some new research, that our dream of being smokefree is up in smoke. 2025 is the year when we were aiming to be smokefree. By smokefree, it would have been reduced to 5% left smoking. To meet that goal, the research says about 80,000 more people need to quit. They won't. As always, the fact they haven't, or won't, is somehow the Government's fault, who haven't done enough. Or worse, this particular Government, who they say have been shocking, led by New Zealand First and Casey Costello who is a devil and in the pocket of the tobacco companies – or some such gibberish those like the Labour Party spend a lot of time trying to suggest. Where it went wrong was twofold. The first was the belief, and this was classic Labour under Helen Clark, that you could force people to do something they didn't want to, and there were always going to be people who didn't want to. Where it worked, and we can be grateful, was in the public space part of it. No longer are you forced to inhale if you don't want to, or smell like a smoker, or stand in a group, or be trapped by it. But beyond that, once the hardcores were on the footpath, some were never giving up. The second thing that went wrong was vaping, a shocking miscalculation that it was a cessation tool, when what it really was a gateway for kids. A whole new generation got easy access, and the slippery slope was never going to get stopped. Governments could have nipped it in the bud but didn't. They could have made vapes script only like Australia, but didn't. The Labour Party under Ayesha Verrall, a medical professional from the party who invented smokefree, hurled their best wet bus ticket at the vaping market. So nothing happened. History will show they were out of the gates, Clark-style, with gusto. There was early progress on public spaces and a general change in attitude to the habit, followed by the predictable malaise and hardcore resistance, leaving us 25 years on with a change in society but well short of what was envisioned. Good crack, failed on the follow through. I'd give it 7 out of 10. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government is today unvelining it's budget - and its hotly anticipated. What can we expect? Also, Winston Peters says he wouldn't mind if a member of the public who heckled him earlier this week lost his job. Is this reasonable? To answer those questions, Transport Minister and Hutt South MP Chris Bishop and Labour's Health and Wellington issues spokeswoman Ayesha Verrall joined Nick Mills for Politics Thursday. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was a fiery day in Parliament yesterday, with Workplace Relations minister Brooke van Velden quoting a controversial opinion piece and dropping the c-word in Parliament. Was this acceptable? Also, the Greens have released their alternative budget, promising $88 billion in new taxes. Is this lunacy or realistic? To answer those questions, Transport minister and Hutt South MP Chris Bishop and Labour's health and Wellington issues spokeswoman Ayesha Verrall joined Nick Mills for Politics Thursday. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's Ayesha Verrall says tobacco's unique harm is why industry links to Government need tighter checks. She's put forward a Members' Bill designed to ban any linked people working on tobacco policy. Labour hopes it'll have cross-party support. Verrall says other products, like vaping, don't need such strong restrictions - but tobacco's incredibly deadly. "It kills half the people that use it - we don't have other products like that. So that's why we need this specific focus on tobacco." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government has completely revamped the law surrounding pay equity - a move the opposition says was designed to save money. Was it? Also, is it okay for Ministers to conduct official business via their personal email accounts? Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says he is "relaxed" about it. To answer those questions, Labour's health and Wellington issues spokesperson Ayesha Verrall and National's Otaki MP Tim Costley joined Nick Mills for Politics Thursday. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government has announced $12 billion of funding for the Defence Force as part of it's new capability plan - but where will the money come from? Also, a new report from a the Ministerial advisory group says NZ is losing the fight against organised crime, with Customs "swimming against the tide" as meth use doubles. How do we better fight organised crime? To answer those questions, Labour's health and Wellington issues spokeswoman Ayesha Verrall and National's Otaki MP Tim Costley joined Nick Mills for Politics Thursday. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's what US President Donald Trump is calling Liberation Day in the US today; dishing out tariffs on almost every nation on earth. New Zealand exporters will now face 10% tariffs on everything imported into the United States. How should the government respond? Also, Rail Minister Winston Peters has announced his plans for the Interisland ferry replacements. He's decided they'll be 200m long and rail enabled - but no contracts have yet been signed. Was this an underwhelming announcement? To answer those questions, Labour's health and Wellington issues spokesperson Ayesha Verrall and National's Otaki MP Tim Costley joined Nick Mills for Politics Thursday. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The latest Taxpayers Union Curia Poll shows Labour ahead of National and Chris Hipkins is now marginally more popular than Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. What does this poll result tell us, and will Labour's support hold? Also New Zealand First have introduced a members bill to take 'woke' diversity equity and inclusion practices out of the public service. Currently the public service has to “promote a diverse workforce”. Is this bill the answer to a serious issue, or is this just culture war politics? To answer those questions, Labour's health and Wellington issues spokeswoman Ayesha Verrall and National's Otaki MP Tim Costley joined Nick Mills for Politics Thursday. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr has resigned suddenly - but why aren't we being told why he's moved on so swiftly? Also, what's his legacy in the role? And the stories keep coming on the government's cheaper free lunch in schools programme. Are these lunches up to scratch, and was the Prime Minister right to say unhappy parents can send their kids to school with a marmite sandwich and an apple? Labour's health and Wellington issues spokeswoman Ayesha Verrall and National's Otaki MP Tim Costley joined Nick Mills for Politics Thursday. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's health spokesperson says the government's decision to cut jobs and freeze recruitment of health care workers is hurting frontline services and harming patients. Labour's Ayesha Verrall spoke to Alexa Cook.

A new unit set up to scrutinise Health NZ will run for four months and report directly to the Health Minister. Labour's Ayesha Verrall spoke to Corin Dann.

An investigation into Census data provided to third-party organisations has found there weren't enough safeguards around the data - and now there are fears it will impact Kiwis trust in the Census. Will it? Also, there are calls for a review of Destiny Church's charitable status after a protest against a Rainbow story time event in Auckland over the weekend. Is it time for a wide-ranging review of charity settings, and should the church have charity status? To answer those questions, Labour's Health and Wellington issues spokeswoman Ayesha Verrall and National's Wairarapa MP Mike Butterick joined Nick Mills for Politics Thursday. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the Raw Politics podcast: what voters want on climate change policy, will ministers ditch the foreshore repeal, plus Ayesha Verrall's faux pasClimate change is hard and changing New Zealanders' attitudes and behaviour seems harder still for this Government and its predecessors. Should the coalition accept that's the reality and go slow and low in its ambitions for change?The Raw Politics podcast looks at the coalition's latest report on methane from farm animals – a dense scientific fig leaf that could allow ministers to let NZ do less to cut emissions.Newsroom political editor Laura Walters, senior political reporter Marc Daalder and co-editor Tim Murphy ask if the national and international mood on dealing with climate change is enabling National, Act and NZ First to give up, even if just a little, on our national targets.For our second topic, Murphy recaps the short history of the foreshore, seabed Māori customary rights and the Marine and Coastal Areas Act. And he explains the Government's latest options to either withdraw its urgent repeal Bill or stay staunch and restrict Māori from winning claims in the courts.Would the ruling coalition get egg on its face if it backs down, or would that act to lower tensions that exist in Crown relations with Māori over other controversial measures like the Treaty Principles Bill?The panel asks if Labour's Ayesha Verrall went too far in her personal comments against Health NZ chair Lester Levy – and whether that took the focus off the actual scandal of the health commissioners trying to game their annual budgets.--------------------This week's recommendations:Tim: Jonathan Milne's scoop revealing Health NZ and Lester Levy were stopped by the auditor-general from shifting costs from this year into last, in what could have been embarrassing for the last, Labour governmentMarc: RNZ's story on the oil and gas lobby asking the Government to underwrite fossil fuel explorationLaura: A piece by Tom Hunt from The Post on the Vision for Wellington lobby group and their communications with the PM and other senior Government ministers --------------------Raw Politics will be available every Friday here on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube too.Read more on Newsroom - https://newsroom.co.nz

Labour's Ayesha Verrall has stepped up to defend her accusations against Health Commissioner Lester Levy. Levy - who was brought in to replace the agency's board after financial concerns were raised - is being grilled by MPs for the organisation's Annual Review. Verrall accused Levy of having 'a reputation of cooking the books' - citing examples of past roles. She says recent accounts have been presented in a 'non-conventional' way. "That's exactly what I'm saying - this is pretty fishy. You have this process that is being used to justify health cuts where the Auditor-General says the accounting treatment is not right." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 4 December 2024, Tingjun Cao has been found guilty of murdering Christchurch real estate agent Yanfei Bao. Labour's Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall is refusing to apologise for accusing Health Commissioner Lester Levy of "cooking the books". Levy is considering defamation action. The science community is outraged after the Government decided that the Marsden Fund will no longer support research in the humanities and social sciences. Plus, the Huddle debates whether Kainga Ora should make a u-turn and consider wool carpets rather than nylon.Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, broadcaster Mark Sainsbury and Early Edition host Ryan Bridge joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Labour's Ayesha Verrall raised a few eyebrows after she accused Health Commissioner Lester Levy of 'cooking the books' in his previous DHB rules. Should we take these accusations seriously? Kāinga Ora has ruled out putting wool carpets in its houses - because it's more expensive than nylon alternatives. There's plenty of disappointment from the Government - what do we make of this? Public sector Christmas parties seem like they'll be a sad affair this time round - with some requiring staff to bring their own food or alcohol. Is this the right move? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scrutiny Week is underway with annual reviews of government entities with multi-billion dollar budgets. Also underway are political games you would never dare try in your own performance review. Exhibit A is Shane Reti facing Ayesha Verrall in the Health Committee. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The Ministry of Health is under fire for failing to declare a conflict of interest. It recently came to light that one of the officials advising Minister Casey Costello on tobacco reforms was the sister-in-law of Labour's health spokesperson, Ayesha Verrall. Verrall is a vocal opponent of Costello's policies. Senior Political Reporter Barry Soper told Heather du Plessis-Allan that it's a disgrace. He says that even though the Director General of Health says the Ministry adhered strictly to the rules of conflict of interest, they failed to pass that particular conflict on to Costello. Soper says they've fallen well short, as multiple people were well aware of the conflict and failed to report it. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Health Ministry has apologised to the Smokefree minister Casey Costello for failing to inform her that one of its officials had a conflict of interest. It comes after NZ First leader Winston Peters used Parliamentary privilege to accuse the official of attending meetings with Ms Costello and advising her on tobacco reform without telling her she was the sister-in-law of Labour's health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall, deputy political editor Craig McCulloch spoke to Lisa Owen.

The Ministry of Health has apologised to the Associate Health Minister Casey Costello for failing to tell her that one of her advisors on tobacco reforms was the sister-in-law of Labour's Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. Here's our political reporter Giles Dexter.

Labour has asked the Auditor-General to investigate a government decision to slash tax on heated tobacco products, claiming there are signs of "industry influence". Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall has called for an urgent investigation under the Public Audit Act, and says there are several indications of tobacco industry influence that must be investigated to maintain trust in government. Both Health Minister Shane Reti and Associate Casey Costallo have declined to comment. Ayesha Verrall spoke to Corin Dann.

Labour has asked the Auditor-General to investigate a government decision to slash tax on heated tobacco products, claiming there are signs of "industry influence". Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall has asked Controller and Auditor General John Ryan for an urgent investigation under the Public Audit Act. Guyon Espiner spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

There are some dumb games being played at the moment in the very serious business of health. Health NZ is in the red to the tune of $1.7b - that's for the year. They are over budget by $1.7b. That's why Lester Levy got to be Commissioner and all the others were let go. Game one is the Labour Party, who have of course zero credibility when it comes to money, who are claiming the $1.7b is because Health NZ is underfunded. I have seen the budget-on-budget comparisons. They are not underfunded. Ayesha Verrall is playing with numbers in a "Ginny Andersen-have-you-see-how-many-cops-are-on-the-beat" kind of way. Dumb game number two comes from the unions, also with zero credibility around economics. They argue their equity pay claim, this was when we gave nurses a massive pay rise of $400m, should not be part of the $1.7b because they were told it was coming from "another pot". Sadly other pots aren't real. What's real is what it costs to run the health system and what it costs is more than they have, hence they are in the red to the tune of $1.7b and part of the cost is what we pay nurses. The culmination of Labour and the unions' dumb game is that, allegedly, the Government are manufacturing a crisis. The trouble with numbers, generally speaking, is they are what they are. We deal with this daily with our bank balances. If we are overdrawn we are, generally, not manufacturing a crisis or we haven't been underfunded, we are just overdrawn and we need to live within our means. The unions and the Labour Party have never really had any trouble living beyond their means and that is why, more broadly speaking economically, we have had three recessions in two years. We have not, and still don't, pay our way. If there's any good news it's that at $1.7b a year, surely there is a lot of waste in there? If Erica Stanford can find $100m on a Māori language course that was producing little if anything, Lord only knows what you can find in the $30b of health money. But the most valuable skill we can bring to such matters at the moment is realism. Economic realism. We are broke. We are overspending. And fudging numbers and playing dumb games doesn't help. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour is again calling for the Associate Health Minister to be sacked, after she released documents showing the weak evidence she relied on get a tax cut for heated tobacco products. Labour's Ayesha Verrall told our political reporter Russell Palmer it shows the Minister can't be trusted.

Labour has called the government's new health targets ripe for 'game-ification'. Health Minister Shane Reti this week said the earlier announced targets of reducing ED waiting times and improving access to cancer treatment will be made possible by expanding the number of hospital beds and expanding the capacities of private health providers. Labour Party health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall spoke to Corin Dann.

It's been revealed nearly 70 Te Whatu Ora staff have signed non-disclosure agreements since the end of November and 38 within the Ministry for the Environment. It's prompted a complaint to the Public Service Commission from Labour. Its health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said the NDAs stifle internal debate and legitimate scrutiny. Health NZ chief executive Margie Apa said agreements were for staff involved in addressing recent financial pressures and dealing with Budget-sensitive information. Employment law expert Barbara Buckett spoke to Lisa Owen.

The Labour Party says the government's reasons to justify cost-cutting at Te Whatu Ora are just spin. Labour's Ayesha Verrall spoke to RNZ's Ruth Hill.

Labour's health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall is calling the move to replace Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora's board with a commissioner "political spin". Verrall spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

With Mark Mitchell and Ayesha Verrall

The Labour Party says the government's efforts to cut costs will block the recruitment of more clinicians. Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall spoke to ingrid Hipkiss.

The Labour party is describing the latest round of job cuts as reckless. Part of the proposal was to look at closing the Suicide Prevention Office and merging two of the main roles into a wider team. Now the Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey has stepped in, saying he has told the Director-General of Health he expects the office to stay open. Doocey declined a request to talk to us Friday morning. Labour's Public Service spokesperson Ayesha Verrall spoke to Corin Dann.

Ministers, including the Prime Minister, repeatedly insisted that the Labour government's smoke free legislation would increase tobacco-related crime, despite officials telling them it could have the opposite effect. The laws, which were passed by the previous government and scrapped last month, would have slashed the number of tobacco retailers, removed most of the nicotine from cigarettes and banned tobacco sales to anyone born in 2009 or later. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Health Minister Shane Reti have repeatedly told reporters that the legislation would drive up ram raids and grow the tobacco black market. But emails obtained by shadow health minister Ayesha Verrall show those claims were at odds with some of the advice provided by officials to ministers' offices. Reporter Kate Newton spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

An RNZ investigation has revealed the Associate Health Minister Casey Costello rejected official's urges to retain parts of the smokefree laws she is planning to repeal. The current law was set to slash the number of tobacco retailers from 6000 to 600, take 95 percent of the nicotine out of cigarettes and ban sales to anyone born after 2009. Compromises that were rejected include increasing the cap on the numbers of stores selling cigarettes, and cutting a smaller amount of nicotine in cigarettes. Casey Costello declined our request for an interview. Labour party health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Labour's public service spokesperson says New Zealanders could lose frontline services as the finance minister looks for public sector funding cuts. Treasury confirmed last week that department chiefs could suggest cuts to both departmental and non-departmental funding. Ayesha Verrall says the latter extends to the likes of Te Whatu Ora and housing providers. Finance Minister Nicola Willis declined to come on Morning Report but said in a statement she expects the chief executives to use "good judgement" when proposing where savings could be made. Verrall spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Labour's health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says the new government is misleading the public to justify repealing smokefree laws and she wants them to "debate" the issue. On Sunday, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon admitted he was wrong to claim Labour's smokefree laws would see just one shop in Northland selling tobacco. Official documents published by the director-general of health stated there would instead have been 35. Verrall spoke to Corin Dann.

Önationen införde nyligen som första land i världen en lag om att dagens unga aldrig ska få köpa tobak. Dessutom ska nikotinet minska drastiskt i cigaretter. Vi har mött forskarna bakom lagen. Lyssna på alla avsnitt i Sveriges Radio Play. Det är bra, tycker 16-åriga Janek och Naomi, om den nya lagstiftningen som ska göra Nya Zeeland i princip rökfritt. Och folkhälsoprofessorn Chris Bullen som är expert på rökavvänjning, tycker att lagen är det bästa tänkbara resultat som hans forskning kan få. Men andra varnar för att smugglingen kan öka, och att e-cigaretterna, som ses som en hjälp att lämna tobaken, ska öka för mycket. Medverkande: Chris Bullen, läkare och professor folkhälsovetenskap, universitetet i Auckland; Andrew Waa, docent i folkhälsa, universitetet i Otago; Ayesha Verrall, hälsominister Nya Zeeland; Janek, Naomi och Lucy, tonåriga Aucklandbor; Helen Clark, tidigare premiärminister Nya Zeeland; Vikram, e-cigarettförsäljare.Reporter: Sara Heyman, global hälsokorrespondentsara.heyman@sr.seProducent: Björn Gunérbjorn.guner@sr.se