Kerre Woodham Mornings Podcast

We're all running around like Kermit, arms waving with the Microsoft Outlook down.  And if we're finding it a bit disconcerting with Outlook crashing, I can't even imagine what it would have been like for the kids sitting their year 12 English exam yesterday. Exams are fairly stressful and this is, for some of them, the end of the year and the end of their school lives and so every post is a winning post and they're putting their all into it, and all of a sudden the system crashes. All that work you've done just disappears, vanishes into the e...

Auckland's Acting Mayor says the Microsoft outage should be a wake-up call for New Zealand. 

Organisations including Auckland Council and Retail NZ began reporting problems with the company’s software including cloud-based services like Outlook and Copilot more than five hours ago. 

Microsoft says its attempts to fix the outage have not worked as expected and it's now testing a new fix. 

Desley Simpson told Kerre Woodham digital outages are the type of disaster event we should prepare for as a country. 

She says Norway recently had a preparedness campaign specifically on wha...

Hundreds of hectares of vineyards are being pulled out across the country due to an oversupply of wine. 

The New Zealand Winegrowers Association's told RNZ an estimated two thousand hectares of grapes have been uprooted. 

A combination of several years of large harvests and falling alcohol consumption has led to a drop in demand. 

Fruitfed Supplies Technical Horticultural Representative Blair McLean told Kerre Woodham we're also lacking diversity. 

He says they have 32-thousand hectares of grapes in Marlborough, but 90% are sauvignon blanc. 

McLean told Woodham growers are turning to kiwif...

Outgoing National MP Vanessa Weenink and sacked National MP Chris Penk say National's gone way too far to the right. They're losing voters because they've gone too hard. Voters who deserted National and ticked the box for Act say I don't think so. National's too soft and centrist, needs to find a backbone. That's why we went away from two ticks blue and we gave our vote to Act.

That's certainly what a number of people have been telling me. Voters on the left have said thanks but no thanks to Labour and gone with the Greens...

As we wait for bated breath for the results of special votes to finally determine the result of the election, I think there is a big question that is just sitting there waiting to be asked and waiting to be answered: what's wrong with MMP? And is there any way we can fix it? 

With all the noise about supposed electoral manipulation that Chris Hipkins is going on about, the focus has been around the changing of the rules around enrolment. But I would say the real unease in the country is just how big our parliament h...

Well, isn't the taxpayer funded radio station the absolute epitome of all that is wrong with the public service? I'm not talking about their journos or producers. There are some excellent journos down the road trying to do some excellent work in extremely trying times. But boy, have they been let down by their masters, their paymasters in particular. 

Radio New Zealand's posted an unexpected and unbudgeted deficit of almost $12 million and is preparing to cut almost 60 roles instead of the 25 to 30 previously signalled. They're also expected to make another loss, another deficit of $7.8 million this year b...

And here we are, right back where we started on Friday. I hope you had a wonderful weekend and you got along and voted. We went as a family on Saturday and there was a sausage sizzle at the local school and it was all very straightforward. Showed my voter card, my smart voter card on my phone and in we went and all went off and did our own thing really.

I think there was one clear winner on Saturday night and that would be the pollsters. They got it bang to rights all the way...

The MMP system has faced criticism in recent elections, but some believe the 2026 election exposed it's shortcomings. 

Earlier this year, NZ Initiative Executive Director Dr. Oliver Hartwich did a deep dive into MMP and wrote a research paper titled "Unravelling MMP: How the 2026 election could break the voting system from two sides".

He joined Kerre Woodham to reflect on the research paper, and what this election tells us about the current system. 

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Well, the polls close at 7pm tomorrow, fat orange pens notwithstanding, and the votes will be counted. By the time I'm back here on Monday, we should have a fair idea of what the government for the next three years could look like. Notice I have used a conditional sentence: should, could, because really, who would know if you look at the polls? 

It's been a funny old election. At least it'll be interesting – the electorate battles, there are many of those that are going to be fascinating. I will be glued to ZB throughout the evening. Thi...

General practices around New Zealand are still overwhelmed, thanks to a shortage of doctors and a influx of patients. 

Dr John Armstrong returned to general medicine after seven years of retirement as the practice, taken over by his daughter, was overwhelmed with demand. 

With more than 6,500 patients on the books, the wait time for a routine GP visit was around four months. 

Armstrong told Kerre Woodham GPs up and down the country are doing 15-20 minute consultations, but it's difficult when you have so many patients to deal with the multitude of problems peo...

Michael Laws. It should come as absolutely no surprise that he has shown his colours, he's shown them time and time again. When Winston Peters was in studio with me when we were doing the leaders discussions and you were phoning in and asking questions of the leaders, I thought I'd said it to him on air, but I must have said in a commercial break after I'd talked about the sort of calibre of the candidates and I said to Winston, "Michael Laws, what on earth are you doing with him?" Winston looked a bit surprised and said, "...

Politicians are being urged to adopt stronger electric vehicle incentives ahead of the election. 

Climate and energy advocacy group Rewiring Aotearoa is arguing that EVs are one of the most effective long-term solutions for rising transport and energy costs. 

They're promoting an EV Salary Boost proposal, which would allow workers to access EVs through pre-tax salary arrangements – similarly to already existing schemes in the UK and Australia. 

Policy and Government Relations Spokesperson Ngaio Neumegen told Kerre Woodham that even with the rising cost of power, it's still cheaper to run an EV than a car...

It looks like EVs are having a hot girl summer. They first had their time to shine when the previous Labour Government brought in subsidies for New Zealanders to buy EVs. In July 2021, the very first month that the rebate scheme kicked in, overall EV sales increased by more than 200% depending on the specific brand and model. Pure electric and hybrid light vehicle new regos nearly quadrupled to 1,944 units in July '21, compared to just 521 the previous month. Look what happens when you give people free money – they use it. At the peak of the subsidy scheme, battery powered EV...

Elections at home and abroad may have a played a part in the latest rise in the number of people out of work. 

Unemployment's hit 5.7%, up from 5.6% three months ago. 

The unexpected rise has coincided with an increase in casual and fixed-term roles, and a move towards more part-time employment. 

Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen told Kerre Woodham businesses appear to be holding off on making decisions. 

He says they want to see both what happens in our election, but also how the mid-terms affects the war in Iran and global fuel...

I know that there are people who think that being fat is indicative of moral weakness. You're a slave to the pleasures of the flesh if you're fat. You can't control your appetite. No self-control. Being greedy is an unattractive trait, in fact gluttony is right up there in the list of the seven deadly sins, all of which I seem to commit on the daily. And sure, if back in the day food was scarce, if you had to grow or gather your dinner, it was a precarious business. It was difficult to store food in times of...

The Labour leader's promising other parties' tax proposals are off the table under his watch – even if the Greens get a good chunk of the seats in Parliament. 

The Green Party's campaigning on new taxes and increases to the corporate tax rate, as well as taxes on earnings above $160,000. 

Labour's pledging what it calls a simple, targeted capital gains tax. 

Leader Chris Hipkins told Kerre Woodham the Greens will not force him to do things he's promised are not happening. 

He says they can continue to make their case, but says Labour...

This time next week we'll have voted. The preliminary results will be in, discussions will be underway to form a government. Thank heavens. Seems like a very long haul this particular election, but I have to remind myself that we are so very lucky to have the luxury of getting bored during an election campaign. Mexico, Colombia, the Philippines, Serbia, they're countries that would love the unimaginable luxury of peaceful campaign meetings and walkabouts in public and election days where you can just walk up, cast your vote, and come home to family members that might have voted differently...

A drug that could slow a rare form of lung cancer is out there, but it's not funded by Pharmac and costs around $11,000 a month.

A look at the Givealittle pages out there shows there are drugs that cost a way lot more a month than that one, up to $25,000 a month. 

The ACT Party has proposed an increase the share of the New Zealand health budget spent on medicines by one percentage point every year.

David Seymour, ACT Party leader and Associate Health Minister responsible for Pharmac, joined Kerre Woodham to discuss t...

What would you do? I've been thinking about this ever since Paul's phone call yesterday. You might have been listening when he rang in. We were talking about the cost of living and how you can make economies and you can get an extra job and you can do all this and all that and try and get through, unless life throws you a curveball.  

And that's exactly what happened to Paul. He and Sandra have been together for 34 years. They have two sons, 18 and 20 They've lived good lives. They've worked hard, they've paid off the house, t...

There's a story in the New Zealand Herald this morning about a young couple in Hawke's Bay who are earning good coin, above the average between them, but they're barely able to make ends meet. This is the cost of living election – at least that's what the media outlets are telling us. But I don't know if you heard Enda Brady on with Mike this morning. Have a listen to what he had to say around the British budget. 

"People are worried about energy bills, cost of living, food. I went to the petrol station earlier on to...

When I look at Labour's campaign and I look at National's campaign, it's like, look, I'll do it for you next time. Seriously, when something is being done so badly, you think, you know what? I can do that so much better. They've had shocking campaigns, both of the main parties. Just negative, silly stuff. And yesterday, Labour had an absolute clanger. Of all the issues and all the policies that Labour could have come up with to attract voters, to point out deficiencies in the Coalition Government, why on earth did they have to decide on housing as...

The Transport Agency says it needs a long-term plan sooner rather than later for Awakino Gorge, as the vital Taranaki to Waikato link faces more closures. 

The stretch of State Highway 3 is closing every night until Thursday next week as transport crews work to restore the road following a slip earlier this year. 

It's been closed several times over the last year, causing long detours for drivers 

NZTA Project Manager Caleb Perry told Kerre Woodham they'll be looking to finish planning over the next three years. 

He says that'll be the driv...

The Awakino Gorge on State Highway 3 that connects Waikato to Taranaki will be closed for nine nights as of tonight. Every time there's a major storm it seems Karangahake Gorge between Paeroa and Waihi is closed. It was closed for five days this month. The Waiwera Gorge is open, then closed, then open, then closed. The Brynderwyns are a constant worry. Is it time to revisit our national highways and accept that what might have worked in 1923 —widening a dray track into a road— is not really fit for purpose in 2026?  

Sticks of gelignite blasting away through the K...

The gangs, as we know, create wholesale damage and destruction in our society through their drug trafficking. Now it looks like they're causing wholesale damage to Labour.  

After roundly criticising members of the Greens and Te Pati Māori for visiting a mongrel mob gang pad and posing for photos, putting it on your social media, Labour leader Chris Hipkins ruled out his coalition partners holding the justice or police portfolios in any government he was in charge of. He was talking tough. Now it transpires one of his own MPs was campaigning with gang members, with a...

David Seymour says he won't shy away race relations, despite previous backlash. 

The ACT Leader championed the Treaty Principles Bill to its first reading this term, sparking nationwide protests. 

This election ACT's promising to “end race-based hiring requirements”, prohibit cultural or spiritual practices in the public service, and to abolish the Waitangi Tribunal once historic claims are settled. 

Seymour told Kerre Woodham the idea New Zealand is divided by its treaty is not sustainable. 

He says he doesn't resile to not having the conversation, no matter how painful it may be. 

LIS...

We may be at a turning point when it comes to property investment. 

Cotality data shows residential property is worth $1.66 trillion and still accounts for more than 50% of all household assets.  

But it also shows property sales and values are largely subdued.  

Chief Property Economist Kelvin Davidson told Kerre Woodham over the last couple of decades, strong capital gains and low interest rates were a big driver for the housing market. 

He says mortgage costs went down and selling provided capital gains as well, but this potentially won't last into the futu...

Inflation is still much higher than it should be, largely because of high global oil prices. 

Stats NZ data shows the rate's now on 3.7%, down from 4.1% three months ago. 

Domestic non-tradeable inflation —for things like housing, electricity, and healthcare— has been trending down. 

Internationally-driven tradeable inflation —for things we import and export— has dipped, after trending up. 

But NZ Herald Business Editor at Large Liam Dann told Kerre Woodham economists are forecasting anywhere up to 4.7% inflation for the December quarter, which is pretty ugly. 

He says even if the Reserve Bank...

There's an old saying, "there's money in muck". And that still holds true – waste recovery contributed $3.3 billion to the economy last year. But another old saying, "safe as houses", doesn't ring quite so true. There were just over 6,500 property transactions across New Zealand in September, according to the latest CoreLogic report. And that's around 14% fewer than the same month last year. It's the ninth consecutive year on year decline. 

New Zealand house values are falling overall, down 1.3% nationally over the year to September 2026, again according to the CoreLogic data. But it should be noted that it's a two...

There's a text here, "talk about a beat up by ZB on politicians and threats. If you raise the possibility and keep flagging potential problems, you may get what you predict. So stupid to highlight this on your news at this time," says Paul. I don't think that's true. I think there are very, very, very few people worldwide, even with all the problems that abound, that would act in the way that this 43 year old Australian has done. Very few. But what people need to understand is that violent words, violent rhetoric can breed violent actions, and it...

The Greens co-leader says she's not taking anything for granted as the party surges in the polls. 

The latest 1News-Verian poll has the Greens up one point to 16% — retaining a record high result— with National on top, rising a huge four points to 32% and Labour dropping one to 27%. 

Chlöe Swarbrick told Kerre Woodham people have felt disillusioned by legacy parties, and it's a global trend. 

"They have failed to reach the challenges of our time and tackle the big structural economic issues, in particular wealth inequality, which means regular hard working people are strug...

Requiring people to have health insurance could take some pressure off our health system. 

Chronic underfunding has put the public health system under strain, leading to stretched emergency departments, lengthy wait times, and difficulty accessing care. 

The problems are compounded by a shortage of medical staff. 

Financial Services Council CEO Kirk Hope told Kerre Woodham that insurers are incentivised to keep people healthy, as they have to pay out claims if they're not. 

He says it might look like access to different types of medications to keep people out of the hosp...

In light of the Green and Te Pāti Māori MPs' visit to the Mongrel Mob pad and their stated determination to restore the mana of the mob, I read Jamie Ensor's piece in the Herald with interest. According to Jamie, Labour hasn't proposed any specific new law and order policies with just days to go until the election. 

Law and order was a big flashpoint at the last election. The cost of living was also big, but law and order was right up there. People were fed up with teenage ram raiders and neighbourhood robbery spr...

Coming out of a difficult winter period for hospitals, New Zealand’s nursing shortage has become an election issue.

New Zealand currently uses Care Capacity Demand Management, which calculates staffing requirements according to patient needs, to determine nursing numbers.

But Andrew Jull, Professor of Nursing at the University of Auckland, argues the evidence from NZ and overseas now makes a strong case for putting minimum nurse-to-patient ratios into law. 

Jull told Kerre Woodham the advantage to having minimum nurse-to-patient ratios is it stops the government from stopping the flow of nurses, allowing for a c...

National is promising to take away the right to silence in child murder cases if re-elected. Which might be an enormously popular move. Who doesn't want to see somebody held accountable for the deaths of so many babies and children in this country over the years? But I hope they've done their homework on how exactly they're going to force people to speak and what the unintended consequences might be.  

I really, really don't want multi-million-dollar lawsuits being settled down the line. The party admits sure, the policy may breach the Bill of Rights Act, but says p...

The Greens are under fire with Marama Davidson doubling down on her desire to work with the mob to get positive health outcomes. First there was the photo in the mob headquarters, cha ching, look at us, woo hoo! That was the Greens and Te Pāti Māori MPs popping along to a health hui.  

And when asked about that in faintly judgy tones by the media, Greens co leader Marama Davidson said, "We are open to funding the Mongrel Mob to deliver drug prevention programs. We're open to funding what works. We're an evidence-based party."  And...

The manager of a popular West Auckland campground is claiming a win with its short-term future being saved. 

The Waitakere Ranges Local Board will again let people camp overnight at Piha Domain, despite the area being a high flood hazard environment.   

It has updated its monitoring and warning systems, occupancy restrictions, evacuation procedures and reporting requirements - with a long-term plan being decided next year.  

Fiona Anderson told Kerre Woodham the community has pulled together to make this happen. 

She says the phone has been ringing constantly this morning, and the booki...

Sweet mercy. I don't know about you, but the sight of Green and Te Pāti Māori MPs posturing and posing with members of the Mongrel Mob brought back very bad memories of the bad old days. Remember when gang members were given funding for dubious rehab programs? And when they took over the roads and the streets as they were going to tangihanga or just, you know, going from point A to point B and wanted to put on a show?  

Remember when the Mongrel Mob Kingdom tried to tell New Zealanders, "Hey, look, we're jus...

Christopher Luxon says National's delivered a lot of what it wanted to this term.  

While taking talkback with Kerre Woodham, a supporter asked why he allowed ACT and New Zealand First to veto National promises after the 2023 election. 

She pointed out although Luxon had expressed support for capping vape stores at 600, in Coalition negotiations he handed NZ First responsibility for regulation of smoking and cessation tools.  

Luxon says voters decided the election, and National had to make that work.  

He says you have to make trade offs, but the minor parties had...

What would you rather? New Zealand jobs in a premium product or cheap materials? The aluminium extrusion industry says the government's decision not to impose a safeguard on imports may have signed the New Zealand industry's death warrant. Under advice from MBIE, the government has rejected a request to give special temporary protection to the aluminium extrusion industry in the face of growing competition from offshore.  

The industry, which manufactures aluminium into products such as windows and door frames, had asked the government for what is known as safeguard protection measures to give it time to adjust t...

New Zealand First has confirmed it's not putting out a fiscal plan this election that would detail funding for its promises. 

The plans also allocate extra spending during the term. 

So far, they've been released by Labour, National, and ACT.  

Costly NZ First policies this election include buying the Bank of New Zealand. 

Winston Peters says that could cost as much as $15 billion, but he told Kerre Woodham Governing parties don't need to produce fiscal plans.   

He says the 2026 Budget is New Zealand First's fiscal plan. 

Peters also sa...