Andrew Dickens Afternoons

So the mood of the boardroom special issue by the Herald is out and it’s a fascinating read.
150 business leader were canvassed and asked about the state of our economy and the state of our governance
It’s over 30 pages long and far more indicative of where we really are than some of the gloom-laden 20 second sound bites that we hear so often like “we’re going to hell in a handcart and this government is full of muppets.”
For instance, business leaders have decided that Grant Robertson has been the best performing Minister this year and that’s reassuring since he is the Minister of finance after all. He’s described as disciplined and easy to work with. He’s also praised for his ability to maintain fiscal balance despite some big pushes from his colleagues to loosen the purse strings.
That said he’s still not rating as high as Bill English in the same position. But what one energy chief says about him is instructive. “Huge work rate, big intellectual engine, and personable. The government needs another  5 of him”. And that is a problem as only five ministers have ever had cabinet experience. They are inexperienced.
Winston Peters continues to surprise which is surprising because he’s probably the most experienced politician left in the house after National’s big clean out over the past 2 years. As I’ve said before the trick with Winston is to give him a job because if he’s idle he’ll start making work.
The government hasn’t been complete muppets. Their surprise fix of the TPP has been highlighted. Business leaders rate regional development as the second highest KPI after fiscal discipline and so the Regional Fund gets a qualified tick of approval. That said Shane Jones continued attacks on business is a confidence killer. He’s been told by business to cut the bombast
James Shaw gets praise for finding environmental concerns all sides can agree on as we can tell from Simon Bridges recent support of the Climate Commission.
But what comes out of it all is the concern about the uncertainty that billows around the country. But what is that uncertainty? Well, the trade and tariff wars between big players is concerning because as the Herald says when elephants dance it’s the grass that gets trampled.
Then we’ve got all the working groups and no-one knows what they’re going to come up with.
But knowing that the Finance Minister wants to be disciplined what is really spooking the horses?
To me, it seems to be the findings of the tax working group and the fear of capital gains taxes which would have two consequences. If it’s on property that would destroy a form of savings that we’ve been doing for decades immediately impoverishing a generation. If it’s on capital markets then why would people invest in New Zealand and it’s businesses.
And then there’s the labour laws and Ian Lees Galloway, the workplace minister. He’s described as unlistening and doctrinaire. While changes to the 90-day law have been signalled and then mitigated by New Zealand First the real worry is collective bargaining.
This government calls it multi employer negotiating and it flies in the face of reason. Ask the public service. Everyone knows that wages and economises vary by region. Pay someone in Westport the same as someone in Wellington and the Westport worker gets a better deal. The old national collective agreements are an idea from the 60s and 70s. Even Helen Clark’s government realised they’d done their time.
If you want business confidence back sack the Workplace Minister. Drop the labour reform, leave business alone and get on with the areas that the country really want you to get into. Housing and social issues.

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Work stress is back under the spotlight.
A new study shows that people are more stressed before they go to work rather than when they are on their way to work.
Callers to Andrew Dickens Afternoons were in agreement that getting ready can be stressful.
Two female callers spoke of the stress that rests on women's shoulders, with pressures to conform to expectations coupled with home life makes going to work a stressful time. 
A third caller dismissed suggestions that people need to take time out at work - rather, work culture needs to be fixed to be less demanding. 
LISTEN TO THE TALKBACK FEEDBACK ABOVE

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So let’s talk about the rise and rise of the gotcha in political reportage.
"Gotcha journalism" is a term in the media that describes interviewing methods that are designed to entrap interviewees into saying something or doing something that could be seen as damaging to their cause, their character, their integrity, or their reputation.
But the problem with gotcha journalism is if you haven’t got it right then it can gotcha you right back. Then the gotcha moment turns into a moment of fake news and propaganda.
The latest gotcha was on Sunday when the Herald on Sunday reported that Jacinda Ardern and her team hired an advertising agency in New York to take pictures of her on her itinerary and used taxpayers money to do so.
The heavy implication was that this was another waste of taxpayer funds by the party being painted as a tax and spend one. 
In the Herald on Sunday piece the second paragraph said this. “In the past, New Zealand Prime Ministers have had a staffer from their offices take photos, but Ardern had a crew of three from agency Augusto's New York office.”
And that was repeated in media commentary. Just get a staffer to take some snaps with their iPhone.
However, in the same story but much lower in the piece Paul Bennett is quoted as saying this. “When John Key was PM he would occasionally have a photographer on international trips, but only if they travelled on the Airforce 757 where there weren't additional flying costs.”
And when John Key had that photographer he paid for it out of the same Leaders budget that Jacinda Ardern used. So John Key used to hire photographers and now Jacinda Ardern does. So where does that leave this story? Grasping for relevancy I’d say.
Now the ad agency the Ardern team used is actually a New Zealand ad agency that has an office in New York, so she supported a New Zealand business and avoided paying any flying costs and got some great pictures that were used by a number of New Zealand media. Where is the problem?
And here is something even more ironic. 
Back in 2013 Stuff reported Prime Minister John Key's office was advertising for a new taxpayer-funded photographer and videographer to shoot pictures and videos of National MPs. In the story John Key said it would paid for out of the leaders budget which is fine as long as it’s used for parliamentary purposes. This is exactly what Ardern said this morning
The story goes on to argue that American presidents have had official photographers for decades and Commonwealth countries were starting to catch up so why don’t we. And I think that’s a very good idea because these things need to be witnessed and documented for good and bad and for history.
Ardern's New York trip did have history in it and it deserved to be fully recorded and I’m glad that it wasn’t left to some amateur staffer taking random pics with their iPhone.

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Talkback callers have made it clear they are not on board with the latest fuel hikes. 
Petrol prices have increased by 3.5 cents a litre as a new excise tax was introduced.
It is the first of a series of increases that will come over the next few years, as the Government looks for more funding for their transport program.
Callers to Andrew Dickens Afternoon slammed the added charges, with some saying it will hurt the poorest New Zealanders the most. 
One caller, using the name Marcus, says he works at a petrol station and that people are not saving as much as they think they are, even when using discount cards and tricks to maximise their savings. 
LISTEN TO THE TALKBACK FEEDBACK ABOVE

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Last night we had a leaving party where a bombshell was dropped. We knew we’d gathered to give a fitting farewell for a friend and colleague, but many of us had little idea about a name and concept this man had popularised several decades ago: Spaghetti Junction.
Everyone knows Spaghetti Junction, whether you’re an Aucklander or not. And while it’s true that worldwide there are other motorway junctions with this nickname, it wasn't until it popped into the head of Newstalk ZB’s Peter Everatt that it caught on in New Zealand. This was the late 70s and Peter was the country’s first celebrity traffic reporter as he delivered updates on the state of Auckland’s motorways from a tiny airplane, every morning and afternoon.
Spaghetti Junction; the name stuck and fast-forward to 2018, we are saying goodbye to Peter. When Newstalk ZB boss Jason Winstanley mentioned last night that Peter was the one that coined “Spaghetti Junction”, there were audible gasps. For radio geeks, it was like finding out he’d secretly written Hey Jude before humbly handing it on to Paul McCartney to take all the credit for. Then again, that would’ve been something Peter would do. Not that I know if Peter has any musical ability or not. I’ve never asked.
I wanted to mention Peter today because humility is so much a part of why he’s as widely beloved as any figure in New Zealand broadcasting. If I’d come up with Spaghetti Junction I’d make sure every new intern through the door knew about it! I’ve known Peter almost 20 years and last night was the first time I heard. I wasn’t the only one.
But there are other reasons it’s important to draw attention today to Peter Everatt. For 45 years he’s been at the upper echelon of Newstalk ZB’s on-air output as well as its behind the scenes decision-making. In an industry that can be cutthroat and brimming with as much ego as insecurity, Peter’s success and longevity is proof that nice guys can finish first.
If you went around the room last night and asked everyone what Peter meant to them, the word “kindness” is what you would have heard time and time again. Blessed with a calm and empathy that draws people to him, Peter’s years in management have meant he’s fostered the careers of literally dozens of broadcasters. The number of people last night who said, “He gave me my start!” was remarkable.
It’s not just career starts that Peter can take credit for, but careers being allowed to continue. In a crisis or time of doubt, Peter’s the one so many of us have turned to. The fact all that Yoda-like steadiness is balanced with a wicked sense of humour makes it all the better. Things were always better once you’d had a chat with Peter.
Next time you’re stuck in traffic in Spaghetti Junction, think of Peter! And be pleased that this deeply funny, compassionate and wise soul is off enjoying the wonderful retirement years he and his wife so deserve.
"45 years and all and I am remembered for is that silly name." Peter Everatt - September 28, 2018."
Tim Roxborogh hosts Newstalk ZB’s Weekend Collective and is filling-in for Andrew Dickens this week from 12pm-4pm.

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A second teachers strike is a possibility after teachers yesterday voted to reject the latest Government pay offer.
However, most callers to Newstalk ZB were largely in favour of the teachers getting better conditions due to the importance of their job. 
Host Tim Roxborogh pointed out that the low pay does little to attract more male teachers to the industry.
The comment sparked a number of calls, with many men saying they would not be willing to take up the job due to the workload versus the salary.
One said how that many teachers train here before taking their skills overseas to get better pay. 
The calls were unsettling for one caller, Henry, who has been considering a teaching job. 
He says that he has friends who have done less study than what is required to be a teacher, but will be starting on much better salaries. 
LISTEN TO THE CALLERS ABOVE

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It’s 2008 and former US Secretary of State Colin Powell – a Republican – had just endorsed Barack Obama for the presidency. I can remember Powell being interviewed where he was challenged on the notion that Obama’s positive rhetoric was all very well and good, but ultimately wouldn’t add up to much. Essentially, the criticism was about style over substance. Powell’s response has always stuck with me and it popped into my head again this with the images of Jacinda Ardern and baby Neve at the UN General Assembly.
“Don’t underestimate the power of positive rhetoric”. It’s such an obvious truth, but it’s a reality of the human condition that we sometimes need repeated reminders of simple notions. The power of positive rhetoric. How depressing it would’ve been to have heard some of Obama’s stirring, articulate, graceful 2008 campaign speeches and been failed to be moved. To not comprehend the significance of the man who’d soon become the first African American President. To not appreciate the seeds that would be planted in young brains that positive change could happen and even more, that they could be part of it.
This corresponds with people whose staunch opposition to anything related to the Labour party means they’ve missed the boat on the importance of the images of Ardern with Neve at the UNGA in New York. Just as Powell said to not underestimate the power of positive rhetoric, nor should we ever underestimate the power of a positive image. Or any image for that matter.
To see Ardern shoulder to shoulder with something like 130 heads of state and to also have her baby daughter there isn’t just significant to Kiwis. Those images. There’s Ardern’s unfiltered grin at the surprise of seeing that Neve was indeed there in the General Assembly floor. She hadn’t expected she’d be there and that image tells the world – whether consciously or subconsciously – that parenthood and being a working professional don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Again with the seeds, but it also plants seeds that children aren’t a nuisance to be tolerated.
But included with the images of Clarke the full-time Dad, so too are the seeds planted in young, intelligent, socially-minded girls all over the world that maybe a career in politics could be for them. And for the blokes, the honour in being a stay-at-home dad if those are the cards you’ve been dealt or have chosen to play.
Most of us, when push comes to shove, will know the influence of images; the idea that a picture paints a thousand words. There’s Dame Whina Cooper leading the hikoi in the mid-70s, clutching the hand of her grandchild. The walking stick, the unsealed road, the distance ahead, the sense of a collective and multi-generational responsibility. All that and so much more.
As a music fan, I also think of things like Bruce Springsteen’s Born To Run album cover with the Boss pictured leaning on the huge shoulders of his best mate and E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons. Bruce is smiling and the mutual love between the two is there for anyone willing to see it. Over the years, Bruce has spoken at length about the significance of the cover: “a friendship and narrative steeped in the deep history of America”. Two men, one wiry and white, one big and black, and to think that didn’t intentionally convey messages of brotherhood and Bruce’s opinions about race relations is to not understand Bruce.
If Labour are politically not your bag, go hard on rebutting policies you disagree with and search for alternatives you believe would make New Zealand a better place. But don’t waste energy forcing yourself to be blasé about those wonderful images out of New York.
Tim Roxborogh hosts Newstalk ZB’s Weekend Collective and is filling-in for Andrew Dickens this week from 12pm-4pm.

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Many people dread visiting the dentist for a variety of reasons, including the expensive costs and the uncomfortable pain.
But may want to think twice about delaying an appointment after listening to talk-back caller Ash, who told Tim Roxborogh that avoiding the dentist for over seven years cost him $8000 in dental fees when he eventually booked himself an appointment.
LISTEN ABOVE AS ASH SPEAKS TO TIM ROXBOROGH

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Many people dread visiting the dentist for a variety of reasons, including the high cost and the uncomfortable pain.
But may want to think twice about delaying an appointment after listening to talk-back caller Ash, who told Tim Roxborogh that avoiding the dentist for over seven years cost him $8000 in dental fees when he eventually booked himself an appointment.
LISTEN ABOVE AS ASH SPEAKS TO TIM ROXBOROGH

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I can still remember the first time I heard the rumours about Bill Cosby. It’s tattooed in my mind because I was a grown man wearing a Fat Albert T-shirt. It was a friend’s 30th birthday drinks and I walked from my downtown apartment in the mid-summer Auckland heat to a central-city bar. When I arrived I was a fraction high in the perspiration levels and apologised to the friend whose birthday it was who hugged me. The hug + perspiration + apology drew attention to the T-shirt and that’s when I first heard: Cosby was a serial rapist.
It couldn’t be true. Or rather, I didn’t want it to be true. I left that party – a party that took place just pre the age of everyone having smartphones – and went home, swapped out my T-shirt and fired up my laptop. The rumours were all over the internet, but little had been published by official news sources. Cosby was still “America’s Dad” and one of the single most influential figures in the history of American entertainment, popular culture and – without hyperbole – its civil rights.
It wasn’t long before things started to become a lot more public and a lot more official. The accusations were repeated by literally dozens of women who didn’t know each other. Collectively, these victims painted a devastating and disturbing picture: Cosby was a charming, powerful man who used his position to lure vulnerable, often ambitious young women. Drugs, specifically quaaludes would be used as if they were drinks to be handed out to guests. Only time and time again, Cosby’s victims would either not know what they were taking or not even know they’d taken it.
All told over 60 women have come forward and while it’s potentially the tip of the iceberg, today’s sentencing and the words of the judge – describing Cosby as a “sexually violent predator” – should leave no-one in any doubt of his guilt. As to why that sentence is so short – just three years to a possible maximum of 10 – it just goes to show how extremely hard it is to put away extremely rich and powerful men.
Still, with Cosby in his early 80s, there’s every likelihood he will die behind bars. Thoughts right now have to be with his victims; countless women whose lives were fundamentally altered, even destroyed, because of what one of the most beloved men on the planet did to them.
Which brings us to a dilemma: is the art of the serial rapist Bill Cosby still worthy and appropriate for public consumption? Most of the focus of his career retrospectives and fall from grace are on The Cosby Show. From 1984 to 1992, this family sitcom portrayed a black family in a way that had hardly been done before on primetime TV: as wealthy, happy and stable. It can’t be overstated how revolutionary this was.
But don’t let the enormity of The Cosby Show distract from the two main Cosby shows before THE Cosby Show. It can be argued that Fat Albert and I Spy were every bit as important. Fat Albert was a children’s cartoon that ran for a dozen years from 1972. Black children, strong morals and humour. White children were learning not to be afraid of black children and black children were being told that they were capable of anything.
As for I Spy, his 60s TV drama made history by portraying a black lead in an equal footing to a white person. Just the fact it was banned in many southern states shows how powerful it was.
Powerful. That word again. Bill Cosby was powerful and in so many ways, the world is a better place for his use of that power. But for so many women – more than we’ll probably ever know – their world was so much darker because of the evil he wielded.
I’ve never watched an episode of I Spy, Fat Albert or The Cosby Show since that 30th birthday. And I’ll definitely never wear that T-shirt ever again.
Tim Roxborogh hosts Newstalk ZB’s Weekend Collective and is filling-in for Andrew Dickens this week from 12pm-4pm.

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