Holiday Breakfast

Have the standards in New Zealand’s Parliament been slipping? 

Between constant interruptions and heckling, name calling, and a haka towards the end of last year, 2024 was filled with events that drew concern about the behaviour of our MPs. 

Speaker of the House, Gerry Brownlee, told Tim Beveridge that since there is now a party of reasonable size that wants to make cultural expressions that recognise their voters, they need to ask how that fits in. 

He says there’s a lot of tension surrounding it, and they’re looking at ways in which they might formalise some aspects so that there isn’t the element of surprise or ambush. 

Brownlee says that in the end, New Zealand has a very safe Parliament, and people shouldn’t lose sight of that. 

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There’s multiple debuts happening at this weekend’s SailGP regatta.  

Not only is it Auckland’s hosting debut, but it’s also the first time the new high-speed titanium T-Foils will be seen in action, having been trialled for the last two years.  

Nat Fortier, SailGP’s Global Director of Communications, told Tim Beveridge that the last speed record was under 100kph an hour, but now they’re seeing the boats hit just over 100kph. 

She says they’re all hoping they’ll see that kind of speed out on the water this weekend. 

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Winds have briefly eased in LA but the battle continues for firefighters trying to contain deadly wildfires.  

Whole neighbourhoods have burned to the ground and many evacuated families don't know when they can return home.  

Meanwhile, local authorities warn the gusts could pick up again next week.  

Fire and Emergency New Zealand's Thomas Harre has worked in California.  

He told Tim Beveridge the environment's very complex in terms of its terrain, fuel types, and vegetation types, as well as the number of communities affected.  

Harre says that makes it very difficult to extinguish, especially combined with the current weather conditions. 

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The forecast isn't looking too bad for what's arguably Auckland's biggest events weekend of the summer. 

Thousands are expected to descend on Eden Park over the next two nights, to see country music star Luke Combs. 

The city's also placing host to Sail GP over the next two days and Auckland FC is taking on Melbourne FC at Mount Smart Stadium tomorrow night. 

MetService forecaster Hordur Thordarson told Tim Beveridge it should be a mostly settled weekend for most parts of the country, including Auckland. 

He says there'll be an easterly flow, reasonably warm temperatures and the odd shower, but lots of fine spells as well. 

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The banks are at it again. 

ASB is slashing its rates this morning following a move by Westpac yesterday afternoon. 

Many borrowers have been moving to floating or short-term fixed rates, anticipating further OCR cuts. 

But latest forecasts show bank economists now expect the Reserve Bank to start hiking the OCR again next year. 

Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen told Tim Beveridge the latest changes to advertised rates are driven more by bank competition, than by the Reserve Bank. 

He's expecting a lot of competitive pressure between the banks this year as they jockey for market position. 

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There's determination from the Education Minister to continue focusing on literacy and numeracy in schools. 

New data shows 70% of Level 1 students passed NCEA last year, down from 82% the previous year. 

It's partly due to the new 20-credit foundational literacy and numeracy requirement. 

Erica Stanford told Tim Beveridge there was a cohort of students who were getting enough credits but couldn't pass the requirements throughout the year. 

She says it's why more investment was announced to target young people in 169 schools in term four. 

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The Green Party had a rough time in 2024, dealing with their fair share of scandals and tragedies.  

From Darleen Tana’s dramatic exit and Golriz Ghahraman’s shoplifting scandal, to the death of Efeso Collins and Marama Davidson’s cancer diagnosis.  

Co-Leader Chlöe Swarbrick told Tim Beveridge that it’s been tough. 

“I do spend a lot of time reflecting on the actions that I take, and whether I’m the best person to be doing this job,” she said. 

“I can tell you that I feel confident that we’ve done the best that we possibly could with those circumstances, with our values being the guiding star.” 

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Police officer Lyn Fleming's life will be remembered at a full police funeral today in Nelson.  

She died after she was run over while carrying out patrols in the city on New Year's Day.  

The funeral will be held at the Trafalgar Centre and livestreamed on the Police website and Facebook page.  

Police Association President Chris Cahill says there are unique features to a police funeral, including the police flag draped over the coffin, the police guard, and the performance of a haka. 

He told Tim Beveridge that the public support from across New Zealand have been felt both in Nelson, but also in stations across the country. 

Cahill says the support is always welcomed, even if it's come from incredibly tragic circumstances.  

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The ACT Party argues the re-election of Donald Trump is another reason for New Zealand to ramp up its Defence spend.  

It's proposing an investment of at least 2% of GDP, with the current spend sitting at 0.9%. 

ACT's defence spokesperson Mark Cameron says the world is becoming a less safe and predictable place, and New Zealand needs to pull its weight in traditional alliances.  

He told Tim Beveridge that its incumbent on our crown to spend a bit more on investing in the men and women who wear our national colours every day to protect our national interests. 

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An overhaul of how obesity is diagnosed could be on the way. 

The Global Commission on Clinical Obesity has made recommendations that diagnosis is focused on measures of total body fat, not just BMI. 

The paper says current practices rely too heavily on body-mass indexes. 

Endocrinologist Rinki Murphy told Tim Beveridge it won't mean people can just diagnose obesity by standing in front of the mirror. 

She says it becomes unhealthy when fat goes into organs, and it's not able to be seen by the bare eye.  

The Global Commission on Clinical Obesity also recommends recognising two categories of obesity. 

Clinical obesity would be used for cases where excess body fat is negatively affecting body functions, while pre-obesity is where a patient has excess fat but it's not having consequences yet. 

Murphy says BMI will still need to be used for population data. 

She says it's required for monitoring, while the two categories can be used on an individual level. 

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