Holiday Breakfast

I don’t mind telling you that for some years - for decades actually - I have always taken time to think about staying alive on the roads when I’m taking a long trip –especially in public holiday periods.   

It probably goes back to a time when I was a student working in forestry and had to travel some distance each day, driven by a young supervisor who drove like he had a death wish.   

I honestly used to wake up in the morning worried about getting from A to B and home alive. So, I’m eternally grateful to my work colleague who was the first one to speak up and say “hey - if you’re not going to slow down you can stop the car and I’m getting out”. 

Ever since then, I do take time to think about how I’m going to approach driving whenever I take a long trip over the summer and so - yes, I am very conscious about road safety. 

But I probably wasn’t the first person to realise that the whole Road to Zero campaign was delusional. It seems that the last people to realise this were the responsible government agencies who are now admitting failure in their attempts to make roads safer.   

Tragically, the road toll has soared this year and is on a par with 2018, one of our worst years in recent memory. There have, of course, been failures at the ministry of both transport and police to meet certain targets. The police have not met speed targets for speed camera hours or the number of alcohol tests, and Waka Kotahi has also missed targets in regards to infrastructure but that news would come as no surprise to anyone.   

Probably one thing which I imagine they have met the target on, is the production and dissemination of those odious ads designed to somehow terrify us into driving more safely   

Frankly I’ll just be honest they just ****** me off   

I would suggest that pushing the aspirational but utterly delusional target of Road to Zero Rd has done nothing when it comes to get the public on board. It's just led to a bureaucratic obsession with grinding down the speed limits in this country which in my view will make very little, if any, difference - except maybe magnifying people’s impatience which surely can’t be helpful.   

I’m reasonably confident that our road toll would be better addressed if we simply made better decisions and were better drivers. Obviously, road quality is an issue but I can think of plenty of examples of tragic accidents which were the result of someone failing to stop at an intersection, or being distracted, or simply impatient and overtaking in the wrong place.   

Obviously, every death on the road is a tragedy but I’m not sure that having a delusional target in the form of the Road to Zero campaign gets anyone on board because it's simply not credible.   

I would prefer it if the bureaucrats and politicians would focus instead on building better roads and driver education and quit the fear mongering and instead create a credible campaign that everyone can finally relate to and believe in. And hopefully then we will make a difference.  

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Australian Correspondent Murray Olds joined us to discuss Melbourne City life ban, Scott Morrison’s leadership and Sam Burgess’ positive drug test. 

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Subzero temps, wind chills, and cancelled flights. US Correspondent Richard Arnold joined us to discuss the winter storms battering the United States as well as Zelenskyy's visit.

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Supermarkets are expected to be like battlegrounds the next couple of days, as will the shopping malls. 

The last few prezzies, or maybe you leave it all to the last minute, and that monster food shop. 

First Retail Group Managing Director Chris Wilkinson joined us to discuss the latest consumer trends. 

“We’re seeing people spend longer in stores, but also seeing the purposeful consumers who have done the research online” 

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Air New Zealand won't be the only airline needing to re-schedule flights next year.

The national carrier's changed 1900 flights across eight months of 2023, although 90 percent have moved no more than an hour.

Aviation Commentator Irene King says airlines have struggled to cope with the resurgent demand going sky-high.

She says the changes aren't a big deal.

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New Zealand's first Flying Doctor Dave Baldwin is back with his fifth book, The Bushman's Bible.

Dr Dave Baldwin splits his time between being a GP at Bulls Medical Centre in Ohakea and flying out to remote parts of the country as part of his Flying Doctor service.

He's also promoted good health for men through his Healthy Bastards campaign for the past three decades. His message promoting men's health has also inspired his Bushman's Bible books, the latest of which is out now.

Dr Dave Baldwin says the campaign for men's health was inspired by his personal goal of making a difference in the world.

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The Council of Trade Unions says we need to look at new ways to take the heat out of inflation.

70,000 people are forecast to lose their jobs as the Reserve Bank plunges the economy into recession.

The Council of Trade Unions plan includes cutting student loan repayments, giving first home buyers 25 year fixed mortgages, and introducing a tax free threshold.

Policy Director Craig Renney says if the answer is 70,000 jobs being axed, we need a better answer.

He says inflation is a long run problem in New Zealand, because we don't build enough houses, or deliver the public services we need.

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Today is the longest day of 2022, and the Cancer Society is encouraging people to use it for a good cause.

The Cancer Society has teamed up with Golf New Zealand to launch the Longest Day Golf Challenge, which takes place this Thursday, but participants can play at any point in the summer.

Participants are encouraged to play four rounds of golf, or 72 holes in total, in one day to raise money for people affected by cancer.

Cancer Society spokesperson Lucy Humphreys says that New Zealand is home to a significant number of golf courses and the sport has a really active community, so it made sense to utilise our nation's love of golf for a good cause.

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One farming lobby group says the Government's emissions targets are still set far too high.

Labour has proposed a farm-level emissions reduction system as an alternative to the Emissions Trading Scheme, with a levy set at the lowest price possible.

The deal includes a five-year price pathway for levy rates from 2025.

Federated Farmers National President Andrew Hoggard says he's not too optimistic about the changes.

He says it's still highly likely 20 percent of sheep and beef farmers will go out of business, it might just take a couple of extra years.

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Disused cruise ships could be used to house asylum seekers in the UK.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has told a House of Lords committee a range of alternatives are on the table and are being looked at.

She's revealed asylum seekers are currently being accommodated in hotels, racking up a bill of close to $10.5 million a day.

UK correspondent Gavin Grey says it looks as though things are only going to get worse.

He says 117,000 asylum seekers are currently being housed and that's only expected to increase.

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