The Mike Hosking Breakfast

New Zealand has condemned the chemical weapons attack in Syria.

The UN Security Council is discussing a resolution to investigate at least 70 deaths, believed to be from sarin nerve gas dropped by Syrian aircraft.

However, if it goes to a vote, it could find itself again halted by a Russian veto.

SEE ALSO: UN resolution on Syria likely to be held back by Russia

Foreign Minister Murray McCully told Mike Hosking Russia's relationship with Syria should be put aside so the perpetrators of this attack can be held to account.

"When you get into the use of chemical weapons, you're not talking about just maximising positions here, you're talking about some people here covering up," he said.

SEE ALSO: Barry Soper: Why is NZ in the UN?

LISTEN ABOVE AS MURRAY MCCULLY SPEAKS WITH MIKE HOSKING

UPDATED 10.31am Privacy Commissioner John Edwards says the Ministry of Social Development's policy that requires social service providers to disclose client information goes too far.

Under the policy, providers will have to give the client information to the ministry when they apply for funding.

Mr Edwards said in a report released on Thursday the requirement was "excessive and inconsistent with privacy principles".

Listen above as Privacy Commissioner John Edwards speaks with Mike Hosking.

He said today there was a risk that the new funding arrangement between the MSD and non-government organisations (NGO) could deter some people who were in need of support.

"Not only could that put those people further at risk, and increases pressure on the NGOs, the ultimate result could be that those individuals become 'invisible' to Government and policy-makers," he said.

The new MSD contracts investigated by Edwards would make the provision of personal, detailed client data a condition of Government funding. Community groups cannot opt out of the arrangement.

The policy will be introduced in July, but Opposition parties now say it should be scrapped. It could apply to up to 4300 contracts linked to Work and Income, Family and Community Services and the Youth Development and Vulnerable Children ministries.

Edwards said no NGO received state funding "as of right", and it was important that Government took steps to ensure any programme it funded was effective. This required good data, he said.

 

He identified three main privacy risks: Individuals could choose not to seek help at all; to provide incorrect information to preserve their privacy; or NGOs could give people access to MSD services without providing their personal information, meaning they became "invisible" to the Government.

Edwards was also critical of MSD, saying it failed to clearly explain to NGOs what their data would be used for, who it would be disclosed to and how it could be used in future.

It had also put the policy in place "prematurely" without proper consideration of the privacy risks.

A possible alternative proposed by Edwards was to allow Statistics New Zealand to receive the information from NGOs, and that agency could provide anonymised analysis to the ministry.

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley, however, said that recommendation could not be accepted.

But she also challenged Edwards' conclusions, saying they were based on assumption and that there was no proof people would choose not to seek help rather than provide their personal details to MSD.

Labour's social development spokeswoman Carmel Sepuloni said the report confirmed that people most in need - clients of Women's Refuge or Rape Crisis - could be deterred from seeking support.

The findings "throw a huge spanner in the works" of the Government's flagship social investment approach, she said. Under this approach, the Government is increasingly looking to use large, detailed datasets to decide which social services should get funding.

"The Commissioner clearly states that this current data grab could not be deemed a better use of data and could instead deter those in need from seeking support and increase long term costs," Sepuloni said.

Green Party social development spokeswoman Jan Logie said the Government needed to immediately put a stop to the MSD contracts.

"With the Privacy Commissioner and community groups like Rape Crisis and Budget Services coming out against this data intrusion, the Government must realise that it will not achieve its social objectives by overriding individuals rights to privacy."

Tolley revealed yesterday that the ministry had to shut down its new information-sharing system after a privacy breach was discovered.

She said one social services provider was able to view information in another providers' folder, though the folder did not contain any data at the time.

MSD officials have now been asked to find a solution, and Tolley promised the rep...

Auckland's health officials admit they botched their communication around the typhoid outbreak.

A woman has died as a result of the fever, and many of her community remain upset they weren't told she had typhoid until after she died.

Auckland Regional Public Health Service physician Dr William Rainger told Mike Hosking they held off a public announcement of the typhoid death until after the funeral.

But he said that didn't affect the spread of the disease.

"We've been following up the notified cases and the contacts around those cases, and that being the key activity, I don't think it's been badly compromised, no." 

Dr Rainger told Mike Hosking they need to learn from their communication mistakes.

But he said when dealing with outbreaks like this, it isn't a matter of just following what's been done in the past.

"They have different characteristics so yes, there are protocols but every situation very nuanced and you have to adapt to the circumstances."

LISTEN ABOVE AS DR WILLIAM RAINGER SPEAKS WITH MIKE HOSKING

Rising dementia rates in an aging population are set to cost the country billions of dollars.

That's amongst the findings in a newly released report looking at how the disease is set to have an economic impact over the next 20 to 30 years

Minister for Seniors Maggie Barry said it's fair to say dementia is one of the country's biggest health challenges.

LISTEN ABOVE AS MINISTER FOR SENIORS MAGGIE BARRY SPEAKS WITH MIKE HOSKING

"The estimated cost last year was $1.7 billion and that's projected to increase to $4.5 billion by 2050."

The new report commissioned by Alzheimers New Zealand is forecasting the number of people with the disease will almost treble to over 170,000 people by 2050.

Alzheimers New Zealand chair Dr Ngaire Dixon said making changes to deal the the problem now, and delaying the entry of dementia sufferers into residential care, could bring cost-benefit ratios greater than six times the investment.

She's challenged Barry, telling her the Government has a great opportunity to procure the cost-benefit ratios, it just has to implement a framework.

"Steps must now be taken to address this major challenge. We need to plan for the challenges that are coming."

Barry has agreed that we need to start planning for the future.

"We do need to be very aware of what is coming so that we can plan for it. I don't know that we need to fear it, but I do absolutely believe that we need to understand it" she said.

Developers say they've found the answer to keep residential property prices low in a new subdivision near Christchurch.

Work has already begun on the 13-hectare commercial development Ravenswood in Waimakariri.

A thousand homes will be built later this year, with sections priced as low as $110,000.

General manager Paul Croft said: "for a young family, first-time buyer, people maybe wanting to down size [the sections are] priced very well."

"They start at $109,000 up to $180/190,000. We don't have anything that has a two in in it."

The Ravenswood Town Centre will be complete in February next year - bringing with it a BP, New World, McDonald's and other retail outlets.

Mr Croft told Mike Hosking building the retail section first, means it's not residents picking up the tab for the infrastructure.

"While they're starting the commercial first then that means we can deliver affordable housing across the rest of the project."

He said the Waimakariri district continues to be one of the fastest growing in New Zealand.

"They're talking about the population going from 6000 at the moment to 70,000 plus over the next 10 to 15 years."

Finance Minister Steven Joyce and Labour MP Annette King join Mike Hosking for their weekly chat.

Listen to the full chat above.

Farmers are urging the government to listen to the major players in the telecommunications market.

Vodafone, Spark and 2 degrees are trying to convince the government to use the $150 million earmarked for improving rural communications, on cell phone towers.

South Canterbury Farmer Bill Wright is backing companies as he can't get any reception just 30 kilometres from Timaru.

He told Mike Hosking farmers provide a lot of the economic benefits for the whole country, therefore there's a duty to provide better coverage for them.

LISTEN ABOVE AS BILL WRIGHT SPEAKS WITH MIKE HOSKING

Businesses in the Whanganui CBD can expect flooding today, but it's not likely to be as bad as 2015.

Civil Defence is scaling back its flooding predictions, with the Whanganui River set to peak at around 13.8 metres in Pipiriki.

Whanganui Mayor Hamish McDouall told Mike Hosking around 500 residents will still need to be evacuated.

"Most of Whanganui will be safe and dry today. That still doesn't mean people can stand down - people need to be cautious, don't do unnecessary travel, and schools are closed of course."

Meanwhile, authorities say the situation in Rangitikei is looking more manageable.

Rangitikei District Council declared a state of emergency along with Whanganui yesterday and evacuated about 50 residents.

Mayor Andy Watson said the latest modelling has downgraded rising river levels, which is pleasing.

Watson said the worry is now shifting to the Whangaehu and Turakina river catchments, which suffered massive damage in the 2015 floods.

SEE ALSO: Newstalk ZB's live weather blog

And, Auckland has had about a month's worth of a rain in just 24 hours, and there's more heavy rain on the way.

NIWA forecaster Chris Brandolino said Grey Lynn had about 83 millimetres in 22 hours, and Mangere had about 86.

"Albany in North Shore - 95mm has fallen since 5pm yesterday."

Brandolino said while rain has eased in the central and upper North Island, more bad weather is on the way.

He told Mike Hosking the conditions will deteriorate about lunch time.

"There will be another round of potentially heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, and even some strong gusty wind northeasterlies."

LISTEN ABOVE: Whanganui Mayor Hamish McDouall, Rangatikei Mayor Andy Watson and NIWA forecaster Chris Brandolino speak with Mike Hosking

UPDATED 12.33pm An unlikely alliance has formed as 27 high-profile New Zealanders have inked an open letter to fight for free speech at universities.

It's a list that transcends the left and right of politics being signed by the likes of Don Brash, Sir Geoffrey Palmer, Dame Tariana Turia and Winnie Laban.

Their letter says the right to express opinions must be protected - even if they're offensive or immoral.

The letter was in response to Human Rights Commissioner Dame Susan Devoy's call for a review of "hate speech" law. Police are suggesting it be looked at as a specific crime.

AUT professor Paul Moon told Newstalk ZB free speech can't be forcefully silenced.

"...if you're expressing a genuinely-held opinion and then someone labels you as being guilty of hate speech, that's a tag that's applied to you. It can affect employment. It can affect social situations. All sorts of circumstances.

"It's a horrible accusation and I don't think it's in the best interest of anyone in the country to go around looking for examples of so-called hate speech . There are plenty of things that offend me but I think I'm grown up enough to deal with that."

Professor Moon said the letter has solid backing.

"People of different ethnic groups, different cultures. We have different political views there, people from Don Brash on the one hand to Dame Tariana Turia on the other. A real broad spectrum of New Zealanders."

Dr Brash said people call him racist, and they should be free to do just that.

 

He said an essential element of western enlightenment is that we're free to say what we like, provided we don't advocate physical violence to anybody.

"People have called me, for example, racist recently because I've been involved in the Hobson's Pledge Trust. I think they should be absolutely free to do that and I should be free to say that Hone Harawira is racist, and as long as I don't threaten him with any violence, I think that's legitimate."

The letter says the "freedom of speech underpins our way of life in New Zealand as a liberal democracy." "It enables religious observance, individual development, societal change, science, reason and progress in all spheres of life. In particular, the free exchange of ideas is a cornerstone of acadme.

"Universities play a fundamental role in the thought leadership of a society. They, of all places, should be institutions where robust debate and the free exchange of ideas take place, not the forceful silencing of dissenting or unpopular views.

"We must ensure that our higher learning establishments are places where intellectual rigour prevails over emotional blackmail and where academic freedom, built on free expression, is maintained and protected. 

"We must fight for each other’s right to express opinions, even if we do not agree with them."

Tertiary Education Minister Paul Goldsmith doesn't believe there's an issue around the freedom of speech at universities.

 

He said while it's topical in US and UK - it's not so much an issue here.

"I haven't had a sense that people in New Zealand universities on the whole, don't feel as though they are able to express themselves properly but it's something we should watch carefully."

 

The full list of signatories are: 

Assoc Prof Len Bell Dr Don BrashDr David CuminSir Toby Curtis, KNZMDr Brian Edwards, CNZMGraeme EdwardsDr Gavin EllisSir Michael Friedlander, KNZMAlan GibbsDame Jenny Gibbs, DNZMBryan Gould, CNZMWally Hirsh, OBEProf Manying Ip, ONZMSir Bob Jones, KtProf Pare Keiha, QSOAssoc Prof Hon LuamanuvaoWinnie Laban, QSODame Lesley Max, DNZM MBEGordon McLauchlanProf Paul MoonSir Douglas Myers, KNZM CBEAssoc Prof Camille NakhidSir Geoffrey Palmer, KCMG AC QCProf Edwina PioDavid RankinPhilip Temple, ONZMDame Tariana Turia, DNZMProf Albert Wendt, ONZ CNZM

There's yet another voice lamenting the state of Australian rugby - but this one carries some weight.

Former Wallabies coach Alan Jones has taken a swing at the governing body, saying they've essentially abandoned schoolboy and club rugby.

This comes as the divide between our super rugby sides has grown to epic proportions.

So what is the solution to this? Alan Jones speaks with Mike Hosking.

Listen to the full interview above.