It’s what US President Donald Trump is calling Liberation Day in the US today; dishing out tariffs on almost every nation on earth. New Zealand exporters will now face 10% tariffs on everything imported into the United States. How should the government respond? 

Also, Rail Minister Winston Peters has announced his plans for the Interisland ferry replacements. He’s decided they’ll be 200m long and rail enabled - but no contracts have yet been signed. Was this an underwhelming announcement? 

To answer those questions, Labour's health and Wellington issues spokesperson Ayesha Verrall and National's Otaki MP Tim Costley joined Nick Mills for Politics Thursday. 

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OPINION

After Sunday's very underwhelming announcement on supermarkets from Finance Minister Nicola Willis, I was a bit worried that yesterday’s announcement on the future of the interisland ferries would be much the same.

Lately the coalition government has made a bit of a habit of making announcements that mean very little.

And to some extent, that's exactly what we got from Rail Minister Winston Peters yesterday.

Now first; a bit of background.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis cancelled the brand new interisland mega ferries shortly after the election, pointing to the extreme cost blowout. She spent a year working on replacements and late last year we were told she was about to announce her bold new plan.

It turned out Winston Peters was made Minister of Rail and given until the end of March to devise a plan. Yesterday was the end of March and up steps Winston Peters.

And he seems to have done a good job.

Yes, the new ferries will be rail-enabled which KiwiRail chief executive Peter Reidy said was great news for the public.

I think most of us would agree that rail-enabled fairies is the right way to go.

The two new ferries are also going to be 200 metres long - a bit longer and wider than the current fleet but smaller than the mega fairies that Nicola Willis cancelled.

And all of this sounds great. But there’s one big glaring problem.

We haven’t actually ordered these ferries.

This was Winston Peters confirming what the government wants to buy. It was an announcement of a shopping list, not a contract.

It's an announcement of an announcement.

My biggest problem here is that our existing fleet of three ferries, which have broken down, run aground and lost propellers, have to last us until 2029.

That's four years away at best.

And according to the former chair of the Ferry ministerial advisory group Mark Thompson, that might not be possible. He says that is an ambitious timeframe.

We still don't even know exactly what the ships are going to look like and who's going to build them.

We also don't know how much these replacements are going to cost. And keep in mind we have to pay the contract break fee for the mega ferries.

And there's one other concern I have. What happens if next year there's a change of government and a new government changes the plans again?

Ultimately we need to rely on these ferries lasting until 2029.

Yes, we've had a good summer with no breakdowns. But history tells us there's a lot of water between now and 2029 that these old ferries have to cross.

And these old girls are getting older not younger, and they are certainly not without their issues.

For me this is still a case of wait and see. I can tell you it's definitely not the plan I expected to come out yesterday.

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It was a huge weekend in Wellington with Cuba Dupa, three nights of Graham Norton, Sir Bob Geldof, the Hurricanes, the Phoenix and one of the world's largest cruise ships in. So what does a weekend like that do for the city's economy? 

Also, work on the controversial Golden Mile project begins this month, starting at the Cambridge/Kent terrace end of Courtenay Place. But we've also learnt work on the rest of the project won't begin until next year. Is this about to become the key issue of this year's local body elections? 

To answer those questions, Restaurant Association president and Monsoon Poon owner Mike Egan and Method Recycling co-founder India Korner joined Nick Mills for the Wellington Mornings Business Panel. 

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Minister for Rail Winston Peters is expected to finally reveal his long-awaited plan for Interisland ferry replacements today - but will we see the full details of the new ferries? 

Also, Finance Minister Nicola Willis is seeking advice on whether the supermarket duopoly needs to be broken up. Is it likely we'll see decisions on the grocery sector soon? 

To answer those questions, Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls joined Nick Mills for the Beehive Buzz. 

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Business owner Karl Tiefenbacher has officially joined the Wellington mayoral race.

Speaking exclusively to Newstalk ZB Wellington Mornings host Nick Mills, Tiefenbacher announced he plans to stand as an independent candidate for the mayoralty.

He has yet to announce any policies but said his core priorities include changing the culture of Wellington City Council, keeping rates down, and stopping wasteful spending.

Tiefenbacher, who calls himself “Wellington’s ice cream guy” as the founder of Kaffee Eis, has previously run for council twice and lost.

Last year he fell short by only 45 votes to the Green Party’s Geordie Rogers in a byelection for the Pukehīnau Lambton Ward.

His campaign website is now live, with the slogan “Wellington, It’s Time!”.

“Wellington has expensive challenges ahead. As a business owner I understand it’s essential to invest wisely, with responsible and affordable decisions”, his campaign site states.

This time around he also plans to run for a council seat in the Motukairangi Eastern Ward.

His biography states Tiefenbacher was born and raised in Wellington and had “a successful career in the finance sector for 18 years” before starting cafe and gelato manufacturer Kaffee Eis.

Tiefenbacher has previously been critical about the Golden Mile project and moves to pedestrianise Cuba St.

He describes himself as a centrist.

Earlier this month, the local branch for the Labour Party confirmed it had to extend nominations for a mayoral candidate, after no one put their hand up to run for the party.

Confirmed candidates for the mayoralty include incumbent Tory Whanau, city councillor Ray Chung, predator-free champion Kelvin Hastie, Wellington Live owner Graham Bloxham, and former city councillor Rob Goulden.

Of the confirmed candidates, all but Bloxham and Whanau have previously run for the mayoralty unsuccessfully.

Diane Calvert, a third-term councillor and former mayoral candidate, is rumoured to be eyeing up running, telling the Herald this month she still hasn’t decided.

“As an independent, I’m not on a deadline set by a political party,” Calvert said.

John Apanowicz, another current councillor, said he’s still keen to run but is seeking the support of his family and will announce his plans at a later date.

Luke Pierson, a businessman and founding member of lobby group Vision for Wellington, had been rumoured to be considering a run for the top job, but has confirmed he’s not going for it.

“I can rule it out. My focus is on Vision for Wellington - which is inherently apolitical,” Pierson said.

The local election will be held on October 11.

Candidate nominations open on Friday, July 4 and close on August 1.

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Wellington Central MP Tamatha Paul is under fire for her comments at a 'radical alternative to policing event'. She claimed "Wellington people do not want to see police officers everywhere" and all beat police do is "wait for homeless people to leave their spot, pack up their stuff and throw it in the bin". Are these comments out of touch, or reflecting a mood in the city? 

Also, the Commerce Commission will be tasked with keeping an eye on Wellington Water until a new water entity comes into force. Is this the right move?

To answer those questions, Wellington City Councillor Tim Brown and Hutt City mayor Campbell Barry joined Nick Mills for Friday Faceoff. 

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Liam Lawson has unceremoniously been dropped from Red Bull's F1 team after just two races. How would this affect a 23-year-old like Lawson, and is the decision unfair?

Also, with Eden Park to be redeveloped and a roof installed, is it time we seriously looked at a roof for Sky Stadium?

Weekend Sport host Jason Pine and All Sport Breakfast host Adam Cooper joined Nick Mills for the Friday Sport Kickoff. 

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Wellington Central MP and Green Party police spokesperson Tamatha Paul is under fire for saying Wellingtonians don't want to see police on the beat - and all these police patrols do is target homeless people and their belongings. Are these comments out of line? 

Also, Wellington will likely lose an electorate seat in Parliament after the Electoral Commission proposed changes to electoral boundaries. What does this mean for representation for the capital?

To answer those questions, Labour's police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and National's Otaki MP Tim Costley joined Adam Cooper for Politics Thursday. 

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Wellington Central MP and Green Party police spokesperson Tamatha Paul is under fire for comments she made about beat cops at a 'radical alternative to policing event' in Christchurch. 

She claimed "Wellington people do not want to see police officers everywhere" and all beat police do is "wait for homeless people to leave their spot, pack up their stuff and throw it in the bin". 

The MP joined Nick Mills to discuss her comments, as well as react to new proposed electorate boundaries which will see changes to her Wellington Central seat. 

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It’s a huge weekend coming up in the capital.

Wellington’s Cuba Dupa street festival returns to Cuba St with more 170 performances across Saturday and Sunday spanning music, dance, theatre and visual arts.

One of the acts is called Fun and Funner - a children's band fronted by comedian Karen O’Leary and dad and teacher Tom Watson and sax player Eilish Wilson alongside Orchestra Wellington.

The trio joined Nick Mills in studio to talk about the festival and perform a song.

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