Kerre Woodham: Our jury system has an efficiency problem

Today, we thought we'd have a look at jury duty, given a story in the New Zealand Herald this morning. I've only been called for jury service once, a couple of years ago, before Covid, which isn't really a couple of years, is it? It's like six years ago. I was keen as mustard. Couldn't wait.  Fort…

Peter Dunne: Political commentator and former MP discusses NZ First's 'kingmaker' status

In an opinion piece in Newsroom, former United Future leader and Political Commentator Peter Dunne writes about "How to stop NZ First from playing the two main parties off against each other". Under our MMP system, NZ First often holds the "kingmaker" position, allowing them to leverage the two ma…

Kerre Woodham: The unemployment figures make for grim reading

Stats New Zealand released the labour market statistics yesterday while I was on air talking to my caller Troy, and the numbers were not good.  KW: The unemployment rate is 5.4% in the December quarter, up 5.3 in September. So we'll discuss that with Liam Dann in a minute. There we go.   T: Inter…

Shannon Barlow: Frog Recruitment Managing Director on the unemployment rate

The job market's remaining tougher, for longer, than many economists were expecting.  Unemployment's reached a ten-year high of 5.4% in the December quarter, and the broader under-utilisation rate is close to a ten-year high as well, at 13%.  Finance Minister Nicola Willis is trying to point out …

Liam Dann: NZ Herald Business Editor on unemployment rising to 5.4%

Unemployment's risen again to a ten-year high, with 165 thousand Kiwis currently out of work.  Stats NZ data shows the unemployment rate was 5.4% in the December quarter, up from 5.3% in the September quarter.  It's now the highest it's been since September 2015.  The Herald's Liam Dann told Ker…

Kerre Woodham: I wish the drivers license overhaul was tougher

Remember the terror of the driving test? Your heart in your mouth as you drove around the mean streets of Timaru or Ashburton, or in my case Tauranga, with a gimlet-eyed traffic cop watching your every move. The parallel parking, the hill starts. I only got my license because the cop took pity on m…

Josie Vidal: Minerals Council CEO on the discussions around potential minerals deals

The Government wants to open New Zealand up to mining investment from all countries, not just from the US.  New Zealand's one of dozens of countries negotiating with the US on a potential minerals deal.  Ministers from New Zealand, Australia, the US, UK and EU are also meeting in Washington DC th…

Kerre Woodham: How is a child's lack of basic skills not the parents' responsibility?

As children head off to school this week, many of them for the first time, a woeful number of young ones are ill-prepared for the classroom.   A recent survey conducted by the Auckland Primary Principals' Association and released by the ECE sector partnership, found nearly 90% of Auckland primary …

Lucy Naylor: Auckland Primary Principals' Association President on new entrant students missing basic skills

It's believed the pandemic can't be used as an excuse for why a growing number children aren't ready for life in the classroom.  Some primary schools are reporting record levels of children arriving without basic skills such as talking, eating, and toileting.  Auckland Primary Principals' Associa…

Kerre Woodham: Are 12-month prescriptions too much for community pharmacies?

We thought we'd start with the new 12-month prescription rules. They came into force this weekend and are designed to save time and cut GP visits for patients. But community pharmacists say this could be the straw that breaks the camel's back because it's the latest in a raft of changes in a sector…