Our economy was well on the way to recovery, driven by a resurgence in manufacturing, before the fuel crisis hit. 

Stats NZ data out today shows GDP rose 0.8% in both the quarter and year to March. 

Equipment manufacturing, food production, accounting and businesses services, wholesale trade, and agriculture were all doing well. 

But mining had a big drop, as well as residential and non-residential construction. 

NZ Herald Business Editor Liam Dann joined Kerre Woodham to unpack the figure. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

Our economy was well on the way to recovery, driven by a resurgence in manufacturing, before the fuel crisis hit.&nbsp;
Stats NZ data out today shows GDP rose 0.8% in both the quarter and year to March.&nbsp;
Equipment manufacturing, food production, accounting and businesses services, wholesale trade, and agriculture were all doing well.&nbsp;
But mining had a big drop, as well as residential and non-residential construction.&nbsp;
NZ Herald Business Editor Liam Dann joined Kerre Woodham to unpack the figure.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE&nbsp;

Join Kerre Woodham one of New Zealand’s best loved personalities as she dishes up a bold, sharp and energetic show Monday to Friday 9am-12md on Newstalk ZB. News, opinion, analysis, lifestyle and entertainment – we’ve got your morning listening covered.

Kerre Woodham Mornings Podcast

Liam Dann: NZ Herald Business Editor on the GDP rising 0.8% in the March quarter

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/52962593-bb6c-4638-8a38-b46d001655a8/transcript

The Financial Services Council is backing National’s KiwiSaver overhaul, saying it’ll boost long-term savings.

Plans include lifting contribution rates to 12%, making the scheme compulsory, and enrolling Kiwis at birth with a $1500 kickstart — plus extending support for parents and over-65s.

Financial Services Council Chief Executive Kirk Hope joins Kerre Woodham to discuss the changes, and the effect it will have on Kiwis going forward. 

LISTEN ABOVE

The Financial Services Council is backing National’s KiwiSaver overhaul, saying it’ll boost long-term savings.
Plans include lifting contribution rates to 12%, making the scheme compulsory, and enrolling Kiwis at birth with a $1500 kickstart — plus extending support for parents and over-65s.
Financial Services Council Chief Executive Kirk Hope joins Kerre Woodham to discuss the changes, and the effect it will have on Kiwis going forward.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE

Kirk Hope: Financial Services Council Chief Executive backs National's Kiwisaver overhaul

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/e7637e44-99ab-43ce-b1d9-b4710011278a/transcript

Very shortly public voting will be underway for the Spark Retail NZ's People's Choice award.

The People’s Choice Award recognises a retailer that has made a genuine, positive impact on its customers.

Retail NZ Chief Executive Carolyn Young said it's important to allow Kiwis to have a say in who they think deserves the award.

Voting is open from Friday the 26th, and the awards ceremony will be on the 3rd of September.

LISTEN ABOVE

Very shortly public voting will be underway for the Spark Retail NZ's People's Choice award.
The People’s Choice Award recognises a retailer that has made a genuine, positive impact on its customers.
Retail NZ Chief Executive Carolyn Young said it's important to allow Kiwis to have a say in who they think deserves the award.
Voting is open from Friday the 26th, and the awards ceremony will be on the 3rd of September.
LISTEN ABOVE

Carolyn Young: Retail NZ Chief Executive discusses the upcoming vote for the Spark Retail NZ's People's Choice award

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/f09e9900-5544-4ea2-8ed9-b46e002ce795/transcript

As the election gets closer, parties are starting to release their policies. And after a slow start, keeping their cards close to their chest, Labour's building up steam. We already had the three free doctors visits for all, now we've got free maternity scans and a promise to scrap the $5 fee on prescriptions and make them universally free. Add that to the free public transport, well, up to a point, $20 in the major cities and $10 everywhere else, and that capital gains tax is going to be working overtime to pay for it all. So far, so Labour. But I'm not really sure about the Oprah-fication of Labour's policies. "You get a doctor's visit, and you get a doctor's visit, and here's one for you too. You get a free bus ride, and here's a free bus ride for you, and one for you as well." 

I understand that universal allowances, free bus rides for all, means less admin as opposed to targeted assistance, which if the administration and the paperwork for that didn't exist, would be a faff. But it does. The admin's already been done to reach those who need help the most. We have the community services card. So why not link the three free GP visits, the free bus trips, the free maternity scans to the community services card? And when I say free, I mean taxpayer funded. There is no such thing as free.  

So why would the taxpayer be funding free public transport, free doctor's visits, free prescriptions for people who don't need it? I don't think anybody would object to trying to keep pregnant mums healthy, to trying to keep the community healthy, to trying to prevent people from going into hospital because they can't afford to go to the doctor or pick up prescriptions. We're all in it for that, and even if you don't care about people, you only care about the sums, if you do the sums, it pays off for people to be seen by their primary healthcare provider so they don't end up in hospital. All makes perfect sense. 

What doesn't make sense is why the taxpayer is funding all of these things for people who do not need it. And you can't even say no thank you very much to some of them. I totally get that one of the platforms of Labour's policies is health, and they want to make sure that we keep people out of hospitals. Absolutely fine. But when Chris Hipkins was talking to Heather du Plessis Allan yesterday afternoon about the 150,000 people who aren't picking up prescriptions, I am not convinced that all of those people were avoiding picking up their prescriptions because of cost. Some of them can't be bothered. You know, buses are put on to remote areas to take people to their hospital appointments. Short of picking them up in a sedan chair and carrying them on the shoulders of the healthy and the hale to get them to their hospital appointments, you could not make it any easier. But I've heard from nurses and doctors and people themselves that they don't go. They take the free bus and then they go shopping in Whangārei, even though they've got an appointment. They don't bother telling people they're not going to turn up. So there'll be people who just can't be bothered. They don't prioritise their own health, they've got other things they're prioritising and it's not their own health. There are people who don't like taking pills, thinking oh for heaven's sake, you're asking me to take another pill, I'm already taking three, I don't want to take a fourth. There are people who'll be feeling better, think nah, don't need this one. 

I am not entirely convinced that when he says 150,000 people aren't picking up prescriptions, that a) those numbers are right, because we're hearing a lot of numbers being thrown around by every party over all of their policies. I'm not entirely convinced about that. I'm not convinced about the cost. All I would like is targeted assistance to people who need it. As a taxpayer, I am perfectly happy to fund any kind of policy that will help make life a little bit easier and ultimately save us money in the long run by looking after people. The community services card exists to help those who need a little bit extra. Use that. The rest of us are fine. 

As the election gets closer, parties are starting to release their policies. And after a slow start, keeping their cards close to their chest, Labour's building up steam. We already had the three free doctors visits for all, now we've got free maternity scans and a promise to scrap the $5 fee on prescriptions and make them universally free. Add that to the free public transport, well, up to a point, $20 in the major cities and $10 everywhere else, and that capital gains tax is going to be working overtime to pay for it all. So far, so Labour. But I'm not really sure about the Oprah-fication of Labour's policies. "You get a doctor's visit, and you get a doctor's visit, and here's one for you too. You get a free bus ride, and here's a free bus ride for you, and one for you as well."&nbsp;
I understand that universal allowances, free bus rides for all, means less admin as opposed to targeted assistance, which if the administration and the paperwork for that didn't exist, would be a faff. But it does. The admin's already been done to reach those who need help the most. We have the community services card. So why not link the three free GP visits, the free bus trips, the free maternity scans to the community services card? And when I say free, I mean taxpayer funded. There is no such thing as free. &nbsp;
So why would the taxpayer be funding free public transport, free doctor's visits, free prescriptions for people who don't need it? I don't think anybody would object to trying to keep pregnant mums healthy, to trying to keep the community healthy, to trying to prevent people from going into hospital because they can't afford to go to the doctor or pick up prescriptions. We're all in it for that, and even if you don't care about people, you only care about the sums, if you do the sums, it pays off for people to be seen by their primary healthcare provider so they don't end up in hospital. All makes perfect sense.&nbsp;
What doesn't make sense is why the taxpayer is funding all of these things for people who do not need it. And you can't even say no thank you very much to some of them. I totally get that one of the platforms of Labour's policies is health, and they want to make sure that we keep people out of hospitals. Absolutely fine. But when Chris Hipkins was talking to Heather du Plessis Allan yesterday afternoon about the 150,000 people who aren't picking up prescriptions, I am not convinced that all of those people were avoiding picking up their prescriptions because of cost. Some of them can't be bothered. You know, buses are put on to remote areas to take people to their hospital appointments. Short of picking them up in a sedan chair and carrying them on the shoulders of the healthy and the hale to get them to their hospital appointments, you could not make it any easier. But I've heard from nurses and doctors and people themselves that they don't go. They take the free bus and then they go shopping in Whangārei, even though they've got an appointment. They don't bother telling people they're not going to turn up. So there'll be people who just can't be bothered. They don't prioritise their own health, they've got other things they're prioritising and it's not their own health. There are people who don't like taking pills, thinking oh for heaven's sake, you're asking me to take another pill, I'm already taking three, I don't want to take a fourth. There are people who'll be feeling better, think nah, don't need this one.&nbsp;
I am not entirely convinced that when he says 150,000 people aren't picking up prescriptions, that a) those numbers are right, because we're hearing a lot of numbers being thrown around by every party over all of their policies. I'm not entirely convinced about that. I'm not convinced about the cost. All I would like is targeted assistance to people who need it. As a taxpayer, I am perfectly happy to fund any kind of policy that will help make life a little bit easier and ultimately save us money in the long run by looking after people. The community services card exists to help those who need a little bit extra. Use that. The rest of us are fine.&nbsp;

Kerre Woodham: I'm not sure about the Oprah-fication of Labour's policies

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/73aa3067-dd4a-4d70-9559-b46e0014cf81/transcript

Liam Dann: NZ Herald Business Editor on the GDP rising 0.8% in the March quarter

Kerre Woodham Mornings Podcast

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