Full Show Podcast: 09 September 2026

0:00The issues, the interviews, and the insight, and predicates on the early edition with Mark for Business, technology that keeps business moving. News talks, SB. That's well, good morning to you. Welcome to the program. Thank you so much for choosing us. Ryan's feeling a bit poorly, so it's me today, and Katie Bramford on the tally. So on the program, more and more politicians are pointing out the problems with the ETS scheme. We're going to talk to the Chair of Peefer and Lamb and ask whether we're starting to get back on the right track. The government finds money to compensate councils for tourism growth. We'll have the mayor of Queensland on this in 10 minutes. And good news about our education standards internationally. I'm going to ask the head of the Principles Association about what we're starting to get right. Gavin Gray out of the UK correspondence from right around New Zealand, the news is a break. And you can have your say by sending me a text, a small charge applies. It's 92.92, 7 after 5. The agenda. So today is Wednesday, the 9th of September. To the UK first, where they will ban imports

1:00from Israeli sediments in the occupied West Bank. We will take action against specific companies and individuals who provide services, such as construction, infrastructure, financing, or real estate for settlement expansion. So to those who finance or facilitate illegal settlements, let me say this, you will face the full force of UK sanctions. Meanwhile, Israel is reacted by closing the British consulate in Jerusalem and banning 11 British MPs from entering the country. A boycott of goods from Judea and Samaria is the speakable practice that harms hardworking, lower binding, sedicents. Contrary to the false claims of the Labour government, no new decisions have been made regarding development in E1. The decision was taking more than one year ago. And the tender process has been underway for about nine months. Now you hear the data at the beginning of the agenda there.

2:01Can you believe it? 25 years this week since 9-11 and the president of the United States has been speaking at a memorial service in Washington. 9-11 nearly 3,000 precious souls were stolen from us killed by evil terrorists at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and on flight 93. All of these years later we gather on another Tuesday morning in September to reaffirm the sacred vow we made a quarter of a century ago. We will never forget. We say it and we mean it. We will never forget. Meanwhile, it may be 25 years later, but newly released files show that toxic air was detected in Manhattan right after the attacks. This while officials played down the health risks. These are documents that show what the city knew about the toxic air around ground zero, when they knew it and how they acted to limit flyability. They contain details about DEP's response. They show how his bestis was found nearly everywhere

3:01that inspectors tested and they will help New Yorkers access the health care they need. Right now to the North American trade war and Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney says, ditching the United States as his biggest trading partner will come at a cost. That says Canadian tariffs are nearly $28 billion worth of US goods kicking, some as high as 50% here is County. The Canadians have faced difficult stretches before and what's carried us through has never, ever been just one measure. It's always been Canadians looking out for each other. In fact, the most powerful actions have come from you buying Canadian and traveling in Canada. Decisions taken at the kitchen table, at the boardroom table. So both sides want a deal, but the talks have stalled. And it's 10 after 5. Here it, first, Andrew Dickens on early addition with Spark for Business, technology that keeps business moving.

4:02News talk said B. So the emission trading scheme, it's got to be on its last legs, hasn't it? Yesterday, Chris Hickens said the whole thing is broken. He understands no one thinks planting trees to offset pollution is a good idea. He wants to put that on pause. And he wants the carbon price to go up, so that might force us to make real improvements to our pollution emissions. Over the last three years, national has overseeing a complete collapse in the carbon price. And here is the rub. Who actually understands this scheme? Other than it takes food land away, and it doesn't reduce emissions. Elsewhere, actors campaigning to change will leave the Paris Agreement. New Zealand First is campaigning on pulling out of the Paris Agreement. They've described it as senselessly hamstringing our economy. The National Party leader, Christopher Luxon, has ruled out abandoning the Paris Agreement pledge on trade grounds. But at the same time, he's made clear that he believes many countries won't meet their commitment and that the agreement will face a day of reckoning. That's face it. It doesn't work. The whole Shabang appears to be rickety.

5:03And worst of all, it's Max of virtue signalling, trying to do something but achieving nothing. It's been an expensive experiment to make us feel better. It has done nothing. Why am I in bridge? Andrew Dickens today, Ryan's not feeling so well now. He, Kate Ackland, is the beef and lamb New Zealand chair. And she's going to talk about the ETS system bit later on in the program. The really great news, our education standards, have lifted internationally. Now, whether it's we're doing so much better or whether the rest of the OECD is doing worse, we'll try and find out. We'll do that just before six. News talks here, B. It's 12 after five. The early edition full show podcast on I have radio. How it by News Talks at B. Before the news breaks, here at first, Andrew Dickens on early edition with Spark for Business, technology that keeps business moving. News Talks at B. 14 after five. And as I told you earlier, Labour came out yesterday. They said the ETS system is broken. They want to do something about it.

6:04They want to make polluting more expensive. They want to make sure polluters can't just cover their emissions by purchasing carbon credits and planting forests. Yes, they want to put a pause on new forestry registrations, registrations, and ban people from turning their whole farm into a pine forest. So I'm joined now by the chair of Beef and Lamb New Zealand Cade Eclim, good morning to you, Kate. Morning, Andrew. Did you like the sound of this? Because Labour have always supported the ETS scheme. Well, we do welcome the news that they're looking to put restrictions on the whole farm conversions into the ETS. I mean, we did 300,000 heat days of whole season-based farms gone to trees in the last seven years. And although the current government puts the restrictions in place, we don't think that's gone far enough. OK, so we've got all the coalition partners saying, well, look, this whole regulatory framework for pollution is rickety, as I called it. Now we've got Labour joining in as well. It's easier to say, though, in theory, rather than to do in practice. Well, I think you're exactly right.

7:05And there is reasonably widespread agreement that these ETS isn't working as it should, but it is a very difficult thing to fix. So it's a really positive first step that there's agreement on this. But in terms of how will we fix, that could take some time. Is it difficult to fix because the whole world is actually bought into it? Well, as the whole world bought into it, I think we're just sorry enough down the track. We've been enough people investing money in planting forestry. It's very hard to back out of that. I think as a first step, probably, further restrictions on what types of land can be planted for conversion and whole farm conversion would be something that would be, you know, we would welcome. And what Labour was saying yesterday is basically copy and paste after what Simon Upton the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment actually reported back with a report last month. So it's, is that a good thing that they're actually listening to the advice that's coming out from people who have looked at it very closely?

8:09Look, we did welcome that PCA report. We do think it's good. It's a same look. There was some other quite concerning things in that PCA report around methane and training methane. But in terms of the forestry piece, yes, absolutely. And do you think beef and land producers in New Zealand are getting more environmentally conscious over the years? Well, they absolutely are. I mean, we've had a 30% reduction in emissions since 1990. You know, we're amongst the most emissions-efficient farms in the world. And, you know, we're continuing to make those gains and we're making them through efficiency gains and, you know, just continually striving to be better. So I think as we look to reduce agricultural emissions, actually, stopping farming is not the way to do it. You know, and we sort of welcome this news from the Labor Party because it sounds like they are starting to recognise the importance of the agricultural sector to New Zealand's border economy. Good stuff. Kate Ackland, I thank you so much for joining us. Kate is the chair of Beef and Land New Zealand, immediate text response. One text that says, it was all criminal.

9:10Bloody pine trees everywhere on farmland. Labor and the Greens should be held to account. Well, everyone can't afford into it to be fair to Labor and the Greens. Meanwhile, the PCM report, the Parliamentary Commission for the Environment report, actually points out that there's a lot of people who are making their money out of the forestry and they're going to be a bit worried about their entire income going. So we'll wait to see what happens. Meanwhile, we've got the New Bed Tax alternative. And it's not going to hit you and I. It's going to hit international visitors. We'll look at what the government is proposing. And we're the John Glouder from Queen Sound. Thanks. It's a good idea. Having a car always feels like a bit of a battle. But in the stuffy, slow-paced world of car rentals, Snap is an illegal its own. So it's no surprise that Snap is the official car rental partner of the one New Zealand Warriors. When you rent with Snap, you're helping support the team that brings us all together.

10:10Sweet as. For your next adventure, choose a car rental company that backs our boys. Visit snaprentals.co.nz. Snap, simply better car rental. Imagine your friend tells you she's taking an innocent family trip to Greenville, South Carolina. We'll call her Emma. The trip sounds great to you. Hiking at John's Gap, dinner at Topsoil, a room at the best hotel in town. Harmless, right? Here's the thing. Emma and her family never return from Greenville. They disappear. You search for answers, but nothing adds up. Emma had a great life back home. You guys were best friends. What happened? Well, the truth is, once Emma realized she could have access to Michelin recognized restaurants, nature, local shops, and performing arts all in one place, everywhere else started to seem a little. Meh. Emma's vacation is a cautionary tale. If you're coming this way, don't forget to tell your friends and neighbors goodbye.

11:12Visit Greenville, South Carolina, but you may never want to leave. Learn more at visitgreenvillesc.com. The Early Edition full show podcast on IHAR Radio, powered by NewsTalkZIP. The news you need this morning and the in-depth analysis, Early Edition, with Adredicons and Spark for Business, technology that keeps business moving, NewsTalkZIP. Look at that. It's 5.31 already. If you're just waking up right now, Ryan's got a bit of the lurking. I'm Adredicons for this hour. Now, Nationals got an alternative to a bed tax. They're going to redirect the international visitor levee money to councils. Now, about 385 million will be handed out over four years based on visitor nights. Auckland will get 19.1 million given to them by the government in year one and Queensland likes 17.1 million. Here's Nicola. Next four years, which will come from future operating allowances.

12:13That so we can keep people on the front line at Doc doing their jobs and so we can ensure that we still have funds available to the government for strategic tourism priorities. So, joining us is John Glother, who's the mayor of Queensland? How are they, John? Yes, good morning, Andrew. So, are you pleased with this? Is it better or worse than a bed tax or at least is it something? Well, we didn't have a bed tax on office. It's something we've been advocating for for about the past 10 years. So, it's not as good as those local accommodation levee, but it's better than what we've got at the moment, which is very, very little. Yes, as Wayne Brown pointed out yesterday, the council's will get listed a bed tax. And they're also a bit worried about the fact that Wellington isn't charged of doling out the money. So, is that a rat you're prepared to swallow? Well, I mean, I think nobody really knows how many people spend a night wear around the country, so that hopefully won't consume too much angst, but obviously there's a lot of Airbnb's and I don't spend there that never make it onto any sort of government statistics.

13:14Look, I think if the money comes back to councils and we're allowed to spend it in our own way, that would be amazing. It's a good start, but it's not as much as we would have collected if we'd been looking at a local accommodation levee. Yeah, a quiz time likes gets $17.1 million. Now, what can you do with that? Oh, you can do a huge amount. I mean, when you think that our population doubles with tourism, so the 50,000 residents in the district will get another 50,000 on a busy day. So everything needs to be twice as big. So that's a waste collection, sort of how the size of your park reserves, sport halls, swimming pools. We've got some really expensive roads to maintain in our rural backcountry network. So we want to go to the root-burn tractor example. They expect the roads are going to be there. And of course, these are quite remote, expensive roads to maintain. So yeah, no shortage of options. Well, that sounds like a long list, but 17.1 million isn't a big sum. Well, no, but it's maybe 17.1 million.

14:15This is what comes out after the election. And obviously that's the if. But it's 17.1 that we wouldn't have to get from our ratepayers. True. And they're currently picking up the tab at the moment. True enough. And it's snowing down in Queensland. And I know this because all the ski fields have extended this season. So that's going to be good. Oh, it is. It's amazing. And there was a media yesterday. And the hills were just looking amazing in the background. So it's really good. We do need to spend on the infrastructure on public transport and our roading network so people can get around easily and effortlessly. Good on you. John, you live in a lovely part of the town. That is the mayor of Queensland. That is John Glover. Hey, and first things first, let's just get one thing straight as we head towards the election where tax is going to be talked about a lot. And the question is always, is a levy a tax? And the short answer is yes. A tax is a type of levy, but a levy is a broader category. A levy simply means any charge imposed and collected by an authority like the government. And when the government makes money, let's just call it a tax. A tax is a specific kind of levy.

15:16And that is a compulsory payment to the government. So of course, national is campaigning on no new taxes living by central government, but they can't get away with rebranding it as it's a levy, not a tax, because a tax is a levy in my humble opinion. New source there be is 526. The jungle drums are starting to thrum for the fast track regime. Word on the street is that legal action is coming for a number of the proposals currently before the committee. Meanwhile, there was a really fiery Auckland Council meeting yesterday, full of anger at residential fast track developers. One council that caused the whole fast track thing and existential threat, mere way brown is vowed to be a thorn on the side of subdivisions, looking to circumvent the council, and considering telling fast track developers and the people who will buy those places that it will not provide or fund basic services to them. So the problem is, I reckon, the developers are using the new system to guzzent planning rules. So fast track was designed to speed up the process of getting consents, but not to supplant the regulations

16:18currently in place. And there's been a stampede, particularly by housing developers who want quick consents, but they also want more latitude for their plans. Now, a prime example of that is the redevelopment of the Devon Port Township. The developers there have proposed a series of eight story buildings, but the unitary plan currently only allows four. And that's got locals concerned that the main road will be overwhelmed. It's very picturesque. And they'll have absolutely no say in there. The fast track is there to make the gaining of consents faster, but not to fundamentally change the plan that's currently in place. You want a success story? The ports are still on it. Whose plan was stuck in bureaucratic limbo for seven years. Now, in a matter of months, the plan has been improved. But it's still a plan that adheres to all the planning regulations in place. They didn't actually steal a march. They didn't take the Mickey. Anyway, so expect some expensive legal action as locals and, of course, councils put the spanner in the works of the developers who are trying to push the boundaries for a quick buck.

17:19New talk said B. It's not going to come into work this morning and look at what I'm going to do on the program today and go, gosh, it's full of good news. There's a new business entity that report showing more signs of economic recovery. And growth's becoming more broad-based, manufacturing back in expansion. Tourism arrivals up 9% construction forecast to hit 65% construction forecast to hit 65 billion by 2030. Unemployments expected to have peaked GDP growth forecast to near 3% by 2028. That was good. But what was really good was the education statistics that latest PISA results internationally have our 15-year-olds, 9th and reading, 10th and science, 16th and maths, all above the OECD average in all three. Good on us, eh? The results have stabilized while the OECDs continue to slide, so the question remains, are we getting better or is the rest of the world getting worse? But what they really pointed out is that the gap in New Zealand between richer and poorer QE students

18:19has narrowed. So back in the day when we had the old COVID, the poorer students were the ones who actually got hit the most in their educational standards slipped. But now those levels are starting to even up. And now it doesn't matter whether you're coming from a poor family or a rich family, you're achieving the same sort of results and that's got to be good news. So we're going to talk about this with the Head and the Principles Association just before 6 o'clock this morning. So there we go, good, good news. But I will also read some texts very shortly about this whole money from the tourist levy for the councils and what people are asking for on a text machine. Well, you can probably guess it, that's still to come. Here on Early Edition with News Talks, there be. I'll think of you forever. I'll think of you forever. Imagine your friend tells you she's taking an innocent family trip

19:19to Greenville, South Carolina. We'll call her Emma. The trip sounds great to you. Hiking at John's Gap, dinner at Topsoil, a room at the best hotel in town. Harmless, right? Here's the thing. Emma and her family never returned from Greenville. They disappear. You search for answers, but nothing adds up. Emma had a great life back home. You guys were best friends. What happened? Well, the truth is, once Emma realized she could have access to Michelin recognized restaurants, nature, local shops, and performing arts all in one place, everywhere else started to seem a little. Emma, Emma's vacation is a cautionary tale. If you're coming this way, don't forget to tell your friends and neighbors goodbye. Visit Greenville, South Carolina, but you may never want to leave. Learn more at visitgreenvillesc.com. The Early Edition Fold Show podcast on IHAR radio, powered by News Talks at B.

20:22Andrew Dickens on Early Edition with Spark for Business, technology that keeps business moving, News Talks at B. Don't be bothered. Look at me so fast. Did it take you to chase this fast? Well, the machine I'm here to look into, and for Ryan, who's not feeling so well today, Katie Braffins doing the TV. Takes through about some of the issues we covered so far. First on, Labor pausing forestry because of the ETS. Nathan points out that Ikea is the single largest forestry owner in New Zealand, 45,000 hectares under their ownership, all of it holding New Zealand carbon credits to offset their global emissions profile. And this is because New Zealand carbon credits are five times cheaper than European carbon credit pricing, and that's why we're getting so many forests. That's why everyone's saying we got to get that price up. Now to the International Visitor, Levy, Norman writes the proposed scheme to Sweden councils by giving the money from the tourist levy is a good plan. But only if the councils who already charge Airbnb renters

21:23double their rates, which is what Rotorua has been doing for the last two years. That's the problem with the bed tax. You can't figure out who's got the beds, you know, and who's got the Airbnb? That was a difficulty. The other difficulty was the people who mostly rent beds in our tourism industry are New Zealanders. Because the government doesn't want a tax New Zealanders, so there it is. But Norman finishes with something that many people have said would be nice. Of course, if these councils then reduce their rates back to normal levels. Norman, it's only $100 million for all the councils. You're not seeing that. 22 to 6. News talks at B. We're going right around the country now into Dunedin. We go for Otago News, Rosie Liesman. Good morning to you. Good morning. And I've always mentioned this with John Glover, the Queen's Town Mayor, the snow's falling. It is indeed so spring snow is giving several ski fields a strong finish to the season. Mount Hut and the Remarkables will run through to the end of the school holidays in mid-October, while Coronet Peak closes a week earlier.

22:26Could drone, though, has also extended its season by a week to October 18th. But it's a different story at Canterbury's Mount Cheesman and Craig Eburn Valley, which have closed weeks early after rain washed out their seasons. Indeed, ski chief executive Paul Anderson says snow cover is now the best it's been all season, but ski numbers are still slightly down on last year because of the late start. He sees Australian visitors have made up a significant share of those on the slopes, while numbers from Auckland are also lower than usual. Well, I'm coming down in a week and a half. Can I always come down for that week? Have been for 30 years, so I can't wait. How is the weather? It's mainly fine today with some possible morning frosts, cloud increasing in the afternoon with rain developing late evening, north-westerlies turning south-westerly and a high of 15 degrees. And I thank you. And Kalea Sherwood joins us from Christchurch. Helikler. Hello. We had a helicopter crash in North Canterbury last night. What's the story? Yeah, this is tragic. A pilot died after a helicopter crash

23:27near a North Canterbury Ero drone at around 530 last night. Emergency services were called to the area of air well in Waimakariti. Now light was quickly disappearing given the timing of this. So responders were scouring the wreckage and the paddock around it with torches. Police said the pilot, who was the sole occupant died at the scene. Other media are this morning reporting that the chopper may have been home-built. The civil aviation authority, of course, has been notified. They will attend this morning as some further recovery work is undertaken as part of the investigation. How's your weather? Areas of morning, low cloud and frost, but otherwise should clear to find north-east-westerlies turning light in north-west and a high of 16. To Wellington, we go max toll. Good morning to you. Good morning. So there's pressure on the council infrastructure boss to front up and talk about what a wild success has regime has been. Yeah, actually, but yes, this is in regard to the more points of wastewater debacle article in the Herald. We just had a crown review into what happened. There's a big press conference, the Mayor Acting Chief Executive fronted.

24:28We had reporters there. We noticed the council's infrastructure boss, Jenny Chetwind, was not there, apparently, has been on holiday for some weeks, like the chief executive himself. Digging deeper into this report, it notes Chetwind was neither available to be interviewed for the investigation, which obviously made it a more challenging endeavor for the crown team. Written comments provided, not much use, heightened the risk of the crown team misunderstanding what happened. Just to go back a bit in 2020, a report into Wellington water recommended a chief infrastructure role be created in the first place. So we're going in circles a bit here. That's how Chetwind came to be paid her salary of several hundred thousand dollars a year. The report now, on more point, says the role has not been improving engagement, transparency with Wellington water, now Tiakiwai, etc. Instead, that's remained in a hands of less senior staff, quite an indictment. This may seem like picking on one person, but that is the problem. These reports end up offering us ratepayers only vague platitudes and bureaucratic language that criticize everyone, and yet no one, and never get to the root of the issue.

25:30Good on you, Max. Don't hold back, Max. Hey, how's the weather today? Mainly fine. Mainly fine, later Wednesday 13. Very good to walk and we go, and neither let them man a good morning to you. Good morning. So the all-considered council is really don't like the fast track thing. Yes, so what's happened now is that the council is they voted unanimously, Andrew, to investigate ways to tell those planning fast track developments they aren't wanted. So the council's considering telling fast track developers and also future residents, it won't provide all-fund basic services. Now, staff have taken legal advice on ways for the council and also related arms like water care to take a united view and stance on the project. So among the resolutions passed, staff's going to look at powers available to ensure that council can recover the greatest possible share of capital in operating costs of an unanticipated growth. You still with me? Yeah, no, not really. What they don't like is these guys are actually changing the plans. And they spent years making a plan

26:32and then they go, oh, yeah, who needs toilets? And they're not happy about that. And I can see why. No, no, so they're investigating ways and then they're looking at more advice and it also wants advice, advice on the advice on whether to reduce the service level. So yeah, that's all of that. How's it going? Fine, fine apart from areas of early fog, just a chance of a share in the afternoon. Still warm, no 17, the high here in Auckland. And I think you need it now talking about planning. I was reading the Sydney Morning Herald yesterday and the new South Wales government has unveiled draft plans to reshape Sydney with high rise towers, around 34 stories, high around Edgecliffe and the new Wallara station. And this is just to the use of the city. This is going to enable nine and a half thousand new homes over 20 years, seven new parks, nine kilometres of walking and cycling tracks. Add a new Wallara local centre. 40% of the homes would sit within 200 metres of rail because they say that's important. The Wallara station opening in 2029 and the rezoning aims to let private developers build taller dense projects without the council having to go out and do compulsory land acquisition. Anyway, it all sounds very familiar, doesn't it?

27:34To what's being debated in Auckland and Wellington and Hamilton and Christchurch lately. And the rub of all of this is that, Wallara, if you know Wallara, just to the east of the city, it's actually very pleasant. It's quite low rise. There's a lot of those heritage quality things, a lot of pattington houses there. And no one living there now is happy with the plans of that cityside paradise being intensified. All sounds very familiar, doesn't it? Now, Harry and Megan have not been given a happy welcome home by the King more on that to come with Gavin Gray. And also, the UK is cracking down on Israel. It is 16 to 6. Imagine your friend tells you she's taking an innocent family trip to Greenville, South Carolina. We'll call her Emma. The trip sounds great to you. Hiking at John's Gabb, dinner at Topsoil, a room at the best hotel in town. Harmless, right? Here's the thing. Emma and her family never returned from Greenville. They disappear. You search for answers, but nothing adds up.

28:34Emma had a great life back home. You guys were best friends. What happened? Well, the truth is, once Emma realized she could have access to Michelin recognized restaurants, nature, local shops, and performing arts, all in one place, everywhere else started to seem a little. Meh. Emma's vacation is a cautionary tale. If you're coming this way, don't forget to tell your friends and neighbors goodbye. Visit Greenville, South Carolina, but you may never want to leave. Learn more at visit GreenvilleSC.com. International correspondents with ins and eye insurance, peace of mind for New Zealand business. There we go. New numbers on how students are comparing with the risk of the world and it's very good news. And we'll have an interview about that in a couple of minutes time but first to Gavin Gray in the UK and Europe. Hello, Gavin. Hi there, Andrew. So, France and Canada and now the UK, they're cracking down on Israel's actions in the West Bank and in Gaza.

29:36Yes, it's not going down very well with Israel. But first of all, the UK has announced sanctions that have gone much further than expected and certainly a lot further than they might have done under our previous Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer. So the sanctions are against companies and individuals who provide services for settlement expansion. And also the refusal of license applications for arms that contribute to the occupation. The language used was really quite startling. The Foreign Secretary, Ed Miliband, said that what is going on in the West Bank amounts to ethnic cleansing. That's something that really ministers would not have said before. Now, Israel has shot back the foreign minister, Gideon, Sar said, right, okay, we're going to close the British consulate in Jerusalem. We're going to remove British representatives from the International Gaza Support Center in southern Israel and terminate British activities to train Palestinian Authority forces and also denial of entry to Israel for 12 British MPs

30:37and other representatives. So that's what they're shooting back on. But this seems to be the start, I think of a big and fairly significant move by this government to really, really crack down and try and put the pressure on Israel. Now, meanwhile, King Charles hasn't really put out the welcome mat for Harry and Megan, who's come home. Indeed, not no quite a surprise this. So all of a sudden the letter went out to the representatives of the king, but also to other people as well, basically saying that while Prince Harry and Megan are back in the UK, they are here as private citizens and not working royals. Now that means they cannot use the titles his and her role, Highness. They remain private citizens and any visits and any official things they go to are not royally official. They are doing so in their private capacity. And now it's materialized that despite saying, oh, and Megan and Harry knew about this, Megan and Harry say, we didn't know about it

31:38until shortly before that letter went out and they said to be slightly surprised by it. But I think this is the king definitely setting out a few of his own red lines not to try and get the public into confusing an official role visit that say Prince William might be conducting and an unofficial one like Prince Harry might be conducting and to put that clear water between the pair. This is all no doubt part of the agreements and discussions about Megan and Harry moving back to the UK. But yeah, lots of eyebrows being raised about, did he really did the kings and the officials really not involve Harry and Megan in this letter earlier than one hour before it was released? Anyway, it doesn't look like all those family rifts have Andrew yet to be resolved. Well, I think the king is worried that Harry's going to turn up to an event and he's going to continue to do some backpockets sort of stuff and he doesn't want to end him because William doesn't do that either. Gavin, I thank you so much. It is 10 to 6. News talk said B. Once of good news as you wake up this morning,

32:39we've got the numbers out on how students are comparing with the rest of the world. It's the piece of stuff and it is good. According to that, piece of report looks like we've done a lot to close the gap from our results in 2022 in science. We're better than the OECD average. We're making games and maths and science. And much of that seems to be maybe the rest of the world is getting a bit worse, but at the same time, maybe we're getting a bit better. So what is happening? Steve McCracken is the chair of the Secondary Principles Association and joins in now. Good morning to you, Steve. Good morning, Andrew. How are you? Good, what did you take from the results? Is the rest of the world getting worse? Or are we actually getting better? Well, the data says that the rest of the world's getting worse, isn't it? So, yeah, that's a little bit concerning and a global perspective. However, it's really pleasing to see that we have maintained our current scores and percentages that the students have achieved since 2022. So that's a real positive for my people. Well, are we better or not? I think we have maintained. I wouldn't say we're better, but I think that it's pleasing in terms of the rest of the world's declining

33:40and we have maintained. So, yeah, I think that there's a positive to take from that. So the minister will be claiming that we've had a turnaround if we were just still at the same level, but the rest of the world has got worse, was that actually a turnaround? I wouldn't say personally, it's a complete turnaround, but it's a real positive sign. It's a sign that our teachers have worked really hard. And yeah, I think that there's some real positives that we can take out of there, particularly in the improvement and in the disadvantaged students in particularly in science. Well, that's true. That's what I like the most about it because during COVID, of course, they were the ones that were impacted the most. When you look at the rest of the world as well, there's economic headwinds there, and maybe that is affecting them. We're affected by the same headwinds, but it's not affecting us. So that's the good news that our poor accounts are doing better. Fundamentally, and how good is that? It's so good to see that Gap is potentially not getting as big as the rest of the world, but there's still some work to do as well as in the Andrew. I think that we should be in that top team countries

34:41in the world in this particular testing score. And yeah, we've got some real works that we still will in the next few years. Steve, I thank you for your time today. That is Steve McCracken, who is the Secondary Principles Association Chair. Five countries had scores similar to New Zealand, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Finland, and the States. 77 countries had science scores lower than us, including Sweden, Germany, and Norway. Seven countries scored significantly higher than us. China, of course. New Zealand has a simple ranking of 10th amongst all the participating countries in pizza, but that doesn't mean the mean score is actually not that much different from the eighth ranked United Kingdom and the 13th ranked United States. So if I was going to be a teacher giving this a mark, it would probably be a C plus, more work to do. News and views, you trust to start your day. It's early edition with Adredicons, and Spark for Business, technology that keeps business moving, news talks at B.

35:43Okay, I've changed my mind, not a C plus, I'm going to give it a B minus, tending towards a B. We are certainly holding our own and the rest of the world is going backwards. Here's a text from Karl. He thought that criticism of the improvements was perhaps politically motivated, but he does say now that we have a decent education system again under the National Party Coalition. This is good, and he wants to talk about his nephew, was struggling to read and struggling to do best, and now he's up at the average where he should be for his age. So that is a good thing, and it is nice to wake up to that sort of stuff, and it's nice to wake up to Mike Hosking, a judge. I reckon it is too. What did you conclude out of that? I couldn't work out with the word. We have certainly held our own, so we're holding our own in a slipping world. In a slipping world, and it's all about inequity in that the poorer, the poorer are not educating very well. So the rest of the world's got it, but poorer, so they're saddened as a stomach. I'm not sure whether that's good or not. I don't know. Going nowhere in a world that's getting worse is,

36:45well look, there's eighth, which is the UK, and then there's 13th of it's United States, and we are 10th right now, and then right at the top is China, which is only four provinces that actually do the piece of stuff, and they are miles ahead of us. Yeah. Anyway, Eric is standing on that. This morning, warriors have sold out, so we'll talk to Cameron George about that. I mean, selling out is not really a thing, isn't it? No, no, no. But how many people were so angry yesterday when the tickets sold out in minutes, and they're members, and they can't get in, because the ground is 25,000. But what do you do? If you need a 50,000, see to study. They'll be going there. They'll be going, it's a funny story. They keep, it's a weird story here. No one wants to say they're going to eat in part, but in Australia, if you read the Australian media, they're going to eat in part. It's already done deal. Are you talking to Cameron George? Yes, talking to Cameron George. So we'll do all of that in more, and politics, where's they? Well, you are, to write. Fantastic, sir. Good to have you back. Good to see you. It's still healthy. See you tomorrow, maybe. I don't know. Thank you to producer Kenzie. The weather is good for the cold. The frillers. The weather is good for the frillers.

37:46The weather is good for the cold. The frillers.