/on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/rss ob体育接口 Wellingtonians now have the chance to discuss the issues of the day one-on-one with proud local Nick Mills and have a forum to share their ideas, passions Thu, 01 May 2025 00:51:34 Z en /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/politics-thursday-ginny-andersen-and-mike-butterick-talk-aratere-budget-and-prisoners-voting/ /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/politics-thursday-ginny-andersen-and-mike-butterick-talk-aratere-budget-and-prisoners-voting/ Kiwirail has announced the Interislander Aratere will be retired – leaving us with just two ferries until new ones arrive in 2029. Can the country cope with a reduced ferry fleet? Also, Finance Minister Nicola Willis has given herself barely any new money this budget,  and most of the money she has got has already been spent. Are we likely to see substantial cuts? To answer those questions, Labour's police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and National's Wairarapa MP Mike Butterick joined Nick Mills for Politics Thursday. LISTEN ABOVE Thu, 01 May 2025 00:50:14 Z /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/boh-runga-stellars-lead-singer-on-the-upcoming-atomic-20-gig-in-wellington/ /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/boh-runga-stellars-lead-singer-on-the-upcoming-atomic-20-gig-in-wellington/ There’s a very exciting gig coming up in Wellington next week.  Atomic 2.0 will see an all-women group of Kiwi music stars performing the hits of some of history’s greatest female artists, including Blondie, Eurythmics, Pretenders, Patti Smith, Garbage, Alanis Morissette, Hole, Joan Jett and more. Atomic 2.0 is made up of Vera Allen, Julia Deans, Diane Swann and Boh Runga - all acclaimed Kiwi artists in their own right.  Runga, the lead singer of Stellar, joined Nick Mills to discuss the concert.  LISTEN ABOVE Wed, 30 Apr 2025 01:22:45 Z /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/josh-thomson-comedian-ahead-of-his-nz-international-comedy-fest-show-old-mate/ /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/josh-thomson-comedian-ahead-of-his-nz-international-comedy-fest-show-old-mate/ Wellington is in for a month full of laughs as the New Zealand International Comedy Festival returns for another year.  There are more than 150 shows across the month, including renowned New Zealand comedian Josh Thomson and his show Old Mate.  Thomson, as seen on 7 Days, Taskmaster NZ, The Project and the Australian adaption of The Office, told Nick Mills the show is about how he is slowly finding himself becoming an old man - far from the young buck he used to be.  The show comes to Wellington on the 15th and 16th of May at Te Auaha. Tickets from comedyfestival.co.nz.  LISTEN ABOVE Tue, 29 Apr 2025 21:31:01 Z /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/nick-mills-what-is-tory-whanaus-legacy-as-wellington-mayor/ /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/nick-mills-what-is-tory-whanaus-legacy-as-wellington-mayor/ OPINION Tory Whanau has said no. She's said no to standing for Wellington mayor for the three terms she always said she’d run for. She's out; she's thrown in the towel. We won't get the exciting election campaign of Tory Whanau v Andrew Little, which I must say I was looking forward to. And I’ll be honest; I wanted her to run. I wanted to know if Wellington as a city really believes in the green idealisms she promotes. This election was going to tell me whether it was a flash in the pan or whether it was real. But Tory has pulled out. What I can't quite work out is why this was announced on the same day that she stood on Courtenay Place with her brand new Bunnings shovel, digging up the ground to celebrate the start of the Golden Mile redevelopment works. Clearly, the hole she dug was simply too big. She couldn't climb out of it. Tory says her decision not to run is a better outcome for everybody involved. She now wants to run for the Māori ward on council. She also told the Herald this morning she’d like to be a government Minister one day. You can make your own mind up on that one. Now there have been rumours around Tory pulling out for a while now. Firstly, the rumour was she was going to pull out to let Justin Lester have a crack. Then Andrew Little stepped out of the shadows, and the rest is history. So now all we can do is reflect on her legacy. And what a legacy it is. Tory will always talk about the Golden Mile and her ambition to get the work underway. She’ll always mention the amount of work the council has done on our pipes. She’ll mention her fight to upgrade the council's social housing, and of course she'll praise her work on building the cycleways that split the city in more ways than one. She told me she rates her mayoralty a nine out of ten. But that’s her saying those things. Wellington as a city will reflect on some more colourful aspects of her leadership. The drinking; Whanau admitted to being a bit tipsy when she left The Old Quarter restaurant without paying her bill, and how can we forget the alleged 'do you know who I am' comment. Who will forget Whanau bringing her dog into the council office. That was a no no. And in November 2023 she publicly acknowledged having an alcohol problem following a drunken incident at a bar. Then there was that interview on Wellington Mornings that made national news. Whanau, who earns $180,000 a year, mentioned she was selling her car to help pay her bills. She later admitted that the car had been sold months earlier, and her comments were supposedly taken out of context. But that’s her personal legacy. What’s her political legacy? Well she pushed the terrible Reading Cinema deal that was going to cost Wellington City Council $32 million in a corporate welfare deal. That failed. She advocated for the sale of the Wellington City Council’s 34% stake in the Wellington International Airport. That failed. She got her Bunnings shovel out yesterday to dig up the Golden Mile, but most contracts still haven’t been signed and it may never fully go ahead. I think it's fair to say most people in this city feel Wellington has gone backwards in the last three years. That’s her legacy. Personally, I have always had a good relationship with Tory. Yes, she cut her connections with our programme. She felt it wasn't talking to her people, and she probably thought I was too tough on her. But we got along. I respected her, and while I didn’t like a lot of what she did as mayor, she was a character. I did like the fact we had a character as mayor. Unfortunately for us, it went too far. We started to be the butt of everybody's jokes. Her decision yesterday is a bad good thing for Wellington. I’m sad we won’t have an exciting race or a strong contest of ideas. But it means the city is guaranteed a new direction - something a lot of us have wanted for a long time. LISTEN ABOVE Tue, 29 Apr 2025 00:14:02 Z /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/tory-whanau-wellington-mayor-on-her-term-dropping-her-bid-andrew-littles-run-for-mayor/ /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/tory-whanau-wellington-mayor-on-her-term-dropping-her-bid-andrew-littles-run-for-mayor/ Tory Whanau is bowing out of Wellington's mayoral race.  The incumbent's confirmed she'll instead stand for the council's Māori ward seat to give former Labour Leader Andrew Little a clear run.  She says Little will do a good job, and she hopes people see her withdrawal as a gracious move.  Whanau told Nick Mills she had to consider what was going to deliver the best outcomes for Wellington, and that meant shifting to running for council.  She says she’ll still very much be there fighting for Wellington.  Whanau says that while she does have a few regrets from her term as Mayor, she’s mostly proud of what she’s done. When asked to rate her performance, she gave herself a high score.   “If I look back on what I campaigned on, what I said I would deliver to the city, you know, I’d give myself a 9/10.   LISTEN ABOVE  Mon, 28 Apr 2025 22:31:17 Z /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/beehive-buzz-azaria-howell-on-irds-family-boost-blunder-and-questions-over-police-fitness-tests/ /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/beehive-buzz-azaria-howell-on-irds-family-boost-blunder-and-questions-over-police-fitness-tests/ The Government has admitted the number of families it said would be eligible for the full $75 a week benefit of its flagship childcare tax policy was wrong.  The government said 21,000 families would be eligible - but just 249 families had received the full entitlement since the policy came into force last year. So who is responsible for the blunder?  Also, police have launched a wide-ranging investigation of hundreds of police recruit applicants after learning some prospective cops who failed physical tests got approval to start police college anyway. How many officers are impacted? To answer those questions, Newstalk ob体育接口 political reporter Azaria Howell joined Nick Mills for the Beehive Buzz.  LISTEN ABOVE Mon, 28 Apr 2025 00:39:18 Z /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/business-panel-working-style-boss-chris-dobbs-and-tommys-real-estate-ceo-ben-castle/ /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/business-panel-working-style-boss-chris-dobbs-and-tommys-real-estate-ceo-ben-castle/ Businesses in the capital city are still feeling glum - Westpac's latest survey has found Wellington has the lowest business confidence of any region in the country. With interest rates dropping and spending increasing, when will confidence return?  Also, Wellington mayor Tory Whanau has officially turned the sod at the first tranche of Golden Mile works this morning. How will the plan affect businesses? To answer those questions, Working Style director Chris Dobbs and Tommy's Real Estate CEO Ben Castle joined Nick Mills for the Business Panel.  LISTEN ABOVE Mon, 28 Apr 2025 00:30:52 Z /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/thursday-faceoff-fleur-fitzsimons-and-brigitte-morten-discuss-the-definition-of-a-woman-and-pope-francis/ /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/thursday-faceoff-fleur-fitzsimons-and-brigitte-morten-discuss-the-definition-of-a-woman-and-pope-francis/ New Zealand First has introduced a member's bill to Parliament which would define in law what a woman is - but is this really necessary?  Also, Pope Francis has died at the age of 88. What's his legacy, and what do you hope to see in the next Pope? To answer those questions, PSA national secretary and former Wellington City Councillor Fleur Fitzsimons and Franks Ogilvie director and political commentator Brigitte Morten joined Nick Mills for Thursday Faceoff - moved forward due to ANZAC Day.  LISTEN ABOVE Thu, 24 Apr 2025 02:38:32 Z /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/kevin-arlidge-wellington-rsa-president-on-the-significance-of-anzac-day/ /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/kevin-arlidge-wellington-rsa-president-on-the-significance-of-anzac-day/ Tomorrow marks 110 years since Australian and New Zealand troops landed on the shores of Gallipoli, Turkey. A total of 2709 New Zealand soldiers lost their lives - and countless more were injured.  Memorial services will be held across the Wellington region to remember those who served in the New Zealand armed forces.  To discuss the plans, Wellington RSA president and retired army Colonel Kevin Arlidge joined Nick Mills.  LISTEN ABOVE Thu, 24 Apr 2025 02:31:03 Z /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/give-way-the-musical-dave-armstrong-and-bronwyn-turei-on-the-latest-play-to-hit-circa-theatre/ /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/give-way-the-musical-dave-armstrong-and-bronwyn-turei-on-the-latest-play-to-hit-circa-theatre/ It's an unusual topic to base a musical on; the change of a road rule.  But that's exactly what Give Way The Musical does, putting a satirical spin on the 2012 change to the 'give way' law.  The story follows idealistic Sophie who, wanting to make the world a better place, joins the Ministry of Transport. She seizes on fixing New Zealand’s 'give way' rule, but not everyone’s keenon a change. A protest movement gathers, the sides go to war, and dirty tactics begin. The musical is produced by renowned New Zealand playwright Dave Armstrong, and stars Bronwyn Turei, as seen in Go Girls and The Brokenwood Mysteries, who also took out Actor of the Year at last year's Wellington Theatre Awards.  Dave and Bronwyn joined Nick Mills to discuss the performance, opening at Circa Theatre this week and running until May 24.  LISTEN ABOVE Wed, 23 Apr 2025 00:44:11 Z /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/music-time-how-to-tell-a-dodgy-concert-promoter-from-a-reputable-one/ /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/music-time-how-to-tell-a-dodgy-concert-promoter-from-a-reputable-one/ There's been a string of concerts cancelled across the country this year, with some concert-goers unable to access refunds after the promoters entered liquidation.  So how do you keep your money safe, and how can you tell a reputable promoter from a potentially dodgy one?  Wellington Mornings' music man James Irwin joined Nick Mills for Music Time. LISTEN ABOVE Tue, 22 Apr 2025 00:33:21 Z /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/thursday-faceoff-nick-leggett-and-maddy-burgess-smith-talk-andrew-little-wellington-water-and-trust-in-media/ /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/thursday-faceoff-nick-leggett-and-maddy-burgess-smith-talk-andrew-little-wellington-water-and-trust-in-media/ Former Labour leader and Cabinet minister Andrew Little finally announced this week he is running to be the city's mayor. Is he automatically the hot favourite?  Also, we learnt this week that Wellington Water received a report in 2021 outlining many of the concerns around spending identified in the most recent report. But this report was seemingly lost - or ignored. How on earth does this happen? To answer those questions, Nick was joined by former Porirua mayor and Wellington Water chair Nick Leggett, and Iron Duke Partners senior consultant Maddy Burgess Smith for Thursday Faceoff, ahead of a long Easter weekend.  LISTEN ABOVE Thu, 17 Apr 2025 00:45:28 Z /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/andrew-little-wellington-mayoral-candidate-says-city-needs-urgent-change/ /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/andrew-little-wellington-mayoral-candidate-says-city-needs-urgent-change/ Former Labour leader Andrew Little has today confirmed he will stand for the Wellington mayoralty in the upcoming local body elections. Little said he is standing for mayor because Wellington needs “urgent change” and “serious leadership”. “I’m confident I can win,” he said today. He had previously ruled out throwing his hat in the ring but has revealed this morning that he wants to “end the chaos at council” which he believed he had the experience to do. He wanted to return the council to “what it should be doing” and serving the people. Little says he’s been approached by “quite a cross-section” of Wellingtonians asking him to run. “Obviously Labour people but also National Party, Green Party people, community leaders, business people.” He said the city was in a fragile state and believed some major projects could be reconsidered. “We need to make sure what we are doing isn’t causing disruption at a particularly sensitive time.” The first phase of the Golden Mile project was scheduled to start this month, but Little suggested further work could be deferred. “For the remainder of the project, I’m not saying don’t do it, what I am saying is let’s have a think about when it might be best to do that.” The city needed to recover, he said. Little’s main priorities have been listed as investing in parks, swimming pools and libraries, prioritising cheaper transport and housing development, supporting small businesses, taking action on climate and honouring the Treaty. He said it was clear to him that Wellington “is in trouble”. He highlighted the city’s cost of living crisis, public service cuts and the council being “out of touch” as three of the major issues facing Wellington residents. He said he wants to do away with “regressive” policies like asset sales, closure of community facilities and “millions of dollars in corporate welfare for an international cinema owner”. “My focus as mayor will be getting the best for Wellington. That means being able to work constructively with the Government in the city’s interests and it means standing up to the Beehive when needed. It means being clear in my Labour values but always working across political lines to be a mayor for all of Wellington.” “This council [has] on the block a number of community facilities like the Khandallah pool, like Begonia House - those things should be our priorities, they’re certainly my priorities. Those are the things that strengthen communities and make a city.“ He said the recent rates rises were “not acceptable” and making the city unaffordable, and thought the council needed a “much tighter grip on council finances”. While he believed cycleways were a good thing some routes had been poorly executed. He said his track record showed he was able to work with people from across the political spectrum. “We all love this city. We’re creative, we’re full of talent, we’re diverse, and we’re a place where people from all walks of life can feel included and make a home. “Wellington is the place I chose with my wife Leigh to raise our family and there’s nowhere else we would rather be.” He has submitted his nomination seeking the Wellington Labour Party’s support for his mayoral campaign and a formal campaign launch will follow in the coming weeks. Little entered Parliament in 2011 and was leader of the Labour Party and leader of the Opposition from 2014 to 2017. Little was a senior minister under former prime ministers Dame Jacinda Ardern and Chris Hipkins. Candidates who have confirmed plans to run for the mayoralty are Tory Whanau, councillor Ray Chung, businessman Karl Tiefenbacher, conservationist Kelvin Hastie, Wellington Live owner Graham Bloxham and former city councillor Rob Goulden. The election will be held on October 11. Little joined Nick Mills to discuss his candidacy.  LISTEN ABOVE Wed, 16 Apr 2025 00:55:10 Z /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/business-panel-wellington-is-a-talent-repellant-tech-ceo-says/ /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/business-panel-wellington-is-a-talent-repellant-tech-ceo-says/ A successful Wellington business owner says if he were starting again today, he wouldn't start his business in Wellington.  "Whether you should do it in Wellington though, I would say no. I think Wellington is actually talent repellent system at the moment," Raygun founder John-Daniel Trask told Nick Mills.  "We’ve had people in our own organisation who have left and said I’m going to places like Auckland because they are so tired – their own words – of the abject wokeness that is in this city."  Trask's business sells software that monitors other software for faults, with 93% of its customers based overseas. The company employs 25 staff in Wellington.  Also joining Trask was Jugnu's Little India founder Jugnu Gill.  Gill owns three of the Indian restaurants across Wellington, having opened his first restaurant in the city in 1997.  "Wellington is not in good shape. There are very few places that are doing really well in Wellington at the moment," Gill said.  LISTEN ABOVE Mon, 14 Apr 2025 00:50:28 Z /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/beehive-buzz-is-there-a-spat-between-christopher-luxon-and-winston-peters/ /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/beehive-buzz-is-there-a-spat-between-christopher-luxon-and-winston-peters/ Foreign Minister Winston Peters has been in Hawaii this week, where he gave a speech discussing the United States tariffs on the rest of the world.  But in that speech he criticised use of the term "trade war" - despite Prime Minister Christopher Luxon using the term himself.  It also comes after Luxon had a number of conversations with world leaders. Peters said the pair hadn’t discussed Luxon’s speech or his calls with world leaders ahead of time: “So I hope that he’ll get my message and he’ll call me next time”. Is there a row brewing between the pair? Newstalk ob体育接口 chief political reporter Sophie Trigger joined Nick Mills for the Beehive Buzz.  LISTEN ABOVE Mon, 14 Apr 2025 00:43:01 Z /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/friday-faceoff-mark-sainsbury-and-bryce-edwards-talk-treaty-principles-bill-andrew-little-and-the-chase-nz/ /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/friday-faceoff-mark-sainsbury-and-bryce-edwards-talk-treaty-principles-bill-andrew-little-and-the-chase-nz/ David Seymour's Treaty Principles Bill is dead and buried - but was it worth having the conversation as a country?  Also, former Labour leader Andrew Little says he is considering running to be Wellington's next mayor. Would he be right for the job?  And TVNZ has confirmed production of a four-episode New Zealand version of The Chase. Who should host it? To answer those questions, Integrity Institute director Dr Bryce Edwards and broadcaster Mark Sainsbury joined Nick Mills for Friday Faceoff. LISTEN ABOVE Fri, 11 Apr 2025 01:16:42 Z /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/friday-sport-kickoff-can-the-hurricanes-top-the-crusaders-at-sky-stadium-tonight/ /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/friday-sport-kickoff-can-the-hurricanes-top-the-crusaders-at-sky-stadium-tonight/ The Hurricanes take on the Crusaders at Sky Stadium tonight - a spectacle that will include fireworks for the first time at Sky Stadium in a decade. What can we expect from the game - and might we see a big crowd? Also, the Wellington Saints are at the top of the table after beating Southland last night. Who are the stars?  Newstalk ob体育接口 Weekend Sport host Jason Pine and All Sport Breakfast host Adam Cooper joined Nick Mills for the Friday Sport Kickoff. LISTEN ABOVE Fri, 11 Apr 2025 01:09:59 Z /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/politics-thursday-ayesha-verrall-and-tim-costley-debate-defence-organised-crime-and-treaty-principles-bill/ /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/politics-thursday-ayesha-verrall-and-tim-costley-debate-defence-organised-crime-and-treaty-principles-bill/ The government has announced $12 billion of funding for the Defence Force as part of it's new capability plan - but where will the money come from?  Also, a new report from a the Ministerial advisory group says NZ is losing the fight against organised crime, with Customs "swimming against the tide" as meth use doubles. How do we better fight organised crime? To answer those questions, Labour's health and Wellington issues spokeswoman Ayesha Verrall and National's Otaki MP Tim Costley joined Nick Mills for Politics Thursday.  LISTEN ABOVE  Thu, 10 Apr 2025 02:30:31 Z /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/campbell-barry-lower-hutt-mayor-on-his-decision-not-to-stand-for-re-election/ /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/campbell-barry-lower-hutt-mayor-on-his-decision-not-to-stand-for-re-election/ Lower Hutt mayor Campbell Barry has announced he’s not seeking reelection after two terms as mayor of Hutt City.  Barry was first elected as Mayor in 2019 at 28, making him New Zealand’s youngest-ever elected mayor of a city.  He joined Nick Mills to discuss his decision, and his legacy as mayor.  LISTEN ABOVE Thu, 10 Apr 2025 02:26:28 Z /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/wahine-disaster-57-years-on-from-wellingtons-darkest-day/ /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/wahine-disaster-57-years-on-from-wellingtons-darkest-day/ It was on April 10th 1968, as Cyclone Giselle was bearing down on Wellington, that the Interisland ferry Wahine ran aground on Barrett Reef.  A total of 52 passengers died, while rescuers - both professional and amateur - saved the lives of just under 700 others found in the harbour or along it's shores.  Wellington Mornings dug into the archives and found reporting from the day.  LISTEN ABOVE Thu, 10 Apr 2025 02:24:39 Z /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/chris-hipkins-labour-leader-says-andrew-little-would-be-a-very-good-wellington-mayor/ /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/chris-hipkins-labour-leader-says-andrew-little-would-be-a-very-good-wellington-mayor/ Labour leader Chris Hipkins has thrown his support behind Andrew Little as the former party leader mulls a run for the Wellington mayoralty. Speaking to Nick Mills today, Hipkins said Little is a “top bloke” and would be a “very, very good option for Wellingtonians”. “He’s both a leader and a capable manager and I think Wellington city needs both at the moment,” Hipkins said. “No one can doubt Andrew’s left-wing credentials, he’s a true Labour Party stalwart.” He also discussed the government's new Defence Capability Plan, his party's standings in the polls and the fight against organised crime. LISTEN ABOVE Wed, 09 Apr 2025 00:35:54 Z /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/jared-savage-investigative-journalist-and-author-on-nzs-fight-against-organised-crime/ /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/jared-savage-investigative-journalist-and-author-on-nzs-fight-against-organised-crime/ A new report from the Ministerial advisory group on organised crime says New Zealand is losing the fight, with Customs "swimming against the tide" and some stakeholders raising concerns about people in influential positions being corrupted.  How bad really is organised crime in New Zealand - and what can be down to crack down on it? NZ Herald investigative reporter and bestselling author Jared Savage joined Nick Mills to discuss the issue.  LISTEN ABOVE Wed, 09 Apr 2025 00:18:16 Z /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/music-time-who-are-this-years-aotearoa-music-award-finalists/ /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/music-time-who-are-this-years-aotearoa-music-award-finalists/ The list of finalists for this year's Aotearoa Music Awards is out - and while there's fewer household names than in previous years, there's plenty of finalists who are making waves overseas. Who are they?  Also, an international pop star of the 1980s has announced he is on his way to Wellington this year - who is it?  Wellington Mornings' music man James Irwin joined Nick Mills for Music Time.  LISTEN ABOVE Tue, 08 Apr 2025 00:54:07 Z /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/beehive-buzz-what-happens-next-with-the-treaty-principles-bill/ /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/beehive-buzz-what-happens-next-with-the-treaty-principles-bill/ The Treaty Principles Bill could return to Parliament's order paper for its doomed second reading this week, after the select committee considering the bill recommended it be voted down. Are we likely to see the Prime Minister in the house to speak against the bill? Also, the government has released its secondly quarterly action plan. What are the surprises on the list? Newstalk ob体育接口 political editor Jason Walls joined Nick Mills for the Beehive Buzz.  LISTEN ABOVE Mon, 07 Apr 2025 00:20:17 Z /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/friday-faceoff-justin-lester-and-jason-walls-talk-trumps-tariffs-benjamin-doyle-and-suspicious-deaths-in-the-capital/ /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/friday-faceoff-justin-lester-and-jason-walls-talk-trumps-tariffs-benjamin-doyle-and-suspicious-deaths-in-the-capital/ Wellington has seen five suspicious deaths in around two weeks; a daylight shooting in Featherston, a man found dead on a footpath in Miramar, a suspected murder-suicide of a couple in Roseneath, and a person found dead in Northland. But do these sorts of crimes shock us like they used to?  Also, all New Zealand exports to the United States will be stung with a 10% tariff, announced by President Donald Trump as part of his "liberation day" announcement. How will this impact NZ, and should we be grateful it's only 10 per cent?  To answer those questions, former Wellington mayor Justin Lester and Newstalk ob体育接口 political editor Jason Walls joined Nick for the Beehive Buzz. LISTEN ABOVE Fri, 04 Apr 2025 01:41:51 Z /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/friday-sport-kickoff-jason-pine-and-adam-cooper-talk-hurricanes-v-blues-wellington-saints-narrow-win/ /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/friday-sport-kickoff-jason-pine-and-adam-cooper-talk-hurricanes-v-blues-wellington-saints-narrow-win/ The Hurricanes take on the Blues at Eden Park in Auckland this weekend - and while its not a do-or-die game, the Hurricanes are in desperate need of a win. What can we expect? Also, the Wellington Saints went from a 26-point lead over the Franklin Bulls in the third quarter to winning by just six points at the end of the match. How did they perform?  Newstalk ob体育接口 Weekend Sport host Jason Pine and All Sport Breakfast host Adam Cooper joined Nick Mills for the Friday Sport Kickoff.  LISTEN ABOVE Fri, 04 Apr 2025 00:21:17 Z /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/politics-thursday-ayesha-verrall-and-tim-costley-talk-tariffs-ferries-and-benjamin-doyle/ /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/politics-thursday-ayesha-verrall-and-tim-costley-talk-tariffs-ferries-and-benjamin-doyle/ 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.  LISTEN ABOVE Wed, 02 Apr 2025 23:40:46 Z /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/nick-mills-winston-peters-interisland-ferry-announcement-told-us-very-little/ /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/nick-mills-winston-peters-interisland-ferry-announcement-told-us-very-little/ 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. LISTEN ABOVE Mon, 31 Mar 2025 23:18:35 Z /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/business-panel-restaurant-association-president-mike-egan-and-method-recycling-co-founder-india-korner/ /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/business-panel-restaurant-association-president-mike-egan-and-method-recycling-co-founder-india-korner/ 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.  LISTEN ABOVE Sun, 30 Mar 2025 23:50:05 Z /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/beehive-buzz-jason-walls-on-the-the-impending-announcement-on-the-interisland-ferry-replacements/ /on-air/wellington/wellington-mornings-with-nick-mills/audio/beehive-buzz-jason-walls-on-the-the-impending-announcement-on-the-interisland-ferry-replacements/ 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 ob体育接口 political editor Jason Walls joined Nick Mills for the Beehive Buzz.  LISTEN ABOVE Sun, 30 Mar 2025 23:43:38 Z