Canterbury Mornings

Chris Lynch was joined by National MP David Carter and Port Hills MP Ruth Dyson to wrap the week that was in politics.Today they covered the re-branding of the Crusaders, National's proposed policy to deal with gangs and accusations of “extreme vetting” on immigration applications.

Civil Defence Minister Peeni Henare today announced the establishment of the new National Emergency Management Agency from 1 December 2019.The National Emergency Management Agency will replace the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management.Minister Henare told Chris Lynch this is bigger than just a name change. They’ve managed to take away some of the bureaucracy and make sure that the line of contact and accountability is to the minister directly.He says it’s about supporting more the work that is being done locally to better respond to emergencies.

Tuesday December 3rd is International Day of People with Disability.The Palms Shopping Centre is partnering with local organisation SkillWise, which works with people with intellectual disabilities to provide personalised support and help with training, education and creative expression. SkillWise members will be producing live paintings and displaying their artwork in-centre in the area outside Farmers. Artist Gary Buchanan has been with SkillWise for several years and he spoke to Chris Lynch about how much he enjoys painting. Gary will painting at the Palms Shopping Centre on Tuesday. 

Green MP Golriz Ghahraman is the encouraging us to continue to show the outpouring of love shown to the Muslim community, following March 15th terror attacks.The MP is in Christchurch giving a speech Canterbury University's New Zealand Political Studies Association Annual Conference.She told Chris Lynch we need to turn that love into the enduring fabric of our society and have the more difficult conversations with each other about prejudice.  

Cheryl Ford, Health promoter with the Cancer Society, spoke to Chris Lynch this morning about being sun smart in Canterbury this summer and the increasing prevalence of skin cancers in NZ.LISTEN ABOVE

The Christchurch Foundation has given many wounded in the mosque attacks the chance to share their experiences for the first time.The foundation has raised almost $12 million.The money is being distributed to the local Muslim community, with $7 million going into a Victims' Fund and another $1.5 million going into a higher education fund.Foundation advisor Raf Manji told Chris Lynch he sat with many victims and families in their homes, hearing about ongoing issues with immigration status, family visits and mental health.He says it a was draining, emotional experience for people who've been grieving and many of the wounded in hospital having multiple surgeries.LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW ABOVE

Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel joined Chris for the weekly mayoral catch up. Today they covered the Chief Ombudsman's critical review of the Christchurch City Council and Prince Charles announcing he'll become the royal patron of the Christchurch Cathedral reinstatement.Lianne Dalziel told Chris Lynch she was unaware of serious concerns about top level staff accused of manipulating reports or hiding bad news from the public, despite a mayor's adviser sitting in on public information request meetings. 

A former Speaker of the House has described the downfall of a Christchurch councillor as a stitch up.Deon Swiggs lost his central city seat after facing allegations of inappropriate behaviour leading up to the election.The council has dropped an investigation into his conduct because he's no longer a councillor, meaning Swiggs hasn't been able to clear his name.Former Speaker of the House Sir Kerry Burke told Chris Lynch the matter appears to be, in employment terms, constructive dismissal.Labour MP Duncan Webb has also said Swiggs was given a raw deal.

Abe Gray called the show and spoke to Chris Lynch about the fundraising campaign to extend the Whakamana Cannabis museum.Whakamana is currently located in the Shand's building on Manchester Street. However the plan is to takeover Trinity Church next door, with the hope for it to be a museum by day and turned into an alcohol-free nightclub after hours.  

Christchurch's RSA struggled to compete with the city's trendy new bars and restaurants.Trenches, operated by the Christchurch RSA, is shutting it's kitchen and turning off the keg after four and a half years.It recorded a loss of $700 thousand in May and was still leaking thousands of dollars each month.Canterbury Memorial RSA President Pete Dawson told Chris Lynch the bar and restaurant was doing well, being one of the first back in the city following the quakes.But he says that's quickly changed. 

The Pike River families are struggling to find peace with no one held accountable for the death of their loved ones.Today marks nine years since the West Coast mine disaster claimed 29 lives.Sonya Rockhouse, who lost her son Ben, told Chris Lynch she misses him every day.But she says it's hard to move on when they have no answers.Rockhouse says she sometimes feels like he's been on an O.E. and will walk through the door any second.

Air New Zealand customers heading away for the holiday season may be forced to make different plans.Changes are being made to some international flights due to issues with Rolls-Royce engines on its Boeing 787-9 aircraft.Flights affected are those travelling to and from Perth, Sydney and TongaAround 14 thousand customers will be impacted by cancellations.Affected flights are between December 10 and January 5Former chief executive of the Aviation Industry Association and aviation commentator Irene King told Chris Lynch she's surprised they are cancelling so late, she thought they might have known about this problem a bit earlier.King says you simply can't use these engines and they are clearly taking a lot longer to overhaul, so the problems are more complex and ongoing than anyone had anticipated.

Christchurch's Deputy Mayor says the buck stops with the Chief Executive in ensuring council is open and honest.The Chief Ombudsman released a damning report last week showing staff felt the executive team withheld negative information from elected officials and the public.Andrew Turner says the review was carried out during the tenure of former CEO, Karleen Edwards.Turner says he has confidence in new CEO Dawn Baxendale to address concerns.

The Taxpayers' Union is vowing to keep testing the transparency of Christchurch City Council, following the release of a critical report from the Chief Ombudsman.After a review, Peter Boshier made a formal recommendation for the Council to review its leadership team’s involvement in controlling information flows.Taxpayers' Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke told Chris Lynch they had a run in with council last year, when it refused to release the cost of its $1.24 million touch screen wall at its central library.Haulbrook says time will tell if council will operate more openly under its new CEO. 

The Maori Council is calling on the Auditor General to look into the North Canterbury Transport Infrastructure Recovery plan. $1.2 billion went into restoring the roads and rail following the Kaikoura earthquake, which struck three years ago.The Maori Council's Executive Director Matthew Tukaki told Chris Lynch they've had complaints from locals about the works disrupting their lives. He says the council deems some of the work unnecessary. 

A researcher claims the wealth gap between boomers and younger generations is being locked into place.Dr Jess Berentson Shaw told Chris Lynch New Zealand has an unnatural power imbalance.According to her research, younger generations are struggling to accumulate wealth.She says New Zealand wealth is concentrating in older generations, locking it in for that group.LISTEN ABOVE

Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb and National's Nicky Wagner agree, the Christchurch City Council should continue their investigation into the code of conduct complaint against former councillor Deon Swiggs.Duncan Webb told Chris Lynch, allegations have been made about Deon Swiggs conduct as a councillor so there is an obligation to keep going with it.Nicky Wagner says the whole thing is a shambles and peoples lives have been affected.She says it's absolutely criminal and something needs to be done. 

Simon Bridges joined Chris on the show for the fortnightly catch up. This week they discussed new National candidate Christopher Luxon, if Ara should be merged into the 'mega-polytechnic' and the race for the National Selwyn candidacy.   

The Fire Service can't stop people from stockpiling fireworks. Guy Fawkes last night culminated in more than 70 call outs throughout the country, including to a large blaze on Auckland's Mt Wellington.Canterbury Assistant Area Commander Steve Kennedy told Chris Lynch the fact it fell on a weekday means we'll hear more bangs and crackles over the weekend.Steve Kennedy says it's the conditions that matter most when letting off fireworks and he's warning, this week is coming off the back of a hot and dry weekend.

Scientists say we can all do our bit to combat climate change.Eleven thousand of them have endorsed a climate change emergency, in an article in BioScience.Co-author, Dr Thomas Newsome, told Chris Lynch people can cut meat consumption, dump fossil fuels, decrease car and air travel, use clean energy, and protest.He says if lots of individuals make small differences, it will scale up to changes at the government level.